This game has serious free-rider problems and it's getting worse. A suggestion.

[DPZ2]

Well, consider yourself counted amongst the problem children, then. If you're going to justify it, then you're a part of it.

Good thing you have the ability to exit an instance the second you recognize 'problem children'. That's what you do, right? You abandon the instance and take the penalty in order to keep your sanity, or you set up a PF run and choose who you think you want to play with you rather than some random player.

Or, do you initiate a kick of those who you deem unworthy of your time and let them know in-game?. And then come here and make 'suggestions' to prevent such players from ever gracing your duty finder again.

[Vahlnir]

If someone wants to be lazy, more power to them.

I think the issue being discussed is largely exaggerated, and I have a pretty big tolerance for most types of players in this game...but this is something I can't (and won't) agree with.

[Rinhi]

Well, consider yourself counted amongst the problem children, then. If you're going to justify it, then you're a part of it.

he's not just a part of it, he revels in doing it, see: his posts in every topic that's remotely similar to this

[DPZ2]

... and then being rewarded for their behavior by some white-knight circklej hellbent on gaslighting people on a internet messageboard that are sharing their (negative) personal experiences and encounters they have in the game with other players.

So, by 'sharing their personal experiences' you mean actively advocating for something like, oh, I don't know "Suggestion to the devs: expand “FATE-like” performance based rewards to most aspects of the game." followed by "This threshold shouldn’t be too high, in qualitative terms it should be reachable by performing a decent rotation at min ilvl while not dying too much, and reaching this minimum threshold makes you eligible for normal rewards."

That doesn't sound like 'sharing', it sounds like asking to actively discourage players one may deem as sub-par from playing in the first place.

[LittleImp]

I feel like most of the people acting like it isn't a big deal to have your time openly wasted probably just have way too much free-time.

Someone who gets home from work each day and has 1-2 hours to spare to knock out their roulettes or some farm runs shouldn't be expected to simply be okay with having their already limited time wasted by someone with an open disregard for group play. It's not surprising that they find that situation frustrating whatsoever.

[DPZ2]

I feel like most of the people acting like it isn't a big deal to have your time openly wasted probably just have way too much free-time.

Someone who gets home from work each day and has 1-2 hours to spare to knock out their roulettes or some farm runs shouldn't be expected to simply be okay with having their already limited time wasted by someone with an open disregard for group play. It's not surprising that they find that situation frustrating whatsoever.

Do what any number of us have done. Join an FC. Ask your FC mates to queue up for roulettes with you. No frustration. Problem solved. And the queue can be a heck of a lot quicker.

[Ronduwil]

It happens in any raid I've been in where someone either AFKs or dies immediately and refuses to accept a rez, followed by someone boldly suggesting a kick. All of a sudden, all you see are bleeding hearts screeching at the top of their lungs "HE'S JUST A SPROUT, HOW DARE YOU!" and "CUT THE GUY SOME SLACK, IT'S JUST A GAME," and of course "LOL LOOK AT THIS TRYHARD."

That's because some people are too quick to jump to the worst conclusion possible. Stuff happens sometimes. An emergency phone call needs to get answered, an unexpected and important guest arrives at the door, a kid gets hurt and needs assistance, the cat knocks an important router cable out of a socket, or maybe nature called unexpectedly and there was no good opportunity for a break because everyone in the duty raids pulls without ready checks before half the raid is even in the sealed area. I would rather give random players the benefit of the doubt because, as you pointed out, it's only a game. I'm not getting paid to do it, and I honestly don't enjoy the game any less because one guy had to AFK mid-fight. Now, if they're consistently running to boss after boss before parking and doing nothing, then of course I would be inclined to vote kick, and everyone else would too.

Out society has become so obsessed with defending the abused and the broken - is now so eager to shield these newly-christened victims - that it has turned those who are aggressively manipulative and duplicitous into saints. Every crook is stealing a loaf of bread to feed starving children; every knife-wielding, crazed homeless person is just out there because they lost their job; every psychotic meth-head who beats his wife had a troubled childhood.

I see it the other way. Society has become so obsessed with the idea that everyone else is gaming the system that they see nefarious plots everywhere. For example, there's all this outrage about the U.S. estate tax, and the people who get angriest about it don't even realize that the first $11.7 million of their estate is completely exempt from the tax. My in-laws are constantly complaining about welfare even though they themselves have collected disability for years and have received millions of dollars worth of free healthcare through medicaid. We have a deadly virus that's rampaging around the world, and people (like my mother in law) are refusing a life-saving vaccine on suspicion of a socialist government agenda -- an agenda to make sure everyone stays healthy so that we can safely get back to business as usual. This unhealthy obsession with preventing others from receiving unearned benefits isn't moving us forward as a society.

[Caurcas]

Remember that being excellent to each other goes both ways. We all need to respect the time of our fellow players and do our best in duties. This is how we create a great community.

[Fland]

commendations are really bad as a reward because most people hand them out to others based purely on their role, rather than the individual's performance. and after 3k, you stop getting in-game rewards for it anyway.

Mostly because some roles' performance are easier to gauge than others.

[LittleImp]

Do what any number of us have done. Join an FC. Ask your FC mates to queue up for roulettes with you. No frustration. Problem solved. And the queue can be a heck of a lot quicker.

I don't have this problem, and I'm not particularly in need of personal solutions. I almost exclusively play in premade parties these days, outside of mentor roulette. Simply turning people away from the matchmaking system entirely is not a good solution, and will only serve to further degrade the new player experience. This is a cultural problem, and it's imperative that we create an environment of mutual respect where it's okay to make clear that certain behaviors are disrespectful to other peoples time.

I personally just think it's funny that people defend anti-social behavior like afking in dungeons, and imply that people who are openly critical of such behavior are in someway morally defective. I will continue to gleefully call out grifters where I see them, white-knights or no.