Block first timers from Party Finder!

[Malevicton]

i don't believe that a function like this is necessary, but believe what you will.

Most features aren't necessary.

[WinterLuna]

i don't believe that a function like this is necessary, but believe what you will.

Necessary to what? Because I assure you the majority of things in this game aren't necessary.

[Phireblast]

i don't believe that a function like this is necessary, but believe what you will.

I'd really hate to start a farm party to have one or more players who want to be assholes and join and waste everybody's time without consent because last time I remember, the party wasn't listed as a learning party. Once we enter that instance and we see the new player bonus, me and possibly other players will be generally annoyed and just leave, going back to step 1. Worst but common case scenario, the party collectively disbands. Either that, or the party goes "idc", kills the boss, then the new player gets the loot and bails to shit up the next party(and my blacklist). It's pretty much why I stopped hosting pony farms.

Now, if the player simply asked, maybe, just MAYBE the party would be okay with taking them along depending on the content. Pony farms are easier thanks to unsync, but you're still at the mercy of mechanics in fights such as Ifrit. Since fights like those are generally easy, parties might not mind giving the new guys a rundown since it won't take much time if they speak up. However, if they don't and keep wiping the group, they're just going to think the player is a general asshole that only seeks to leech and hate your guts. Our annoyance is pretty much directed at the people who try to leech off of others.

This whole idea may put up a seemingly elitist(when it's not) front at FIRST GLANCE, but it's more of at the convenience of everyone that isn't a person out to waste people's time.

[Noxifer]

So how am I supposed to show a proof of clear when I don't have the item I desire? The only thing someone can do is secretly check the player's lodestone, but most people have their achievements private by default. If we're speaking strictly 3.0, we COULD show a totem, but it wasn't so simple in 2.0.

Not to mention that even if you don't have one... you can just right-click a totem someone else has linked and link it from that -_- and if people go "link me in a /tell" to prevent that, the first-timer can still ask a friend/FC-mate to link them a weapon or token or something ("I just want to see what it looks like! :D" or "Can't find mine on my retainers >.< need to Search for it") and link from that. And we're back to square one again =/

I've also run into times when I've decided not to join a PF listing due to them requiring linking a drop, and while I've done the duty two or three times, I haven't gotten 'my' drop yet, and I haven't won any greed rolls either. So while I'm not new I don't have the loot to show for it, and... yeah. (This was before they allowed you to link from the chat log, mind you, but it's also what made me very quickly realize why the 'link drop' doesn't work.)

i don't believe that a function like this is necessary, but believe what you will.

What? O.o I don't use PF that often, either through creating or joining, but the times I have, I've seen plenty of sneaky newbies, some who will say nothing to the question of who brought on the "new player bonus!" message, and some who will outright lie and say they're not new, only to get the achievement at the end of the fight (at which point they've either been dead for 20% of the boss's health, or have double 'rez sickness'). This one guy in Ifrit who kept running around like a lunatic, hugging healers and bringing eruptions to the tank, ignoring tethers and mostly ignoring nails... In a farm party. And just a short while after that, I saw him starting a primal farm party of his own (Levi, I think), and I thought to myself, "Really? Really now?"

And if that kind of thing (though maybe not quite as extreme) has happened in at least half the PFs I've been in... I shudder to think of what it looks like to those people who regularly do use the PF. Sure, I might have been just unlucky, since I only have a small sample size to go on, but even so... It shouldn't be something we have to 'learn to live with'.

How would an optional system that would block new-comers from joining into a specific PF listing not be preferrable to no such system and leaving the PF leaders to weed those new-comers out manually through trial and error, interrogating everyone in the party once the bonus message comes up, demanding drop linking which is easily circumvented, searching for party members on Lodestone and hope their achievement list isn't hidden from view, and after all that time (which probably took as long as 3-4 farm runs or longer) hope that the rest of the party is still interested in going? How? O.o I... fail to understand how people would prefer the second method.

[Aquaslash]

All of this sounds good on paper, but I can only see this making things worse in the long run. Newbs won't create learning parties becauae they'll never clear, and will opt to buy their clears instead. Vets won't make learning parties because there would be no benefit now that they can reliably ban newbs from entry. As generous as the op is painting themselves out to be, I'd wager that once this idea is implemented, and they finally got all the loot they wanted, they'd never make a learning party ( which is fine because there would be no point), and that would be one less good samaritan.

That said, I actually AM in support of the OP's proposal because there's no logical reason not to. I just think it will end in the worst possible way because the western playerbase is THAT awful

[WingsOfNth]

Honestly you just sound like you're either an elitist or a lazy person so here is some solutions for you.

TLDR; Don't be lazy and help thy neighbor. Solution 1 and 3 can help you with this. If you're selfish and don't care about the community in the long run I recommend solution 2.

1. Teach People. On week one of release me and my static could 5man Ravana. Selling to people who knew NOTHING of the fight. Not many fights in this game can be screwed up by a single person. If it's that bad, oh well it's just 15 minutes. 15 minutes should not matter, it's not life or death. By becoming more skilled yourself you can compensate for the shortcomings of others. This is one of the biggest things you learn as a career healer or tank. Helping the community helps you in the long run.

2. Don't be lazy. Go into the Lode Stone and see if they have the achievement. There is no excuse. Even PSN users can view the lode stone with out closing the game. If the achievements are blocked. Ask them politely explaining that it's a farm that requires proof to join. If they can't provide proof kick them.

[WingsOfNth]

3. Network. Guess what you were a noob once also. Train people and actually become friends. We have 3 people in my static that started off as shit. We went through 5 pros because of timezone differences. You talk about some friends just not being on or enjoying the farm content that you like to farm. Well that can be fixed by putting in the effort to make some more friends. If you are farming ponies with a bunch of people chances are some one those people enjoy farming for mounts and stuff. Become friends. Then boom just like that you have 3 friends who enjoy farming the same stuff you do and you know they play around the same time because you're on together at the same time.

[WingsOfNth]

They're dozens of solutions to your problem that can be fixed by just being lazy be it as a casual or a hardcore. If you want change to happen then how about you be that change. You want players to let you know they are new? Stop kicking new players and teach them fights. Why do you thin knew players have to pipe down? Even if it is a farm. Some content is so old that you only find farm parties anymore. When is the last time you saw a Titan Learning Party? If proof of completion is that important to you then get off your FC chat and jump onto the Lode Stone. (Everything I've said applies to everything in the game. Be it Party/Dutyfinder or crafting out front of the FC mansion.)

No game Dev in there right mind thinks it's a good idea to split up a community even if only by a filter. Because that is what it is, a Community. I gave you three perfect solutions. Feel free to use them. Requests like this only make the divide between casual/hardcore and noobs/veterans even larger.

[Ercapote]

same old same old.

you are missing the point, it's for the same specific reason like number 2 that something like OP is suggesting would be a nice add and would save up the time and problem, "I DON'T NEED RUNNING SHOES TO RUN, BUT IT CERTAINLY HELPS" so instead of going to all the fuss you are calling people "lazy" for, getting out of the game to check on the website this specific person's achievement, if not visible requesting them to show them (this might even lead to some back and forth), ""that specific person would need to get out of the game also to change setting" probably will need some guidance (just to prove he's on farm) and if they don't comply will end up in probably drama, insults and a bad vibe, just to kick them anyways...wasting time for me and 6 other people to put up again a PF and wait for that one person to join back that it "might depend between 2,3 or 20 minutes for someone to join back" and if it's a TANK or HEALER might end up disbanding the party......TO SAVE ALL THIS TROUBLE AND PROBLEMS it will be nice to just have a feature to just not allow players that has not pass the fight yet.

ho! let's not forget you will need to do this with every single person that comes to your pf..definitely not a good idea

for "number 1." not everyone is your static, not everyone has the skill to 5 man an ex primal, and definitely not everyone will have the same coordination with 8 random people as you have 5 static members, 1 person can actually screw any current, extreme fight in this game specially if they are tank or healers, and if they are dps they can actually clip other member with mechaninc and end on disaster... and those 15 minutes of smooth clears to "FARM" becomes a tiring run of hitting your head with a wall, people get tire, start loosing focus, keep wiping, etc... which is why a "farmir" PT exist, so we don't run into this scenarios...

so number 1 and 2 are just base on your complete OP which in MY OP are poorly though, just because you had a better experience with a static and don't mind wasting time getting of the game to single handle check every single member that comes into your PT, doesn't mean everyone will be ok doing that, we are not you!.

and for "number 3" and part of your " number 1". GUESS WHAT! not everyone single person lives on mommy's basement, have all free time in the world and dedicates 100% to this game. some of us work, some of study, some of us just have a very busy social life, and some of us "like me" in the worst case scenario have all those 3 combined.

- SUUUURE helping the community helps you in the long run.
- SUUUURE being an skillfull player will help you "carry" the slack of other
- SUUUURE you are to over yourself and your static that you fail to realize that not every single person on this game has a dadicated "STATIC"

you fail to realize "again" that not everyone is you, you fail to realize that 8 random people will not...
- have the same coordination as 5 dedicated static (you know? sometimes has nothing to do with skill but rather "communication")
- with that comes, "comfort". because you and your static have done the fight together 300 times and know exactly how each of you play doesn't mean that 8 random people will exactly know what is the next move of their team m8.
- and last but not least, is not the same 5 skilled players, probably decently geared or greatly geared than 8 random people with different gear levels, and super perfect robotic skill to not gt hit or screw one move to perfectly acomodate the fight like 5 skilled static members can do.

so, back on point, "SOME" of us don't have the time to waste 40 min to create a PF to then wipe, back up, kik, probably disband as some people will be impatient and or just don't have time for that, recreating the pt wait another 40 to have a possible change to get another "new player" to F up your party again

HO! and guess what! some of us just can't have a fully dedicated and timed static to work around the game, some of are yous normal people who just want to come along and enjoy a game we really love so yeah, good for you and your static for helping people that's a plus and something really nice to see withing our community, but some of us just want to take that little time we find to progress as much as we can when we find this little time on our busy lifes...

AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, if I wanted to help the community I would create learning party to teach new people, I won't create a "FARMING" party to have people sneaking around to abuse the time from others who probably just don't have it, or people who just want to get their loot and enjoy an smooth play rather than wiping time and time again...

and bout your last post...if the content is not relevant anymore there wont be "farm parties" it would be outgeared and EASILY beatable if you ask anyone I'm sure they will not care to carry anyone I don't think new people will find any problem to fit in any of those fight... this threat is focused on current content...and that NOOB/VETERAN nonsense you just gave it to much tough as this "famr" "learning" party already exist, this will just allow for people to not abuse from other to get something for themself and screw everyone else.

have a nice day and take those "DOZENS SOLUTION" wit you as we are not interested on any of them, we are fully aware of how things work. thanks.

[Archaell]

...

Great suggestions that could lead to... elitist community.

I can't shake off the feeling that after the initial period of helping others the sheer amount of work it puts on few individuals would eventually result in white listing and that would prevent even more new players from learning the game.

"Are you on the list? No. Well sorry we can't help you, but if you get refferenced by another member of our society we might give you a shot. Of course if you fail your friend will be kicked, so tread lightly..."

It looks great on the paper, but help from the top can't last long without players helping themselves from the bottom.