Can we discuss how abusive the GM department is when it comes to 'Grief Tactics'? A

[Vnolan]

I feel like they're really going to have to implement level sync for the ARR/HW S ranks

That would punish players on low-populated servers or during low-populated hours. Of course, leaving it as is makes it harder for players on higher-populated servers or during peak times.

Between the designated area for the sync and it possibly intersecting with FATEs, and it not having an expiration time, they probably couldn't do it.

They've previously stated have no intent to revamp older hunts under the notion that they're "outdated content", except that's kind of untrue when they keep giving older hunts Centurio seals/whatever the latest unlimited tomestone types are, which means they're always going to be relevant to some degree.

They didn't have to adjust Jumbo Cactpot so it didn't take 20 years to get the achievements, they didn't have to remove weather/time restrictions and the "Random" ruleset from TT NPCs and they didn't have to add Verminion NPCs. All of those were common-sense fixes, so expect no difference here.

[Vahlnir]

You realize all a fate is is a hunt, nm, or group of mobs with a level sync option right?

You take away the little map icon and the sound, and nothing changes, its still a fate.

I don't get the community hate towards fates.

Ignorance is bliss. That's what I tell myself on the subject. As to why people hate them, it's because SE won't let them go. New event? Fates. New zones? Fates. New content? Let's slap some Fates on those too. SE, stop. They aren't fun and they are not interesting.

[Paladinleeds]

What if you made it so only the tagging party would get any credit? Anyone not in the party/alliance that pulls the mob gets 0 credit, even if they do 99% of the damage? Wouldn't that fit their narrative better of it's fair game? I'd also do the same with FATEs.

[Ramesses]

To the OP:

I see your side of the story, I see what you mean and I can definitely identify with the frustration of having trolls who just repeatedly act silly while waiting for players to arrive at a hunt location. However, lets make an attempt to be absolutely fair and look at this objectively... starting the thread with a title that says "Let's discuss how abusive the GM department is when it comes to 'Grief Tactics'?"... that's a bit much innit? That just blankets the whole GM department and that's not fair.

In my experience with the GMs, they have been great in getting my issues resolved... and to be honest, their team works extensively to pacify, resolve and document issues. That said, hunts used to be one of my favourite aspects of this game when it was first introduced but there have been various annoying issues that evolved from their mechanics. Does that keep me from still doing hunts? Certainly not.

One of the reoccuring issues has always been that some players still have the conception that S ranks belong to an Owner or a group of "Owners" (with the assumption that it solely belongs to the person who spawned it). However, by ToS, once the S-ranks are spawned, they are actually open game; and I believe the GMs have stated several times before that resetting them is considered as griefing tactics.

The tricky part is that there is usually a sort of understanding that players should generally try to exercise patience so that other players in their FC, linkshell or parties can race over to the location before commencing battle. This doesn't always happen and hence, the resetting tactics begins.

Unfortunately, that's where the GMs have to follow the ToS rules and act accordingly... thus, its unfair to them to just substantiate "abuse" by the whole department.

[Aylis]

What if you made it so only the tagging party would get any credit? Anyone not in the party/alliance that pulls the mob gets 0 credit, even if they do 99% of the damage? Wouldn't that fit their narrative better of it's fair game? I'd also do the same with FATEs.

I think its going to happen someday, I'm surprised it hasn't happened already really. If a majority of hunts leads to reports being filed for harassment, early pulling and reset griefing between all sides involved. GM's might eventually reach their wits end and say "Enough" and say it loud enough to the point of the devs flagging hunts for a claim system.

[Kyuuen]

What if you made it so only the tagging party would get any credit? Anyone not in the party/alliance that pulls the mob gets 0 credit, even if they do 99% of the damage? Wouldn't that fit their narrative better of it's fair game? I'd also do the same with FATEs.

There's nothing wrong with the system as it is in it's current form. But sure, why not throw napalm with sticks of dynamite into a fire. What's the worst that could possibly happen?

[Spiroth]

1. Even if you have a trial account associated with ARR you can't reach max level nor can you even go to Ishgard or SB areas so that point is very moot not to mention there are level 50 hunts you can do and will give you seals, so again moot. You can and will bump into these regardless of your expansion in ARR areas that's the point you failed in this point I've had to bail (albeit rare cases) some lowbies because there was an A rank off the beaten path like in Northern Thanalan.

2. They're really not challenging it's the same mechanics just added onto an open area with a giant AoE (the A rank in Mor Dhona is almost the same as the A rank in Thanalan with the Courel) the S ranks have 1-2 mechanics at most that can be brute forced so I don't see much of a challenge take Agrippa since we're talking about him, he has buffs that you need to look for so you don't kill yourself that's about it. He's just a glorified mech that you've fought before combined with a Claw monster he has Exhaust and Grand Sword the only difference is it applies vulen.

3. Well there isn't a level sync that's the games fault for not providing it within the game it's not the expansions fault when you yourself are lvl 50 and your lvl 70 friends summoned and kill it so this is a horrible point to try and make valid as you can't validate content for someone who can't even reach max lvl because within the first couple of hours they are going to consciously want to continue and buy the expansion or not. Everyone's different so you can't say "it's expansion locked! It's not fair!" when there's lvl 50 A rank hunts in places like Middle La Noscea and such that people under lvl 50 die to because it can spawn anywhere.

4. That's if they do and I have done Agrippa back in ARR back when he was challenging, you can't compare lvl 50 to lvl 70 being somewhat awesome you can solo him as a healer/rdm/pld/war I could go on there is no challenge in doing lvl 50 hunts that's the point i'm trying to make yet you give me these half arsed comments about it being some spectacle and gated behind an expansion when it's not.

1) They are awesome at appropriate level, with appropriate Party, aka as intended.
2) They must be able to be beaten at appropriate level, with appropriate Party. A level 50 mob outside middle la noscea is still beatable by a Full Party of level 50 ARR only friends, so they level up and come back.
3) There is no such thing as early puller, only late arrival.
4) Resetting someone's open world battle, is griefing. Doesn't matter if it is a Hunt or a Hunting Log Monster.
5) You haven't fought Agrippa back in ARR, seeing as you joined after heavensward was launched.
6) There isn't a level sync, so hopefully they add it for S Ranks, and the salt stops, because everything will transform to the Lochs due to this much salt.

[Spiroth]

It's also not hard to see without a parser whether someone is underperforming or not, whether it's the number of deaths or a rotation they are clearly doing wrong. Just saying.

You can't judge a rotation without a parser, because the other person can claim that his rotation style is better.
Constant deaths by being hit by mechanics is something else. But if he isn't being hit by mechanics you can't kick him for underperforming.

[Spiroth]

If anything 1.0 showed us that it isn't. Max level for players was level 50. The max level of monsters off the beaten path was level 99 and had no issues one shotting any player regardless of level or equipment.

Then it should have died a horrible death by fire....

[Spiroth]

You realize all a fate is is a hunt, nm, or group of mobs with a level sync option right?

You take away the little map icon and the sound, and nothing changes, its still a fate.

I don't get the community hate towards fates.

Me too. I love FATEs, they are an amazing feature imo.