Trolls in the Terror Zones

Non-ladder is starting to feature a lot of trolls in WSK and Chaos

Terror Zone games. In Chaos the tactic seems to be to go hostile and try to kill other players. In WSK the tactic seems to be to create shadow town portals in the middle of a deadly pack to try to kill players.

I don't mind a bit of fun with this, it's a little childish but whatever. But it got to the point today where I couldn't find a game that wasn't overrun with trolls. I ended up making my own game and giving everyone upfront notice that I'd kill the game if people started trolling. That worked for a little while, until someone trolled me by making the next game in my series before I got there.

The goal of the trolls seems to be to just make it more of a hassle to level characters. And it does seem to be working. Mostly the trolls don't manage to kill many players - especially not the higher level players for whom Death is a real issue. And there is no XP loss for PKs... but what it does do is disrupt and stop group play in high level TZs.

So how do we combat this? Just make password games and find groups in an online forum such as this? Should I be making a thread before every WSK I plan to play in order to find a group of 8? Seems like a lot of work, but I probably got half of the value out of the last hour of play.

Children! These people need to grow up and realize that messing with other people is bad for everyone's fun.

departure wrote: 7 months ago

[..]
until someone trolled me by making the next game in my series before I got there.
[..]

This one is about as old as time itself and feels rather inevitable to happen at some point in any good chain run. Usually, it isn't someone trying to "actively troll you" but rather someone who was in the run (or was told by a friend), was too slow to join the next game before it filled and then goes "alright, I'll just make the next one myself, that way I'll definitely be in it!", not realizing (or actively ignoring) the fact that doing so tends to either make the host skip a (few) game(s) or just kills the run entirely.
Usually just dumb people being dumb, rather than trolls being trolls for that one.

As for the PK trolls, that's always been a thing though it sounds as if it has gotten significantly worse? The portal part is easily avoided by simply sticking to the host's portals so that typically doesn't affect your run (much) since the folks who die to that tend to be the ones getting carried anyways. Actual PKers...harder to avoid and need to just be dealt with. Spend a game kicking their ass and WP-camping them as they try to recover their stuff and they tend to quickly leave with their tail tucked between their legs but short of that, there isn't much you can do.

Private games are of course always a theoretical option but for that, you'd actually need a set group that sticks around which in itself tends to be too much of an ask, more often than not.

I create a post about similar problem a while ago... but it seem to have no solution (other than private/password games...)
(you cannot block users or prevent them from becoming hostile...)

Nowadays I'm having no problem with Hostility (don't remember the last time someone become Hostile on my games...)
As I farm mostly by myself (even on games with other players), when someone declares Hostility I go to town and wait a little, if player do not leave, I create a new game (or try cows as Hostile players cannot enter on red portal )

I'm guessing the PC D2R world is a bit more toxic than console. I've been playing D2R on xbox for about a year now and this has only happened to me a handleful of times.
Trolls and PKers are bullies and bullies thrive on their victim's reactions. However, since there isn't a real chat function on xbox, essentially just an emote wheel, these bullies can't get a real reaction out of folks. The run either ends or they get stomped on by the people who are trying to participate in the run (i've never seen it be more than one troll at a time).
Also, the console community is much smaller. Everyone pretty much knows everyone. It's a small community and it feels a lot like d2io. You mostly see people really going out of their way to help others, not troll them (though it does still occasionally happen).
</shamless-console-plug>

Schnorki wrote: 7 months ago

departure wrote: 7 months ago

[..]
until someone trolled me by making the next game in my series before I got there.
[..]

This one is about as old as time itself and feels rather inevitable to happen at some point in any good chain run. Usually, it isn't someone trying to "actively troll you" but rather someone who was in the run (or was told by a friend), was too slow to join the next game before it filled and then goes "alright, I'll just make the next one myself, that way I'll definitely be in it!", not realizing (or actively ignoring) the fact that doing so tends to either make the host skip a (few) game(s) or just kills the run entirely.
Usually just dumb people being dumb, rather than trolls being trolls for that one.

As for the PK trolls, that's always been a thing though it sounds as if it has gotten significantly worse? The portal part is easily avoided by simply sticking to the host's portals so that typically doesn't affect your run (much) since the folks who die to that tend to be the ones getting carried anyways. Actual PKers...harder to avoid and need to just be dealt with. Spend a game kicking their ass and WP-camping them as they try to recover their stuff and they tend to quickly leave with their tail tucked between their legs but short of that, there isn't much you can do.

Private games are of course always a theoretical option but for that, you'd actually need a set group that sticks around which in itself tends to be too much of an ask, more often than not.

In the last Chaos TZ, I would say more games featured a hostile player than not. Mostly people just ignored them. Sometimes they stopped WP camping and followed to Chaos and PK'd a few times - ultimately killing the run as people just didn't want to fight it out.

Just now after the last WSK, I was dealing with runners who were actively trolling or cooperating with the trolls. The host themselves was making kill tps, or was removing their own TP (I guess by letting the troll in and then going out and back in or something). In several games there was more than one troll, and it often ended up being my TP that was the one everyone had to use. This is what lead me to make my own game.

When one thread would die, the trolls would move on and create a new one. It seemed that I ran into the same groups repeatedly. These were the games that were open, so of course they were the troll games. Probably some tight groups of 8 just went on their merry way while the rest of us kept bouncing into the same fools.

departure wrote: 7 months ago

[..]
The host themselves was making kill tps, or was removing their own TP (I guess by letting the troll in and then going out and back in or something).
[..]

Well, that's just a bad host/incompetent teleporter..those runs should die.

Schnorki wrote: 7 months ago

Well, that's just a bad host/incompetent teleporter..those runs should die.

Oh it was very intentional. They were tucked around corners surrounded by enemies. The runner had searched for a good corner and brought packs over to it.

The runs did die of course. But then they were remade into newly named runs. I counted at least 3 trolls. I never found a game that didn't have one.

Weird.

Did the countless bot-hosted runs stop again? Last I checked on pug runs, they made up like 80% or something of them, at least for WSK, and those are always safe TPs.

(Not that wanting to join bots isn't a separate discussion one may have..but sure beats suiciding into troll hosts)

Schnorki wrote: 7 months ago

Weird.

Did the countless bot-hosted runs stop again? Last I checked on pug runs, they made up like 80% or something of them, at least for WSK, and those are always safe TPs.

(Not that wanting to join bots isn't a separate discussion one may have..but sure beats suiciding into troll hosts)

Is this a thing? I don't think I've ever been in a run hosted by a bot. The runner always says something, or responds to being thanked. I remember one run that I was convinced was a bot by someone whose username started with AI. He said nothing and was insanely efficient for like 20 runs in a row - and then he made a comment. I flipped out and was like "you're a human!?!? dude you're insanely fast!" Got big laughs by everyone.

I've also noticed this recently. Joined a few games where the TPs were definitely meant to take people out. Maybe it's just a temporary thing, but it's more prevalent than it once was unfortunately. Thankfully, you can always solo MF or craft or build gems. The beauty of the game is there's always something you can do solo or just find a few reliable people.

The only way to avoid this is to open passwords games with players you're familiar with. I think a lot of PK trolls are bullies who've failed at dueling.

mhlg wrote: 7 months ago

I think a lot of PK trolls are bullies who've failed at dueling.

^^ This

Just finished a Chaos set. Only one troll encounter. Our game name was camped on by a character who had a game ready with a kill tp loaded for everyone to rush into. The host just skipped to the next number and had no idea what happened. But the rest of the group joined the game and one person jumped in the TP.

I recognized him from a previous troll attempt in Chaos which prompted me to create this thread.

PK have always been part of the game.

Tornado_OLO wrote: 7 months ago

PK have always been part of the game.

You're talking about going hostile? Sure. That's not entirely what I'm describing here with kill tps. But regardless, it's not what the people involved here are looking to play. We're talking about a series of games in which 8 players are working together to do one thing and don't have any interest in the sorts of things you're talking about.

This is just trolls who are trying to mess with people who are having a good time. Is that the worst thing? No. But it is disruptive and annoying.

departure wrote: 7 months ago

You're talking about going hostile? Sure. That's not entirely what I'm describing here with kill tps. But regardless, it's not what the people involved here are looking to play. We're talking about a series of games in which 8 players are working together to do one thing and don't have any interest in the sorts of things you're talking about.

This is just trolls who are trying to mess with people who are having a good time. Is that the worst thing? No. But it is disruptive and annoying.

It's called PK and as I said, it's always been in Diablo 2.
But I can understand it can annoy you.

Only two kind of population are becoming hostile : legit PvP (duelers, team PvP) and PK.
PK is what you are describing.

Tornado_OLO wrote: 7 months ago

It's called PK and as I said, it's always been in Diablo 2.
But I can understand it can annoy you.

Only two kind of population are becoming hostile : legit PvP (duelers, team PvP) and PK.
PK is what you are describing.

Ok, so trolls have always been part of the game. Great. They're annoying, and they've recently become more annoying. I take it there's nothing to be done about it.

Incoming unpopular opinion: Just because something has been around forever, doesn't mean it was OK back then, nor does it mean it is OK now.

mhlg wrote: 7 months ago

The only way to avoid this is to open passwords games with players you're familiar with. I think a lot of PK trolls are bullies who've failed at dueling.

Failures at legit dueling and those who probably are currently being/have been abused at home and need an outlet for their impotent anger. Neither of which I care about.

Knappogue wrote: 7 months ago

Incoming unpopular opinion: Just because something has been around forever, doesn't mean it was OK back then, nor does it mean it is OK now.

Wise words. And applicable far beyond just TZ trolls and D2:R.