Ok so just to get all the people that are all up in arms over things like hackers or extreme cases of toxicity, no I don't believe that those people shouldn't get permanent bans. Rare's usage of permanent bans for repetitive minor infractions has created a massive issue in the community. I first want to touch on the weight a permanent ban in SoT holds. Sea of Thieves is an extremely unique game, there really is no other game with combat like it. When someone is permanently banned from the game, they cannot make a new account or get a second chance. And unlike with games like Overwatch, Apex, Valorant, and more, there is no alternative option. Dedicated fans who are permanently banned from Sea of Thieves because they did something stupid a few times are typically unable to find another game that fills the niche enjoyment they get from SoT. Because of this, these fans tend to stick around, and with nothing left to lose and plenty of reason to hate the devs they typically wreak havoc throughout the game and its social channels. Ultimately the permanent bans these players get have actually created more harm to the game than good. Additionally, Rare's constant attempts to shut them out of the game have only helped to bolster their influence on the community and bolster their numbers in the game. Even though it might be "unfair" for the health of the game I think it would be best to reverse a lot of these bans, deserved or not. They should also update their policies so that players get a warning, then gradually lengthier temporary bans and perhaps the loss of specific accounts for repetitive smaller infractions. Infractions should reset after an amount of time when the player has done nothing wrong. Finally, the biggest change that should definitely be made to their policy is that they cannot just list 3 reasons and cite them as 3 warnings all at once, instantly permanently banning someone. If you're going to give people 3 chances, you have to warn them and let them know they are violating rules.
Stop perma-banning
People follow a lot and they like feeling involved in something (very often drama)
Most players have no issues because they aren't causing issues.
Accountability is something that is lacking. People get overly involved in their social bubbles to the point of not thinking for themselves. They follow whatever streamers and popular people say. They end up getting themselves in trouble in one way or another.
It's really not a difficult environment to navigate. A lot of the drama is just people not holding themselves and their friends accountable, most people in the game do fine.
How to stay out of trouble
Don't cheat
Don't cause drama
Don't forever-spam on behalf of others
Play
Have fun
Don't say hateful stuff to people and be fair to others whether you like them or not.
Don't target people in game, even when you don't like them.That's it.
If someone catches a ban just move on. It's weird to get absorbed in some internet revenge plot. Just play one of the other bajillion awesome games with communities of people with similar passions.
We have all done some nonsense in life and we've all faced consequences for engaging in some nonsense in life. Take the L and turn it into a W by being cool somewhere else.
@wolfmanbush I get your message but you do nothing to address how permanently banning people has evidently not worked in Rare's favor nor do you address how there are really no other games like SoT. Telling people to move on from something they feel attached to and can't get anywhere else isn't going to work, and it hasn't worked. Which was the entire reason I made this post. Additionally, parts of your post are clearly accusatory and serves to put other people to shame for talking about their opinions. If you'd like to try again and actually address the points I brought up, or bring your own points to the table in a respectful way, then I welcome you to. I am not here to talk about the majority of players, how the players that are banned deserve it, or how these takes are "stupid." I am here because I see an objective flaw in the system that's hurting the community I care about.
@fysics3037 said in Stop perma-banning:
@wolfmanbush I get your message but you do nothing to address how permanently banning people has evidently not worked in Rare's favor nor do you address how there are really no other games like SoT. Telling people to move on from something they feel attached to and can't get anywhere else isn't going to work, and it hasn't worked. Which was the entire reason I made this post. Additionally, parts of your post are clearly accusatory and serves to put other people to shame for talking about their opinions. If you'd like to try again and actually address the points I brought up, or bring your own points to the table in a respectful way, then I welcome you to. I am not here to talk about the majority of players, how the players that are banned deserve it, or how these takes are "stupid." I am here because I see an objective flaw in the system that's hurting the community I care about.
That's not on Rare. Just like I said in my first post it's because people surround themselves in bubbles. They are enabled by those around them to cause more trouble as if it's some case of getting justice which is not only a lack of accountability it's not a healthy way to go about things.
Sea of thieves is a live service game which significantly ties it in with content creation. All the engagement farming, all the clique campaigns, etc.
It's not "mean" to say that people should move on, it's just not enabling. Nobody gets in a better spot by spending months or years in internet battles. People very much can move on and do awesome stuff when they avoid the destructive way of dealing with consequences for actions.
That applies to me just like anyone else. If they ever decide to get rid of me I'll just move on. No social media drama, no campaigning against anyone. No making it look like I'm a victim. I'll go through support and if that doesn't work I'll move on. Just like I think others should. And I will not get other people to do it for me either.
@wolfmanbush said in Stop perma-banning:
@fysics3037 said in Stop perma-banning:
@wolfmanbush I get your message but you do nothing to address how permanently banning people has evidently not worked in Rare's favor nor do you address how there are really no other games like SoT. Telling people to move on from something they feel attached to and can't get anywhere else isn't going to work, and it hasn't worked. Which was the entire reason I made this post. Additionally, parts of your post are clearly accusatory and serves to put other people to shame for talking about their opinions. If you'd like to try again and actually address the points I brought up, or bring your own points to the table in a respectful way, then I welcome you to. I am not here to talk about the majority of players, how the players that are banned deserve it, or how these takes are "stupid." I am here because I see an objective flaw in the system that's hurting the community I care about.
That's not on Rare. Just like I said in my first post it's because people surround themselves in bubbles. They are enabled by those around them to cause more trouble as if it's some case of getting justice which is not only a lack of accountability it's not a healthy way to go about things.
Sea of thieves is a live service game which significantly ties it in with content creation. All the engagement farming, all the clique campaigns, etc.
It's not "mean" to say that people should move on, it's just not enabling. Nobody gets in a better spot by spending months or years in internet battles. People very much can move on and do awesome stuff when they avoid the destructive way of dealing with consequences for actions.
That applies to me just like anyone else. If they ever decide to get rid of me I'll just move on. No social media drama, no campaigning against anyone. No making it look like I'm a victim. I'll go through support and if that doesn't work I'll move on. Just like I think others should. And I will not get other people to do it for me either.
To add to this, anyone who goes on some weird vendetta against a video game simply because they were banned for breaking the ToS, presumably multiple times, is acting like a spoiled child. There aren’t too many things more petty and pathetic than that, imo.
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