Improved reporting process

@eligibleeel6171 I'm expecting the mod copypasta and this thread getting locked

But for real, there has to be a quicker way of reporting. The games I usually play have a report system that takes as little as 15 seconds to do. SoT reports take ages, and most people i come around don't know how to do them, they need to improve the in-game report system instead of relying on the off-game one.

for PC players, there's no quick and easy way to take a recording and collect evidence of cheating or toxic behaviour

You do. You have more ways that console players, quick easy record and screenshot all within keyboard buttons and you can setup screen capturing.

@eligibleeel6171 said in Improved reporting process:

@burnbacon Thank you for this. I am actually a console player so don't know this. What is the reporting process on PC then? Why do you think players are struggling with it?

Recoding last 30 seconds is done with Windows Key + Alt + G, it's part of Xbox Game Bar (opened by windows key + G).

I was hoping this could be a more constructive discussion of specific ideas for how Rare could help us to help them so to speak. Rare cannot start banning people without evidence, nor can they combat cheating without large scale data collection. They need the support of players who are willing to take time out of their (often limited) game time to fill out reports and provide data that they can act on.

There have been times where Rare support has royally messed up and failed to properly address any complaints (they still do to a degree).
People usually go with the beginning of HG for the example of major hacking problems, but the real start is either a new client or a bypass in the anti-cheat. There are videos advertising these clients, the domains are not hidden, and the discords are easily accessible. Rare, instead of solely relying on players, they should (trigger warning) PLAY THEIR OWN GAME and find them themselves. Another solution is taking down websites that host these clients.

@eligibleeel6171 said in Improved reporting process:

@karminiumsot I got the impression that the mod copypasta was for generic and unconstructive complaints about cheating and toxic behaviour and the (understandably) angry but unhelpful demands that Rare "do something" about it.

I was hoping this could be a more constructive discussion of specific ideas for how Rare could help us to help them so to speak. ( ... )

I am hoping that if people keep their responses constructive, and it doesn't just turn into vague ranting, this thread will not get locked, but I guess we shall see.

It could be that a certain someone's thread was closed/removed because of misinformation ... I don't think this one will be closed though.

I usually see some threads close because they "should" reach out to support, but the contents aren't relating to that. I had a thread that was locked because of this reason.

On PC you can either use Windows' in-built DVR (which you can enable in Settings - Gaming - Captures) and control it with Game Bar. Personally, I found that stopped working well so I switched to using the game recording in Steam (Steam Settings - Game Recording). I found that more reliable and more customisable.

But onto the actual topic, I've mentioned it elsewhere, but my main issue is the that the in-game reporting and the website Support portal are not linked. You get a reference code when you make an in-game report but that report doesn't appear in your My Requests feed, so you cannot add to it easily. You have to create a new support request and quote that ref code, which seems like an unnecessary burden on both the player and the support technician who then has to marry the two.

Please, Rare, just create a new entry automatically in My Requests when you do an in-game report, with all the relevant data, so we can add evidence to that. Mark it "pending more info" if you want. The main reason I do an in-game report is so that I can make sure the person I am reporting is correct.

Help us out here, we want to make accurate reports with evidence and do it in a way that's quick and easy.

I've always wanted them to change the in-game reporting tool, as new players don't know that reporting a player for cheating, is pointless since they need a recording of it as well. When the new player gets an email informing them of this, it's too late.

Just as Blurbs wanted Rare to change emmisaries to inform new players that they may be hunted by other players if they represent it, there be something stated there saying, "Hey, you can report a player's ship or pet name, but to report cheating and/or toxic behavior, we'll need video evidence." so they know beforehand.

I can only imagine how many cheaters and toxic players haven't been reported because of this discovery too late.

I’m against incentivising reporting because all it’ll do is create a wave of false reports the support team would still have to check manually, creating an insanely high work load all the time. Reporting reform is desperately needed both in game and on the site I absolutely agree on that.

@eligibleeel6171 said in Improved reporting process:

@realstyli I would say correcting misinformation in my post is very much on topic (and appreciated). My post is about making it easier for players to gather evidence and report cheating and toxic behaviour, so providing instructions on how to do this is a valuable contribution.

@Europa4033 @RealStyli I'll be completely honest I had never even realised there was any in game reporting tool at all. I've never even tried to use it, I've always just done it through the website. How easy would it be to add a notification on that page saying "GATHER EVIDENCE", with a short explanation that they need evidence for toxic behaviour/ cheating and a simple set of instructions on how to do this on PC or console? Or even a button on that page to "record previous X minutes of gameplay"? Even if the idea in my original post is a bit too much, surely this is doable and kind of a no brainer?

I mean, according to the 2024 podcast, they're still looking into the merchant crates not being given after purchasing, so asking to implement a program that clips the last few minutes or so after encountering a cheater, is probably going to take longer than 8yrs to do. I just don't think it's possible at this point, which is why I wish when new players click that feature, they're told they need to clip it themselves. I've seen posts made from frustrated players who've used that feature to report, only to get an email 24hrs later saying they now need to provide a clip. "Report a player", apparently isn't for reporting cheaters, which again, is confusing and misleading. They'll warn players about being hunted if they raise an emissary, but not when it comes to this.