Worst GM response ever.

#0 - May 12, 2009, 8:58 p.m.

So, I'm on Garrosh, a pve server. Doing my fishing dailies, and just going about my normal every day life. Two horde jump into the water and stand on top of my bobber while they are both flagged pvp. So I moved to the other side of the lake.. They followed.. it came down to me accidentially clicking one of them and flagging myself pvp in the process. I then quickly died.

These same two horde had then proceeded to kill 5 other players using the same method. Feeling this is an exploit and/or harrassment since a lot of fishers had to stop fishing completely, I petitioned a gm. The gm came and was very friendly and in no way is this a rant about bad customer service. However, she said something that really made me rethink playing this game.

While this is not a direct quote, it's close: We normally do not do anything for this kind of harrassment because pvp allows for players to take care of these kind of players themselves.

Seriously? Just how stupid are the people who write these policies? On a pvp server.. yes I would agree with this policy 100%. On PVE? absolutely not. I only pvp to get stupid achievements done for the holidays. Which is a clear indication that I have no skills at all in pvp. Which puts me at a huge disadvantage over somebody who pvp's on a regular basis. So if they are forcing me into a pvp situation when I loathe pvp to start, it is a huge problem. Then for the gm's to tell me that I should resolve the issue myself with pvp. This is not the first time I've had issues, normally I log out and come back when the pvp retards have gone. (Note: I am not calling people who pvp retards, just the ones who abuse it like stated above).

So, while I'm not 100% sure I want to up and quit the game over this, I am 100% sure that the gm response shows that blizzard is full of morons. People who pve exclusively do not have the skills to "solve" anything via pvp. When you guys in blue want to come to understand that, let me know. Otherwise, I hope you all get ganked on your normal toons by children who like to force pvp on people.

Of course, remember, this is not a rant on pvp or the GM's, Just the policy that is just plain out stupid.

Malkorix

#66 - May 12, 2009, 10:46 p.m.

Q u o t e:
Let's see. I was either forced to stop fishing for the daily which is ONLY in that lake. OR, because of my time constraints on my play time, forced to pvp.. I was indeed forced to an action that was not of my choosing in either case.

World of Warcraft is indeed a game that features conflict. We've offered PvE realms for those who would prefer to avoid this conflict whenever possible, but that does not mean that these conflicts are utterly absent on these realms. While PvP contact on PvE realms is almost entirely voluntary, some PvP contact is to be expected now and then regardless of where you play.

While this might have been frustrating, and I'm truly sorry if you found it so, you were not 'forced' to PvP (though the actions of the players in question were dishonorable). Options exist for fishing other pools or engaging in other in-game activities, rather than taking the risk of 'attacking' a flagged player.

That said, we also take a dim view of harassment. Should a player engage in this kind of activity in a focused manner over a long period of time, please let us know.

In either case, whenever possible, we prefer to allow our players to resolve disputes via methods that are available without Game Master intervention. These players were attempting to initiate PvP contact by interrupting your fishing. As they were already flagged for PvP, it wouldn't be inappropriate to turn the tables on them by requesting help from your fellow faction mates.

Malkorix

#93 - May 13, 2009, 12:53 a.m.

Q u o t e:

Uh..no

This is CLEARLY harassment. The GM who addressed this issue was incorrect as well as this response.

Actually, it is for us to determine what constitutes harassment, but your contribution is duly noted.

If another player is attempting to impede your enjoyment of World of Warcraft then that is something we are concerned about and appreciate the opportunity to investigate. It may indeed be appropriate to report this kind of activity to us, and we'll look into the matter appropriately. That is only one method of dealing with a situation like this though, which is why I (and the Game Master which originally fielded this petition) pointed out the other methods by which a resolution might be achieved.

To answer a misconception which has appeared in this thread: in actuality there are no non-PvP realms in World of Warcraft. If you'd like to see such a realm type added to our offerings, then you may request it via our Suggestions forum. PvE realms merely allow most PvP interactions on those realms to be voluntary in nature.

Q u o t e:
Essentially from what I am seeing here, as long as the person who is doing the disruption is pvp flagged the only solution is a PVP solution? GMs will not step in?

Not necessarily; PvP is merely one of the most swift methods to resolve a situation of this nature.

Malkorix

#99 - May 13, 2009, 1:14 a.m.

Q u o t e:
Evantor, best thing to do is post your suggestion and leave it there.

Correct. Our Development staff will review the various Suggestions that are offered and assess them on their own merits.

I prefer to shy away from 'real world' examples, as they often carry connotations which diminish the clarity of the attempted analogy.

I hope when next you have time to go angling, that you're able to do so in peace. In the unfortunate event you find the same players present please let us know, and please also make a note that they were there when you last made an attempt to fish in that area.

Malkorix

#164 - May 13, 2009, 7:13 p.m.

Q u o t e:
An ideal solution to the type of harassment that the OP experienced would be to have keyboard shortcuts that we could use instead of mouse clicks for the actions (such as fishing) which can be interrupted by other players positioning themselves where we need to click. This would eliminate the need to bother GMs with such issues altogether... as well as preventing the potential for being "tricked" into PvP on normal realms.

I have posted a suggestion on the Suggestions Forum that such keyboard shortcuts be implemented. Please go there and add your voice to mine on this issue.

That is actually directly relevant to our section on Harassment here:

http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20455

Q u o t e:
Physical Harassment
We have taken great strides to ensure all physical harassment (i.e. stealing resource nodes, kill stealing, training) is addressed or being addressed by the development team. Forms of physical harassment in the game will not be addressed by the GM staff, but instead with a development resolution, if warranted. This however does not include abusing game mechanics/exploiting or disrupting zones/areas to cause another player grief or distress.

Malkorix

#171 - May 13, 2009, 7:40 p.m.

Q u o t e:
Which is what the OP's situation falls under, in my opinion.

Zone/Area disruption is typically associated with widespread chaos, such as gnome-vasions, keeping quest NPCs cleared for a long period of time, and situations of that ilk. The idea being that the entire area is suffering from a player's activities. The specific definition of this is left intentionally flexible though.

The bottom line here is this: If you find that another player is intentionally and maliciously disrupting your game play in a fashion that is not aligned with your realm type, then please let us know. We take all potential harassment scenarios seriously, and will be happy to investigate.

Actually, this thread has gone on for a great length, but the arguments have been very circular. I'm going to lock it up now.