Before we begin: this is meant to be a [b]constructive thread[/b], not a [i]destructive[/i] one. I want us all to discuss deserting as [u]mature, rational, respectful people[/u]. If you think you can´t do that, if you came into the thread to vent and troll others, or you are unable to post an opinion without insulting... please leave right away. Go to Youtube and watch cat videos, or something... Still here? Ok, let´s proceed. [b]QUITTING[/b]. Like in other multiplayer games, this tendency, this "last resort of the weak willed" has hit our game. It seemed to have a small burst during the Iron Banner event, but even after that, I see it happening more and more. And it´s incredibily disruptive, putting extra stress on the remains of the team. If it happens in PVE, the instance can be completed if the remaining players are good enough, but it´s gonna take more time, bullets and undeserved tension. The other option, if the remaining players can´t complete the instance, is to search for a replacement or hope for one to join. This consumes a lot of time. In PVP, this gets worse. When a player quits, the rest are left at a numerical disadvantage. Most of the times, a desertion pretty much sentences the rest of the team to lose the match. In short, in both these scenarios, 2-5 people are going to suffer for the desertion and selfishness of one. [i]Isn´t it entirely fair, then, if the deserter suffers as well?[/i] Now, I´m aware that a condition like this can trigger unfortunate side effects if it´s not done right. A personal example I can point at is DCUO, the last MMO I played. The deserter penalty worked great to prevent the usual bailouts in both PVE and PVP. BUT, the system didn´t have a way to recognize whether a player had left the team manually, or if the user´s Internet connection had failed and the player was disconnected, so it hurt that portion of the playerbase. However, the "go to orbit" process is a bit long in Destiny, and given that the game even displays an animation when the player does it, I believ that Destiny can tell the difference between someone who lost his connection, and someone who left intentionally. So I think that this mechanic would work fine in the game. How severe do we make the penalty? And what do we apply it to? I´d say that it would be fine to lock the player out of any [b]grouped [/b]content. This way, the quitter would still be able to do the daily historic missions or go on Patrols to farm materials... in short, be able to do something. But nothing that implies a group. Regarding the time, [u]7 to 10 minute[/u]s would be fine. Personally I wouldn´t impose more than that, but some may disagree. Now, I can´t think of any legitimate arguments to oppose a penalty, if as I said the game is able to tell apart a quitter from a disconnected user. But there are some sort-of arguments that I can think about, so I´m gonna go ahead and debunk them right away: [b]- I don´t want to run instances with scrubs! I was carrying the team and they weren´t doing good enough![/b] No. Shut up. Just [i]shut up with that self entitlement already[/i]. When you join a team you are [b]PART. OF. A. TEAM[/b]. You aren´t above them. They aren´t your pets. It´s not "your instance plus some backups who came along". You are meant to contribute to the joint effort. If things aren´t going well, try harder. If you can communicate with the others, do so. Plus, there are cases when this behavior just doesn´t have any excuse. If the quitter was unfortunately paired with slackers who aren´t moving or who aren´t observing the mechanics of the instance, the it´s a shame. But (this happened yesterday) when a player refuses to revive any of the teammates in a strike, gets less kills than anyone, forces a wipe because he wouldn´t pick up anyone even when he had a clear path, and then leaves.... How can [i]that[/i] be excused? Same goes for PVP. Hey, I´ve also had some cases of "man, my teammates aren´t even trying". But I´ve also had cases (this ALSO happened yesterday) of a player going solo lobo kamikaze in a [b]SKIRMISH[/b], getting killed continuously because he wouldn´t play as part of a team, and bail out just as we had finally regained the lead. Can we excuse a guy like this? [b]- I was trying to get a feat and I failed to complete it! (notable case: Complete a Strike without dying)[/b] Get this: the rest of the team is[b] not to blame[/b]. You could have run, dodged, taken cover, used a shiled, retreat.... Furthermore, you have no right to leave them to their luck because of that. They shouldn´t suddenly be overtasked because you failed to get a feat, Have some decency, finish the instance and try again. Like the case above, there are situations when this kind if argument isn´t excused. I mean... who tries to secure that feat on a lvl24 Tiger Strike? Jesus, go to the lvl8 summoning pits if you need that feat so badly! [b]- Many players could quit the game because of this![/b] Honestly, if that type of players are gonna quit... players who don´t contribute to the team and hurt the rest of the players... Then I think we would do fine without them. Let them leave, the game will be healthier without them. Alright, that´s it for now. Go ahead to the comments and type your thoughts. I just hope that this thread can remain constructive and bring forth some good ideas.