OpenRA

Personally, I'd like OpenRA be a welcoming community, i.e. nobody should be made to feel unwelcome either by unpleasant behaviour or because they are not aware of expectations and are criticised for breaking social norms.

For instance, when I first started I was unclear whether it was acceptable to surrender when the outcome was clear.

I'm collecting a list of things that it's ok to do and things which it's better not to do, based on my observations of what players seem to appreciate or get frustrated by. I'm writing these to start a discussion so we can identify areas of wide agreement and offer it as a reference, not because I have all the answers.

If we do get a consensus, remember that those newer in the community won't have seen it yet, so be tolerant. (This also means we should consider tailoring our expectations to the principle of least surprise).

Before the game:

Be nice. Personal attacks harm all of us. Even if you think it's 'just banter', onlookers may not know this and may feel unwelcome, even if they are not (currently) the target.

Things you say on game servers are said 'in public', and spec chat is visible in players' replays. Don't say things which you wouldn't want seen by others. Equally, be sensitive about sharing logs or games with lots of contentious chat, and consider if it is appropriate to clear the air with participants first.

Be attentive. If you are in a player slot, listen for the alerts and, once the game has filled up, and the teams are correct, click the ready checkbox.

Be patient. Especially in TD, team games can take some time to fill up. While you're waiting, check the map options. Once there are enough players, if there are players who have not

It's normally ok to spectate. Do read on, though as there's more advice regarding spectating ingame.

Remember not everyone wants to play. It's not unusual to see a 1v1 with 6+ spectators, so don't ask for a map with more player spots unless you are spectating and want to play.

Remember that there are other servers. The host or the players may have a particular reason to want to play a FFA (free for all, as opposed to a team game) or to play on a specific map. If your preferences don't match up, you can start a server and wait for others.

It's also normal for hosts to eject (kick) spectators, but they should give prior warning, as new players may be surprised at this.

If a game is being streamed, and you are not the stream host or a live commentator, consider watching the stream instead of spectating with your game client, especially if there are more than two or three spectators.

If you are a stream host, remember specs and players may not know you are streaming. Put the URL in the server chat.

Ready means Ready. Once you are satisfied the teams are balanced and the game settings are correct, ticck the box. If you are away, uncheck ready; if busy for more than a minute or so, move out to a spectator slot. As host, you have a particular responsibility for ensuring the teams and spawns are right.

If you are hosting and spectating, remember you need to ticck the ready box for the game to start, so if you are going to be away from the keyboard consider ticking ready.

If you are waiting for someone to team up, tell them, and suggest a team/spawn.

As a host, warn people in player slots before ejecting them and give them time to read your message (when you're ejected, you don't see the logs); it can be frustrating to be ejected and not know why.

Ingame:

As a player, it's courteous, but not strictly necessary, to begin the game by saying "gl hf", i.e. Good Luck, Have Fun, or some variant at the start of the game, in all chat. Some spectators may do the same. Remember to switch back to team/spec chat afterwards.

If you are a spectator, do not commentate on an ongoing match in all-chat. Use team (spectator) chat only for this. Remember that all players will see the spectator chat in the replay they have at the end of the game.

If you are spectating and the game becomes laggy, disconnect (don't quit).

As a player, if you have to leave, surrender, don't disconnect or quit.

The game has many quirks. Using them to your advantage is generally a legitimate part of competitive play, but if you notice a game-breaking bug, it is better to report the bug and not use it, especially in tournaments. Occasionally the text "Exploit detected" is seen when hijackers are being used. Hijackers are buggy but underpowered.

Players rarely pause mid-game. When they do it is normally due to circumstances beyond their control. Do not pause the game to plan. If you must pause, explain as soon as practical. Confirm other players are ready before resuming. Avoid pausing games with many players. It's not considered appropriate to pause to plan.

It's ok to surrender once the situation is hopeless. In fact, dragging the game out unnecessarily is frowned upon, as it wastes the other player's/players' time. Equally, don't surrender simply because you have failed to make a rush work, lost some early engagements, etc.

Once you know you have lost, especially in 1v1, it is traditional to type 'gg' (meaning 'good game') in chat. If your opponent has pulled out some surprising or solid gameplay, 'wp' ('well played') may also be appropriate.

Calling 'gg' is conceding the match. Don't use it 'offensively' to declare that you think you've won. You might be wrong. Your opponent might assume you are conceding. For the same reason, avoid using it sarcastically or humorously.

Once you have called 'gg', your opponent will typically respond in kind (in 1v1 at least; team games may be more frantic). You should surrender promptly once you have conceded in this way.

In team games, before you surrender, look around. You may be having a hard time, but you may be buying time for your team to prepare their own moves while your opponents expend their resources. Consider siasking your allies in team chat before you surrender.

Question I don't know the answer to: When is it appropriate to share a replay? I have been assuming only with the agreement of all parties, but this is hard when players disconnect soon after the game ends, and I suspect it's common to share replays without explicit agreement by both parties.

Agree with all

crlf wrote: ↑ Question I don't know the answer to: When is it appropriate to share a replay? I have been assuming only with the agreement of all parties, but this is hard when players disconnect soon after the game ends, and I suspect it's common to share replays without explicit agreement by both parties.

I'd rather wait to have an explicit go from the players, which I can get from seeing them again in lobby, maybe on Discord, etc ... that's my opinion

Also I'd add two little points :
- Adding to the surrendering in team games : don't disconnect without a warning
- As a spectator, don't call the "gg" before the players, or even worse at the beginning of a game ...

crlf wrote: ↑nobody should be made to feel unwelcome either by unpleasant behaviour or because they are not aware of expectations and are criticised for breaking social norms.

The thing is there are no expectations and there are no people or documentation to enforce expectations. I have tried having this discussion with many players however after telling them what it is they shouldn't do (like dc instead of surrender) they start to take pride in their actions. Its not just people unaware doing all these things, a few people know full well what they do is annoying.

While I dont disagree with most of your list, the problem I have with it is its based on common sense and the problem with common sense is it doesn't account for other cultures or values. Which makes it very unfair to begin passing judgement over people.
Eg. Im Australian and as such I can step outside my bedroom without someone trying to banter me so Id actually much prefer to join a server where there is some banter.
And I also vehemently feel that it is the responsibility of each player (not just the admin) to check the options before a match starts.

crlf wrote: ↑ Question I don't know the answer to: When is it appropriate to share a replay? I have been assuming only with the agreement of all parties, but this is hard when players disconnect soon after the game ends, and I suspect it's common to share replays without explicit agreement by both parties.

Like you said earlier, things you say on servers are public and so are the things you do.
I, personally, believe no agreement needs to be reached. Both players are given a separate replay to do as they please.

crlf wrote: ↑
Players rarely pause mid-game. When they do it is normally due to circumstances beyond their control. Do not pause the game to plan. If you must pause, explain as soon as practical. Confirm other players are ready before resuming. Avoid pausing games with many players. It's not considered appropriate to pause to plan.

In a game without importance; I used my opponent's pause (he paused for external reason in the middle of an engagement) to micro my entire force unit by unit assigning precise kill queue ... Well when the unpause moment came it was a slaugther of his forces and the best engagement i ever had. As i was in vocal chat with the player i obiously told him how i wrecked him out of being bored waiting.

So I tottally agree: pause to micro/plan is Op and nearly cheat.

I did wonder why you always paused games vs me.



That really should be fixed though.

Personally, I'd like OpenRA be a welcoming community.
Nobody should be made to feel unwelcome either by unpleasant behaviour or because they are not aware of expectations and are criticised for breaking social norms.
For instance, when I first started I was unclear whether it was acceptable to surrender when the outcome was clear.

I'm collecting a list of things that it's ok to do and things which it's better not to do
Based on my observations of what players seem to appreciate or get frustrated by.
I'm writing these to start a discussion so we can identify areas of wide agreement and offer it as a reference, not because I have all the answers.
If we do get a consensus, remember that those newer in the community won't have seen it yet, so be tolerant.
(This also means we should consider tailoring our expectations to the principle of least surprise).


[tab]Before the Game:

• Be nice. Personal attacks harm all of us. Even if you think it's 'just banter', onlookers may not know this and may feel unwelcome, even if they are not (currently) the target.
• Things you say on game servers are said 'in public', and spec chat is visible in players' replays. Don't say things which you wouldn't want seen by others.
  Equally, be sensitive about sharing logs or games with lots of contentious chat, and consider if it is appropriate to clear the air with participants first.
• Be attentive. If you are in a player slot, listen for the alerts and, once the game has filled up, and the teams are correct, click the ready checkbox.
• Be patient. Especially in TD, team games can take some time to fill up. While you're waiting, check the map options. Once there are enough players, if there are players who have not
• It's normally ok to spectate. Do read on, though as there's more advice regarding spectating ingame.
• Remember not everyone wants to play. It's not unusual to see a 1v1 with 6+ spectators, so don't ask for a map with more player spots unless you are spectating and want to play.
• Remember that there are other servers. The host or the players may have a particular reason to want to play a FFA (free for all, as opposed to a team game) or to play on a specific map. If your preferences don't match up, you can start a server and wait for others.
• It's also normal for hosts to eject (kick) spectators, but they should give prior warning, as new players may be surprised at this.
• If a game is being streamed, and you are not the stream host or a live commentator, consider watching the stream instead of spectating with your game client, especially if there are more than two or three spectators.
• If you are a stream host, remember specs and players may not know you are streaming. Put the URL in the server chat.
• Ready means Ready. Once you are satisfied the teams are balanced and the game settings are correct, ticck the box. If you are away, uncheck ready; if busy for more than a minute or so, move out to a spectator slot. As host, you have a particular responsibility for ensuring the teams and spawns are right.
• If you are hosting and spectating, remember you need to ticck the ready box for the game to start, so if you are going to be away from the keyboard consider ticking ready.
• If you are waiting for someone to team up, tell them, and suggest a team/spawn.
• As a host, warn people in player slots before ejecting them and give them time to read your message (when you're ejected, you don't see the logs); it can be frustrating to be ejected and not know why.

[tab]In-Game:

• As a player, it's courteous, but not strictly necessary, to begin the game by saying "gl hf", i.e. Good Luck, Have Fun, or some variant at the start of the game, in all chat. Some spectators may do the same. Remember to switch back to team/spec chat afterwards.
• If you are a spectator, do not commentate on an ongoing match in all-chat. Use team (spectator) chat only for this. Remember that all players will see the spectator chat in the replay they have at the end of the game.
• If you are spectating and the game becomes laggy, disconnect (don't quit).
• As a player, if you have to leave, surrender, don't disconnect or quit.
• The game has many quirks. Using them to your advantage is generally a legitimate part of competitive play, but if you notice a game-breaking bug, it is better to report the bug and not use it, especially in tournaments. Occasionally the text "Exploit detected" is seen when hijackers are being used. Hijackers are buggy but underpowered.
• Players rarely pause mid-game. When they do it is normally due to circumstances beyond their control. Do not pause the game to plan. If you must pause, explain as soon as practical. Confirm other players are ready before resuming. Avoid pausing games with many players. It's not considered appropriate to pause to plan.
• It's ok to surrender once the situation is hopeless. In fact, dragging the game out unnecessarily is frowned upon, as it wastes the other player's/players' time. Equally, don't surrender simply because you have failed to make a rush work, lost some early engagements, etc.
• Once you know you have lost, especially in 1v1, it is traditional to type 'gg' (meaning 'good game') in chat. If your opponent has pulled out some surprising or solid gameplay, 'wp' ('well played') may also be appropriate.
• Calling 'gg' is conceding the match. Don't use it 'offensively' to declare that you think you've won. You might be wrong. Your opponent might assume you are conceding. For the same reason, avoid using it sarcastically or humorously.
• Once you have called 'gg', your opponent will typically respond in kind (in 1v1 at least; team games may be more frantic). You should surrender promptly once you have conceded in this way.
• In team games, before you surrender, look around. You may be having a hard time, but you may be buying time for your team to prepare their own moves while your opponents expend their resources. Consider siasking your allies in team chat before you surrender.

Question I don't know the answer to: When is it appropriate to share a replay?
I have been assuming only with the agreement of all parties, but this is hard when players disconnect soon after the game ends, and I suspect it's common to share replays without explicit agreement by both parties.
.

try to lose games in order to avoid mad n sad opponents - be polite

Norman_ wrote: ↑try to lose games in order to avoid mad n sad opponents

I don't get the point here ? Is it sarcastic (still no beacon for that) ?

zoidyberg wrote: ↑Question I don't know the answer to: When is it appropriate to share a replay?
I have been assuming only with the agreement of all parties, but this is hard when players disconnect soon after the game ends, and I suspect it's common to share replays without explicit agreement by both parties.
.

You have the right to share a replay if you are a player. All behaviours-playstyles-says are responsability of the players themselves, they have to behave/play correctly in the first place and not asking you to not share what they are ashamed of.

If you are a spectator, it's more tricky, I think you need the agreement of the players involved or at least 1 (wich brings back to my first point).

(This is a personal opinion, not an empiric rule)

Good thread. Could certainly be helpful for new players if something like this could be included in an official "new players guide". I think it would be good to have something like that available the first time you load up the game, or off of the extras menu in-game or whatever.

As for people just disconnecting, I find it impolite in 1v1 games where the other player doesn't even say anything. In team games, however, it can be better to disconnect rather than surrender so that the team mates can still build off your MCV and still get the advantage of your base defence and units being a deterrent. You can still say "gg" before disconnecting however.

Some players quit too soon facing an early rush. Like when someone moves an MCV up and starts base pushing. I have had team mates quit on me because they don't understand that the enemy player has actually put themselves at a disadvantage and will have a slower build up as a result of moving early. It can go very wrong for them if you put a rush on artie or V2. Some early success doesn't mean they will win. You can turn games around very fast sometimes.

One minor annoyance for me is admins that keep changing the map. If you change the map, the waiting players--who may have been waiting for minutes to play it--may not be happy with what it is changed to.

If you are a good player dont always join the team with good players, just for another win.

That is one of the biggest problems in openra imo
It discourages new players from joining the community.

Sometimes it is just funny when you join a lobby and its already gg

Then i want to join those coward team and make an early nader rush in theyr base hehe
Nah i Never teamkilled i swear :D:D

I wish everyone would treat new players with respect.