SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post

Fidd · 01-31-24, 12:19 PM

116. Password request interface for locked lobbies.

There is, I think, a balance to be struck between the ability of a lobby to be locked, and the ability of a fairly new player to find a game. The other day I logged on to find all 6 lobbies locked, with no unlocked ones, and with in game comms being used, no means of contacting the players to ascertain the password. Plainly, players in a locked-lobby do not wish to be spammed by a player wishing to join, however, I think we may need a means for newer players, who are yet to form the network of friends to play regularly, to join a game.

Suggestion: A player can click on a locked lobby, and instead of entering the password, can "contact captain" ONCE per game, provided that there are 6 crew or less on the boat. If it's full, then that captain cannot be contacted. If there are several boats, the player attempting to gain entry may make a single text-contact to each captain with an unfilled boat, and any captain may then click on a "send password" if he wishes to admit that person, or, decline. Whereupon the player attempting entry has the password automatically entered, but he does not actually see the plain-text of the password (to prevent them distributing it more widely). They can then join the lobby in the normal way, but are restricted to joining the boat of the captain that accepted their request only.

This would aid newer players being able to join locked lobbies without materially causing a problem for that lobby, or adding any burdensome communication to the captain. Players who are banned by any individual in the lobby would be unable to send a password request to any captain within that lobby. This would help preclude trolls and the disruptive to employ the password-request as a nuisance mechanism.

01-31-24, 12:19 PM	#140
Fidd XO Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Blighty! Posts: 438 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	116. Password request interface for locked lobbies. There is, I think, a balance to be struck between the ability of a lobby to be locked, and the ability of a fairly new player to find a game. The other day I logged on to find all 6 lobbies locked, with no unlocked ones, and with in game comms being used, no means of contacting the players to ascertain the password. Plainly, players in a locked-lobby do not wish to be spammed by a player wishing to join, however, I think we may need a means for newer players, who are yet to form the network of friends to play regularly, to join a game. Suggestion: A player can click on a locked lobby, and instead of entering the password, can "contact captain" ONCE per game, provided that there are 6 crew or less on the boat. If it's full, then that captain cannot be contacted. If there are several boats, the player attempting to gain entry may make a single text-contact to each captain with an unfilled boat, and any captain may then click on a "send password" if he wishes to admit that person, or, decline. Whereupon the player attempting entry has the password automatically entered, but he does not actually see the plain-text of the password (to prevent them distributing it more widely). They can then join the lobby in the normal way, but are restricted to joining the boat of the captain that accepted their request only. This would aid newer players being able to join locked lobbies without materially causing a problem for that lobby, or adding any burdensome communication to the captain. Players who are banned by any individual in the lobby would be unable to send a password request to any captain within that lobby. This would help preclude trolls and the disruptive to employ the password-request as a nuisance mechanism.