Frustrated by careless players

[BillyDa59]

BF2 fixed this issue by having "serious players" server. TF2 does this too I think, although that's kind of a dickaround game anyways. But really, if someone you're playing L4D with is a retard (there always will be) just don't help them.

I remember playing L4D with a particular asshat. I TKd him after he had done something particularly annoying, then when I went to go free him from a closet, I led a hunter right to him. It got him before he even walked outta the closet. Highfive!

[AverageJoe]

I hope the realistic game mode will help.

It would be nice to see somebody's TK stats when the join up or something...

[Ennui]

Pubbing generally sucks in any game if you're a serious gamer. In some games it's worse than others (like L4D for instance). Solution: find a group of friends to play with or join a clan. I almost never play pub L4D because as you say it's irritating... I just find a couple people on my friends list to play with. In other games like CS or DOD I find scrims (official or informal among friends). That's where FPS truly shines.

[Zabiela]

They need to let L4D lobby leaders remain game leaders in game.

When im hosting a lobby, my first rule is im kicking anyone without a mic (this is expert, go play advanced if you dont have a mic). But then, I have 3 doofusses with mics, I have no guarantee they're good. 50% usually turn out to be retards with mics in game, but I cant kick them, and usually, cant get the others to.
So here we are enjoying ellis running in front of everyones line of fire to use his frying pan, running off and getting pounced alone and asking "WTF WHY ARE U NOT STICKING TOGETHUR".

[Terr]

My experience with the L4D2 demo has been disheartening in terms of griefers, especially near the end where they know the map's ending anyway and even normal players get a bit... "creatively bored".

By contrast, TF2 is extremely griefer-unfriendly due to the basic mechanics of no team damage or team blocking. They can still be annoying in certain edge cases, but no matter how much they try to kill you with their melee weapon...

[vcool]

My experience with the L4D2 demo has been disheartening in terms of griefers, especially near the end where they know the map's ending anyway and even normal players get a bit... "creatively bored".

By contrast, TF2 is extremely griefer-unfriendly due to the basic mechanics of no team damage or team blocking. They can still be annoying in certain edge cases, but no matter how much they try to kill you with their melee weapon...

When I finish the map, I usually go back and forth. I might get boomered if I'm lucky, or maybe a horde spawns.

If you want the game to end, you might as well quit the game since nothing done here goes towards our stats.

[MayheM]

I have not played with people I don't know in... well ever. I don't just go into servers and play. my friends and I have always had a server and we always game together. It makes for a far better experience since we all know how each other play and can anticipate things each of us do. It is also way better because you never have that one douche bag that plays music over their mic, or the guy who screams racial slurs every two seconds or the team killing, etc... There is far more respect in an environment where you know people. Though most of the people I do not know in person, we actually all started gaming together back in the day. The root of it all was a site called GlobalAssault.com. Some of you may have heard of it. It was the best place to find maps, and the servers always ran the latest and greatest. Everyone who came to the server stuck around because we always played cool new maps. It grew from there.

Anyway, yeah I have to agree with some of the people above. Public servers are often littered with shitheads. But if you come across someone that does not bug the hell out of you, befriend them on steam and try and game with them again. eventually you will have a few good guys to game with and will not have to worry about the BS...

[BillyDa59]

I don't see why you would kick someone just for not having a mic. Especially when the only people that have mics are the people who shouldn't have mics. They're really not that essential to a good team anyways.

I've found the best way to boost 'teamwork' is through the following method:
Step 1 - Figure out who's the smart player. This can be figured out through a 4-point assessment that should only take about 30 seconds of observation:
If they run out in front of other players, do they duck to allow other players to shoot over them?
Do they run around with melee weapons only?
Do they become surrounded by zombies, even when there is no horde charging?
Do they try and be the 'trail-blazer'?

Step 2 - Use the buddy system! (No joke) In public games, most people don't stick together at all. You can fix this by simply sticking with one person (the player you designate as the smart one) and if the other two wander off, hopefully they'll learn. Follow that smart player like a little puppy. Eventually, they may notice your loyalty and repay it by prioritizing your safety over others'. And if you're thinking, "Only a total tool would stupidly follow around one person like a puppy," then you're one of the reasons why teams in L4D are so disorganized. Get over yourself and be willing to be a follower.

Step 3 - Look where your smart buddy isn't looking. Aka: Watch their back. Think of them like a life support system. Keep your new buddy alive and they'll do the same for you.

[Zabiela]

I don't see why you would kick someone just for not having a mic. Especially when the only people that have mics are the people who shouldn't have mics. They're really not that essential to a good team anyways.

Its expert difficulty- if you're pounced, you're dead in about 5 seconds... you NEED to vocalize your need for help. Its my first filter.

I've found the best way to boost 'teamwork' is through the following method:
Step 1 - Figure out who's the smart player.

I have a good technique for that- at the start we all gear up, but then I dont move, the 3 players run off and start shooting the first zombies. Whoever looks back to check on the 4th player, hes the good guy.

I dont know why its so hard to find people who can stick together. I know I personally hover around the characters the same way the bots do, Ive rarely seen pubs do this though.

[Chopium]

I have a good technique for that- at the start we all gear up, but then I dont move, the 3 players run off and start shooting the first zombies. Whoever looks back to check on the 4th player, hes the good guy.

I dont know why its so hard to find people who can stick together. I know I personally hover around the characters the same way the bots do, Ive rarely seen pubs do this though.

Good idea. I'm going to try it out now. I do tend to actually 'cover' my friends and am always finding myself shooting the zombies off their backs when they can't see them. I have no idea what's wrong with pubs. I always seem to be the glue that has to hold the team together. If someone gets smoked, I go back. If someone is limping, I stay back and protect them. The staying still test is a great test of team-working ability and state-of-mind.

[Zabiela]

The staying still test is a great test of team-working ability and state-of-mind.

Exactly, if they're not alarmed that one of their teammates is apparently afk, they're not a team player!

[HotFuzz]

You just got to find some budies that you know have some sort of an IQ lol and have them play with you set a night like every sunday night or something

[vcool]

I have a good technique for that- at the start we all gear up, but then I dont move, the 3 players run off and start shooting the first zombies. Whoever looks back to check on the 4th player, hes the good guy.

I dont know why its so hard to find people who can stick together. I know I personally hover around the characters the same way the bots do, Ive rarely seen pubs do this though.

Good idea. I'm going to try it out now. I do tend to actually 'cover' my friends and am always finding myself shooting the zombies off their backs when they can't see them. I have no idea what's wrong with pubs. I always seem to be the glue that has to hold the team together. If someone gets smoked, I go back. If someone is limping, I stay back and protect them. The staying still test is a great test of team-working ability and state-of-mind.

Now now, Chop, who was the smart ass that ran across the map while our stupid trio was fighting off them zombies?

I usually don't let anyone go alone, although in L4D2 demo I sometimes go forward alone. Today, for example, I rushed off the the siren tower and shut it off while my team was halfway through the fence corridors - even though I threw a bile bomb so the path was fairly clear. I turned the alarm off and subsequently died when circle strafing a rather large horde, but I have no regrets. By the end of it, there was quite a pile around my body.

In L4D1 I do it too, sometimes, but only on Campaign. On versus I never ever try to split up; it's a death sentence. If someone falls behind, I go after them.

[BillyDa59]

Its expert difficulty- if you're pounced, you're dead in about 5 seconds... you NEED to vocalize your need for help. Its my first filter.

Good teammates will be keeping an eye on each other anyways. I'm always watching out for downed or threatened players. Besides that, 9 times outta 10 good team mates will have heard the special zombie before it strikes.


I do like your method for seeking out the attentive team-players though.

[vcool]

Seing this thread suddenly made me remember a rather embarrasing episode.

I was playing Scavenge pretty late at night on Friday, and I seem to have joined the only server with people out there. It's the hotel map on Dark Carnival, and it's all good. It's our turn so we head off in the highway direction to take the cans. we get across the fence and my team throws the cans at the billboard down on the roof. They jump down next.

I was slightly behind them and was thus still on the billboard. I decided to take the nade launcher. Then WHAM - I see a spitter getting close to the cans that were thrown down on the roof (my team had their beacks on me so they didn't see the spitter) Thinking that it'll be fucking sexy to blow it in pieces with my nade launcher, I point and click and jump down.

The cans (I think two, or maybe even three) set on fire.

The spitter is dead.

I have a O.O expression.

And then the rage started. One teammate started shooting me but I said fuck it, I won't shoot back. He is screaming on the microphone, I'm trying to get away, so I jump on the ladder and get across once again. He's still raging and following me, and I am low on heath so I am really slow. I end getting incapped pretty fast, and what he does next is he takes one of the respawned cans (one that burned) chucks it at me and sets it on fire...

Now I know what I did was pretty stupid. But if you want to win so bad you don't destroy a fucking can that was just destroyed...

I left as soon as the can started burning, meh, and decided to join another game. I keep on joining empty lobbies, and then suddenly I joined the same game again. I left because it was gonna cause more rage, and tried Versus.

And what do you know, I found a server with really nice people on it. No ragers, and both teams were about the same skillwise (although we did win at the end) and it was just fun, complete with Tank vs Chainsaw (guess who won keke) and hilarious accidental deaths. And no grief, no rage, everyone was just having fun.

So yeah, morale is - don't use the nade launcher.