over 3 years ago - ChrisSchmidt - Direct link
Hi friends,

I wanted to take a minute to talk about the Deserter changes coming in Game Update 6.1.4. As part of our efforts to reduce toxicity, its important to understand how game rules themselves can contribute to the problem. I previously talked about how behaviors like declining multiple matches in a row or leaving matches could be used to intentionally degrade the quality of PvP matches, particularly in Ranked modes, and how we planned on addressing the problem.

Unranked:
In Unranked matches, the 15-minute Deserter lockout will still apply for leaving a match. In addition, the 5-minute lockout penalty for being vote kicked will still apply.

Ranked:
In Ranked modes (both solo and group) there are a few changes. First, as previously discussed, vote kick has been removed in these modes. Next, the Deserter lockout timer has been increased to 20 minutes for declining a match or leaving early - the first time. Over time, if a player continues to decline or leave matches that lockout timer will increase until they hit the maximum threshold. If a player hits the max once, all declines or leaves for the rest of the week in ranked modes will use the maximum lockout timer.

An important change here to note is the lockout timer prevents queueing for ALL PvP activity: Unranked, Solo Ranked, Group Ranked, and Galactic Starfighter. In addition, all Deserter lockouts will be account-based.

Some of the philosophy behind this change is to still allow a smaller penalty for one-off accidents, such as missing a queue due to a bad internet connection or stepping away for a few minutes. Where the penalty increases is when we can begin to assume the likelihood of an attempt to manipulate the queue or gain an advantage in Ranked matches is greater than the likelihood of missing several queue pops on accident in a row. This is based on data and observation of past player behavior, so these changes to the game rules are an attempt to change that behavior, and ultimately provide a more fun and safe place to play.

As always, we will measure the results of this change and adjust as needed if we see any opportunities for improvement.

Thanks!
-Chris