The Experience of New Accounts

Woodakoodashooda·Jan 5, 2016·30 votes·1,930 views

It is absolutely atrocious after level 6.

The constant abuse, harassment, insults, and flaming in normal blind picks is downright unbearable. There is almost nothing positive about the experience. I thought to create an alternate account to try and give new players as much of a helping hand as a casual player can so they can avoid the mistakes I made. Instead, what I get is one match after another infested with players with terrible attitudes claiming to be gold+ smurfs. It's just something I've decided to avoid altogether and I wish something could be done for the benefit of actual newcomers wishing to play the game on a regular basis so that they are neither exposed to nor negatively affected by the constant negativity that occurs in low level league.

27 Comments

Makior72Jan 5, 201619 votes

Something like what i am about to suggest has been suggested before but here is my tweaked version of it.

Why not have a mentor program for new players?

Players could choose to queue for regular / exsisting blind pick OR mentor mode blind pick.

I mentor mode blind pick at least one person on each team is lvl 30 and goldv or higher in ranked. This mentor must also have ZERO disiplinary actions on their account for the season.

All non mentor players will also need ONE or less disiplinary actions taken against their account to use this mode.

All non mentors will play the game like normal, and the expectation will be that the mentor in game can give advice and be asked questions about league and will respond in a non toxic way at all times.

The mentor will have all rune pages disabled and mastery points will be set to the average level of all game participants. (for the sake of being as fair as possible)

After completing a season as a mentor, the mentor should receive one skin of their choice (or maybe a custom skin made just for people in the mentor program?) thus they will have an incentive to mentor.

Plus sides: games will be considerably less toxic.

New players can learn from experienced players in a non toxic environment.

Mentors get a free skin for helping teach new players and make their low level experience better.

Cons: ?

jmaishereJan 6, 20161 votes

{quoted}

Something like what i am about to suggest has been suggested before but here is my tweaked version of it.

Why not have a mentor program for new players?

Players could choose to queue for regular / exsisting blind pick OR mentor mode blind pick.

I mentor mode blind pick at least one person on each team is lvl 30 and goldv or higher in ranked. This mentor must also have ZERO disiplinary actions on their account for the season.

All non mentor players will also need ONE or less disiplinary actions taken against their account to use this mode.

All non mentors will play the game like normal, and the expectation will be that the mentor in game can give advice and be asked questions about league and will respond in a non toxic way at all times.

The mentor will have all rune pages disabled and mastery points will be set to the average level of all game participants. (for the sake of being as fair as possible)

After completing a season as a mentor, the mentor should receive one skin of their choice (or maybe a custom skin made just for people in the mentor program?) thus they will have an incentive to mentor.

Plus sides: games will be considerably less toxic.

New players can learn from experienced players in a non toxic environment.

Mentors get a free skin for helping teach new players and make their low level experience better.

Cons: ?

A Con would be less on the new players, but in the ranked system there would be more toxicity due to wanting to "mentor" in order to get the skins, also why limit it to gold+ as there are plenty of players who do well, but simply dislike playing ranked.

Makior72Jan 6, 20161 votes

{quoted}

A Con would be less on the new players, but in the ranked system there would be more toxicity due to wanting to "mentor" in order to get the skins, also why limit it to gold+ as there are plenty of players who do well, but simply dislike playing ranked.

How would this increase toxicity in ranked at all? People would try harder to get to gold sure but people are already toxic the closer they get to gold. Nothing new there really. And chances are if you made it to ranked play you already have a way of dealing with toxic behavior yourself.

As far as the gold v req to mentor, it is to better serve the new players. Sure some people in bronze or silver may be able to teach low levels a few things. But setting the "gold" standard and above means that there is a higher chance the mentor actually knows what they are talking about, as opposed to some guy in bronze who is convinced sona jungle is viable.

jmaishereJan 6, 20161 votes

{quoted}

How would this increase toxicity in ranked at all? People would try harder to get to gold sure but people are already toxic the closer they get to gold. Nothing new there really. And chances are if you made it to ranked play you already have a way of dealing with toxic behavior yourself.

As far as the gold v req to mentor, it is to better serve the new players. Sure some people in bronze or silver may be able to teach low levels a few things. But setting the "gold" standard and above means that there is a higher chance the mentor actually knows what they are talking about, as opposed to some guy in bronze who is convinced sona jungle is viable.

If you really believe that having gold means that you're better than bronze go ahead, but I'm telling you there are plenty of people in silver or bronze that plays more consistent than those in low gold, except that they don't care about raising their rank. If anything the bad players I tend to encounter are those who are like I'm from x rank give me x position, not those who are in bronze who just play the game.

8Hz98hmIDGJan 6, 20161 votes

I really like this idea. Should definitely be implemented :p Maybe make a new thread for this?

EDIT: Nvm I see that you have already haha -- http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/player-behavior-moderation/AAfgbaTE-mentor-queue

High5Jan 6, 20164 votes

Riot does a poor job teaching people how to play the game. It not people's fault that they play to win the game. Winning is fun. Losing is not. At any level.

I lost a lot of games while learning to play. I have little sympathy for anyone who would rather complain than spend that time to better learn the game. The learning curve is high, but the depth of the game and beating the competition is what makes the game great.

Yo im MarioJan 6, 20163 votes

TBH New players sort of get seperated from these scrub "smurfs". I actually think that many new players play far better than these tryhard Faker "smurfs".

Makior72Jan 6, 20161 votes

[{quoted}](name=Yo im Mario,realm=EUNE,application-id=ZGEFLEUQ,discussion-id=GlcukLTp,comment-id=000a,timestamp=2016-01-06T12:55:18.996+0000)

TBH New players sort of get seperated from these scrub "smurfs". I actually think that many new players play far better than these tryhard Faker "smurfs".

Idk, when i was legitimately new a few years ago i was playing with an entire team of Smurfs in most of my games by lvl 10. And i was pretty bad.

PIMPSMOOTHJan 5, 20162 votes

An arbiter here posted that toxic smurfs typically get dealt with and expunged by level 8 due to a variety of detection variables.

Not sure if you want to run the gambit and test that out but figured I'd pas the info along to you.

disregardableJan 5, 20165 votes

As someone with an account that's currently level 28, I'd say between 1/3rd and half of my teammates on that account are obviously there from perma-bans. It's definitely gotten better since I was in the teens, but it's not even close to "most" toxic players being gone.

After all, my account is still there.

Spacesuit SpiffJan 6, 20161 votes

Ive been playing on my level 10 account with the gf and the games actually seem good. Ive muted a couple idiots that were whining at each other but for the most part people just quietly played.

Giving advice seems like a terrible idea tho. Would just set off the dorks who think theyre gods after 15 games.

qetzelJan 6, 20161 votes

Adding to this, smurfs get weeded out within the first few games. Actually new players don't get matched with them.

Z46Jan 8, 20161 votes

Have a level 14 right now, and I literally—no hyperbole—have played only a single match in the past week where someone hasn't flamed constantly, and the only match that did have some peace was with four friends.

KorilloJan 6, 20162 votes

If you make a new account you'll only be queued with "new players" for like 2 or 3 games, then the game will adjust accordingly and start putting you with other smurfs. So if you are attempting to "help" these players who are equally skilled as you, some may take offence to it.

Doesn't really excuse their behaviour, obviously, but it might be why you are experiencing what you are experiencing.

Sypher The PoroJan 6, 20162 votes

I've got a friend who is currently level 9 and he has yet to have any experience like that. I think a reason you and a lot of other players see so many toxic smurfs, is because you are a surf yourself. After just a couple games your MMR shoots up. I mean, if you purposely played bad that may not happen, but when CS and warding is pretty much second nature it becomes harder to turn down your skills.

FortisDominusJan 6, 20162 votes

Can confirm that this is true

BlueBoy23Jan 5, 20161 votes

So with that said if I put in the report that they claimed to be smurfing and were toxic will it be more likely to give them the boot? Cuz we get it all the time even at level 30 where some idiot says let me have mid I'm a challenger zed smurf...

angery poutJan 6, 20162 votes

Smurfing is 100% okay according to the ToS. We can get into semantics over if smurfing should be allowed or not, but the actual problem isn't the smurfs. It's the toxicity involved. Since toxic behavior is bannable, you can ban a toxic smurf. You just can't ban someone for the mere act of smurfing.

In ranked there's also the occasional occurrence of someone who CLAIMS to be smurfing. It's more often than not a lie unless they provide a main account and their pick matches with the accounts mains as well as the alleged smurf knowing the accounts rune pages and masteries well enough. Obviously there's rarely time for this, so it's something that will be ignored in most cases. Riot really needs a solution for people who claim to be smurfs so that they can get a preferred role and champion. Hopefully the new draft and the ability to narrow down to two roles solves some of these problems.

leaugesbaneJan 6, 20161 votes

[{quoted}](name=Chocolate Frost,realm=NA,application-id=ZGEFLEUQ,discussion-id=GlcukLTp,comment-id=,timestamp=2016-01-05T23:29:28.773+0000)

It is absolutely atrocious after level 6.

The constant abuse, harassment, insults, and flaming in normal blind picks is downright unbearable. There is almost nothing positive about the experience. I thought to create an alternate account to try and give new players as much of a helping hand as a casual player can so they can avoid the mistakes I made. Instead, what I get is one match after another infested with players with terrible attitudes claiming to be gold+ smurfs. It's just something I've decided to avoid altogether and I wish something could be done for the benefit of actual newcomers wishing to play the game on a regular basis so that they are neither exposed to nor negatively affected by the constant negativity that occurs in low level league.

its not as bad as you think the real proablem is lytes unfinsied hitler bots

i play heros of the storm and prefer it becuase i know blizzard doesn't ban less you sit their n***** 100times every game

lyte has forced you to jsut sit their and be all."thats cool" even though its realllllly not and in my experince people only do things becuase they know they will get away with it.

no replay function chat gets you bans... r.i.p lol 2015

Biff ManlyJan 6, 20161 votes

Good thing smurfs are supported for some inexplicable reason.

Oh wait, it's to help League remain "the most popular game" for as long as possible. Same reason they ban you for letting somebody else play on your account.

RetillinJan 6, 20161 votes

Riot doesn't show/tell you anything about the game. The fact you have to go to third party websites to get any reliable information on this game is embarrassing. Now you add in the "tutorial", and unfairness to new players (ie lack of runes/masteries) it gets even worse. Then a lot of the "skilled" players that are playing level 8 accounts are most likely either players on some sort of ban, or the type of players that like to noob stomp.

There are just so many issues with the new player experience. But Riot has said basically "we are more worried about retaining players than getting new ones".

Yamato SanJan 6, 20161 votes

I'll tell you why: since 5.18 you get easily permabanned for chat bans. These banned persons make a smurf to play on, and you end up with a lot of toxic smurfs. I played through low levels twice, both before 5.18, and I can safely say before lvl 30 ranked, toxic players were far fewer.

Yamato SanJan 6, 20161 votes

http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/player-behavior-moderation/jFucMJxN-chat-bans I wrote some stuff on why I think this is a problem.

themachampJan 6, 20161 votes

[{quoted}](name=Chocolate Frost,realm=NA,application-id=ZGEFLEUQ,discussion-id=GlcukLTp,comment-id=,timestamp=2016-01-05T23:29:28.773+0000)

It is absolutely atrocious after level 6.

The constant abuse, harassment, insults, and flaming in normal blind picks is downright unbearable. There is almost nothing positive about the experience. I thought to create an alternate account to try and give new players as much of a helping hand as a casual player can so they can avoid the mistakes I made. Instead, what I get is one match after another infested with players with terrible attitudes claiming to be gold+ smurfs. It's just something I've decided to avoid altogether and I wish something could be done for the benefit of actual newcomers wishing to play the game on a regular basis so that they are neither exposed to nor negatively affected by the constant negativity that occurs in low level league.

This is another way riot makes money, all the people with permabanned accounts make new ones and make leveling hell. This way riot can sell more ip/xp boosts cause people just want to hurry and gtfo.

Valhalla RisingJan 6, 20161 votes

It's bad.

MyrkrvaldyrJan 6, 20161 votes

I feel like I've been really lucky then. I've only been playing LoL for about 3 months, and I rarely encountered jerks till I hit 30. In ranked games, of course, the toxicity is huge but well, I now mainly play draft, blind has many more toxic players than I remember. I always report any toxicity at the end though :) and I have gotten a few players punished already.

WoodakoodashoodaJan 6, 20161 votes

Yeah, I tried taking it easy, but it's difficult for me not to do what has become instinctive for me. I sometimes would try sparing opponents from early deaths, but their insistence on continuing to fight me when they had no chance of beating me forced me to finish them off or end up killed myself. I would even issue warning in all chat that they'd die if they fought me, but they never took me seriously and ended up dying...a lot.