Boards›Player Behavior

Isn't this what people wanted?

AJStarhiker·3/17/2016, 3:05:11 PM·93 votes·7,663 views

I'm just going to say a few things about Riot's decision to link Hextech Crafting to positive behavior.

People have been asking for years for Riot to institutes some form of reward for good behavior in addition to the punishment system. Honor was a first attempt, but that depends on how other people perceive you. And the ribbons were difficult to earn. What I remember was that it was supposed to be based on consistancy in receiving them, but casual or irregular players may not ever see a ribbon despite positive behavior. That can be discouraging, especially to players who haven't internalized the kind of behavior Honor was meant to reward.
The problem with rewards is that, if not handled properly, they become achievements, rather than a continuous reason for a shift in behavior. Take games like Mass Effect or Fable, where a player can chose between morality paths (I'll use the Star Wars Light/Dark side for simplicity), and achievements based on each path. A player who normally prefers a Dark Side approach to games sees the Light Side achievement will chose those options long enough to get the rewards and then will go back to their normal behavior.
I've seen a number of posts about "I haven't been punished for X time frame. Why am I ineligible?" This is most likely the section that I'll get flamed on: Why are you surprised Riot chose to link good behavior to this? They been looking for years for a way to reward good behavior beyond events like Snowdown and Pool Parties. I can't speak for the appearance of inconsistancy in ineligible players, but they've linked reform to becoming eligible again. That means players need to prove that they've changed. My best guess? The differences are due to punishment levels. A player who has received a 10-game chat restriction has far less to prove they've changed than a player who has shown toxic behavior consistantly enough to receive the 2-week ban. I've also seen far too many 2-week/permabanned players who don't seem to view the chat restriction levels as a 'real' punishment and conveniently 'forget' that they've already been through those levels of punishment.

And no, I will not do a TL/DR.

169 Comments

Sarutobi3/17/2016, 4:11:28 PM40 votes

Ya honestly all the negative stuff I see are from toxic players or players who have been ban and can't participate in this. Honestly though their opinion on the matter should be irrelevant. They chose to break the rules and as such doesn't deserve things like this. If they want to participate in things like this show you have reformed and take your punishment! When your account is in good standing in sure you will be eligible to participate!

DJColdCutz3/17/2016, 4:31:32 PM25 votes

Here is my beef with this. And this is coming from someone who is eligible for rewards and has never been chat restricted or banned before.

People all over the boards are trying to change the history of this crafting stuff by saying it's a reward for good behavior. However, in the original 2016 post about Hextech Crafting, this is how rito described it: "We’re introducing a new system to reward you with loot-filled chests through Champion Mastery when you or your premade perform well and also provide a way to pick up randomized content at large discounts." If you read through the entire page, there is zero mention of it being connected to positive behavior or punishments. It is described as entirely based on the skill of you or your group.

Now, I am fine with them linking it to behavior as well as skill, but since they did not mention/suggest/hint at that part of crafting, I think that everyone should have been given a "clean slate" for crafting with its release. Future punishments would sort out who was really trying to reform and who was still toxic.

I also think that one "you are ineligible" notification is enough for people who can't get rewards. It's bordering on harassment for rito to give people that message every game.

I also also think that it's dumb as fuck rito still hasn't clearly said when someone is "reformed" enough to receive the benefits. That they're "working on a clearer explanation" is bullshit, especially since they blindsided everyone with the crafting's link to positive behavior in the first place. It should have been well thought out and explained at release.

Jesuszilla3/17/2016, 10:03:23 PM6 votes

I think it's important to understand what people are mad about. Those that are ineligible aren't upset they can't get rewards (maybe some, but not most.)

No, people are upset because they start off restricted from a new system in place with no idea why they are, or how they are supposed to be "reformed"

To further add fuel to this fire, a chat ban is essentially a small warning, saying hey we know bad days happen, let's just cool down. It's meant to be a first step warning in the system but people who have long since served their chat ban with no issues are still not "reformed" which leads to a further disconnect.

I personally had a short chat ban a month ago. It was a bad day, I lapsed in judgement, I moved on. In the last month I have played semi-regularly, no issues. I have literally no way to tell what constitutes reformation or what needs to happen to be involved in the system.

It's made me feel so alienated by Riot and the game that I don't even really want to play that much now. And that's pretty sad. Not because I can't get chests, I could care less. No I feel like Riot is being overly ridiculous with their reform system that I don't want to be a part of it anymore. And this sentiment seems to be growing.

Jesuszilla3/18/2016, 2:43:39 AM6 votes

All this high and mighty crap is ridiculous. The simple fact of the matter is this, even the old rewards system with the banners allowed players to participate. You could still get honor no matter your standing with the Tribunal in the past. What DID happen was if you went to Tribunal AFTER you got honor you could lose it. But it didn't just start you off completely removed from the experience. And there in lies the difference between enforcing a punishment and being cruel to your playerbase. Punishment is meant to reform the player, and when you don't give the player a chance to reform and instead simply continue to punish them arbitrarily there is no point to that punishment. It's very simple. Riot says they want reformation, and they want to be transparent and promote clarity. People aren't upset with being punished for the Tribunal system. I haven't seen a single person with a good argument over this issue saying they didn't deserve their chat ban, or wanting those bans overturned. On the contrary, nearly everyone has been saying "Yes, I was toxic. I had my chat ban. I deserved it, I moved on". The issue they have, and the issue that is PAINFULLY real, is that Riot has made statements about their stance on toxicity, about how they want to help reform players, and that they don't like blanket punishments for no reason, and then they release a blanket punishment that seems to affect a multitude of players arbitrarily and without due cause. Many of these people have had to think back to the last time they even had a Tribunal restriction, several only have basic low game chat bans, Riot's equivalent of a warning, and they are automatically ineligible right off the bat. They have no way to know if they are working towards being reformed, what that even means, and there is no information. It has nothing to do with being toxic, it has everything to do with their poor customer service and dedication to the community. Because whether you think so or not, there are a LOT of players that have been to the Tribunal at some point in time. And you are FAR from the person to pass judgement on them. To even act as though you can and to talk down to them as you are doing makes you no better than the people you are chastising. The irony is the very toxicity you are saying is wrong you are displaying in full force. And I find that deplorable. This is almost like player discrimination it's so sickening to see.