Upgrading the Tribunal

Riot·May 16, 2014·18 votes·161,847 views

With a number of upgrades planned for Tribunal, we wanted to share our vision for the system, what we’ve learned over the last few years and what changes we’ll be making moving forward. Tribunal is a powerful way for the community to decide what behaviors are acceptable during a League of Legends match. We’d like to take some time to upgrade the system with new features to ensure it’s an effective way of combating unsportsmanlike behavior in game.

We’re going to temporarily put the Tribunal in maintenance mode while we upgrade the overall system to ensure players who deserve punishments receive them much faster than they currently do. We’ll also be adding the ability to review and reward players who exemplify the best sportsmanship in League of Legends.

In the meantime, a new system will hand out restricted chat punishments and game bans rapidly so players will be banned or placed into restricted chat mode within a few hours of their negative behavior. Improvements to another system, LeaverBuster, will tune and upgrade its ability to further address ranked play, ensuring aggressive and severe consequences to maintain the competitive, sportsmanlike spirit of the mode.

We’ll be rolling out additional experiments throughout the Tribunal upgrade and depending on the results of these experiments and the impact they have on players, we’ll incorporate these lessons into the upgraded Tribunal.

To sum everything up: we want to spotlight and encourage positive behavior through the Tribunal as well as improve the speed of the system. We’re taking the Tribunal down to make these improvements and will use systems like Restricted Chat and an enhanced LeaverBuster while we upgrade Tribunal. Share your feedback and your questions below, and we’ll see you in game!

2,464 Comments

Postal TwinkieMay 16, 20141116 votes

Will we be able to see pre-game chat and post-game chat? These are two major sources of data that we haven't had access to yet.

XemnkMay 16, 2014355 votes

I would so love this, sure everyones seen Toxic chat in pre and post game, and yet doesn't seem to have much weight in the tribunal.

ydnaAEMay 16, 201492 votes

Some of the cases I hate reviewing because I see people comment about pre- and post-game on like one game but then the rest the person is just reported with no comment explaining why and I always have trouble deciding if the person is really being toxic.

King SCREEMay 17, 201475 votes

Agreed especially with the post-game chat when players are most likely to be very poor sports. It's critical that they include every chat instance.

ManicsarMay 16, 2014269 votes

If we do get access to pre-post game chat, I would love to see the response to insta-lockers.

AshraNashalMay 17, 201443 votes

There is nothing wrong with insta-locking. Blind Pick is a free-for-all. If you don't like it, play draft.

GoldenslyMay 17, 2014162 votes

you assume much that insta-locking only occurs in blind pick modes. Draft gives two players the chance to lock in at the exact same time. Many times players will not communicate with their team and insta-lock either a role that has already been locked in from the last set of players on their team or insta-lock the role player above them has made known they want.

Vouloir OublierMay 17, 201440 votes

Instalockers....you just have to live with them and know that they just can't type fast enough to say 'mid' before you. Honestly banning insta-lockers would be kind of a bad decision (banning like 1/5 of Blind Draft players) . Although on the other hand I don't want to just switch to draft (bcuz whats the point of letting every1 else just see who u play if u like blind, and you want to stick with it). The Blind Draft during The manatee is actually pretty cool Rito! To put it out there: If you haven't ever Insta-Locked then you don't even rift, bro!

Nookies2May 17, 2014433 votes

So, banning people that trash talk instalockers, people that intent feed,etc is by far more logical than banning said people that do these things? At this point in time, people running their mouths a bit gets banned far more often than people purposely throwing games. Considering how this game is supposed to be 'competition' insta lockers, people refusing to communicate with their team, feeding on purpose are all by more toxic than someone trash talking. If someone is calling you bad, you can simply mute them. Someone trash talking bad teammates isn't losing the game, the bad players are. It'd be really nice if the people that were so supportive of the tribubal actually had solid logic. But they don't.

Support The WindMay 17, 2014362 votes

I don't know, Instalok has pretty good songs so the response would be pretty positive.

CSisTOOhardMay 17, 201465 votes

lol that made me laugh

Ozzy CalloohMay 16, 2014123 votes

Players tend to be the most toxic in postgame chat. That's when the toxic players are like "tribunal does nothing and ur bad" etc etc

OIIÎeMay 16, 201437 votes

i agree, these should be a part of the cases, i see some of the most horrid stuff pre game

Kaelath The RedMay 17, 2014238 votes

Riot needs to include a full game replay of the match so you can actually see whats happening in the game instead of just reading whats being typed in chat. I've seen matches where someones reported for intentionally feeding and in-game they're actually being forced into a 3v1 lane fight for half the game because their team is trolling them by never calling mia/afking/ignoring the lane.

SoulflareMay 17, 2014119 votes

And you expect the servers to survive this?

Kaelath The RedMay 17, 2014146 votes

DOTA 2, STRIFE, Dawngate all three of these games have built in replays that save locally to the game servers for 24 hours and then are deleted unless you save them to your pc in the case of DOTA 2 and STRIFE you can also upload these videos directly to TWITCH or YouTube. Dawngate uses replays for reports so that the Devs can personally determine if a player needs banned or not. It's literally not that hard and riot has had replays in the works for a year now they just won't activate it for testing on PBE.

OctaSteveMay 17, 201467 votes

Maybe we'll see this when the new servers are online. As it stands, the current servers seem to be strained by normal operations. The duct tape is wearing out.

NssheepsterMay 17, 201425 votes

100% agreement....I suggest looking at LoLReplay for those who worry about the servers. Small file size, and then you can see the full game easily. OFC Riot would probably have to buy their software, but I'm pretty sure they can afford it.

OzarykMay 17, 2014100 votes

As much as I agree with this, laxboy119 and A Global Threat stated a pretty valid points.

Over the past week, I've let my friend play League in solo queue on my computer and in majority of his matches, he asks if people could call MIA's. The responses I have seen are pretty bad excuses too. One game in particular, 3 people ganged up on him and kept saying "MIA's are no longer needed because they are only to be used in the laning phase"... He showed me this and questioned them and I told him straight up that they are full of it. For instance, if 1 person is up top fighting 1 enemy up top, then the enemy runs off at full health and you don't call MIA, with the amount of time you look at the minimap compared to dealing with your own problems, you are not going to notice the enemy vanish. The sooner you know he vanished, the better! MIA's are still useful throughout the entire match. On another note, in pretty much all of his matches, there were literally no pings on the minimap, with the exception of a couple of matches.

My friend was trolled in a lot of the matches he was in and he decided that it wasn't worth another 15 minutes of his life to deal with them, so he closed League of Legends. Now, you might think that this is punishable, but if I recall, one of the rules of pardoning or punishing someone in the Tribunal is that if it is a reaction to a negative teammate, then they are to be pardoned, but since I have last used the Tribunal, it now has it as;

"Why doesn’t Riot post a list of rules for what you can be banned for?"

but I have also found;

"There is never a reason for you to be negative or insult someone. It doesn't matter if you have 3 people leave your match. It doesn't matter if Teemo is 1/9001 in a 5 minute game. It doesn't matter if xyz champ did abc bad idea. It also doesn't matter if someone is insulting you for an entire match. YOU are responsible for YOUR behavior."

but this is what it used to say prior to that;

"4. When should I be voting to Pardon?

Here are some examples of times where reported players should be pardoned.

Players who are celebrating, but not intending to be offensive. Players who are playfully quipping at one another. Someone who is reacting to another player’s repeated badgering or insulting behavior. Players who are not responding to other players or do not speak the language, but otherwise aren’t displaying any negative or strange behavior. Players who display poor performance, but do not appear to be intentionally feeding or otherwise disrupting gameplay. Players who cease their negative behaviors and/or apologize when another player informs them that they have taken things too far and asks them to stop. "

You might also say "Well, there is a mute button", but the thing is, is that the mute button prevents you from communicating with your team and the Tribunal FAQ page even covers that the mute button should not be needed " Why is verbal abuse punishable if there is a mute button/language filter?".

People queue up and troll together. Kind of sucks for players and Riot Games. If I come across these people, I will report them because they are Toxic to Riot themselves by possibly turning away potential customers and other reasonable players.

Pre-game chat would be nice to see in the logs... Same with after game chat. Some things are only said in those areas that reveal what the team actually did.

SkorzenMay 17, 201410 votes

Any good person doesn't call mias that is primarily the lower levels, people not calling mias doesn't mean it is not your fault for dying

LuluInWonderlandMay 17, 201479 votes

I guess the d1/challenger matches don't count. Nor do the LCS matches with teams that have direct audio connections to each other...they ping MIAs too. Oh, and any jungler vision.

An uncalled MIA doesn't make it an excuse for dying. That's true. But calling MIA is simple and effective so why the heck not? If "good" players don't need MIA pings, then what's the point? You should know what's going on via the minimap, but people aren't perfect and sometimes they miss things. If you want your team to win, then help them not make mistakes.

MrTiltYourGirlMay 17, 201411 votes

Would you really spend 45 minutes watching a game that game. Even if people were to do that, it would slow the tribunal process immensely.

AmarronUSNMay 17, 201490 votes

if your not willing to take the time to evaluate the full situation then you shouldnt be among the jury

Cheney LannisterMay 17, 20149 votes

I don't see the need in a post game chat, I mean you're free to leave at that point.

King SCREEMay 17, 201481 votes

I don't think thats license to be a dick just because its GG. It creates very negative feelings and lessens the overal game experience.

Lord SogrethMay 17, 201447 votes

And that's where most of the trolling takes place. They know they are "safe" in pre/post game chat.

Mages323May 16, 2014202 votes

Riot, I'm truly pleased you're doing this. Too long have toxic players gloated that 'tribunal does nothing' and tribunal has been considered a joke. I am glad to see changes coming, your work is appreciated.

Damorion215May 17, 201443 votes

Well, if the community actually cared, then I don't think the Tribunal would have been considered such a joke. I hardly do it because of the fact that most likely, I'll probably be judging on the same person 2 or so months from now. The word "permaban" does not stay true. You can just create another email, another account. So yeah, so far, the tribunal has done nothing.

I am glad Riot is stepping up to the plate here a bit, considering that they're also looking at the LB system. If someone gets dced because of internet trouble or a power outage, there's not much that that person can do. And on another note, if you're doing everything you can in a game and no one is listening and they're just feeding and trolling away and wasting your time, then it ought to be noted that that situation right there IS a legitimate reason for you to leave that game.

I want to be able to be part of this where I can help get rid of more toxic players /permanently/. Perhaps after this update, more people will actually start caring and start stepping up to the plate of fighting these toxic players. I might be judging on Tribunal more often, who knows? Point is, all this trash about the toxic players isn't really Riot's fault, but more so the community's itself. It's become too dependent on Riot when Riot is too busy doing other things, like making more champs, LCS, etc. I hope the community really wakes up in the coming years.

Nibbie217May 16, 2014127 votes

[deleted]

Lord MoriuzMay 17, 201448 votes

I think it's a bit hard to realize if someone disconnected or left on purpose, especially since people could find a way to trick the system.

One of my suggestions for the new tribunal is that your "reports" get deleted after a certain amount of months. It's silly when you're judging people based on 6 month old reports, the person might have already changed in that time. Only recent reports should be relevant.

iTzRanellMay 16, 2014117 votes

You know... i would love a loading screen chat especially when there's that one guy.... super slow loading time... I'm sure everyone has had them

ManicsarMay 17, 201421 votes

That would be nice, people and their toasters.

DorkunedAurasMay 17, 201493 votes

HEY! ME AND MY TOASTER ARE GREATLY OFFENDED!! I UPGRADED THIS THING FROM A CALCULATOR, UP INTO TOASTER, AND FINALLY THIS TOASTER/COMPUTER HYBRID WITH 1 WHOLE RAM (I have to keep it penned up to keep it from going to mate with the sheep)

Girl On SteroidsMay 17, 20146 votes

probably why you have a toaster for a computer.. you aren't smart enough to realize a calculator is more advanced and quicker than toaster..

BloodyVickyMay 17, 201461 votes

Ah, but can a calculator make toast? If it came down to a machine that could do math vs. one that could make toast... toast>math.

GleipnirMay 17, 201415 votes

slow clap

GreybladeMay 17, 201413 votes

Your toaster, sir, has just won the internet.

NssheepsterMay 17, 201492 votes

So...When I DC, and Leavebuster throws me BACK OUT after I finally manage to RC, ....You're gonna fix that, right? Cause missing 5 minutes cause of comp or net issues is one thing. Missing 15 because I RC'ed and got thrown back out is ridiculous. Not sure that was what you INTENDED with the system, but if it is, stop it. IDC if you cut my IP for the game,(And LP in ranked) but seriously, if I bother to RC, let me play instead of throwing me right back out.

TorsteinaMay 16, 201477 votes

Will there be more options in the post-game screen? Also will players who continue to play 4v5 or 3v5 lose less points if the match ends in "defeat"?

A Global ThreatMay 17, 201454 votes

We can dream

Killjoy4May 16, 201462 votes

I'm so sick and tired of people who just are jerks the whole game. <3 Riot

DraggioMay 16, 201434 votes

I'm so sick and tired of people who feed the whole game and call you bad for calling them out. then getting reported for saying anything and the entire team backing up the feeder.

Killer X 12May 16, 2014177 votes

If someone is feeding, as long as it is not intentional, i will always take their side over someone being rude to them. There is no reason to be rude or make fun of them just because they are doing poorly. If you give constructive feedback like "hey jax i don't think you should of started with a blue pot and 5 mana pots, make go doran's blade or shield next time" then no one will give you shit except maybe the feeder if he is a turd.

So yea if you say "stop feeding" then get angry with them, i'm gonna take their side because you aren't helping the situation. I'm sure he isn't trying to get shit on, it just happens sometimes. Also i don't report people for that unless when the feeder is being defended they get even more rude which actually happens pretty often...because even tho our games are matched by mmr they are sooooo much better than the person feeding.

Wes16785May 17, 201439 votes

Yes i respect u that was an excellent reply to draggio

Katarina SoftpawMay 17, 201433 votes

Pantheon I concur wholeheartedly. Only way to learn is play with people better then you and practice. Every has a bad game or even a few. Help them learn.

Nerd MuscleMay 17, 201419 votes

i am glad you covered this. cause there are people are genuinely not trying to feed. just give constructive criticism.

QuíxoteMay 16, 201411 votes

Give us some RP rewards for participating in the Tribunal, and I'll consider getting back into it. IP rewards? Meh- why not just play a game and earn it that way? Throw us a bone Riot.

MackleDogeMay 17, 2014109 votes

Giving monetary based rewards will just encourage irresponsible Tribunal behavior like spam voting punish. If people participate in the Tribunal it should be because they choose to and because they want to help make the community better, not because they are selfish or greedy.

SiachiMay 17, 201414 votes

Hmm... perhaps not monetary or even IP rewards, but what about something totally cosmetic and has no other effect on the game besides bragging rights? Like, having a X+% and Y+ cases reviewed Tribunal Accuracy rate gives access to a Summoner Icon that you can use? Or a border ribbon akin to the Honor system? Any thoughts on that?

MackleDogeMay 17, 201416 votes

I've actually seen that mentioned numerous times and personally I feel it has potential, but only if it includes a very stringent accuracy rating requirement and is more than just the age old "participation trophy". If someone consistently does there cases per day and votes with a very high accuracy (I'd say a minimum of 95% but I wouldn't argue with 98% as minimum) then a small summoner icon or a little badge on the forums might be an acceptable form of recognition. Again, the idea behind Tribunal is that it is its own reward. The idea is for the community to want to make itself better and for us to each sacrifice a bit of our time to make sure that happens. Personally I don't need any reward for the Tribunal and I don't think one is necessary. I'm content in knowing that I did my best to evaluate the evidence before me and vote in a manner that I believe helped to improve the integrity of our community and the fun yet competitive nature of our game.