the no-reup rule, discoes, and our priorities

[sethipus]

Tonight there were a lot of discoes.  I was one of them.  Apparently some fighters had made contact with the enemy and Gaidin told everyone who discoed that they could not reup.  The rationale given is that if first contact has been made, then it's possible someone could have actually been shot down, and just lying to the CM to allow a re-up.

I most vehemently disagree with this rule.  It shows a profoundly misplaced priority.  I'm told that there have been instances in the past of people cheating by lying to the CM about why they're not flying (shot down versus legitimate disco), but I have to ask, is the goal of avoiding all possibility of any dishonorable person cheating during an FSO really worth disappointing and ticking off the few (or, like tonight, many) people who discoed because of network hiccups, and do so every week?

This is a game.  If someone cheats in the game, with the hundreds of people participating in the FSO each week these days, it really won't affect the game very much.  Showing up 10 minutes early for the frame, taking off with one's squad, and flying for 15 minutes or so with the squad to get into position, and then losing UDP and being booted, royally sucks.  Where is the proportionality?

I was flying in a long-time registered FSO squad with 10 other members flying, and we had made no enemy contact yet.  The squadron commander and the other 9 members could vouch for my "legitimate" disco.  But no, the rule's the rule, and we must follow the rules with an iron will because, after all, we wouldn't want some cheater to come along now and then and get a second life they don't deserve because, you know, that would be just way too awful to contemplate.  Right.

So, how many people got booted tonight when the network hiccuped?  How many people looked forward all week for this frame, got discoed because of the vagaries of the Internets, and then had to sit out the whole frame just to ensure that nobody could possibly cheat the system?  Was it really worth it?

No, it wasn't.  Stupid rule.  It should be changed, and some flexibility added into the system.

[xOLLYx]

i few from 367th discoes but am made up it never happen to me FSO starts at 4am for me and i would be mad if i cannt reup

[daddog]

It is not so much a matter of trust sethipus as it is a matter of game management.

Yes it sucks. All of us who have been flying in FSO for a few years have probably experienced a time when after the 30 minute mark your just about to engage the enemy and you disco. Not any fun, but at least it does not happen often.

[Bino]

Sethipus, I agree that a disco at any time is frustrating, and during an FSO, doubly so!

But unless you've run an event, I think it's very hard to understand just how swamped a - unpaid volunteer! - CM can be.  It is incredible to me that the AH CM crew can even manage to successfully run these things, with nearly 500 players participating.  The disco rule is one of the things that keeps the CM workload managable.

Now, if HTC were to pay a CM staff of, say, four to run the events...?   

[Hamltnblue]

In the future, why not give the squad CO's the authority to make the call, only if the squad has not made contact with the enemy. If it is determined that the person was shot down, make the squad fly C47's in the following frame or some other punishment that can be figured out.  .  I can understand squads that have flown in less than say 3 or so FSO's not be given the privelege but at some point you have to show some trust in veteran squads.  This would take some load off of the CM to do more important things. 

[Gaidin]

Guys, I am sorry.  I hate to tell people they cant reup after a disco.  The rule has been no reups after 30 mins/first contact since I came on board as a CM.  I have been there and yes it sucks, but there is to much room for those who would not be honest without this rule.  I do not know the circumstances that brought the rule about, but I do know that there has been no rule made since I started being a CM without some action by the players that required the rule to be made.  Again, its nothing personal if you are told  you cant reup. 

Gaidin