Re: Ideas To Handle Rule Breakers

@Asmodeus566 I understand what you're saying and that's why its only an idea.

Overall, I'm just saying to have a way to better separate players from the cheaters to where its less frustrating. A higher ranked cap was one of those ideas as cheaters would have to level up to be able to ruin ranked, and by then they should hopefully be banned. Although I can see how this would be a nightmare for pubs and Mixtape players, (which is why another lobby meant for the cheaters to be filtered into was suggested alongside the increase ranked level requirement).

Regarding teaming, its not a "oh, you were next to this team for too long", its a number of things that gets flagged so Respawn could better look into it and see if a player is indeed teaming and go from there.

As for smurfing, as far as I'm aware of, EA/Respawn defines it as keeping yourself in the lower lobbies, (which players can easily do on alt accounts). They don't want players stomping on those of much lower skill due to being new. However, every other game such as Overwatch, Valorant, etc. sees any alt account as being a smurf account. If you look up what smurfing is, Google basically says its "when you create a new account to play against lower skilled players", and it implies its also used to define those on alt accounts.

The overall problem with smurfs is that they throw the matchmaking through a loop as the game isn't going to know that this new level 1 Wraith is a TTV sweat, pro player, or somebody else of a higher skill. Sure, after several matches, they'll be in the lobbies that better fit them. The problem is that they were allowed to ruin the match for other players before being placed into the correct lobby. (Which even then, when most people see a low level in a higher lobby, they assume its a cheater anyways). Smurfing, (or simply having alt accounts), just seems like it would make the game worse for the overall playerbase.

Players do get banned in other games for playing on alts. One player from the Apex pro scene did a rank grind on a new account in Valorant. During their stream, they were banned for smurfing. (Although, I've only ever played 3 matches of Valorant, so I'm sure its rankings is vastly different than Apex's, I just feel like players should use their main accounts to play the game. Most of the "smurfs" tend to be cheaters anyways, which can make the problem of smurfs appear to be worse than it is).

Now onto AFK players and bots. Both an AFK player and a bot aren't doing anything to help the team or even themselves, so I kinda just see them as the same thing despite one being a real person who's away and the other being an AI. While we do have report options such as, "inactive during match", it doesn't exactly do anything for a player who is able to sit there until the game kicks them out for not moving. I've had many matches where a teammate went AFK and they wouldn't get punished for it because an enemy team would kill them after killing me and the other teammate. The game just sees that they had died and it would ignore the fact that they weren't moving for a bit of time prior to dying. I've had friends go AFK in full pre-made squads, and the game doesn't punish them unless it had to kick them out. (Which the game does give you a leaver penalty even if you're in a full pre-made squad, so I imagine it would also do something if you went AFK instead).

The ideas I've suggested does have its issues and I know they're not perfect, it was just something to consider. You've also mentioned that players would false report others just to be toxic. The problem with that is you can't exactly stop toxicity, (and the reports would have to be handled in a way where legit players aren't just sent to the shadow realm). I suppose a system for Respawn to better decide if the players should be switched into another que would be the best thing, until a banwave could be issued.

Lastly, the alternate idea from just banning players. This is something I figured would just be easier. Respawn bans hundreds of accounts each month and it would make it more annoying to be a cheater if the game doesn't let them fully play it, (while also kicking them out with random errors like net, cloud, etc). While its true that its an endless cat and mouse game, the idea is to better stop cheaters from being able to keep on ruining the game for other players. Banning these players doesn't exactly work if they're really wanting to cheat. They'll just spoof IPs, HWIDs, buy accounts, etc. to get back on Apex with newer and better cheats. I figured a way to keep them on one account and away from the legit players could be better than just banning them over and over again.

What legal actions do you think, (or know) would rise from this? I can understand the problem being with things like the battle pass and store items, (where if someone pays for it, they should still have it, (even if they got banned)). If there's anything else that would be an issue legally, I'd love to hear it because honestly I didn't think about it when writing the thread.

In the end, I appreciate your opinion. Its always nice to get the perspectives of other's point of view. While I do support the team that works on this side of things, I feel like it can't hurt to suggest things. Afterall, they don't have to consider any of these ideas. These are just ideas, and right now, that's all they are.

Just so it wasn't assumed, I did mark @Asmodeus566's post as the solution. The thread was only meant to be an idea afterall, (rather than a solution EA/Respawn must add).

@Midnight9746 

I get what you are trying say and do with the ideas and some of the basic concepts are great.

Hopefully someone sees them and is able to get something out of it.

But with providing feedback tips, we as the provider of the feedback have to look (should) at what we are providing as a whole: What could it improve for me, For the other players, for the game, for the game communities and as well for the Company that makes the game. Is it in line with the core concept of the game, the rules of the game and the rules the company applies to users of it services, is it morally and legally acceptable to do. We also have to think of the negative impacts a suggestion could have if it was implemented just as above.

If you take all of the above in consideration in formulating a suggestion it helps build a great suggestion.

I wish I always did this, but I make Kneejerk decisions often enough.  

If it is good for me but bad for the company then it will not work for the game and or others. This does not mean that the feedback has to be a win win for everyone.

It is easy to suggest things but not always easy or feasible for those things to be implemented. The company would have to be wiling (is it good for us), have the ability and or resources to do so. However it could be that some things are cost prohibitive, may need to wait for tech to catch up and have to also be checked on the legality of implementing. 

I wish I could say more but I am not all that Tech savvy and if I had all the answers...............then Apex would be, cheater, hacker, teamer, smurf free as well as toxic free.

Keep up the suggestions, improve on them and yourself, and use that report button in game if need be, its the best we can do. 

“I'm seeing 2-5 squads working together in the end, where it would be the final ring closing, and they're not shooting at each other or they're only damage farming until my team peaks any one of them. When we do peak, we get beamed by every single team.”

that’s when I hit the record button to capture evidence. I can sort out who to send it to later.

@Midnight9746 

Let those who review decide.

@Midnight9746 

I know as much as you do in regards to how EA deals with the teaming problem.

All we can do is help them out.

@MrGreenWithAGun is doing this the correct way, record and submit as a report and let EA sort it out.