In-game block system - master sollution to many problems (even future ones)

[Marrionetta]

Now that public trade offers are a thing I think blocking habitually bad offer makers would be nice.

[HeatherMarie]

I'm still very against any sort of permanent blocking. There is still no direct communication, so I personally don't understand the need. You can just ignore offers that you aren't interested in. However, I'd be fine with a *temporary* blocking, like if you decline an offer and the user keeps offering the same thing over and over. I don't personally think that's reason for a permanent block, and if any sort of blocking happens I'd like people to be able to change their minds an unblock the person if they so choose. I personally have had someone I put on a personal 'black-list' for offering exactly the opposite of what I wanted, over and over, but eventually I realized that I was missing out on some good trades they'd posted by not having anything to do with them.

 

Also, what *exactly* would blocking do? Would it actually block the person from *offering*, or just block the offer from showing? If the person can't even offer, what exactly will it say? I'd hate to think how many revenge-viewbombings would result from people finding out someone blocked them! Would blocking someone from offering automatically block their trades as well, ie you can't see trades they have posted, or would it *only* be the offers? So many things to hash out.

[Fuzzbucket]

I'm with Heather. You can see who's offering and ignore the ones you object to. And yes to the revenge stuff.

[Marrionetta]

1 hour ago, HeatherMarie said:

I'm still very against any sort of permanent blocking. There is still no direct communication, so I personally don't understand the need. You can just ignore offers that you aren't interested in. However, I'd be fine with a *temporary* blocking, like if you decline an offer and the user keeps offering the same thing over and over. I don't personally think that's reason for a permanent block, and if any sort of blocking happens I'd like people to be able to change their minds an unblock the person if they so choose. I personally have had someone I put on a personal 'black-list' for offering exactly the opposite of what I wanted, over and over, but eventually I realized that I was missing out on some good trades they'd posted by not having anything to do with them.

 

Also, what *exactly* would blocking do? Would it actually block the person from *offering*, or just block the offer from showing? If the person can't even offer, what exactly will it say? I'd hate to think how many revenge-viewbombings would result from people finding out someone blocked them! Would blocking someone from offering automatically block their trades as well, ie you can't see trades they have posted, or would it *only* be the offers? So many things to hash out.

 

Block the ability to see posted public trades you issue would make more sense

 

And are you seriously saying a feature is wrong because people will retaliate in a way already against the rules?

 

I shouldn't have to engage with anyone I don't want to, especially if they don't respect a no or are aggressive in their approaches or whatever reason. Blocking exists in lots of games and platforms. Why is it so distasteful to do it here?

[HeatherMarie]

5 hours ago, Marrionetta said:

I shouldn't have to engage with anyone I don't want to, especially if they don't respect a no or are aggressive in their approaches or whatever reason. Blocking exists in lots of games and platforms. Why is it so distasteful to do it here?

 

Not distasteful, at least not to me, simply not necessary. Those other games you mentioned, do they have actual user-to-user communication? Do they have in-game ways to directly contact other users? Because to be totally honest I've never seen a game have a block feature when it doesn't have direct communication. Maybe I just haven't played those game, who knows. 

 

If someone is being aggressive in their trade dealings with you, that's a good time to get a mod involved. If someone is being abusive, aggressive, or outright mean, that's something that needs to be addressed. But otherwise, I honestly don't see what the huge deal is with just *seeing* offers from someone you don't want to trade with. That's obviously just my opinion though. 

 

5 hours ago, Marrionetta said:

 

And are you seriously saying a feature is wrong because people will retaliate in a way already against the rules?

 

 

I'm saying don't poke the trolls. Don't give them a big in-your-face *reason* to go around viewbombing people. Don't shove it in their face that someone blocked them, because they *will* retaliate. Nowhere did I say the feature in general is wrong, but there are ways to do it that don't antagonize people. 

[Fuzzbucket]

4 hours ago, HeatherMarie said:

 

I'm saying don't poke the trolls. Don't give them a big in-your-face *reason* to go around viewbombing people. Don't shove it in their face that someone blocked them, because they *will* retaliate. Nowhere did I say the feature in general is wrong, but there are ways to do it that don't antagonize people. 

 

This. So much. I have briefly been targeted (with abusive emails, in the days that we could email one another) when I blocked someone's PMs here... No it's not OK that that happens - but taking action tends to make them worse - as I discovered.

[Marrionetta]

Blocking is not antagonizing.

[Fuzzbucket]

You and I know that. Those blocked seem not to.

[olympe]

Well, it helps if you don't realize you're blocked, apparently. If you cannot see the offers of someone who has blocked you, you won't have any reason to "retaliate".

[HeatherMarie]

antagonize
[an-tag-uh-nahyz]
verb (used with object), an·tag·o·nized, an·tag·o·niz·ing.
to make hostile or unfriendly; make an enemy or antagonist of:

 

Just because *we* wouldn't respond a certain way doesn't mean others wouldn't. Something may not seem like it's antagonizing to *us*, but if it makes people mad and retaliate, then yes it is. And people *have* viewbombed for much, much less then being 'blocked'. Something as simple as doing this in a way that doesn't notify the person they've been blocked would go a long way towards *not* ruffling feathers.

[Cinspawn]

16 hours ago, HeatherMarie said:

Just because *we* wouldn't respond a certain way doesn't mean others wouldn't. Something may not seem like it's antagonizing to *us*, but if it makes people mad and retaliate, then yes it is. And people *have* viewbombed for much, much less then being 'blocked'. Something as simple as doing this in a way that doesn't notify the person they've been blocked would go a long way towards *not* ruffling feathers.

I feel like we shouldn't shoot down suggestions just because it may upset people who enjoy manipulating this game's exploits. Also, people can get upset over literally anything.

 

I agree though that if someone were blocked, the trade simply wouldn't show up at all for them. Prevents the frustration of clicking a potentially interesting trade just to find out you can't offer.

[HeatherMarie]

@Cinspawn But... I wasn't shooting down any suggestions at all in that quote. I was simply saying the suggestion should be implemented in a way that upsets the least amount of people and causes the least drama (just like every suggestion should). Like not *showing* the user that they've been blocked. I don't necessarily think a block feature is needed right now anyways, but I wasn't shooting down a suggestion based on upsetting people, I was trying to give feedback on how it could be implemented. 

 

Anyways, if we *must* have a block feature, I'd really like a way to *temporarily* block someone. Like, just from that specific trade, if a user keeps re-offering the same thing. Maybe it simply would show that trade anymore, or would show it as cancelled or whatever.

[Cinspawn]

1 minute ago, HeatherMarie said:

@Cinspawn But... I wasn't shooting down any suggestions at all in that quote. I was simply saying the suggestion should be implemented in a way that upsets the least amount of people and causes the least drama (just like every suggestion should). Like not *showing* the user that they've been blocked. I don't necessarily think a block feature is needed right now anyways, but I wasn't shooting down a suggestion based on upsetting people, I was trying to give feedback on how it could be implemented. 

 

Anyways, if we *must* have a block feature, I'd really like a way to *temporarily* block someone. Like, just from that specific trade, if a user keeps re-offering the same thing. Maybe it simply would show that trade anymore, or would show it as cancelled or whatever.

I'm sorry, I thought you did not like the blocking feature because it could potentially upset people.

 

I agree that blocked users shouldn't have to get a notification, and if they visited one of your trades it would indeed show as if the trade was cancelled/does not exist.

[Marrionetta]

I think there's a misunderstanding here about what blocking is. I want to be invisible, dead to whoever I block. I wouldn't want them to see my stuff but not be able to offer on it, that defeats the purpose. I don't want them to be notified they're on a block list, I just want to unexist myself from their awareness. It's not a childish taunt or antagonizing, it's helping users draw boundaries for themselves.

 

Also you all talk about viewbombing like it's a frequent natural normal consequence of player actions. Don't tailor your suggestions to rogue fringe exploits and stuff that's already against the rules. I'm a fairly high profile user for having made art for site use, but I don't actually know that I've been maliciously targeted in 10 years of making waves here. It seems like a strange thing to parade around as though it deserves consideration and deference, viewbombing... Nah. Just a basic block feature would be great.

Edited December 13, 2018 by Marrionetta

[Fuzzbucket]

I'm not in favour of it - even though I did know what you meant.

 

But actually - I'm not even sure how easy it would be to set up, given TJ's job's restrictions on any kind of direct player=player contact on the cave pages. I realised it's sort of "non-contact" but it still requires something "targeting" (in programming terms) one player against another.

[tjekan]

I'd definitely like to be able to block people who trade me a misgendered hatchling from ever trading with me again. As it is I just keep track of their names and leave their offers to sit there indefinitely from then on. Blocking them from offering would actually be LESS inconvenient to them than that is, as well as being easier for me.

[Trenzalore]

Old topic but still very relevant. I find myself being spammed by a random user with the same egg over and over. I decline, they reoffer the same egg. I decline, they reoffer something completely useless that no one would accept. I decline, they reoffer the first egg again. This has happened before with other users, and I just want them gone. I don't care that when holiday events and new releases roll around they may someday have something I want. I want these people to never see or be able to offer on any of my trades again. Make the scroll and all growing dragons, regardless of where the link to the baby drag was gotten, invisible to blocked users as well. It's only been a handful of people for me these last 2 months, but users should be able to end the spamming. And a handful can still create a LOT of spam. They can throw a fit and namedrop me for blocking them in the forums for all I care, I rarely use the forums anyways - I don't give a hoot. I strongly support this, and came here today with the intention of making a post requesting the option to block users - since it's a topic already, I'll add to and support it. End the spam please, let us block people!

 

Reading some of the old comments, it's clear to see that maybe spamming wasn't a problem when the open trade market first became a thing. No one was spamming your 2g Gold swap with 17g Geminae drags over and over and over and over. I'm on my last hours with my egg before I have to hatch it, and getting notifications from this same person and their same rejected egg repeatedly makes me angry and ruins the game for me, and undoubtedly for other users as well. Telling people to "jUsT nOt acCePt tHe trAdE" isn't helpful at all.

 

If TJ is hesitant to let users wantonly block each other, maybe there should be a block request form where you list the user you are wanting to block and give a reason. I don't like this idea very much; it feels petty, requires more moderation, and brings whoever the mod is into whatever petty squabble users may be in with the listed reason. I would rather just be able to unquestioningly block someone. But, it would be better than nothing.

 

All of the people who have spammed me do not have a discord and do not have a forum account. There is no attempt of communication on their part, and that's their problem and their fault, not mine. I and others should not have to deal with spam just to preserve someone else's ability to spam and be generally rude. Do stupid things, get stupid results. If you're blocked, you probably deserve it. And let's be real - the people that really need to be blocked aren't suddenly going to turn up and offer you anything valuable, they are trolls. Is it really worth it to coddle and pander to trolls in the off chance that in the future they might offer you something worthwhile?

 

I don't agree with Heather at all. Users should be able to make their own decisions about blocking others. Anyone who "retaliates" should just get their scroll burned and/or forum account closed. Viewbombing, for example, would be cured if the blocked user wasn't allowed to see the dragon in the first place (scroll and all links leading to growing dragons give the blocked person a "blocked from view" result).

Edited June 19, 2020 by Trenzalore
Additions and formatting

[Fuzzbucket]

1 hour ago, Trenzalore said:

All of the people who have spammed me do not have a discord and do not have a forum account. There is no attempt of communication on their part, and that's their problem and their fault, not mine.

I agree with much of what you say - but not having a forum account or discord is not a matter of fault.  I would defend to the death their right not to have either one, just as I frequently have to defend my right to refuse to touch facebook.

 

I do think a temporary block would be better though. I'm actually not pro a total block feature.

[random_dragon_collector]

1 hour ago, Trenzalore said:

Old topic but still very relevant. I find myself being spammed by a random user with the same egg over and over. I decline, they reoffer the same egg. I decline, they reoffer something completely useless that no one would accept. I decline, they reoffer the first egg again.

 

Just out of curiosity, why don't you stop declining offers?  Just let them sit there.

[DragonLady86]

14 minutes ago, random_dragon_collector said:

 

Just out of curiosity, why don't you stop declining offers?  Just let them sit there.

Yes, not a perfect solution, but they cant spam you with the same offer if you never decline it 

[Shadowdrake]

Presumably they can cancel and reoffer over and over on their own which is no better.

[DragonLady86]

Yes, but an offer just sitting there, you don't even know if it has been seen so canceling just to remake is counter-productive. Still likely to be less spammy.

[Trenzalore]

2 hours ago, random_dragon_collector said:

 

Just out of curiosity, why don't you stop declining offers?  Just let them sit there.

They decline after 3-5 hours and reoffer the same egg. Multiple users have done this to me, the spamming usually lasts a day or two. Once it went on for like 9 days until I accepted a good offer. Edit, the time it was a 9 day spamming session was when I got my very first 2g prize egg from someone, and was trying to swap it.

Edited June 19, 2020 by Trenzalore

[DragonLady86]

Take screenshots so you have a record and report them to a mod. Again, not the best solution but better than nothing for now.

 

Edit: I'm not against this suggestion dispite not really having any issues myself thus far, but it has already sat here for 2 years, so I'm trying to offer work arounds until we get a real answer.

Edited June 19, 2020 by DragonLady86

[Trenzalore]

I will, but. Rather than having mods deal with this individually, taking up their time, we should just be allowed to block. When I was younger I used to play on Chickensmoothie, another adoptable site. In my 5+ years there, I probably blocked all of 3 people for the same reason I'm asking for block to be a thing here - trade spamming.