Right up front, there is the question if you should even ask for an ongoing battle to be stopped and restarted for you if you missed the start. I personally will not do that, but when I am in a battle, I have little objection to someone asking... I must admit, it doesn't sit really well, but I do not object, and given the state of affairs, will usually go along with a restart.
HOWEVER, there are some things that should be considered before asking for a restart. First, how late are you... and how many folks will you be asking to throw away their time spent in the makeup and start of the game. A few, is better than many obviously, and jsut started is better than 5 mins in...
Of utmost importance is if you stick your head in, and the battle might restart for your benefit, for Pete's sake have the decency to STAY in teamspeak and the site, so that you can join, of and when the group terminates there battle FOR YOU.
Do NOT be grumpy, should the group chose not to drop everything for you... many times, battles ultimately get cancelled all together, when one or more do not want to waste the time that they have "invested", and chose to leave... so you have displaced a person who was considerate and on time... often when that person drops out, it triggers more to drop,,, and as sometimes happens, the battle collapse, with no participation by any... which you precipitated.
This community is very accommodating, and willing to include... many times, the more the merrier... but not always... and I think the operative words might be.... ask if you will, but thoughtful about the situation, and "be considerate".
How to.. and how not to ask for a restart if you are late.
Re: How to.. and how not to ask for a restart if you are late.
Games restarted - and not restarted - have probably caused more misunderstanding and hard feelings over time than bad spawns and Seal's column charges :dry: Since we have a number of new players, it might not be a bad time to review a few approaches we've taken in launching games. Thanks to MacLeod for raising the topic.
First and foremost, there are no hard & fast rules that resolve every situation. Hosts have discretion and each host has a slightly different style. Here's my approach (other hosts are invited to chime in with theirs):
-If a battle has been scheduled, it should begin on time. If a player is in the queue when the clock strikes, he'll be included. If not in the queue, he will need to wait for the next game -- or hope for one of the conditions (see below) that might justify a restart;
-A late-arriving player is never entitled to a restart.* Of course, there is no harm in asking, but the answer will typically be 'wait for the next game'. On the other hand, if the time of a scheduled battle has passed but finds us still fiddling with captains' selections or other game mechanics, I'll usually let a late-comer join. In this situation, before launch, adding a player is only minimally disruptive. If a sizable game has been launched, I almost never restart just to add someone;
-Justifiable restarts can happen when
1) An army or corps commander drops or
2) An army or corps commander faces unfair hardship through inheriting the troops of multiple dropping division commanders (especially early in games) or
3) In games of 12 or less, a division commander drops at game launch (In very large games, I typically will continue playing if a side loses just a single division commander at launch) or
4) There is unusually oppressive lag.
*Although not an entitlement, occasional exceptions are made in small games when an additional player would balance the sides
Other notes:
-The worst thing a player can do is put himself in the game, then walk away after we've gone to Staging. This can earn a 3-game ban if it holds the game up for more than a few seconds. The second worst thing is to put himself in the queue then walk away. After a short wait, he will be booted from the queue and the game remade without him. The penalty for this is exclusion from the current game (not to mention the scorn and derision of others), even if he comes back before the game is launched;
-If a battle is scheduled and the time arrives with fewer than 8 players in the BQ, I typically shut it down and call it a day (for lack of interest). It happens occasionally and is not a big deal. So it's a good idea to get in the queue early and be present if you plan to play.
First and foremost, there are no hard & fast rules that resolve every situation. Hosts have discretion and each host has a slightly different style. Here's my approach (other hosts are invited to chime in with theirs):
-If a battle has been scheduled, it should begin on time. If a player is in the queue when the clock strikes, he'll be included. If not in the queue, he will need to wait for the next game -- or hope for one of the conditions (see below) that might justify a restart;
-A late-arriving player is never entitled to a restart.* Of course, there is no harm in asking, but the answer will typically be 'wait for the next game'. On the other hand, if the time of a scheduled battle has passed but finds us still fiddling with captains' selections or other game mechanics, I'll usually let a late-comer join. In this situation, before launch, adding a player is only minimally disruptive. If a sizable game has been launched, I almost never restart just to add someone;
-Justifiable restarts can happen when
1) An army or corps commander drops or
2) An army or corps commander faces unfair hardship through inheriting the troops of multiple dropping division commanders (especially early in games) or
3) In games of 12 or less, a division commander drops at game launch (In very large games, I typically will continue playing if a side loses just a single division commander at launch) or
4) There is unusually oppressive lag.
*Although not an entitlement, occasional exceptions are made in small games when an additional player would balance the sides
Other notes:
-The worst thing a player can do is put himself in the game, then walk away after we've gone to Staging. This can earn a 3-game ban if it holds the game up for more than a few seconds. The second worst thing is to put himself in the queue then walk away. After a short wait, he will be booted from the queue and the game remade without him. The penalty for this is exclusion from the current game (not to mention the scorn and derision of others), even if he comes back before the game is launched;
-If a battle is scheduled and the time arrives with fewer than 8 players in the BQ, I typically shut it down and call it a day (for lack of interest). It happens occasionally and is not a big deal. So it's a good idea to get in the queue early and be present if you plan to play.
Last edited by exp101 on Fri May 13, 2016 6:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.