Friendly Fire

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There is a game I play wherein friendly fire is turned off so you can't damage teammates, but at the start of matches I get people shooting me at the start of the match from time to time. Is it because they dislike me? What are the reasons you might shoot a teammate?

Do you get to make choices before the start of the match that other teammates may not have liked? (I'm picturing Overwatch in my head.) They might be expressing their frustration with your choice (because they would have chosen differently or whatever, and they don't have a mic to flame you verbally).

Or maybe it's just totally random. They're excited to play, and the first moving thing they see is your character. Something like that.

Either way, it seems to me that multiplayer environments are "toxic" by default. It's kinda hard to filter it out when you're actually into the game and want to really be part of whatever is going on, but there's always at least one random as*hole who will be unpleasant to play with no matter what, and it's simply not about you. And depending on the dynamics of the game and the way how the developers address (or fail to address) "community toxicity" issues, that "random as*hole" can actually be most players.

I think one game that really nails what teamwork and team communication should be like is Deep Rock Galactic. I've barely even played it other people, because I prefer doing things at my own pace, but that's just me. The game is really good, including (and probably especially) its multiplayer features.

I don't use a mic often and have voice chat disabled because people with mics often like to verbally abuse those who choose not to use a mic. At least that is my experience in the game I am referring to. I have never played Overwatch, I use to play Team Fortress 2 way back in the day. I play a lot less PVP these days in general, I have much more fun with single player or coop play because I would much rather work with people to achieve a goal. I am mostly a lone wolf in pvp games, but I do try my best to assist and work with teammates to the best of my abilities.

They might just be messing around or practicing if it's before the match actually starts, or they just see you moving and try to shoot you without realizing you're on their team if it's during the actual match.

While watching streams of people playing the game I don't see them getting shot at the start of matches. The way the spawns start off and displays teammates it is not possible to confuse me with an enemy. By firing their guns they can actually reveal their location which is a tactical disadvantage.

I think team PvP games are almost inherently "toxic". You either learn to filter it out (which is WAY easier said than done...), or you turn off all communication channels entirely and figure out on your own what to do as you go. Whatever communication channel there's left (even if it's improvised, like friendly fire or character body language or whatever), someone will still manage to use it to nag other players, with or without a reason. It's rarely about you. And even if it is, if you're not trolling, then you're just playing the game you bought for your own entertainment, and you're not breaking any rules.

I love the basic mechanics and the feel of playing each character in Overwatch, and the whole visual theme and all, it's very well-done and all-around pleasing and satisfying. The team mechanics though... It's just horrible. I find it enjoyable to watch OW streams, but I don't even consider playing it anymore. If I ever play it these days, it's only in free-for-all deathmatch mode (sniper Mei... ). I'm looking forward to Overwatch 2 next year instead, because it's going to be PvE-/progression-/campaign-focused. The couple of limited-time PvE missions they released for OW1 were actually fun to play. Fast-paced but no people-related stress.

If you're in the mood to give a new co-op game a try, then I do highly recommend DRG:



It has probably the most friendly "community" of any team game out there. There's no expectation that you join voice chat, because all the communication you need is built into the controls (a laser pointer, "I need help" and "ROCK AND STONE! "). The third one may seem like just a joke, but believe me, it's really not. It's a big design choice, and a very good one at that, I think. The devs wrote a blog post about it some time ago:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app ... 2653771560

So today I found myself in a match with someone who I know streams from time to time. A few matches later I stopped playing the game to play another, but I also stopped by the guys stream to tell him GG. His division mate had sent me a friend request after the match, but I hadn't accepted because I don't often play with other people in general. So after I get into his chat and tell him good game to show good sportsmanship he asks me to send him a friend request.

I hesitated, but sent him a request and accepted the request from his division mate. Later I watched his vod from his point of view to figure out why they didn't contest the cap. So come to find out his division mate was calling my team things that would get me banned if I repeated his nasty comments. After my team won the match, his division mate said he was going to send me and my team mate a friend request so he could report us on xbox. I should have gone with my gut because apparently that guy was such a bad sport about losing a match he filed a false report when all he had to do was change tactics to earn the win.

This is why I don't play many multiplayer games. Toxic communities. They're just being jerks because the internet makes them anonymous. I wouldn't put too much thought into it.