Lynch mobs in For Fun, and all-around ill will

[TheZizz]

I'm not sure why the previous "taunt party" thread was locked, as I return to this game after over a year and see this lynch behavior as prevalent as ever, far from "dead". Some players actively want an unfair fight, as unfair as possible, while others choose to passively watch a 1-vs-2 and do nothing to help someone in need. But I think both camps have a common sentiment that For Fun is kind of lame and really isn't worth playing, and that's part of why they don't fight.

So let me explain how For Fun works. It's a frenetic crazy chaotic free-for-all that requires improvisation and quick thinking, but only when all 4 players are fighting indiscriminately (no salt, and no kill-trading or other crooked stuff). If there is even one weak link in the chain, then it indeed falls apart, into something lame, uneventful and not worth playing. One bad apple ruins the whole barrel.

The other day, in an hour of attempting For Fun, I played a single match in which all 4 players were fighting to win. Where are all of these feverish matches I see on Spectate? Is there a particular time of day where I can reliably find such a group?

I feel like there is this false dichotomy in the air, ie. if it's not MLG finals, it means nothing so don't even try. Actually, you don't need a $10,000 prize pool or a tournament-legal rule-set to have a strong fighting spirit. Regardless of the situation, fight with strength and honor, and you may be surprised at the results.

Some of these lynchers even have the audacity to say things like "karma". See, I thought Sakurai made it perfectly clear that this behavior is absolutely not in the spirit of Smash, or in games in general (competitive or otherwise), or sustainable life. Seriously, when I throw a punch in this game, it's not something that you should take personally.

Speaking of salt, just as a side-note, these duos in 2P For Glory are just about the saltiest crew I've ever seen! Granted I have a small sample-size, but damn.

To summarize, chill and have a good time, and endeavor for everyone else to have a good time too. If you have dirty laundry, clean it, or failing that, keep it out of Sm4sh, please. This game is too cool for stupid drama.

Take care, all of you.

 

[KirbCider]

That's the thing though.

People are going to do what they please online and they're certainly not going to care about your feelings when playing either. They're not going to care how you want to play and in the end there's ultimately not a whole lot we can do about this behavior.

They're going to insult you if they wish.
They're going to taunt and teabag you endlessly if they wish.
They're going to spam, camp, or troll if they wish.
And they're certainly going to do Taunt Parties and do 3V1s if they wish...

Of course it's unfair and of course people shouldn't do it; however, what exactly can we do? All we can do is report and block players. That's it. It's not gonna stop you from encountering more players like that though. This is just typical online behavior truthfully. They do so because they KNOW they can get away with it. They're safely hidden away behind a screen and don't care.

Yes, it's annoying. Yes, it's very unfair. Yes, that's not how the game should be played...

But the problem is there is no true punishment to stop them. The Report Function is a HUGE joke.

It's really easy to avoid being reported and banned, and it's not exactly a punishment if they're still allowed to play as well. Most of the people who choose to act like completely salty ***hats online probably don't even care or else they wouldn't do it at all.

Being banned just isn't very effective. Now if it kept them from playing online PERIOD, or maybe made it to where they can't play online on ANY game as if the ban carries over to online play in general? You can probably bet people would be way more cautious. But even with a punishment like that you still may encounter people who act like jerks online. Some just don't care.

You also have to consider the fact you're a massive minority on For Fun. The majority of it is ruled by Taunt Partiers. It's best to either avoid that mode or join in, even if it's just for a match and leave to try your luck in another lobby. That's all you can do.

There's really no fighting it when people aren't afraid of getting reported or banned.

 

[TheZizz]

Thanks for your input.

I think we can fight by making converts of them, to make them see the error of their ways. But in order to this, we ourselves must embrace "good will to all men" and a desire to build them up, and hopefully nobody has to be "banned".

 

[refall]

I recently bought smash to my 3DS and all I have to say is for fun is ruined. 5 out of 10 matches are with taunt parties, if I'm having a lucky day. I have started to report the players but it doesn't seem to help. I have been trying to play more for glory one on one, but as a newcommer I get destroyed.

I really do hope the report system isn't such a huge joke as stated above, otherwise this purchase have been a waste of money.

 

[link2702]

I recently bought smash to my 3DS and all I have to say is for fun is ruined. 5 out of 10 matches are with taunt parties, if I'm having a lucky day. I have started to report the players but it doesn't seem to help. I have been trying to play more for glory one on one, but as a newcommer I get destroyed.

I really do hope the report system isn't such a huge joke as stated above, otherwise this purchase have been a waste of money.

Sadly the report system really is garbage. You're more likely to get thrown into banland than the taunt parties as you get reported by all 3 of them.

Your best bet if you want to play online with random players is for glory 1v1. If you want to play against random players who are also quite consistent in skill, try anthers ladder, but that then requires you to friend request every player, so it's a bit more of a hassle.

If you just want random casual ffa /for fun style matches, you'll probably have to try and find players here, or on other gaming sites, but , you're pretty much out of luck in random mode.

 

[Bob]

Taunt Parties give the game life and substance. An important factor that people are forgetting is that Taunt Parties are a way a bonding amongst players. In Smash Bros. there's no form of live communication (and understandably so), but with Taunt Parties, even when the voice of a player is absent, their personality remains. When you enter a Taunt Party, it's no longer just playing 4 characters on a random stage; It's almost as though you're in the arena with them. This world is a cruel, brutal place, and sometimes people just need to have some form of company and companionship, even if that means squatting and taunting for two minutes straight. I ask that before you hate on this format, consider how those players must feel first. Perhaps, it's not about you, but them; maybe they aren't trying to upset you, but rather bring comfort to themselves.

Who knows, maybe, perhaps, you'll find somebody who's a true friend within that mode. I know I have.

 

[link2702]

Taunt Parties give the game life and substance. An important factor that people are forgetting is that Taunt Parties are a way a bonding amongst players. In Smash Bros. there's no form of live communication (and understandably so), but with Taunt Parties, even when the voice of a player is absent, their personality remains. When you enter a Taunt Party, it's no longer just playing 4 characters on a random stage; It's almost as though you're in the arena with them. This world is a cruel, brutal place, and sometimes people just need to have some form of company and companionship, even if that means squatting and taunting for two minutes straight. I ask that before you hate on this format, consider how those players must feel first. Perhaps, it's not about you, but them; maybe they aren't trying to upset you, but rather bring comfort to themselves.

Who knows, maybe, perhaps, you'll find somebody who's a true friend within that mode. I know I have.

Not how the game was meant to be played, and sakurai even went on record saying taunt parties were one of the main reasons the report system was implemented.... just done very poorly.

The vast majority of players also dislike taunt parties, your kind are still the minority in the game, it's just that unfortunately the only way to truly avoid your kind is either for glory 1v1, or friend matches.

And considering that everyone in a taunt party gangs up on the one player who doesn't want to participate in it and would rather play the game as intended, it's pretty clear that the tp'ers are the toxic ones.

And before you say it, fully aware that sakurai never intended to make smash a deep competitive fighter either, but the difference is, even at the most casual level, smash is still a fighting game, the point is to fight against your opponents. So that core aspect is still the same both at the casual and competitive level.

Taunt parties however don't follow the core purpose of the game. So no matter how much you might dislike hearing it, you are in fact playing the game wrong. Sakurai understood this, and it's why he even vocally condemned taunt parties and tried to create a system to stamp them out.

If you want taunt parties so badly, round up people to play in friend matches and goof off there, don't bring it into the random modes where people are attempting to play the game as it was intended.

Even though it's mostly futile, I still very much make sure to report anyone who tries to form a taunt party. If I even so much as drag one tp'er into banland, I've succeeded in my purpose.

 

[Bob]

Not how the game was meant to be played, and sakurai even went on record saying taunt parties were one of the main reasons the report system was implemented.... just done very poorly.

The vast majority of players also dislike taunt parties, your kind are still the minority in the game, it's just that unfortunately the only way to truly avoid your kind is either for glory 1v1, or friend matches.

And considering that everyone in a taunt party gangs up on the one player who doesn't want to participate in it and would rather play the game as intended, it's pretty clear that the tp'ers are the toxic ones.

And before you say it, fully aware that sakurai never intended to make smash a deep competitive fighter either, but the difference is, even at the most casual level, smash is still a fighting game, the point is to fight against your opponents. So that core aspect is still the same both at the casual and competitive level.

Taunt parties however don't follow the core purpose of the game. So no matter how much you might dislike hearing it, you are in fact playing the game wrong. Sakurai understood this, and it's why he even vocally condemned taunt parties and tried to create a system to stamp them out.

If you want taunt parties so badly, round up people to play in friend matches and goof off there, don't bring it into the random modes where people are attempting to play the game as it was intended.

Even though it's mostly futile, I still very much make sure to report anyone who tries to form a taunt party. If I even so much as drag one tp'er into banland, I've succeeded in my purpose.

It seems as though you are using Smashboards as an outlet for your personal problems. Maybe your girlfriend cheated on you, or perhaps you got fired from your job, but that's what therapists are for, buddy. Come back once you've gotten the proper help to address your problems.

 

[Metalbro]

 

[KirbCider]

Not how the game was meant to be played, and sakurai even went on record saying taunt parties were one of the main reasons the report system was implemented.... just done very poorly.

The vast majority of players also dislike taunt parties, your kind are still the minority in the game, it's just that unfortunately the only way to truly avoid your kind is either for glory 1v1, or friend matches.

And considering that everyone in a taunt party gangs up on the one player who doesn't want to participate in it and would rather play the game as intended, it's pretty clear that the tp'ers are the toxic ones.

And before you say it, fully aware that sakurai never intended to make smash a deep competitive fighter either, but the difference is, even at the most casual level, smash is still a fighting game, the point is to fight against your opponents. So that core aspect is still the same both at the casual and competitive level.

Taunt parties however don't follow the core purpose of the game. So no matter how much you might dislike hearing it, you are in fact playing the game wrong. Sakurai understood this, and it's why he even vocally condemned taunt parties and tried to create a system to stamp them out.

If you want taunt parties so badly, round up people to play in friend matches and goof off there, don't bring it into the random modes where people are attempting to play the game as it was intended.

Even though it's mostly futile, I still very much make sure to report anyone who tries to form a taunt party. If I even so much as drag one tp'er into banland, I've succeeded in my purpose.

Problem is it doesn't really matter if it's how the game was meant to be played.

It's one of those online things people can't control, not even Sakurai himself. Yes, we all know he voiced his opinions about it and we all know about his opinions of Smash in general; however it's still not going to stop people from doing what they want to do online. You honestly can't force people to play your way nor expect them to. It doesn't matter how much you complain.

People are simply going to do whatever they please whether you like it or not.

I'm not sticking up for this behavior, but I accept it's going to happen no matter what I do. It's just how online is. I can report or block them, and even leave to find another opponent but chances are I'll find someone else like that. There's no use getting so fixated on a problem that can't really be stopped. Even if the report function wasn't a joke it still may not stop people like this.

You may encounter it less, but it will not be stopped for good.

It's okay to still be annoyed by it and sometimes even vent but we have to accept there's nothing we can do as well.

As for your solution, you can do the very same thing you're wanting Taunt Partiers to do. You could probably just as easily set up your own room where you can make your own rules and so forth. If people know Taunt Parties exist in For Fun why do you even still try that mode knowing what you're getting into anyways only to complain about it later? I tried doing solo teams but got sick of always getting put with a really awful player every time, so I stopped going into the mode to save me from the annoyance.

It's really not that hard.

It's definitely not fair and not how the game was meant to be played. I understand why everyone is so sick of them and want them to stop; however no matter what solution you come up with, no matter how much you voice your opinions on the matter, or even if you tried to get a petition to stop them they're just there to stay. Just avoid the mode like any other sane person and let them do what they want. If you really want to go into that mode to solely report everyone in it, that's fine too I suppose.

I'd rather spend my time working on my Smash skills than that, but I can't really stop you from doing it if you feel it's needed.

 

[Bob]

Problem is it doesn't really matter if it's how the game was meant to be played.

It's one of those online things people can't control, not even Sakurai himself. Yes, we all know he voiced his opinions about it and we all know about his opinions of Smash in general; however it's still not going to stop people from doing what they want to do online. You honestly can't force people to play your way nor expect them to. It doesn't matter how much you complain.

People are simply going to do whatever they please whether you like it or not.

I'm not sticking up for this behavior, but I accept it's going to happen no matter what I do. It's just how online is. I can report or block them, and even leave to find another opponent but chances are I'll find someone else like that. There's no use getting so fixated on a problem that can't really be stopped. Even if the report function wasn't a joke it still may not stop people like this.

You may encounter it less, but it will not be stopped for good.

It's okay to still be annoyed by it and sometimes even vent but we have to accept there's nothing we can do as well.

As for your solution, you can do the very same thing you're wanting Taunt Partiers to do. You could probably just as easily set up your own room where you can make your own rules and so forth. If people know Taunt Parties exist in For Fun why do you even still try that mode knowing what you're getting into anyways only to complain about it later? I tried doing solo teams but got sick of always getting put with a really awful player every time, so I stopped going into the mode to save me from the annoyance.

It's really not that hard.

It's definitely not fair and not how the game was meant to be played. I understand why everyone is so sick of them and want them to stop; however no matter what solution you come up with, no matter how much you voice your opinions on the matter, or even if you tried to get a petition to stop them they're just there to stay. Just avoid the mode like any other sane person and let them do what they want. If you really want to go into that mode to solely report everyone in it, that's fine too I suppose.

I'd rather spend my time working on my Smash skills than that, but I can't really stop you from doing it if you feel it's needed.

The problem with doing Taunt Parties in a controlled environment is that it defeats the purpose. The enjoyment of a Taunt Party comes from the possibility of a Taunt Party Crasher. In having that overarching risk, it makes having allies much more enjoyable. That concept of random, unrelated people (naturally) meeting by happenstance and forming an alliance is not only more significant, but more sincere than forcing one.

Spontaneous Taunt Parties are sincere. Orchestrated Taunt Parties are cheap fabrications of the real.

If you'd read my defense of Taunt Parties (as posted above), it would be understood that Taunt Parties are mediums for non-hostile communication and camaraderie amongst anonymous people online. Taunt Parties lose their meaning if friends are already within arms' reach, (or, even if you've acquainted yourselves at all), as you can now communicate with that individual as a person rather than a random character on a screen. Why waste important time messing around in a controlled room, when one can simply have meaningful interactions with all of the parties involved?

Perhaps then, in that regard, Spontaneous Taunt Parties are but counterfeits of true friendship; counterfeits which lose their use once their sincere variant is acquired.

For that reason, Taunt Parties will never disappear from the anonymous realm, and will never be present in the personal one; It's not about merely having the party, it's about that which the party provides; a taste of what real friendship is.

Typical Fighting, however, has a particular sort of value which makes it versatile to be used on both realms. Mechanical Functions cannot be counterfeited in this context, so orchestrating Standard Battles will not affect the experience.

 

[Lola Luftnagle]

Quite...allow little 'ole me to quote an excerpt from the treatise of the existence of tiers:

On the first point, this has most often been accompanied by the quote from designer Sakurai about how he did not want Smash Bros. to be competitive. First, it should be noted that his quote was taken completely out of context. All Sakurai said was that he himself was not a competitive person and did not want to design a game where the same person could win over and over simply by continuing to do the same moves. Yes, Sakurai probably would never play in a tournament. But that does not mean that others in the community cannot. I reference any other form of art: just because the artist meant for a singular concrete interpretation does not invalidate other interpretations. To Sakurai, the fun in Smash comes from the randomness of stages like Spear Pillar and the plethora of items. To others, it comes from heated competition, where it is simply your choices against another persons, without game-changing events getting in the way. Is one way better than another? No, of course not. We may prefer the latter, but that is no reason to reject the former or vice versa. Quite simply, people are free to choose the way they want to play the game. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with playing Smash Bros. under a tournament rule set just as there is nothing wrong with playing crazy games with lots of random things happening.

Now, just avoid the With Anyone mode altogether if y'all are looking to take the game seriously. If they don't want to play seriously, who are y'all to make them? Y'all can just very well look for opponents here since the lot of us here are aiming to improve.

 

[TheZizz]

Taunt Parties give the game life and substance. An important factor that people are forgetting is that Taunt Parties are a way a bonding amongst players. In Smash Bros. there's no form of live communication (and understandably so), but with Taunt Parties, even when the voice of a player is absent, their personality remains. When you enter a Taunt Party, it's no longer just playing 4 characters on a random stage; It's almost as though you're in the arena with them. This world is a cruel, brutal place, and sometimes people just need to have some form of company and companionship, even if that means squatting and taunting for two minutes straight. I ask that before you hate on this format, consider how those players must feel first. Perhaps, it's not about you, but them; maybe they aren't trying to upset you, but rather bring comfort to themselves.

Who knows, maybe, perhaps, you'll find somebody who's a true friend within that mode. I know I have.

It's true that taunt parties are part of the game. You can even see them in the opening cinematics of both Brawl and Smash 4.

But here's the thing. There are taunt parties, and there are lynch mobs. 95% of these groups form the latter. It's quite rare to encounter a true pacifist, and even then, they are often just staying out of the way so their 2 lynch friends can go to town. In either case you can forget any hope of assistance, because neither type seem to care much for justice, or else have a twisted idea of justice. Point being, most of this crew are troublemakers plain and simple.

Anyway, I thought the Subspace Emmisary made perfectly clear, what happens when fighters stop fighting (with honor).

It seems as though you are using Smashboards as an outlet for your personal problems. Maybe your girlfriend cheated on you, or perhaps you got fired from your job, but that's what therapists are for, buddy. Come back once you've gotten the proper help to address your problems.

School in summer time. Spoken like a true lyncher degenerate.

Actually he's spot-on. But you're also correct when you said "Spontaneous Taunt Parties are sincere. Orchestrated Taunt Parties are cheap fabrications of the real." I had so much fun in the first weeks of Brawl, when everyone was happy to be there and no one had any expectations. We would play together for the better part of an hour, and things start getting silly. But we absolutely would not take a wayward punch personally. What kind of malcontent would? (Apparently, a sizable % of the player base would, and does to this day.)

I guess it was too good to last, because spontaneous taunt parties don't happen anymore. Everyone now queues up, with the express intent of forming a TP (lynch mob). What a waste.

What this talk about the "risk" of 3v1? Is that a joke? Or you mean, the risk of the shame of losing a 3v1? Yes I imagine that would be shameful. Except kill-trading is a thing, so there is no risk.

What do you call someone who doesn't care to win, but cares to have someone else not win? A loser.