Team Etiquette: My Misconception?

We all know that teaming with other players, especially with those you haven't played with before, brings together different playstyles. I'm sure most anyone on these forums can recall several bad PUGs they've been on. Hopefully they would also recall really good teams. I mostly solo myself, so I consider myself leaning towards the "hermit" side of the game. Even so, I thought I had picked up on a few "rules" (guidelines, more like, I'm sure) of etiquette when teaming.

I'll throw out an example of what I'm talking about. If it isn't your mission specifically, you don't click the glowie or otherwise end the mission without the mission-holder/team-leader's okay. There are others, to be sure, but they're probably not universal. It frustrates me when others on the team act differently than I expect them to. Not that everyone has to play like I do, but I think I try to mix courtesy in with my play when teaming, and I think I see other players not being concerned with such nonsense lately.

The real question is: have I misunderstood the way team members interact with each other? I think I've gotten "team rules" mixed up with being polite, but maybe that has no place in the middle of a fight?

I am indeed an old man with kids on my lawn, but this post isn't intended to be a whiny screed. Am I completely off-base? On-base and need to get over it already, Pops? Both? Both and something else, too?

Geez, I need my pills.

Completing the mission is the expected behavior of this game. This isn't a matter of ettiquette. 99.999999999% of the time you will complete the mission. It is only that one farming mission that you wouldn't click the glowies.


And in that case, it is clearly the responsibility of the holder to state that anomoly. No one is going to play every mission in this game without taking the steps to complete it just because of a few farmers like to hoard their 'soon to be added timed' missions.

Actual etiquette examples that come up constantly:

Letting the tank do his job. Don't throw immobs until he grabs aggro. Don't throw AOEs til he has aggro. It takes him 2 seconds to grab all of the aggro in a nice neat pile, so give him that courtesy.

Tanks letting their teammates do their jobs. Don't take a nicely placed mob and string them out 50 feet just because you feel like taunting. It is OK to jump in that pack. You have an entire team supporting you. Get in there and grab aggro and it will all be over soon.

I don't think you have it wrong at all, I would also wait for the mission setter to click his glowie himself rather than racing up to it and clicking or, as often happens, stopping fighting to grab the glowie before anyone else can.
So whilst we. and lots of others will honour this particluar piece of team etiquette, lots wouldn't. Nor I am sure would they even give a second thought to it.

My other respected rule when joining anyones built team is to not start requesting changes, (up the rep/difficulty, do my mission, do another's mission. find us an xyz at) I just think it is poor show to come into an established team and rather than settling in and observing, start demanding. I therefore take a fairly dim view of the player who arrives and asks we change things to their liking within 5 seconds.

I'm sometimes dismayed by the fact that although it should be fairly clear to players who have PUGd even a little that yes, there are different ways of playing adopted by different players, its rare that i see any 'so, 'rules' for this PUG?' discussions when I PUG. I dont expect anything very long, but 'follow the tank/leader', follow the left/right wall', clear/stealth to boss', 'pull/herd', glowies for everyone/just mission holder' are things which could for example avoid the common comment mid mission of 'we're split' and 'boss here' - 'and here'.

I'd like to see a standard of Mission Holders Choice, personally. That way, everyone gets to play their way.

Eco

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow [The Incarnate System is] Jack Emmert all over again, only this time it's not "1 hero = 3 white minions" it's "1 hero = 3 white rocks."

I usually ask about glowies if its not my mish because there is a very small extra reward for clicking some of them. but really its not a big deal.

Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.

About the only rule (outside of "don't be a jerk") that I think really matters is letting the mission holder feel like the action hero of his own mission. It's his mission, damn it! I'm certainly not going to run around, grab his glowies, defeat his boss while he's resting and otherwise finish his mission without his involvement. It's his mission, an in it, he is the hero.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

There are no girls on the internet.. heh

I've never come across that etiquette, so I'd probably just click the glowie. I'll have to start asking the mission holder now.

Worse etiquette I've even come across happened just this weekend. Teams waiting for the last member to arrive at the mission door. One team member (NOT the mission holder) enters the mission, ghosts it and clicks the glowie. Last team member arrives just at the mission ends! Leader did kick said person but let them back in.

Same team next mission. X "Sorry guys having problems with my PC, need to reboot, can you save me a place?". Leader "Sure". Few moments later 8th spot filled by another alt, player returns and is a bit miffed (to say the least).

We left the PUG soon after and joined up with the player who'd had to reboot, built a new team and had much more fun.

I think if you want to be sure to get the glowy, it might help to mention it. I know the teams I'm on generally don't sweat it - they won't complete the mission without the mission holder present, but it doesn't really matter to us who clicks the glowy as long as it gets clicked. Missions that I do care about, I just do solo.

The only thing as far as Etiquette goes which I keep in mind is: You're the boss, boss.

Although if I'm disagreeing with the team leader I might say: It's your funeral...

But that doesn't happen very much. Guess I'm lucky.

Shouldn't you all be using Shmee and Shmer?

General rule of thumb etiquette:

-Watch each others backs
-Listen to the guy with the star and/or the folks who are organising
-(So long as they aren't flailing miserably! )
-Let people do their jobs
-Do your job
-Don't be a numpty

Numpty being smack-talking and bad-mouthing people and generally slinging mud to the point of being slung.

Oh, and if your a tanker, know how to tank We had a tank on out team with the most ironic name, because they, frankly, couldnt tank. Stoney/SS with no mud pots and no taunt. Ergo, no taunting. We had a controller or two, dark/dark fender, my scrapper and some blasters, so aggro was going pretty much everywhere. The tanker had no taunt capabilities and, to boot, didnt talk. At all.
What was hilarious was how the all turned on them, to the point of being kicked
(it was getting people killed, although I made a point of using Confront on anything that went after the fenders and trollers. I now love that power )

We then got a new tanker with lightning field. He was awesome, and massacring ensued ^^

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

To add to the 'list' a very important one

Be polite and listen to what others say.

Small example:
For example, don't leave the team without saying goodbye and especially not in the midst of a mission. Or someone demanding to be rezzed, sb'ed, healed etc. Basic courtesy goes a long way.

I think there's a line where I do find glowy clicking impolite. Not all the time - say you're running paper missions, mobs are killed... doesn't matter to me who clicks the glowy.

However, if someone stops helping the rest of the team mid fight to click a glowy, it really irritates me. We're going to finish the fight either way, so what's the point? Also, in Mayhem Missions, mission owner should be given the chance to take the glowy which gives a temp power if they want it, and take the firebombs for the badge - I tend to speak up to make sure others allow this to happen, as I think sometimes people just go on to auto and don't realise what they're doing.

The one thing that I think is really, really off on the glowy topic is people ghosting missions without consulting the team lead/mission owner. Especially on mission arcs, some of which I really enjoy playing through. I've had to tell people to stop it and came back to the rest of the team before. The decision to ghost should be one that comes from the team leader or the team as a whole, and I think running off like that is really impolite. One time I clearly remember it happening we were absolutely blasting through a mission, going really well, and I think it was a Stalker who just took off. Promptly told them that she'd better come back and help the team, as we were going to be killing all the mobs regardless.

Generally, as far as etiquette goes, I'd say "try to be nice" is about all that needs to be said. If you want your glowies, say so. If someone takes your glowies, ask them to leave them for you. If someone asks you to leave their glowies, politely do so. Communicate with your team, settle problems as they occur (as opposed to two hours later when you're boiling mad) and try to make sure everyone's on the same page and meshing in well.

It's surprising how well people can get together when they talk to each other and try to be nice. The very WORST thing that could happen, really, is someone will decide he (or she ) just doesn't want to be on the team, which, really, is perfectly acceptable in my book. Try to play with the team, and if you can't, leave. No harm, no foul.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

*laughs at languages who lacks gender-neutral personal pronouns*

And no, there is no etiquette against clicking on glowies, unless someone specifically tells you not too.