Kean_1

The same pros / cons invite-only sessions provide in GTAO. It allows friends to interact in the GTA game world without "randoms". To still participate in some activities, explore, etc. without the threat of being trolled. I see no cons personally except for the fact that (in GTAO for example) you can;t operate CEO or VP operations within one of these sessions. R* wants players to be under the constant threat of other players in public sessions when making money. Unfortunately, the only lucrative activities can only be performed in public. ....downside for those looking to make a buck but an upside for griefers. On the other hand, this keeps things "fair" as people can't make money in closed sessions and then dominate in public ones. ......but then they can always just buy their way through the game with Shark Cards. Personally, I don't like the idea of a forced blend of PvP and PvE gameplay. It attracts griefers and is rarely fun for those that want just PvE fun. Having said that, I understood it to an extent in the GTA universe but not so much (in its current format) in RDR. In RDO I believe there should be consequences, incentives, etc. to discourage trolling. ......vs. a griefer's paradise like GTAO is.

You can still report people to MS and Sony for violating their code of conduct since you are using their service (e.g. XB LIve and PS Plus) to play online. However, as you can imagine, the CoC for each is very broad and covers what you might expect like piracy, exploits, hacking, questionable content, cheats, etc. ......and yes, harassing behavior usually in the form of abusive language, threats, racism, etc. However, I don't see anything in the MS CoC that would specifically cover what it is allowed in RDO (like ambushing other players) as a violation of this code. https://www.xbox.com/en-US/legal/codeofconduct To be honest, Free Roam is a PvP environment that gives you the ability to do this and (like it or not) it is by design. Now, If someone were to use a mechanic in the game to gain an unfair advantage over other players in such a way it was not intended (an exploit), that's a different story. IMO, the best way to stop a lot of this is to continue to send feedback to R* via their website during the beta. Report exploits as you discover them. Let them know we are unhappy with the unchecked trolling that is allowed in the game, the lack of session options for PvE players, etc. https://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption2/online/feedback?step=addb2b0b Let them know we don't want RDO to turn into just another GTAO experience.

No problem. Here are one of the articles from Oct discussing the subject I mentioned btw: https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2018/10/28/red-dead-online-info-revealed-by-app/#/slide/1

Really? It seemed to for me on a couple of different occasions. Also, the icon will still turn grey to indicate when your "supposedly" concealed from others on the map.

Not only the process but also the fact that people are playing the game as designed (like you mentioned before). We can all agree many of these actions are griefing / trolling, but the game is made to allow and even encourage this style of play. There are no rules preventing playes in RDO from killing other players on a whim. There are no rules saying they can't lasso us, hogtie us, stalk us, ambush us, etc. It's all part of the gameplay R* allows in Free Roam. I just can't believe that someone can be or would be banned for simply playing the game as designed (essentially a griefers paradise at the moment). In all honesty, I don't blame the trolls as much as I do R* for the frustration many are experiencing with these types of folks. Now if trolls are using exploits or hacks to accomplish their deeds, that's a whole different story. That's a bannable offense but even then (as you pointed out) it doesn't usually mean they will be banned on the spot or even at all.

Same here but I understand why they are keeping the game on the slim side for now. I'll wager once they're confident they got the foundation all smoothed out we'll start seeing more content. I imagine they already have components ready to go or are currently working on them so they can just add them in.

I don't really think this is really in the spirit of a Q&A post (better suited for the online subforum) but yeah, why not. .....but since this is a Q&A section, my answer would be to submit your feedback to R* directly. We can discuss it here all day but this is a fan site and not an official forum. However, R* does want to hear your feedback and set the following website up for specifically that: https://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption2/online/feedback?step=addb2b0b Just be warned..... The feedback is limited to 500 characters so you may find yourself having to condense your responses or simply divide them up and submit them individually.

I haven't personally but I have heard others who have and lost their lure because of it. I think in one recent post, someone had mentioned that they paid in gold for that lure they lost. ......ouch.

Cool, thanks. R* did say updates would be more frequent so it appears they are just releasing these stability updates as they go. They also mentioned the way they aset this beta up that it makes it easy for them to release these little patches they need to. Personally, I wouldn't expect anything big to come from these small patches. I'm sure they will make an announcement like they did with Week 1 if something more exciting is going to change, be added, etc.

I upgraded my horse already to an Arabian so that helps but even so, I was holding my own with the Kentucky Saddler(?) I was given free during the tutorial mission. Again, the key is keeping distance and using the terrain to slow them down. Unfortunately, there is nothing (at least that I could find) from R* to describe various mechanics in this game. It is my understanding that when crouching in free roam (you'll see your icon turn grey) does keep your player icon off the radar. ......maybe I'll experiment a bit with a friend this weekend. It has seemed to work for me even when trolls try to make a B line for our position. As soon as I crouch, I move as far as possible (staying crouched) from the spot I first crouched. If it does work a they say, that would be the last spot on the map they would have seen you. My friends and I would take up cross fire positions and wait for the enemy to come. They never seemed to know exactly where we were as long as we were concealed. Sorry you're having such a tough go of it. If you were on PS4 I'd suggest we get together to help each other out. .....but according to a certain someone, all you have to do is report these guys and MS will ban them all. Problem solved, right?

.....so, are you talking about a new update after 1.04 that launched earlier this week?

Back in October there were some discoveries that data miners had uncovered that pointed to private sessions and "seamless PvE", whatever that means. Besides that, given these options were in GTAVO, I suspect they will also be implemented in the beta or final release at some point. As it is right now, I'm sure R* is simply trying to get everything working right before adding new components in the mix.

Hey now.... Actually, I enjoyed it just as much when I was younger too. Fishing is an excuse to BS with your friends and/or drink. .....at least it has always been for me. It's also a great time to reflect as well.

You're absolutely right. "Griefing" is also a term that is a real grey area in a game mode like RDO's Free Roam. ....and again, it's because doesn't define the boundaries between PvP and PvE. ....and that is by design. They want that constant threat there for players in free roam just like in GTAVO.

....that goes against all the "hard work" advice my grandpappy used to tell me.

You're welcome to join our posse and my PSN community if you're looking for folks to join up with.

I think it was more like 1.3 GB but yeah, it was essentially to address bugs, disconnect issues, etc.

Yeah, the one I ran into started making threats on our characters lives and calling us vulgar names with racists remarks woven in. Since then, I play with my mic on mute when solo and PSN chat when with a posse of friends. To be honest, I don't think I've heard a peep out of anyone since playing solo but then again, I stay away from randoms. Well, then we'll just have to agree to disagree on that topic as I have rarely been "griefed" by random players when playing solo. I think I've only had two encounters where I actually had to face them. In one, I decided to take a stand and killed them along with their horse. In the other instance, they got the jump on me as soon as I spawned in so I opened a new session. If you don't take certain measures to limit your exposure, of course you will get trolled. Several of us have provided alternatives or options to helping mitigate the problem. Personally, I tend to spawn in to the Ambarino region as that tends to be rarely inhabited. I immediately crouch down, ready my Lancaster and walk (still crouched) from my spawn point to cover. I am also looking at my minimap to see if there are any other players in the vicinity. If not, I will open the big map and get a larger picture of where players are congregating. I then plan out what my goals are for the session (e.g. hunting / gathering, collecting treasure, etc.). I usually set a destination and check that it's far from any other people. If I'm hunting, I will often plan a route to a town (with a butcher) that is void of any activity. ....periodically checking to make sure no new people have moved into my path, in town, etc. When in town, I'm in and out. I don't dally around. These are areas that you are most susceptible IMO / IME (near fast travel spots, etc.). You also need to be flexible and change your routes / plans accordingly. As for outrunning, I beg to differ. You most definitely can outrun griefers especially if you use the terrain to your advantage. I've done it several times. ....but then again, if you're not keeping an eye on your minimap (and periodically the big map), you're taking a big risk in getting rolled over by someone. It's second nature to me now checking the radar, etc. Also, remember that when crouching, the enemy cannot see you on the map. Use that to your advantage. As soon as you crouch, move from that spot to another close by with cover. When playing with friends, we've had pursuers where we purposely stopped, crouched and moved to defensible positions. In one recent event, a solo player we had been keeping an eye on came up on us fast. We were off the beaten path and you simply don't do that without expecting a bad result. Anyhow, I immediately gunned him down. When he respawned he came after us. We dismounted in a tree line, crouched, took cover and blasted him as he approached. We moved from our previous positions (again, staying crouched) as he approached again. This time he left his horse at the base of a ledge, I waited behind a large tree until he passed me and then we opened up on him. I made it a point at that stage to purposely go over to his horse and kill it. .......he left the session. I shouldn't have to say it but playing with friends is probably the best way to increase your chances of staving off attacks and surviving them as well. ....but there are ways to still play solo and avoid them for the most part. Until we get private sessions, passive options, etc., this is how I do it.

Well, whether you or others decide to stick it out is entirely by choice. Personally, I'm just trying to make the best of it and to be honest, I'm having a lot of fun so far. Of course I want a lot of the same things others want which I believe will come in time (at some point). Whether you're willing to wait or not is entirely up to you. I'm not trying to convince anyone to stick around if they are not happy with the game. ......but I'll certainly help those who would still like to play and try to make the best of the experience in its current form. Just because I'm suggesting alternatives like avoiding random players / trolls doesn't mean I'm happy with the current state but I also realize that this is just a beta and I have learned to live with it.....for now. Whether I stick around for the long haul will depend greatly on the direction they go with the final release and beyond.

Again, I'm not defending the game mode as it is. I don't like the freedom griefers have. However, the game is only two weeks into the beta and (as R* has said) there is a lot more to come. I'm not ready to give up on it and RDO is nothing like GTAVO in regard to trolling IMO/IME. .....if you learn to avoid them. Personally, I still believe there are more new options (like private sessions) to come and possibly other features like a passive mode, etc to help balance the gameplay. I suspect they are simply getting the foundation stabilized before building upon it.

Did this begin occurring after the latest patch was released? Either way, I would report the bug to Rockstar support: https://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption2/online/feedback?step=addb2b0b https://support.rockstargames.com/categories/115001624507?step=eccc1460 Also would suggest a Google search as this error code revealed several Reddit discussions and articles including this one with a possible solution: https://www.shacknews.com/article/108721/red-dead-online-error-0x20010006-fix

Sure. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from reporting players but I just don't see how someone can be banned for killing another player whether that's riding up on them while they're fishing, coming out of a store, hiding and surprising them next to a well frequented location, after tricking them that they are friendly, running at you full speed to catch you off guard, using a large posse as a kill squad, etc. Those are all things the game allows players to do. Those are all things that many people here would consider griefing / trolling. Aggressors will even argue that Free Roam is a PvP mode and everyone is free game. ......and guess what? They wouldn't be wrong. I don't like it anymore than most around here and I think R* is wrong in carrying over this kind of gameplay from GTAVO but it is what it is. Untill they implement passive modes, private sessions, etc., this is what players have to learn to live with. ....although I would continue to urge them to provide their feedback to R*. It's this whole idea that MS would ban players for killing other players using (arguably) "underhanded" tactics in a game with a slogan "outlaws for life" in a mode that allows adversarial PvP is difficult for me to believe. Now, if we're talking about people taking advantage of exploits, hacks and/or using abusing language against other players, I can totally see them being reprimanded or banned for that by R* and MS. Folks should do what they believe they need to do. R*, Sony and MS will determine what action is warranted.

Here's what I do when playing solo.... Since you don't know where players are beforehand, I usually choose to spawn into the Ambarino region which is typically vacant IME. Immediately, I will crouch which keeps you from being detected. I pull out my weapon, check the minimap and then the big map if everything is clear. I will take a little time looking at the players on the map taking note of where they are and then I plan my destination, hunting area, etc. SOmetimes I will even take a minute to see who might be the obvious trolls killing others players, etc. and then block them as an extra measure for future sessions. ......I will also take note of where they are and make especially sure I avoid contact. I constantly check my minimap for blips but I rarely put myself in a place where players show up on it. If they do, I reassess my situation on the big map, observe and make a decision on where to go from there.

I've said it before but while R* has made an environment and even condones "griefing" in GTAO, I can at least understand it in that gameworld. .....but not in the RDO realm. In RDO, of course folks are living the "outlaw life" but there should be consequences for those actions. RDR is not the same over-the-top, self indulgent, whacky, silly world that GTA is. To be honest, RDO shouldn't emulate GTAO in this way. GTAO still lives on. There's no reason to have two titles that allow and even condone trollish behavior. I'm not saying they should remove the elements that allow it but there should be consequences to incentivise people to play cooperatively. .....to play the objectives. There are already PvP activities, why make the Free Roam an adversarial playground for those that wish to only disrupt others who are trying to enjoy the rest of the game? Having said that, at least the pace is much slower by comparison in RDO which makes it a lot easier to dodge trolls. ....although they still (and will) find ways to grief other players where they least expect it as folks discover new ways to ambush, exploit, etc.

Well, perhaps they were but I have a hard time believing Microsoft would ban a player in a PvP game mode for simply ambushing another player at a butcher. That said, I don;t know how MS does it but maybe that player already had multiple complaints about other infractions, I just don't see how MS could ban someone for playing the game as designed. I'm not excusing griefers / trolls, but the definition is certainly not as absolute as some will try to make it (in this game in Free Roam).