Kean_1

Here you go....

Well I checked and it seems I've played about 28 hrs so far.

Well, it's all part of the free roam experience R* has created so you should be able to go nuts if you like. There are no repercussions to indiscriminate killing of other players. In essence, free roam is a PvP mode with solo and coop thrown in which IMO is a mistake in it's current form.

Some of your remarks seem contradictory. Anyone who goes out of there way to make a B line for me as I'm hunting, fishing, gathering items, etc. only to kill me and possibly my horse is a griefer in your description in bold. If that's the case, I agree with you on that. As for R*, of course they condone this behavior and it's by design. The parley mechanic is a perfect example of them acknowledging the behavior exists and the fact that there are no real consequences for random killing of players shows that they are interested in keeping that element in the game. They respawn engaged players in close proximity making escapes from kill squads all the more difficult. GTA is a prime example of R* allowing trolling in their games but at least in that world it made more sense. .....not in RDR2 though. I don't have an issue with players taking part in missions as rivals or mutual engagements but the random killing that is going on is definitely griefing / trolling and I have no doubt about it. Having said that, I wouldn't even mind if they leave it in but there should be consequences like bounties, more incentives for players to play cooperatively, a passive system, more session options (e.g. private / invite only) or some combination of mechanics like these. R* isn't going to take action against a player (griefer) who continues to kill a victim, stalks them, etc. because quite honestly, the game design allows it. The parley feature is R*'s way of "protecting" victims of repeated attacks by another. .....and I say "protected" in quotes because it is really a weak attempt at throwing victims a bone.

Yeah...... I just keep adding them in most sessions I play and hope that helps me out in the long run. Given the number of players in this game, it's likely still a drop in the bucket though.

Sure, you can report anyone you want to. My point earlier was that I can't see any action being taken against someone who is playing the game as it was designed. .....and in all honesty, trolling/griefing is something R* allows and (arguably) even condones by design. The whole parley mechanic is a perfect example of this. They knew that some would try to grief other players so they included this option to help "protect" those being bullied for a limited time ......I use "protect" in quotes because I think it was a weak effort to throw a bone to the victims while still allowing trolls to run free with no consequences. ....so unless someone is using an exploit, cheating and/or verbally abusive you as they continue to kill you, I wouldn't expect anything to result from reporting them. It's a waste of time IMO. Personally, I block trolls and make it a habit of avoiding random players all together when possible. How much interaction with strangers I expose myself to also depends on whether I'm playing alone or with friends. Yeah but if someone rides up on me especially when I try to purposely avoid them or I'm off of the road, I'm not giving them the benefit of the doubt. There's always a risk, but there are ways to approach randoms in this game and ways that deserve an aggressive response IMO. If I'm on a road or in a town or see that someone is making a conscious effort to allow some space, I'll won't be the aggressor.

RDR2 free roam is nowhere near the same as GTAV:O IMO / IME. In GTA, the map can be traversed much faster by players given the vast transportation options and griefing is much easier with the arsenal of modern weaponry at everyone's disposal. In RDR2, its easy enough to avoid players most times and (like Poggy said), given a worst case scenario, you can still just switch sessions if there are too many of them or if they are persistent. I've been playing almost nightly and while I had one really bad session with trolls, most of the others weren't too bad or were downright peaceful. Even playing solo there are ways you can greatly mitigate the chances of running into trolls. ......there's been plenty of discussion on it.

Yeah, saw it mentioned on Twitter around the same time but from RockstarINTEL. .....nothing from R* themselves which seems odd. This weeks update was supposed to be about stability updates so that seems right.

I've already done about 3 myself after the update.

D. Someone using exploits to farm XP and cash.

Interesting. I'll keep an eye out this morning. The last update was on the server side of things so nothing to download. Maybe this one is different.

No news as of yet. I follow a couple of R* sources on Twitter (including R* themselves) and always see the notifications of such things there before anywhere else. .....and there is no mention of this week's update yet.

You can't report what is allowed in the game by design and unfortunately, the way R* set up their online experience, trolling is perfectly acceptable. On the other hand I have reported players for vulgar, verbal threats and racist remarks. .....and I would encourage others too as well. I usually choose an area like Ambarino to spawn in. I will immediately crouch when I arrive, ready my weapon, move (while crouched) to cover, look at my minimap for other players and then the big map if there is no immediate threat. I will observe other players / posses to see what they are doing on the map and take note of those who appear to be trolls or active in PvP engagements. I then call in my horse and make a plan of where I want to go and the things I plan to do. When solo, I simply plan my routes around other players. ....especially any of those I noticed were engaged in combat with other players. I also look for areas on the map that are mostly empty. I always keep an eye on my minimap and as soon as I see a pink dot, I open the big map to see where they are and get an idea of what they are doing. I adjust my route as needed. When hunting, I will usually plan a route to a vacant town (with a butcher) and then hunt along the way. However, I'm also flexible as some destinations can become active during the time it takes to get there. In those cases, I simply select another that isn't. To be honest, it is rare that I am attacked when playing alone and it will typically happen as I spawn in (depending on where I choose).

They already do it in RDR2 too I've also sent a few trolls packing after they got a taste of their own medicine. I go to add them to my block list and discover their gone. .....only had a couple hit and runs though. Most will keep up the fight once they had a taste for blood. ......but while they can dish it out, they usually can't take it. I have also quit sessions to deny trolls the satisfaction.

If I knew how to tell I would say.

There was nothing passive about it. .....it was all aggressive.

Its weird. I had a couple sessions early one where it seems hardly any animals would spawn but after that, I never have an issue. I even have flock of birds that fly over (I'll take out 3-4 at a time in those case. When I encounter herds of animals, I will sometimes forego the identification of 3 star pelts and just mow as many down as I can. ......going for quantity over quality. This is easy to do with boar. I never pay attention to the value of the things I'm selling just that I got a lot of it when I do. btw, have you ever noticed when selling some items that you don't get money for them? In those cases I will select the item to sell but then it doesn't do anything. If I roll back over the item it will show 0 qty. Eventually it disappears but I won't get any money for it. This has happened to me a few times.

The missions I did were paying out more than they used to but they are still too low IMO. On the other hand, I am making more on hunting trips than I used to. I just find a butcher in a town without player activity and start killing animals of opportunity.

I was in a posse where I was trying to set up camp in the region we were in. When it kept choosing different regions, my friend created a new posse and then he was able to choose the a camp in the region we were in.

Nice.....

Payouts increased for me. Also, the cost of weapons has dramatically decreased which is the only reason I now have a fully upgraded Lancaster with scope and a fully upgraded Schofield. ......and that was before I received my free $250 / 15 Bars.

Make sure to submit your feedback to R*: https://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption2/online/feedback?step=addb2b0b

Yeah, they do a good job at making their replicas look authentic. .....and apparently they are good shooters too. I had also had my eye on the Cattleman. I certainly wouldn't mind Garand but I like the M1A for the flexibility (for my needs) which is why it's on my short list. I also like the Scout given it shaves 4 inches off the stock barrel length (18" vs. 22"). Makes it a bit more portable and maneuverable without taking away the classic "look" of the rifle IMO. .....the SOCOM is only two inches shorter but just looks weird to me (too short). I'd probably buy new as I rarely by used unless I know the seller. .....nothing wrong with used, I just like new guns. My S&W 629 was the only one I ever bought used but I couldn't pass it up for the price. Also, the seller (my friend) had only shot one cylinder full of ammo before deciding the gun was too much for him. When I bought it , I put a Pachmayr Decelerator grip on it, now I can shoot it all day with magnum loads with little discomfort.

For me, the camp spawn feature no longer spawns the camp in the region I select. It has been consistently placing it in different regions even after successive attempts. I just submitted a bug report to R* on it. I'd suggest others do the same if they are having issues as well.

I've been trying out solo play for several sessions and rarely encounter any trolls simply because I go where random players are not. It depends on what my goals are but I usually spawn in Ambarino and then immediately crouch so I don't show up on radar. I check the minimap for hostiles. .....check for bears and wolves and then check the big map to see where everyone is at, what they are doing, etc. I check people's levels, the posses and the posse's honor levels (taking note off the bad ones). I then observe for a bit to see if there are any obvious griefers among them. If there are, I block them and take note of where they are. While I try to avoid everyone, I particularly avoid posses and especially those I have noted that may be trouble. I keep an eye on the minimap and check the big map for a clear route, clear destinations, etc. every now and again. I usually set course for a clear town with the amenities I require and hunt along the way. .....checking periodically that player activity is still the same. It's really not that hard to stay away from folks IME/IMO.