Poor Sports: The downfall of online play?

[The Stinger]

ARGGGHHH!!!

THis is the feeling I get when I see the familiar "Opponent has left the room" message in the chatroom for an online game.

It really bugs me to go to the trouble to exchange team lists, set up characters and objects, and Finally get into the game, and when I make a good play on one of my opponents' stronger figures........

"Insert name here" Has left the room.

Why even bother to play if youre going to do that?

One case I was against 2 Firelords, 2 avalanches, a medic, and a Vet Thor. THe stench of cheese was sickening, I perservered anyway just to see what I could do.

I used Nightcrawler to take away the medics healing, then Mind controlled Thor with White Queen to bash Firelord 1 over the head with a dumpster, rendering him all but useless, and what do you know? Opponent left the room.

I once was totally destroyed by a R inv girl turtle team, I never even KOed a single piece. I played the same guy again with an E Ultron team, against the same playstyle, and blew him away in 2-3 turns after first contact, and he called me cheap and left the room.

Does anyone else feel this way? I just find nothing more frustrating to take the time to set up and play, only to have the game last no more than 2 or 3 combat turns, and my opponent decides to just leave.

Many of my opponents have been great, even engaging in some pretty good banter along the way, and usually never quit until theire last piece is gone, or their entire team needs to roll criticals to hit or to do damage. Ending the game under these circumstances is understandable. Then, they usually send the message saying that they concede, and usually want to play again, not just ditch me in the room to grind my teeth in frustration.

[Mr. Pilkington]

Well, some folks just aren't mature enough to... <Mr. Pilkington has left the room>


;)

[Manchine]

You can tell by the team if the person is playing to have fun or to win. Just look at their army. Me I play to have fun. Even in tournaments I play to have fun. I have yet to use firelord in any enviroment. My wife uses him :D .

If I lose. Oh well there will be other games. What did I do wrong in the game. I learn far more by losing then winning. A lot of people are just to much into the win.

I mean its nice to win but it is so much nicer to win. When you and your opponet are having fun. Now thats a good win.

[Thunderbolts]

If it was someone on these boards, post their name. You'll feel much better.

[rgrayua]

Originally posted by The Stinger
It really bugs me to go to the trouble to exchange team lists, set up characters and objects, and Finally get into the game, and when I make a good play on one of my opponents' stronger figures........


this is the real down fall of on-line play. All of the set-up work takes longer than the actual game. I mean I could drive to another venue 15 miles away, play the game and drive back home in the time it took me to set up and play the two on-line games I played. Plus, the game loses something to me if I don't have the actual figures in front of me and the map.

[Manchine]

Well I can play a 300 point online gam in less then 2 hours. I have had games last an hour before so its really not that bad.
'
In best Cheech and Chong voice
Man its a fix mann. I need it. Ohhh ya thats the spot.

[The Stinger]

Originally posted by Thunderbolts
If it was someone on these boards, post their name. You'll feel much better.

Actually, I think Ive played 2 people I know that are from this board, and they were very good opponents.

Dernjg was one, he was testing a team he wanted to use in a tourney, and stuck it out until he was down to a R Shield agent as the biggest threat. My team wasnt really fair, I found out afterward that his tourney was 1 non rookie surrounded by rookies at a 400 point total, and I had just all kinds of offense, including Nightcrawler, E white queen, Vet logan and Vet bullseye. His non Rookie was Nightmare, but it was still badly unbalanced. He said he wanted to try it out in a worst case scenario.

And

remywokeup. Hes tossed me 2 or 3 beatings thusfar, I have yet to beat him. One day though.......one day....

[I_Blame_You]

Originally posted by Mr. Pilkington
Well, some folks just aren't mature enough to... <Mr. Pilkington has left the room>


;)

Pretty funny...

On a more serious note, I'd say poor sportsmanship, in general, is the thing I hate most in gaming. One problem I see, at least in live action, is that there are some activities and attitudes that people don't recognize as being poor sportsmanship.
For example...don't continuously complain about your own bad dice rolls OR your opponents fortunate dice rolls. It sounds like thinly veiled criticism of the opponents strategy.
Don't whine about rules that just helped your opponent devastate you. "Humph! I don't think you should be able to use SHIELD ability to jack up EE..." Well, too bad, you CAN. Come up with a strategy to counter it next time.

ANYway....glad I got that off my chest...heh heh

[XocgX]

I was at a tounry a few weeks back, and got POUNDED by a rule I didn't know existed (2 arrows and 2 EE's) and got mad, but realized fast that it's just a game. i was actually more embarassed by my getting mad then anything else (i kept it all in, so the embarrassment was purely internal)

I've only been to two so far, but even guys who get shafted bad (at a sealed booster, people grabbed packs quick and left some people with ONLY DC packs. needless to say, the DC only's lost the most) were in good sports. they were quick to mention WHY they lost, but they were in good sports. i hope i never play anyone who is a jerk about losing. My record is between about 58% wins, and I just try to learn why I lost.

[linus23]

yeah -- i was playing recently in a 4 person friendly game. one player mind controlled another's vet. grodd, who in turn MC'd his previously friendly vet. doomsday (had a token, and a heavy object), who then walloped his own parasite for a total of 9 clicks after rolling an amazing crit. hit. his team took a total of 11 clicks and he only got one for the initial MC of the vet. grodd! it was a beautiful play...

but was he impressed? no, he was embittered and sulked the rest of the game and sucked the fun out of it. and it didn't help that the guy who's turn it was just learned how to play last sunday night -- when i taught him several fun nuances and strategies like that.

(edit)

ha! and i just realized that it shouldn't have been 9 clicks! he couldn't use CCE along with bashing parasite with the object ala super strength! i mean, the guy would've been killed anyway... but still...

[Crow]

When I play online, I take advantage of the world of figs at my fingertips and go completely random with my team, usually resulting in my opponent laughing at my squad... but since my record with this is 10-2 I can only conclude that strategy is a solid part of the game.

Still, this one time I'm using a random squad against this guy bragging about his X-men team... and he tries to pull all this garbage on me. First, when I land a hit with Pyro he tries to convince me (in an a-ha! way) that I had to mention RCE in order to apply all the damage. As if RCE is an option with Pyro I would have to consider :P
But it got much worse... I attacked his Black Cat with Robin and rolled a 9, and I ask if I should reroll and he says "roll now". I reroll a 12, and he says "ok, now reroll". I said no, and he said "ok" and left the room.

This is some of the poorest sportsmanship I've ever seen :( Needless to say I won't be playing this guy Masterwolvie again (and neither should you!). On the other hand, a few guys I've played against have been real good sports and only concede when it has become truly hopeless... some even play to the last man down.

[The Stinger]

Originally posted by Crow
I attacked his Black Cat with Robin and rolled a 9, and I ask if I should reroll and he says "roll now". I reroll a 12, and he says "ok, now reroll". I said no, and he said "ok" and left the room.

This is some of the poorest sportsmanship I've ever seen :( Needless to say I won't be playing this guy Masterwolvie again (and neither should you!). On the other hand, a few guys I've played against have been real good sports and only concede when it has become truly hopeless... some even play to the last man down.

This sort of thing really irritates me. Thanks for putting me on the lookout for this guy.

I mean, he got his re-roll, and it only got worse. Thats the breaks. Some people just play for the win though, as said before, and that really takes a lot of fun out of the game. You can tell the real great sports who hang in there when its just their Rookie Shield trooper against your Vet Logan, and hes on his flurry click. For the most part, many opponents are great, but there are those that really taint the experience by acting the way that they do.

Its a policy of mine since this experience to block any communications with any of these guys as soon as they ditch me. THis way, if I forget about which ones ditched me, the ol block list reminds me. Its a very useful tool. :D

[GluttonCreeper]

id like to say that i agree with you all, that i too am a victim of poor sportsmanship....
.... but i cant bring myself to lie to you.

in order for me to go to a tourney i have to deprive myself of sleep (3rd shifter gotta love it ) this leaves me cranky and iritatible, not just to my fellow gamers but to everyone at work. Im not the best player out there but I get angry when some punk kid cheeses his way past me, and gloats about beating the "old man". am i angry? yes, but not just at the kid. Im angry at myself im angry at the venue and im angry at the fact that i just wasted my time and someone elses. do i throw tantrums? no im too much of a control freak fer that...


but i dont even play online...

[aj110]

I have yet to run into a poor sport online. I don't take it seriously cause it is just for fun and nothings at stake. Last game i played my opponent had a avengers/masters of evil theme going. he rolled leadership, taxied in two whirlwinds and two doombots and wasted my vet logan in one turn. did i get mad? of course not, i congratulated him and told him that was a really cool move. cause it was. oh and my online record thus far is 4 and 0 :)

[JoFo]

This has never happened to me playing HC online (granted, I'm in the middle of my first game right now and it's PBF). However, from my experiences with other online games, I must agree that this sucks.

I think it was the worst in WWF With Authority (which I playtested too, to bad it's dead now). Hit a big move, go for a pin. 1! 2! "You have lost the connection to your opponent." :mad: