Battlefield 4 "Team Switching"*-**Lets share our thoughts as a community

[Buzzup]

I saw a comment in-game-chat today regarding "Team Switching". I felt more compelled to take action when I saw an eGO Admin stated something like: Team-Switching and stacking will not be tolerated... eGO doesn't like Team Switching.

My intent of this post is to draw our attention and focus on "Team Switching" in hopes to improve our community's understanding of it. I hope I do NOT offend anyone or eGO community by making this post. Perhaps for some folks reading this topic may feel this has already been covered or discussed before, please allow me to burden you to share your wisdom on the subject here on this post.


(Step 1) From my personal and empathetic thoughts...Let me start by sketching out some reasons for "Team Switching" and how it may impact other players in the game.

(Step 2) Have you add color by participating your comments from yours or perhaps other's viewpoint(s).



First...Put yourself as the player that would want to "Team Switch":

At the beginning of game:
- I want to be with my friend(s), this clan, or squad up with those players.
- I know which players are exceptionally good and I want to be on their team.
- I want to play from RU or US side for my own reasons.
* Please participate by adding additional reasons not mentioned.

After the game started:
- My friends, clan, better player(s) switched or auto-balanced to the other team.
- My current team lost most of the flags.
- The game will not let me Team Switch and I will have a better chance by quitting and rejoin to the team I want.
* Please participate by adding additional reasons not mentioned.


Flip...Now, put yourself as the player watching another player "Team Switch":

Beginning of game:
Felt let-down, unwanted, left behind, feels unfair, disgust of other's choices that they don't care about the people they left.
* Please participate by adding additional reasons not mentioned.

After game started:
Felt let-down, abandoned, feels unfair, stunned by their choice of action and disregard for the team as they seem to care more for themselves than the team or the game.
* Please participate by adding additional reasons not mentioned.

I have posted the following message on my current clan's website and I'll share here as well:

I believe most veteran players know who are the strong players. I also believe most veteran players notice when those valued players leave their team and join the opposite team. I do experience a strong sense of let down when I observe this behavior from any player. I am even further let down when I get the sense that they don't even care.

When you think “What the hell and move to the better team”, consider the consequences. Researchers found once you commit one dishonest act, your moral standards loosen, your self-perception as a honest person gets a little hazier, your ability to rationalize goes up, and your fudge factor margin increases. Researchers found a dishonest act in one area of your life not only leads to more dishonesty in that one area, but ends up corrupting other areas of your life as well. Give this your careful thought. Is that really the gaming or real life example of the character you want to be? What this means is that if you want to maintain your integrity, the best thing you can do is to never take that first dishonest step. No matter how small and inconsequential a choice may seem at the time, it may start you down a path that tarnishes your moral compass, leads you to commit more serious misdeeds, and causes you to compromise your fundamental principles. Researchers found conditions not only make it more or less likely that we’ll make that dishonest decision, but also increase or decrease our chances of turning ourselves around once we start down an unethical road. So, consider the condition that other players are taking notice of you. Before you decide to move to the other team, consider the “let-down-feelings” you create to the other players. The stronger the image you create of this in your head, then the condition of consequence will be more real to you before you choose to think “what the hell and move to the better team".

The why, what, or how we got on the other team is all in the past. However, I encourage my friends to now have a sense of this integrity with your character and practice it going forward. A mentor of mine at my parish once shared the following with me and I now share with you. Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words. Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions. Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits. Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character. Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny.

* Please participate by adding your thoughts and views.


(Step 3) Share ideas on how to make the community play experience better.

- I have attempted to discourage Team Switching by saying, "Everyone please take notice of Team-Switchers and Shame them."

- How about take away Team Switching as an option all together?

- How about adding Team Switching to eGO dedicated supporters only as a perk?

- How about allow Team Switching only when other team is trapped in spawn?

*Please participate by adding your thoughts and ideas.

 

[Casper_013]

Team switching, or, balancing is a constant occurrence on our servers. To my knowledge there is nothing written down regarding how to deal with it. It is left in the hands of the admin in the server.

Personally, on receiving an in-game message directed to me as an admin to balance the teams, I will acknowledge the fact, but also wait a bit before acting. If no one joins the server to balance things out, I'll switch people based on how long they've been in the team for. Yes, their are sometimes complaints regarding the move, but players are more than welcome to switch back once things are even.

As for, members switching to the better side, I simply put that down to a players competitive nature. Is it fair? probably not. But there's not much we can do about it. I can't speak for all admins but, I only see a need to act if teams are unbalanced. In most cases where team switching occurs, players will be moved anyway to get the teams even in numbers, or as close to even as possible.

 

[Aetos17]

Like Jay said there's nothing in our rules that prevents team switching. The only issue can arise is clan stacking, which is pretty rare. Admins do not have the ability to switch players it's auto scripted. This is something I have asked for, because I agree playing with you, playiing friends is how the game is meant to be played. However, as an eGO member it is our duty to ensure the game is fair and balanced. This is probably why the admin was upset about you switching teams. I will often switch teams to help balance, but in my opinion that isn't mandatory for the non eGO players. Lastly, I don't think this is a huge deal.... Sounds like the admin was just warning or commenting. No other actions followed. Thanks and have a great day!

 

[DarkRaven]

First we have an autobalancer on the sever that first is supposed to scramble players each round to create a fair and balanced server. Many times it does its job then players switch all around to be with friends. We usually ignore that part unless we see patterns of teams taking over the map each time or switching always to the winning side. If something of that comes to then we can manually move players to the other team to balance the server again. Now we try to keep teams together best we can. Most times we move a selection of players based on score, kd, and clans. Outside of that then dice has its own balancer which no one knows how it works or even if it does but often times it messes with our autobalancer per round since they put it in a few patches ago.

 

[sh4k3d0wn]

Back in 2015, I had written to Alex2142hp regarding players *routinely* switching to the winning team. He stated that eGO does not allow Stat Padding on their servers and that it is not allowed through EA's rules of engagement. When looking at the stats of serial team switchers (like AssaultElite15 and Maestro_SRua) they have padded their stats with 82% wins and 90% wins respectively. These players (and others) will switch teams several times during a single game if the tide turns multiple times between the teams. Alex said they were going to make changes to the server, but the problem still remains. I’ve played on servers that are set to not allow switching to the winning team, and even announces in the chat feed the name of the player who unsuccessfully tried to team switch; eGO has the ability to do the same thing. For the person who wants to switch to be able to join a friend, perhaps there could be a setting to allow team switching during a short grace period upon joining the server for a game. Since eGO does in fact not allow Stat Padding, it seems that the matter should be settled.

 

[Buzzup]

A few folks communicated to me directly about their reason and view on “Team Switching”. Some of their motives and perspectives were not mentioned here, yet. There is beneficial value to post them as they will bring color and clarity to this picture of “Team Switching” for all of us to focus on.

I have inserted them in their category within the original sketched outline:

First...Put yourself as the player that would want to "Team Switch":

At the beginning of game:
* Desire to fly the UCAV or SAUV and prefer launching them from either US or RU side.
* Have a strong hate for a person or clan and it feels good to kill them and T-bag them.

After the game started:
* Feels more exciting to move to the disadvantage team with no flags and turn the game.
* Have info on my current team’s bunched up camping spot or sniping camp spot or beacon spot. After Team-Switching, I'll take them "bleep-noobs" out.
* Have a strong hate for a person or clan and it feels good to kill them and T-bag them. “If that ‘bleep’ switches to my team, will I switch to the opposite team to kill and T-bag that ‘bleep’!”

Flip...Now, put yourself as the player watching another player "Team Switch":

Beginning of game:
* I have an understanding to why my friend switched for his non-Team-Stacking reasons.

After game started:
* Feel a sense of loss that my friend Team Switch, but admired his/her character as I noticed the switch was to help the disadvantage team.


Please continue your thoughtful contributions as we paint the picture of Team Switching and understand it better as a community.

 

[LxixDude]

As I understand it we do not have a policy against someone switching sides, or a group playing together. With that said I think it ruins the fun for other players when a group of exceptionally good players keep switching so they are on the same team. Especially at the beginning of the rounds after the autobalance has mixed them up to make the game more even for everyone involved. At least that's how I understand the intent of the autobalance.

Buzzup you said in your lengthy discussion:

- I know which players are exceptionally good and I want to be on their team.

That to me is unfair to the rest of the players. They are staying on the team they were switched too. They aren't jumping just to be "on the exceptional players" side.

Usually this type of behavior ends up in base rapes and then other players are not enjoying the game and they leave the server. So for this reasoning I am not in favor of people switching up and then locking up a squad at the beginning of a round after the auto balancer has tried to even the teams out.

But it happens, its part of the game. If you are going to do it don't get upset if you are called out on it.

 

[sh4k3d0wn]

As I understand it we do not have a policy against someone switching sides...

But eGO does not allow Stat Padding on their servers and it is not allowed through EA's rules of engagement (see my previous post). There are habitual team switchers (even switching multiple times during a single game) who are padding their win stats. These players are known and I can name them all.

I?ve played on servers that are set to not allow switching to the winning team, and even announces the name of the player in the chat feed who unsuccessfully tried to team switch; eGO has the ability to do the same thing.