How to host successfully when complaints begin - Question to experienced hosts

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sprplay
So here's the story:

A few days ago I decided to set up my first public lobby as I was looking for some low pp races and I didn't find a fitting existing lobby. After a few minutes waiting I had 4 people (foreign, not friends) joining and we agreed on a setup that was convenient to all of us (light aids enabled, as it seems to be that none of us was a super-driver). It were close, mostly clean races and a lot of fun. At least there were no intented bumps/ramming and it was common sense not to overdo things at the risk of an accident.👍

Then a few more people dropped in and the struggle begun. Suddenly the driving atmosphere went to harsh and complaints on intented bumps/ramming came up :yuck:.
Irritatingly the complaints were made by the new participants on the ones beeing in the room for quite a while. So I told everybody to calm down and drive clean. But after a second race it was just the same situation and the people I started with left the room in frustration.

As I was in leading position in that particular 2 races I wasn't able to judge on what exactly happend behind me.:confused:

And here's the question to the more experienced hosts:

How would you have reacted?

  • Take the time to watch replays just after the first race in order to judge on the person in charge?
  • Kick the new participants immediately?
  • Kick the old participants beeing accused?
  • Changing damage to high just after the first race with complaints?
  • Changing restrictions (ABS/TCS) etc., even though we agreed on that before?
  • Other ideas?

Thanks for your advice.
 
In my experience there are no hard and fast rules that will guarantee successfully hosting without any complaints. Hosting a clean room is always difficult because of the inevitable "you want clean but play dirty remarks" that people will make to you. People will always complain. Sometimes cars make contact and people will be spun, the trick is to accept it as part of racing and not get so hurt by it. It is always pretty clear when someone has deliberately rammed/blocked someone, and as the host you get to know what people are like on track pretty quickly.

It's entirely at your discretion, but I operate on a one warning and then out policy, indiscrimate booting does NOTHING to improve the quality of online racing, you will know pretty swiftly who is there to race and who is there to cause trouble. If you do boot someone out, I would always explain why before doing so, not for their benefit (as they are likely a fool who will just carry on) but for the benefit of the remainder as a guide of what behaviour you will not tolerate in your room.

Mostly I think its important to be firm and fair, and if you run your room like a petulant dictator you will likely make friends at a similar pace to those who like to drive tank cars backwards around the nurburgring.

There is far too much toy throwing and too many tantrums online, people get so wounded and hurt from even the slightest contact (come on people, its racing, not driving to the shop) and many room owners get far too uppity about contact.

Just chill out, enjoy it, remind everyone before every other race to stay clean, accept the fact that you don't need to win every race to have fun and you will enjoy it a whole lot more.
 
Not experienced but I would surely kick the new guys! As you and the other were driving and having fun before, therefore it has to be something wrong about some new guys. Starting with the ones complaining as normally the loudest are the ones not able of accepting rules.
 
Personally, I would try to change the damage to high and make the race a bit harder by changing the restrictions as you mentioned. If you see people that keep doing nonsense on the track, then kick them. I prefer to give warnings though... If they keep doing it then kick them. Try to make friends online and race with them only, name your room something like "invite only" or something similar.

If you want you can add me and we'll do some clean low power racing ;)

BTW, this should be in the online threat section.
 
You can add me also for some low pp clean races. psn id = thaddontes
OT: Hard to judge, takes time etc. resulting in endless effort...
 
I would suggest posting in the online racing forums here, and adding more friends from GTplanet. Fill your friends list with clean drivers, and you'll have much better racing. It can take a while to fill up a public room with clean racers.

My PSN is JeffKill77, send an invite and I'll do some racing with you once I get my new wheel back from Logitech.

I would also recommend restricting all assists. Others that race clean usually look for rooms like this.
 
It will be difficult to manage things if you've setup an open lobby for an evening of public racing. That format doesn't allow you as the host to hear complaints and watch replays to confirm. It's easy to kick someone who is driving backwards because it's so obvious. Sometimes though someone will overcook it through a turn, punt someone and not cede his position back to the person who was punted. Most of the time you won't have seen this and it's up to you to either A) let the race continue or B) kick someone based on a he-said, she said statement.

It's much easier to mange things in a race series where the same people come back regularly. Over time the cream rises to the top and the poor/jagoff drivers will be easier to spot and kick.

If I were you I'd not worry too much about it.
 
Thanks for your comments so far.

Got your point that private lounges and racing with friends are a lot easier to maintain and I will surely do this.

But it doesn't answer my point on successfull strategies to host open lobbies.

@mods: Please feel free to transfer this thread to the online subforum. I was unsure if it's more a q&a-topic.
 
already been said, but find a group of people you race with often, get freinds to vouch for freinds etc. it wont be long before your amongst people you know and trust. for me i normally start by reminding everyone at the beginning of a race that penalties are on and so is damage! race clean guys or your on your way out. simple. if there appear to be repeat offenders i'll warn them personally to race clean or they are out. if it happens again. kick em.

not only does this make for better racing but also gives confidence to the other players that the host wants (and will enforce) a clean fun room.

just my 2 cents

XV202 if you want to add me :)
 
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Have you considered pulling over at the start of a race, letting traffic go by, then following the field to see who is doing what? Find the guys who race clean, give them friend invites, and boot the rest. The races are short, so it won't take much time to try this once or twice.
 
sprplay
But it doesn't answer my point on successfull strategies to host open lobbies.
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if you want to be successful you need to set and enforce rules. Setting them is easy (use the OLR). Enforcing them almost always means watching replays.

My rule of thumb is this: when someone messes up he/she does 2 things:
1) cede position back to affected driver
2) apologize via mic.

That should satisfy 99% of people. If not, go to the replay.
 
i agree with what danvodka had to say about restricting the aids - most clean and competitive drivers tend to race with these settings and you should probably try light damage and light penalties too... heavy damage is too much for casual online racing and can be unfair if there are a few people in the room who are intent on spoiling it for others as the car doesn't 'heal' itself; the same goes for heavy penalties, i think since a recent update (the one which cracked down on corner cutting in GTA) the penalty system in GT5 is more harsh than it used to be, so sometimes you get a 10 second penalty for lightly rubbing against another car, intentionally or otherwise, which can ruin your chances of being competitive during the race.

one idea might be to not take part in all of the races and simply watch them instead. you can see what's going on a lot better than when you're in the race itself. admittedly, you can't see everything that goes on, but you can keep tabs on some of the people you may have suspicions of.

i host quite a lot and i find that a lot of my PSN buddies join me anyway if they're about and fancy a race, but when it comes to hosting unknowns (or randoms as one of my friends humourously calls them), start out by giving the room a clear name, e.g. '250PP Clean or Kick' etc. this is what i do - that way i'm covering myself if somebody says "i didn't know....". also, setting the room up to 'Race for Real' is a pretty clear indication to people of what will be taking place in the room (i've been rightly kicked from a 'Drift' room for driving normally before now, it's not as if i could complain is it).
i'll usually kick someone i see driving around the track backwards too, unless it's during the countdown and isn't interfering with the practice/quali laps of others.

generally, applying some common sense does help, and that includes being accepting of the fact that it won't always run smoothly too.

hope this helps you.

btw - i'd be interested in racing low pp cars as well from time to time, my PSN is HortusIX. hope to see you on track soon.
 
benda18
if you want to be successful you need to set and enforce rules. Setting them is easy (use the OLR). Enforcing them almost always means watching replays.

My rule of thumb is this: when someone messes up he/she does 2 things:
1) cede position back to affected driver
2) apologize via mic.

That should satisfy 99% of people. If not, go to the replay.
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i don't think replays are viewable in the racing lounges but it's a good point you make about conceding position if you've unfairly gained an advantage from an accident you've been involved in.
 
HortusIX
one idea might be to not take part in all of the races and simply watch them instead. you can see what's going on a lot better than when you're in the race itself. admittedly, you can't see everything that goes on, but you can keep tabs on some of the people you may have suspicions of.
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Good idea, haven't thought of that before 👍

Learnt that as a host it's not only about having fun with racing yourself but more like beeing a shephard having a close look upon the flock of your sheep ... ;)

Thanks
 
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HortusIX
one idea might be to not take part in all of the races and simply watch them instead. you can see what's going on a lot better than when you're in the race itself. admittedly, you can't see everything that goes on, but you can keep tabs on some of the people you may have suspicions of.
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This is the solution
 
sprplay
Good idea, haven't thought of that before 👍

Learnt that as a host it's not only about having fun with racing yourself but more like beeing a shephard having a close look upon the flock of your sheep ... ;)

Thanks
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exactly - and sometimes those sheep are just baaaaaaad and need a good kicking
 
The biggest Issue I have, is people who can not read or understand the room title. I do mostly Older Muscle Car rooms. And it never fails to see some person come in and step into either some full blown racing machine, or newer corvette rm or something just way out of the lines.

I then tell them Please get a correct car or kick. And 9/10 times they just do nothing. Then you have the people who are whiners. They lose they want you to turn the aids on, or lower the HP or so whatever. I normally deal with it and tell them either get on my level or leave. (one guy ended up turning around and hitting me so I kicked him. He of course sent me PM calling me a "pans" and "cry baby". (name is )0-Venom-0 something FYI)

The other kind is the Hosts who opens a room right, say i.e. last night a muscle car room. I saw Challenger RM being run so I use my Camaro RM. Now I have no aids on except abs 1 and they have everything possible. Well when the race starts there is nolonger a Challenger RM on the field. I naturally in a 4 lap race beat them by atleast35 seconds. The host of course tells me to no RM (while also calling me a A**hole in the progress) Okay, kool. I bring out my 69 Corvette. (tech not a muscle car but not many complain about it when you use the old ones) Do same race, Me no aids then all of them. I beat them again 20 seconds ahead. The host then complains corvette not a muscle car and again calls me a A**hole for good measure.

So, I said "oooOOookay I 'll get my Mustang. But Where as you are correct the Corvette is not a muscle car, I am sure these Older cars didn't come with traction control, or ASM, or skid force, or abs but I use abs myself so I don't care bout that." He says nothing. At this time my friend enters the room and I know he normally drives his 69 vette. I warn him he cannot and the host kicks me.


So, in short of my rant. I find that alot better mature drivers can be found when you host a room with no Aids on.
 
When I host all I leave on for aids is TCS, no damage (as it will also be unfair for a victim of a crash) light penalties, when I play Shuffle the points are always 0, I always restrict tires to the tires that the car comes with, everyone drives the same car, I try to make the total race length around 10 kilometers, boost off or low depending on track. Most races go clean. Had plenty of fun in a race the other day at Indy, 8 laps in the Art Morrison Corvette.
 
Yeah I get rammed a lot online... if I get rammed off the track too much, I just leave the lobby.

Watch the replay and kick the person who is ramming people or using other cars to get round bends. Most of the time I hit from behind because people don't know how to brake or they try and overtake me by cutting me up...

Make sure damage is on light... having it on high means permanent damage is given to the person being rammed off the track.
 
Communication The best hosts have a mic and communicate quickly and directly about everything. When the race will start, who you want to warn, what PP level you are switching too etc. A good communicator eliminates most problems before they happen. The worst host are those that neither talk nor type nor listen to feedback.

1 Warning and no more The best hosts won't tolerate crap, of any kind. Swearing, bad driving, intentional or otherwise, picking inappropriate cars etc. You give them a warning and then they are gone. I've had guys swearing up a storm calling each other names, they get one warning to tone down the language and the next swear word I hear, they are gone. No questions asked, no warning. If their Mama didn't teach them how to behave in public, then you can't either and don't waste your time trying.

Wrong Car guy As a host, I often host rooms limited to street cars, and I set up the rules. Sometimes I say, NO RACECARS OR RM'S ANYTHING ELSE GOES, and I'll type that in the message box and say it verbally when practice begins every time. That way everyone knows the set up. I usually limit practice/qualifying to 5-6 minutes so as the host I get time for one qualifying lap, then I go back to the pit to check the entry list and make sure everyone has the right car. If you don't have the right car, I warn you, give you maybe 30 seconds and then you're out, no questions asked. If you can't hear me, or read the message board that's not my problem. As the host you have an obligation to the other 5-14 guys to start the race on time and not penalize them by making them wait for one guy who can't read.

Bad Driving This comes in two forms, deliberate and accidental. Some guys just can't drive and they divebomb into every corner, wrecking people in the process. If I see that, I warn them once verbally and if I get any lip, they are gone. If I think something is intentional, generally it's the same, 1 warning and if I get any lip, they are also gone.

Limit Room Size It's fun to think of 16 guys facing of at Tsukuba. It's also chaos because the track is so small and tight and bound to cause massive pileups, it can't be avoided. Same with Cote', same with the first Chicane at Monza etc. A room of 8-10 is often much more organized than 12-16 and they tend to stay longer in my experience.

Match your tracks and PP If you're point racing you don't do 650 pp at Tsukuba or Cote' if you want good racing and less accidents. Want to race 700 pp? Take it to Monza with no chicanes, HSR, Daytona etc, tracks with long straights for sorting out position and more room to race.

One thing I look for is sincerity. If I hear a sincere apology from someone after a race like, "Geez sorry Racerguy, didn't mean to clip you in the chicane" etc. I figure that's a dead issue. If the other guy, the one who got clipped, can't let it go, it then becomes his issue and now his problem. It is a video game after all, and you don't have total control over your vehicle and mistakes happen, especially in the first corner.

Private lounges are a good option if you have enough guys to make it fun, but online lobbies can be well organized and fun, it's all up to the host. Good hosts make good rooms, bad hosts make bad rooms. You'll find that when you host a lot you'll have your online friends showing up a lot too. That's what I do when I don't want to host, I see what my friends are doing and a few of them regularly host, so I know I'll get a clean racing experience. When you have a room with 10 guys for example you might have 3 or 4 friends in there and you know they drive clean, so any trouble they cause will be accidental. So when there's a dustup your friends have to get the benefit of the doubt, that's how it works.
 
Longer Races with Fixed Practice Qualifying Time I find that some guys race only 3 laps wherever they go. That's fine on Sarthe but it's a 2.6 minute race at Tsukuba or 3 minutes at GVE. That's not much of a race. I usually go for races around 7.5 to 10 minutes depending on who I'm racing with. If you have pockets of drivers that are in good equal battles, longer races give you a chance to get in some good tight racing, get some tire wear going and generally they are more fun, and more rewarding in terms of dollars. Seeing as how a lot of guys don't pay much attention to the clock, it's really annoying and waste of time to have to practice/qualify for 12 minutes and then race for three because the host isn't paying attention. Keep qualifying down to 5-6 minutes and consistent race lengths.

Fastest First Always! In my mind, there is no way to set up a race except for fastest first. Slowest first or Reverse Grid results in many more accidents because all the fast guys are at the back pushing their way to the front.

Change up the PP I find rooms with fixed PP boring. They are usually set up by someone who has figure out a car that is particularly fast at a certain PP and they race the same cars over and over. That's fine if that's what you want, but I find most of those rooms don't last as long as the ones with varying PP. That way you can do 500 PP at Autumn Ring Mini and 700 at Daytona and have competitive races with cars that are suited to that particular track
 
Great stuff Johnny.

I host a 450pp room nightly and have found the following works...

Turn off all aids except TCS and driving line.
Put "street cars" in the title if you don't want rc/rm
Limit tires to sport soft (immediately disqualifies the arcade racers)
Damage on full combined with long 15-30 min races.
Pit before the start of the race and inspect racers.
Warn drivers in incorrect cars. If they don't respond, kick.
Kick drivers from unfamiliar countries. They won't understand you and their lag will periodically punt other drivers off the track.
During the race, if you receive a complaint, warn both drivers that they should avoid contact and race clean. If a second racer complains about the same driver, kick at the end of the race, unless parties involved can make a truce.

Send friend requests to anyone you have a clean battle with. Before opening a room the next night, message anyone online to join your room.

I have gotten blowback for kicking on a few occasions but after reviewing the race it was pretty obvious the driver in question was all over the track and using other cars to pass (punting and side swiping). Some drivers are just a-holes and there is nothing you can do except act swiftly when complaints come in.
 
HortusIX
one idea might be to not take part in all of the races and simply watch them instead. you can see what's going on a lot better than when you're in the race itself. admittedly, you can't see everything that goes on, but you can keep tabs on some of the people you may have suspicions of.

.
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Agree this is the sensible solution alas though it means as host you miss out on the track action. The other problem (which seems to be a recent one) certainly occurs in shuffle races is that anyone watching (be they in from the start or joining during) is kicked at the end without warning. Seems to be a bug. Had it as host on Saturday when some idiot decides to drive round the opposite way and caused an epic pileup. I drop out to kick 'it' and then as the rest of the guys were only on lap1 decided to watch the race. End of race I'm disconnected from my own lobby. Is it just me or is this more common since 1.09?
 
chuyler1
Kick drivers from unfamiliar countries. They won't understand you and their lag will periodically punt other drivers off the track.
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Although I don't like the 'won't understand you' bit, I have to agree on the lag. I've yet to see a race in the european lobby where US drivers are not jumping all over the track. Me personally confuses this just too much, so I'm usually leaving rooms as soon as I see cars jumping regularly and the driver is from 'far away'. Sad, really, I like the international competition... :-(
 
A friend hosts public races quite often.

He sets laps low to see how everyone behaves before running the longer races.

He will observe some of the shorter races and kick those who aren't clean, either intentionally, or because of ability.

He checks cars before starting the race and one warning before kick.

Even so, there are racing incidents. Thats' just part of online racing.
 
hessi
Although I don't like the 'won't understand you' bit, I have to agree on the lag.
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Perhaps its because I host theme nights. The theme is generally spelled out clearly in the lobby title like '80s FR coupes' and the only restrictions are 450pp and sport soft tires. Someone from Japan comes in and starts running qualifying laps in a Lotus Elise. I say 'hey, this is 80s coupe night' and get no response. Person is booted if they don't get off the track to change cars within 60 seconds (30 if i'm ready to start the race).
 

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