Multiplayer etiquette

[arvcran]

I am very interested in the Multiplayer aspect of the game.
Since I am at the time where my friends have not set up for playing MP yet I am starting to make a list of names on Games Spy whom I would be willing to play with or against again. not by skill but mostly in their 'etiquette'. By this I mean many things:

1. Foremost is that they communicate effectively - I understand that language can sometimes be a barrier so etiquette # 1: State immediatly if you are fluent or not.

2. Don't leave without an explanation - if you give up at least congratulate your fellow players on a successful test of time :-).

3. Patience: give players a chance to enjoy the game. Especially those who may be new at playing multiplayer.

4. Team play (my favorite) communicate a lot!

5. There is a tactful way of being competitive - keep it at an enjoyable level for your opponents when communicating. But by all means plunder attack defend etc ... ;-)

These are a few simple ideas that when implemented go a long way to making the experience that much more enjoyable.

[ForesterSOF]

I would add Maturity and Responcibility to that list.

[CanuckSoldier]

Well #2 is one of the major reason that Civ3players and now Civ4players exists. We, The Ladder, tend to rely on most peoples human nature that people don't like to lose unnecesarily, when a system is keeping track of your wins and loses. So we highly discourage people from leaving games, which is a large part of the problem with open games, player A attacks player B and poof, player B drops and causing a so far good game to become unbalanced and ruining 2 hours of fun for the other players.

Now when "dropping"=losing, people are more likely to not to drop as it effects there record and there reputation. For the most part this does work, and is even more effective when the "good" games in the lobby are all ladder games. So if you want to play in the good games you have to play by the rules. This hopefully results in the end of long enjoyable games that win or lose are alot of fun.

Not to mention that an organized MP community is much better at addressing problems to Firaxis and provides a MP specific forum for help with all things MP. And bonuses like organized clans and tournaments of all kinds.

But in the end this psychology doesn't work on all people, some people insist on trying to circumvent the rules and in the end most of us MPers do have "DNP"(Do not play) list eventually. I guess that's just human nature.

CS