Deadlock review and flaws

[IcySauce]

Valve's game "Deadlock" offers an exhilarating and immersive experience, capturing the essence of tactical team-based combat. It's clear that "Deadlock" is a labor of love from a company that knows how to create engaging multiplayer experiences. The gameplay is tight, the mechanics are polished, and the variety of weapons, abilities, and strategies available ensures that no two matches feel the same. Even the action is consistently engaging and satisfying.

However, while the core gameplay is a triumph, "Deadlock" stumbles when it comes to its player reporting and punishment system. The system, which is crucial for maintaining a fair and enjoyable environment, is deeply flawed and unbalanced. One of the most glaring issues is how the game treats toxicity and cheating as equally punishable offenses. While both behaviors are undeniably detrimental to the player experience, they are vastly different in nature and impact.

Cheating directly undermines the integrity of the game, giving some players an unfair advantage and ruining the competitive balance. On the other hand, toxicity, while certainly unpleasant and deserving of consequence, doesn't necessarily affect the fundamental fairness of a match. Yet, in "Deadlock," both offenses can lead to the same severity of punishment, which feels disproportionate and counterproductive.

This approach has led to frustration within the community, as players who might have had a bad day and lashed out verbally are treated with the same harshness as those who deliberately use cheats to gain an upper hand. The lack of nuance in the reporting system fails to account for context, and as a result, many players feel that they are walking on eggshells, fearing severe penalties for minor infractions.

Players are often banned without any prior warning, which can feel extremely unfair, especially when the infraction is minor. This no-warning approach is particularly problematic when it comes to issues of toxicity. While cheating justifiably deserves immediate action, verbal offenses should ideally be met with warnings or escalating penalties before resorting to a ban. However, in "Deadlock," the absence of any warning system means that players can find themselves banned abruptly, with little to no chance to correct their behavior.

Compounding this issue is the fact that Valve does not provide clear guidelines regarding what constitutes toxicity in their Terms of Service (TOS). Without explicit definitions or examples of unacceptable behavior, players are left to navigate a murky understanding of what might be considered toxic. This lack of clarity makes it difficult for players to know where the line is drawn, increasing the risk of unintentionally crossing it and facing severe consequences.

"Deadlock" is a game that delivers on its promise of thrilling, tactical gameplay, but it is held back by a flawed reporting and punishment system. Valve should conisder re-evaluating this system and implementing a more nuanced approach that distinguishes between different types of offenses and ensures that punishments are fair and proportional. Until then, players will continue to enjoy the game, but with the constant worry that one misstep could lead to overly harsh consequences.

ps i love deadlock

[Sharp]

Why did you have ChatGPT write this?

[IcySauce]

Originally posted by Sharp:

Why did you have ChatGPT write this?

?? had it polish my work my guy

[hi]

Yeah no, i dont even have a tone to my voice on the internet (unless on mic ofcourse) so i really dont see the need to ban for toxicity.

If your voicechat is toxic you should probably still not get a game ban but just be excluded from the voicechat, or a 'listen only' function

Your chat should never be turned off either unless you just went the entire game spamming one word and not playing the game.

I have never had those problems with the gaming side of valve (Forum employees are a bit more riot-like where they ban you because they felt like it that day)

[hi]

Originally posted by Sharp:

Why did you have ChatGPT write this?

he did but if hes an illiterate, good for him.. these tools are for him

[Maniphest]

If you're flaming teammates in a free pre-alpha game where 99% of people have <100 hours of playtime with no ranked elo, then yeah, you should get banned. No one should be subjected to that abuse just because you can't control your fragile ego. Go play a solo game.

[Kathryn Morningstar, A Conqueror]

Originally posted by IcySauce:

Originally posted by Sharp:

Why did you have ChatGPT write this?

?? had it polish my work my guy

I think you made it polish a bit too much mate

[K33n3r]

I'm not sure if there is a mute function, but if there is, why the bans? Makes no sense

[Drunk]

this is literally a valve game, try dota 2 if you wanna play with toxic. They arent going to do anything about toxic players, they never have.

[CryonicSuspension]

What a clickbait title. This dude sounds like he got a temp ban.

[DrDrake]

I got banned today for just playing the game! First, got banned in sandbox against bots and then another similar ban when playing with players against bots!

I see a lot of people saying they got banned for saying something wrong, although i havent even figured out yet how to use chat!

Just want to play the game....i guess time to uninstall

[AeneasXI]

Originally posted by Drunk:

this is literally a valve game, try dota 2 if you wanna play with toxic. They arent going to do anything about toxic players, they never have.

Wdym? I know a pretty toxic guy and he is constantly getting banned/muted in Dota lol. They absolutely do something about toxic people.

[Xeno]

Originally posted by DrDrake:

I got banned today for just playing the game! First, got banned in sandbox against bots and then another similar ban when playing with players against bots!

I see a lot of people saying they got banned for saying something wrong, although i havent even figured out yet how to use chat!

Just want to play the game....i guess time to uninstall

doubt that you got banned during sandbox.
So far there are only 3 ways to get banned.
Cheat.
Flame others a lot
leave the game multiple times.

[DrDrake]

i got banned while playing with bots!

[draggingknee]

i just got banned for an hour. not sure how or why. i was playing with bots.

[DrDrake]

What happened to me was i was playing with players against bot heroes and after 7 hours of doing so i got banned, No reason given whatsoever...