An option to stop showing up on "Recently Played With"

[The Dark Intellect]

For games like the recently released DayZ, "Recently Played With" is almost an invivtation to be harassed unendingly.

At least give us a choice to opt out of such a feature. I understand that it's really trendy for people who are social.....but what if I don't want to be??? Going offline doesn't prevent me from more than likely showing up on a list of some kind.

I DO NOT like the fact that I can't just play a game and have no one know about it. I have friends that stream on Twitch, and I guarantee there have been many times where people have noted at what time they played on a specific server, to then painstakingly sift through the people they've played with in an attempt to "stream snipe" someone later on. Isn't that harassment?


Disclaimer: As I am not technically proficient in the use of Steam, there may very well be a way to prevent this; but in my experience from searching various forums using various terminology, I can't find a way.

Thanks for viewing and considering my suggestion.

[Green Eggs & Shield Slam]

Would be a lovely feature if you could opt-in/out, but first I'd actually like to see the system work again. My "recent players" list hasn't actually functioned since late-2009.

[J*Rod]

That's just one of the things that have been central to Steam Community. Certainly some forum software and websites allow people to opt out of showing up in statistics, but Valve has to consider potentially losing track of thousands of users if they could just "disappear" without actually going anywhere.

Where do you think the NSA's getting their stuff from? :P

For Steam, going offline in Friends is practically the only real solution. Your SteamID will still show up in servers, but there's no way to track you ahead like that without going to some server stat site.

And if somebody's that desperate to get a single player's stats, then that's stalking.

As for stream sniping, that's something that gets to be the fault of both the streamer in question and the system for not splitting them up. The only real practical answer would be to use a ridiculous stream delay, which would be problematic for audience interaction but also prevents "stream chat sniping".

[Satoru]

What's the big deal with regards to DayZ. You still
1) have to find the server
2) then FIND the person

Unless you're live streaming the second part is fairly difficult

[The Dark Intellect]

I've kept the streamer mentioned aware of ways to prevent being seen. For example, covering in-game chat with an image/twitch chat, using a transition image for connecting to/changing servers, etc; but I just know that some people really are desperate enough to resorrt to taking days if not weeks just to have their fifteen minutes of fame.

But that's my whole point, once they've found them by looking at "Recently Played With" the streamer now has to make an entirely new alternate account just to play one game. Going offline, changing your name, setting privacy settings, etc doesn't work after that. I've watched this happen to three streamers within one week, and they took the aforementioned precautions. It is completely outrageous.

A streamer's revenue literally depends on providing good content free of grief, if someone is constantly harassing them viewership will plummet.

Thank you all for the input, hopefully those in a position to change things will see your opinions. They are greatly appreciated.

[Satoru]

You can just click "Join Game" on your profile to join you DayZ game.

[The Dark Intellect]

İlk olarak Satoru tarafından gönderildi:

You can just click "Join Game" on your profile to join you DayZ game.

I understand this, but due to the Alpha state that a game like DayZ is in, servers only respawn loot on restart (at least for now that is.) Players often find themselves switching servers multiple times within a few hours. This frequency more than triples if they're abusing the ability to change servers just to get loot.

This is assuming that by "join game" that's what you meant in terms of ease of accessing servers.

[The Dark Intellect]

Strange...I received a notification of a new comment, but nothing new has been added to the conversation....

[tavor21]

This option would be good for people to find friends

[Satoru]

İlk olarak Veloci-faptor tarafından gönderildi:

I understand this, but due to the Alpha state that a game like DayZ is in, servers only respawn loot on restart (at least for now that is.) Players often find themselves switching servers multiple times within a few hours. This frequency more than triples if they're abusing the ability to change servers just to get loot.

But your entire point, as far as I can understand it, is that you want to prevent 'stream griefing'. Given that I can apparently join your DayZ game just by clicking "Join Game" on your profile, the entire complain of 'hiding recentlyl played' is somewhat moot. Especially since in order to even use said methodology I have to find you first in a game, then be on the same server, etc. Why do all that, when I can just go to your profile and click "JOIN GAME".

And even if you do ALL the above, if you're talking about DayZ griefing, I still have to find you in game.

You're also discounting the fact that recently played can be an important tool for users who want to report abusiive users, cheaters, etc via their Steam profiles.

[The Dark Intellect]

No, my entire point is that even if you have a random alternate account, for the EXPLICIT purpose of avoiding those who wish to cause you harm in any way, shape, or form, people can still find you within days.

JOIN GAME, doesn't work if you have no friends, no groups, and aren't even known in general. But since "recently played with" is being implemented without any option to omit your name, streamers leave a trail that someone can very easily track. It takes 30 minutes to a few hours to get from place to place on a DayZ map. That's more than enough time for someone to get to you, establish that it is actually you based on your actions and your commentary, and then begin the process of stalking each person on the "recently played with" thereafter to find your username; whereupon if you wish to play that game anymore without harassment, a new account is needed. I know of one person who is on his NINTH account, and he is a very cautious person when streaming.

A more effective way to report said people is to contact the server administrators directly and inform them of the server and time where their activity became prevelant. Because reporting someone to Steam means nothing, as said cheater has now changed his URL and you can't even begin to guess who it was, thanks to how DayZ doesn't display usernames above characters, or when you are killed by them. (That last bit about DayZ not showing names is actually by design, since some servers used to display your name 800 meters away if you happen to move your mouse cursor over them.)

"Recently played with" is a fine feature for someone like me, who doesn't stream and never really interacts with others; however, for those whose careers depend on providing content without being harassed/constantly buying games over and over again, this is a CRIPPLING feature that you are FORCED into.

I do greatly appreciate your participation in this discussion though!

[Satoru]

The reality is that if you're streaming then you're public. And that more or less comes with the territory in a game like DayZ or any other PvP type of game.

JOIN GAME, doesn't work if you have no friends, no groups, and aren't even known in general

Note I'm just poking around a few people's profiles that are not my friends and I can see the server they're on via the Join Game button. I don't even own DayZ and I can view this information. Which is why i think the 'recent players' tab isn't really the problem. If you're streaming, then you likely have a public steam profile regardless (unless for some unknown reason you want to be public streaming a game but have a private profile???)

Griefing is a meta-game problem, not a Steam problem realistically.

And as noted it has benefits for users to find an report harrasment via Steam profiles. Thus allowing you to opt out of it, allows abusers to actually abuse their targets more without a methdology for victims to reporting them to Steam. So anonimity is a double edged sword.

[The Dark Intellect]

So, if I decide to stream, ALL of my information, my movements, my transactions, etc. in their entirety whether in game or out of, comes with the territory? No. Not at all. I am allowed a certain amount of privacy.

Also, you were more than likely looking at your friend's friends that don't know you. This doesn't equal being able to see someone you have no way of even knowing about in the first place.

Griefing is ABSOLUTELY a Steam problem if they're actually adding to the ease of it. This is a TERRIBLE counter argument to how "effective" and "helpful" the recently played with feature is. There will be, I understand, countless amounts of nefarious acts done "behind the scenes," THAT comes with the territory, and is the sole responsibility of the streamer to prevent. Meta-game is when you use various resources to increase your odds in a game. Meta-game IS NOT when you use a feature on a client to deliberately harass someone at every attempt possible. The idea that harassment, with the deliberate intent to cause someone distress regardless of progress in a game, as being acceptable is absolutely asinine.

[The Dark Intellect]

So it would seem as though putting the Steam client into "Offline Mode" completely solves the issue of the "recently played with" feature.

More tests are needed, as time on server was roughly sub 2 minutes.

Things to do:
Determine if going offline prevents the feature from showing activity on friended accounts.
Determine if going offline prevents other members not friended from seeing activity on server.

[The Dark Intellect]

While attempting to utilize "offline mode" through the Steam client today, I was greeted with several "authentication timeouts" from the DayZ servers. In fact, it only stopped when I used "online mode" through the Steam client.

More tests are needed.

Things to do:
Determine if setting profile to private prevents most if not all forms of harassment (hint: NOT LIKELY.)
Determine if going offline prevents the feature from showing activity on friended accounts.
Determine if going offline prevents other members not friended from seeing activity on server.