it's one thing for players to behave appropriately (many don't)
should game creators be held to a higher standard?

1) checking all game settings before posting for general play?
2) posting a game clearly, not assuming that everyone in lobby will know that game or its rules
3) eg unusual game settings should be listed in game description?
such as army cap extremely low, such as 1x, when default is 80x
4) game creator must act fairly for all players, regardless of experience and/or if fellow clan member
5) game creator must abide by the rules posted of the game
6) game creators getting angry at new players (new to the offbeat settings of the game) for "messing up my game".
eg. there are always new players signing up for 30/75 kill ratio FFA. 30/75 requires a completely different strategy, and to get angry with, yell at and block players new to this format, by the game creator is a special kind of insanity.
7) game creator noted odd settings in single-player play before posting game, but neglected to mention in game lobby notes (specifically, the army cap = 1)
8) game creator and buddies assuming everyone knows RP = role playing, and expecting others to role-play
9) game creator and buddies assuming everyone knows RP implies diplomacy game..
10) diplomacy game being played, but not listed as a diplomacy game anywhere in the lobby.


basically, a summary of the above, is that a game creator has an obligation to clearly describe the game and all unusual settings, in the lobby description. And, to confirm that the game is sound and has been play-tested for optimum play. That new players are accommodated if a game is open to the public.


some of the above is idiotic for me to even submit, but i have experienced all of these this past week in general game play

a game creator has an obligation to clearly describe the game and all unusual settings, in the lobby description

While it's a nice gesture from the game creator, I think the responsibility is on the person joining the game. They can view the settings of the game before joining and evaluate them. Some unusual settings automatically get highlighted as a bonus. When I create a game and someone joins, I assume they either know the template or have read the settings to see what they're playing.

And, to confirm that the game is sound and has been play-tested for optimum play. That new players are accommodated if a game is open to the public.

But making a good template requires public testing, right? I never really played Diplo games, but when it comes to making a strat template people usually test it with a few friends and then open it to the public to play-test and tweak. Or so I (maybe naively) assume.

I think a game's host should be accommodating, but more as a common courtesy and they can never be forced to do so.

Edited 2026-07-24 03:50:17

https://war.app/MultiPlayer?GameID=44722157
this is related to this, since probably one of the games that is why they made this
and no, instead you should read the rules

i'm going to respectfully disagree with the above posters (nothing personal) who are putting the onus on the players to go thru all the settings and look for what it is they are signing up for .

c'mon, give me a break.
the game creator should know his /her game, should know what settings are "within norm" and if not,
what aspect of gameplay is somewhat, or "way off the charts"

1) role-play is role-play
if someone has not played or know what role-play is, is it fair or reasonable that the game creator is so lazy to put "(RP)" in the title only?

2) diplomacy game should be listed as "diplomacy game" in the title.
usually, it is always listed as "diplo" or "diplomacy"
currently, i'm in a diplo game that was not labelled as such (so not in the settings OR the description notes

3) not everyone is going to understand what settings mean, what to look for.
normal kill percentages are 60/70. if someone changed it to 50/70 or 50/60, it's a fairly minor change.
if the game's kill percentage is 30/65, then it should be noted, it's easy enough to say "30/65 kill percentage"
normally, it's noted.

4) and if a game creator makes a game, and it's a 7 person FFA with odd rules that aren't highlighted, including "manual territory selection, 3 spots", then it's inappropriate and outright wrong for the came creator to bitch and complain about noobies signing up and "ruining his game, he could have won and had a decent chance but a newbie ruined his game".


it's not just the settings that is the problem
someone who is creating content for the community should have an elevated level of responsibility to make the community a welcoming place.

Fizzer doesn't want to get involved in arguments but he's created a forum here for people to play and "have fun". those that use the platform and play games and create problems is one thing. those that use the game to CREATE games that suit their pleasure, create games that are far from the norm in settings, not disclosed easily, and/or then complain about the people that signed up to an open-lobby public game, are part of the problem, ruining it for others.


this particularly leaves a bad taste in newer members, who have a steep enough learning curve as it is. it's not their fault they know perfect starting strategy the first fifty times they play a game which varies from the norm.

This is what all these icons next to game title are for. Like the red pistol. It indicates that the kill rates have been modified, so the game creator doesn't need to explain everything by himself.

there is a game posted above, in which a comment answers the original question perfectly, "eat shit loser".

ah. this is the problem---no one actually reads.
we are mixing up the two examples provided.

1) games which are significant deviations from the norm should be posted as such, or a specific type of game such as role-playing and /or diplomacy

2) there is nothing wrong with playing 30/65 games.
but it is improper for a game creator (or any player for that matter) to "play according to his rules"
this is just a strange complaint to have, to complain that "someone is playing the wrong way"


those of you who suggest the proper response is "eat shit loser" are lower than low.
i'm currently in a large, big format FFA world game and the settings can only be tested under fire
i took the time to sent a thank you message to the game creator Airtadeo, and he as nice enough to reply simply, "thank you and noted". the wastelands were too high, the sanction percentage was too high,

as a game creator we need better avenues to post feedback for game settings because what is happening is people are saving game settings and it is being "copied and rinse and repeat" with no consideration for why those numbers were ever chosen in the first place.

that is an entirely different topic, one of "optimizing game settings"


game creators have an obligation to the community to create a game that is posted clearly, and then not to complain if someone has signed up and is following the game postings.

as for you rick, i love that you are a don Fagan fan, but your responses are always low IQ, never more than two lines long. it's assholes like you that make the online community worse, not better.

"rules that are 3-4 standard deviations off from what is normal" "but your responses are always low IQ, never more than two lines long."

Stop trying to sound smart and just check the settings next time, if you make the mistake of joining a game with settings you don't like, that's on you. It takes 20 seconds to check the settings, don't take you being zoned out out on game creators.

Octane, you're still not getting the essence of it.
i DID read the settings and the rules.
There were newbies who didn't and didn't have a clue what they got themselves into


1) in one current israel game, the L12 creator hosted a RP game that was intended as diplomacy. diplomacy nor Role-playing was listed in the title or explanations, and the creator was role-playing fine but followed none of the diplo rules listed in the game lobby. when called out for not doing his job pre-game, nor in-game, the creator merely shrugged his shoulders and his clanmates supported him

2) in one past game, the game creator griped that he didn't win because I didn't play according to his strategy and expectations and thwarted his win. I knew what i was getting into and my strategy/play outplayed him, and he still complained that I was a newbie (which I am not) and that my strategies were all wrong (which clearly they were not)


in neither example did I fail to read the settings
in both examples, the game creators treated a public game as a private game, and/or as a game they deserved to win and were not open to constructive criticism.

A good game creator should referee his/her own game so that it is supportive of the community and everyone has a good time.

I started this thread because this is the root of many of the problems and conflicts that happen IN-game.

is there something that game creators should be doing consistently or with some minor effort that will do away with many of the problems that happen either in-game or after-game?

this is a fair question to ask, as I've seen enough problems develop and they seem to have a common underlying thread involved.

Blaming poor settings, poor setup/writeup or poor disclosure on the players joining (who have a reasonable expectation of a sorted-out game and expectation of a good time) is giving a pass to game creators who are part of the problem, rather than trying to help avoid problems in the first place.