Player Guidelines - Lootspots

[Rath2040]

I think we just need to revisit past threads on lootspot etiquette, or perhaps start a new one for those not familiar with it. Etiquette applies to both the buyer and the seller.

I don't see how BBs or the like can define it any better than the players.

I hope this topic didn't start because of people buying unadvertised fish in the TO......

[Magenta_old]

Here is one of the previous posted loot spot etiquette posts from other locations in the forum. It has not been updated in some time.

Loot Spot Sale Ettiquette or 'how not to get a migraine'



This guide is just to establish a safe normal way to conduct loot spot (LS)
management without people getting so angry they want to launch nukes.

To save typing the owner is known as King and the loot spot owner is known as
'Spotty'.

This seems simple but its asked a lot by Spotty's, how long do I have to make my
tag? (kill of one or more insignificant warriors just to qualify for loot loot)

This should be settled before the invitation is accepted. I originally said
before money changes hands but Geboren convinced me otherwise. If you are just
trading LS with your guildies there is plenty of time, but apparently when buying
them, you dont have time to check terms before the spot is sold. So we came to
agreement.. if you have to give them the money fast you do. But check the
terms before ACCEPTING the invitation because thats all sorts of problems to
undo. If you don't come to agreement on terms before that, they can just refund
your money and try to sell again. You don't either want to send an invitation
if you are on that side, unless you are sure it will be accepted. If they don't
cancel you'll be waiting 8 hours and its been known to plug up the works and not
time out when its supposed to.

Now the key to almost everything is simply communication. The adventure king might
be in a hurry, or might be going to bed and wants to mop up in the morning. FF is
a fast general ready to go, 15 minutes to get there and then kill.

Spotty gets his kill at the end normally so that they dont have a chance to kill
more then you allowed. Yes, its happened if you let them in early spotty
can take over the adventure running wild and there is nothing you can do. As I
said to avoid this Spotty is usually brought in when there is one insignificant
camp left, and the last leader.

There are also a lot of questions in help about a Spotty who suddenly had to go afk
and abandons the owner. This leaves King unable to bring in a new Spotty. Only
Spotty can cancel himself, so King has a big problem.

Again, this is a communication problem. Before sending invite it should be settled
as I noted above how long Spotty has to make his kill. Then if something happens,
the owner knows when to finish without you, without hard feelings. If the time was
set at 30 minutes and something happens.. well thats RL. Example we had, woman
was Spotty, had to taken kid to hospital. Was gone all night. Couldnt make her spot
and the King finished. She wanted a refund. While this is all very sad, get a
grip and chill. Its not like her water and power are being cut off. She missed her
date, its not the responsibility of the King to wait.. what days?. If you miss your
time limit, the King is then absolved of Spotty running around screaming they've
been scammed. I like an hour, even on a FF because it allows for nearly all
unforseen things, like making a new pot of coffee or chasing the cat down. Preferably
a FF is little more then 15 minutes, but simply mentioning a limit makes it a differnt
matter.

If the King screws up and mishandles the adventure, usually its resolved by the
negotiation of part or all of the ls. What would this be? King kills before Spotty
could possible tag. King goes afk and adventure times out. These are usually handled
by return of the ls price. As well, if Spotty can finish the adventure, they could
do so after an angreed upong time is made.


Usually Spotty's general dies but in some cases he does not. You can then bring the general
home without hurting the adventure. Just do not cancel.

Someone also has to set up how to notify the king that spotty got his tag and the king can go.
It doesnt matter except that you agree to it. We recently had one where the last leader was
killed when spotty was still fighting. So his targets were auto killed. King got the credit
for the kills of the ones Spotty was fighting, Spotty got no tab, and no digs.

Again, nearly every problem that we get is a matter of poor communiation. Before you start,
you just need to know, how long do I have to get there, what men do you want me to bring,
how long do i have to finish my tag, what camp do i attack, how long do YOU have to finish the
adventure, and how do we communicate the tag is finished and King can make the last kill.

In example, I was Spotty the other day and King had squeezed me down to 3 troops instead of
5 to get the most experience. But I agreed (so I cant blame him later) and when I attacked
the camp I failed to get my kill. Since I agreed to 3 men only, I deemed it my fault and
offered him to finish out. It turns out he was about to go to bed and let me bring over
more men and make the tag while he was afk. In the morning, he'd killed the leader and by
the time I logged in the adventure was done. Next time I might negotiate taking across
more then 3 men. But the point is, communication communication, communication.

example, im selling a LS, '150 gc for FF on sftr, one bhg with 5 recruits, 1 hour to finish
at most, hit left tower, tell me when you made your kill'. That covers everything I talked
about in one sentance.

forum.thesettlersonline.net/threads/20109-Loot-Spot-Sale-Ettiquette-or-how-not-to-get-a-migraine?p=235776#post235776

[Magenta_old]

Another even older set of player created guidelines:

Lootspot guidelines



Lately there seem to have been many issues regarding the sale of Lootspots and finish/tag times.
I'm making this thread with your input, and will edit as needed.

First off, a Lootspot (LS) is when a second or third player is invited to an adventure to "tag" and get loot.
Only 1-2 recruit or 2 cavs or similar should be needed. Some may require 200 cavs, but these units DO NOT die.

Terms of Sale:
If the seller states
"Fast Finish (FF) or immediate finish", they are expected to finish the adventure within 30 minutes of tags.
"Fast general required" the Buyer must tag within 20 minutes of invite.
"Any general" Buyer must tag within 40 minutes of invite.

What happens if the Buyer logs off and doesn't tag without contacting the Seller?
Obviously we want to give them a chance, but at some point you have to move on.

For "Fast general required" After 1h Seller can finish the adventure, whether the tags have been completed or not.
For "Any general required" After 2h Seller can finish the adventure, whether the tags have been completed or not.

Now what happens if the Seller goes offline without finishing, and making no contact with Buyers(s)?

6 or 12 hours after tag(s) are completed
--25% refund or
--Buyer(s) can finish the adventure and be refunded market value of troops lost (including bread)

12 or 24 hours after tag(s) are completed
--50% refund or
--Buyer(s) can finish the adventure and be refunded market value of troops lost (including bread)


Before I get any complaints about this, whether or not it is your fault that you took too long to tag/finish, it IS your responsibility.
If I order a pizza and your delivery guy breaks down it's NOT my problem, you should make it right.
If I order a pizza for pick-up and my car breaks down it IS my problem, I should expect you to throw out(or eat) my pizza.
That being said, a phone call would probably fix either issue.
Just as contacting someone you know in game to relay a message would also solve the issue.


*note obviously none of this will be enforced by BB, so it's up to us as a community.
If we reach a consensus on the numbers, then it falls on us to use the "bad traders" post.
I'd rather not list Bad Sellers/Buyers in this thread, but if people ask for it I could.

[Mysteriaa]

And people used to be banhammered for mentioning the names of bad traders or lootspot sellers.. how can the community police if there is no possibility to at least embarass anyone?

[timbit]

please leave lootspots alone!!!!!! Yes it is possible to get ripped off but that is a very rare thing here. I find that most settler's players are honourable and fair. And remember if you think the price is too high then don't buy it.

[Dirkjon]

Loot Spots...What are they? How do I buy or sell one?

There seem to be a lot of questions lately in Trade, and in this thread about this subject so I thought I'd post something that we share with new guildies at LoAr that seems to prevent problems.

"What is a "loot spot?"

A loot spot, or "ls", is an open slot on a multiplayer adventure. Typically players who run multiplayer adventures run them alone, (the exception being cooperative adventures which you cannot run alone). Those players then sell, swap, or give away the open slot on their multiplayer adventure.

"I have an extra slot or two open on my adventure and I want to sell, swap or give it away, now what?"

Now your job is to find a player(s) to fill your loot spot. You can sell it in trade by announcing that you have a lootspot and what adventure you're running. You then post a fish in Trade for the price that you are asking and wait for it to sell. Typically a buyer will whisper you after they have bought your lootspot and send you a Friend request (if they aren't already a friend). You then send the buyer an invitation to your adventure. In our guild we usually swap or give away our loot spots, although you are certainly under no obligation to do so if you don't want to and your guild may have a different policy. If you want to swap or give away a loot spot in your guild you simply announce in guild chat that you have a free lootspot on whatever adventure you're running and ask if anyone wants it. In our guild we typically give preference to guildies who need to complete an adventure for guild quests, and then anyone else if nobody needs it for a guild quest. It's also a good idea to let everyone know whether you're ready to finish the advent or whether it's going to be awhile until you're ready to finish the adventure. The reason for doing that is that a player can only be on one loot spot at a time, and if they're on your loot spot waiting for you to finish your adventure then they're burning their premium time which often leads to a great deal of frustration

If you're selling a lootspot be as specific as you can be. Make sure that you are clear as to whether only players with fasts generals can buy it, (fast gen only or FGO), whether you are ready to finish, (rtf), and how long before you're rtf if you're not at the time that you offer your lootspot for sale.

Sometimes real life prevents you from finishing an adventure when you planned on finishing and your loot spot players are left in limbo until you finish. In that case your loot spot player(s) may finish the adventure for you so they're not left hanging. Although they should not do that for at least an hour imho unless you have made prior arrangements with them. Some people will wait longer, some shorter...There is no hard and fast rule. Some people don't mind waiting, some do. Communication both ways is the key in the world of loot spots!

After you send the invite to your adventure make sure that you tell your loot spotter(s) what troops to bring and where you want them to tag. You then wait for them to make their tag and then complete your adventure.

"I got a loot spot, now what?"

Now you send a friend request to the seller if you're not already friends, accept the invite and confirm what the invitor wants you to bring and where they want you to make your attack (the "tag"). People generally assume that you will send a fast general instead of the normal general. If you don't have a fast general make sure that the invitor is ok with that before you accept an invite. Once invites are accepted they cannot be returned. It's important to pay attention to the invitor's instructions as to what to bring and where to tag. Usually you'll be told to bring anywhere from 1 recruit to a few cavalry. If you want to bring more troops so you can get some extra experience make sure that it's ok with the invitor. Pay attention to your landing time and then promptly make your tag. The generally accepted rule, (although some ppl are different) is that you have 1 hour to make your tag after the adventure invite is sent, or the invitor can finish the advent without your tag and without issuing a refund to you. If RL prevents you from making a timely tag, and you haven't otherwise worked something out with the invitor, don't be upset if the advent is finished without you. After you make your tag you should let the invitor know that your tag is good. At that point you're done. DO NOT hit any pop-up buttons that say "return home" or "gather reward" or anything similar. The reason for that is that the invitor may be loading up troops back up for the return trip back to his island. If you hit a "return home" pop up and he hasn't reloaded his troops it will take them longer to get back to his island and he won't be able to send his troops to a new advent as quickly, which is important when someone is on premium time. If you want to return home to your island, use the return home button in the menu beneath your star or the button in the advent window. Again, DO NOT click pop ups in the advent screen if you are a ls! It is perfectly acceptable to locate and click on advent collectibles :-)

One last word on lootspots....Lootspots are generally unregulated by BB. If you buy a lootspot and someone doesn't have one to sell you, you're generally stuck with no recourse. If someone is making a habit of scamming lootspots you may be able to get some relief but don't count on it. If someone isn't finishing their advent on which you purchased a lootspot you have no recourse other than to not buy a lootspot from them in the future. If you sell a lootspot and someone doesn't tag in a timely manner you have no recourse. Lootspots, as fun as they can be, and as much of a part of this game as they are, are basically unregulated. So, communicate, use your common sense and have fun!

[Rath2040]

Loot Spots...What are they? How do I buy or sell one?

There seem to be a lot of questions lately in Trade, and in this thread about this subject so I thought I'd post something that we share with new guildies at LoAr that seems to prevent problems.

"What is a "loot spot?"

A loot spot, or "ls", is an open slot on a multiplayer adventure. Typically players who run multiplayer adventures run them alone, (the exception being cooperative adventures which you cannot run alone). Those players then sell, swap, or give away the open slot on their multiplayer adventure.

"I have an extra slot or two open on my adventure and I want to sell, swap or give it away, now what?"

Now your job is to find a player(s) to fill your loot spot. You can sell it in trade by announcing that you have a lootspot and what adventure you're running. You then post a fish in Trade for the price that you are asking and wait for it to sell. Typically a buyer will whisper you after they have bought your lootspot and send you a Friend request (if they aren't already a friend). You then send the buyer an invitation to your adventure. In our guild we usually swap or give away our loot spots, although you are certainly under no obligation to do so if you don't want to and your guild may have a different policy. If you want to swap or give away a loot spot in your guild you simply announce in guild chat that you have a free lootspot on whatever adventure you're running and ask if anyone wants it. In our guild we typically give preference to guildies who need to complete an adventure for guild quests, and then anyone else if nobody needs it for a guild quest. It's also a good idea to let everyone know whether you're ready to finish the advent or whether it's going to be awhile until you're ready to finish the adventure. The reason for doing that is that a player can only be on one loot spot at a time, and if they're on your loot spot waiting for you to finish your adventure then they're burning their premium time which often leads to a great deal of frustration

If you're selling a lootspot be as specific as you can be. Make sure that you are clear as to whether only players with fasts generals can buy it, (fast gen only or FGO), whether you are ready to finish, (rtf), and how long before you're rtf if you're not at the time that you offer your lootspot for sale.

Sometimes real life prevents you from finishing an adventure when you planned on finishing and your loot spot players are left in limbo until you finish. In that case your loot spot player(s) may finish the adventure for you so they're not left hanging. Although they should not do that for at least an hour imho unless you have made prior arrangements with them. Some people will wait longer, some shorter...There is no hard and fast rule. Some people don't mind waiting, some do. Communication both ways is the key in the world of loot spots!

After you send the invite to your adventure make sure that you tell your loot spotter(s) what troops to bring and where you want them to tag. You then wait for them to make their tag and then complete your adventure.

"I got a loot spot, now what?"

Now you send a friend request to the seller if you're not already friends, accept the invite and confirm what the invitor wants you to bring and where they want you to make your attack (the "tag"). People generally assume that you will send a fast general instead of the normal general. If you don't have a fast general make sure that the invitor is ok with that before you accept an invite. Once invites are accepted they cannot be returned. It's important to pay attention to the invitor's instructions as to what to bring and where to tag. Usually you'll be told to bring anywhere from 1 recruit to a few cavalry. If you want to bring more troops so you can get some extra experience make sure that it's ok with the invitor. Pay attention to your landing time and then promptly make your tag. The generally accepted rule, (although some ppl are different) is that you have 1 hour to make your tag after the adventure invite is sent, or the invitor can finish the advent without your tag and without issuing a refund to you. If RL prevents you from making a timely tag, and you haven't otherwise worked something out with the invitor, don't be upset if the advent is finished without you. After you make your tag you should let the invitor know that your tag is good. At that point you're done. DO NOT hit any pop-up buttons that say "return home" or "gather reward" or anything similar. The reason for that is that the invitor may be loading up troops back up for the return trip back to his island. If you hit a "return home" pop up and he hasn't reloaded his troops it will take them longer to get back to his island and he won't be able to send his troops to a new advent as quickly, which is important when someone is on premium time. If you want to return home to your island, use the return home button in the menu beneath your star or the button in the advent window. Again, DO NOT click pop ups in the advent screen if you are a ls! It is perfectly acceptable to locate and click on advent collectibles :-)

One last word on lootspots....Lootspots are generally unregulated by BB. If you buy a lootspot and someone doesn't have one to sell you, you're generally stuck with no recourse. If someone is making a habit of scamming lootspots you may be able to get some relief but don't count on it. If someone isn't finishing their advent on which you purchased a lootspot you have no recourse other than to not buy a lootspot from them in the future. If you sell a lootspot and someone doesn't tag in a timely manner you have no recourse. Lootspots, as fun as they can be, and as much of a part of this game as they are, are basically unregulated. So, communicate, use your common sense and have fun!

Pretty much sums it up.

[CountDuckula]

"self-policing" works just fine , when the rare occasion happens that somebody gets rolled over, by a deceivious player, i think we handle it well in the chat tabs , too shame that deceivious player , and also make everybody know who that said player is , that being said, there is no need too change anything, setting our own rules is part of what makes this game interisting, so please dont change that!!

[Ornias]

All spots advertised are assumed fast finish unless otherwise noted. It is the responsibility of both parties to disclose any delays beforehand. At this point most people already have a "reputation", be it good or bad. I generally do not like selling to clanless names I have never seen, however I trust them until they do me wrong. I would rather BB spend some time going through the 200 plus pages of suggestions than doing this.

[Wimpy]

I am sure glad that I belong to a guild that only gives LS to members and doesn't sell them. All the complicated rules etc. are not needed. Perhaps we are not as greedy as other players.