„Just Kicked a Guy and I Will Do It Again.” Helldivers 2 Devs and Players Want Changes to Kick System
Helldivers 2 needs a well-thought-out and refined option for kicking out players. The developers know that the system isn't perfect and needs changes.
Even without a competitive mode, players can beat themselves up. The devs from Arrowhead studio are finding out about this as they attempt to handle the epidemic of "hosts" expelling allies from the Helldivers 2 matches for trivial reasons.
Johan Pilestedt didn't mince his words when commenting on the example of such behavior mentioned on X. However, the CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios acknowledged that it is a challenging problem to address.
Indeed, kicking out other players without reason can be a minor plague in online games. While the problem with cheaters is a "technical" issue, meaning to be solved at the software level (effective detection of "helpful" applications), it's difficult to require the game to distinguish between malicious "kicks" and justified ones.
Helldivers 2 and brainstorming about kicks
Apparently, this problem occurred in Helldivers 2, undermining the forces of Democracy. The Arrowhead Game Studios team already had some ideas, but Pilestedt also asked for community support. In a thread on X, fans shared their ideas, and the developer assured that he would forward these comments to the team for consideration.
Suggestions to limit this practice, which were favored by the studio CEO, included the option to block players who recently kicked a player from the game, as well as matchmaking filters. These options would let you decide if the user is seeking relaxed gameplay for enjoyment or a more intense, "hardcore" experience with seasoned players who don't dabble in experimenting with equipment or strategies.
As Pilestedt highlights, this solution is appealing because it "addresses the issue before it even arises." Most likely, neither this nor other fans' suggestions (such as imposing penalties on people who frequently kick allies out of the game) will completely solve the issue of unfair "kicks," but they would at least reduce its extent.
"Just kicked a guy and I will do it again"
Of course, the "kicking" option itself is absolutely necessary. Just like in any game, there are players in Helldivers 2 who are willing to waste their own time for the sole purpose of wasting others' time.
That's why the majority of internet users don't recommend getting rid of the option for the "host" to kick out and replacing it with a voting system. This last one is such a bad idea because "trolls" sometimes involve their friends in the "game," which in practice would make it impossible to kick out malicious players in four-person teams.
A lot of discussion was sparked by the story of one of the Reddit users in a thread with a telling title: "Just Kicked A Guy At Extraction And I Will Do It Again."
- User HelldiverLotu was helping the team with new players when suddenly the game informed them that they had "one minute" left. It turned out that one of the allies, who was definitely not a beginner (at least level 25), requested the team to be taken off the planet while three of its members were on the opposite side of the map.
- After numerous comments, the author of the thread clarified that before he "kicked out" the ally, he informed him (in no uncertain terms) about the reason for this decision. HelldiverLotu had no issue with the player acting independently or with the transport request. However, this "lone wolf" didn't inform the team about his intentions and it can be assumed that he wanted to leave the planet alone.
- The Reddit user also added that the player was informed about the team's desire to complete the mission 100%. He also didn't have any samples with him.
Kicked out problem
HelldiverLotu's post sparked a lively debate, with some participants sharing their own experiences. Some users mentioned similar stories or instances of the opposite practice: "hosts" kicking out players without reason. For example, for not using the stratagem... during an ion storm, which blocks this type of support. Not to mention the people who were "kicked out" immediately upon joining the mission.
These and other accounts validate the need for adjustments to the "kick" system, while also emphasizing its necessity within the game. Arrowhead studio has another hard nut to crack, after new problems with servers (which is not surprising; via Discord / SteamDB) and confusion about balance changes in Helldivers 2.
