Microsoft: 'No more cheats or jerks' online for Xbox One

[Half Monk 697]

One of the most interesting things about Microsoft's plans for the Xbox One console is its player reputation system, where Xbox Live users will be rated according to their online game sportsmanship. Today, Microsoft's Xbox Live program manager Micheal Dunn offered up some more information on how this new system will work.

 

In a post on the Xbox Wire website, Dunn says that Microsoft will get direct feedback from players to rate others with this new system, such as when someone decides to mute a player while in an online match or block them from playing entirely. Dunn states, "The new model will take all of the feedback from a player’s online flow, put it in the system with a crazy algorithm we created and validated with an MSR PhD to make sure things are fair for everyone."

 

 

This special algorithm will take into account information about a player that normally plays well with others online but still manages to get a few bad feedback reports a month. According to Dunn:

The algorithm weighs the data collected so if a dozen people suddenly reporting a single user, the system will look at a variety of factors before docking their reputation. We’ll verify if those people actually played in an online game with the person reported – if not, all of those player’s feedback won’t matter as much as a single person who spent 15 minutes playing with the reported person. The system also looks at the reputation of the person reporting and the alleged offender, frequency of reports from a single user and a number of other factors.

The final result will be that every player will get a reputation score based on color. If you get a "green" score, it means that you have a good reputation, while a "yellow" color means you may need some sportsmanship improvements. A "red" score means that you are considered to be bad to play with. Dunn says that many alerts will be given to Xbox One online players before they are hit with the "Red-Avoid Me" reputation level.

 

Dunn says this system has been set up to make sure people who "don't want to play with cheats or jerks" should not have to do so when gaming online with their Xbox One console. He added that Microsoft will refine the system as it progresses and more bad consequences will be added to the people who get the virtual "Red" card.