New “Trolls and Friends” Feature Coming to Home
by Gideon, HSM Team Writer
Legends speak of ancient and irritable creatures that emerged from their under-dwellings and caves to roam the wooded regions of lands long past. Initially, these creatures were content with trampling the local flora and rousing the fauna, but it wasn’t long after they were first sighted by children and young woods-crossed lovers that they found their way into villages and towns. With thick leathery hides and pungent odor in tow, these creatures brought their blight upon any who might cross their path, which had a breadth that could easily snare any innocent passer-by. When the creature found none to bother, it would seek out those who were exhibiting merriment or contentedness with the sole purpose of spreading their ill temperament across the lands. It was this tendency to roam their territory in search of such mischief that earned these creatures the accursed name of Trolls.
As the years went on, it was eventually discovered by those who possessed the bravery to show chivalry and an even temperament to Trolls that the creatures were not magical ancient beings, as much of the lore suggests. They are merely men who, through rigorous trials of social and cultural out-lashing, were contorted and physically disfigured by their own contemptuous jealous rage toward their fellow man. The feelings of inadequacy and shortcoming of an individual would manifest physically within the person, twisting their features to almost unrecognizable proportions.
With the passing of the years, the appearance and development of Trolls weaned and their existence faded into obscurity, eventually being regarded only as myth and folklore. Some say it was the sociological development of man and the prolific accessibility of education and work that kept this physical abnormality at bay. It wasn’t until the late 20th century that civilization once again saw the grotesque resurgence of the Troll form of humanity. Thankfully, the modern malformation of these ancient beasts no longer causes engorgement of the physical chassis of those afflicted. Only mental and emotional hostility becomes heightened, and this new form of Troll found its territory not between the buildings of modern metropolises, but within the virtual spaces of the internet.
From forums to chat rooms, the Trolls of the digital age seek out those who can be riled up and views that can be disjointed and confused. Roaming from one site to another, Trolls spend much of their time overusing internet meme colloquialisms and virtually prodding those who choose to take a stance on any manner of subjects. From religion to movies, no opinion is safe from being ridiculed and belittled by a Troll.
Toll's gotta Troll.
With the release of PlayStation Home it was inevitable that Trolls would eventually find their way into the newly formed digital spaces, ready to stake their claim and continue their tirade of turmoil and turbulence. As it turns out, the virtual representation of physical space sates the ancient urge for Trolls to prowl their territory for unsuspecting and vulnerable victims. The emotes, quick-chat and collision detection found within Home allows the Home Troll to abandon any semblance of the intellectual prowess that is needed to successfully troll textually driven forums. Instead, the Home Troll is able to focus and hone their primordial base instincts of physical intimidation and domination. Most Home explorers, especially those who visit the virtual spaces regularly, are likely all too familiar with the tools the Trolls have at their ready. The running man, the crotch-face (both frontal and rear), the auto-text, the PM-Spam, the Silent-Follow and the Personal-Bubble-Invasion are but a few of the tricks Home Trolls employ to get under the polygonal skin of their victims.
Unfortunately, the earliest of Home Trolls were spotted within the PlayStation Home Closed Beta, so their existence within Home has been one that has required a great deal of patience and tolerance on the part of the average user. After years of complaints and a throng of forum posts about the subject, the developers of Home have finally decided to take action against the Trolls, but in a way that preserves the integrity of Home and doesn’t involve the outright banning of those with the Troll disposition. This new feature will simply offer a defense to those who are plagued by these creatures that thrive on being a nuisance to all those around.
In observance of International Troll Day, it is planned that PlayStation Home will update with a “Trolls & Friends” feature on April 5th, 2012. This feature, designed to allow users to rid themselves of the persistence of Troll annoyance, will enable all users of Home to warn the community of the activity of Trolls and will allow individuals to steer clear of known Trolls. The devices that will be instilled within Home will be done so discretely and elegantly. The feature itself is nestled away within the interface and will never be overtly celebrated or advertised.
One simple button to Trollify annoying n00bs!
The user involvement in the “Trolls & Friends” feature is limited to a single button and a few options within the Menu Pad. The button, which can be found by selecting any other Home user, friend or stranger, simply reads “Set as Troll”. When selected, the individual will be flagged as a Troll to the user. The button, a simple toggle switch, will then read “Set as Friendly”. It is with this button that each user is able to designate anyone as a “Troll” or as a “Friendly”, even those on their XMB Friends List.
From the menu pad, each user is able to select from a couple of options to determine the frequency with which they encounter those they, and other users, have designated as Trolls. The first option is a toggle that prevents users from warping into locations that are being visited by those they have flagged as Trolls, it also prevents their Trolls from warping into them. There is also a slider that allows users to set their level of Troll tolerance while within Home. If a user sets the slider to zero, they will not warp to any space that has any user inhabiting it that has been flagged as a Troll by any member of the community. The higher the slider is set, the higher the tolerance for users that have been designated as a Troll. Unlike the toggle, the slider does not prevent Trolls from arriving at a space after a user has arrived. Also, the slider takes into considerations how many users have designated a user as a troll, whereas the toggle is dependent on the individual’s Troll flagging activities.
The face of a Home Troll...
It is important to note that the aggressive use of these feature can lead to users not being able to visit public spaces whose instances are all occupied by those who are flagged as Trolls. PlayStation Home will make no special provisions to accommodate those who wish not to visit spaces with Trolls. This is one of the features of the “Trolls & Friends” functionality of Home that will need to be balanced by each user.
The last feature on the Menu Pad allows the user to modify who they have flagged as a Troll. Whenever a user is designated as a Troll they are added to the “Troll List” on the menu pad and can easily be removed from the list with a couple button presses. The “Troll List” is only applicable within PlayStation Home and will not affect connectivity within any other game in any way.
As mentioned previously, users can be flagged as a Troll by as many users as they meet. Each time a user is designated as a Troll by another, their Troll Factor increases. This factor is not explicitly accessible to users and users will never be able to know who has labeled them as a Troll. This isn’t to say, however, that the Troll Factor is completely hidden. Even though there is no way for a user to see exactly how many others have designated them as a Troll, PlayStation Home will provide each user with a visual representation of their Troll Factor through their avatar.
Harkening back to the days of yore when a person’s appearance could become distorted by their Troll tendencies and behaviors, PlayStation Home will alter a person’s avatar the greater their Troll Factor becomes. In order for a person to see any physical deformity of their avatar they will have to have been flagged as a Troll by a large number of users. This transformation was chosen to allow users, new and old alike, to be alerted when a user has become known for their socially disruptive behavior within PlayStation Home. The physical change is also to discourage users from behavior which may get them designated as a Troll by those around them. The change in the avatar will not prevent any item of clothing or any accessory from being used, but may affect the fit of sunglasses, hats and hairstyles.
will soon reflect what is festering beneath.
This program is being implemented to discourage Trolling within PlayStation Home and was designed to run independent of Moderation. The “Trolls & Friends” feature will not result in user banning from PlayStation Home or the SEN. Users will still need report violations of the TOS, so that appropriate action can be taken. While the Troll Factor of the individual might come into play when deciding the account’s fate, it will never be the sole factor used. To encourage productive change within individuals, the Troll Factor will decrease over time and, given enough time and good behavior, a user whose appearance has been altered by their Troll Factor could return to normal.
After living with Trolls within PlayStation Home for over three years, users are finally getting tools with which to battle the never-ending onslaught of crude behavior. While these features certainly do not fix the problems that arise in the presence of Trolls, they do allow the average user some control over their environment and will hopefully allow a more socially cohesive and tolerant Home to develop. So put down the torches and pitch forks and take comfort in the fact that there is finally something that users can do to protect themselves against the Troll plague of PlayStation Home.
April 1st, 2012 by Gideon | 3 comments
Gideon is a team writer for HomeStation Magazine and likes cheese in all its forms. Whether it be block, slice, cream, wheel, log, string or aerosol, Gideon cant resist the pungent bitter taste of good cheese. Heck, he'll even take mediocre cheese, as long as its slapped between two pieces of whole wheat bread with a little bit of mustard.
If only Gideon, if only! This is hysterical! April Fools!
You have inspired me to create the “Friends Vs Trolls” Home game. It will be like “X-Wing Vs Tie Fighter”, but without the space battles. It will be “World of Warcraft” without all the role playing. It will be “Words with Friends” without the letters. What an inspiration.
Wooohooo, I can hardly wait!