Understanding the Rules Regarding Team Damage and Team Kills

[daVinci761st]

UPDATED as of 12/26/2018

I originally wrote up a simple guide to help new players and others understand WG's policies and rules regarding team damage and team kills in World of Warships back in June of 2016. That was around version 0.5.6 and 0.5.7. Since then there have been a number of updates and we are now at version 07.11.1 as of December 5th. Among those changes, back in April of 2018, WG updated their team damage and team kill system and introduced the Anti-Abuse System in update 0.7.4.

I have now updated this guide to understanding the rules regarding team damage and team killing in World of Warships under the current Anti-Abuse system as of the latest version of the game.

 

UNDERSTANDING THE RULES:

TEAM DAMAGE AND TEAM KILLING IN WORLD OF WARSHIPS

 

1. What is team damage?

Team damage, also known as friendly fire, is accrued when you accidentally or intentionally cause damage to a ship on your team by ramming them with your vessel, shooting them with guns, or hitting them with torpedos.

Note: The only World of Warships game mode that "friendly fire" is turned off and you cannot receive a warning or penalty for team damage is in Operation Scenarios.

 

2. So what are the rules regarding damaging and killing teammates?

You can read the newest game and clan rules for World of Warships (WoWs), effective as of November 24, 2018, here: http://legal.na.wargaming.net/en/game-rules-wows/

 

Section 5 states it is against the rules to intentionally damage or destroy friendly ships on your team.

"5. Inappropriate conduct in-game / Fair play principles

The following actions are prohibited in-game:

5.01. Intentionally damaging vehicles belonging to a player on the same team (team damage).

5.02. Intentionally destroying vehicles belonging to a player on the same team (team kill)."

 

First, everyone should check the news & announcements section of the forum as well as the updates section to be privy and stay informed of any changes that WG implements to the how they go about punishing team damage and team killers as well as any changes made to WoWs.

Here is a link to the news & announcements section of the forums: https://forum.worldofwarships.com/forum/261-news-and-announcements/

Here is a link to the section of the forum that lists notes for each update to WoWs: https://forum.worldofwarships.com/forum/133-update-notes/

 

3. What happens when I cause team damage or kill a teammate?

When a player violates the rules and causes team damage or kills a teammate, they will receive a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct. This warning is a notification within the current battle and upon exiting the battle, he or she will also receive a notification. The player name will turn pink. Note, that this is just a warning and a "pink" player is not restricted to playing in any of the battle modes.

However, if, after the first warning, a player continues to violate the rules of fair play and ignores the said warning, the next step of the system is to apply a penalty to the player and his or her name turns orange. The system will prohibit the player from access certain battle modes and be limited to Co-op, Clan Battles, and the Training Room. To return to battles against other players in Random or Ranked, the player will have to take part in several Co-op Battles against bots. The player must still observe the rules of the game and contribute to the battle.

So to recap, if your name is a

WHITE color it means a player has no current violations.

PINK color it means a player has received a warning.

ORANGE color it means a player is under penalty and is restricted from entry to certain types of battles.

Any orange penalty will be "served" in Co-op Battles, where each battle played without violations is one step on the way back to the "white" status. The exact penalty will depend on the number of violations and the frequency of their recurrence. Repeat offenders will "go pink" faster and face an ever increasing penalty for repeated acts of unsportsmanlike conduct. This significantly reduces the chance for all players to be matched in a battle with a "hardcore" offender.

Note: A player's name with an orange penalty status will only appear "pink" to other players.

 

4. But I didn't mean to damage or kill my teammate so why did my name turn pink or orange? The rules state "intentionally" damaging or killing, but DaVinci, you also state that "accidental" damage and team kills are also counted. This appears contrary to what WG states in their rules. Please explain.

Under the current Anti-Abuse system implemented in update 0.7.4 back in April, team damage and team kills are tracked via an automated system. Currently, the system does not and cannot differentiate between what is accidental and what is intentional team damage or team kill. 

 

5. So what exactly is WG's Anti-Abuse System? How does it work? Tell me more.

I suggest reading WG's new release on Battle Discipline which explains how the Anti-Abuse System works. Here is the link: https://worldofwarships.com/en/news/gamestuff/anti-abuse-system/

 

6. What is the damage threshold or how much damage does it take to receive a warning from the Anti-Abuse System.

WG has chosen to not reveal the amount of friendly fire damage that is required to receive a "pink" warning.

Why?

There are pros and cons, but the main reason is so that players that like to troll and grieve other players and intentionally cause team damage and team kill cannot abuse the system by causing team damage to just right at the point they would cross that damage threshold.

 

7. OK; so, I killed a teammate or caused enough damage to receive a warning from the system, how long do I have to have virtual "pink-eye?"

It varies on how often a player causes team damage or team kills another player.

On average, first offenses is approximately three games without causing any further team damage. The more frequently a player causes team damage or kills teammates, the quicker the Anti-Abuse System will warn or penalize them, and the longer the warning and penalty statuses will last for him or her.

 

8. How bad is it that I turned pink and am labeled a team killer? Are all pink players team killers?

First off, take a deep breath and do not panic. It is not the end of the world if you happened to get a case of virtual "pink-eye."

If you play WoWs long enough, especially when you first start using ships that are equipped with torpedos, you are bound to fire your guns or torps and accidentally hit a friendly teammate because you didn't see them or misjudged their path. Accidents happen. Most WoWs players know this. That doesn't mean the player you hit or killed won't be upset, but the best thing to do is just apologize. I had the misfortune of turning pink on a couple of occasions learning to play destroyers (DD) and using torpedos; so, for all you new DD captains (and CV players), be careful firing those torps!

The system is meant to punish habitual offenders.

And NO. Not all pink players are team killers. A player can turn pink and even orange for causing enough team damage and even being AFK (away from their keyboard) and not being active during a match. Again, I encourage you to read WG's official news release explaining the Anti-Abuse System - https://worldofwarships.com/en/news/gamestuff/anti-abuse-system/.

 

9. Can I shoot "pink" teammates in WoWs like the "blue" players in WoTs?

NO.

For those players that have played WoT, I can understand the confusion where you are allowed to kill those teammates in "blue" tanks who have turned said color for team damage and team killing. However, this is not the case in WoWs.  Not everyone who turns blue in WoT and certainly not everyone who turns pink in WoWs is a griever who is TK'ing on purpose. Often it is by accident where the player carelessly fired torps or got tunnel vision hit and sank a friendly.

In other words, don't shoot the pink guys and gals on your team.

 

10. A teammate is blocking, ramming, or shooting me or at another friendly on purpose, am I allowed to defend myself or my teammates and shoot back?

NO. Just let it go. 

If a player on your team decides they want to be a jack hat and start doing things like sailing in front of you on purpose to block or get you to ram them, or intentionally rams you, or just starts blasting away at you from the start of the match with his or her guns and torps or because you are capping a base or cap point and they want all the points or you kill a ship they were firing at, your only recourse is to allow the automated system to do its job. If you retaliate in kind, you will only be penalized for causing damage or killing a teammate and could end up turning "pink" or "orange yourself.

While it sucks to be on the receiving end of any in-game bullying and it will generally ruin your fun for that particular match, it is best to just ignore the player. It is just a game and one match.

 

11.  The automated system is not perfect.

As I have stated, you can turn "pink" or "orange" from unintentional or accidental damage.

If a teammate rams your ship either on purpose or on accident and it results in damage to his or her ship or in the destruction of his or her ship, you will be penalized for it. Of course, they are also penalized for any damage they cause to your ship or if they destroy you.

This may seem unfair, and I agree, but it is what it is. The automated Anti-Abuse system does not differentiate between what is "accidental" and "intentional."

 

To sum up:

1. WoWs uses an automated Anti-Abuse System that tracks team damage and team kills among other fair play rules violations.

2. Players that cross the damage threshold per section 0.5 of the WoWs fair play rules will receive a "pink" warning or an "orange" penalty.

3. Do not try to kill "pink" teammates.

4. If you do not want to receive warning or penalty, practice situational awareness and pay attention to where your shells are going to land as well as the path of your torps.

 

I know not everyone agrees with WG's Anti-Abuse System for WoWs. There is a myriad of opinions on the subject, but hopefully, for those of you new to the game or just didn't know how it worked, this guide has helped you better understand the system and how team damage and team kills are handled..

 

Cheers and happy gaming.

 

[CAPTMUDDXX]

Bravo+1 excellent write up

[LuminousWraith]

Problems with the WoWS TK System: Players can turn into torpedoes at the end of the match to get a boost in credits even if they did very well. This has happened more than once, and can be exploited. Players also can turn into other players who have the current "TK status" and force them to be "pink" for much longer. Affecting moral of that player no matter how well they played, they will still be stuck with TK status even if that would have been the last pink match. While the new system is getting better, it is by no means good. There are currently far too many ways to grief and exploit, that WG probably hasn't thought of.

[iEaTDaGrudge]

Question..when u said Dont ram teammate...How about Pls dont Ram as BB's bcoz we [edited]cant turn fast...how about that do ?

[kerensky914]

Problems with the WoWS TK System: Players can turn into torpedoes at the end of the match to get a boost in credits even if they did very well. This has happened more than once, and can be exploited. Players also can turn into other players who have the current "TK status" and force them to be "pink" for much longer. Affecting moral of that player no matter how well they played, they will still be stuck with TK status even if that would have been the last pink match. While the new system is getting better, it is by no means good. There are currently far too many ways to grief and exploit, that WG probably hasn't thought of.

 

 The problem is, if a friendly is close enough to turn into your torp spread, it should not have been fired in the first place.  Yes, they could intentionally turn into your torps, but they could also do so because they are trying to dodge incoming fire or perhaps overextended themselves and are trying to get back to safety.  Bottom line, you don't shoot a gun if someone is downrange of you, and firing torps is no different.

[LuminousWraith]

No, its people intentionally running into torps. Imagine if you sank 4 ships, 6 fires, 110 hits, 18 torpedo hits, 7 floodings, 4 incapacitates and 2 base captures. Then, you could get your repairs paid for in full by running into someones torps near the end of the match, while not having to worry about repairs for your ship? Since the other person is "responsible" for the torpedoes, and the damage the did, your repairs are covered.

[CAPTMUDDXX]

A team mate damaged by an ally does not get 100% of his damage cost paid by the offender just the cost for repair of damage the offender caused. If it is 1 HP then 100% of that repair cost is what is compensated.

[Landing_Skipper]

Here's a solution to potential the ramming problem:  IF you make a BIG mistake and turn pink, select the best ship to avoid collisions and torp mistakes until you aren't pink anymore.  I screwed the pooch recently with a negligent torp release and sank a teammate.  Playing the Gnevny assured me that (a) I could maneuver out of anyone's way and (b) if I screwed up with 4 km torps I deserved to stay pink.  This also helps with that diabolical end-game turn into the torps trick.  Haven't seen that one myself but after an experience with very tricky friendly fire earlier this week I have no doubt that it happens.

[AspiringCodger]

.

[CAPTMUDDXX]

Yes team mates will exploit the system when on low HP by intercepting torps or ramming an ally until sunk to cause them to get the TK penalty. REPORT Them every time by all means available.

[Fishrokk]

Here's a solution to potential the ramming problem:  IF you make a BIG mistake and turn pink, select the best ship to avoid collisions and torp mistakes until you aren't pink anymore.  I screwed the pooch recently with a negligent torp release and sank a teammate.  Playing the Gnevny assured me that (a) I could maneuver out of anyone's way and (b) if I screwed up with 4 km torps I deserved to stay pink.  This also helps with that diabolical end-game turn into the torps trick.  Haven't seen that one myself but after an experience with very tricky friendly fire earlier this week I have no doubt that it happens.

 

Here's a better solution: Don't count team ramming for TK penalties.

 

1. The mechanic allows people to troll pink players, keeping them pink for no real cost to themselves.
2. Team ramming damage is negligible - it won't ever cause you to go pink, so why should it be used to keep you pink?
3. Some ships can't get away from others.
4. Team ramming is almost always accidental.
5. The penalty is always applied to both players regardless of fault.

 

Including team ramming in the TK penalty system is essentially meaningless. 

 

The only other solution is to reinstate full ramming damage for hitting team mates.  I don't think anybody wants that.

[CAPTMUDDXX]

Team ramming damage will cause a TK penalty for the survivor since the low HP rammer will sink

[Fishrokk]

Yes, you're right - if - one of the ships is already low enough on health to die from the small amount of damage that team ramming does.

 

In over 1,100 games plus however many I had in CBT I can't recall a single game where I've seen a ship die from it.  Anecdotal, I know, but there it is.

 

If it happens, it would almost have to be intentional on the part of the low health player.  Take it away, and you take away a source of griefing.  But even if it's on accident, why penalize with pink for an accident that generally does a lot less damage than a single HE shell?  What purpose is served?

 

Which seems to be what you were saying in the post above my first, right?

[CAPTMUDDXX]

Fishrokk this very thing happened to me a few days ago I was in a BB very badly damaged and close to sinking when an Ally DD t boned me amidships and sank me. He got the TK penalty and was not happy either. I was engaged with enemy ships to my left and had no idea he was running head long towards them from my right

[LuminousWraith]

A team mate damaged by an ally does not get 100% of his damage cost paid by the offender just the cost for repair of damage the offender caused. If it is 1 HP then 100% of that repair cost is what is compensated.

 

That is true, but imagine a Tier VIII Fubuki who did as I had prompted and was at 95% of health, then turned into a full spread of torps? Sure, he dies, but that 95% of health that is lost is on the player who fired the torpedo spread. So, he gets 400,000+ credits for his battle achievements, as well as compensation for the 95% health that was lost to friendly torpedoes. So most of "repairs" are compensated by intentionally running into torpedoes, while enjoying 100% of his rewards from exceptional playing.

Being able to force TK Status on someone, and having them fund your repairs simply because you wanted more credits, to me, isn't right.

[Landing_Skipper]

I just got a TK warning which completely confused me.  After battle, I saw that my Molotov secondaries managed to land 1 shot on the BB that I was protecting from enemy DD.  Bad weather had set in and I sank the DD at about 3 km.  BB was very close to me on the side.  Not sure I even knew the Molotov HAD secondaries and I sure didn't want or try to hurt the BB I was escorting.

 

TK warning resulting from secondaries you cannot control is STUPID.

 

P.S. Did not turn pink - thank goodness.

[Daryl_Coleman]

 

 The problem is, if a friendly is close enough to turn into your torp spread, it should not have been fired in the first place.  Yes, they could intentionally turn into your torps, but they could also do so because they are trying to dodge incoming fire or perhaps overextended themselves and are trying to get back to safety.  Bottom line, you don't shoot a gun if someone is downrange of you, and firing torps is no different.

 

This is, of course, opinion and it is debatable.  Remember, this is battle, not a practice firing range.  It all depends on the situation.

[CAPTMUDDXX]

Just live with it The system works Team damage is going to occur do too much too often and you will get the TK status. Work it off then do no further team damage of any kind since all is avoidable. Continue doing team damage and TKing in >10% of your battles for a data tracking period and you will get a 3 day suspension. It is clear the new system is working since the number of intentional TKs at the start of a match appear to have dropped to near 0 !

[dionkraft]

I just today worked off being assigned PINK and I worked it off by playing 8 games with no FF damage. I have been more carefull about where I aim and proximity of team mates more than before. I think the system is fair as it stands. NOW on another subject I had some player who shot at me twice and caused damage. I did the same but intentionally missed.  But...well..I decided to TEST this system and circled around an rammed him and hull scraped him till he died.  He was a BB and I was a Cruiser so I modulated any speed he could try to get away. He was kinda a human shield of sorts as the enemy ships were hitting him but I was on the SAFE side.  Interesting enough the hull scrapping did not cause any further damage just the one time ram did.  He just kept playing while I messed with his ship steering.  He blew up next to me but did not cause any damage to my almost untouched cruiser. Imagine?

I do know that we are NOT to display the name of the other offender but I have it all on REPLAY.   If I were to turn the replay file in what is the procedure?  Does it matter as WOW does record the FF hits on me.

[daVinci761st]

I just today worked off being assigned PINK and I worked it off by playing 8 games with no FF damage. I have been more carefull about where I aim and proximity of team mates more than before. I think the system is fair as it stands. NOW on another subject I had some player who shot at me twice and caused damage. I did the same but intentionally missed.  But...well..I decided to TEST this system and circled around an rammed him and hull scraped him till he died.  He was a BB and I was a Cruiser so I modulated any speed he could try to get away. He was kinda a human shield of sorts as the enemy ships were hitting him but I was on the SAFE side.  Interesting enough the hull scrapping did not cause any further damage just the one time ram did.  He just kept playing while I messed with his ship steering.  He blew up next to me but did not cause any damage to my almost untouched cruiser. Imagine?

I do know that we are NOT to display the name of the other offender but I have it all on REPLAY.   If I were to turn the replay file in what is the procedure?  Does it matter as WOW does record the FF hits on me.

 

You can turn in the replay with a ticket to WG support to report the player in question without blocking out his name. As you stated, just don't do so in the forum.

 

How do you do you send in a replay to report a player? Click on SUPPORT, and then MY TICKETS. Then click on SUBMIT TICKET and follow the directions from there.

 

Does it matter or should you take the time to report him and send in the replay to WG? IMO, I wouldn't bother taking the time to do so. Why? If you do report said player to WG, more than likely, the response you will get from support is a notice that WoWs uses an automated team damage/team kill system.

 

https://na.wargaming.net/support/kb/articles/307

 

If that BB player keeps doing stuff like that, he will turn pink, and if he keeps doing it, he will receive a 3 day ban and eventually get perma-banned.

 

Also, keep in mind, I know you just wanted to test the waters so to speak and teach the BB player a lesson, but your actions after the BB fired on you are considered griefing or poor gameplay by WG. Again, I realize the BB started things, but it is not wise to retaliate. Sending in the replay to WG actually might get you to receive a warning as "crazy" as that sounds.

[dionkraft]

Thank you for your time to answer this situation. I will do as you suggested NOT to send in the replay but instead temper my actions in regards to my play style and tolerance of other players who do not play within the WOW guidlines as posted here on this forum.  As you said - the program will track and warn players of such caliber and they will get their just due if they continue.  

 

Once again appreciate your advice and I will now follow it to the letter. - Thank you. 

[Glutius_Maximus]

Thank you for this post.It has helped me understand a situation I had today.

I was villified by a teammate earlier today. He called me some nasty names for killing him when he had only hit me with "half a salvo". I had no idea what he was talking about. Watching the replay, I saw myself slowing to allow a ship to pass on my port side so I didn't hit him when I fired at an enemy BB. I also wished to turn to port to present my bow to said enemy BB. As I slowed, a friendly cruiser moved up next to me on my starboard side and fired a salvo of HE at the enemy but hitting my BB instead. His initial damage was not that high but he started two fires that I did not extinguish. I don't usually put the fires out unless I am very low on health or there are many fires. I was unaware this was team damage accruing to the cruiser captain.

 As I said, the initial damage was slight, the cruiser did not turn pink and he apologized for hitting me, "My bad" he said. I'm still unaware that his apology was to me and the fires kept burning until he turned pink and his health bar which was already low started to empty. He then blew up and sank about the same time I shot and sank a destroyer. I guess he thought I had shot him instead because he started calling me names. I was too busy to respond until my own sinking but I had no clue as to why he had blown up until watching the replay and reading your post.

 If I had been aware that it was an accidental team shot that had started the fire, I would have put it out, if I had also known that team damage accrues from fire. I know that now thanks to your post.

While I did not like the players comments about me, I would not have chosen to penalize him for his actions. In the end losing him hurt the team and may have contributed to our loss and my own sinking by enemy destroyers.

[Noobitz]

If a friendly could "turn into torps" and you fired them -- YOU are the idiot. I can't count how many times I have not torped against juicy targets because a friendly could possibly turn into them. And according to stats websites, I torp a lot.

 

It is YOUR responsibility to position your ship and fire torps to avoid team killing. Any time you limit a teammate's ability to maneuver by firing torps nearby, you are possibly killing him even without hitting him by taking away his ability to avoid enemy fire or torpedoes.

 

Use the minimap, look around, use your brain, and don't shoot your allies.

[cuddahemi]

I was aground on a rock, reversed course, and team member rams and kills me, I get the penalty, WHY???????

[dionkraft]

Some had said there is a menu which gives you the amount of games to play in order to work off the Pink Status. Where is that located if any???