@Sfein
What is even worse than what you described are players who do not realize how bad at the game they are and are a constant drain on the partys HP. They lose HP quickly and then have the gall to pick up all the HP capsules when it is fairly obvious that the same capsule would do a heck of a lot more good on another party member who don't lose HP nearly as quickly. When one guy is at full HP and another is at one bar, it becomes fairly obvious who the better player is and thus who should be getting the capsule if the party wants to finish the dungeon without being completely wiped out. Other than that, just kick whoever in your team isn't contributing to fights.

Anyways, here is my tip:

Horrible players should realize they are horrible and stop racing to pick up all the HP capsules and the best vitapods.

I'm also one who hoards capsules. But this is because I only believe in using them in three particular situations:
- I am about to die and the situation is somewhat dire (ie. I'm on fire and WILL die from the fire)
- I am the last one alive and will be one-shot by any attack of the monsters currently spawned
- It is the last depth and I don't have the hp to revive someone

I absolutely hate it when other party members use pills when there are other knights alive and well just to see them be at full health later when hearts drop and thus wasting the hearts. I know there is an argument for heat but I'd much rather have an abundance of pills for if/when things get really bad so that I don't need to revive with CE.

When people leave you for minerals, coins and stuff they most likely think that you are doing well and just want to speedup cleaning the floor. I also hoard the health pills because there is always new people in random parties and you have to prevent them from using every single capsule that drops, this gets really annoying when you are using guns and keep distance to mobs and those guys just get all the pickups and use them like mad. I also find it rather ridiculous than soloing is easier than being in a party.

Malleable and others have the point. I too hate when the weakest party member picks up every health capsule.
To be perfectly honest, it sometimes seems that they DON'T EVEN USE THEM! They just pick the capsule and let it peacefully rest in their inventory.

But I gotta disagree with the "if one party member has full health and other member has only one HP bar left, it's obvious who the better player is...".
Imagine that the full-HP player just stands behind all the time, picking materials and breaking boxes and minerals, while the other player (the one with only one HP bar left) is fighting without help most of the time. Or something similar.

And one more thing I don't quite get: players with low HP not picking hearts and ignoring health pods x_x
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But to add something to the "in game etiquette" topic: there certainly should be some sticky thread regarding this... but well, noobs probably wouldn't read it anyway.

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Also, "...my health is more valuable and that allows me to dish out more of it."
Maybe the other people wouldn't die if they had that one health capsule... The sentence "My health is more valuable blah blah" sounds kinda snobbish, regardless of how it was meant ;)
Health of every GOOD party member is valuable.

I must say I agree with everything discussed so far regarding capsules (or "peelz" as I've often heard them referred to), but my pet hate with group hunting is a simple lack of conversation and interaction between fellow Knights.

The most cherished friends I've made through Spiral Knights are the ones that can hold a conversation, or perhaps inject some much needed humour into the run. Naturally the issue of age is a factor, which isn't to say younger players are completely devoid of social graces, far from it, but unfortunately this seems to be the case for a vast number of random Knights. S'somewhat depressing when the only comments that fellow Knights can field are such things as "nice gear" or "what sword is that", s'much more fun when someone is willing to chat and splat. S'even worse when the exchanges between Knights degenerate into who-knows-how-to-do-this-better-than-the-other-player competitions.

So yes, basically I just love it when people on random runs are there both for the social crack as well as the pixel crack.

I get a little saddened when grouping with people becomes a negative due to the lack of conversation, and simply go solo. But at the same time I then get a little lonely while solo and yearn for the company of a bunch of people banding together to defeat the Clockworks.

S'a vicious circle, but I live in hope !

I think that it is relevant to note that some of the players who 'go down to low health' or die a lot, or even go awol are suffering lag. Lag is a killer on levels, and is very frustrating when it happens. Lag often also means that you get second pick with items; you go over them then someone else does and they get it.

When I get lag, I try to let the group know so they at least know why I'm occasionally running into walls and getting beaten up - and can make allowances for it at times. If it feels like my lag is affecting the groups chances, I leave at a convenient time so they can get a player who is a bit more useful.

.

About dropping capsules before heading to Haven - I totally agree. If users are planning to return to Haven in an elevator, it would be great if they could drop Vitapods and Health capsules first. This means that the others in the group can make use of them. Ever since I saw another player dropping something and asked them how they did it, I try to drop essentials before I leave the group.

That said; it's probable that some players don't know how. I have been playing about a month now, and I only figured it out in the last week or so, along with a few things like how to change Havens etc.

(On PC
To drop potions - click and drag out onto the level, do you want to drop; yes
Change Haven - Click at the top right where it says 'Haven X' and select where to go)

1) Do not health rez or share health capsules with people who keep losing health and dying. Doing so is detrimental to your team. The only way to successfully carry these people is to ensure you have enough health to survive the rest of the level solo if needed.

2) If you are over your head or ineffective for some reason, stay back and let others do the work for you. Give health revives and throw vials when needed. Above all, don't die.

3) While following rule 1, Give someone a health capsule if they are low on health and you have one.

4) While following rule 1, Share health capsules. If you have 2 health capsules and you see a health capsule drop, wait a few seconds before picking it up. Someone else might need it more than you do.

5) Always know what you are doing. Always assume others know what they are doing. Do not try to save anyone. If someone is rushing headlong into a group of 5 alpha wolvers, then I assume they know what they are doing. If someone is leading a group of 7 lumbers down a long hall, I assume they know what they are doing. If someone splits off in a graveyard... well, you get the idea. Many times what seems like people being noobs are really people doing you a service. Trying to save them will only get you hurt and mess up their plans. On the other hand sometimes people are just being noobs. If that's the case then remember rule 1.

6) Try not to hold up the party too much unless you have a good reason to. If the party is moving too fast for your taste, then go solo. (Note: To me, having undergeared party members in the team not a "good reason." Neither is "I'm low on energy and I'll afk until someone adds me to their tab.")

7) If you die and want to be health revived, then wait for a health revive. Please do not say "help me" or "rez pls." We know and do not need the distraction. It is often more beneficial to revive people after clearing the room of enemies and not before. If the room is clear and no one is reviving you, then it either means you need to do better or no one has enough health to revive you. You need to energy revive.

-edit-

8) If you have to afk and want to return to the group later, then let your team know and die first. That way the team can continue on while you are gone.

--edit 2--

9) Always drop your items if you are returning to haven. No, dropping your items on the elevator a split second before it goes down does not count. d=

I hoard capsules, normally forget I have any because I won't use them until the last level of the Tier. I can't stand people who go collect every health capsule they see, then run in and get hit and use it. Next health capsule that drops they grab it and use it again. They just use them all because they blow, it is annoying.

sorry for that.. Could this 1 be removed?

... you won't mind them taking those pills cos they will die more often while you revive them and grab their heat and heal only from heart drop. I only go on serious run with friends. Casual run, I can go alone or with pugs. If they want that pill so bad, go ahead and grab em. I'll live~

Though like in JK run, I do ask them to have etiquette if they want my help for the final showdown especially if I don't have any pills.

For Teir 2, I usually start my own party. Usually, teir 2 is filled with people running around in crappy gear and being owned. T3 im fine joining PUG's.

How about locking parties before kicking the newcomer?

That'd be a gentleman's feat.

My general rules:

-I'll always revive party members, even if they are running around like a baboon and dying. I get more heat. I will try and revive tactfully though. If i'm in a arena I'll usually just fight it on my own for a while until i can either reach a point to revive safely or it's completely done. Then I may give tips to them depending on certain occasions (guild mates, friends, etc.).

I'll pick up the health vial but I'll ask if they need it. I do this because they pay 10 energy to be in that run just like I do and they deserve to play as well. I rather revive them myself and get the heat than have them revive themselves and lose the heat entirely from the run. I actually despise when people revive with CE when I can revive them myself.

-When fighting I try to hit the enemies away from my team mates instead of into them. I can't stand it when people do that to me and I try my best to not do that to them.

-I wait for everyone to get through the gate before messing with the switches. That has to be one of my pet peeves. If you are coming up right behind them and they hit the switch and you just barely missed it and get locked out. I don't carry a gun with me so I hate having to run and get a pot, hit the switch and run back. By that time I could miss out on a lot or a team mate could die.

There are a bunch of others I'll need to find my post I made for my guild and paste it here.

Edit:
Also the people who set oil jellies on fire after I tell them the bad things that could happen... I really really want to reach through the screen and smack you upside the head. Yes, the oil jellies can and will set EVERYTHING on fire. Thanks for not listening.

There is a certain way I do graveyards and I do it flawlessly and successfully every time. Occasionally I get the person that doesn't listen when I say do not fight or touch the phantoms, I'll get them. Nope instead not only do I have all phantoms on me but I have zombies on me as well. So, if I say do NOT attack the phantoms I mean it. Kill the zombies, I've got the phantoms.

@ dancinjen
Good 'rules' you have there.
I especially agree with the "messing with switches" thingy. It also can be annoying as hell when all party members decide to shoot that one switch right now (Open - close - open - close - open - close - op... STOP IT!!)

I also hate it when people just run through the Graveyard level. Much better to just fight through it and die once than to run through and wipe the entire party, because "...but they are hard!" x_x

I'll agree with that Graveyard comment. Shades are a pain, but they're much more easily killed if the party sticks together and gangs up on them, preferably without waking up half the damn zombies first. The other thing I hate with GY levels are people who bail as soon as you arrive. Gee, thanks. Now I get to deal with your Shade anyway, and I'm a player short. Seriously, you've spent the 10 energy, you might as well stick around anyway. You might not get Heat unless we make it to the elevator, but crowns and mats will stay even if we wipe.

And yeah, if your target is between you and I, 90% of the time one of us is in the wrong place. As I'm a gunner, and you probably ran past the mob you're knocking back towards me while I'm trying to kite it, it's probably you. Please don't do that. Particularly it you have gunners or bombers in your party, knocking enemies towards is very unhelpful, and possibly dangerous. I don't mind taking damage if I'm doing something stupid, but it really grinds my gears when I take unnecessary damage because someone else in my group is being an idiot.

@Sturak:

Yes, we get it. It's the internet and everyone is free to behave any way they like without worrying about the consequences. Some of us, however, aren't maladjusted little children and operate according to a "do unto others" principle. Having done my share of PuG's (in this game and several others), I've found that the majority of people tend to hold a similar outlook. Some are more reserved than others, but generally when I show some politeness and consideration I get the same in return. There are quite naturally a number of total jerks and tools around, and you will eventually run into several of them, and because they offend us they tend to stick in the mind more than the regular folk. Skill level has very little to do with it, although they tend to be universally bad team players, I've met some nice folk in SK that nonetheless suck at it, and some total jerkwads that were largely quite competant.

The end result though is that I prefer to carry the nice people who suck to having a jerk in my group. Quite apart from the massive amount of heat I can accumulate from ressing them repeatedly (which is a nice perk, I'll admit), it's far more pleasant to not have to deal with someone being abusive or selfish.

on game ettiquette:

let me preface this rant by saying this- i use graviton bombs in pubs. yes, i know, i must be masochistic or something.

a lot of people don't understand the principle of hitting all the monsters at the same time. i am pretty much guaranteed everyone(9 out of 10) with a levi sword is a noob that doesn't understand basic crowd control concepts.

you actually do a LOT more damage on monsters snared by graviton singularity by attacking them, NOT using your terrible knockback charge attack that does a grand 200 damage.

the best part is when my friend is charging a glacius and some idiot goes and knocks all the monsters out of the vortex and the glacius charge is wasted on empty floor tiles.

i give the person about 5 chances before i kick them. i always say something the first time.

SOME PEOPLE JUST DON'T GET IT. what is so hard to understand?
graviton -> free attacks -> no heart loss

i specifically say please dont use the levi sword charge attk on the vortex. you only hit them once and it destroys any purpose to using the bomb in the first place.

a lot of people get it. heck, one guy i played with used his levi charge attk whenever they were up against walls to get the extra two swings of damage. this worked out so well i started using gravitons exclusively near the walls and we did a flawless run without a SINGLE heart loss all the way down to emberlight between 3 people.

conversely i had some guy decide that ascended calibur 1 swing charge attk outdamages 3 other people using their 4 and 5* weapon charges. he didn't seem to understand that he's being a moron, and had to kick em. sad story.

i think a lot of the problem is people in pub games don't communicate well, if at all. you're expected to know how to play from the start especially when you jump into something like a JP run. something like that shouldnt take much more than 40-45 minutes.

ive had to tell a lot of people what theyre doing wrong or how to get around certain spawns a little easier. most people are able to learn when someone teaches them. but there are still some people that just make you want to /facepalm

About that graviton bomb... I see what you're saying, but you have to look at it from the Levi user's point of view.

Single slashing means walking up to the vortex with a dozen monsters randomly attacking and face a random chance of getting splattered by something, whereas the charge attack comes with a lunge forward and a tremendous knockback so that you hit those dozen monsters (so not really 1 hit hit, by 12x double damage hit! Okay, rarely actually a -dozen- monster, but still, 5 monsters @ double damage) with almost no chance of getting hit in return (though there's still some small risk in the approach with clubs and ranged attacks). Plus I'm going to chose my angle so my knockback sends them away from the gravi user if he's still charging, or towards the next dropped gravi bomb if it's placed already.

If you want to go hang out by the edge of the gravi and risk random smacks, that's your business. If you don't want my charge attack, I can stand back and shoot an alchemer into the crowd instead and hit a few of them instead of all of them.

(Of course, this whole point I'm making only really -matters- in T3 where a random smack does significant damage. Still, I don't want to form bad habits when playing easier tiers.)

well if you're so brash as to use your levi charge despite 3 other people holding far more useful attacks, you are gonna get kicked.

theres a time and place for the levi sword charge. usually its a place and time where the knockback won't ruin your day. aka, not a graviton bomb.

you cant seriously argue that attacking stuff in a graviton bomb is hard, especially with a huge sword like levi sword. you can stand back and swing 4-6 times hitting every monster while still being out of range.. which is a moot point because the graviton interrupts most monster attacks, and your attacking also interrupts monster attacks, so really, you're just being a bad teamplayer by using the charge attack on a graviton bomb.

when i play by myself, i use a cold iron and grav bombs to great effect, so its not that the sword isn't good for the graviton bomb. its pretty fast and does great damage so the normal attacks are what you should use unless you see an angle you can use your charge from where you wont mess up the vortex. i literally cant use the charge when playing by myself (not enough time even with 5* vortex and CTR med/med/med) so i know for a fact that the swords regular attacks are potent when used in combination with the vortex.

theres nothing wrong with switching weapons, either. the leviathan doesn't have to be out for every single spawn. you'll like yourself better if you stop risking heart damage and use your gun a little more instead.

well the trick to not spawn new zombies by stepping on graves is to lead the zombie backwards over graves you've already spawned.

I tell people fight everything back not forwards.

and I LOVE the vortex bomb. In love. in love. in love. It's great with jellies. ;)