Let’s get straight to the point: diplomacy should be completely disabled in FFA.
We already have three distinct game types:
-
Team
-
Diplomacy
-
FFA
If players want the option to form alliances during a match, that’s exactly what the Diplomacy mode is for. But if someone queues for FFA, they’re choosing Free-For-All - not “hidden teams until potentially… late game.”
It’s incredibly frustrating to spend an hour playing well, building a strong position, leading in score - only to realize that two players have been unofficially teaming from the start. At that point, you have no real chance. It ruins the competitive integrity of the match.
Yes, some people will argue that even if diplomacy is disabled, players can still “soft team.” That’s true. But the key difference is effectiveness:
-
They wouldn’t be able to heal each other.
-
Area-of-effect god powers would damage their “ally.”
In other words, teaming would be riskier and less powerful - which is exactly how FFA should be.
FFA should mean every player for themselves. If someone wants alliances, there’s already a dedicated mode for that.