As you know, THE CUSTOM SERVER HAS DIED.
And during the time I tried to help seed it yesterday, I found a stacked team, pyro spam on both teams throughout the maps, and switches to LAZYTOWN AND CASTLE.
Cue for gasps.
I was thinking, since the Custom Server is mainly for the community since most pubbers won't go looking for customs to play on, that it should be altered around specifically designed for what we want, rather than what maps the public wants since that's what gains the most off-Ville players. We have 24/7 Dustbowl for that.
At the moment, I'm thinking of keeping the "Fun Nights" to a minimum.
A very, very, very, very low minimum. I mean, I remember I stopped going to TVX when I found that every time I joined during a favorite map of mine, all talk would be on or I would be rocketme!'d all over the place while trying to play. I'm sure there are several of you who stopped coming for that reason as well.
Based on what I've seen from the Custom, Regulars tend to flock to the servers based on:
- People who are on the server (Not just how many, but who's playing too. Some people may not realize how big of an influence they have on the people that stay)
- The map being played.
So while joining Spectator sometimes can help fill the servers, if I see a friend on and go "Hey look who's playing on TVX!" and join and find they're just spectating and then leave when it's full, I feel like it's a big slap in my face. Like I went over to a friend's house and stood out in the pouring rain only to find out they've been away at vacation for the past few days.
And the maps? The maps are such a huge problem. At the moment, we have some really terrible ones that outweigh the good ones. Then there are other maps that are O-K, but need quite a bit of working out on before I would consider wanting to play for real on it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Good Maps:
- Freight
- Desert Fortress
- Observatory
- Fallout
- Hoodoo
- Corporation
The Bad Maps: ((Some of these may already be off the server))
- Cranetop
- Oilfield
- Dogblu
- Cave
- Industrial
- RocknRoll
- Toy Fort Alt
- Science
The O-K Maps:
- Cashworks [I actually like this map at the beginning and after we pass the huge height advantage BLU gets around the middle. I feel like with a bit of work and after a few beta releases, I would really enjoy it. But now that I've played the current version enough and can say what I do and don't like about the map, I don't want it on the mapvote listings]
- Gydan [Personally, I feel like this is a really cluttered map. But it's not bad enough for me to want it to be off the server forever.
- Sawmill [I didn't get a real chance to play on it seriously with balanced teams, but I can say that what I've experienced is a confusing, large map, where people barely have any idea to go, and with some adjustments, would actually make a pretty good map. But if the final version fails, I say remove]
The Neutral Maps: ((Maps that should be voted to stay or be taken off))
- Mach4 [Personally, I wouldn't mind if this map were removed. However, a lot of people do enjoy it, so if a lot of regulars enjoy it, then I say it should stay]
- Boulder [I mean, I'm one of the few people who could play on this map. Lots of people hate it though, so this is really a toss-up to me]
- Broma [I actually LIKE this map. But I'm the only person who likes this map. So again, really up to the popular vote on this map]
- CP_Toy Fort [Many people like this map, others don't, some like it for nostalgia. Me? I don't care either way]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I figured there would be some maps that are just common sense and should stay on the server (Freight, Fallout, etc) and others should be taken off (Science, DogBlu), but there are others I felt should be voted before determining whether or not it has a place on the server. Those are the neutral maps. The O-K maps are maps that I would like to study as new versions get released, but shouldn't be included on the map vote list until a playable version of each of those comes out.
I don't know if this is outdated, but if you wish to make your own list:
This is the current maps that can be voted:
You're also free to add a "Maps I would like to see added" section. I know Ferret has been desperately wanting to see Figer5 on the server.avanti_b1
cp_corporation_b3
cp_broma
cp_dogblu_b3
cp_boulder_v2
pl_hoodoo_b3
cp_desertfortress
ctf_mach4
cp_fallout
cp_pitiful_b1
ctf_citadel_b4
pl_cranetop_b3
cp_industrial_b4
cp_toy_fort_alt
cp_oilfield_v2
cp_observatory_b5
cp_freight
cp_gydan_a2_a
pl_cave_b6
cp_bloodstained
pl_DBheights
So let's see, we've covered people joining... Maps. Oh, one final thing.
Please, we're all smart players here. For the love of everything that is holy, play with some form of grace or wit.
I don't know why people feel it's necessary to have four pyros per team. Just because there were a lot of people on the server and we were playing seriously doesn't mean I didn't want to leave the server tossing my screen against the wall. Rage Quitting is a major factor you have to keep in mind. This is something each individual would have to work on, and since TVX is a server filled mostly by the regulars, I feel that adding this bit of information wouldn't be bad since it might actually make a bit of a difference. Be a bit organized with teams, don't go Demo spam or Pyro spam.
And don't go Scout Rushing if you see the tatic failing THREE TIMES IN A ROW.
This happened to me during Fallout last night and the first round was okay, the second round (Where the scout rush began) we began to lose in quality, and the last two we just got stomped. And it was frustrating.
And when teams are stacked, even if you beat a team twice and it was actually a fair match, CONSIDER switching to the other team. I know I would hate being on a team that constantly loses, no matter how long the rounds last. And if teams are extremely stacked, don't wait 3 or 4 rounds to switch teams, after the second round of being stomped, announce on the chatspeak that you're going to join Spectator to try and even out the teams rather than mysteriously joining Spec and nobody on the other team switches so you can join. It might even help if several people from each team go Spec and then switch over rather than just having one individual try to pick the team up.
I feel like I'm missing ONE FINAL BIT OF INFO.
Oh, that's right.
The actual seeding process.
Now.
This is quite a toss-up. I actually hate doing MELEE ONLY WITH ALL TALK while waiting to seed. Sometimes, the seeding lasts forever and I spend 45 minutes swinging my ubersaw around going DURRRRR.
But there seems to not be much of a choice as to what to do. It's too small to have an actual game, but I know me, along with others, hate doing melee-only. Usually when I go to seed TV1, I end up just talking to the other team or maybe asking someone to help me practice a certain move for a class that I wouldn't be able to perform on bots. Any suggestions on how to approach the seeding process?
I do like the all-talk system we have on TV1, though. If it's not on TVX already, that should probably be installed there too.
"TOO LONG, DIDN'T READ"
1. Don't just Spec when seeding TVX and then leaving. Regulars are going to be playing on this server, most people will leave if they see their friends leaving.
2. The map selection needs to be altered dramatically. Look at section between the -------- borders to see details on the maps.
3. Everyone rage quits. This server isn't going to be filled by pubbers, so people who have read this and continue to join as the fourth sniper should have no excuse for doing such that. I expect conga lines and class spams from random people who don't really know a balanced team, not from people here.
4. Melee only while seeding is both boring and annoying. Suggest something else to do, please.
