Default Spawn Times

[Reipin]

If you are one of the people that likes default spawn times and the way maps play on them, or even if you don't mind them but would play on a server with default times without getting frustrated would you mind dropping your name here? I just want to ask you people a few questions via PM Thanks!

[Hobnail Sneakers]

To be honest, the only time I even notice the default times is when there's a pitched battle for a final point. So, I guess I'd say that I'm fine with them.

[metacide]

The offensive spawn times dont bother me, they're usually fairly quick. The Defensive spawn times tho.. Sometimes I just want to kill that timer.

[Reipin]

You are missing an "e" in theville.org in your sig.

I'm not sure if your post is an "I'm ok with playing ona default timer server" or not

[Plinko]

Allow me to over-intellectualize on this subject for just a second.

I have played on some standard respawn servers recently and to me it's not a matter of preference as much as one of familiarity. Playing standard respawns is OK, but you (and your teammates!) have to be in the right frame of mind for it or else it can be pretty frustrating on defense.

Most classes have to play slightly to totally differently to be successful. Skilled medics are much more useful. Sentry gun/tele/dispenser placements are incredibly important, as is staying alive as an engy!

Playing spy and pyro are much dicier when a wrong move will have you sitting for 15-20 seconds.
Demo, solly and heavy are more important than ever. Roaming far from home can have dire consequences. If you play kamikaze style, you're going to be spending a lot of time sitting, which can be frustrating for you and damaging to your team.

So what I'm saying is, it's at least partly frustrating because we mostly play with fast respawns. So we're mentally geared toward playing with them and frustration sets in when you play standard.

For gameplay, I want standard (or at least split the difference, if that's even possible!) because I think defense is much too easy in fast respawn. But from minute to minute, I find myself frustrated because I am in the frame of mind for fast respawn and dislike spending so much time dead!

[Yahoo!!]

Here is how I see it.

Default spawn times should be decreased, but proportionally to each other.

For example: If I decrease the spawn time for red, then I decrease the spawn time for blue as well, until the spawn time for the offense is nearly instantaneous.

Custom maps however should maintain default spawn times because some maps would not work without it.

[Infusions]

On the average "balanced" map (IE: Not most customs), 8 to 10 seconds for RED and 2 to 3 seconds for BLU. I'm most comfortable with those settings.

I would have to agree with Plinko. While sometimes, default spawn times are needed for BLU to win, it can be very frustrating. Especially when you're an Engineer and you're trying to set up, but BLU team is pushing hard and you repeatedly die, spending almost a whole minute just trying to build/respawning. I think it was Sh!fty who said this:

"Watching the cart roll along towards the last point in spectator while waiting to respawn is the least fun experience I've had."

[Reipin]

The least fun experience I have is DMing on a map that is supposed to have an objective to complete, where the best of teamwork to accomplish said goal is nullified by the infinite sentries and waves of people.

A demo comes in takes out the two or three sentrys and his team follows him mopping up the inept defense that failed, one way or another, to work as a team. They push the cart all of three feet before red respawns... Seriously?

Your team went against another team and you lost, hence you are awaiting respawn. It didn't randomly happen. Blu has to run back from their spawn aided only by the amount of teleporters they have and thusly are penalized by a walking-to-get-back-to-the-action timer. Red respawns and turns the corner.

Reducing respawns according to percentage for both teams does not work either. If one team has a 10 second respawn and the other a 20 and you bring it down to 1 and 2 respectively (yes this is an extreme example) it doesn't make it work the same, as the offense still has the very unalterable (aside from teleporters which then detracts from offense) runback which is a type of respawn.

Regardless, I'm just looking for those of you who would like to play on a default spawn timer server. I didn't want this to turn into a discussion about the benefits of default vs reduced vs instant.

I'm looking to see if there is any interest amongst The Ville population in seeding/setting up a core group of people (as such exists on TV4) who would like to play on a default respawn timer server. If there is a sufficient amount of people, I'd like to discuss with them which maps they would like to see in a rotation on such a server (chosen from stock and custom maps alike).

If said population exists, and maps are chosen, then we can ask graciously ask teh powers that be to perhaps switch a server that gets very little pop to that format to test it out for a couple of weeks.

The key of course is whether or not we have the people willing to play on and seed such a server.

I'm willing to do so and I was just hoping to find out if there are others here that are as well.

Thanks

[Stevo]

I tolerate it sometimes. I prefer faster respawns though.

TV1 is stock timers.

[Plinko]

To make a long story short, I would be interested. I want to think standard would be more teamwork-oriented and I would like to get into that.

Isn't TV1 standard respawn now? You could start there and maybe work on revising the map rotation later.

[Reipin]

I tried that Saturday or Friday night I think.

A few regulars valiantly sat with me through about an hour of 3 on 3 badwater, and we eventually got it up to 8 v 8, but dustbowl killed it.

I'm not a huge fan of stock maps for whatever reason, and I was just thinking the best thing to do would be to have a mix of custom and stock maps (the best of both, hence the consulting with others for their input).

With a rotation in place that the Default-Respawn-Crowd agrees with or finds fun, it would be much easier to seed the server. We wouldn't need the server over-run with regulars, but we would need a base that was willing to sit and play through some smaller pop games until outside people who enjoy the same thing (they exist) find the server and realize how great the community is here TV4 has pub regulars and a pretty constant population at night, and that is what I was hoping we could somehow create with a Default Spawn Timer server

[Stitch]

I'd be in for that. Like Hob said, I only really notice the respawn when defending the last point. Then its all like "daaannnnggg thats a long time "

[itchy]

[quote="Infusions";p="130079"]I think it was Sh!fty who said this:

"Watching the cart roll along towards the last point in spectator while waiting to respawn is the least fun experience I've had."[/quote]

I would argue that spending 20 seconds building an uber, using a demo to destroy three level 3 sentries, dying, then running back to the point only to find they're all back up is equally if not more frustrating. But that's my opinion.

[fruitman]

I would definitely play on a server like this.

[Nick Mame]

It would stink for the first week if I had to adjust to default times. I've become used to the fast spawns and now play like a complete maniac with little worry of repercussions (it's quite effective!). Then I'd get all frustrated when I died and watched the eight living people on my team ignore the point (for twelve seconds) while one medic tries to hold off three enemy ubers alone.

Default is probably better, though. It'd cause more elegant games since suicidal and often silly tactics would be rewarded with a decent amount of time waiting in spectator for the next spawn wave. It'd probably help the in-game community, too, since people would either have to work together or leave the server in frustration. A server like this would probably cause a massive drop in player counts but over time result in a more dedicated and interesting community.


Maybe one decent server with stock times would be interesting. And I don't think TV1 counts. It has the weird combination of running niche maps in tandem with each other. I'm of the belief that Dustbowl and Granary / Badlands are polar opposites: people who enjoy one usually dislike the other. Add to the mix default spawn times (which a lot of the dustbowl crowd are not fond of) and you have one odd rotation.

So let's work on making TV1 have both stock timers and a viable rotation.


Thanks for the work, Reipin - hope it'll bring about another server I'd enjoy playing on.