*AuthorTopic: Payload Maps  (Read 4200 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Dave

  • Co-Admin
  • *****
  • Posts: 1028
  • Activity:
    0%
  • Country: us
  • Karma: +18/-1
  • Gender: Male
  • There can only be (1)Dave
    • View Profile
Payload Maps
« on: September 06, 2011, 04:23:50 AM »
What I'd like to do is occasionally "promote" a map, which will increase its likelihood of being chosen. The map could be brand new, or it could be a map that doesn't get played often.

Which payload maps would you guys like to see played more often?
-Dave
Co-Admin

Hadden

  • Ex-Server Admin
  • Verified Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 209
  • Activity:
    0%
  • Country: ca
  • Karma: +6/-0
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
Re: Payload Maps
« Reply #1 on: September 06, 2011, 08:25:45 AM »
As long as the map isn't a "server clearer".

Personally, Thundermountain or Hoodoo

Banana

  • Verified Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 3
  • Activity:
    0%
  • Karma: +1/-0
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
Re: Payload Maps
« Reply #2 on: September 06, 2011, 02:47:41 PM »
Who wants hoodoo? I do!

T-Shirt Ninja

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 9
  • Activity:
    0%
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
Re: Payload Maps
« Reply #3 on: September 06, 2011, 03:56:01 PM »
The only maps I generally have a problem with are the PLRs, which I think are really frustrating and end in draws rather too often, or in one team completely destroying the other.

It may not be a great idea to have maps in the rotation that aren't part of TF2 (i.e. ones players would have to download from us) because I almost always immediately disconnect if I have to download a new map. Unfortunately, this is because usually these maps are not very well made (especially since the good ones are recognized by Valve and added as community maps).
However, I think the less-played pl maps would be a great idea to have promoted from time to time so that it's not just badwater and goldrush the whole time.

Bubble Man

  • Verified Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 6
  • Activity:
    0%
  • Country: us
  • Karma: +1/-0
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
Re: Payload Maps
« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2011, 12:23:56 AM »
Thundermountain.  Hoodoo gets played but not enough.

Raptor Jesus

  • Ex-Server Admin
  • Verified Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 14
  • Activity:
    0%
  • Karma: +1/-0
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
Re: Payload Maps
« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2011, 06:23:37 PM »
We need a way to change the listing on the votes, A lot of people just push #4 to get the vote off their screen. More often then not badwater/goldrush/upward. are in the #4 slot, so at times it does get switched up rather frequently but a change from those three would make me happy!

Dave

  • Co-Admin
  • *****
  • Posts: 1028
  • Activity:
    0%
  • Country: us
  • Karma: +18/-1
  • Gender: Male
  • There can only be (1)Dave
    • View Profile
Re: Payload Maps
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2011, 01:11:01 PM »
Currently the #4 option is always a low-risk map, which means it's a map that is almost always guaranteed not to clear out the server. We made it that way because we'd notice that when the first option was, for example, hightower, and it succeeded as the next map, after a map change half the players would leave. We discovered many people were choosing the first option by default, even if they didn't like the map.

We also have weights on map votes. Originally hightower, hoodoo, barnblitz and other maps had a large disadvantage versus goldrush, badwater and upward. Since then, we've been gradually increasing their weights and lowering upward's weight.

As of today every map except upward has roughly the same weight. Essentially, when upward is a map option all the other maps will have a higher chance of being picked.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2011, 02:49:00 PM by Dave »
-Dave
Co-Admin

Raptor Jesus

  • Ex-Server Admin
  • Verified Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 14
  • Activity:
    0%
  • Karma: +1/-0
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
Re: Payload Maps
« Reply #7 on: September 20, 2011, 10:42:02 PM »
I really wish it was easier to fix the server killing maps in the sense that it doesn't kill the server for the time its on that specific map(s). I really think a change in the RTV system could use a little focus, instead of waiting for the map to change, then /rtv'ing it, if 2mins or so after the initial vote that #X of votes go off for an actual "rock the vote". Thus changing the upcoming map, to 1 of the 3 other maps within the rotation. I don't know if this would work or change anything but would it hurt to give it a try? So far whenever we play on Hoodoo/ ThunderMtn, I don't see a notable change in the population of the server. Just a thought!

Plasma

  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 2266
  • Activity:
    0%
  • Country: us
  • Karma: +59/-1
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
    • HyperionGaming.org
Re: Payload Maps
« Reply #8 on: September 21, 2011, 07:45:27 AM »
I really want to emphasize that we know this is a major issue for you guys who love this server and come back every night. We agree, heck we want to play other maps too. There are problems however and we can't just run a standard mapcycle. While changing to hoodoo and thunder is safe in the evening, it will kill the server late at night/morning because our regulars went to sleep and we rely on non-North Americans to join and stay until at least 8-10am PST.

We've tried it many times. The server just slowly dies if it switches to a map that's not as popular as the big 3. But we're not giving up. As Dave said, now all maps have an equal chance to be picked. You're right that a lot of players either don't vote or vote for the first one. We might consider scrambling map choices a little. We might also have different map choices based on time. More map diversity in the evening, a lot less at night.

Just keep in mind we are a small TF2 community started less than 3 months ago. if we pick a wrong map rotation, players will go back to their previous PL favorite servers. But we know we will probably lose players too if they get bored of the map rotation  :)

In order to do that, we really need to know which maps you actually want to play more, and which maps you are tired of playing (Im guessing badwater, goldrush and upwards). I think it's good that we are actually having this discussion. Map rotation is probably one of the most important aspect for a tf2 server.
« Last Edit: September 21, 2011, 10:56:40 AM by Plasma »
Public Group:
--
Private Group:

Cirno

  • Ex-Server Admin
  • Verified Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 400
  • Activity:
    0%
  • Country: us
  • Karma: +5/-0
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
Re: Payload Maps
« Reply #9 on: September 22, 2011, 08:04:59 PM »
What about reducing the spawn time? The most annoying thing about playing maps that are unfamiliar to you is that you'll probably die a lot, since you don't really know where enemy players are going to drop out of, where the spies are going to hide, where you're going to get demo spammed to death, and so on.

Dying on a map that you're learning feels like the map's fault, since you likely don't know what you did wrong, and it's easy to get frustrated and just quit whenever that map comes up instead of sticking with it.

I think that not having to wait as long to get back into the fight will encourage players to stay for maps that they don't like as much, since dying due to the terrain isn't as much of a penalty.