Some suggestions

[Goztow]

Hey all,

 

Some of you may remember me from different places, I was gone for a long time due to real life commitments. My 2nd daughter was born 2 years ago and am making a bit of a carriere at the same time drains a lot of time. I have been playing some Renegade again lately and enjoying it. Rencorner seems to be the only server with real activity up, Jelly is even closing down soon, so I read.

 

First of all I want to congratulate the rencorner community and Volcom specifically for keeping and uniting the Renegade players. Great job on that, it's coll to be able to join a server and still have decent games. Same for TS.

 

I will join the server now and then, if time permits. It's good to be back on Ren. Nevertheless, I must say that the massive modifications of the game are not easy to get around for me. I'm quite a heavy fan of the classic AOW mode, the shotgun on the engee is hard enough to get used to, but there's a lot of other stuff going on. But if it's the prize to pay to keep an active server...

 

I have some suggestions though. Some are small suggestions, others more extensive. I wouldn't want you to look into them for me alone, as I'm completely unsure as to how much I will be playing anyway, but I do think these can be useful or appreciated for a lot of players. If any other community members have opinions on these, then feel free to comment of course!

 

Sorry for the big chunk of text .

 

Some suggestions:

* !disablesounds should disable all sounds, including the "headshot", "double kill", "triple kill", mods joining, ...

* !disablesounds should be made "permanent", meaning it would be remembered even after leaving the game (!enablesounds puts it back on)

* it would be nice to be able to identify the more important chat messages (mostly limited to the player's chat messages, player kills (not vehicle kills) and radio commands). Maybe you could change "new" chat message's color (vehicle kills, promotions, double kill, ...) into light grey so the more important messages stand out more? this could be a command or general

* command for buying vehicles / infantry. It makes games longer and they're already rather long in marathon mode mots of the time. But I can understand it may avoid people leaving because they don't like to play with basic infantry / without tanks. I know that these vehicles and units are already more expensive than they normally are, but I would suggest to also reduce their health and shield by 25 %. This way, loosing the HON / barr and warf / air has more impact on the game

* I noticed there's a sudden death mode (one cannot repair buildings anymore) but it needs votes to be enabled. Could it be auto triggered on some base defense maps like field, under, Mesa, Hourglas (is Hourglass even in the rotation???) after 75 mins, only for base defenses? It could make Under more enjoyable again. It should be announced 10 mins before it happens, then repeated 5 mins, 2 mins, 1 min before it happens. So the base defense could no longer be repaired in this sudden death mode, but all other buildings can. These maps would then effectively become "rush maps" after a long amount of time

* Another option is to have a time limit of 30 mins start after 60 mins of playing on these maps that tend to go on forever. In this case, it would be fair to "reset" the player's points at the 60 min mark, though

 

Then a more elaborated idea: "classic game mode", which can be either triggered or is implemented in the rotation. We all know having more than one server up isn't working on Renegade anymore, but maybe the server could also have a "classic game mode".

 

A bit like Sand has a time limit + infantry only, this classic game mode would:

* have a 30 or 40 min time limit

* no commands to buy weapons or tanks (using the command would give a "sorry, this command is not available on this map in this game mode")

* no shotgun as secundary weapon

* no shells

* only standard crates

* no weapon drops or a "light version" of weapon drops (to be determined)

 

I think veterancy and donating could stay in classic mode, as well as starting credits. I would remove it all but to be fair, I think a lot of players would not like this. I wouldn't like to scare players away due to this game mode. Maybe even shells should stay, if you don't want to change it too radically for the player base.

 

The classic mode could be triggered by a vote (1/3rd to pass?) and/or be standard on some maps in the rotation. It would give more variety and could please some of the old school players that are still around.

 

I might add some more ideas and suggestions later on.

[Mikey]

 

* I noticed there's a sudden death mode (one cannot repair buildings anymore) but it needs votes to be enabled. Could it be auto triggered on some base defense maps like field, under, Mesa, Hourglas (is Hourglass even in the rotation???) after 75 mins, only for base defenses? It could make Under more enjoyable again. It should be announced 10 mins before it happens, then repeated 5 mins, 2 mins, 1 min before it happens. So the base defense could no longer be repaired in this sudden death mode, but all other buildings can. These maps would then effectively become "rush maps" after a long amount of time

 

 

 

 

 

The poll is in place if people want to skip it, no point in forcing it after a time limit if there are some people who still want to play it. 

[Theboy]

I think you need to leave marathon alone. Let it be

[D4rX]

Rencorner is succesful because it's unique in its gameplay... Those suggestions you sum up tend to make this into a Jelly-copy AOW mode which is really not recommended IMO.

 

Especially the sudden death trigger after a big hour, I heavily disagree with, some of the best games last several hours. You can vote every 5 min for sudden death, if people want that, they'd all vote yes for it.

[jks101]

Hey Gozy!

 

I agree with some of your suggestions:

 

activating sudden death after a certain time limit. It's reassuring to know that the map won't last 3-4 hours.

permanent !disablesounds

 

 

As for the rest, I don't know.. Like some others said previously, it'd ruin RenCorner's distinction from other communities 

 

ps we should have a renx night ;p

[pyr0man1c]

I think the classic game mode idea is good; there aren't really any other communities that offer this, and it would add some nice variation- different tactics and strategies would have to be used, and different enjoyable/interesting situations could arise.

[Volcom]

Hey Gozy,

thanjs for the post. I definitely agree with a lot of points. I'll reply at greater length when I'm home from work

[Goztow]

First of all, please do not think I want to impose things I like on any of you, I hope some suggestions can lead to some positive evolutions but if they don't, I will continue to play on and support rencorner of course.

 

 

The poll is in place if people want to skip it, no point in forcing it after a time limit if there are some people who still want to play it. 

While this is true in theory, we do notice that a lot of people just ignore the polls / voting. We saw a nice example on Field this afternoon. Nod had killed agt and warf, Nod had all. A poll was launched a couple of times by GDI to disable base defenses and... it passed! This does show that most people just ignored the voting... why would Nod vote to give itself a disadvantage otherwise? But maybe it could also be turned around: "suddendeath ill arrive in 5 mins: vote no to delay suddendeath with 30 minutes".

 

Rencorner is succesful because it's unique in its gameplay... Those suggestions you sum up tend to make this into a Jelly-copy AOW mode which is really not recommended IMO.

 

Especially the sudden death trigger after a big hour, I heavily disagree with, some of the best games last several hours. You can vote every 5 min for sudden death, if people want that, they'd all vote yes for it.

 

Hey Gozy!

 

I agree with some of your suggestions:

 

activating sudden death after a certain time limit. It's reassuring to know that the map won't last 3-4 hours.

permanent !disablesounds

 

 

As for the rest, I don't know.. Like some others said previously, it'd ruin RenCorner's distinction from other communities 

 

ps we should have a renx night ;p

 

Other communities... which other communities owuld that be? Jelly is completely closing down end of this month. I only see players in rencorner and sometimes a couple in ultra-aow fanmaps.

 

I had a lot of thought on this (I'm in holidays ) and I completely scratched my original idea of having classic aow server. Volcom is right that the current player base is insufficient to fill up more than one server at a time. For me, that's a good reason to offer some variety in that one server.

 

It could be tested at just one map in the rotation, to see how people like or dislike it. It won't last for more than 30 to 40 mins anyway .

 

I don't know if you are also open for map suggestions. I really like the fact you have Snow in the rotation . I'd like to suggest to test:

* Meadow: one of very few base defense fanmaps actually done right

* Bio: Volcano-like, nice looking environment

* BunkersTS: a classic ACK fanmap

* Night0x: I find it quite balanced. Its not too big, inf and tanks and flying and looks good

[StJohn Gumby]

Hey Gozy,

 

Good to see you're still around.

 

I already suggested the possibiliy of having a 30 min AOW server ( in our Admin Section).

 

We often get 30 vs 30 on Marathon so I thought it would be nice if us old traditionalsts had an AOW option.

 

Of course it's up to Volcom to decide. We don't want to dilute the player base, but it would be nice to play some Oldskool games on an unmodded AOW server.

 

Gumby

[ehh]

an aow night would be nuts

 

or perhaps weekend aow

[StJohn Gumby]

an aow night would be nuts

 

or perhaps weekend aow

 

Trist, I'm actually starting to like you.

 

Gumby

 

tbh, I always liked you more than iTaLy anyway.

[shaitan]

Some things we'll never agree on to use, so we just continue on and sweep it under the rug. Welcome to Rencorner!

 

As for the timeframe of some maps, what you guys don't get is !tank/!wep commands were put on the make the maps last longer originally(that plus engy shotties, dragonade, and rxd are Rencorner, it's our "core". We've had a good thing going, even before Jelly started dropping last year, lets not fuck it up). It lasts even longer now that there's more Jelly people around, we used to have 4-6 hour matches tops, now 10 hour when more started coming here.

 

We do have Bio in the rotation, it was the last change-out a month ago. As for BunkersTS, now that one's been awhile: 10-31-2013. If we add it, it'll make Feda happy again, and he'd better play some Ren if so. Country_Meadow we had, and I don't think people liked it much. I don't think we've ever used Night0x here.

 

Having said that, Trojan and I both agree it wouldn't hurt us to give the Jelly guys a day or two out of the week for something they're used to mod-wise. Minus all the core maps being changed/edited. That's how we get new players, not changing those default maps with blockers, etc where people have to have 4.0 to get in.

[jks101]

tbh, I always liked you more than iTaLy anyway.

 

wow im telling

[Joetorp]

I do believe integrating 1 map into the rotation as an AOW map, wouldn't cause too much of a stir.  It would be timed, people leaving due to a different style of play, (unless they truly can't stand "classic" play), I don't think will happen...

[mdogg1108]

Gozy, completely agree with everything you said. I literally feel exactly the same way about everything. But unfortunately, this is the only server left, so I have to bow down to the rencorner gods and play under these rules and mods =[

[Goztow]

I am not talking about country meadow but about meadow. Check it out ;-). It's a fairly little known map.

At its current state, we end up playing under and field for 3 hours and the rush maps for 20 minutes. For people who like to play rush maps a lot, this is a bit frustrating. I 'everehad the chance of playing bio because I wasn't lucky enough to join the server just when it reached the map. Hence I did not know it was even in the rotation. Heck, Volcom even changed the map when under was coming up ;-).

[Goztow]

As I love statistics, could someone check how long the Under_rxd game from yesterday lasted (it must have started around 6 or 7 PM GMT'ish, give or take an hour) and who staid in the game from the start until the end of the map?

[DarkAge]

That game lasted 6 hours and ~ 20 mins.

And no one was there the full time ^^.

[bad2gurlz]

Hi there.

I'm sorry I don't like any of the suggestions, Rencorner is famous for these modifications.

We have 10 hour games full fledged with full players game, I hate to ruin that up.

[Goztow]

The example above shows, though, that not a single player played the complete long game. If players come on the server for these 'epic' long games, then you'd figure they'd stay, no? Maybe you also have some statistics on the maps where games of 3+ hours are played. I figure 70pct or more are field and under. Who here is hugely excited when they start this map on the server?

[Joetorp]

That is the nature of marathon, few people play a whole 6 hour game, the come and go,  I've started games, left to do something and came back to pick up where I left off. 

[D4rX]

Field is the best Renegade map ever made.

[Joetorp]

Personally I find field to be one of the more boring maps.  1 way in to either base, just plain sucks!  The whole battle is just parking your ass in the entrance way and shooting, while the other team doesn't get a chance to come out.  Yeah, you can snipe, but sniping in the tunnel, doesn't help much, imo. 

 

I ain't saying that is what happens each and every time, but I've played that map enough times, that I don't want to play it anymore.

 

At least in under you can get out of the tunnel and make it to the enemy base (there are 2 tunnels in under and 1 in field!) or get up on the hill and shoot.

Joe.

[ehh]

field is horrible

[Goztow]

Field is one of my favourites but not on Marathon. On aow it's a challenging tank war where it matters to get the field and keep it.