Autobalance - can't play with my buddy

[StrikeFear]

The scripts on the TG servers are just phantastic. Kudos to the python master.

However, when I want to team up with my long-time gaming buddy and play together, we have to join up and just hope that we can get on the same team.
This rarely works, so when we play together, we often end up going to external servers - which gives us the chance to earn ribbons as well. But of course, we have to deal with the smacktards.

But hey, at least we get to be in the same squad.

Is there ANY way to work around this issue?
We want to join the same team.
And I don't mind if we get autobalanced, so long as we get autobalanced together.

[asch]

I have already added it to poker's long list of mods. He's been slacking lately, summer and gaming and all. I'll have to find my whip.

[Sgt_BillyRay]

Good Point StrikeFear, I'm in the same boat. Trying to get a few old timer's together to have some "quality" time together and it's hit or miss.

Get the cat 'o ninetails out asch

<S>
SBR

[Pokerface]

Originally Posted by StrikeFear

The scripts on the TG servers are just phantastic. Kudos to the python master.

However, when I want to team up with my long-time gaming buddy and play together, we have to join up and just hope that we can get on the same team.
This rarely works, so when we play together, we often end up going to external servers - which gives us the chance to earn ribbons as well. But of course, we have to deal with the smacktards.

But hey, at least we get to be in the same squad.

Is there ANY way to work around this issue?
We want to join the same team.
And I don't mind if we get autobalanced, so long as we get autobalanced together.

Yes and no.

Any server running any flavor of autobalance will give you these fits, depending on the number of players on either team and when someone dies (or whatever the trigger for autobalancing happens to be).

Over the weekend I tinkered on my PocketPC while out and about and coded a tweak to allow the same dynamic resizing that happens in the game on the Killed event (IE, more players allows for a larger difference in teams) to the Connect event as well. This wouldn't protect you and your buddy in any way, nor would it guarantee the same team on connection, but it'd make it possible at least, for two people joining the server consectutively to MAYBE end up on the same side of the map.

(NB: I coded the tweak. It is not tested nor implemented on any server.)

[MileHighAko]

It is an interesting idea to take the smallest squad and auto-balance the entire squad, keeping the squad intact. Not sure if it is possible. I would say that 99% of the times I have been autobalanced it has been from USMC to MEC. So even if moving an entire squad (a small one) created a disbalance between the teams, I think MEC should have the people advantage anyway.

[Pokerface]

Originally Posted by MileHighAko

It is an interesting idea to take the smallest squad and auto-balance the entire squad, keeping the squad intact. Not sure if it is possible. I would say that 99% of the times I have been autobalanced it has been from USMC to MEC. So even if moving an entire squad (a small one) created a disbalance between the teams, I think MEC should have the people advantage anyway.

Interesting, but impractical, I think. A "small squad" might have four people on it, and/or might be performing an ueber-task of some kind.

And when would they be switched? The moment the teams became uneven? Can you imagine how disorienting that would be; to be autobalanced while alive and on the battlefiled?

[Trooper]

just a thought is there ne way to do an auto-squad...the script picks the squad and puts you in it...wouldnt that cut down on people not being in squads also...

[Pokerface]

Originally Posted by Trooper[SNPR]

just a thought is there ne way to do an auto-squad...the script picks the squad and puts you in it...wouldnt that cut down on people not being in squads also...

Probably, but I kind of like the present system. It allows the latitude to choose your own squad, and getting booted is a quick reminder that you forgot.

[Rincewind]

I agree with the above comment

[Trooper]

yah i like that system too....i was just brain storming

[Telorn]

A main problem we have right now with autoblance is the way BF2 has people join the game. Every time a person joins the server, they are placed on the USMC side, period. If the sides aren't close to even, based on the autobalance, then you are moved (though I find this not happening all the time. This woudl then cause anyone who just dies to be switched).

This is what is causing our main problem. New people constantly join the server and flood the USMC side, causing people who shortly thereafter die, be moved to the MEC side. Plus, all the time I am seeing the US side with a player advantage because the server places them on that side. I think it would be a bad mistake to increase the amount of player difference allowed on both sides because of this. The USMC will always have a greater amount of players when the server is not full.

Is there a way to stop everyone from automatically being placed on the US side and instead have them placed on the side that needs the help from the moment they join the server?

Ideally, I believe the autobalance should be based off of who has been on the server the least amount of time, not the next person to die. The server would tag this 'least amount of time' person to be auto balanced the next time they die. If the sides even, by new people joining or individuals moving, by the time this tagged individual dies, then they are left alone.

This will keep the people who have been playing on the same squad for 2 hours and are well organized from being split up. I'll tell you, nothing bursts my bubble more than to be auto balanced from Tarpan's squad

And for some odd reason, at the beginning of a map, the US side always gets a huge amount of players over the MEC side...I don't know why this is. But say on the last map it was even at 20 vs 20. Well once the new map loads it is 25 vs 15 or so. This issue many times, causes me to hold off on spawning in my squad because I don't want to be auto-balanced if I die before this weird influx of players on the US side is kicked over to the MEC.

[Pokerface]

Originally Posted by Telorn

A main problem we have right now with autoblance is the way BF2 has people join the game. Every time a person joins the server, they are placed on the USMC side, period. If the sides aren't close to even, based on the autobalance, then you are moved (though I find this not happening all the time. This woudl then cause anyone who just dies to be switched).

This is what is causing our main problem. New people constantly join the server and flood the USMC side, causing people who shortly thereafter die, be moved to the MEC side. Plus, all the time I am seeing the US side with a player advantage because the server places them on that side. I think it would be a bad mistake to increase the amount of player difference allowed on both sides because of this. The USMC will always have a greater amount of players when the server is not full.

Is there a way to stop everyone from automatically being placed on the US side and instead have them placed on the side that needs the help from the moment they join the server?

Ideally, I believe the autobalance should be based off of who has been on the server the least amount of time, not the next person to die. The server would tag this 'least amount of time' person to be auto balanced the next time they die. If the sides even, by new people joining or individuals moving, by the time this tagged individual dies, then they are left alone.

This will keep the people who have been playing on the same squad for 2 hours and are well organized from being split up. I'll tell you, nothing bursts my bubble more than to be auto balanced from Tarpan's squad

And for some odd reason, at the beginning of a map, the US side always gets a huge amount of players over the MEC side...I don't know why this is. But say on the last map it was even at 20 vs 20. Well once the new map loads it is 25 vs 15 or so. This issue many times, causes me to hold off on spawning in my squad because I don't want to be auto-balanced if I die before this weird influx of players on the US side is kicked over to the MEC.

Believe it or not, there's actually an autobalance procedure that runs on PlayerConnect. I don't grasp why it isn't working as advertised, but it seems never to have been working correctly. The logic is sound, at least.

The default connect though (the "else" part of the clause) puts the player on the Marines. I'll swap it so it puts them on the OpFor side; let's see how that goes.

[Telorn]

Originally Posted by Pokerface

Believe it or not, there's actually an autobalance procedure that runs on PlayerConnect. I don't grasp why it isn't working as advertised, but it seems never to have been working correctly. The logic is sound, at least.

The default connect though (the "else" part of the clause) puts the player on the Marines. I'll swap it so it puts them on the OpFor side; let's see how that goes.

I bet that would help things alot to make the default the OpFor. Thanks! They are always under the player count of the US side when servers aren't full. Also, read the second half of my post. I edited it with more thoughts

[Pokerface]

Originally Posted by Telorn

Ideally, I believe the autobalance should be based off of who has been on the server the least amount of time, not the next person to die. The server would tag this 'least amount of time' person to be auto balanced the next time they die. If the sides even, by new people joining or individuals moving, by the time this tagged individual dies, then they are left alone.

This will keep the people who have been playing on the same squad for 2 hours and are well organized from being split up. I'll tell you, nothing bursts my bubble more than to be auto balanced from Tarpan's squad

I can't say as I agree. Being autoswitched while alive would be hell on that least-amount-of-time player (who, if people only dropped for a few minutes, would be jumping back and forth like mad).

And for some odd reason, at the beginning of a map, the US side always gets a huge amount of players over the MEC side...I don't know why this is. But say on the last map it was even at 20 vs 20. Well once the new map loads it is 25 vs 15 or so. This issue many times, causes me to hold off on spawning in my squad because I don't want to be auto-balanced if I die before this weird influx of players on the US side is kicked over to the MEC.

This is PROBABLY due to that PlayerConnect default I was mentioning. PROBABLY.

[Trooper]

in other games you can pick what team you are on in your profile section, like in the BFHQ if you could pick your team/kit/weapon and that would be your default then the game would have no choice but you stick you on that side to begin with.

and i think just from my experience in the game, the USMC is better equiped, and they should just start the MEC as the defualt..