Re: Ranked Server? Frank Discussion.

**Acid** · 08-01-2006, 09:19 PM

Me too NorCal. I usually have the afternoon to myself (12:00-6:00), and I get on the TG server as soon as I see people on it, even if it's only one person.

**NorCalRoach** · 08-01-2006, 09:20 PM

Originally Posted by Tempus

...And here is what you would see on a ranked server here:

-- Not everyone on a squad. We cannot install the squadless kick. EA has also said that kicking players for not being in a squad is not something they support.
-- No automatic reserved slots, and the admins would have a full-time job just making spots for the SMs.
-- No server mods. Forget DGM -- bombers and attack helos galore, no bleed on all maps when you have more CPs, etc.
-- No Inishail forest, or other custom maps.
-- Statwhores, fragmonkeys, retards, etc.

We all want to play on a full server, but we all need to do our part...

Thanks Tempus those are some definitively convicing arguements about problems with ranked servers and shed a lot light on this issue. I guess I'm somewhat naive to how much work admins really have to do when it comes to admin'ing our server.

**WhiskeySix** · 08-01-2006, 09:39 PM

I agree w/ everyone in this thread...

...Norcal, at your assertion that server 1 is "dying" and Mateo, your reasons why there's just no way server1 should be ranked.

Sadly, at the times I can get on mid-week (usually well after 11pm EDT), server1's usually dead or dying (dying == less than 10 vs 10)... the last few weeks, I've found myself putting in more hours on public ranked servers (see TS Pub Raid channel description) than on our own. There I can use the vehicles guilt-free on a full map, and can play with new toys (unlocks picked off victims)... and if there's a handfull of other TGer's in my squad on the pub, then I'm not dealing with "Statwhores, fragmonkeys, retards, etc"

I think it's all inevitable... It's not a yearly 'cycle' (When the population was getting low a few months back, it was "wait until people get out of school". Now the summer's contributing to the decline.) It's more just a simple fact that that game's been out for about a year now, and people just got burnt out on it playing night after night after night. That combined w/ the fact that there's just more options now (GRAW, COD, RO, etc.) ...

Anyway - see you on the battlefield!!

**IRS_Agent** · 08-01-2006, 09:44 PM

Originally Posted by Tempus

Great points Drizzid.

If I may post some comments..

Everyone keeps saying they won't join the server until they see 30 or more players. This is part of the problem. If everyone who said that actually would join the server when there were fewer players, the population would grow!

Exactly, we need to try and make time for BF2 (I realize how stupid that sounds). If we really want to recreate the "golden days" from when I first began playing BF2 on server 1 at the start of this year, we have to try and get on the server almost every night in primetime, we have to start just playing whether it's this night or that night, we just need to get on the server starting as early as 7pm EST. I think if we start to get on the server EVERY night we will soon find that it becomes a community habit to hop on the server during primetime. We also need to maybe have a day where we take a LARGE amount of veteran players split them up into groups of three or so, and all go on popular servers (and we have to activly recruit, even if the said recruit may not totally be TG material yet, we can mold players to become as dedicated as any in-house squad members are). IMO, we need to drop the boosters back to a schduled basis (I believe it used to be Saturday and another night), but that's just may opinion and I respect whatever the admin team chooses to do regarding the boosters. Ranking while keeping everything we, as a non-ranked have, would be a dream come true, but from playing this game for almost a year now, I see that it is almost impossible for the status of being a ranked server and the wonderful gameplay that comes from intense teamwork and tactics to peacefully coexsist on a single server (which has made EA's "teamwork" attempts in it's patches almost comical, considering the fact that ranked servers are an almost inhospitable environment for teamplay). No, ranking won't solve our server population problems short of destroying everything that has kept this game engaging for such a long period of time (it brought me to TG, and even though I have branched out into TGs other servers, I will always regard BF2 as my favorite [barring the fact that armed assualt will be coming out in the near future]). Ranking, to me, is like slash and burn agriculture for TG, it will get us amazing short term results, but in the end, our core players, I fear, will simply leave TG if it becomes just another fish in the ranked server sea. So I think we need to get the server population up the hard way, not by bringing more people to TG, but instead by bringing TG to the people.

Just what I think.

PS- Loving this discussion.

**perry** · 08-01-2006, 09:46 PM

I think Tempus' post pretty much points out why a ranked server would be so hard to stomach. Hell, the reserved slots alone are enough to make me so no way... both as an admin and as a player.

The fact that people go pubraid and still come back to TG is testimony for the quality of play we have here. "So and so is good, but...." We all need to do a better job of attracting new players to our community and keeping them around.. Rick is still the new guy and he's been here for four months!

**JMJ** · 08-01-2006, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by NorCalRoach

Thanks Tempus those are some definitively convicing arguements about problems with ranked servers and shed a lot light on this issue. I guess I'm somewhat naive to how much work admins really have to do when it comes to admin'ing our server.

Sometimes not a lot, sometimes a LOT. When the server was in full swing we'd have 2 admins on pretty much at all times (maybe more) and we'd keep busy. Warnings, kicks, bans, selecting maps and map sizes, contacting people for "poor" play outside of the game, kicking non-SM's to make room for SM's, you name it. It's a job that takes effort, and on top of that people no longer like you

I couldn't imagine having to monitor whether or not people were in squads, going back to removing people for SM's, kicking or banning 10 people a game in a game that's only 300 tickets, etc. That's another thing, we couldn't run the longer games that we run here at TG. Just when things would start to get good, the round would be over.

I too think it would bring the population back up, but either way it's a lose-lose situation. Not ranked, lower population. Ranked, read above.

**experiment626** · 08-01-2006, 11:48 PM

Originally Posted by Drizzid

This is actually what I was referencing about the pub raids

http://www.tacticalgamer.com/battlef...ht-7-24-a.html

I know you guys have started playing other games and have gotten your wives involved which I think is totally cool. But the first thing I thought of when I read this AAR is "Too bad it was at the expense of server 1 population" and I know the low population isn't all the 33rds fault but you guys would like to think so

Ooops...my bad, I thought the world really did revolve around the 33rd....it does...doesn't it? Guys??? Doesn't it?!?!?!

**experiment626** · 08-01-2006, 11:50 PM

Reposted here:

I never had it fully explained to me why it was not ranked in the first place.
I play on TG exclusivly, i think i've pub raided all of twice in my BF2 lifetime. The only reason I play BF 2 at all is to play with the 33rd and it is disapointing to only have 20 people on the server. Don't get me wrong, 2 or 3 of the 33rd rocks, but the game just isn't fun for me unless there are 63-64 people online.
My supporting membership is up next month, and I will not be renewing it (so don't have any Experiment fund raisers, I don't need them ) I originally got the supporting membership to be able to play on TG server without getting booted by all the SMs. I had fun and it was money well spent, but it does not make finacial sense for me to fund another year when I play maybe 2 hours a week, and I never have any problem getting in on prime time Friday's...hell I do not remember the last time we even had a full server! If the 33rd feels(or admin, like in DV's case) that I need to be a supporting member to still be in the 33rd, I understand and will relinquish my position. I would like to continue with you guys as you are the sole enjoyment I have playing CIV 4 and BF2 with! (The wife is just not a challenge anymore LOL, I need Bane to give me a run for my money).
Now, if 2142 is even half as good as I think it will be, and TG can work out the whole weapons unlock ranked server issue...I will most likely be back as a supporting member. But i cannot justify to the wife and family paying for another year for something that I agree is on it's last legs. There's my 2 cents.

**Lucky Shot** · 08-02-2006, 12:21 AM

Tempus last point is a great one...

Originally Posted by Tempus

We can also do more recruiting (we do almost none now).

We had a couple people who were members of other forums who would tag onto threads complaining about the lack of teamwork on servers. They would just add on that our servers were worth trying. It was effective as it brought in quite a few players at the time.

Lucky Shot

**wildcat2000** · 08-02-2006, 12:45 AM

Go to www.game-monitor.com and there you can see the ranking for any server as well as the daily and monthly activity. Just search by IP address.

**Kilrogg** · 08-02-2006, 12:48 AM

Not worth ranking when BF2 has only a few months left to live before 2142 is released (October 10th)

**Wimpinator** · 08-02-2006, 12:51 AM

Originally Posted by Lucky Shot

Tempus last point is a great one...

We had a couple people who were members of other forums who would tag onto threads complaining about the lack of teamwork on servers. They would just add on that our servers were worth trying if . It was effective as it brought in quite a few players at the time.

Lucky Shot

This is exactly how I found TG. Someone had mentioned it in the BF2s forums (I have no idea who it was but imaginary + rep to you). I ran a google searcha nd you have been stuck with me since then.

This was a roundabout way of saying that Lucky's method definately has merit.

**DigitalAssassin** · 08-02-2006, 01:36 AM

I remember the good 'ole days when the BF2 admins didn't get to play because the server was so full they were constantly bumping to make slots for SMs. I wouldn't wish that chore on anyone.

The admins are paying members just like the rest of us and they gave up the enjoyment of enjoying the game to the fullest in those early days right after release in order to enforce the TG style of play and keep it intact.

I'm like Bommando. The last few months have seen a marked decrease in my playing time due to RL commitments but I haven't thought for a second about ending my SM.

It isn't about BF2, or any specific game for that matter, it's about the TG vision, and I want to make sure it never fades into the sunset. So what if I have a season where I'm not taking advantage of all of the benefits of being an SM? To be honest, I'd be an SM whether there were additional perks or not. For me, in the end, it's about supporting the best gaming community I've ever been a part of.

**sordavie** · 08-02-2006, 02:30 AM

We need a better recruitment effort.

**UnDeaD** · 08-02-2006, 02:37 AM

I've told pleanty of people, but they just don't want to leave their unlocks behind.

As a bf2 admin myself, having to kick people off the server that are not in a squad is seriously a pain in the ass. It really is. 2 warnings then a kick. Now mutiply that by about 4 or 5 people, havng to do that to. It's really hard to concentrate on the game.

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