TG-3rd and Community. AKA "Why We Lock Squads"

[Vortex421]

Originally Posted by Uranium - 235

The stack occurs like this, as I said in like, my FIRST POST IN THIS THREAD. People on the losing team start to try to join the winning team. When the people start leaving, the losing team gets worse, and they start to quit. Pretty soon, the losing team is getting and losing players every 15 seconds, while the winning team is staying in solid teams, which now compromises the spirit of the game.

Now, this may just be me, and if so I state it here and now, but I disagree with the remark. If I'm on the losing team, I'm going to work every bit as hard to help turn it around for my team. I played last night (didn't play tonight because I have a killer toothache that has left the right side of my face a bit aching) and we lost three of the four rounds I participated in. Yet each time, instead of trying to switch over to the better team, I stayed in and the squads I formed fought it out. Many others stayed with me - heck, I kept three squad members from my squad all four rounds.

No two teams are ever the same in back to back nights. No two teams are ever the same, for that matter, in back to back rounds. Teams change. The composition and makeup of the players changes. They come and they go. Yes, some may choose to go where the winning is, but it does not guarantee that they will do any better or worse the next round.

[Arithea]

I understand your point, Uranium. However, there is only so much we can do. The admin team is very good about pushing the random button periodically if things are getting too imbalanced, and we do our best when it comes to spreading ourselves out across the teams.

I'm sorry the experiences you've had playing with or against the 3rd haven't been as good as they could've been. Most of the squads I run during the afternoons are non-3rd squads, as many of our members aren't in game yet; you're more than welcome to join me sometime. You can generally find me on the losing side.

[Eroak]

Originally Posted by Uranium - 235

Perhaps, but I've seen, and I know everyone here has seen the landslide abandonment scenario that I described above. So when this happens, people DO leave in droves. They may come back later when the teams are more even, but there's still people leaving rapidly.

We are a ranked server. This is going to happen no matter what. Half the server or more are pubbies that don't supprt TG or even know we are what we are. When the server crashes, We refill faster then most other servers and most never refill at all. People are always going to come and go as we are ranked. We know this as admins and we are forced to accept this so long as we chose to remain ranked.

Uranium, If we start losing TG and supporting players because of imbalance issues from a single source, Then I need to know about it. But at this time there is no clear evidence that any IHS is causing a inbalance. I asure you I'll listen to any concerns. But for action to be taken, We need to see it and I haven't seen that yet patorling my own server.

[Zhohar]

How would I describe TG with regards to team stacking?
As Aristotle said about himself: "To do without being commanded what others do from fear of the laws."

Admins don't resolve many team imbalance issues on TG. The players themselves do so over TeamSpeak. I speak out of experience on the TG server, something that I do not see in your arguments.

Just last night Uranium, when you were in my squad, myself, Eroak, and PromQueen switched sides two rounds in a row to try to balance the two teams. I have faith in TGers balancing the teams, and if not, I have faith they'll bring it up to the admins, either in chat or in TS.
This is why I am a part of TG: maturity that permeates playing and losing. This is why I am not a part of the 3rd; I am a part of TG-3rd.

It's commendable that you're trying to make the game more fun for everyone but I don't think you have enough experience to make a fair judgment. Team imbalances come and go and though they may be caused by a specific group of TGers, it is usually these people who are first to realize this and try to remedy the situation on their own.
Your experience administrating other servers doesn't apply to TG. Try joining the main BF2142 TeamSpeak channel or the subchannels for some of the in-house squads for a few nights. You'll see what I mean about players realizing and remedying the team imbalances.

[Superfast]

I'll give you all a quick lesson on how to defeat the 3rd and other team-stacking groups.

First. You enter the game seeing the 3rd all together on the other team. But before reporting TEAM-STACKING in the chat, look at your own team. Is there another organised squad there? Probably. Don't enter that one. Make a new squad called "Learn TG" or "TG". Now invite people to your squad and sort out kits etc. Mostly medics is good. Now your team has two deadly organised squads!

It's time to get busy. Now here's the big tip and it involves using the map. Check where your other organised squad is at all times and also try to anticipate which flag the 3rd is on or going for. Go for another flag than the other squad and the one the 3rd is holding. Try to hold it. If you get wiped, go for another flag, not the same one. Always keep moving and using the map. You can on smaller maps for example like Tunis actually see with your own eyes too the 3rd wolf-pack move across the boat together. If you are at power, you can then move to cap the flag behind them. Also if you have a CO, the uav is a big help. And an ids placed at a chokepoint is too. So end result? If organised into several squads, however skilled the players, you have out-tactical'ed the 3rd and secured the win for the team. It's all about situational awareness, teamwork and tactics. Good job!

[MDFubar]

Superfast hit it on the nail, If you are over matched..then avoid them and pick a different battle. The 3rd can not be everywhere. The 3rd is very good, but they alone do not win or lose a game. This is a TEAM game. Win or lose as a team!

Uranium, I play about 12 hours a week and I am not the best player...but I do not want to have good games and good wins handed to me. I want to earn it, and what the hell is the point of playing a game if you are not going to be competetive?! That IS the point of any game, someone loses and someone wins!

As for the "competetive gaming....ruining games snce 1997", well......COMPETETIVE GAMER SINCE 1998! Loving every minute of it!

I don't know when you are playing, but my experience is this:

Final score 200-0

TS Chat:

"wow, that was brutal.......how are the teams?"
"evened up, just bad teamwork"

or

"wow, a bit uneven on the teams?"
"yeah, such and such players will be switching side to even it up"

And guess what, they are usually the IHS members that are voluntarily switching.

No one is suggesting that you should leave TG, but for god's sake...we are supposed to be playing the game in a tactical, mature manner with as much realism as possible. You are in the military, is every battle fair? NO!

If I am on the winning team and we crushed the other team, I switch to help them. I form a LearnTG squad and progress to show them what we can do with teamwork. Some Tger's will switch and take the CO position to give some leadership.
If you see the 3rd on the other team you have two choices, run and hide or head straight for them. I usually choose to head straight at them, giving specific instructions to my squad on how to engage them. If we win, eveyone feels good and if we don't, they don't feel bad because I have told them that this a very good squad. My squads, at times, have stopped "Crux's Crusaders" from breaking thru on Camp G., and let me tell you.......they love it.

I understand that you want the experience to be better for everyone, but part of the fun is also playing with the people that you have become friends with. Believe me, I have had some bad games......just the other night I couldn't get the damn Walker past Church. Zhohar came on TS and asked if I was enjoying my stay in the walker..........then we just laughed our asses off.
You can also have fun on the losing team, TG players themselves make sure that the server does not go unballanced repeatedly. I admined quite a few years ago for a different "clan" and we had the same mentality of TG, but the players here do more on thier own to make sure it is fair then any other server I ahve seen.

[Crux]

As I said earlier, there are plenty of IHSs for 2142. Goodness knows I've taken a squad of 3rd onto a flag and been kicked back by the 9th, the 8th, the 21st...

Sometimes the IHSs end up on the same team. Sometimes they end up on opposite teams. But I've seen rounds they were on the same team and lost. I've seen rounds they've been on the same team and won. You never KNOW if there is going to be a team imbalance until the round starts. Because all it can take is one great Squad Leader, one great Commander to completely turn the game around.

Drama is great and all, Uranium. But you're making some where there is none. Plain and simple. And that, sir, is not what TG is about.

[SharinganTH1422]

Late to the party, but good, direct post Crux. I'll be the 1st to admit, I occasionally thought the locking squads thing was a little "un-TG," but I just figured, hey, they're a group of tight-knit friends who enjoy playing together, and practice a lot together, why shouldn't they make squads together? I mean, I'm sure anyone would do the same thing. But this post expands on that, and makes a much wider point, and a good one.

Also, I often saw 3rd members without locked squads, so anyone reading the post and not having played on the TG servers for real might think that the 3rd are always locking their squads while playing on the TG server, which simply isn't the case. As I remember it, these squad-locks only used to happen when there was a large number of you on one team...

[Deathblade1065]

From experience playing on the conquest server, I can definately say that whenever something is even questionable about the teams, there are members switching over to try and remedy the problem. Sometimes though, the server doesn't allow for it because of manually switching being off. I've played the 3rd, and yes, they are VERY good. As Superfast pointed out, there's always a way to beat someone else. You just have to find that way. As for the teamstacking issue, I don't think it's a problem. If one side has lost for 3 or 4 rounds in a row, they have to try harder, or keep their defense/offense tight. There have been times when a team of pubbies have completely blown away a team of mostly IHS players. It doesn't happen very often, but it happens.

[Lyramion]

I should stop teamstacking with myself tbh

[fredgwynne]

Thanks, Crux. And something to keep in mind, as well, is that the 3rd tends to be pretty cool about giving you an invite to a locked squad if you pop into their Teamspeak channel and ask. Speaking as someone who frequently lurks in there with the cool kids and often begs an invite, though I may well be pestering them, I don't think they've ever denied me a spot in the squad.

Maybe they just need ballast.

[Razcsak]

Originally Posted by Lyramion

I should stop teamstacking with myself tbh

A walker and Lyra on the same team should be a kickable offense.

[Arithea]

Originally Posted by Razcsak

A walker and Lyra on the same team should be a kickable offense.

Or a gunship...

[Lyramion]

Was more refering to the "Lyramion Lyramion" name i used some days ago

[Smachin007]

Originally Posted by Razcsak

A walker and Lyra on the same team should be a kickable offense.

Originally Posted by Arithea

Or a gunship...

Lyra you should found your own, one man, in house armor squad. :P