Combat.

**Zek** · 03-23-2004, 07:06 PM

Okay, just came out of a game about 5 minutes ago that started with Combat, 4v4(because the game was too small for NS). The game lasted probably 5-6 minutes, aliens annihilated the marines, and at the end of the game 3 players left. Then no one else felt like playing anymore and now the server is empty.

Call me crazy, but isn't Combat supposed to be a fun game mode that fills up the server for Classic? Right now it seems like very few of the regs here actually enjoy Combat games, and we're all just dragging through them so hopefully people will join for Classic. I know that I despise Combat and very rarely can tolerate more than 2-3 games at most, depending on length; if the server isn't on NS by then, I leave(and sometimes I leave after it switches to NS because CO burned me out on the game already). Many of the pubbers who joined for combat will leave as well when it goes NS. I play this game on this server for an FPS/RTS, not a shallow, stalemate-prone deathmatch. If action is what I'm looking for I'll play UT2K4 instead(a damn fine game btw).

So, I'll cut to the chase; can we make the server ns_ only, at least for a little while, and see how it works? We'll have to tolerate the small NS games, but frankly I've always found them more tolerable than Combat is right now. In addition, hopefully it will attract more players along the lines of who we're looking for rather than the combat junkies who occasionally stick around for NS(throw NS_ ONLY in the title somewhere). Being forced to play Combat to help fill up the server is rapidly draining my enthusiasm for playing this game, and pretty soon I'll just stop joining until it goes NS(and, obviously, the more people who do this, the harder it will be to get NS).

**_Ender_** · 03-23-2004, 07:28 PM

Either what Zek or said, or make it so when more then 10 people are on the server, the server automatically switches to NS. I have noticed that with more then 5 players per team, CO gets stale really fast.

I personally am for what Zek says, remove CO entirely. I hate Combat now, its just not fun any more.

**Vinzalf** · 03-23-2004, 08:15 PM

I'll add another vote for this.

Though I dont despise Co_ maps, they arent really 'tactical' It has the potential to be fun, but it also has an even greater potential to ruin everyone's enjoyment of the game.

**jack^** · 03-23-2004, 09:20 PM

yerr, i argee.. maybe i'll show up more if you guys play ns maps.. i really dont like combat

**Tempus** · 03-23-2004, 10:16 PM

About time people starting noticing..

**Pokerface** · 03-23-2004, 10:16 PM

Leave 'em votable, or drive the minimum players for NS down to 8 or so. Combat has its place, and it's fun in doses; I think stripping it out entirely would be bordering on a waste.

Emanon · 03-24-2004, 12:32 AM

You have these 2 options:

1. Remove combat and go back to the days of sitting in the RR waiting for people to join for 30 min+

or

2. Play some combat while waiting. If you dont like combat maps then join when it switches to an NS map. You have a reserved slot so you wont have a problem joining.

Either way your going to be waiting, Its your choice wether you wish to come in and shoot some stuff while doing so.

This was the reason for combat.

Bringing down the minimum players to 8 wont help much, you will just end up with a 3 on 3 NS which is slow and boring and also makes an easy alien win. On average 2 players quit between maps.

Personally, what I would love to see is a combat only server and NS only server. Where the combat server would ship over players to the NS server every map change.

**Nightfire** · 03-24-2004, 01:15 AM

i love combat because it's such a fun mode with possibilities of stalemates (which is pretty cool to a long extent)....but i do agree that ppl should stay if they can. usually i leave because MY break times are over. otherwise, i'd usually stay.

**Polska** · 03-24-2004, 01:25 AM

I like small game combat more then small game ns, therefore I think it should stay. At least in combat (amll games) if you're screwed you're screwed, and don't have to wait 15 minutes for your enemy to finish you off.

I think the problem arises when you play many small games of combat in a row (same goes if you paly a few small ns games in a row) and the server just isn't filling up. Anyway this can be debated back and forth, but I don't think removing combat all together will resolve anything.

**Wyzcrak** · 03-24-2004, 01:38 AM

There are two remedies already in place on the server that allow players to play the maps they want to play. They're very powerful, both easy to use from the console, and both are terribly underused.

votemap - any player can help sway where the server goes

amx_votemap - any member can start a vote for a specific map

USE THESE COMMANDS. If you're on a server and want to play NS, change the map. If you can't get the support you need to change the map, chances are a plugin that does it automatically is just going to alienate people.

I still sometimes get frustrated with CO. I used to get VERY frustrated with CO all the time, but I decided that a minor, albeit very significant, mindset alteration was required. The same mindset aids me in NS, but it's necessary less often: stop caring about the game. Very rarely does competitive suspense last as long as a match does. Once the competitive suspense is gone, relax and just have fun. Practice your bunny hopping. Play "taunt the tracer bullets." Try to get support for using one of the commands above. READ A BOOK. Do SOMETHING that entertains you since CO has ceased to. Before you know it, the server will be on an NS map.

Wyzcrak

**Wyzcrak** · 03-24-2004, 01:40 AM

I'm researching ideas for implementing a timelimit on CO maps. One idea I have is to enable tournament mode on CO maps. The reason is because tournament mode ends a match after X number of minutes (15?). What I *don't* know is what ELSE tournament mode changes.

Wyzcrak

FireMarshal · 03-24-2004, 01:51 AM

My 2 cents.... I dont like combat.. I dont find it that entertaining... Removing it all together has my vote ... If you want to whine about sitting in the RR for 30 min for people to play with then you should consider why we have the Half Life Channel in teamspeak for people to get on there waiting for a group. Or at least a few to mess around on the server. If we have troubles getting people on the server to play.. I have to ask myself.. do we have enough to support an NS server?

Also Ema... we have absolutly NO REASON to have 2 NS servers... Combat and NS classic... we would have 2 servers with few people...bad idea...

**Zek** · 03-24-2004, 07:48 AM

Originally Posted by Emanon

2. Play some combat while waiting. If you dont like combat maps then join when it switches to an NS map. You have a reserved slot so you wont have a problem joining.

That's exactly it. I generally don't join when Combat is running, and I'm doing so less and less often. Certainly not being in the game at all is much more fun than playing a co_ map. The issue is that this server doesn't have all that many players as it is; the people willing to join a smaller game, co or ns, are usually regs, and if the regs start waiting for NS then how is the server ever going to get enough people? I would be more likely to join on small-game NS than on combat.

**Rampage** · 03-24-2004, 09:17 AM

I feel a bit ignorant asking this, but what the heck.

What are the map "numbers" we use for votemap? What numbers correspond to which maps? This is the only reason I never initiate a vote.