Lately I've noticed that LZ TF2 servers #1 and #2 play way more Badwater and Goldrush than any other map, CP and CTF maps in particular. Yesterday all three normal server (#1, #2, payload) were playing CP_Goldrush ast the same time. As far as I can tell this happens partly because people vote for them during the map vote. Map voting seems like a good way to select maps, but what happens now is something like this: Map vote (24 players): 9 PL_Goldrush 6 CP_Granary 5 CP_Egypt (4 players didn't vote) And the next round it is PL_Badwater, or sometimes CP_Dustbowl. Other maps don't get played a lot at all. I can't remember the last time CP_Well was used on #1 or #2. Still, I get the impression that plenty of players would like to see more variation, especially since there already is a separate payload server. What do the admins and other players think? Can or should something be done about the way maps are selected for the map vote? Is it perhaps possible to allow players to nominate maps for vote (and put these in the top slots of the map vote when it comes up)?
Addendum: The above is not meant as harsh criticism; I enjoy playing on the LethalZone servers because of the fairly pleasant mix of regular players.
See the problem is pretty simple, if those maps aren't played at this moment you will see the servers getting empty way too soon. And nobody wants to play on an empty server. Besides that a damn large part of the players love those maps. These maps don't even show up in random order which mean they get voted on purpose , not by accident. If it were up to me personally the variety would be huge but that isn't reality. So the best thing you can do is simply vote for other maps then the ones you don't like, motivate other players to do the same and stay on the server by the way: that's already the case.
why not remove the vote function on one of the servers and have a cycle of 4-5 maps maximum... it's indeed a problem that often, you play badwater/goldrush multiple times after each other... I'd prefer it that you play at least two other maps before playing the same map again
This. So maybe set the vote so that the same map only comes 2 maps after the map has been played in the vote if possible. I don't really care maps like badlands aren't played on pubs, it mostly doesn't work on pubs and people leave fast on those maps. The rotation today is good enough for me, but maybe I'd like to see some more hoodoo and dustbowl instead of goldrush and badwater.
The main reason for these maps is the fact that the servers changed ip recently. Most people that play tf2 enjoy playing these maps for reasons I can't imagine (probably has to do with choke point, no brainer, spammaps). If the server is empty I have a bigger chance to fill it when I change the map to goldbowl then when I would change it to an actually decent map. The goldbowl will die down when we get a decent number of players on the server at all times. If I recall correctly there was some plugin that already did this. We used that before.
Well basically... The payload server = goldrush, badwater and sometimes hoodoo. Servers 1 and 2 = start off filling with goldrush and badwater, but when they get full people do vote for other maps. But yeha, I agree with Doel
I did put some new custom maps on the Payload but obvious people dont want to play them. So after some complaints and seeing people leaving on the newer maps the old (and very boring) cycle had been put back. I LOVE to play new maps but it will take a while to get to know them. Will demand some effort from the players to at least TRY these maps. Same for the All Maps server. We had an Custom Maps server but since nobody played on it or cared enough to get it filled it got rebuilded to the Competitive maps server and that one didnt get played on as well. Hurray for mods like Prophunt, Dodgeball, GunGame (CSS) where you HAVE to play custom maps since the mod requires them. Weird thing is that on these mods nobody cares about these "strange" maps. They just play them and get to know them. So, want to play more maps? Fine, we can put them on but YOU guys will have to sit them out for a while
True, when a map is chosen it won't appear in the vote for at least 2 other end of mapvotes. This afternoon freight came on al maps 1, map went from 24 to 13 players. No regulars on the server, eventually went up to 17 players. After that badwater came up and low and behold, suddenly 4-5 regulars joined the server. so... On the pl a custom map emptied the server today to 7 players, after 5 minutes goldrush was put on and the server filled in no time. See, it's not like we inventd goldrush/badwater fill the server, it just happens. In dutch: wat de boer niet kent vreet ie niet.
agree, and we were thinking a lot about our voting system and i think we've found a good and ballanced one. the votes are the resaults of the majority. so i think we will get more custom maps if the "-boers" will slowly get introduced to those maps. keep em in the votes and maybe some regs will vote them and nevermind about a little player drop...if the maps will be played more often more ppl will find the good taste of them.
On a rare occasion you see that egypt (or such a map) will beat both goldrush as dustbowl... so it it possible... you just need to help the servers more often...this being addressed to everyone who doesn't fill the servers on a regular basis countless times I've seen a server empty on a well known valve map, but not goldrush/dustbowl/badwater... and that's a bloody shame but we can't afford it to switch to those other maps all to often because we have our hands full as it is. voted for keep it as it is, but that's more because I think it's necessarily than that I want it. with those 42.000 members I think we should be able to fill those servers easier... :?
yep i don't like it any more then you do, but that's just the way the (european) comunity play's TF2 look at america they play customs like they are standard maps and i don't think they play these maps that often hahaha
Which (if any) custom maps are currently part of servers #1 and #2? Would it help if just one, good custom map was included? (something like CP_Labor) I agree that in order to fill the server in the first place the popular maps are good to have running, but the current voting system is biased towards popular maps like Goldrush and Badwater. If the mapvote presents three map choices, the biggest minority votes for Goldrush/Badwater if they can; most of the time (based on my observations, I may be wrong) the majority votes for something else. I can't argue against reality (full time custom maps servers don't seem to work), but it would be nice to see more variation..
in the beginning (before the classupdates and such hehe) there were lots of custom servers and they all worked finde now it's only in the US that such a server can survive
i always vote randomly for something else then bad/gold/dust don't even care for what i vote but i must say, if server population is low, i do vote for the fillers
well if you really want it, than you might be the one who has the courage and time to bring back custom saturday/sunday/monday...
with good internet why the hell do we even have to pay for download :s god i hat belgian internetproviders