I think one of the biggest things lost in all this was simply all the diversity the game used to offer.
When I first started playing TF2, I quickly got bored with the "Vanilla" game, and started perusing the server browser (which most new players don't even know exists and/or how to use it) looking for something different. I stumbled across Warpath (an acquired taste) hosted on a server where teamwork was actually "enforced" by the community members, and ended up playing that map/server for several years straight. It's something I've never really understood - Valve essentially turned the game over to the community for new content creation several years ago, while at the same time virtually ensuring any new content never sees the light of day unless a player happens to stumble across the server browser (and even then, most server hosting custom maps have died a slow death - our community went from half a dozen to one, and that one is full less than half the time it used to be). What would the mapping scene be like if mappers could actually get their maps played on a regular basis? What new game modes would/could have been invented if players were actually encouraged to use the server browser? Honestly, I think what started out as a "quick fix" to stop some bad apples from exploiting the system turned into a long-term negative change through nothing more than Apathy form the TF2 team - not because they stopped caring all together about the game, but simply because none of them were ever a part of the kinds of awesome gaming communities they've had a hand in killing off, so they had no idea what they were destroying through their actions. It's a real shame, folks - community servers were directly responsible for better players all around - both through skill level, and learned teamwork. Quickplay really took a sledgehammer to the personality that made TF2 better than every FPS that came before it. Is that fixable? Sure it is. Will Valve ever come around to thinking that community servers are what's needed to fix it? I hope so....but I've been hoping so for years now, and the sound of silence is deafening. On Fri, Jun 17, 2016 at 4:56 PM, ics <i...@ics-base.net> wrote: > I'll just chime in and promise this is worth a read too. Long, but here we > are. > > Like i've previously said to those who have been on this list for years, > quickplay change emptied all our servers slowly in a period of over a year > from all players. Regulars including and even if we try to start up games > with regulars, like having some event or simply just going there, one > server stays populated about 2-3 hours and then empties out. Even if there > are regular players playing, they eventually leave. Nobody likes to play > alone or on a near empty server. > > While someone now says "then it wasn't very good", thing is that quickplay > is a driving force that community servers do not have in the same scale as > valve servers do. Quickplay has thousands of players coming and going, > while only randomly one of those might get assigned to community servers. > There are always players who want to play and it assings those players to > servers. New player might use server browser if we are lucky and join > community server. > > Our servers, used to create value to this game too. They were part of the > games success in long term. My only crime to get this punishment, was only > to run a community server itself with custom maps alongside the regular > official maps. I did not run crap plugins or give players extra hats and > other effects. No extra speed, no instant spawn, no gimmicks that the bad > servers did. > > I just ran servers where people could play and have more challenge due to > more seasoned players playing. Teamwork. Something that Valve servers you > don't get and get a chance to enjoy. This is my usual experience from Valve > servers and needless to say, i won't stay long. > http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/442856965057082199/DCD762E97768FC18C3EE28624D3D262962F707CE/ > > Even if the money flow (revenue from passes and sold keys) is steady from > TF2 to Valve, they dont' see that the more seasoned players are not playing > the game much anymore and when those people who play Valve servers now get > bored and more experienced, they don't find the community server where they > could have had fun with friends playing the game once they have passed the > initial stage to more better players. There is no community feeling. People > like to be part of something, to get higher and have more depth in gaming. > They find new ways to play but it's always more fun if you have friends you > know. > > The community servers also tied players to play the game in long term. You > had friends playing the game, you played the game too. Right now several of > my friends online are playing overwatch together. They all used to play TF2 > together. But nobody likes empty servers. I suspect that once their initial > "enthusiasm" for overwatch has passed, they propably go play it alone, and > eventually stop because they have achieved their goals and had their fun. > This is where the community servers usually would come up that would > prolong their interests. This is something that TF2 also no longer have in > the scale it might have it. > > Our community servers have also spawned real life meetings. First between > admins, then with admins and players, and these days it's a meetup every > year or sometimes even twice. More and more people each year. I know > atleast one couple who met on our servers, and they are seriously been > dating for atleast over a year now. They lived different parts of the > country but met on our server. There are also others i know that have met. > Connecting people like this is something that the Valve servers won't do. > > Trade servers are ever popular, because players find fellow traders and > people who like to show off their stuff for others. You might want to show > off your new unusual hat on a community server to your friends, surprise > them and make them jealous. You find other people who regularely play on > the community servers (like svdl on ours) and have made items to the game. > You would have to ask him but would he have ever gotten into item making > for TF2 without community servers if there would have been Valve servers > since the start? > > While he plays on ours and people see him, people go wow and that might > encourage some and get the "hey i could do those too!". You might ask "what > is this map" and someone say "it's that guy on the other team who did this" > and they go "really, how did you do this" and think they could do that too. > I certainly would never had gotten into mapping for TF2, if i wouldn't have > started doing it before on CS Source. > > The reason that i got into mapmaking, was that i wanted to make something > for players to play on and enjoy. It was step forward for me, because i got > the basic game handled and i wanted something more. First it was running > servers, then making maps. I never would have stayed in the path i'm now > without community servers. All these experiences are in danger to get left > off now. Granted, there will still be communities, but not in the scale > like they used to be and there will always be people who make maps but who > runs their maps that they do? Certainly, not Valve servers. It's the > community servers again that do this. Valve ones, maybe later if they are > lucky. > > It's the people who make the game, who make the gamers play it and > community to keep players playing it. This all works together and while you > now have servers full of players and game is free and new players join, the > older and players who have gotten past the fist phaze, are decaying. > > Maybe it's time to take a step back, look how long this game (TF2) has > lived and how many years of those the community servers where the only > servers that existed and prolonged the game's lifecycle. I mean come on, we > are all here still willing to work on this matter. I won't quote trump but > make this game great again by actually putting some effort into community > servers. > > -ics > > > Saint K. kirjoitti: > >> Hi all, >> >> I'd just like to point you to an (what I think) is an excellent analysis >> of the Quickplay problems, the mistakes that have been made and how this >> has hurt communities and community building. >> >> Machine vs. Man - The mistakes of quickplay and the value of community >> servers >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHQLq7acFhE >> >> Please share your thoughts on this topic after you've watched the >> analysis. As an early 90's-and on- gamer I cannot help but feel that the >> creator of this video hit's the nail right on its head. >> >> Call me nostalgic, but I think he makes a very valid point and I hope >> VALVe and other developers will take notice of this analysis. >> >> In short; We miss community building as it used to be. >> >> Cheers, >> >> Saint K. >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, >> please visit: >> https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds >> > > > _______________________________________________ > To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, > please visit: > https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds >
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