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For Server Admins - Suggestion for Free Week

Suedars said:
I'd disagree with the one round on a map then switch one. When I started I remember it being extremely frustrating because I didn't know any of the normal spots where snipers would go, so I didn't know any of the safe routes or anything. Danzig and Jucha were especially bad. However once I sat down and played a map for 2 hours or so (Kaukausus I think it was) I began to have much more fun, and actually started to get kills. Switching maps every round would make it nearly impossible for new players to learn maps, which would be detrimental to their enjoyment in my opinion.

next to that alot of players take a while to load a map so they miss half of the next map by default i personally think 2 is the best for now.

(the absolute best would be a 5 minute warmup first where nobody can ill each other, or where teamkilling is allowed) Then you play 1 round on 1 side and then another on the other side where the enemy got to beat your attacking time.
 
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Bumping this for the new free week

Hi guys. I just wanted to take a moment and give some suggestions for the admins running RO servers for the free week. These are suggestions only, so you can follow them or not, but these are thing we think will help give the new players that are trying the game during the free week the best first experiences of RO. These suggestions are only for this free week period.

Suggestions:

1) Increase FF Kick limit or turn off Friendly Fire.
With a large influx of new players there WILL be a lot of TKing while poeple learn what the enemy team (and thier own team looks like). To combat this, you could turn off FF, but what I suggest is just increasing the limits. That way poeple still get a realistic experience, but aren't heavily penalized right away if they screw up. Here are the settings that we are using on our server:

FriendlyFireScale=1
FFKillLimit=8
FFDamageLimit=6000
FFArtyScale=0.100000
FFExplosivesScale=0.250000

Set these values in your RedOrchestra.ini or server launch commandline respectively. Turning down the FFArtyScale and FFExplosiveScale will make kicking more lenient for arty and nades respectively. That way if a new player calls in arty, and a bunch of new players run into it and die, they won't get kicked immediately.

2) Lower the WinLimit to 1 round.
When lowering the WinLimit to 1 round, this will ensure that poeple trying the game for the first time will be more likely to get to try a few different maps before forming thier opinion about the game. What we found with initial release, was that some poeple joined a map that they didn't like, played 3 rounds (45-60 minutes) and gave up on the game. Later on, they played other maps that they REALLY liked the gameplay of and become hooked on the game. So in this way, if poeple get a chance to try several different maps within a few rounds, they'll get a broader idea of what RO is all about.

Here are the settings we have:
WinLimit=1
RoundLimit=1

3) Turn off MapVoting (or increase the repeatlimit)
This is a hard one, but it goes hand in hand with number 2. If map voting is enabled with a low repeat limit, the same 2 or 3 maps get played over and over. Let the new players experience the breadth of gameplay RO has to offer. You might just discover some Official maps that even the hardcore players have never played and come to love

4) Remove custom maps
This is also a tough one, and one I'm fairly certain a lot of admins will not do. One of the things we want to do is have RO:Ostront succeed (or fail) based on its own merits during the free week. New players won't have a clue if a map is custom or not. And if the map is really bad, it might put them off from the game (many reviews recently have even mistaken custom maps for official and given RO reduced scores accordingly). So while custom maps are a GREAT thing for the RO community, and the devs and the fans love to play them, lets try and let the new poeple see the official maps first.

5) Flag your server if your running custom maps
If you don't want to remove custom maps from your rotation, put (Custom Maps) in your server name. That way players might see that thier playing non-standard maps. Also, try and run complete custom maps, and not buggy early alphas.

6) Admin your server personally as much as possible
Try and be available on your server as much as possible. There will be a lot of new players, asking a lot of questions, trying to learn the game. If an admin is there to point them in the right direction this will really help. Also, because ANYONE can try the game, there will certainly be some poeple that just connect to servers to cause trouble. If there is an admin present they can readily handle these poeple before they ruin the experience for the other poeple on the server.

7) Flag your server with (Beginners Welcome)
If you (or some of your clanmates, etc) are going to be present on the server to help new players learn the game, flag the server name with (Beginners Welcome). This will let new players know that is a place they should start.

8) Don't overload your server
We all like to think our servers are all powerful, but frankly many of the servers even running now get overloaded. If you notice that when the server gets full or close to full everyone's ping climbs, that means the server is overloaded. Bump your MaxPlayers down a few notches. This will ensure the new players get a lag free experience.

Finally, I just want to say that everyone at Tripwire greatly appreciates all the server admins out there. They are the backbone of the community, and without them this free week, and even our game, wouldn't be possible.

Cheers,

John Gibson
President
Tripwire Interactive LLC
 
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Hi guys. I just wanted to take a moment and give some suggestions for the admins running RO servers for the free week. These are suggestions only, so you can follow them or not, but these are thing we think will help give the new players that are trying the game during the free week the best first experiences of RO. These suggestions are only for this free week period.

Suggestions:.....

Cheers,

John Gibson
President
Tripwire Interactive LLC

A very modest post. I recommend all the server admins take his advice. It will only help new players get the most out of the free trial.
 
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Even folks who play BF2 are used to friendly fire, man.



Another idea to help boost RO's popularity. If you're part of a clan or gaming community and trying to get folks interested, advertise the hell out of the free trial, and also offer maybe one or two free copies for those who can win some contest. Over at WOLF, I'm running a contest for two free copies of the game (available for $19.99 on Amazon.com, which is DIRT CHEAP), where members can submit one really cool screenshot, and one funny screenshot. Funniest gets a copy, coolest gets a copy. I was surprised by how much interest THAT generated. ;)
 
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Well, turning off Friendly Fire will certainly make for some interesting variations on tactics during Free Week!

I can see Arad now...The entire horde of Panthers, PzIV's, Halftracks, T-34's and Clown Cars in a tangle in South Field a la Kursk, with Tigers and IS-2's sitting back on their hills lobbing random shells into the mob.

And what does the battle hinge on then? Who can call in the first artillery strike on the whole bunch of them! Gives a whole new take on 'Danger Close' when marking the target.

As for Infantry maps- toss marking that target out the window for a few days! Bum-rush your whole squad into a house and hose it with SMG fire without fear! Crawl up to the enemy strong point and call artillery on YOURSELF! WOO HOO!

But seriously, for the next few days I hope it's pointed out to testing players that FF is the standard, not the exception- and that as the Trial nears the end, servers will go back to turning on FF to give the new kidz a taste of what it means to identify a target BEFORE you start blasting away.
 
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And hopefully they don't say "screw that, I didn't waste my money on a shooter to have to worry about friendly fire!" :)

It's better for them to learn to play the game exactly as it will be normally. It's not the game that should be changed to accomodate them, it's us, the players. A lot of the new players will have heard by word of mouth or reading, that this game is based on realism, is much harder than the other games they play and has a longer learning curve. They come to this game with foul mouths and racist/homophobic comments as lots of us heard last night. They have to be told this player base is more mature and indeed, "camping" is now called actual defense, and being cheap just means you've found a good spot and they need to learn to adapt and move in another way.

It is us, the "veteran" players that have to accomodate them, by showing a lot of patience and explaining politely what might seem common sense. They just don't know yet for example that the hatches open, or that the faded out cap points can't be taken.

I think "nurfing" the setting for them will only increase the frustration level, as they'll get yelled at more for the TK's that will happen over and over (getting booted for accidental TK's is the best motivation to learn to manage ones shots/nades). They won't get an actual taste of the game. It will also bring out the idiots we all have to deal with night after night who know they can be even more of an idiot before getting booted.

I say keep the standard high and let them learn to like this game or not based on how good it really is. The players who like this sort of game, like most of us who come to the forums and play night after night, will stay and buy the game. The ones who just want the kiddy console type game won't like it and it's better if they don't buy it or get discouraged fast (to save us from their typically disrespectul exits).
 
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It's better for them to learn to play the game exactly as it will be normally. It's not the game that should be changed to accomodate them, it's us, the players. A lot of the new players will have heard by word of mouth or reading, that this game is based on realism, is much harder than the other games they play and has a longer learning curve. They come to this game with foul mouths and racist/homophobic comments as lots of us heard last night. They have to be told this player base is more mature and indeed, "camping" is now called actual defense, and being cheap just means you've found a good spot and they need to learn to adapt and move in another way.

It is us, the "veteran" players that have to accomodate them, by showing a lot of patience and explaining politely what might seem common sense. They just don't know yet for example that the hatches open, or that the faded out cap points can't be taken.

I think "nurfing" the setting for them will only increase the frustration level, as they'll get yelled at more for the TK's that will happen over and over (getting booted for accidental TK's is the best motivation to learn to manage ones shots/nades). They won't get an actual taste of the game. It will also bring out the idiots we all have to deal with night after night who know they can be even more of an idiot before getting booted.

I say keep the standard high and let them learn to like this game or not based on how good it really is. The players who like this sort of game, like most of us who come to the forums and play night after night, will stay and buy the game. The ones who just want the kiddy console type game won't like it and it's better if they don't buy it or get discouraged fast (to save us from their typically disrespectul exits).


I agree. Admins need to be mindful of griefers who just see this free weekend as an opportunity to ruin a game for other people with no penalty at all.
 
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I, for one, am seeing an awful lot of spawn point teamkilling and it's really getting out of hand. I understand there will be the odd tank round or MG fire as newplayers get to know their 'switchology', but when the same people do it CONSTANTLY it drives away new players who are truly trying to learn something.

I spent almost an hour with one guy last night teaching him the basics of tanking and such- but then Mr. TK shows up and starts gunning down everybody in spawn and blasting other tanks and completely blows the concept of 'mature gaming' out the window. The same happened this morning as well- I had a new guy who was trying hard to pick things up, but when one or both of us keeps getting shot in the rear in the spawn point it makes for a very tedious lesson indeed.

I don't know if this teamkilling craze is due to a lack of maturity of the new players, or if it is out of frustration with the dreaded Learning Curve in such a short time. Either way, we're into Day 2 of the free trial and new players hopefully should have picked up on the WE DON'T TEAMKILL attitude of most RO players. I blasted this out continualy on VOIP last night, and what was the response? Maniacal laughter from someone who sounded like they were about twleve years old- a total waste of time trying to get him to stop TK'ing everyone.

Anyway, I'm sure there will be plenty of After Action Reports from other established players; I would like to hear the experiences of others how they have fared and their 'take' on the situation.

K Rohm
 
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Yes, I think it was this morning on one of the Orel variant maps I jumped on...joining the Axis side I thought all was going well judging from the cap zone situation, until I looked at the score board. Axis 350+, Allied -70 something, with one or two Reds killing off their entire team in record time.

Even after numerous warnings and kick votes (from BOTH teams), it didn't stop and it appeared that the server was about to be abandoned to the TK'ers for the duration.

I enjoy RO very much (just ask my wife!) but having to sort out the TK monkey business is getting a bit thick at times. I knew it was going to be bad during Demo Week, but it amazes me that some of these kids have no thought at all for learning the game- once they learn how to do a few deadly things, they proceed to practice it over and over again on their own team. Even giving them the benefit of the doubt, shouldn't it occur to them at some point that RO is a TEAM game, and not some CS/CoD-wannabe run-n-gun FPS??

It does cheer me up when I get a demo player who really DOES want to learn what's what, though; I don't consider myself an 'uber-pwner' by any stretch, but I am competent enough (at least in tanks!) and enjoy teaching the ins and outs of tanking and the 'switchology' of RO. I hope a LOT of other players are doing the same for new guys when they get the opportunity.
 
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