Server Survey - Your ideas improve gameplay

[Deeival]

Something on the side:
Most tank maps dont work for 50 players either. Almost never there are enough tanks for all the people - the problem being that most people prefer solo tanking with random pubbers. You'd have to fill every tank with 3 people on most maps to keep everyone playing and not pistoling each other in spawn due to massive boredom.

 

[Solo4114]

Actually, that depends on the map. Debrechen and BDJ seem to be ok for that. The Orel maps work for that too, if you want to go that route. There aren't that many other pure tank maps out there that I can think of, though. Certainly not any worth playing (Arad for the 87 brazillionth time anyone?)

 

[REZ]

Don't run more than 32 slots. 32 players is the foundation this game was built on - the maps are made for this many players - the gameplay is ideal with this many players - a well running 32 player server is much more desireable than a 40-50 that barely chugs along when full..

I would not run these maps:

BDJ
Orel
Krivoi Rog
Bondarevo
Arad
Wateverovko (only reason I mention this Drecks is cause no one knows how to play it)

I would have the 'np' feature turned off - with a 5 teamkill limit, no session ban. Map voting 'on' with a 5 map turnover before the same map can be chosen again. 2 spectators. No idle.

Run as many maps as you can. More choice is good. You may want to browse the level design section to see what people are saying about a particular map, and then decide if you want to run it. Make sure you have only the latest version of a map running - sometimes you'll see really old betas out there.

You want a good mix of infantry only and Combined arms maps, both stock and custom. You want smaller maps available for when the server isnt quite full yet - Lyes, Odessa, Danzig etc. Then you want larger, more ambitious maps for the hardcore - Kriegstadt, Leningrad, Gorlitz, Kriegstadt, Tractor Works, Kriedgstadt etc. Throw in two goof maps like SPARTAAA and fullmj (these goof maps bring in people when it's empty, then they tend to stay for the next map, but I would limit these to one round maximum).

Keep it admined tightly, and seed the sucker. Hell, run a competition or contest, and advertise it heavily.. do things to bring people there. Good luck.

EDIT - One thing I forgot.. I would also add the EH-MG_Mod to every single map in rotation. YES - every one.

 

[KrazyKraut]

I have to disagree with Kriegstadt not being suitable for more than 32 players, I think any of the larger city maps just feel empty with anything LESS than 32 players (e.g. Leningrad or that other really long city map). It's only that certain objectives needed to be spread out a bit more with more ways to access them.

 

[BLind^]

dont run kaukauses.

 

[PUTZ]

Kreigstadt can handle 100 players, but the servers cant. Was on the rtr latest and greatest maps server and it nearly died about 3/4 way through...

 

[EvilHobo]

That seems to be an issue with the RTR server, as German servers (LKGO, LUFTWAFFE_GER, PzDF) have run it without considerable problems. I'm working on network optimization things so that the RTR server should run [more] smoothly with Beta 3.

 

[LogisticEarth]

That seems to be an issue with the RTR server, as German servers (LKGO, LUFTWAFFE_GER, PzDF) have run it without considerable problems. I'm working on network optimization things so that the RTR server should run [more] smoothly with Beta 3.

Oddly enough I was on one of those german servers last night when it crashed during Krieg. Everyone just froze in place and I was able to walk through this snapshot of the battle like somone stopped time. Surreal.

Anyway, on topic: I disagree with everyone saying that a 32-player max server is ideal. For one thing, most players seem to seek out larger servers while smalelr ones stay unpopulated. Two, many maps, as people have said, are too empty when there's only 15 players on each side. 44 players seems to be ideal. It's a good balance between having crowded small maps or empty large maps.

Oh and PLEASE turn off death messages. We need more servers that do this.

 

[Maynervoso]

Hello, everyone. I'm new to these forums, but I've been playing Red Orchestra since it became available through Steam (which I know is not nearly as long as some people here have probably been playing). It's a game I really enjoy, since its one of the most realistic and tactical WW2 shooters I've ever seen. There's an intensity there that I just love. Also, tanks.

I plan on hosting a collection of servers in the near future, and I would like to support the RO community by hosting this game in one of them. I have quite a bit of experience in maintaining servers. But there are of course a slew of game-specific aspects that, even as an avid player, I might have missed.

That's why I made this thread. In order to provide the best possible experience for the most people, I'm asking for the community here to discuss what makes an RO server good (besides the obvious like good admins, good ping, etc).

These can be anything from good custom maps (or maps to avoid) or ideal number of slots, to specific things like server side settings and admin plugins (which I'm still looking into, given that I've not worked with plugins in this engine before). Also, it's important for me to identify what map(s) fill this game's "Dust Syndrome." I know that Arad and Danzig are fairly popular, or at least were, but a broader view always helps.

So, let's hear what you all have to say. Remember, the better your input here, the better gaming experience I can provide.

hi baron, moving from TS? it's a shame it died.

btw all the replies made here have a point, but i think 32 slots and a good map rotation (all the standards+ few custom, see the result of the contest for that) is all you need. if you plan to have a bigger server than you need a wiser map rotation :> and some mutator to adjust the number of autos and snipers, if there is any.

 

[Nimsky]

For me, the more players = the better. More targets to shoot, and it's more intense and realistic. I strongly disagree with Rez' point, I think Kriegstadt is at its best when played with 25 players per side.

 

[REZ]

'strongly' olol.

 

[MtnMan01]

For me, the more players = the better. More targets to shoot, and it's more intense and realistic. I strongly disagree with Rez' point, I think Kriegstadt is at its best when played with 25 players per side.

Exactly,,,there's lots of 32 player servers.The more players the merrier,,40+ players pls.With a juiced up server that can handle that many players and for the love of god no Tank maps.((Arad,Barashloa,Bondarevo,BlkDayJuly,KrivoiRog)).There about 5-6 Tank map servers only.Ppl can get there Tank fix there.Playin on the TWB server,when a tank maps comes in rotation 1/3+ of there server drops out including me.

1.Can we hav a Infantry/CA only server"with"well optimized maps(my 4 fav's,,Zhitomir1941,Techerkassy,Smolensk stalemate,Baksan Valley),with a few CA maps mixed in(Kriegstadt "excellent" map 4 rifles 1 of my favorite CA maps this map could handle 50 per side),Leningrad,Hedgehog,Koingsplate n Mannikkala 4 example.

2.Hav a mutator thats doesent allow replays say for at least 5+ maps.

3.Hav a max of 10-15 maps and change up a few maps weekly/bi-weekly or so to keep server freah.

4.When u hav decided what to do(with server n set up) hav a poll to vote on maps that the community wants in rotation.
There's some maps that are decent but are not optimized and play like crap!

5.Death messages i really couldn't give a rats *** about,on or off.(in options/game set up u can turn all off,,personel preference's there)

6.If possible set Caps that hav to be taken in order,1 at a time(Linear).This will help a lot with teamplay as the team can focus on 1 cap at a time.
and not be spread out willie nillie,and accomplishing basically nothing but depleting reinforcements.

IMO these suggestions will help a lot in keeping ur server full with RO regulars.When word gets out that is.

Last but surely not least-->The most Important Thing of all.Have it well "ADMINED" and rule with an IRON FIST.Hand out life Bans if possible by IP.This will cull the dead beats,(ppl that get a kick out of ruining games for decent players)

Q.Isn't a Squad Leader a Sergeant?
Wasnt a 2nd Lu.platoon leader.A Company commander a Capt,,?
In posts I see ppl refering to SL as commanders n such this should be straightned up.
I don't know the russian or germany way that they had there rank structured as for NCO n officers (i.e. squads,platoon,company,,etc.)
i'm pretty sure that a SL was a Sergeant.1 of the most important ranks in any army.

Anyways this is my .02$ worth,,,,thx,,,,,,,,,!SeaDog~

 

[Commiekazi]

My humble two cents:

My humble two cents:

Whatever your map mix is, make it either infantry heavy with some combined arms thrown in, or tank-heavy with some combined arms. I've seen plenty of times when a server would rotate from maps like Black Day July to Odessa (or vice-versa) and half the players would disconnect. Either side will play Kriegstadt for some reason, but for the most part a tanker won't stick around for Danzig and a sniper won't play Debrecen.

 

[Hummer9120]

Anything over 8v8 is pretty much epic fail, imo.

 

[LogisticEarth]

Anything over 8v8 is pretty much epic fail, imo.

Play Berezina/Kriegstadt with 16 players.
Then play them with 50.

Come back and tell us which server you had a better time on.

 

[Hummer9120]

Um, 8v8?

 

[Murphy]

Have to agree with Hummer here, I prefer lower playercounts too.

It might be different in Kriegsstadt, but for most other infantry maps 8vs8 is fine.

 

[LogisticEarth]

Have to agree with Hummer here, I prefer lower playercounts too.

It might be different in Kriegsstadt, but for most other infantry maps 8vs8 is fine.

This may be true of smaller maps. However, setting a server's max so low restricts it to ONLY those maps. Larger maps, which often can provide some of the best replayability, don't work with such small numbers. Even 32 player servers still leave a bit to be desired.

Maps on the scale of Odessa are just fine with 44 player servers. The also may work with 16.

It comes down to what maps the server focuses on. If you're playing medium sized infantry maps, or CA maps, then I say give us 44+ player servers. If you're focusing on the smaller infanty maps, or funky maps like Kaukases, then set the server limit low, but ONLY play those smaller maps. If you try and do everything you run into problems like you see on TWB servers, where one round things will work perfectly on Berezina, then turn into a crowded spam fest when Danzing or StalingradKessel comes around.

 

[Jank]

I agree with those who've said the more the merrier. It's lame with too few people on, I like a big server that's packed. If I can't find one, I go for the next best thing, but I keep checking.

 

[REZ]

See, people get confused when they think about map sizes and player slots. The size of the map isnt the final determining factor of quality gameplay in regards to player slots. Map design and who the players are in the server are bigger variables than the map size itself..

Kriegstadt, for example, is ideal at 32 or less because at that player slot level there are still offensive and defensive options. I've played Kriegs all the way down to 4 players a side and it was challenging - mainly based on the maps' design and who those players were. I've played it with 44 on up to 50, and what happens when you have 25 solid defenders in a capzone like Dornburg for example, is.. basically 50 minutes of going nowhere. Even if the attackers are high level, the way the map is set up in several places makes the gameplay suffer with high player counts. The approaches are clogged with talent, and that significantly reduces offensive tactical options. It really does. Now, if you're playing with flimsy teammates/opponents, then things change based simply on player skill. Just because Kriegs is big, doesnt mean the gameplay is good with 50 players.

Off the top of my head I can only think of 3 maps that can support 50 players without grinding to a deathmatch halt - they're all made by Slyk - Berezina, Elnya, Tractor. Everything else is ideal for, and should only be played at a max of 32.

I'm also with these guys who like a less crowded, more focused type of gameplay. 8-12 per side is ideal to me.. then again those would also be high level players.

..but, like they say - there's no arguing taste.