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General Discussion / Re: Player base development - How do we keep this mod alive?
« on: 25-06-2014, 06:06:46 »
I agree with many others here that 762 is a big part of the problem. They hold the reins to the only big server which means they have nearly all the responsibility in maintaining a good gaming experience ... except that it seems they couldn't give a shit about it.
Random server disconnects that often result in a 16 or 32 player map being started up after the crash (resulting in horrible spam that confuses and frustrates players), a seemingly-complete ignorance to listen to what people in the server want to play map-wise, infamously bad adminning that is notorious for kicking players who simply kill 762 members or for banning the wrong players, and a complete lack of understanding what maps to run at what times of day. Oh and don't even get me started on the lack of team swapping to keep stacking from happening (which results massive steamrolls of one unlucky team map after map). These are absolutely basic levels of incompetence.
Granted, it's not all 762's fault. One issue is the inherent difficulty of the game, and the jedi-like skills of those who play it religiously. Just to put this in context, I have been playing FH2 ever since release. Before that, I played FH1 since the 2nd year of its existence. I have all of this experience, this veterancy, and yet I sometimes find the game to be incredibly frustrating if I haven't played in a couple of months. This is exacerbated by my bad ping, since I'm playing in the US -- though this is nothing new and I've grown accustomed to loosing 70% of close quarters encounters. The game can feel incredibly unmerciful and scary -- especially if you're not in a good squad. And let's be honest: most of the time you're not in one unless you are one of the aforementioned jedi masters and happen to know everyone on the server.
SIDENOTE: Oh and a side note for veteran players out there including myself: you all can't be expected to play worse to make the game easier for others (herp), but jesus guys -- stop stacking the goddamn teams. It kills player morale (and player numbers) when one team steamrolls the other map after map because all of the FH2 faithful are stacking them. Nothing kills any sense of teamwork or sense of fairness when this happens ... and it often results in the sever emptying pretty damn fast. /SIDENOTE
All MP games involve the frustrations of new players getting owned by experienced ones, but it's made tougher in FH2 by the simple fact that this is a game that is so unique in its quirks -- the movement, gun handling, animations, slow pace of play, complex maps, vehicle handling quirks, glitchiness of the BF2 engine (plus the extra clunkiness created by 150+ ping), all combined with insta death that can come from any bush or window, combines for a potently frustrating experience for the initiated. Of course, a number of the things I mentioned in that list are "good" things -- they add to the fun of the game, but they also increase its learning curve.
I'm not placing blame here. It's inevitable that a game with a small, loyal player base is going to have a massive skill gap between its oldest and newest players. I'm simply pointing out a fact. That said, there are certainly things we can each do as veteran players to make FH2 a more welcoming and less frustrating experience. I'll list them in a later post, though I think you all are on the right track in coming up with some obvious ways.
Random server disconnects that often result in a 16 or 32 player map being started up after the crash (resulting in horrible spam that confuses and frustrates players), a seemingly-complete ignorance to listen to what people in the server want to play map-wise, infamously bad adminning that is notorious for kicking players who simply kill 762 members or for banning the wrong players, and a complete lack of understanding what maps to run at what times of day. Oh and don't even get me started on the lack of team swapping to keep stacking from happening (which results massive steamrolls of one unlucky team map after map). These are absolutely basic levels of incompetence.
Granted, it's not all 762's fault. One issue is the inherent difficulty of the game, and the jedi-like skills of those who play it religiously. Just to put this in context, I have been playing FH2 ever since release. Before that, I played FH1 since the 2nd year of its existence. I have all of this experience, this veterancy, and yet I sometimes find the game to be incredibly frustrating if I haven't played in a couple of months. This is exacerbated by my bad ping, since I'm playing in the US -- though this is nothing new and I've grown accustomed to loosing 70% of close quarters encounters. The game can feel incredibly unmerciful and scary -- especially if you're not in a good squad. And let's be honest: most of the time you're not in one unless you are one of the aforementioned jedi masters and happen to know everyone on the server.
SIDENOTE: Oh and a side note for veteran players out there including myself: you all can't be expected to play worse to make the game easier for others (herp), but jesus guys -- stop stacking the goddamn teams. It kills player morale (and player numbers) when one team steamrolls the other map after map because all of the FH2 faithful are stacking them. Nothing kills any sense of teamwork or sense of fairness when this happens ... and it often results in the sever emptying pretty damn fast. /SIDENOTE
All MP games involve the frustrations of new players getting owned by experienced ones, but it's made tougher in FH2 by the simple fact that this is a game that is so unique in its quirks -- the movement, gun handling, animations, slow pace of play, complex maps, vehicle handling quirks, glitchiness of the BF2 engine (plus the extra clunkiness created by 150+ ping), all combined with insta death that can come from any bush or window, combines for a potently frustrating experience for the initiated. Of course, a number of the things I mentioned in that list are "good" things -- they add to the fun of the game, but they also increase its learning curve.
I'm not placing blame here. It's inevitable that a game with a small, loyal player base is going to have a massive skill gap between its oldest and newest players. I'm simply pointing out a fact. That said, there are certainly things we can each do as veteran players to make FH2 a more welcoming and less frustrating experience. I'll list them in a later post, though I think you all are on the right track in coming up with some obvious ways.
. Thank you for your tip mate, I shall do that. I also have some excellent resources for such needs in my vicinity. Now I will have to get the ammo before I can start worrying about the front sight. By the way, it does lock up tightly. I love my Webley.
