PR 128 Player Server Test - Official

[Jafar Ironclad]

I wonder if anybody has ever looked into an effective way of managing a fireteam system.

*raises hand*

I'd venture this was an even bigger event in the history of PR than many of its releases.

[Burton]

I'm really torn. 128 players in theory is great, but in practice it doesn't work.

I've just played 4 rounds on the server, and found there to be 0 teamwork. There are enough lone wolfs as it is in a regular game, but with 64 on one team it's just too bad and becomes chaotic.

I felt really sorry for the commander I had, he was trying really hard to organise my side into something that resembles a team, but there were just too many people wanting to do their own thing. It's manageable with 32 players, because an admin can deal with any troublesome players but when there's only 16-20 players willing do cooperate with the commander or with each other the team falls apart and any fun that could have been gained from a 64v64 match is instantly ruined.

What's more, the level of chat spam was like nothing I've ever seen, constantly scrolling messages were so distracting and anything important that WAS typed up was instantly lost amongst the piles of verbal diarrhea that people were spouting.

In theory - OMG, it's the best thing to happen to PR
In practise - WTF is happening, everyone has become a noob, we're going to lose.

Server and technical problems aside as it's still early days, should it be made playable with minimal crashes - the admin team on a server would need to be at least 6-10 just to keep the game moving and to deal with problem players.

EDIT: before I'm flamed to heavily - I know it's a test only at this stage and I'm really happy to see advances like this being made, it's superb. I understand not everyone joining the server wanted to teamplay or even knew why there was a server with 128 slots. I was just disappointed to see such chaos, and hoped it wasn't a sign of things to come should 128 players become the norm in PR

[Warpig-]

No adminscript. People from all over the world, with different languages playing on one server, playing on maps that aren't setup/equiped for 128 player play.

Of course it's bedlam right now, it's not a playtest, I doubt the majority of the people in that server actually care to use teamwork. Those who do have probably gone back to their own "team player" orientated servers.

I don't know why people are picking apart gameplay mechanics, or talking about how lax the teamplay is right now when just 48 hours ago most people didn't even think it was possible. This is not an accurate reflection of how a 128 player server would function if it was a stable, final release... not even close. So don't treat it as such.

[Adriaan]

I'm really torn. 128 players in theory is great, but in practice it doesn't work.

I've just played 4 rounds on the server, and found there to be 0 teamwork. There are enough lone wolfs as it is in a regular game, but with 64 on one team it's just too bad and becomes chaotic.

I felt really sorry for the commander I had, he was trying really hard to organise my side into something that resembles a team, but there were just too many people wanting to do their own thing. It's manageable with 32 players, because an admin can deal with any troublesome players but when there's only 16-20 players willing do cooperate with the commander or with each other the team falls apart and any fun that could have been gained from a 64v64 match is instantly ruined.

What's more, the level of chat spam was like nothing I've ever seen, constantly scrolling messages were so distracting and anything important that WAS typed up was instantly lost amongst the piles of verbal diarrhea that people were spouting.

In theory - OMG, it's the best thing to happen to PR
In practise - WTF is happening, everyone has become a noob, we're going to lose.

I'm sure most of this is down to this being a test. Half of the people joining will be doing it just to check it out and with little intention to actually put effort into it and play nice.

Edit: warpig wrote exactly what I was trying to say and better.

[Teek]

I'm really torn. 128 players in theory is great, but in practice it doesn't work.

I've just played 4 rounds on the server, and found there to be 0 teamwork. There are enough lone wolfs as it is in a regular game, but with 64 on one team it's just too bad and becomes chaotic.

I felt really sorry for the commander I had, he was trying really hard to organise my side into something that resembles a team, but there were just too many people wanting to do their own thing. It's manageable with 32 players, because an admin can deal with any troublesome players but when there's only 16-20 players willing do cooperate with the commander or with each other the team falls apart and any fun that could have been gained from a 64v64 match is instantly ruined.

What's more, the level of chat spam was like nothing I've ever seen, constantly scrolling messages were so distracting and anything important that WAS typed up was instantly lost amongst the piles of verbal diarrhea that people were spouting.

In theory - OMG, it's the best thing to happen to PR
In practise - WTF is happening, everyone has become a noob, we're going to lose.

Server and technical problems aside as it's still early days, should it be made playable with minimal crashes - the admin team on a server would need to be at least 6-10 just to keep the game moving and to deal with problem players.

Thats because everyone was in shock of so many people Its a test thought, and people treat it as such I think. This will be great on TG, I might finally get a spot without waiting a hour.

Edit: Ninja'd

[Acemantura]

Although it pains me to say this, I believe we should give the Code FIRST to TG so 126 players max, and they take care of the Tard Muffins.

This way we have a respectable server, at least in the beginning and then give to other, well admin'd servers like Hardcore.

And then we branch out to the other servers like My Baby Kokan and Perhaps TAR or Blackwater (INFANTRY BABY!!!) we should have some excellent ways to play.

As soon as people learn what to expect from both providers and players, then I believe we can garner momentum from a possibly even larger PR community.

Greifers abound, watch your asses.

[xxkillerxx69]

Although it pains me to say this, I believe we should give the Code FIRST to TG so 126 players max, and they take care of the Tard Muffins.

This way we have a respectable server, at least in the beginning and then give to other, well admin'd servers like Hardcore.

And then we branch out to the other servers like My Baby Kokan and Perhaps TAR or Blackwater (INFANTRY BABY!!!) we should have some excellent ways to play.

As soon as people learn what to expect from both providers and players, then I believe we can garner momentum from a possibly even larger PR community.

Greifers abound, watch your asses.

we could do that but start with prta and tg? since one is euro and one is american and then slowly spread to both eu and us servers.

[Sniperdog]

Although it pains me to say this, I believe we should give the Code FIRST to TG so 126 players max, and they take care of the Tard Muffins.

Bare in mind the issue isn't tards joining the server (this happens to any server) so much as that AfterDune's admin script and other admining tools aren't functional with 128 players yet.

[Tirak]

Give it to the PRT first, we'll make it run right, or ban everyone trying

[illidur]

3 issues with it still

1. name tags.
2. can't invite players if you have 6 in the squad already.
3. admin process crashes the server?

[ShockUnitBlack]

I can't comment on the practicality of this until I play on TG with 64-plus players and with all the kinks worked out. That said, debating whether this is a good idea or not is irrelevant right now - we simply don't know. What matters is that we have been offered an opportunity to do something previously unheard of and make the best of it. Whether or not it works isn't the point - the point is now we can find out.

PS- Even if this does work, I doubt any servers are ever going to run at 128 players out of 128 without some sort of scheduled event being a catalyst.

[ConscriptVirus]

OMG 89 people!!! i am gonna try to join

[UberWazuSoldier]

Isn't this against the EULA though?

"Your right to use Tools & Materials is limited to the license grant above, and you may not otherwise copy, display, distribute, perform, publish, modify, create works from, or use any of the Tools & Materials. Without limiting the preceding sentence, you may not modify, reverse engineer, disassemble, license, transfer, distribute, create works from, or sell the Tool, or use the Tools & Materials to further any commercial purpose."

That seems to specifically prohibit this sort of thing, but I guess if you could get permission from EA/DICE it'd be okay.

[ShockUnitBlack]

It's all done within the code, perfectly legal. There's a post by SniperDog about this.

[UberWazuSoldier]

Is it being modified by a launcher program, or is the .exe itself changed? Orrrr is it just like changing sv.maxPlayers to 128 lol.

[Sniperdog]

...you may not modify, reverse engineer, disassemble, license, transfer, distribute, create works from, or sell the Tool...

We do not do any of those to their compiled software (the tool).

[UberWazuSoldier]

Oh okay, I just read

Currently increased
Learn assembler guys

And it sort of implied bf2_w32ded.exe was modified.

[Sniperdog]

Is it being modified by a launcher program, or is the .exe itself changed? Orrrr is it just like changing sv.maxPlayers to 128 lol.

The exe is launched and then certain addresses in the server's ram are overwritten after their software has been started.

[UberWazuSoldier]

Okay, so launcher rather than the .exe itself. Yeah that'd be alright I reckon.