We Need More Servers

[Mats391]

It is to me.

We are always open for suggestions to improve it, but the general idea behind it is to ensure all officially listed servers play the same. This is not really the place to discuss this. Feel free to create a suggestion to improve the license agreement.

As for anyone who wants to start a new server, I suggest to first see if you could help out an existing one. There are quite a few servers that just sit around empty and every server can always require more help.

[dcm]

We are always open for suggestions to improve it, but the general idea behind it is to ensure all officially listed servers play the same. This is not really the place to discuss this. Feel free to create a suggestion to improve the license agreement.

As for anyone who wants to start a new server, I suggest to first see if you could help out an existing one. There are quite a few servers that just sit around empty and every server can always require more help.

You're not listening. The people who play this current version of PR is hard capped to what you see now. If you want more players, you gotta change things up. Make the game easier, faster and more accessible. Gameplay wise and server wise too.

[Nate.]

You're not listening. The people who play this current version of PR is hard capped to what you see now. If you want more players, you gotta change things up. Make the game easier, faster and more accessible. Gameplay wise and server wise too.

Maybe that's because there is nothing to listen to Server wise, I still don't know what exactly the license enforces that would hinder your ideas.

Would be great if you had some actual examples for what you mean - Feel free to create a suggestion to improve the license agreement or the gameplay.

As for making the game itself "easier" and "faster" - I think this will not create additional appeal simply because it would remove the unique selling point of PR. Also we have gungame now, which is super casual.

[Coalz101]

You're not listening. The people who play this current version of PR is hard capped to what you see now. If you want more players, you gotta change things up. Make the game easier, faster and more accessible. Gameplay wise and server wise too.

Hmm, I don't think you realize, but its not. People just don't want to play the game if you won't enjoy yourself. Especially in the current situation where people's mental health are already deteriorating from the on going situation (Its not the same across the global, some places have it worse others have it easier).

I'm at that point in life where I'd not play PR unless I know I'm going to have a good time. It's not because of gameplay or the servers that are active. I'm pretty sure 2 servers could run simultaneously if they were both fully seeded. But no one wants to spend time seeding a server instead of actually playing a proper match. Organizing public events might help that.

[bobolee]

I'm heart broking seeing some longtime skilled players got banned or switched to other games,leaving noobs only to fooling around,thus making the game boring then dieing.The game of chess can last for thousands of years,why can't PR?

[dcm]

Server wise, I still don't know what exactly the license enforces that would hinder your ideas.

Custom rules without hindrances on 'your' infrastructure.

As for making the game itself "easier" and "faster" - I think this will not create additional appeal simply because it would remove the unique selling point of PR. Also we have gungame now, which is super casual.

Gungame is a distraction. A novelty at best. PR's appeal is waning. There are not many people who have the patience to play PR as the devs intended with all the egregious wait times. Other milsim type games atleast try to alleviate the outrageous wait times. I literally can not stand another round where there are no vehicles at main, there is no competent trans pilot, and the only option left is to walk 5-10 minutes to the objective. Especially if it's a 2km+ map.

[Suchar]

Gungame is a distraction. A novelty at best. PR's appeal is waning. There are not many people who have the patience to play PR as the devs intended with all the egregious wait times. Other milsim type games atleast try to alleviate the outrageous wait times. I literally can not stand another round where there are no vehicles at main, there is no competent trans pilot, and the only option left is to walk 5-10 minutes to the objective. Especially if it's a 2km+ map.

Have you ever heard about Squad? Looking at your posts, I think you may be interested in the kind of gameplay Squad offers.

[dcm]

Have you ever heard about Squad? Looking at your posts, I think you may be interested in the kind of gameplay Squad offers.

Squad is inferior to PR gameplay wise.

[SemlerPDX]

Custom rules without hindrances on 'your' infrastructure.

Well, if you're okay hosing behind a password, then you could have custom rules or maybe shorter respawn times for players/vehicles, etc. etc. Have you even read the license? Please re-read Section 7.

[dcm]

Well, if you're okay hosing behind a password, then you could have custom rules or maybe shorter respawn times for players/vehicles, etc. etc. Have you even read the license? Please re-read Section 7.

Again, No. Passworded servers are not a solution. I want my custom server to be open to everybody without hindrance or obstacle from the get go.

[SemlerPDX]

Again, No. Passworded servers are not a solution. I want my custom server to be open to everybody without hindrance or obstacle from the get go.

Well then, no offense intended, when you have designed a full modification game mode(s) for an old game like BF2 with a team of friends and peers, then you can dictate how those servers run and to keep public game servers running your mod within the vision you had for it. Imagine you modified it such that you created a PR:GTA game mode, and that became rather popular - folks may equate the whole PR game mode to that which you modified as PR:GTA on your server, and so folks would not know when joining servers on the list (besides the name) what to expect.

So they keep it standardized (with reason, you have .py's and config settings you are allowed to change, again see Section 7 of the license) to keep the PR experience on public servers consistent.

It's not that hard to understand why this is done, and why extreme modifications must be on a passworded server. That's actually a lot of leeway, not sure why you are so dismissive of this sort of ownership and authorship taken by the folks who put in the long hours of work over 15+ years (for free) who just want their game to run as designed (within limits).

If ya want a 'free for all' server where anything goes, ya just gotta run it behind a password. It's not as big of a deal as you are making it out to be, bro.

[SemlerPDX]

Just wanted to add that, since the only 'hinderance' suggested involved wait time for respawn/vehicle/transport, that these settings are in files which server license holders are allowed to modify - as in, would not be required to run behind a password. You'd get to experience for yourself why longer respawn timers are used to encourage more careful actions and less asset waste, and folks may even have fun while waiting for their favorite "real" Project Reality server to be populated with their friends or whatever... it's been done before.

PR is the way it is for a reason, years and years of tweaking settings and testing, and it works well as a very playable FPS with many milsim elements. Take that away at your own peril, servers cost money and this experiment could be costly, but it is NOT against the license based on your stated suggestions about 'waiting around too long', etc. if that is your only gripe.

[Brotherscompany]

Honestly without offence DCM but what you want is purely garbage to the PR gameplay.

The game is already Arcade and Battlefield enough with the loss of Veterans and non stop INS, dont make this game even more arcade and just mindless human waving. Let PR be PR not BF or SQUAD.

This system works, you log in and you know exactly which experience you are going to get. It would be awful being forced to play on a server like that as if it actually went up you would be forced to play on those game rules until it crashed.

[FFG]

Again, No. Passworded servers are not a solution. I want my custom server to be open to everybody without hindrance or obstacle from the get go.

What gameplay would you change?

[Tommygun]

Would it be worth trying for a month or two, let anyone set up a server any way they want and have them listed on the master server. One could have 'legit' servers or known ones have an "official" tag and all others as "unofficial' or "Unregulated". It might give a boost to numbers or interest in the game and being honest most people want to play on a populated server and will be drawn to the official ones anyway.
Any way to introduce more people to joys of the game is good, no?
If it turns to shit and people complain don't list them.

[dcm]

What gameplay would you change?

Make it faster and easier for people to spend more 'uptime' actually playing the game, and not waiting for respawn/assets, or walking to an objective.

Would it be worth trying for a month or two, let anyone set up a server any way they want and have them listed on the master server. One could have 'legit' servers or known ones have an "official" tag and all others as "unofficial' or "Unregulated". It might give a boost to numbers or interest in the game and being honest most people want to play on a populated server and will be drawn to the official ones anyway.
Any way to introduce more people to joys of the game is good, no?
If it turns to shit and people complain don't list them.

^This

[SemlerPDX]

Would it be worth trying for a month or two, let anyone set up a server any way they want and have them listed on the master server. One could have 'legit' servers or known ones have an "official" tag and all others as "unofficial' or "Unregulated". It might give a boost to numbers or interest in the game and being honest most people want to play on a populated server and will be drawn to the official ones anyway.
Any way to introduce more people to joys of the game is good, no?
If it turns to shit and people complain don't list them.

The license to essentially be listed on the master server includes complying with other things, too, such as administration matters, a clear route for unban appeals, and hosting tracker/demo files for the previous 30 days of server activity, among others.

This helps ensure when players join a PR Server in the list, that certain standards are upheld not only with regards to how the game runs but how the server host operates.

I personally don't see how anything like you suggested would boost popularity of PR, again, it's not just a matter of 'if you build it they will come' - the server still needs good management and admin team, clear rules and structure of some kind, and people to seed and popularize that 'different' version of PR. IMHO it would not carry over to 'standard' PR if folks got hooked an used to a 'different' version - meaning that newcomers would expect that 'different' version, only a few would see it as a gateway to the 'standard' version.

[Tommygun]

The license to essentially be listed on the master server includes complying with other things, too, such as administration matters, a clear route for unban appeals, and hosting tracker/demo files for the previous 30 days of server activity, among others.

This helps ensure when players join a PR Server in the list, that certain standards are upheld not only with regards to how the game runs but how the server host operates.

I personally don't see how anything like you suggested would boost popularity of PR, again, it's not just a matter of 'if you build it they will come' - the server still needs good management and admin team, clear rules and structure of some kind, and people to seed and popularize that 'different' version of PR. IMHO it would not carry over to 'standard' PR if folks got hooked an used to a 'different' version - meaning that newcomers would expect that 'different' version, only a few would see it as a gateway to the 'standard' version.

Let the compliance go for a moment. My thinking is that maybe if you are lucky you get 50 downloads of server files that people can tinker with, they then in turn need friends to connect so will hustle for players bringing more, even if momentarily, eyeballs to the project. It could be newsworthy and bring some people to look. Regulation, while I get it can also stifle growth and possibly new ways of doing things not thought of. So what if people dont play on them. I think a 16 yr old game like this with pretty dedicated modders and players could do with any boost it could get at this stage of its lifecycle.

I cant see it hurting too much to try, and could be rolled back if ****. Whats the worst that can happen, 100s of people dont play on crappy unofficial servers
None of our current player regulars or casuals would join the "Unofficial" servers or if they did it would be out of interest and who knows a server might pop up for 5 hrs every day and be welll run? Really well run ones could be given a gold star

[AlonTavor]

My thinking is that maybe if you are lucky you get 50 downloads of server files that people can tinker with

The server files are public. You can start a server at this very moment by clicking the start_server.bat file in your PR directory, and there's nothing blocking people from using Join IP on it.

This is only about listing the server.

[Coalz101]

Make it faster and easier for people to spend more 'uptime' actually playing the game, and not waiting for respawn/assets, or walking to an objective.

So what you're basically saying is that you want to play Squad, but in PR...
1 hour matches with teammates who care about nothing other than rushing into an objective, dying respawning and trying again. I think you're in the wrong place my guy, because PR is not meant to be a fast pace shooter (Rising Storm, Squad to some extent), nor is it meant to be a slow pace Mil sim (ARMA for example). It's literally meant to fit right inbetween those two. It's not too fast nor is it too slow.

I don't think changing the game will make anything better. It will just make the veteran players stray away because it's not something they are used to. I mean just take a look at the changelogs, anytime something major happens all the older players gather to criticize it with little to no experience actually playing with those changes (Recoil changes; AR deviation changes; the old 'realistic' Damage changes which was reverted in just a few days; 'Semi' Fire and Forget)