How to keep the community up to date?, concerns about 0.6.

[MadTommy]

fuzzhead']@Everyone else: trust me when I say, that v0.6 has ALOT of gameplay changes. I would have to say, bigger changes going from v0.5-v0.6 than going from v0.4-v0.5.

I think most you will be pleasantly surprsed

you are such as tease!

I do have one big concern;

I am not having a rant, just opening a little discussion.

It would appear to me that the PR DEV team are victims of their own success.

v0.5 was very successful in its launch publicity and its sweeping changes. That has led to too many players who have no idea what they are doing. Not only are players having problem with fairly minor technical problems, (limited kits, rally points, etc etc) they also are having major tactical problems, ie having no idea what the objective is, how best to achieve it, the importance of spawn cars, etc.

Normally over time with a new game, version or whatever, players will learn and game play will improve. This has happened with the previous versions.

I am concerned that with new patches every 6 weeks or so that make game play changes, much of the community may be in a constant state of confusion.

(When the latest server side patch came out, it led to confusion on the battlefield, things had changed, but many were unaware, for example)

I am concerned that 0.6 will compound this problem.

It is GREAT that improvements are being made, but WE, as a community, have to improve on how we educate regulars and new players on game play changes and the like.

It must be extremely difficult to keep the Guide and related media up to date with so many regular changes. (it never appears to up to date for than a week before it becomes out dated by a new patch)

And its horrible trying to educate people by in game text.

What can we do? Can we utilise that pop up that EA uses for its updates? Or make a similar one… maybe showing Tip of the Day, each time you log on…

Any ideas…. How about an exam you need to pass, once you are certified you can play online (j/k)

(one thing I would like to see, is passworded servers with the passwords on the forums, that the regulars actually use… or maybe I should think about the old tourny.)


Is this just one of those catch 22 scenarios?

[MadTommy]

shame i can't edit the title...edit:. thanks to whoever did

[bosco_]

Any ideas…. How about an exam you need to pass, once you are certified you can play online (j/k)

That would actually be the best, if only it was possible
Like America's Army, you have to qualify for snipers and such... *dreams*

[DirtyHarry88]

Yeah you messed that one up.

I agree with what you're saying, like in BF2 when you first played you got pop-up messages giving you instructions, that would help many players.

[Michael_Denmark]

Hmm maybe we actually not only need a commander and a squad leader training program, but a squad member training program too?

Example:

In order to join public servers a new player must complete a squad member-training program where a squad leader will introduce the related subjects and recommended tutorials/videos.

What would be the Length of such a program? Don’t know, but maybe only basic teamwork stuff should be introduced and trained.

I think that what this mod really begins to need is a training component with exams or anything similar to that.

If this community shows it self to be mature enough to create such a component and make frequently use of it, for all player levelled functions and also specific kits maybe, then the game could be played to the extend of its potential.


What about it Madtommy, maybe you they player to start up a squad memeber training program?

Then we would have 3 core related training programs under developement.


Cheers

Mike

[Rhino]

That would actually be the best, if only it was possible
Like America's Army, you have to qualify for snipers and such... *dreams*

[-=ToD=-KNIFE]

Id agree fully there

it also dosnt help having the Devs only use a for an answer when we need them to tell us on what they plan to do to aid us, im still sick and tired of Nilla Noobs shooting at me as a fly past for re arming.

[MadTommy]

Mike, I like the idea, i'm not too sure about how it might work. What would stop a player called 'tkingsmacktardiwantaplanenowmofo' joining the server and screwing all the fun?

Only players who read the forums and guide want to join such programmes, and they are not the problem.

I would work if we had a network of popular passworded servers, and to get the passwords you had to pass the training. (maybe people could work off recommendations as well, i.e old timers dont have to train, just get recommended by instructor)

[ArmedDrunk&Angry]

I fully support the training idea but locking the game in any way is a bad idea.
It will keep out the curious but attract the devious.
If something is locked it's usually worth breaking into and that will bring the smacktards in droves who will share the passwords and they will revel in disrupting a locked server.

[00SoldierofFortune00]

I can't agree on this one. When the patches come out quicker(which they should), they also make changes less drastic most of the time. When we went from .32-.4, it was probably the biggest change yet, and really non of us adapted to .4 who were vets because it really changed a lot of things for the worse which we were used to in 0.32. When we went from 0.4-0.5 though, it was essentially a return to .32 which all the pros/vets knew, and it was a welcome thing.

What I am saying though is that when you prolong a release, the chances of drastic changes are higher then when you slowly impliment things 1 by 1 instead of all at once. Right now, I think most of the major problems with infantry combat are the explosive weapons such as Light AT, RPGs, and Grenade Launchers being use up close which eliminate firefights(and are also unrealistic). Once those are fixed, you will see a major change in infantry combat, but to the average noob, all he needs is a grenade launcher right now to take out an entire squad instead of a squad of his own.

[bosco_]

Rhino']

[Rhino]

it also dosnt help having the Devs only use a for an answer when we need them to tell us on what they plan to do to aid us, im still sick and tired of Nilla Noobs shooting at me as a fly past for re arming.

how can we give you a full awnser when we dont know yet excatly what is going in? If we told you guys every plan we have ever had for the mod, and have failed on a POC with it you guys would be crying your eyes out saying "waaaa you silly devs you said we where going to get fast roping and where is it? been 5 releases since you said you where going to put it in, waaa, waaaa, waaaa!" and i know you guys do it cos ive seen you do it many a time over.

[[PTG]Z.user]

passwords are leaked though..sadly.

[Michael_Denmark]

Mike, I like the idea, i'm not too sure about how it might work. What would stop a player called 'tkingsmacktardiwantaplanenowmofo' joining the server and screwing all the fun?

Well, it could be password protected or something else...Like...A global variable value locked to every login name. And that specific global variable value would give the user access to stuff in game: Squad member, Squad Leader, Commander, Sniper, Pilot etc.

And the only way to get this value on “Access mode” would be to complete training stuff?

No idea if this could be scripted or not though :, But i know that the training stuff can be developed and for the SL and C it is already under construction.

[Golden7B]

1) squad member training would be very good... Me I dont command, but i watched all the SL training videos, but when you go and play, you have to explain everything to the other 5 guys and its really annoying having to redo that every round. So its good to train the leaders, but the members should have a clue to what your talking about without having to explain everything in details.

2) I agree on the fact that you want to get rid of the retards and the non pr spirited (hmm??) players but all suggestions here will end up in having a few servers with all the good players concentrated there..... So basically what will happen is , if youre not on the list of players able to play that server, dont have the pass or whatever the reason you cant join the few good servers, then you have to play on another one and end up playing with even more retards than now. And in my opinion, PR will continue growing if the community gets bigger and better, not smaller and better. So I think the best way to do that is being a real community, everybody helps each other, give tips , etc. (BUT, a player who joins a game and asks all sorts of questions like how cant i drive this or take that, and doesnt even bother to read the guide before, lacks in respect for himself, but everybody is different!)

3) so to get rid of those retards? I always read here, like this guy was cheating so i reported him at dice or whatever.... That doesnt seem to work, but still it would be the best way to control them (or annoy them cuz well never get rid of em completely). If we could report retards, and lets say, you check what they did: cheat, tks on purpose, no teamplay at all, etc etc) and after X votes, they are banned from servers that would be good.... but is that even possible??

aight, ill stop here, i gotta study if I wanna play tonight! hehe

[Michael_Denmark]

So its good to train the leaders, but the members should have a clue to what your talking about without having to explain everything in details.

Agreed. Here we actually got a weak link when Sl and C are up running frequently.

[MadTommy]

2) I agree on the fact that you want to get rid of the retards and the non pr spirited (hmm??) players but all suggestions here will end up in having a few servers with all the good players concentrated there..... So basically what will happen is , if youre not on the list of players able to play that server, dont have the pass or whatever the reason you cant join the few good servers, then you have to play on another one and end up playing with even more retards than now.

a very good point. But not a show stopper. If the community gets really big, locked servers may be the only way forward, for me at least. It may be elitist or whatever but alot of the onling gaming community do not share the same gaming ethics as the PR DEVs are trying to promote and no amount of info & guides will change this. We need to promote a mature (does not mean old ) player base. These two words should be included in every media snippet from the PR community.

[Golden7B]

ok, well i dont know if that would be possible, but lets say locked servers work... we have 5 , 64 players good locked servers with variety in maps etc etc..... Then there would have to be a way to fill up all the servers at the same pace.... lets say there is one server with 40 players in it, and the others have none, well it should block that server (40) until other servers get a min of players in it, so basically my point is , a system that makes all servers enoyable, and not one big popular server and all the other ones empty.......possible?

[MadTommy]

ok, well i dont know if that would be possible, but lets say locked servers work... we have 5 , 64 players good locked servers with variety in maps etc etc..... Then there would have to be a way to fill up all the servers at the same pace.... lets say there is one server with 40 players in it, and the others have none, well it should block that server (40) until other servers get a min of players in it, so basically my point is , a system that makes all servers enoyable, and not one big popular server and all the other ones empty.......possible?

I think it all depends on the size of the player base, locked servers will only work with a large keen community. I'm looking into the future, not the v0.3 - v0.4 days where you had 2/3 full servers and all the rest empty, but the 0.9 days with loads of full servers....and loads of smacktards.

[Golden7B]

is there a PR server recommendation thread?? cuz now, the servers that are mostly full are the ones with short spawn or 24 map servers and i dont even bother joining them....... so i always end up in like OSF (yeah friendly is low but at least there is good teamplay....) or jedi servers.....(and dont tell me tactical, cuz its always full making my earlier point...hehe)