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BF4 Server Changes

 
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Super Wabbit
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Joined: 18 Apr 2004
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Location: Raleigh, NC

PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 1:39 am    Post subject: BF4 Server Changes

Hey everyone. So we're trying some new settings on the server and I'm asking for everyone's feedback!

Basic server outline: We seed with Domination game mode. As players join, the max player count increases. Get enough people to join and the server moves to playing Conquest Small maps, then Conquest Large maps.

Two recent changes:
1. Removal of the kill cam. I expect this may be controversial. Let me know what you think. How are the pubbers taking the change?
2. Modified ticket counts and round time:
Domination: Lowered tickets from 300 to 225. Limited round time to 30min. Our thinking is that shorter rounds will help seed the server.
Conquest Small: Raised ticket count from 400 to 600. Limited round time to 30min. 400 tickets can go by really fast but we also don't want these rounds to go on for 60min (default).
Conquest Large: Default tickets 800. Game timer is is lowered from 60min to 45min.

Questions, comments?


*Edit: Changed info about Conquest Large game timer.


Last edited by Super Wabbit on Fri Jan 24, 2014 4:43 pm; edited 1 time in total
[DC]ClavisApocalypticae
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 12:30 pm    Post subject:

The time and ticket count changes are great, and I think they'll go a long way toward accomplishing your goals.

#1 still gives me much butthurt, though Wink
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Super Wabbit
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Location: Raleigh, NC

PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 12:38 pm    Post subject:

[DC]ClavisApocalypticae wrote:
The time and ticket count changes are great, and I think they'll go a long way toward accomplishing your goals.

#1 still gives me much butthurt, though Wink


I thought you said you preferred no kill cam?

So the ticket and time changes: Our thinking is that shorter rounds help with retention and even game balance. Seems like we'd play one map for an hour and it wears everyone out and people go disconnect from the server. With so many players leaving the auto balance plugin doesn't have a lot to go on...

If we have short rounds, people may be more likely to stay on for at least one more round. This could potentially allow the auto balance plugin to do some work and we get some good rounds in.

Given that, I think we'll set the game timer for Conquest Large maps to 45min.
NTolerance
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Joined: 13 Jul 2005
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 6:40 pm    Post subject:

As much as I dislike the killcam, it might be giving squads that use voice comms (us) a distinct advantage to call out contacts after they've been killed by them. When we were playing without killcam last night I found that I was calling out contacts much less than before.
Dynamite Dan
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Location: Blackburn, Lancashire, UK

PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 5:41 am    Post subject:

Regarding the Kill Cam. Does the games have just an on or off setting? I know that sounds like a stupid question, but i remember in a Call of Duty game that instead of you seeing the killers position as a sillouette after you have died, you got to see the kill from the killers point of view (their screen), usually in slow motion.

Is this an option?
Super Wabbit
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Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 3667
Location: Raleigh, NC

PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 10:33 am    Post subject:

Dynamite Dan wrote:
Regarding the Kill Cam. Does the games have just an on or off setting? I know that sounds like a stupid question, but i remember in a Call of Duty game that instead of you seeing the killers position as a sillouette after you have died, you got to see the kill from the killers point of view (their screen), usually in slow motion.

Is this an option?


That would be a neat feature, but you could still determine where the shot came from. That feature is doubly interesting as it would show the poitn of view of your killer. No more crying "he shot me from around the wall!"
[DC]ClavisApocalypticae
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:49 pm    Post subject:

Super Wabbit wrote:
[DC]ClavisApocalypticae wrote:
The time and ticket count changes are great, and I think they'll go a long way toward accomplishing your goals.

#1 still gives me much butthurt, though Wink


I thought you said you preferred no kill cam?


Nah, we hates it, Precious. We prefer to see where the wicked, tricksy, false little hobbitses are hiding, so we can go wring their filthy little necks.
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Super Wabbit
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Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 3667
Location: Raleigh, NC

PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:54 pm    Post subject:

[DC]ClavisApocalypticae wrote:
Super Wabbit wrote:
[DC]ClavisApocalypticae wrote:
The time and ticket count changes are great, and I think they'll go a long way toward accomplishing your goals.

#1 still gives me much butthurt, though Wink


I thought you said you preferred no kill cam?


Nah, we hates it, Precious. We prefer to see where the wicked, tricksy, false little hobbitses are hiding, so we can go wring their filthy little necks.


Revenge killings are not the way.
[DC]ClavisApocalypticae
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Joined: 15 Jan 2005
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 2:27 pm    Post subject:

Super Wabbit wrote:
[DC]ClavisApocalypticae wrote:
Super Wabbit wrote:
[DC]ClavisApocalypticae wrote:
The time and ticket count changes are great, and I think they'll go a long way toward accomplishing your goals.

#1 still gives me much butthurt, though Wink


I thought you said you preferred no kill cam?


Nah, we hates it, Precious. We prefer to see where the wicked, tricksy, false little hobbitses are hiding, so we can go wring their filthy little necks.


Revenge killings are not the way.


In general, I agree with that. I wouldn't go after specific player simply because he killed me. But I would call out his position to my squad to make sure that he doesn't get them, too.
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Super Wabbit
CH Administrator


Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 3667
Location: Raleigh, NC

PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 2:45 pm    Post subject:

[DC]ClavisApocalypticae wrote:
Super Wabbit wrote:
[DC]ClavisApocalypticae wrote:
Super Wabbit wrote:
[DC]ClavisApocalypticae wrote:
The time and ticket count changes are great, and I think they'll go a long way toward accomplishing your goals.

#1 still gives me much butthurt, though Wink


I thought you said you preferred no kill cam?


Nah, we hates it, Precious. We prefer to see where the wicked, tricksy, false little hobbitses are hiding, so we can go wring their filthy little necks.


Revenge killings are not the way.


In general, I agree with that. I wouldn't go after specific player simply because he killed me. But I would call out his position to my squad to make sure that he doesn't get them, too.


Not to get too far off topic: This is an interesting evolution of gaming. Back in the day, if you called out an enemy location after you died you were accused of ghosting, at the time this was considered cheating.

If a player is camping a spot and is causing considerable harm to your team, I think taking that player out wouldn't be considered revenge killing. But taking out the sniper that is 5 miles away and has only 1 kill (you), that would be revenge killing. Taking yourself that far out of the fight to take out one player, essentially only gaining 1 ticket form this exchange, is wasteful considering you could be more beneficial to your team by staying with your squad.
[DC]ClavisApocalypticae
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Joined: 15 Jan 2005
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 3:56 pm    Post subject:

Super Wabbit wrote:
[DC]ClavisApocalypticae wrote:
Super Wabbit wrote:
[DC]ClavisApocalypticae wrote:
Super Wabbit wrote:
[DC]ClavisApocalypticae wrote:
The time and ticket count changes are great, and I think they'll go a long way toward accomplishing your goals.

#1 still gives me much butthurt, though Wink


I thought you said you preferred no kill cam?


Nah, we hates it, Precious. We prefer to see where the wicked, tricksy, false little hobbitses are hiding, so we can go wring their filthy little necks.


Revenge killings are not the way.


In general, I agree with that. I wouldn't go after specific player simply because he killed me. But I would call out his position to my squad to make sure that he doesn't get them, too.


Not to get too far off topic: This is an interesting evolution of gaming. Back in the day, if you called out an enemy location after you died you were accused of ghosting, at the time this was considered cheating.

If a player is camping a spot and is causing considerable harm to your team, I think taking that player out wouldn't be considered revenge killing. But taking out the sniper that is 5 miles away and has only 1 kill (you), that would be revenge killing. Taking yourself that far out of the fight to take out one player, essentially only gaining 1 ticket form this exchange, is wasteful considering you could be more beneficial to your team by staying with your squad.


I guess I would argue that cheating, in my mind, is using a tool or technique not ordinarily available in the game to gain an unfair advantage over your opponent. Aimbots, transparency hacks, macros, bunnyhop scripts, and the like.

If you're simply making creative use of a device or concept within the game to gain advantage (calling out an opponent's position as seen in the killcam, for example), that isn't cheating. The killcam is available to all players in the game, and if they aren't using it as such, that's an education problem on their part, not a cheating problem on your part. To me, anyway.

EDIT: It occurs to me now that I overlooked one angle in the beginning of my last response. TEAMSPEAK. Back in the DC days, before there was in-game VOIP, we used TS to coordinate our attacks, call out enemy positions, etc. The reason I mention it is because it wasn't a device or concept freely available to everyone in the game, it's a third-party tool. But we used it to gain advantage over our opponents. FWIW, anyway...
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Super Wabbit
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Posts: 3667
Location: Raleigh, NC

PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 4:50 pm    Post subject:

Suppressors and Kill Cams don't mix well. The whole point of the suppressor is to stay stealthy. I feel like a large part of my stealthiness is taken away with the kill cam.
Super Wabbit
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Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 3667
Location: Raleigh, NC

PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 6:51 pm    Post subject:

Speaking of game play changes, such as disabling kill cam. What other ideas do you all have that might be good to try?

What do you all thing of enabling Squad Leader only spawning? The thought is that this will slow game play down a little bit and make it less hectic if players can only spawn on their squad leaders.
Khaghabal
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Joined: 22 Apr 2004
Posts: 2734
Location: Boston

PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 7:09 pm    Post subject:

[DC]ClavisApocalypticae wrote:

EDIT: It occurs to me now that I overlooked one angle in the beginning of my last response. TEAMSPEAK. Back in the DC days, before there was in-game VOIP, we used TS to coordinate our attacks, call out enemy positions, etc. The reason I mention it is because it wasn't a device or concept freely available to everyone in the game, it's a third-party tool. But we used it to gain advantage over our opponents. FWIW, anyway...


Back in the DC days we had server full of TS users with more waiting on TS to get in... so it kinda was available to everyone.
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Dynamite Dan
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 7:15 pm    Post subject:

Also, back in the DC days, we had Red and Blue sub channels so cross team Intel couldn't be shared.
NTolerance
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Posts: 1044

PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 8:19 pm    Post subject:

Dynamite Dan wrote:
Also, back in the DC days, we had Red and Blue sub channels so cross team Intel couldn't be shared.


It's possible for us to do this with BF4. Looking into it!
Dynamite Dan
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Joined: 19 Jun 2004
Posts: 4299
Location: Blackburn, Lancashire, UK

PostPosted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 5:28 am    Post subject:

I think this is a good idea, but please don't make it automated (like it used to be) just yet, i enjoy the conversation on TS, i don't want to be forced into another channel based on what team I'm on.. just yet. It would be nice to have 2 sub channels in case TS gets a bit busy though.