SWZ 2006

[a dead fish 0]

Ok folks, enough whining and name calling. Enough of the incessant bickering and wishing for things past. It is a known fact that negativity breeds and feeds upon itself. This is a zone we all love or at least have loved. If it wasn't so, emotions wouldn't flow so freely. Lets try to let some positive energy flow around here...

 

Now, with that said, let's state a few facts. We all know them, but I think we need to be reminded of them from time to time.

 

SS population is and has been in decline. Zones compete for a slowly dwindling total population. This is just the way it is. Things change, people come and go.

 

There have been problems with the zone and it's management in the past. This can be said for any venture, business, family, whatever any number of people engage in jointly. Regardless of what some of you say, we have a good bunch of folks currently on staff. 2006 will be my 7th year around the zone. There's almost always someone on staff in the zone, in fact, there have been many times lately that there have been more staff than players in the zone.

 

We all have real lives, beyond this wonderfully addictive game. Those of us that can, devote whatever time we can to it, whether it be as sysop or player, and everything inbetween. Sometimes even when we can get on, all we can do is sit in spec and chat a little, trying to get some real work done in the real world... Tis just the nature of the beast.

 

The new map has a lot of what folks have been asking for. There's still a few things that need to be fixed or changed. They will get done.

 

Here are a few of the things that I see need to be done...

 

1. Ball timer should be increased. The larger goal areas are harder to get to, and 4-5 seconds isn't quite enough for any good soccer type games.

 

2. The little mini map pics need to be updated and removed. If anyone wants to take this little project on, make 'em up and get em to me, and I'll make sure it happens.

 

3. Personally I'd like to see the freq/ship settings go back into place... You know, freq 0 - 1,2,3, freq 1 - 4,5,6 ... I'd like to see ship 7 available to both freqs.

 

4. Ship changes I'd like to see.

Ship 6 - Too powerful with flag upgrades... ok otherwise...

Ship 3 - Recharge time way to slow... Opponent respawns and kills before you can even get halfway recharged.

Ship 7 - Either A. Ability to port OR Ability to attach to other ship. This ship is a really neat idea, and can add a real new dynamic to flag games.

 

5. I'm really split on the idea of anti in the center. There's a lot of pro's and cons to both sides. It does make using the duel box in main kinda difficult when folks are anti'ing in center.

 

Regarding #'s 3 and 5. If we go back to ship/freq settings and if we make anti in the center illegal, it SHOULD be handled by the bots. Now again, this is just my opinion, but I think that should be so for one reason and one reason only. PEOPLE NEED TO PLAY WHEN THEY CAN. A lot of folks don't like the bots because they think they make the zone too impersonal. This may be, but what they can do, and have done, is to free up staff to play, to get involved, to communicate, besides saying "change ships or get a ban" ... You get my drift...

 

Me personally, I'm working on a super event, map and all. Should be pretty killer... Let's just say it's a turf style event involving two large ships, lots of fighters, landing bay, Star Wars theme, special graphics, and we'll leave it at that... Probably take me a couple of months to finish, tons of tiling, and at some point, i'll need some help with it, but i'll ask when that time arrives... But it will require probably 10+ folks per team... the more the merrier...

 

Hopefully the leagues will help, they usually do, but they are not the be all, end all...

 

So some of you buck up, get off your high horses, and login and play. The old days will never be here again. That's a fact, live with it... Those of us that grew up in the 70's and 80's understand this more than you'll ever know <grin>...

 

The rest of you, continue your support for the zone, however you can. Play when you can, come by and say hi! when you can.

 

Anyways, that's my rants for the end of 2005, and my hopes for 2006.

 

Have a safe new year --adf

[Distributor of Pain 0]

I like some of your ideas, especially going back to older setting types (circa 2002 would be great, with anti on spider and weasel) and ship rules. Part of the fun was learning how to win using your strengths that your freq had and overcoming the weaknesses of it, such as anti on spider making it bad in pursuit and weasel good in that regard or having the warbird excellent in attacking, but then having the terr for defense. Each freq had its own strengths and weaknesses. People complained about this freq winning all of the time or that one, saying the ships were better on one than the other, but come on. We've seen freq 1 dominate for periods of time and then freq 0 come and dominate after that, then a reversal back to freq 1 again. It happens. Live with it and try to change the trend.

 

I think the map is still too big. It should be much smaller due to our population size. I think that it needs to come down to, at least, two-thirds the current size and maybe as far as half the current size. There needs to be a maximum of four bases with no more than two choke points and an average fly-through time of thirty to forty-five seconds.

 

The flag and ball upgrades should be removed. It just promotes centerkilling, IMO.

 

Just remove the engine shutdown. It does nothing to improve gameplay. It is just a mild nuisance. I have been lobbying for this since the turn of the Millenium (literally).

 

Increase the flag/green spawn zone (not too much, just a bit more).

 

Perhaps the main could be an event-type zone, with SWZFL-type play. Three deaths and you're out. No freq switching once your're in. However, we can let new arrivals join the smaller/losing freq. This would take an actual human being on staff to be there to work this out, but it would be fun I think.

 

 

EDIT: Oh and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make bouncy bullets standard. Its a waste of time and detrimental to the game to have to green it and you cant very well flag without bouncies.

[Valoron 0]

I agree with most of the suggestions made here so far... I even agree personally with the freq restrictions, though I bet there will be much outcry against it.

 

The ball timer definitely needs to be increased.

 

Bouncies would be very nice to have standard.

 

Yes, get rid of shutdown.

 

No anti in center is a pretty good rule I think. It keeps people from being annoying during big flag games, and would keep the duel box from being messed with by people outside.

 

Bots SHOULD be used to take care of the menial tasks of rule enforcing... That's what bots are for! We have a small player base as it is, let the staff get in and play! If anything that makes the zone MORE personal.

 

If anyone on staff would like to post some pre-scheduled events, I bet they'd bring in more people... Spontaneous events are good and all, but I rarely participate in them because they always seem to happen when I'm just popping in briefly and haven't scheduled some time to play...

 

adf, I like your idea for that event/map you're working on... if you want any help just let me know... I've actually had an idea for a swz event that's bounced around in my head since like 1999, if you want to hear about it send me a PM.

 

PS - I'd also like to see an updated shipset that includes appropriate graphics for ship 7... I like having my tie fighters and stuff but that ship is still a mon calamari cruiser!

[Distributor of Pain 0]

could make a Millenium Fulcon ship

[No_Remorse 0]

I concur. However, I don't agree with the weasel being overwhelming because any ship, with flags, if used properly can have a significant advantage.

[Valoron 0]

I too don't feel the weasel to be at all overpowered. It has its strengths in its emps and maneuverability, but it also has weaknesses in its relatively lower max energy. It also can't get thors... Besides, if anyone feels the weasel is at all more powerful, they can just play one!

[valvalvalvalvalvalvalvalv 0]

settings are fine k

 

just go in and play, thats all u can do im tired of these threads

[Mackieman 0]

QUOTE (a dead fish @ Dec 30 2005, 01:07 PM)

Here are a few of the things that I see need to be done... 1. Ball timer should be increased. The larger goal areas are harder to get to, and 4-5 seconds isn't quite enough for any good soccer type games. 2. The little mini map pics need to be updated and removed. If anyone wants to take this little project on, make 'em up and get em to me, and I'll make sure it happens. 3. Personally I'd like to see the freq/ship settings go back into place... You know, freq 0 - 1,2,3, freq 1 - 4,5,6 ... I'd like to see ship 7 available to both freqs. 4. Ship changes I'd like to see. Ship 6 - Too powerful with flag upgrades... ok otherwise... Ship 3 - Recharge time way to slow... Opponent respawns and kills before you can even get halfway recharged. Ship 7 - Either A. Ability to port OR Ability to attach to other ship. This ship is a really neat idea, and can add a real new dynamic to flag games. 5. I'm really split on the idea of anti in the center. There's a lot of pro's and cons to both sides. It does make using the duel box in main kinda difficult when folks are anti'ing in center.

1. Ball timer has been increased to fifteen seconds.

 

2. Those were the result of a hidden lvz file that was being required. I have removed it and those should be gone now.

 

3. Ship rules are a touchy subject. As someone noted, you'll find as many people for it as are against it. I am for it in theory but against it in practice because, as you noted, it has to be a bot function and I have no one to change our bots right now. This is evidenced by the pisspoor capship plugin.

 

4. I disagree; ship settings are fine. The only thing we might look at changing is the flag upgrades. I've never been a fan of those and they make already decent players impossible to kill by no other virtue except they found a flag. Flag upgrades are good when there is constant flagging because it enables freqs to keep their bases longer. In menial dog fights, they're just dumb.

 

5. I've allowed anti until more regular flag games start occurring. We were going strong for a bit and then hit the holidays. I'm hoping things pick back up when the spring semester commences.

 

Also, Clint and I are working on centering the map and plugging some of the holes where you asscanoes are hiding the ball and so forth.

[fox-1 0]

How about we bring back those A1 pictures where all top players of the reset were listed. I remember some hard core flaggers who played the zone all day just to get their name up there. It would be also nice to have a new "High Score Record" ... reset the old one, since nobody can't beat it with the current settings and population.

 

Here's a pic of A1 if someone doesn't remember!

 

[vaporiser 0]

This has been talked about , but could not be done before due to SWZ disappearing from the high score pages. BUT, I just checked and SWZ is back on the High score pages again.

[SoM 0]

Or how about we keep the old High score record? I remember Huntress play 20 hours a day for two weeks, and whole Incoming had to play alot to help her. I dont see why Staff had to change the multiplyer/jackpot settings in the first place? Was never any good reason to do so.

 

Just change back to the same old jackpot settings we had before.

 

I used to like the flagupgrades, but after the "small" tweaks thats been done i think some ships been getting more advantage.

 

Ship rules are stupid, we all got our favorite ships. I use Warbird 97% of my time playing, which means i would have to play on frequence 0 all the time, sit in spec and wait until i can get on it etc. No ship rules is the best thing to keep the flaggame even aswell.

 

Anti should stay legal all over the map, or we would get the 'Door to center -> attach to another doorbase (over and over)'. And there would be no match to rec in center since you can port at all time...etc etc

 

Take away the duelbox, we got a whole map full of them in ?go duel and the one in main is just a waste, put a base or something else there instead. Same goes with D8 with the "staff box"....make a base there or something useful. You already got your names up in "F1".

 

/SOM

[Leviticus 0]

I personally like the duel/tourney box, and it keeps people in main instead of other arenas where new people might not know where to go.

 

 

Tourneying in main in my opinion is more fun than in ?go tourney

 

Levi

[Masaru05 0]

All Lancaster tourney in main = Fun.

 

Top left box of teh staff should be turned into some sort of base... (Names could be included in walls, perhaps?)

 

No ship rules, it's much better than before.

 

Ship settings are fine, leave 'em.

 

Bases seem too small for larger flagging games (7v7+), but that doesn't happen enough to take too much concern into changing the map.

 

Keep the momentum after large games with some sort of event within 2-5 minutes of completion in an effort to keep players in instead of joining the Spec pool.

 

 

~Mas

[Dodj 0]

HAHAHAHAH fox-1

 

that more closely resembles my top 3 hated ss players of al time

 

blackale makemy day and understaker

[Voirsh 0]

Well just noticed this zone actually has a forum (har har) but it's interesting about something adeadfish said at the top of this post, that ss population has declined. And while this is somewhat true for this zone it is almost a complete fallacy that people have come to say in justification for zones struggling to stay alive.

 

They say the same crap in PB/WZCTF (My other zone) but, when you look at the server list, you'll notice somewhat "new" zones that have poped up just while supposidly people "lost" interest in zones like starwarzone, swr, etc etc.

 

Halo, Desert Storm, Metal Gear are all relativly "new" zones when compared to starwarzone. Hell even Paintball (which just recently reopened) has been able to sustain a 20+ population with a lifespan of ONLY 1 MONTH! I mean look at RedStar an UTTER EG RIPOFF but people still visit it. (which i've seen you guys play SHAME ON YOU!)

 

Flashy Graphics, ingame stats, constant events; seem to be the flavor of the year. Lets try something new.

 

-Voirsh (Blackstars)

[thoth1902 0]

OK, here I go. I'm a Newb still (the ProNewb!) so I'm learning. The zone is doing very well and I know the changes that need to be made will, if any. ADF is doing a most excellent job, and even the skipper too. The only thing I will add to the things to in SWZ is the $urPrize idea i've popped here and there. I think for the people that play and make SWZ a fun to come place should be awarded. Dropping $urPrizes in the Bot randomely. Of course with that idead some might think that can be abused, but with good discretion from GOOD SMODS, it will not be! I am most confident in you $modz.!

 

P.S. $urPrize$ in the botfuk for the faithful = $ for SWZ.!

 

 

Thank You,

Jesster