Servers with different settings to compare gameplays

(DamarusRex) #1

In another topic i said i’d make one about a simple idea.

I don’t know what it takes to do so, but i like the idea of Servers (in serverbrowser) with different game settings, mostly concerning gameplay balance itself.

*So i’m imagining a server with low weapons spread and 0hk or 2hk (meaning in most cases headshots are actual headshots).
*There could be a server with 10 secs respawn instead of 20 also.
*Or a server with customisable characters (a bit utopic right now ^^).
*Another with objectives class-based (only soldier have c4 etc).
So players can basically go play in such server, and after, play in a “normal” server and compare in which they enjoyed more. Why, why not?
And finally everybody can compare and give feedbacks so new servers arrives with combined settings and so on.

Maybe it’s logistically impossible to make such setting filters in different servers, but i’d like to have at least opinions on the idea. I just thought “how boring do i sound just saying this or that to people on the forum, not actually knowing for sure!” and so i thought it could be helpful to let us try different approaches of the game.

(Rimmorn) #2

Lowering spread any further would make it negative. You can easily shoot hs from the hip as far as you can see.

I think that shorter waves were already tested but even now its sometimes hard to push enemy team back because they are back in position very quickly. Lowering spawn time would also make medics less important.

(DamarusRex) #3

Seems it depends on players here. I don’t feel the same as you.

But the point of this topic is about specific server settings. What do you think about it? If you could make a particular change in gameplay and make a server to test it, what would it be?

(Rimmorn) #4

Probably play around with score. Every merc got their role and should be rewarded for doing it and don’t get much for stuff they’re not supposed to focus on. Example - Proxy running around and killing should have hard time reaching high score without planting/defusing/building/repairing.

Edit: typo

(DamarusRex) #5

I agree.
Like medic should have bigger xp reward by resurrecting a teammate for example. And soldiers shouldn’t have ammo bags, but dangereous weapons, and therefore being rewarded by frags.
Also, i may have deficient memory but in Brink, the soldier was the only class able to plant c4 on objectives, right? And the Engi was the only one able to defuse stuff. In DB all classes can do pretty much all objectives on the map (repairing, planting bomb, defusing). Getting back to brink’s classes logic would be even more justified for huge xp reward according to classes.

So as summary you’d see a server with class-based objectives adaptiv XP reward.

(Rimmorn) #6

As one of the changes yes. Unfortunately its not possible without digging deeper in the game itself as that would mean setting xp values for each merc or if they are divided by role on code level then for each role group. None of this depends on server settings and needs more work then simply slapping x2 dmg.

Afaik right now we have 2 groups in terms of interacting with objectives (planting/repairing etc) with one being able to do things faster. I’d add a 3rd group consisting of Thunder, Rhino etc that cant interact with c4 or gates forcing them to cover those that can. That group should get bonus xp for dmg received (X amount of exp every X amount of hp lost to enemy fire), but again that’s not something that can be done on server settings level alone.

(Jarppa) #7

When dedicated server is available, I hope there’s options to modify server(s) like this. I bet servers aren’t as configurable as Enemy Territory servers were, but I hope I’m wrong here.

(DamarusRex) #8

[quote=“Rimmorn;2668”]As one of the changes yes. Unfortunately its not possible without digging deeper in the game itself as that would mean setting xp values for each merc or if they are divided by role on code level then for each role group. None of this depends on server settings and needs more work then simply slapping x2 dmg.

Afaik right now we have 2 groups in terms of interacting with objectives (planting/repairing etc) with one being able to do things faster. I’d add a 3rd group consisting of Thunder, Rhino etc that cant interact with c4 or gates forcing them to cover those that can. That group should get bonus xp for dmg received (X amount of exp every X amount of hp lost to enemy fire), but again that’s not something that can be done on server settings level alone.[/quote]

I can understand it’s not just some random values command to swap, yep. But this kind of changes we want are somehow heavy change. It changes all gameplay and interaction between players, so i wonder why DB didn’t build upon the same reflexion from the beginning? Is that to say they can’t go back now? One day or another they’ll have to say “well, we gotta rethink the whole thing”.
And i thought it was easier to make servers with these kind of changes in order to get fast feedbacks and not losing time getting in the wrong direction.

I don’t know, i wish it was possible during the beta, but might not happen. Also settings one can change on dedicated server may not reach such level of modification players really want. But it could allow things like tdm emulated server.