FUNBOY BEGINNER dropped from 46 to 55

I noticed today Beginner has dropped 9 slots on the Gametracker rating.

I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas as to why...

I've noticed a bit more choppy lag lately.

Also I added a bunch of new maps (maybe some people don't like them) or maybe we went too long before adding new maps.

Any ideas?

I don't know, everything has its better and worse days. I've noticed an increase in number of players since the removal of mortar. You might wanna bring back some arty (but very limited).

One mortar can clear the server though.

this might be the problem:

I had this problem with the No Bots server before. It had the status "idle" until someone connected there, then it was appearing on the server lists.
I didn't change anything in the config on Beginner though, so I don't know what's the cause.

Also, one FA server? Doesn't it look related?

Apparently No Quarter mod is free of this problem, as both ours and FA's No Quarter servers appear on the masterlist.

Edit: I just noticed you have filtered NQ mod in your filters option. I also checked my client and all our servers appear on the masterlist.

OK my bad. I accessed the PLAY ONLINE menu after playing on the NQ server (which was empty) and I guess the mod filters everything but NQ servers.

I had checked the cfgs and the menus were pointing to the id software master list like normal, so I didn't know what was going on either. Thanks for clearing it up.

Just went on the server at 3:20 PM my time and it is virtually empty. Only Largo was on and he sits in spec for hours.

I am thinking maybe I have too many maps, too many unfamiliar or less popular maps and people are voting with their feet. So I removed nine of them.

A couple weeks ago we had around 12 when the server rated in the 40s. But players were getting bored so I added tons of maps (too many in hindsight).

I think there is a sweet spot in the mid-teens where you have enough maps that people don't get bored, but too many causes server lag and makes new players confused.

People say they want change until they get it and then it's "omg I am out of my comfort zone".

Only 18 maps now lol.

I can't argue with server stats but it seems that there have been more new players and fewer regulars lately.

Less people playing ET all together. What are those stats?

Guys,

A lot of you have been around longer than I have, and you know more about game servers than I do. But I have a few thoughts about the ranking drop. Just throwing ideas out there.

One reason for the recent decline in server rank could be seasonal. More people getting outside and enjoying summer activities, perhaps?

Another reason is that FBY has started cracking down on cheaters and ass-hats. Just after discussing the banned players, I recognize quite a few devious but faithful old-timers who finally ran out of rope. Decent people will return to populate FBY, but until then, maybe this has something to do with the rank.

I'd say that lack of molotovs, arty, and mortars probably turns off some people, but it's new enough that we're still experimenting with it. We'll find the right balance in time. I know these items were just recently banned, but some newcomers might appreciate limited amounts of these things. Maybe 5 mortar shells, 5 molotovs, 3 air support canisters, and 3 "instances" of arty would do the trick. I'm happy as is, but I'm just trying to think like FBY visitors would think.

Beast

Hey, you guys don't like me killing everything so I stopped playing so the clan would be more happy.

So, I just check the forums.

Rampage is now the fun server. In time, more will realize this.

Not so empty

Friedrich wrote:Hey, you guys don't like me killing everything so I stopped playing so the clan would be more happy.

So, I just check the forums.

Thanks I guess lol... honestly the Beginner server is better without the arty and mortars.

You know we have two jaymod servers with arty and mortars where you can kill all the bots you want. I know you love killing bots. Rampage was set up specifically for players like you to be as violent as possible so I don't have to maintain a police state.

I agree.

I also concur. It is actually more fun. :cyclops:

Heavy weapons are removed and then the server rank drops.

Or was this before that happened?

Kernel265 wrote:Heavy weapons are removed and then the server rank drops.

Or was this before that happened?

That's what I am wondering. We were doing better before I removed the weapons, but the teams were awful and many people were complaining about the endless spam on every map.

I remember you kernel complaining about not being able to get past the endless wall of arty on Beginner. In fact that was a notable thing for me, because I realized that if even you think it is bad, it must be getting bad.

Also many times I came on and would see three or four mortars on one team all camping the other team and everyone on the one team against all bots.

People don't always make much sense to me, it is very hard to make decisions on the best weapon settings because only unhappy people complain.

If I brought all the weapons back there is no guarantee the players would come back in fact it could be worse. It might be that players are having network issues and not telling us, or we have too many downloads, or something like that we are not considering.

It could be people are really bored of playing the same maps over and over regardless of the weapons.

Funboy has been down this road at least twice before this time that I can remember.

Remember Clyde issue? Remember Booger issue?

Remember when you got pissed and reset Funboy to normal settings?

We decided at those times that the weapons made Beginner.

Everytime before Funboy became depopulated when the weapons were changed.

Dunno what is different now but I am way past tired of the same old argument every 8 to 10 months.

Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. 

 It is just sad that the server was doing really good and you guys are trying to kill it.

Another issue is the small number of ET players in general. 

 If you perm ban 20 percent of your players and consider some guys "too good" to play (cause they have to be cheating), you need to be actively trying to find replacements by posting on a zillion forums, tracking down old players you know, and stuff like we did when there was only 4 admins and player retention was a priority, lol.

I do know that a couple of "old time" players who used to come to Beginner left and did not come back after issues with two current admins that I will not name.

An All together different issue is the fact that most players want to play other players and Beginner has always had the most real players.

That is why everyone wants to change it to how they best like to play.

We have had many reduced settings servers that all sat empty.

It is beyond me why you would think that neutering Beginner and making a bot carnage server would appeal to players when it obviously did not appeal to the players bitching about Beginner when there were reduced settings servers setting empty.

That would only work if lots of real players chose to play the server.  Then that would be the server that everyone wants to change to their liking.

So the issue would came right back.

There are a couple exceptions like Kernel who likes his kill spree records and usually plays late night.

I like the settings on beginner now.  I didn't realize how much I liked it until I played Minas a few days ago and was dealing with heavy arty + multiple campers on a gate.

"Remember Clyde issue?"

That must have happened while I was away.  I noticed that I haven't seen Clyde since I returned.  What happened to him?

Hammer wrote:"Remember Clyde issue?"

That must have happened while I was away.  I noticed that I haven't seen Clyde since I returned.  What happened to him?

Clyde was an admin here a couple years ago. He wanted a normal jaymod server. And at the time he was paying for the server for us. We were with a different provider and paying $32 a month per server from a crappy retail server provider (our current provider is cheaper and far more helpful).

I was tired of paying for the servers every month after the first year. At the time I was trying to disengage from ET,  so I wanted to hand the whole thing over to Clyde. So I did what he wanted and I turned off enhanced mod and the accelerated weapons so it was "normal" jaymod. Clyde and Friedrich were running the show. Friedrich was catching botters and Clyde was paying for everything. I was working and going to night school and trying to ignore video games.

And everyone went away and/or complained, and Clyde found himself paying for an empty server. So without telling me he stopped paying the provider. Then the provider turned off the server for non-payment. Luckily I had a backup on a flash drive and was able to get servers from our current provider. So we were offline for a few days and then we had to start over on a different IP address.

We lost most of our remaining players when we lost our server provider, since we had no transition period to update the server menus to our players. I was ready to pull the plug and forget about this old game. It gets old constantly pandering to an ever-diminishing player base. I was tired of paying money to try to attract people to a free game. It is kind of silly if you think about how much effort is involved.

And that is why I don't like reducing weapons or over-relying on donors. Some donors give money and then they want something, and then you have to listen to them. I keep all the accounts for the forum and the servers in my name paid from my own account.

I hate to say it but Friedrich is right, we probably need to bring back some of the heavy weapons. I like the server the way it is now though, there is less lag since the arty is gone, and I can actually get out of spawn and have some real shooting matches not just get killed by a blast on a choke point.

But it seems a lot of players have voted with their feet and left.

Hmm this morning the server is at 61. It is dropping faster as players leave.

I have restored the heavy weapons at their maximum settings to try to fix this exodus of players. Mortar, adrenaline, arty, poison needles, poison throwing knives have all been added.

We have been having some internal discussions about whether or not to do this. The opinions are mixed. But having an empty server is a bigger problem than having the bad effects of too much heavy weapons.

It doesn't matter what your settings are like if your server is empty.

-=Butterfly=- wrote:

Not so empty

 I'm on this one

 But seriously, I think the problem is that their is too much FBY servers that look like the same. All servers have a panza, low gravity, all the same weapons. So, I think that people dindn't think that beginner is no more UNIQUE.

Agree.

I mean, what about Rampage?  If everyone was looking for unlimited everything, that server should have seen a boost in the rating?

I'm not the only one whi thinks like that
But, we cannot blubber, servers are all VERY cool

Rampage is going down soon

-=Butterfly=- wrote:Rampage is going down soon

 to be remplaced by what ???