Topic: player balance

[WarSears]

Demoralization of the enemy is as important as killing them in any war.

And, geez, it is still just a game....maybe you should try decaf...

Yes it is just a game, to bad you didn't realize that and have now ruined the fun for all. 

Kroma sometime I think you just cant wait for LordKruge to post so you you can find something to harp on him about.

What he said wasn't that bad and if you had your fun ruined you are more thin skeined than I was the first day I tyred to quit smoking.

[WarSears]

I hope you can all forgive me for this but I have been waiting for a long time to post this.

LMAO....

However it would be more apropos if those were dead droids (AI) Darth was walking over. <snicker>

  What ever   

[Kroma BaSyl]

Demoralization of the enemy is as important as killing them in any war.

And, geez, it is still just a game....maybe you should try decaf...

Yes it is just a game, to bad you didn't realize that and have now ruined the fun for all. 

Kroma sometime I think you just cant wait for LordKruge to post so you you can find something to harp on him about.

What he said wasn't that bad and if you had your fun ruined you are more thin skeined than I was the first day I tyred to quit smoking.

If you think I am singling out Krueg for poor behavior, then you should put aside your own racial bias and read my posts to Allaince pilots race leaders that have done the same. Just ask Bach or t00l how sore they are from my bitch slappings. I have actually used kid gloves on Krueg.

[Lepton]

I am sure that you won't be surprised to find out that I agree with Josh's points no matter in what tone they are delivered.  Player numbers balance is a huge issue and has been killing the D2 slowly for years.  What I can never understand is the "it's only a game" arguement.  If that were so, no one would mind switching sides to even out the player numbers.  You don't play a game of pick-up basketball by having one side populated with 20 people because they are all friends and enjoy playing on the same side, while the other team has like 3 guys on it because they always hang out together.  The fact is clear that people take these servers way too seriously.  Witness Krueg's statement about demoralization.  What's up with that?  This is supposed to be fun, not demoralizing.  Not that I am picking on Krueg, far from it.  It is merely illustrative of a general attitude that says "I want my side to win" as opposed to "let's be fair".  I wouldn't want to be involved in a server with large player imbalances on the losing or the winning side.  One side is frustrating and pointless, the other is boring and pointless.

My suggested solution would be this.  All players who wish to play on a D2 server need to be willing to play both sides.  Any time a player logs on, he must assess the numbers of players per side and join the one with the least.  Pretty simple.  This player numbers issue is a problem with almost any online game with a persistent server (my frame of reference here is a flight simulator game I play that has persistent servers).  I still have yet to see it dealt with effectively in any game.  Ultimately, it ends up being dependent on the charity of a few who hate the inbalance situation to sacrifice their prefered side to try and balance things out.  Or things stay unbalanced and one side basically leaves.  I have never really cared what side I have played on in the D2 or what race I fly.  If everyone were the same, I think things would be alot better here and servers would continue to be competitive for their lifetime.

As for strategic planning with such a solution, I might just insulate players from the general strategic planning done by the race leaders and have a selected few such as RMs and FMs aware of those plans and directing players' strategic movements.  It would potentially dilute the fog of war, but I think that can be sacrificed for some player balance and general overall fairness in gameplay.

[Ravok]

I hope you can all forgive me for this but I have been waiting for a long time to post this.

  +1 for you! Ineeded a good laugh.

[Pojo92]

C'mon guys, can't everyone just please lighten up and remind yourselves that this is a game?  `


Nobody likes to lose, and on some level it "tweaks" all of us when it happens, but fer cryin' out loud: "Are we not Men!?!?" (Androgenous game personas aside, of course.)  It just doesn't pay to either make this personal or, conversely, to take it personally.  It's supposed to be fun, folks!  And while I would rather blow someone up myself in game, there is a certain amount of self deprecating laughter when (as is usually the case) I get waxed.  Most of the fun for me is in the playing.  

As for these flame wars that seem to keep popping up:  A certain amount of "woofing" is going to occur with any hotly contested game, but the fact that our games are occuring on the net, without the advent of face to face communications, substantially increases the likelihood of miscommunication and/or hard feelings.  It is so much easier to sound short, harsh or rude in an email or message board post, and our societies' emphasis on speed and brevity has only exacerbated this syndrome. Please, everyone, avail yourselves of one of the great advantages of message board posting--It is written!  You can review it before you post it!  You can edit it if it sounds like it might be too harsh!  These are things we can not do with spoken words that sometimes fly out of our mouths, but it seems as if precious few people take advantage of the opportunity to review their written words and instead treat them just as they would their spoken speach.  

I was gulity once of going overboard in response to a loss on these boards, and flaming another member of the community, and I am not proud of it.  It is not a good feeling and it is not the reason I, and I am sure most of you, come to these forums and to the D-II.  I am sure that the vast majority of the folks here, if not all, are good people who are here to have a good time.  Please try to remember that lest we hasten the demise of a good game.

Anyway, I have had alot of fun doing this, even when I have gotten smoked.  It has been cool to see my team rolling accross the map, but it has also been cool to see the Alliance players working hard to fight back, even when outnumbered.  I know there have been a couple of stretches where progress has been extremely difficult, even with the numbers advantage.  So, hats off to the Alliance!

Oh, and I forgot to cue the touching/dramatic musical backscore at the beginning of my post.  Maybe someone can provide one for me.

Pojo (annoyingly clueless Noob.)

[Matsukasi]

It isn't the first time it has happened, anyhow, I remember switching sides on Ragnarok from Kzin to Klingon when a similar situation happened, the Klingon economy was so wrecked I started in a freighter as did Matsukasi and a couple of others. 

I still remember getting all giddy when I earned enough PP for an F5C. Pretty gratifying at the time. Winging with another freighter makes you appreciate having a wingman even more. " Get over here!!!!! I need your ph-3 now DAMMIT CHUUT!!!!!! "

Good times.

Every thread like this after a major server leaves me with the same deja-vu from ....i dunno.... 5 or 6 years ago? The more things change...yadda yadda. I'm not about to judge, since I've been on the slapped down side and come here to bitch about it. I honestly don't think I have anything left in the tank for a " serious " server anymore. Mat is likely retired from dyna duty, though I might pop in under some pseudonym from time to time since I'm an OG crack whore from the M-Pig days. I just don't want to let go of friends and such, but the fun of the game is just...... gone now.

At least for me.

I didn't start this post as an " I quit " sort of thing, though. Chuut just reminded me of a -- dare I say it -- simpler time on the D2, and it made me smile. Thanks for that, Chuut... and to everyone else that ever burned a D2 moment into my brain. I'll spare you all a list, but hopefully you'll take a few moments to think about your D2 memories and ponder them before the next time someone starts a thread like this one.

[Corbomite]

I had a real problem with the player numbers on this server. To be honest, there just weren't enough Roms. Did you know that I actually had to fight AI (and Hexx) for several missions because there weren't enough Romulans on for me to get a PvP every mission! What kind of crap is that I ask you?! The Coalition is just going to have to step it up from now on or I'm afraid I won't be playing anymore. If they can't find enough players to be able to field a force capable of keeping me busy for hours a night then I'm outta here! I paid good money for this game and I'll be damned if I'm going to get shafted by such a lackluster turnout by my opponents. Obviously they don't take this having fun stuff seriously at all! Sheesh! Some people!

[Mog]

snip

 The fact is clear that people take these servers way too seriously.  Witness Krueg's statement about demoralization.  What's up with that?  This is supposed to be fun, not demoralizing.  Not that I am picking on Krueg, far from it.  It is merely illustrative of a general attitude that says "I want my side to win" as opposed to "let's be fair".  I wouldn't want to be involved in a server with large player imbalances on the losing or the winning side.  One side is frustrating and pointless, the other is boring and pointless.

snip

Fully in agreement with this, and it's not a recent phenomenon either. It harks all the way back to the beginning of D2. The "us and them" attitude is a right turnoff. I can put this down as one of the myriad reasons why I feel little desire to play any more (proliferation of carriers/tenders, over the top wing combinations, to name a couple more).

As for Mat's post, nods in understanding to that too. Though I struggle to look back at Ragnarok with much fondness, lol. Between that and Herr Burt's 4 Powers War, it's hard to decide on which it was more painful to play as Klingon.

All that being said, i've had some wonderful times playing this game, and I hope there'll be some more in the future.

[KBF-Butcher]

Why do i have to repeat myself there isnt here my point but just the facts.
U guys became outnumbered due to the reasons i described above.
We were more organised we had a plan we had a Leader the outcome was many fed/gorn pilots to get dissapointed and quit or play less than they could.Yes WE forced u to look or be outnumbered.

You are just wrong about this, what can I say. No players that started the server, left the server. The same basic core of the alliance remained. You just had a larger core. You simply don't know what you are talking about as usual.

  Oook Kroma if that makes u happy so be it im not gonna quote my post for u or continue this thing any further.
U simply will never  admit u lost cause your opponent was just better as usual.

Huh? I fully admit that Krueg did a bang up job of recruiting, and he always has a solid plan of attack. No doubt about it. Hats off. Recruiting more players is good for the dyna in the long run. But the fact remains that sometimes the total number of missions runs can determine the outcome of a server if that number is way out of balance. This is clearly the case here.

You are a fool to be stating that I can't admit I lost for any reason. Anyone that knows me knows I don't even play on the dyna for winning or losing a campain. I play for fun, and often switch sides if I think things are imbalanced. I delirately stay out of campaign strategic consideration because of this.

As usual you are acting like a gloating poor sport though. Grow up.

Im gloating?
U were gloating all the server now and now u r whining as usual.
Whatever ....

[Corbomite]

Kroma did you ever get the impression its all Greek to him? 

[Kroma BaSyl]

Im gloating?
U were gloating all the server now and now u r whining as usual.
Whatever ....

I was merely inspiring your troops. 

Honestly Butcher I am thinking the language barrier is causing you not to precieve when I am joking. Most players know that I kid around a lot and talk of my prowess in battle as a joke much like Hexx does, it just isn't as obvious because I don't suck as bad as he does. Note thread of me having my way with his ship.

[Kroma BaSyl]

Kroma did you ever get the impression its all Greek to him? 

I have wanted to use that expression all server as a way to explian to him we just weren't communicating and he wasn't understanding the intent or meaning of my posts. I think he actually believes I am serious when I talk about my conquests and challenges, or maybe he is just compensating for is feelings of inferiority in the face of such Reptilian Beauty, Charm and Skill. Yeah, probaly the later.

[Evil Kraven]

LOL, I'm not even gonna touch this one. although............

DH, you made me laugh my ass off on this. way to keep it light.

war sears, too fricken funny man LOL.


all honesty Kadus to allience pilots for fighting the good fight. lots of respect for those who continue agianst all odds. hats off to all of you.

Krueg, what can I say brother. still to early to open the champaign as you continuously remind us, but you've done a great job.

even in the worst of times I've had fun here (and my firewall issues with XP are preventing me from 2v1's, 2v2's etc etc etc...I can do 1v1 though or 2 vs the AI on this server) and will continue too. although I have a gluten for punishment I'm gonna go allience for gw6 just to help with the numbers. can anyone sneak a mirak ship on the fed list I can fly??? lol.

sure we all have personalities in what ever community your in. some rub ya the wrong way, some rub ya the right way. I've found in my time to ignore those who piss on your shoes, just dry them off. cause sometimes when you piss back you wind up with the wind agiasnt you and your own shoes still get pissed on.

although its kinda funny to watch a pissing contest sometimes.

"The Evil One"
Kraven

[el-Karnak]

I hope you can all forgive me for this but I have been waiting for a long time to post this.

 

Wanted: Alliance RM.  Pay commensurate with...nothing. But, pride counts for a lot.

Duties:  Lead the fraking frickin' nastiest Good Guys in the D2 universe to victory against the fraking frikin' nicest Bad Guys.

Requirements:

• Will never be a Wade on the public forums.
• Will never let anyone mess with their team in the private forums.
• Will recruit, recruit, recruit, recruit.
• Will train, train, train, train.
• Will plan, plan, plan, plan.
• Will play, play, play, play.
• Will keep TS cussin' Lord Vader "DH" on a leash at all times.
• Will keep Kroma quarantined for health reasons at all times.
• Will never be afraid to use Hexx as AI fodder.
• Passion for the game is a must.
• Diplomatic enough to not piss off the allies of convienence, but assertive enough to make them do your bidding. *snicker*
• Previous ARM, RM experience preferred but not required.

[Hexx]

Please, I'll friggin lead the snivelling Feds to victory on the next damn server.
Despite everything mean and nasty said about me I do have the shining quality
of having absolutely no loyalty to any of you.

My only condition is that Kroma flies Fed with me as despite a certain... modicum of skill he has for using
the stupid ^*&(@&*@(&(@) plasma, he has got to be the worst CB pilot I've ever heard of.

And bonus points for the poster Sears, God that was funny.
(Don't suppose you have a larger version of it?)

[Kroma BaSyl]

My only condition is that Kroma flies Fed with me as despite a certain... modicum of skill he has for using
the stupid ^*&(@&*@(&(@) plasma, he has got to be the worst CB pilot I've ever heard of.

Much like when I had my way with you the other day, I had to be very drunk to preform such an act.

[Hexx]

My only condition is that Kroma flies Fed with me as despite a certain... modicum of skill he has for using
the stupid ^*&(@&*@(&(@) plasma, he has got to be the worst CB pilot I've ever heard of.

Much like when I had my way with you the other day, I had to be very drunk to preform such an act.

Given your choice in sports paraphernalia I had naturally assumed you were wasted 24/7

[Capt_Bearslayer_XC]

Yeah, know what?  I am tired as hell.  I am also sick and tired of assholes ruining my favorite game.

Between work, a softball team, lifting, getting my taxes together, and trying to play GW... I am burnt out. 

I came home this past Friday and crashed. I slept most of Saturday also.  I played as much as I could over the weekend, and for a few hours on Monday, for the first time all server that I saw, the alliance outnumbered the coalition for a few hours.

Other than that, I have consistantly seen the odds being 2+ to 1 in the coalition's favor.  Several times, I have seen as high as 8-9 to 1.  Not once did I hear an offer from someone to switch.  Even from the people who played coalition to balance out numbers b/c they were in the alliance's favor for a few servers before GW1 started.

I have played as much as I could, but it has been a pitance compared to past servers.  I just haven't had the time, and when I have, I have been too tired to even think straight, let alone offer a decent fight to a human opponent in PvP.

I have stayed off GW5 the past 2 days trying to catch up on sleep. 

Now I am considering calling it quits for this entire game.

Seven years I have been playing SFC I, EAW, or OP..... and for the first time, I think it may be time to move on.

I watched the crap that was pulled against the SSFC and thought it stupid for them to be driven away by stupid people.

But after seeing the posts today, I am begining to understand why they left.

Too many people take this game too seriously.  Taking it beyond the point of fun, but to a point of trying to embarrass the opponent.

Sorry, that is not my bag.

Actually, as I write this, f*ck it, I have concluded I am done with GW5. 

CYA all on the flip side.

Don't even ask, if I come back, I come back. 

Maybe it is time to check out Eve. 

[KBF-Butcher]

Im gloating?
U were gloating all the server now and now u r whining as usual.
Whatever ....

I was merely inspiring your troops. 

Honestly Butcher I am thinking the language barrier is causing you not to precieve when I am joking. Most players know that I kid around a lot and talk of my prowess in battle as a joke much like Hexx does, it just isn't as obvious because I don't suck as bad as he does. Note thread of me having my way with his ship.

When u r gloating  and u laugh at others this is just kid around!
When others make fun of u or your team this is poor sport and ruin the fun!

Whatever...