Suggestion: No Lobby

[Plague]

I am of the opinion that instead of having a lobby where we vote for a map and then wait there for just 30 seconds, we should return to the old system where we directly spawn in a randomly selected SnD map for at least a minute or 90 seconds.

Here's why:
First, if we have more time on an already loaded map, we are able to better devise strategies with friends. It's harder to discuss strategies and tell each other what kits they should play and how they should play if you only have 30 seconds from when the map loads to when the game starts. We can also visualize what individual strategies we're going to take by roaming around the map. Gameplay is enhanced when strategizing takes place, so this is quite an important point.

Second, I think it's better for the new players to have sufficient time to roam and explore the map and learn where the bombs are placed, what routes there are, what the bases are like and just to get a feel for the map and appreciate it. It's going to be off-putting to newcomers if the only way they can learn about the maps is after dying and becoming spectators; considering there are so many maps, it's going to take a while.

And lastly, I personally dislike being tp'd so many times. It interrupts chatting and closes the kit UI.

 

[Lizardheart]

I've never liked map voting. It leads to playing the same few maps every damn time. And the repeated maps aren't even based on a factor of which maps have better gameplay, but which maps have people's favorite cheese strats like grenade and arrow spamming. Meanwhile, everyone who doesn't play explosive or can't hit anything with a bow has to sit there forever. Not only that, but the repeated maps reduce variety in gameplay and it makes the game boring for a good subsection of people.

Now, to be clear, I don't think my problem with certain maps will be as big a deal on this server, because I've seen some of the discussions showing hard work getting rid of or fixing annoying maps. However, there's always gonna be a subsection of people who hate certain maps that happen to be popular, and it makes the game a lot less fun if those maps are constantly played. It's more bearable when maps are just random.

I agree about the dislike for being teleported a lot. It causes some lag and is a big interruption. It's very annoying if you've got something you want to say but oh, two seconds til map load and either you were typing and bye-bye to your wisdom or you're impatiently waiting through the loading time.

I also agree that it is way more new player friendly for there to just be a random map loaded with more time to explore. Even as an old S&D player, I find myself getting lost and confused on some of these new maps without sufficient time to explore beforehand. I can't imagine what it'd be like for a new player to come in and have to deal with this every map. I do remember, back in the day when I was new to S&D, having a fine time exploring a new map beforehand, then being good to go by the time the game started. That just isn't possible anymore.

 

[Turbodonut]

Yeah I definitely think this would be a lot better. Lizardheart pretty much said everything I would have said. Random maps would be so much better than map voting because then we would actually experience every map in the game rather than just rotating the same 5 maps over and over again.

 

[Martoph]

I've taken this suggestion into consideration, I think it works well. I agree that map voting decreases the amount of different maps you will eventually play, and I think that's a very considerable issue. With that being said, here is what I've implemented:

• Got rid of map voting.
• Lobby time reduced to 30 seconds (was 60) This gives time to sit, unload the previous map, and allow for others to relax in between games.
• Explore time increased to 60 seconds (was 30) This gives time to explore a bit more and get a better feel for the map.

The amount of time in between games has not changed, so it still feels around the same as it was previously.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll leave this open for more discussion. This was a very well put suggestion.

 

[Mythless]

I've taken this suggestion into consideration, I think it works well. I agree that map voting decreases the amount of different maps you will eventually play, and I think that's a very considerable issue. With that being said, here is what I've implemented:

• Got rid of map voting.
• Lobby time reduced to 30 seconds (was 60) This gives time to sit, unload the previous map, and allow for others to relax in between games.
• Explore time increased to 60 seconds (was 30) This gives time to explore a bit more and get a better feel for the map.

The amount of time in between games has not changed, so it still feels around the same as it was previously.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll leave this open for more discussion. This was a very well put suggestion.

Do you think it’s also possible for maps that have been played to be put out of the random selection list until a certain amount of games pass? (like 5~10 maybe? Depends on how many maps are available.) This is just a precautionary measure; The randomness helps with experiencing more map variety, but I feel it needs to be controlled to an extent so it doesn’t create some unfavorable/unlucky sessions—like dishing out the same map 1-2 games after or something.

 

[Martoph]

Do you think it’s also possible for maps that have been played to be put out of the random selection list until a certain amount of games pass? (like 5~10 maybe? Depends on how many maps are available.) This is just a precautionary measure; The randomness helps with experiencing more map variety, but I feel it needs to be controlled to an extent so it doesn’t create some unfavorable/unlucky sessions—like dishing out the same map 1-2 games after or something.

This behavior already exists.