Counter-Strike: Source We Need a Rotation Server!

[c-whit?]

The goal, as is always our goal, is to continually improve and make the division better.

The reason why CS Leadership lets threads like this occur is because we are extremely interested in what everyone thinks and has to say. This is your division just as much as it is ours.

With that said, it is our (CS Leadership) responsibility to make sure we guide this division properly and accordingly, sometimes we have to make certain decisions, whether they be popular or not.

I will state this. A rotation server is extremely hard. Probably much harder than any one of you can even imagine at this point. We have trouble filling a single map server (24/7), imagine having a rotation server when you start to get 4-8 people in, and then the map changes, noone wants to play it, so everyone leaves. It is almost impossible to build a pub base for a server like that.

Moreover, we've seen this before. What happens in a month or 2 months, when everyone gets tired of the server? Who will fill it? Who will support it? A 24/7 map server takes on average 1-2 months of constant filling (every night) to start gaining traction to really start building a pub base. For a rotation server, that number can easily be tripled or quadrupled. Who has the dedication here? And before you answer that, really ponder the consequences of your decision here.

Gaining a rotation server, for all intents and purposes, would mean dropping a server we already have. Let's say we lose highschool for a rotation server. Great. So now what? You say add de_dust, cs_assault, older versions of maps, etc.

My question to you is: Who's searching for these maps? Literally, how many do you know are actively searching for cs_italy_tactik2 or de_dust2_pro? I ask, because if they're not actively searching to play them, they're not going to join.

The most popular maps in CS:S (dust2, italy, and office) are already 24/7 servers. So which maps do we turn to? Inferno, train, nuke? I can tell you exactly what'll happen. Inferno's on. Everyone who loves inferno joins, plays. Round ends. Server changes to Train. they don't like train, so they leave. Server's empty.

The problem is, players like certain maps, while hating others. I'll be honest, I dislike dust2. Yes, I'll play it, but if I had my choice, I wouldn't. But those that do, that's why we have a 24/7 server for it. The majority of dust2 players, hate maps like office. They are devoted to certain maps and will instantly leave a server if a map comes on that they don't like.

What is the intended solution to this?

 

[Maserati]

Would there be a way to maybe have the server only switch maps with a percentage of rtv's?

 

[Terror]

The goal, as is always our goal, is to continually improve and make the division better.

The reason why CS Leadership lets threads like this occur is because we are extremely interested in what everyone thinks and has to say. This is your division just as much as it is ours.

With that said, it is our (CS Leadership) responsibility to make sure we guide this division properly and accordingly, sometimes we have to make certain decisions, whether they be popular or not.

I will state this. A rotation server is extremely hard. Probably much harder than any one of you can even imagine at this point. We have trouble filling a single map server (24/7), imagine having a rotation server when you start to get 4-8 people in, and then the map changes, noone wants to play it, so everyone leaves. It is almost impossible to build a pub base for a server like that.

Moreover, we've seen this before. What happens in a month or 2 months, when everyone gets tired of the server? Who will fill it? Who will support it? A 24/7 map server takes on average 1-2 months of constant filling (every night) to start gaining traction to really start building a pub base. For a rotation server, that number can easily be tripled or quadrupled. Who has the dedication here? And before you answer that, really ponder the consequences of your decision here.

Gaining a rotation server, for all intents and purposes, would mean dropping a server we already have. Let's say we lose highschool for a rotation server. Great. So now what? You say add de_dust, cs_assault, older versions of maps, etc.

My question to you is: Who's searching for these maps? Literally, how many do you know are actively searching for cs_italy_tactik2 or de_dust2_pro? I ask, because if they're not actively searching to play them, they're not going to join.

The most popular maps in CS:S (dust2, italy, and office) are already 24/7 servers. So which maps do we turn to? Inferno, train, nuke? I can tell you exactly what'll happen. Inferno's on. Everyone who loves inferno joins, plays. Round ends. Server changes to Train. they don't like train, so they leave. Server's empty.

The problem is, players like certain maps, while hating others. I'll be honest, I dislike dust2. Yes, I'll play it, but if I had my choice, I wouldn't. But those that do, that's why we have a 24/7 server for it. The majority of dust2 players, hate maps like office. They are devoted to certain maps and will instantly leave a server if a map comes on that they don't like.

What is the intended solution to this?

Solutions? My quick, yet obviously flawed, but solutions:

1) No !up's and !down's; no !donator options; etc. than admin plug-ins, just have a server that is strictly what the maps provided give. Well, point system, because players worry about points.

2) Have a map vote, like in Jail, of which map to play. To figure out which maps to put into a rotation server, ask the players ON the server. Not the eGO community alone, create an eGO voting poll, in which there is text in chat, in-game, that tells of eGO possibly creating a rotational server and needed input into which maps could possibly come about. Yes, most people will just read it and play on, but some will come about and could possibly have e's, eG', and eGO's, (no forcing but if members wish to see a rotation server, like me, I would ask everyone I know on Steam who isn't part of eGO) casually talk to regulars and new players, through PM, what maps they would be interested in. (I think if asked in server, it would spawn a whole lot of shenanigans.)

3) Keeping servers filled? Have the maps be "short" rotations. 20 minutes. If players are liking the map, then allow for an extension. And with the pool of maps, most of the maps, if #2 is successful or goes in the way I see it in my head as I type, should be what eGO members and non-members wanted. *If a certain map becomes unpopular, possibly take it out, have a new poll of a new map, and see what people say?*

4) Have a rtv. And if there's, say, 40 players online and 21 players are needed to rtv but only 19 want it, admins have the ability to force a new map pick/change(?) <--- That might go against what I said in #1, because that would probably be another admin plug-in.

5) Possibly start off with not having 16K every round but have players work for their money.

---I have class so I'll try to edit this and continue later, but thoughts? Ideas? Yeah...---

 

[MaroonTrex]

Would there be a way to maybe have the server only switch maps with a percentage of rtv's?

But the problem with RTV is the fact that people get upset when they finally get a map they wanted to play. Then, some person gets his buddies and RTVs to the next map. The first person leaves. This isn't a solution for long-term growth.



Rinse and repeat.

 

[@rm3d (1v]

I feel that there would be a big enough interest in map variety to keep the server relatively busy during peak times. Alot of players enjoy rotating maps. I agree that a RTV system would probably cause more problems then its worth. At first it would probably be best to try to keep the rotation set and with maps that are known to people to be liked. We could do a trial run during peak hours and see if there are certain maps that cause the server to empty out. Then simply remove them from the rotation. While the 24/7 servers are popular, I have to believe that a rotation server wouldn't have too much difficulty keeping up good numbers, so long as there is a good variety of maps that are popular.

 

[Trippey]

#HighschoolLivesForever.

 

[Bay Area]

I will state this. A rotation server is extremely hard. Probably much harder than any one of you can even imagine at this point. We have trouble filling a single map server (24/7), imagine having a rotation server when you start to get 4-8 people in, and then the map changes, noone wants to play it, so everyone leaves. It is almost impossible to build a pub base for a server like that.

Moreover, we've seen this before. What happens in a month or 2 months, when everyone gets tired of the server? Who will fill it? Who will support it? A 24/7 map server takes on average 1-2 months of constant filling (every night) to start gaining traction to really start building a pub base. For a rotation server, that number can easily be tripled or quadrupled. Who has the dedication here? And before you answer that, really ponder the consequences of your decision here.

My question to you is: Who's searching for these maps? Literally, how many do you know are actively searching for cs_italy_tactik2 or de_dust2_pro? I ask, because if they're not actively searching to play them, they're not going to join.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have to agree with C-WHiT on this one.

The first thing that came to my mind was how will we be able to keep the rankings of the rotation server if we can't even get our 24/7 servers low. I honestly believe we shouldn't even consider having a rotation server unless at least 3 of our 5 servers make it in the top 400-500 in ranks.


Something else that caught my eye about what C-WHiT said was that who was going to fill the server up after a month? Sure most of us want a rotation server now, but in a few months I bet most of us will be tired of it and will stop playing in it. I remember there was a minigames server, what happened to that? I see the rotation server heading down the same path as the minigames server. I know that the minigames server and the rotation server aren't alike but I believe they are similar.

P.S. I know I am not active on source but I don't want to see another server fail.

 

[@rm3d (1v]

personally, I would probably play solely on the rotation server if one was formed. I like the variety. But I understand the concerns about getting a strong enough pub base. I wish I could throw out numbers that would calm those fears but I simply don't have them. :-(

 

[C7R35]

I agree with C-WHit, but what we can do to fix the rotation thing is do what Terror stated and make it a 100% vanilla server. No $16,000 cash every round (people like the 'economical' struggle aspect of the game where everyone starts with $800 and has to budget that for their loadout), and add an RTV thing like jail has where, say, when the server has 5 minutes left of the 40 minute game, people can vote for the next map. That way pubs can play on the map they like and vote for another for the next round.

But I understand if a rotation server is hard to do. I thought it'd be a good idea since the DoD division got one....

 

[Bay Area]

But I understand if a rotation server is hard to do. I thought it'd be a good idea since the DoD division got one....

But they also did get rid of 2 servers that were not doing too well in rankings.

 

[@rm3d (1v]

We could poll it? Get an idea of how many E members would be interested in seeing a server like this?

 

[C7R35]

Thanks for everyone's feedback. I'm actually happy that this thread got so much attention!

 

[Terror]

But they also did get rid of 2 servers that were not doing too well in rankings.

I know eGO had [a] rotation server(s) before and it didn't quite work out, but circumstances could be different this time. I, for one, when time permits, would play on the rotation server as much as possible. But, the upkeep of a server is quite the workload, I can imagine, so having another server that doesn't quite fit the regime would be detrimental. Though, from what I've read through this forum, many seem to be highly skeptical and hesitant of a rotation server.

Before I really joined eGO (in terms, before I actually filled out the application and put on my tags), I was a daily player on the War-Lords (wL) server (Please don't threaten to kill my babies if wL is a no-no in eGO..). I noticed that their rotation server (or "Popular Maps") was usually full. The basics of their system was: $800 starting cash for every player and player worked for their income; 20 minute (or so) rounds with a switch half way through the map; vote on the next map, which consists of, essentially, the other most played maps aside from dust2 and office; a very casual and relaxed atmosphere where talk is of every day caliber and trash talk is common (I know this last point is not what eGO stands for, but I'm showcasing what wL has and why I've seen it to be so popular).

So, if this topic continues and we're spit balling ideas, why not try to incorporate some of the essentials that wL has incorporated? And, I understand that the stance of the CS Division has been to fill Highschool and Jail the past few months due to it's low server rankings, but, like stated before, if we incorporate Highschool and Office into the rotation map pack, how successful could it be?

 

[Snuggle-Boo]

So after reading the majority of posts on here I have come up with this...

#1 It seems like the majority does not want a rotation server.

#2 It sounds like people want more maps to play on. Not just CSffice, CS: Italy, CS:dust2, CS: high school.

#3 Drew has a cool last name.

That's just what a got from reading, now what about this idea.

Setting up a server with all the classic maps that we don't have. Having it up only for 31 days to see how it runs. (Think we should use high school for this experiment if we use it.) I'm pretty sure there could be a way to see which maps do good, and which maps to bad aka hours played on the map. After the 31 day we take out the bad maps and keep the good ones people enjoy to play on the most. So that's my idea in a nut-shell.

Now a crazier idea which is non- related! A WCS server would be awesome and fun!

 

[RuzzyRuz]

yes

Yes! We definitely need a rotation server!!

I like playing Counter Strike on the servers but I get bored of Dust2, Italy, Office and Highschool. So then I have to go to another server where they have changing maps, because its nice to have a change once in a while. Why doesn't eGO have a server where maps get voted in? I reckon it will be quite popular. If it were to happen I nominate 'Office' to be the changing one.

 

[C7R35]

You will have an epileptic seizure if you know what Drew's last name is. xD ♥

 

[Drew]

I will end all of you.

 

[Terror]

I will end all of you.

You would never hurt me, Drew. I want to know your last name!!!!

 

[Maserati]

You would never hurt me, Drew. I want to know your last name!!!!

Can't you see it's X... Like Malcom X (wonder if they're are related in some weird way)

 

[C7R35]

They probably are!