DISCUSSION: Jail needs fixing!

[XavierB]

Hello my fellow Counter-Strike goers, XavierB here.
I would like to get the word out that our once beloved Jail server is in trouble. As you have probably noticed, it has not been as lively as it used to be. It has dropped it rankings by the hundreds and is lucky to reach 30 players during prime gaming time during the day and I'd like to help change all of this, with your help ;].

So the big question is, why don't you play Jail often any more? I for one used to play it for hours on end without any troubles except the odd freekill, and I used to have a blast while doing so.

The point of this thread is to create a lot of constructive criticism for the Jail server from as many ex-regulars as possible, hopefully giving everyone an idea of what can be done to bring Jail back to it's origins (or close to it).

For example, I honestly barely ever go on Jail any more and to get me on, there has to be a few of my friends playing. One of the main reasons for this is that I really dislike being killed for minuscule things (I'm sure you could think of an example yourself), this actually really ticks me off and sometimes makes me ragequit from Jail for days. A possible solution to this annoyance would maybe to display a message to the warden or the CT's to remind them not to be so strict and to eliminate the T's the proper way (using games etc.). You may be thinking that I should just suck it up but this actually keeps me off Jail making Jail have one less regular, and I'm sure other people are the same.

I would like the people reading this thread to thoroughly explain the reasons why they barely play Jail often any more, certain things that they don't like about Jail specifically and some possible solutions to fix these issues. To avoid this thread becoming obsolete, I really hope that you guys post your thoughts on what can be done to help the Jail server, don't just post the negatives.

Hopefully you get the point of this thread, and if I could ask kindly of you guys to not start arguments and down other peoples ideas, that'd be great, or else this thread will be a complete train-wreck. Also keep trolling to a minimum please and thank you!

On a final note, I didn't post my concerns with the Jail server in the drop box because I'd like people to share ideas and hopefully create some solutions to the issues of Jail as a group ;].

I'm going to keep a list of possible solutions below.
- Reminder to the CT's not to be strict and use games to eliminate the T's. (Yours truly)
- Somehow further encourage CT's to utilize games on a map and to not MAKE the T's play games that the majority of them don't want to play. (iGamer)
- Remove bomb planting. (iamevilbear)
- ST's: a) Utilize them only on maps with ST markers b) Assign a CT to be with your ST(s) c) Dont assign any ST's at all! (iGamer)
- Ban annoying cell block games? (iGamer)
- Somehow further encourage CT's to pay attention and actually be GOOD guards by getting them to read Rdk's Jail Guard Tactical Handbook. (Kobra)
- Limit freedays to ONLY be given out when the CT's are in control. (Rdk)
- Somehow further encourage players on the server to keep calm and relax while playing on the server. (SkylineGTR)
- Somehow encourage CT's to be creative when wardening and maybe play different games from the ones played recently. (Dr.Compton)
- Advise CT's to not keep T's in cell block for to long via an automated message. (craz_yPANDA)
- Somehow further encourage T's to work together when planting the bomb in order to avoid mass shootings and annoyances. (Rogue Sniper)

-XavierB out. STRAYA!

 

[Yolobot]

I'm an ex-regular. I stopped playing Jail because it's so repetitive, and the wardens ALWAYS have the same orders. But hey, that's how the game is.

 

[AkatsukiX]

I don't play jail much often because for its getting boring. But i would play it again when those new jail maps come out.

 

[iGamer]

First - let me preface this by saying that I am a Jail regular, however I would like to be playing MORE, but unfortunately noone is on. Why? I have compiled a "greatest hits" list of why people are SICK of Jail.

Jail's "Greatest Hits"

1. Repetition - If I hear "Alright T's, take 1 step out of your cell, face away/towards your cell, be knifing distance, and freeze by 5:05 (or other time, variant on map) - I may snap my laptop in half. Yes, we get that these are standard orders, but what we do NOT need is Wardens chanting them over and over - say it once or twice, and be DONE with it.

2. ST's - In my book, the ST system is obsolete and useless. ST's should be banned from Jail gameplay, as they often are freekilled 9 times out of 10 since there is always that 1 CT that never seems to listen. Some maps have lovely ST markers, whereas others do not, making it hard for the CT's in general to keep track.

3. Cell Block Games - You all know what I am talking about. Simon Says, FR/LR, and other cell block games should be BANNED. Why, you ask?
1. They are overplayed
2. They are stupid
3. People often shoot the wrong/multiple people
4. THERE ARE OTHER GAMES ON THE MAP, LETS NOT SIT IN CELLBLOCK ALL DAY.

Ok, I promise that's the end of that rant, but seriously - when we have beautifully designed maps (hat tip to Christy/Rogue Sniper) - they lets take advantage of the ACTUAL games on the map!

4. Triggerhappy CT's/Freekilling - This is perhaps the first and foremost problem in jail. CT's often become triggerhappy and shoot the wrong person, or if they shoot the right person, they most often do it for the most minor infraction. Case and point: I am crouch walking with the T pack on Canyon out of cell block, under the Wardens orders to crouch walk. I stand up for 1 second to type something - and BLAM - headshot and I am dead. I stood up for 1 second - I did not rebel - I STOOD UP. People need to be less trigger happy and PAY ATTENTION. If a T stands up, alright just let him type and continue crouch walking - there is a SHARP contrast between a T that is rebelling, and a T that is NOT!

5. Lack of Awareness - At the end of the day, some pubs (and sadly some eGO members as well) are UNAWARE OF THE RULES. That being said, people need to take the time to read the rules, if not it simply makes it a bad experience for everyone! Confusion over the rules more often that not leads to confusion, and then freekilling as a result. Oh, wait - you mean I cant shoot a T who has a holstered pistol? Only if he has a primary? Oh I didnt know that... *facepalm*

Bottom Line: People need to read the rules, be less triggerhappy, and stop playing idiotic games like simon says/ FRLR / other garbage - utilize the map, dont mic spam as a warden, and we will all be fine. Unless I rebel. And kill you. Which I probably will do.

 

[XavierB]

Bottom Line: People need to read the rules, be less triggerhappy, and stop playing idiotic games like simon says/ FRLR / other garbage - utilize the map, dont mic spam as a warden, and we will all be fine. Unless I rebel. And kill you. Which I probably will do.

I'm loving your input into the thread but as I feared, I am only hearing the negatives. This thread is about SOLUTIONS to these problems. Yes, these a very valid issues that need to be addressed as they are, in fact, keeping players off the server but do you think you could bust out some possible solutions to them? Maybe some ways to enforce/rub out some of these things further? Other than simply banning this and that?

Again, thanks for your input :].

 

[iamevilbear]

Nice thread. Personally I would like to see bomb planting go. My views have evolved and I don't think players enjoy it as much as we thought they would.

 

[iGamer]

Alright, Xavier - I see your point. Solutions time!

Solutions to Jail's "Greatest Hits"

1. Repetition - When being a warden, please be mindful that it is mind-numbingly boring to hear the same orders repeated 10000 times. That being said, when wardening PLEASE repeat only when absolutely necessary, and simply concentrate on arranging your CT squad at the beginning of the round, rather than spamming your mic!

2. ST's - In lieu of simply banning ST's - a viable solution is to (a. Utilize them only on maps with ST markers (b. Assign a CT to be with your ST(s) (c. Dont assign any ST's at all! (<-- My personal preference)

3. Cell Block Games - Solution - ban them. Not even going to try to offer a compromise on that one - FR/LR, Simon Says, and other games are INCREDIBLY annoying, and often result in freekills. Every warden and their mother uses these games as a crutch - but if you find that you love these games too much - then USE THEM ONCE ONLY. If you do a game of LR, dont follow it by a game of Simon Says or some other cell block game. UTILIZE THE MAP PEOPLE!

4. Triggerhappy Ct's/Freekilling - As stated before, the easiest way to prevent this is to lay off the triggerfinger. Trust me, M1 is fine without your sweaty index finger pressing on it all the time. Instead, the best thing to do is to watch CLOSELY what the T's are doing, and fire ONLY WHEN NECESSARY. See a T running to vent cell? KILL HIM. See a T randomly stand up to type? LAY OFF THE TRIGGERFINGER.

5. Lack of awareness - READ THE JAIL THREADS. If there is a PUB who doesnt know the rules, assign them some reading. Doesnt take too long, and it makes for a better Jail experience for all of us!

 

[iGamer]

Nice thread. Personally I would like to see bomb planting go. My views have evolved and I don't think players enjoy it as much as we thought they would.

Agree x10000000000000 times over.

 

[BRAVO51]

Nice thread. Personally I would like to see bomb planting go. My views have evolved and I don't think players enjoy it as much as we thought they would.

The moment when u tell a T who has the bomb not to plant but that T plants and all of the other Ts are on open ground, still in the cell block

 

[XavierB]

Nice thread. Personally I would like to see bomb planting go. My views have evolved and I don't think players enjoy it as much as we thought they would.

I recently read the Jail rule book and noticed that it hardly mentions things like mass rebellions and the server going into disarray with mass shootings and T's running all over the place. I'm starting to wish that people were more focused on getting LR than rebelling and killing CT's, because ever since rebelling has started to be strongly encouraged, Jail has gone down hill, just a thought.

 

[XavierB]

Adding to my point just made, maybe add more of a reward to becoming the last surviving T? Instead of just LR, maybe add some kind of scoring system on the forums that adds a point when you're the last T as well as LR? Again, just a thought.

What do you guys think?

 

[dBozee]

I recently read the Jail rule book and noticed that it hardly mentions things like mass rebellions and the server going into disarray with mass shootings and T's running all over the place. I'm starting to wish that people were more focused on getting LR than rebelling and killing CT's, because ever since rebelling has started to be strongly encouraged, Jail has gone down hill, just a thought.

I'm a new regular on jail and I think the only way to really stop the mass rebels is to have more organized and educated CTs. There needs to be some way to better inforce the way the CT's act and react to what the Ts are doing. I like the way RDK explained how to be a CT in his post(in his sig) and I think that we should put that(or something similar) up in the game some how to help the CTs better understand their objective.

 

[Kerri]

2. ST's - In my book, the ST system is obsolete and useless. ST's should be banned from Jail gameplay, as they often are freekilled 9 times out of 10 since there is always that 1 CT that never seems to listen. Some maps have lovely ST markers, whereas others do not, making it hard for the CT's in general to keep track.

How about reading their names before shooting?

 

[RedDragonKnight]

I've always had issues with freedays being given when CTs can't even win a normal round, and my possible solution for that is still the same. I would like to see freedays only allowed if CTs actually have a point lead over the Ts(or maybe even just half the wins the Ts have), meaning that they actually have a chance of fending off the mass rebellion that is sure to ensue, rather than this, oh I have 0 wins and Ts have 20, so lets give a freeday since I can't control them so I won't even bother trying.

Also, LRs now-a-days seem to just be a kdr grab. It seems that nobody ever designates a CT to sit out of games like climb that inhibit the CTs ability to defend themselves, and then they end up just getting mowed down, except for 1 guy who was the friend of whoever got LR and then they spend 30 seconds trying to knife fight. I don't really know of a possible solution for this, as I usually just rebel so I don't need to use LR as a crutch to kill all cts, but I would like to see more CTs active in upholding fair play during LR. From a role play perspective, it's supposed to be a last request, and "kill everyone so I can go free?" just ruins it for me.

as emphasis, I would just like to say I kind of like jail for the role-play element it offers. It's fun pretending to be the last bastion of defense in a prison or the bloodthirsty maniac who just wants to kill all cts, but when others do things like the above, it really breaks immersion and just makes jail less fun for me.

and as always my guides in my sig and that proposes solutions to everyday problems in jail. if people were to read it. :<

 

[dBozee]

I've always had issues with freedays being given when CTs can't even win a normal round, and my possible solution for that is still the same. I would like to see freedays only allowed if CTs actually have a point lead over the Ts(or maybe even just half the wins the Ts have), meaning that they actually have a chance of fending off the mass rebellion that is sure to ensue, rather than this, oh I have 0 wins and Ts have 20, so lets give a freeday since I can't control them so I won't even bother trying.

Also, LRs now-a-days seem to just be a kdr grab. It seems that nobody ever designates a CT to sit out of games like climb that inhibit the CTs ability to defend themselves, and then they end up just getting mowed down, except for 1 guy who was the friend of whoever got LR and then they spend 30 seconds trying to knife fight. I don't really know of a possible solution for this, as I usually just rebel so I don't need to use LR as a crutch to kill all cts, but I would like to see more CTs active in upholding fair play during LR. From a role play perspective, it's supposed to be a last request, and "kill everyone so I can go free?" just ruins it for me.

as emphasis, I would just like to say I kind of like jail for the role-play element it offers. It's fun pretending to be the last bastion of defense in a prison or the bloodthirsty maniac who just wants to kill all cts, but when others do things like the above, it really breaks immersion and just makes jail less fun for me.

and as always my guides in my sig and that proposes solutions to everyday problems in jail. if people were to read it. :<

I like the way you think. Since I've started playing with you more often, I've strayed away from giving out freedays as I now see why they're so boring. I like the idea about the point lead for a freeday. The sitting out thing, as well, is a must as 9/10 times, it seems the T just gets them all in to a stack and kills them or something similar. Why the 1 CT sit out rule is not inforced is beyond me, but it should definitely be inforced. I've always been more in to roleplay type scenario games and would like jail to be as emersive as some of the others.

 

[BRAVO51]

How about reading their names before shooting?

most people don't know how to check their fire or they r way to heavy on the trigger finger

 

[dBozee]

most people don't know how to check their fire or they r way to heavy on the trigger finger

That and people are just too ignorant to pay attention to where the ST is. That's why good wardens should designate an escort for the ST; myself included.

 

[SKYLINEGTR]

For me the reason I don't play is because people complain too much about silly things. Yes, I think freekilling, cell games and whatever seems to be the 'problem' of Jail, silly things.

I stopped playing a lot of Jail (like I believe I mentioned in another Jail thread) because people don't relax much while on the Jail server. No more than 5 minutes into the server I see people complain about things that shouldn't really cause that much of an issue. Sure, it happened, but that doesn't mean you go all out crazy and start letting that little thing ruin the rest of the game. I still frequent the server from time to time, but this still becomes the major issue; people taking the 'problems' in-game to seriously.

As long as people just stay relaxed and not get all hyped up about a freekill or ST then you'll enjoy the game. Also, a lot of the 'problems' like ST, freekilling and whatnot can't really be 'banned' like people are suggesting. Simply saying 'this needs to be banned' isn't fixing anything, if anything, just causes more problems.

If the right people are playing (i.e. the ones that just play and take it easy) I can manage a whole day in the server. However, the second players start losing their calmness and playing the server to have fun, then I am out.

TL;DR - Keeping calm and relaxing while on the server helps with these 'problems' a lot better than saying they need to be 'banned.' Which a lot of them can't be simply 'banned.'

 

[Dr.Compton]

I actually stopped playing jail when the wardens went away from creating their own games during jail's "golden age" (You know, when Ric use to play and only sit in Spec 75% of the time.)Admittedly a lot of them were terrible, but its always fun to see new ideas spring up, but then it went back to being mostly what you could find on the map to use to kill most of the Ts in one or two games using map-based games (Like dodgeball, or jump rope, or those terrible races that are so complicated unless you've played the map 100 times and can do it with your eyes close). Im not saying get rid of those games, some times they're nessicary when you have no more ideas, but bring back the wardens who use to at least TRY and come up with new game ideas that you could do using the map.

 

[dBozee]

I actually stopped playing jail when the wardens went away from creating their own games during jail's "golden age" (You know, when Ric use to play and only sit in Spec 75% of the time.)Admittedly a lot of them were terrible, but its always fun to see new ideas spring up, but then it went back to being mostly what you could find on the map to use to kill most of the Ts in one or two games using map-based games (Like dodgeball, or jump rope, or those terrible races that are so complicated unless you've played the map 100 times and can do it with your eyes close). Im not saying get rid of those games, some times they're nessicary when you have no more ideas, but bring back the wardens who use to at least TRY and come up with new game ideas that you could do using the map.

I completely agree with the new games with already put on map games. The only thing is that it's practically impossible to do new things without getting a whole influx of players complaining that your game idea is stupid and you're a bad warden. Also coming up with creative and new games isn't easy on the fly and most players don't take the time to think of it before they become warden.