Possible changes to Anzio - Need your input!

[Dutchoper72]

Why am i having Flash server flashbacks? This was almost the same case with Flash, but more pubs then eGO members were on the server.

 

[Suayngam]

I dont see how limiting the assault class would do anything considering we never get players on there that are non-eGO. We start up the server, we play on it for two hours, it stays full, we leave, it empties out. Its the only server to do that. Its not because the assault class is unlimited because the majority of us who play it dont use assault anyways.
Maybe turning FF off might help, or reducing the point loss.

But leadership knows what I'd like to see happen, considering every two weeks we get a new thread talking about a certain map.

I agree with Compton, I like the FF on though. Just reduce the amount of points loss for FF, make it like 20.

 

[DJ TTK]

1. Anzio is only filled (normally half-filled at best) because of a dedicated bunch of DoD members who spam their friends list, put out announcements, and do an outstanding job of filling the server to the best of their abilities. Having been one of these people I can say that the task becomes tiresome and the responses to fill Anzio become less and less frequent. However, the members who do this should be commended on their perseverance and tenacity.

2. Successful servers don't rely on DoD members to thrive. While Donner and Avalanche have several eGO members on at all hours of the day, the vast majority of players are pubs. I don't think this fact is up for much debate; successful servers are successful because of pubs. Take a look at the player lists for our top servers and you'll find a solid 80% are pubs. Take a look at Anzio and you'll be hard pressed to find more pubs than eGO members.

3. Anzio is essentially a public eGO member's server. Want to wind down after an event and play with only eGO members? "Hey let's fill Anzio." I can't count the number of times I have seen a pub join, take a look at the overwhelming eGO presence then leave. Whether they think they interrupted a clan even or if they grew uncomfortable around an all admin team, most pubs leave Anzio soon after seeing the roster.

4. Changing a server's dynamics could help fill a server if it met the majority's wants or needs. By majority I mean the majority of people playing on the server (pubs), not the majority of votes in this thread. If a problem arises or a need is not met then it would be a solid decision to make a change to better the server. However, Anzio doesn't have a strong following of pubs and it isn't able to stay full no matter who or what happens in the server. The problem with Anzio never filing up is definitively NOT that there are 10 assault classes playing on one team.

In the past the machine gun class was blamed for emptying the server. Did limiting the class help the server stay full? No. Will changing the amount of assault classes help fill the server? No.

5. In the same lines as changing the server's dynamics, would changing Anzio to an FF off server help? Maybe. However, the main problem with Anzio is getting the server full and keeping it that way. While there are a lot of diehard Anzio fans, the server is still failing. The problem with DoD is that it is an old game with people who have been playing for years on servers they know and trust. Mostly, there is not an influx of new players who are tempted to try new servers. Many servers are FF, many allow cussing, and some of them are eGO servers. Most DoD players have a few servers they play on and rarely frequent from their favorites.

6. DoD has had to remove a lot of servers because they were failing. The Sniper server, Flash, Palermo (I think), Argentan, and Colmar. I probably missed a few. All of these maps died because we couldn't keep them full. Not because we didn't try, but because successful maps need to be filled by pubs. If you browse around you can find running servers of most of these maps. But why did ours fail while others thrived? Who know and who cares? We have successful servers and failing servers seem to drag our members and pubs away from other servers. "Hey let's fill Anzio" often means "Hey let's empty out Donner!"

1. Yes I agree, but I have also seen the server started by pubs.

2. Yes, this is most likely true

3. Yes, that is usually the case that we have non-official agreement events like sniper only or melee only. I don't know how pubs take it because we usually stop when they join or ask them if they want to have some fun.

4. Yes, I don't see changing limits helping.

5. True

6. Usually it is kalt that dies.

I think I have to go with STORMY here, make a vote if the members want to keep the servers and support it. I know some people will be very upset about this, I would be to if it was strand, but we have to accept the fact, do we want to spend time on it?

 

[wewo]

Stormy is pretty much right, although I would suggest a popular map rotation with FF on, see how that goes. I am never a proponent of limiting any classes other than specials. Face it people complain about assault on every map, and limiting assault, to me, sets a bad precedent. And limiting assault on a small attack-based map is a really bad idea and will only hurt the server.

 

[MoistTowelette]

I voted no.

This makes me sad because Anzio is really the only server I play on. I occasionally play Kalt but I don't like it nearly as much.

I think the issue is FF and the points loss, maybe more so the points loss. I posted in the dropbox a month or so ago asking about turning FF off. Here is usually how it goes when I see Anzio fill up. You get 2-4 eGO members on there and then pubbers and other eGO join. After about 10 mins you here half of the eGO ppl start complaining because they are losing to many points and they all leave.

Maybe try turning FF off and testing it out or reducing the points loss. I don't think the Assault class matters all that much. Especially since none of the other servers have it limited.

 

[anomaly]

This is going to be suprising coming from me, but i don't think limiting assault is going to make the server more popular. It's just an issue of a very old game.
Not enough new players are starting to play and the veterans that play have their favorites.

I don't know any solution to this sadly.

 

[Mini]

Stormy is pretty much right, although I would suggest a popular map rotation with FF on, see how that goes.

I know leadership probably wouldn't cknsider this, but I think it would work. Putting like anzio, colmar, flash, argentan, and possibly a few others in a rotation server would be cool.

 

[Superglue]

I do not think that limiting the assault will make a significant difference to the number of players that join the server. The only thing that I can think of that may work is similar to how, on anzio, the MG class is restricted until a certain number of players join. If it is 5 v 5 then each team can have only 2 assaults, 10 v 10 then can have 4 or something like that. I am not sure though, just spit balling.

 

[Rogue Nine]

There sure is a lot of ill will in this thread toward an inanimate object.

Whether some agree or not, the fact remains that there are members left that DO care about spending the time and/or adjustments needed to make the server thrive. Why so many people decided to take this opportunity to say 'won't work, kill it' is beyond me. First time I've been disappointed in what I've read on these forums since I joined.

No offense to the long-time veterans who've decreed the server a lost cause, but I don't see those names around when we try to fill it.

 

[wewo]

I know leadership probably wouldn't cknsider this, but I think it would work. Putting like anzio, colmar, flash, argentan, and possibly a few others in a rotation server would be cool.

It would make a lot of people happy (flash lovers, bomb map lovers and anzio lovers) and might even work out, personally I like jagd and would not like to see Argentan in the mix.

 

[S!ck]

I don't think limiting the assault class is the answer for anzio. There are alot of tight quarters fighting and I think the assault class thrives there. FF on is sometimes a bother because of the point loss and ppl grieving others that disrupts play. When I'm around I do enjoy playing anzio and I think the friendly fire being off would make me join more often. I really like the idea of setting up a map rotation as well because I only play eGO servers and I am fairly new to DOD:S meaning I haven' played any other maps other then our hosted servers. I would like to see flash and others in a rotation.

 

[Hardwarebeer[FIN]]

Limiting could work but as said before, FF is what keeps many players away. Although it would sadden me if FF is removed because it's the _thing_ that makes Anzio interesting to me. But for the greater good, if necessary.

Also, assault-class should be limited on all servers...

 

[Rogue Nine]

As a point of reference and to try and keep myself objective, I went back to well before I joined to find the server rankings data in Meg's thread.

As of almost a year ago (I pulled June 24, 2012 to be specific) these were the rankings:

Avalanche: #1
Donner: #16
Charlie: #18
Anzio: #97
Kalt: #100

Looks practically identical to me when compared to recent numbersm, with the exception of Kalt. Just where is this sky that's falling?

 

[Superglue]

DOD:S division has tried rotation servers before and they never worked. There is lots of talk of taking FF off but I remember voting on a thread like this a while ago now about how we should try to put FF on to bring more people to anzio. With that in mind, I do not think that taking FF off will resolve any of the issues.

 

[Blue Stealth]

I know leadership probably wouldn't cknsider this, but I think it would work. Putting like anzio, colmar, flash, argentan, and possibly a few others in a rotation server would be cool.

To say that we don't or would not consider it is not really fair. We have considered it many times in the distant and near past, but new rotation servers have such a small chance of survival that trying any other possibilities with Anzio makes more sense.

As for FF, that is not the problem. Some of you folks may not like it, personally, but it is not the reason for lower traffic than we are aiming for.

I don't think it is a class limited problem or even an FF problem. I see plenty of other servers with both of those that are full or near full most of the day.

To me the problem is with pubs not backing the server.

Don't know what you have to change. But any change should be done to better suit the server for pubs.

Chocolate is closer to the truth than most here. Perhaps it takes someone looking in from the "outside", or someone who has been around forever. Regardless, a lot of you would benefit from thinking on a more macro level. Look at the bigger picture, and challenge your own arguments. Many of the arguments presented here, while very opinionated and emotionally charged, do not hold water when held to the lamp of logic and fact.

A reminder to please stay on topic; whether or not limiting assault classes will help Anzio.

-Blue

 

[Matz]

I think we should just look into what pulled Kalt up, and do that.

What is that?

eGO's playing on the server everyday.

 

[Mini]

To say that we don't or would not consider it is not really fair. We have considered it many times in the distant and near past, but new rotation servers have such a small chance of survival that trying any other possibilities with Anzio makes more sense.

As for FF, that is not the problem.

-Blue

I didn't mean what I said to be unfair. I said it because I know that leadership has talked about it a few times, and each time the idea has been turned down. That's what I meant when I said "it probably wouldn't be considered".

 

[Blue Stealth]

I would say limiting assault class should be fine. Though I do think 6 is a bit low. Perhaps 8-9 should be better.

Not every pubber/player would be good with rifle/support, and having at least 8 assault classes might make the server more friendly towards new-ish players.

If we do limit assault class, it will be at the very most capped at 6, as stated in the OP. Anything higher than that, as some have stated indirectly, would make the alteration moot.

I say no, what if pubbers want to use the assault class? On our other eGO DoD servers, we don't have the Assault class limited, so I don't think it should be limited on Anzio, even though I never touch that class.

Saying that we should not make the change on Anzio because we don't have it on other servers is not a valid argument. If you are against change, just state that.

In the same vein, limiting the Assault class would likely have a detrimental effect on our ability to attract and maintain the pub population.

Expansion of your point would be helpful. As it stands, its not helpful.

I dont see how limiting the assault class would do anything considering we never get players on there that are non-eGO. We start up the server, we play on it for two hours, it stays full, we leave, it empties out. Its the only server to do that. Its not because the assault class is unlimited because the majority of us who play it dont use assault anyways.
Maybe turning FF off might help, or reducing the point loss.

But leadership knows what I'd like to see happen, considering every two weeks we get a new thread talking about a certain map.

I can categorically state that you are incorrect. The majority of recruits from recruiting drives come from Anzio, so the statement, "we never get players on there [Anzio] that are non-eGO", is simply false. As for the rest of your "points", they are exaggerated and/or lacking proportion/perspective.

As it pains me to say this, I agree with Stormy.

It may be better to drop Anzio for now, and focus on the other servers. Make sure they are within the top 25 or the top 30.
Donner, and Kalt have been sliding as of late, along with Anzio. Strand, if i am not mistaken, has been hovering around 30.

Once we make sure all the servers are popular and ok, then experimenting with maps or reviving Anzio/Flash/Colmar can be done without worrying.

Well, if the other 4 servers are filled up, then can't we just open the events server and run a regular map for a couple of hours?
At least until the main servers empty out a bit.

Dropping Anzio is not on the table right now. We have several options and routes to pick before we make that choice. Please try not to stray from the topic at hand.

I agree with Compton, I like the FF on though. Just reduce the amount of points loss for FF, make it like 20.

This is something leadership is willing to discuss.

No offense to the long-time veterans who've decreed the server a lost cause, but I don't see those names around when we try to fill it.

Possibly that best point that has been made, yet.

Limiting could work but as said before, FF is what keeps many players away. Although it would sadden me if FF is removed because it's the _thing_ that makes Anzio interesting to me. But for the greater good, if necessary.

Also, assault-class should be limited on all servers...

Limiting classes on other servers is not on the table and is not something being considered.

-Blue

 

[Rufio]

Perhaps the leadership can help guide this discussion. It was leadership that posited the question, "Should we limit the assault class?". I'm guessing this came from a more basic question, "Why is Anzio struggling to maintain a consistent server population?".

The link between 'server population' to 'assault class' is shaky at best. Is the argument too many people are rage quitting from spray-and-pray noob tubes? What is the link between weapons classes and server population? If so, I've seen more rage quitting from sniper victims than the occasional head shot victim from a Thompson (most people just laugh it off). Or, is server population not the issue?

We need more clarification in order to answer the question.

 

[Blue Stealth]

The link between 'server population' to 'assault class' is shaky at best. Is the argument too many people are rage quitting from spray-and-pray noob tubes? What is the link between weapons classes and server population? If so, I've seen more rage quitting from sniper victims than the occasional head shot victim from a Thompson (most people just laugh it off). Or, is server population not the issue?

Telling us that the link between the two is shaky at best, then asking us what the link is, is a rather unique methodology of argument. No need to guide you if you plan on answering all your own questions...

I believe the original post was quite clear, it may help to reread it. We have no problem guiding the conversation in a topical vein, but we aren't going to hold hands. We ask for your thoughts/opinions (ideally backed up by logic, statistics, facts, etc) on limiting the assault class on Anzio; this excludes arguments for or against map rotations, FF alterations, etc. We have no problem if your argument for/against class limitations involves FF, etc, but the main focus needs to stay on topic.

-Blue