Server browser of a diverse sandbox game (discussion)

[fn_Quiksilver 1636]

Let me qualify this by saying I have thousands of hours of experience as admin of high-pop coop servers.

 

ArmA serves a wide range of game types and attracts just as wide a range of players.

 

From RPG Life mods, casual PvP, Koth, deathmatch, zombie, on over to more serious TvT/CTI / COOP and even milsim, almost all are directed to the same server browser to find their server(s).

 

The problem:

More mature 'trusted client' servers are forced to share the same server browser as more casual modes which attract trolls like flies to ****.

 

If your server (CTI/TvT/COOP/MILSIM generally) hits 40+ players, it starts to get noticed by people who come to ArmA for a more casual, giggle-**** way to spend their evening.

 

What is happening:

The result is that it becomes an extremely tedious process to host one of these gametypes, you have to have round-the-clock admins to deal with the constant stream of trolls who leak over, whether from a server browser mis-click, or after having been booted out of their favorite stomping grounds and gone in search of some other server to have fun on.

 

Contrast:

In ArmA 2, there was a much more diverse range of gametypes on the public server browser. You could join one and it didn't have to have 24/7 admin presence, since there was far less "leakage" from the RPG/casual giggle-**** gametypes.

In ArmA 3, the server browser is a barren place: RPG, Wasteland, KotH, Zombies, occasional Coop. It has been like this since beta. Most people looking for TvT have left ArmA, and most looking for a more mature, organized experience avoid the public server browser like the plague and stick to locked servers. Once upon a time, there were public round-the-clock milsim servers where you could jump in and take part in a mission. Now, its not worth hosting, since a troll will leak over from other gametypes and wreck it for everyone.

 

Result:

Its simply too hard and too tedious a process to host a successful organized military mode on a server browser which puts such a diverse range of gamers together.

 

Other notes:

* Vote kick options don't work. Often people are oblivious or the feature is abused so many are reluctant to use it. The victim(s) of the abuse has an easier time leaving the server than accumulating enough votes for a kick.

* Trusted client server: server where a troll can ruin the gameplay for many, simply by not playing according to the scenarios rules.

 

Solutions

???

- Perhaps a way in server.cfg to hide a server from clients who play regularly on certain gametypes? IE, if you've joined a _____ server in the past week, you won't see the hidden server in your browser. just a thought.

//server.cfg
hiddenFromClientsPlaytimeCoef = 0.5;        // how much of clients playtime is spent on certain mode
hiddenFromClients[] = {"RPG"};                // server hidden from clients who spend > playtimecoef on these modes

 

_____________

 

Just thought I'd put this out there for discussion.

[Dedmen 2714]

Most Milsim-like Operations are using Mods anyway. And you can't join the Server if you don't have the right Mods. That already keeps most of the trolls out.

And most organized Coop Operations are organized well enough that they could just set a Server password.

 

Outright blacklisting a certain group of People is comparable with racism IMO. And we don't need that in Arma.

If you really wanted to you could make a script that checks how much RPG some client has played and let the script kick him. No need for a Engine implementation.

 

Every Milsim Operation I ever participated in (And I don't play anything else) required Mods so you couldn't join without. Communication was done over Teamspeak so you had to be on TS.

And because everyone is on TS anyway it's no big deal to have a server password. Just write it into the Teamspeak channel description.

[fn_Quiksilver 1636]

2 hours ago, dedmen said:

Most Milsim-like Operations are using Mods anyway. And you can't join the Server if you don't have the right Mods. That already keeps most of the trolls out.

And most organized Coop Operations are organized well enough that they could just set a Server password.

 

Outright blacklisting a certain group of People is comparable with racism IMO. And we don't need that in Arma.

If you really wanted to you could make a script that checks how much RPG some client has played and let the script kick him. No need for a Engine implementation.

 

Every Milsim Operation I ever participated in (And I don't play anything else) required Mods so you couldn't join without. Communication was done over Teamspeak so you had to be on TS.

And because everyone is on TS anyway it's no big deal to have a server password. Just write it into the Teamspeak channel description.

 

identifying that 90% of MP trolls originate from 1 gametype = racism? gotcha ;)

[Dedmen 2714]

8 minutes ago, fn_Quiksilver said:

 

identifying that 90% of MP trolls originate from 1 gametype = racism? gotcha ;)

 

No. But blocking everyone playing that gametype whether they are trolls or not.

[fn_Quiksilver 1636]

1 minute ago, dedmen said:

 

No. But blocking everyone playing that gametype whether they are trolls or not.

 

I think prejudicial is the word