AAO25.com
Assist => Feedback & Suggestions => Topic started by: august on Friday, May 11, 2012, 00:19:01 AM
-
Understood. Sorry for the miscommunication.
As to answer your question, a few ideas come to mind right way as far as features
-http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=348
-http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=1297
-http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=1675
-http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=3304
The above are just a few items.
I would also change the front page and place all those forum posts/news in a less prominent place. Instead I would put current game play videos, current in game photos and so forth.
The idea is to attract new and old players by all means.
Just some ideas
-
Instead I would put current game play videos, current in game photos and so forth.
like in free 2 play games websites ;D
-
Thanks for the suggestions. Personally, I'm always open to them as I get stuck with what to do next. I looked over them and I don't think a staff page would do anything aside from clutter things up. With the mAAp Pack, we had a credits and readme page which hardly ever got used. It would be interesting to maybe have a section on admins somewhere but not a dedicated page. There's already a bunch of pages crammed in the navigation, adding another one for a page that I don't think would see much use is not really worthwhile.
The affiliates mod, as far as I can tell, is just advertising. We already have a spot for that in the code but don't use it yet. Long story short, I never received a banner from my host to put up. I don't think we need a mod to do this, just simple non-bloaty code.
I do like the profile page but I'm having a hard time justifying it in my mind. Maybe if others think they will use it a lot...
I have nothing against the social buttons for profiles. It's simple and easy to do. I will wait to see what others think about them first.
For the home page, where do you suggest we get gameplay videos and in-game screenshots? Personally I hate "frag" videos but if others like them, I'm all for tailoring the site to the masses, not to what I like :)
-
I would also change the front page and place all those forum posts/news in a less prominent place. Instead I would put current game play videos, current in game photos and so forth.
The idea is to attract new and old players by all means.
Just some ideas
Why would you rather put gameplay videos instead of showing the latest news? The news section shows that the game is active, especially when we have the advertised pick up matches up on the front page. It seems counter productive to not make that the main attraction on the front page.
-
Heh, I think we have conflicting theories because of how we want to utilize the website. All of us devs are mostly happy with the current setup because all we need to do is check for hackers and new development discussion.
Right now, I think the forum is primarily a dev oriented forum. It would probably be a good idea to have the "good-old" gamer style site following some of august's suggestions. He has legitimate suggestions, look at any video game's home base and it will have the things august suggests. I think we need to set aside a space for the GENERAL Assist, not trying to merge the DEVELOPER Assist with it. Might be time to start using the sourceforge website to do some of this?
-
I think we need to set aside a space for the GENERAL Assist, not trying to merge the DEVELOPER Assist with it. Might be time to start using the sourceforge website to do some of this?
The thing I don't like about the sourceforge site is that it's a big URL that even I can't remember.
-
Jonny has that aa25.org domain pointing to the sourceforge. That's all I know.
-
I believe it's just a basic redirect, probably the PHP header trick. It's not an actual domain host kinda thing.
-
A few responses :
1. the staff page would show new and returning players who is running the Assist and who is doing what to keep AA2 going. not only would it show professionalism, but it would allow for the community to know and thank those of you who are running Assist.
As far as space, I see plenty of empty space. One example is next to the players number in game.
Also, on the subject of the menu, why not use a drop down menu?
2. my idea for the affiliate mod is not for advertising/money making, but for banner exchanges with active clans/units within AA2.5, AA3 and any other games and/or gaming communities.
the more people see, hear and learn about Assist, the better for all of us. Consider it free advertising.
3. I understand where you are coming from. As consultant, site developer and having managed/owned many SMF sites I know what you mean.
4. there are plenty of softwares around allowing to take in game screenshots. The easiest is Xfire.
There are also plenty of softwares for videos. Whether it is frag videos or not doesn't matter. And honestly, what counts is what will attracts players and make them talk about Assist. Like I wrote above, attract new and old players by all means necessary.
Blue makes a good point. As devs, you are all thinking about dev and catch hackers. The best advice I give to anyone in my businesses goes something like this:
Put yourself in the shoes of the players. You, as a player, what would you like to see the site to look like, to be like. As a player, what do you think will attract more players.What will it take for players to learn about Assist
As far as sourceforge, I would get a domain named assistdev and forwarded to the sourceforge url
-
I would put the latest news on a side column.
New players look first for current videos of the game and/or current screenshots of the game. As far as old players, what a better way to attract them again than remind them of the good old time :P
author=KiLLaMaN link=topic=1755.msg21772#msg21772 date=1336712680]
Why would you rather put gameplay videos instead of showing the latest news? The news section shows that the game is active, especially when we have the advertised pick up matches up on the front page. It seems counter productive to not make that the main attraction on the front page.
-
put the news in Assist, the same news window can be used for warnings, ruels & etc.
edit: something like this
(https://aao25.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg688.imageshack.us%2Fimg688%2F2064%2Fnewsexample.jpg&hash=3f4fc5091e6090ac23379ff2b78e60cd) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/688/newsexample.jpg/)
-
I like that client idea :)
-
Alright august, I went into the header and removed the league and link to Assist site. Both are really unnecessary now. So, there are room for 2 extra pages in the navigation. I know the info page could be done better so if you or anybody else has any suggestions, here it is for you to edit:
<div class="news_item">
<div class="news_body">
<a href="#FAQ">FAQ</a> • <a href="#Downloads">Downloads</a> • <a href="#Player_Stats">Player Stats</a> • <a href="#Official_Server_Providers">Official Server Providers</a> • <a href="#Anti_Cheat">Anti-Cheat</a>
</div>
</div>
<a name="FAQ"></a>
<div class="news_item">
<div class="news_body">
<h1><i class="icon-download"></i>FAQ</h1>
<b>• I have no idea what this is!?!?!?!?!?! (History)</b><br />
America's Army is a game created by developers hired by the US Army. The game was basically a recruiting tool designed to show people what it's like to go through training to become a soldier and then take those skills learned to the digital battlefield. Developed and released in 2005, the game has gone through many updates. In 2009, America's Army 3 was released on Steam which was a complete re-working of the game. It was utter chaos. The bugs in AA3 have since been worked out and because of that, the previous version, America's Army 2 (AA2) was dropped entirely. This meant that the developers shut down the account and authorization systems making the game difficult to use.
<br /> <br />
<b>• What is Assist?</b><br />
Since the official servers were taken down, creative developer JonnyM enhanced his Assist program to include an account authorization system. Taking over the entire game, he was able to introduce new anti-cheat systems that previously weren't possible. Assist also includes the ability to run a server on both home and dedicated setups seamlessly. For more detailed info on how to use Assist, see the <a href="http://aa25assist.sourceforge.net/Data/readme.txt" target="_blank">Assist FAQ</a> and <a href="http://aa25assist.sourceforge.net/gettingStarted.php" target="_blank">Getting Started</a> guide.
</div>
</div>
<a name="Downloads"></a>
<div class="news_item">
<div class="news_body">
<h1><i class="icon-download"></i>Downloads</h1>
25Assist - America's Army 2.5 all in one client<br />
<a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/aa25assist/files/Binaries/25Assist-Linux.zip/download" target="_new"><img src="images/linux.png" alt="Linux Icon" width="32" height="38" border="0" /></a>
<a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/aa25assist/files/Binaries/25Assist.app.tar.gz/download" target="_new"><img src="images/macos.png" alt="Mac Icon" width="32" height="39" border="0" /></a>
<a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/aa25assist/files/Binaries/25Assist.zip/download" target="_new"><img src="images/windows.png" alt="Windows Icon" width="36" height="32" border="0" /></a>
<br />
<a href="http://aao25.com/2-5-assist/aa2-5-assist-readme/">Readme</a>
<br /> <br />
Dedicated Server - For use with a hosting company<br />
<a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/aa25assist/files/Binaries/ldedisrv.tar.gz/download" target="_new"><img src="images/linux.png" alt="Linux Icon" width="32" height="38" border="0" /></a>
<a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/aa25assist/files/Binaries/wdedisrv.zip/download" target="_new"><img src="images/windows.png" alt="Windows Icon" width="36" height="32" border="0" /></a><br />
<a href="http://aa25.org/Data/LReadme.txt">Linux Readme</a><br />
<a href="http://aa25.org/Data/WReadme.txt">Windows Readme</a>
</div>
</div>
<a name="Player_Stats"></a>
<div class="news_item">
<div class="news_body">
<h1><i class="icon-signal"></i>Player Stats</h1>
<center>
<img src="http://aao25.com/stats/playersgraph.png" /><br />
<?php mostplayers(); ?>
<br />
<?php authFull(); ?>
</center>
</div>
</div>
<a name="Official_Server_Providers"></a>
<div class="news_item">
<div class="news_body">
<h1><i class="icon-inbox"></i>Official Game Server Providers</h1>
<a href="http://www.hosters.at/" target="_blank">Hosters.at (Europe)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.totalgamehosting.com/" target="_blank">Total Game Hosting (Europe)</a><br />
<a href="http://lowpinggameservers.com/" target="_blank">Low Ping Game Servers (U.S)</a><br />
</div>
</div>
<a name="Anti_Cheat"></a>
<div class="news_item">
<div class="news_body">
<h1><i class="icon-flag"></i>Anti-Cheat Security</h1>
PB Kicks & Bans:
<br />
<a href="http://auth.aa25.org/PBLog/ALERT.txt" target="_blank">Hacking Alerts</a>
<br />
<a href="http://auth.aa25.org/PBLog/bans.txt" target="_blank">Hall of Shame</a>
<br />
<br />
PB Screenshots:
<br />
<a href="http://auth.aa25.org/ss/msgpbssv.html" target="_blank">AA25.org OFFICIAL SERVER UK</a>
<br />
<a href="http://176.35.187.226:1719/msgpbssv.html" target="_blank">AA25.org Dedicated mAAp Server</a>
<br />
<a href="http://ss.braef.com.br/" target="_blank">Brazilian Elite Force</a>
<br />
<a href="http://24.75.166.87:8080/msgpbssv.html" target="_blank">{G.O.W} Gods of War 1</a>
<br />
<a href="http://98.167.141.23:8000/msgpbssv.html" target="_blank">{G.O.W} Gods of War 2</a>
<br />
<a href="http://90.146.231.194/svss/msgpbssv.html"> -VerT!go RooM. )>>>Normal</a>
<br />
<a href="http://188.93.234.133/svss1722/msgpbssv.html">-PUF SF Server</a>
<br />
<a href="http://188.93.234.133/svss1719/msgpbssv.html">-PUF SF Server mAAp</a>
<br />
<a href="http://95.211.134.117/1716/msgpbssv.html">-PUF SF Server Border</a>
<br />
<a href="http://95.211.134.117/1716/msgpbssv.html">Belg Clan Server</a>
<br />
<a href="http://80.162.6.3/msgpbssv.html">Danish Elite Fighters</a>
<br />
</div>
</div>
I know I can do a staff page, it will just take some time.
For screenshots and videos, I know how people shoot videos and take screenshots on their computer, the problem I'm having is how to get those from various people's computers to this site. The media page as-is uses Dropbox for the images and YouTube for the videos. There's no frontend so the pages are edited in Dreamweaver. I don't know how to go about getting videos and screenshots from users and easily adding them to a homepage to keep things fresh. I made the media page to show the maps as they are and a couple of videos. If there's a few good 2.5 videos roaming around, I'll gladly add them to that page but as far as keeping content fresh, that's more difficult.
-
start a Screenshots / Videos contest :D
-
Spanky, why don't you use the staff mod I linked. You will probably have to edit it to fit the custom theme though.
For the info page, let me think about it and will post again.
Concerning getting media from players, I would suggest the use of a SMF mod:
http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=977
-
Spanky, why don't you use the staff mod I linked. You will probably have to edit it to fit the custom theme though.
That's exactly why. Mods conflict with existing code and I can make a custom page much easier and faster than dealing with a mod.
The media, I used that a while back but now, I don't want to host the content. I have 300MB of disk space on this hosting account and I'm using half right now. I'm not going to buy more space for a website for a game that I don't even play :)
-
The media, I used that a while back but now, I don't want to host the content. I have 300MB of disk space on this hosting account and I'm using half right now. I'm not going to buy more space for a website for a game that I don't even play :)
I believe it links/embeds from external sites.
-
The media page as-is uses Dropbox for the images and YouTube for the videos. There's no frontend so the pages are edited in Dreamweaver. I don't know how to go about getting videos and screenshots from users and easily adding them to a homepage to keep things fresh. I made the media page to show the maps as they are and a couple of videos. If there's a few good 2.5 videos roaming around, I'll gladly add them to that page but as far as keeping content fresh, that's more difficult.
Maybe you can use this site for the videos:
http://www.goinglivemedia.com/
More info here -> http://aao25.com/internet/awesome-americas-army-video!-oldskool-iog/msg21053/#msg21053
-
Interesting site. It may work if we can actually embed the videos and the images on the front page.
Anyone tried that site?
-
Why wouldn't YouTube work again?
-
Why wouldn't YouTube work again?
It's your call :)
-
Why wouldn't YouTube work again?
That would work as well. Create a AA2.5 Assist youtube channel, then upload the videos given by players.
For the photos, how about using http://gallery.menalto.com/. From what I recall, you can even integrate the gallery with SMF and then the gallery could be used to show case game images, but also for players to post and show whatever pictures they would like.
What is important and urgent is to have the game videos and the game images on the front page.
On another suggestion, I would also add a portal page. The current front page is fine as it is and will be even better with the videos and the pictures, however it is really part of the forums. The portal page would be something graphical welcoming visitors
-
I would like to post a few examples of other successful independent games where we can look for more ideas for our site
http://www.realitymod.com/
http://www.interstellarmarines.com/
http://www.newworldinteractive.com/
-
I would like to post a few examples of other successful independent games where we can look for more ideas for our site
http://www.realitymod.com/
http://www.interstellarmarines.com/
http://www.newworldinteractive.com/
http://www.soldnersecretwars.de
-
The SourceForge project web for Assist has a mysql database and space for us to start this. What would be the ideal way to begin. Should we use SMF and pack it with mods? Or should we use a CMS and tie in a forum? I can install any software on there.
-
The SourceForge project web for Assist has a mysql database and space for us to start this. What would be the ideal way to begin. Should we use SMF and pack it with mods? Or should we use a CMS and tie in a forum? I can install any software on there.
What exactly are we talking about Blue? If it is about redoing the site, I would use an CMS such as http://www.concrete5.org/, joomla or others to create the front page of the site. Then, I would use SMF with one of the SMF portals for forums. And I would pack it with SMF mods. As I mentioned before, I can help with the site. I am very familiar with both CMS (gaming CMS and not gaming ) and SMF
A few examples of CMS:
http://www.xcelgaming.com/ (gaming)
http://www.concrete5.org/
http://phpnuke-clan.net/ (gaming)
Joomla
Now, for what we need, we may want to go with Concrete or Joomla. Both Xcel Gaming and PhpNuke are more clan oriented
-
Yes that was exactly the info I was looking for. I'll probably get started integrating concrete5 and smf at the sourceforge site without destroying what is already on there.
-
Yes that was exactly the info I was looking for. I'll probably get started integrating concrete5 and smf at the sourceforge site without destroying what is already on there.
yea, but why at the sourceforge site? Isnt the sourceforge site for development?
I thought you were referring to this site
-
When everything is set-up, I can transfer the files and database to any site. So essentially we can consider all this new stuff to be in development. When I have the files set-up at Sourceforge I'll give you access to it so we can start getting things done.
-
Understood and Hooah!!!
-
This is laughable really. I was open to a mod or two at first, or some organization ideas but this... this whole "oh fuck your code and the time you put into it, I can do something better from scratch by jamming pre-made code together" it's laughable.
I'm done with AA, I'm done with this community. I've given way too much to this game and it seems like everything I've put a lot of effort into, everybody shits on it. If you guys want a new site, you better get some web hosting. Whoever wants the AAO25.com domain, I'll be happy to setup some kind of a transfer.
-
The CMS causes memory to fill and quit. Sourcceforge wont allocate more memory, so no concrete5. I was kind of hoping to mod its code if it got installed, guess not. Looks like we're gonna have to use SSI + SMF since that's what's been working so far.
-
This is laughable really. I was open to a mod or two at first, or some organization ideas but this... this whole "oh fuck your code and the time you put into it, I can do something better from scratch by jamming pre-made code together" it's laughable.
I'm done with AA, I'm done with this community. I've given way too much to this game and it seems like everything I've put a lot of effort into, everybody shits on it. If you guys want a new site, you better get some web hosting. Whoever wants the AAO25.com domain, I'll be happy to setup some kind of a transfer.
Spanky, take a deep breath.
I am suggesting ideas. It is up to you guys to decide what to use or not.
The site is definitely very good, but anything to attract more players is good in my book. In any case, whatever you guys decide.
To Blue
That is not a surprise. Sourceforge is not meant for that type of hosting. Try Joomla and see what you get.
-
Spanky, take a deep breath.
I actually was quite calm when I wrote that. Looking back on it, I still mean every word. Nothing against you or Blue, I'm just tired of the game in more ways than one.
-
*Sigh* and so everyone now wants to leave...
Guys, the hard part is done... It's your project, it's always your call.
I wanna say this, if it wasn't you guys we wouldn't never had the chance to play America's Army again. And so we owe you a lot, despite some people have a hard way to show it...
Now related with this topic, what August want is to promote the game. All current players i could bet that are like 97% old players that already knew the game and that's alright but they wanna promote the game to other people, people that never heard about it before, and that is gonna be a hard job because even realistic it's a old game.
We already have the Support Forums and they were made for that, Support. People wanna promote the game, so why not get in touch with Brussels and help him with this site:
http://aao2.com/
It's already linking to this forums as support and for download, but all the info, videos can and should be there.
-
Where do you exactly need any CMS when you got a working site already? I don't see the point changing the system when you can just update what you already have.
-
This is laughable really. I was open to a mod or two at first, or some organization ideas but this... this whole "oh fuck your code and the time you put into it, I can do something better from scratch by jamming pre-made code together" it's laughable.
I'm done with AA, I'm done with this community. I've given way too much to this game and it seems like everything I've put a lot of effort into, everybody shits on it. If you guys want a new site, you better get some web hosting. Whoever wants the AAO25.com domain, I'll be happy to setup some kind of a transfer.
Come on Spanky. If you don't like those ideas, just say 'no'. Why should one person coming and proposing something make you quit?
-
The enjoyment is long gone for me. I haven't had fun in-game in a LONG time and the thrill of making maps has dwindled thanks to the lack of use by the community. For the website, there was nothing but complaints when we released it. I've tried to make something decent for the community but obviously I failed. I'm done wasting my time for this game. If you guys want to make a new site, I'll have no hard feelings.
-
I'm with nate,
Try Joomla and see what you get.
That's enough right there to make me quit.
--
All of the original people for this project put a lot of time and effort into things and the community is ungrateful, its shown over and over again in this forum.
-
I'm out! Good luck without Jonny, Jared & me guys!
(https://aao25.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fweknowmemes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F01%2Fi-did-plan-on-going-down-with-my-ship-but-i-tripped-and-fell-into-a-lifeboat.jpg&hash=82824c13d4b0eca8b694403d9bc005bb)
-
I respect your idea but this ...
Good luck without Jonny, Jared & me guys!
... sounds a bit childish
-
Well think about it, Jonny made all of this possible. Everything. Now he's done and that drive, motivation and knowledge is gone. I'm confident in Pit but I don't see the same driving attitude. Jared's done and he's the best designer here without a doubt. With me being done, it's not really a loss to the community.
There's others that can and have stepped up to fill in the voids but we'll see how well they will continue the project. That's why I said good luck.
-
I respect your idea but this ...
... sounds a bit childish
Don't think so, he has ever right to call the community out. You guys don't understand that this was started like 4 years ago if not more.
Then to come here and bitch and sob about what you don't like is a huge turn off, there's a difference between constructive criticism and flat out bitching.
-
Hmm, very unfortunate thing.
So what is the status of the website now? Does anyone still take care of it now? Blue?
-
Guys, I am not bitching or complaining. If I offended anyone, my apologies.
I am just putting down ideas to hopefully help grow Assist and the community.
To grow the community, we need to be open minded and willing to look outside the box.
Let me also say this. This is not about power grabbing or power struggle.The whole community is thankful and appreciates what was done by Jonny, Spanky, Jared, Blue and others. We are all thankful and appreciative.
What the issue is about is growing the community. Get new blood in. And as far as I am concerned all means are good.
-
Guys, I am not bitching or complaining. If I offended anyone, my apologies.
I am just putting down ideas to hopefully help grow Assist and the community.
To grow the community, we need to be open minded and willing to look outside the box.
Let me also say this. This is not about power grabbing or power struggle.The whole community is thankful and appreciates what was done by Jonny, Spanky, Jared, Blue and others. We are all thankful and appreciative.
What the issue is about is growing the community. Get new blood in. And as far as I am concerned all means are good.
You have to understand, they're doing this all FOR FREE. That means their taking time out of the daily lives and work schedules just to upkeep this site, FOR FREE. It's really annoying when you're doing something for free and people keep wanting other stuff, not even caring about you or your time.
-
I think the whole Headshot team should come together and start a new project, something that has the potential to turn a profit and maybe turn into a business, doing big time consuming projects like this one for free is a waste of talent.
-
I haven't heard the term "Headshot Team" in a long time. That's love.
-
I think the whole Headshot team should come together and start a new project, something that has the potential to turn a profit and maybe turn into a business, doing big time consuming projects like this one for free is a waste of talent.
I'm sure you guys could come up with something nice.
-
I was talking with nate about "orange site" (if any of you remember that) a few days ago.
But I'm down for a new project -- but between may 28th and june 7th I will be working on tight deadlines to get a site launched so I will have nill for free time.
-
lol I'm so down to HAM and JAM on this bitch.
-
posting from my cell.
doing things for free is part of the gaming communities. whether it is anticheat, being a volunteer for game devs and what not. it is part of the gaming communities.
But doing things for free doesnt prevent from looking at all possible ways to grow the community.
Suggestions are posted, devs review suggestions and accept or deny.
Right now, what I have seen so far is devs saying "i quit. people dont like what i did, i quit"
That sounds to me like "my way or the highway".
you dont like the ideas? then say so and we move on. you think you have better ideas on how to get more people in Assist? post them.
And now there is talk of a new project? as in moving way from this one? why? the way to grow the community is by working together
-
posting from my cell.
doing things for free is part of the gaming communities. whether it is anticheat, being a volunteer for game devs and what not. it is part of the gaming communities.
But doing things for free doesnt prevent from looking at all possible ways to grow the community.
Suggestions are posted, devs review suggestions and accept or deny.
Right now, what I have seen so far is devs saying "i quit. people dont like what i did, i quit"
That sounds to me like "my way or the highway".
you dont like the ideas? then say so and we move on. you think you have better ideas on how to get more people in Assist? post them.
And now there is talk of a new project? as in moving way from this one? why? the way to grow the community is by working together
In no way would this project close. Pit runs the servers and you can easily finds other people to look for cheaters and another site seeing as this one apparently isn't good enough. Just because a few people move on doesn't mean the end of AA 2.5.
-
Okay so lets clear this up a bit. The site is fine as is, I really don't see why we should add a bunch of feature such as galleries etc. People arn't here for that, they are here to discuss the progression of the game and assist.
From day one people have came here and said hey we should do this, hey we should do that. A better way of doing so is to say, we should do this, because it could generate X in new users or lets try contact these people to do a blog post they have a viewing membership of XXXX.
Now directly @august - the websites you linked to along with possesed are a slap in the face, those sites were cool back in 2006, actually in 2006 our site was better than those. When you go and mention joomla I just rolled my eyes. That's one of the worst cms's out there. To stack on top of a new cms, do you really want to force over 800+ people to make new accounts, and learn a new forum system?
But it not just you august, its all over the forums.
Brussles is doing his own thing, AAO Daily is back up. Even when I created the ladder site, that was done just to pass time until TWL picked up the game. Yet 3 or 4 people came on here and said that they where building one as well. The community is divided, the more people that come the harder it will be to unify them.
Open-source is the new age its not about keeping things hidden its about sharing and improving. Not 1 person here has asked to help code, develop or fund this project, yet everyone here is jumping at the bit to voice their opinions about what we should do.
-
Jared, those websites i linked are just examples of what other game companies are doing. There is nothing wrong with seeing what the competition is doing.
Take the best ideas of each company, make them your own and use them as needed.
Part of the process of developing something is to keep an open mind and not be offended by suggestions, whether they are nicely said or not.
Concerning the CMS, no one needs to register since all login/register would be removed from the CMS.
No disrespect but part of discussing the game and assist is about how to get more new/old players in and grow the community.
yes, open source is about helping improve and sharing and that is what we are doing. Many of us cant code, however we can post ideas, suggest softwares which could help things and such
-
Jared - everything you wrote is very reasonable. I just don't get how one person's proposals can cause you and Spanky to quit. You shall take some assertiveness lessons from Major, and reply "no, fuck you and your joomla", and just go on, but not quit ;-D.
BTW, I just hope Skrewy won't come here and say 'I quit too'. That would be the _real_ nail to the coffin for this project ;-D.
-
exactly pit. you dont like my ideas, fine. say so and we move on.
you got better ideas on how to bring in new and old players? post them.
-
Your whole reply proves my point even more.
Part of the process of developing something is to keep an open mind and not be offended by suggestions, whether they are nicely said or not.
Negative - The process of suggestions starts with research, find things that work for you. Looking at competition is the worst thing you can do, just because someone else is doing doesn't make it right nor means it works.
Concerning the CMS, no one needs to register since all login/register would be removed from the CMS.
Whats the point of the CMS then?
yes, open source is about helping improve and sharing and that is what we are doing. Many of us cant code, however we can post ideas, suggest softwares which could help things and such
Why would you offer software if you don't know the ins & outs of how they work or how they will integrate into our systems.
@pit - as i said in other posts its not just this thread/post its all over the forums.
@august - each time you post i lol. If you interested in marketing or web development do some research please.
-
You guys are dwelling on the suggestions that august posted. That's not THE problem here, it's just the straw that broke the camels back. I'm not upset or offended by anything posted in this thread, seriously.
It's about effort to reward ratio for me. I couldn't count the hours I've put into mAAp and this site. All for free (I think I got $30-$40 from ads a few years back which I split into beer money for a few people). I started AA around 2006 as far as I can remember. I loved the game then but in the last 4 years, I don't see any fun in it, at all. The only fun I had was creating maps because it seemed like there was good feedback at the time and Jonny's Deploy/Assist program made it easier for users to play maps. Here's the thing though, for the last several weeks, even though mAAp is now mandatory, on average, I only see about 5% of the in-game players on mAAp. At the current max of about 150 players online at the peak play time, that's not even a dozen people. Look, right now at the time of this post, 7 out of 137 users are in mAAp and 3 are on Yeti which is one of the most ridiculous ill-planned skillless maps there is.
The engine is old and limited, the gameplay I dislike, the community I dislike, and few people use what I've created. The motivation is completely gone.
It's the same reason why Jonny is done. He was super passionate about this project but it's turned out different than what he had hoped and now it's too frustrating and time consuming to avoid being tarred and feathered by the entire community for just a small update. It's why he's mentioned a new project, start fresh with a better game and not have the restricting limitations put fourth by the game, it's engine and the community.
*EDIT*
I missed a point I wanted to touch on. I'm not saying that I'll shut this site down, especially any time soon but keep in mind that I do own this hosting account and I paid for it with 100% my own money. I'm not going to let you guys take a steaming dump on Jared & my efforts to build this site by creating something else, you'll have to do it on your own hosting account. Again, I'll gladly transfer the domain to whoever wants it.
-
Here's the thing though, for the last several weeks, even though mAAp is now mandatory, on average, I only see about 5% of the in-game players on mAAp. At the current max of about 150 players online at the peak play time, that's not even a dozen people. Look, right now at the time of this post, 7 out of 137 users are in mAAp and 3 are on Yeti which is one of the most ridiculous ill-planned skillless maps there is.
Well, I must tell you Spanky that if you hoped to beat or even approach the popularity of "normal" maps with maap, then you aimed really high. I doubt _anyone_ would be able to create maps, that could match the popularity of standard maps that have been played over the years, and have become a classics.
-
Well, I must tell you Spanky that if you hoped to beat or even approach the popularity of "normal" maps with maap, then you aimed really high. I doubt _anyone_ would be able to create maps, that could match the popularity of standard maps that have been played over the years, and have become a classics.
Where were you 4 years ago to tell me this? :D
Seriously though, I only aimed high because of reception. If I could quantify interest in the form of weights on a scale versus the actual play time, you would see that it's highly imbalanced. There has been so many "yea that's cool dude" and "omg custom maps, sweet!" kind of comments. People seem to think it's a good idea and that's why I invested time but when it comes down to it, those enthusiastic people are off playing Urban Assault. It's either a massive troll or a slap in the face, I'm still not sure which.
-
Where were you 4 years ago to tell me this? :D
Seriously though, I only aimed high because of reception. If I could quantify interest in the form of weights on a scale versus the actual play time, you would see that it's highly imbalanced. There has been so many "yea that's cool dude" and "omg custom maps, sweet!" kind of comments. People seem to think it's a good idea and that's why I invested time but when it comes down to it, those enthusiastic people are off playing Urban Assault. It's either a massive troll or a slap in the face, I'm still not sure which.
Neither I think. Judging a map and (frequent) playing it are different worlds. I really see no contradiction in that people liked your maps when looking at them but didn't play it. Because you don't play the map alone just because it's fine, you play it because there are servers with that map full of people, because you are accustomed to it, and know it, etc. It's just about the momentum, which the standard map have, and it's almost impossible to beat them with anything created, no matter how brilliant - people are just used to older maps.
Having said that, I was really impressed by the skill you guys have with editing/creating maps. And I agree with you here: I would also be pissed off, if I would create those maps and people wouldn't play it :-D.
-
Where were you 4 years ago to tell me this? :D
Seriously though, I only aimed high because of reception. If I could quantify interest in the form of weights on a scale versus the actual play time, you would see that it's highly imbalanced. There has been so many "yea that's cool dude" and "omg custom maps, sweet!" kind of comments. People seem to think it's a good idea and that's why I invested time but when it comes down to it, those enthusiastic people are off playing Urban Assault. It's either a massive troll or a slap in the face, I'm still not sure which.
It's more down to people playing the maps they're used to and know. Hell, half of the normal AA maps don't get played, it's not just about mAAp. Not to mention people would rather join servers with people already in them. If we actually tried to get mAAp servers up we could with 4 people. Hell, we've had over 20 people on your server before. Blue and I got 10 people on SF_Refinery at like 4am before just by ourselves. The interest to play custom maps is there, I've been in full mAAp servers before, there just needs to be a bit of a jump start to get people to join. A new update might spark some interest, but again, we need to have a willingness to play the game to get people to join the servers, which I know you lack.
Kind of unrelated, but I can't help but feel that we would have way more players had they done 2.8.5 instead of 2.5.
-
I've been in full mAAp servers before, there just needs to be a bit of a jump start to get people to join.
Exactly. Jump starting the server is the whole magic. Damn, I sometimes can't even play on my favourite hosp, because those damn retards on urban/pipeline/whatever :-DDD.
-
I completely agree that it's the community that likes the old maps like UA, IC, Bridge and Hospital. That's exactly the problem though. If the community doesn't use/like/appreciate what I have to offer, why should I continue to offer it? I have been pushing mAAp HARD, updating and improving everything I can, making screenshots and videos to show off, posting on various forums about it to no success.
It's the community that is narrow-minded and not willing to try new things. Whores playing the same map for 3 hours or more a day. It's boring. That's why I don't play AA, and now, that's why I'm not going to put any more effort into the game. I've spent my time, I've tried, it's loud and clear that the bulk of the community doesn't care.
The last of my work is in a pending update on Dropbox, that's all you'll see from me.
For the current devs; I give permission to modify my maps, code or anything else I've created. If you guys are interested, I can pack up all the files I have archived from old mAAp versions to test maps, files, code, everything you can imagine and more for AA and make a DVD to send to you guys. I did it before with a mAAp DVD.
-
Lemme know if you need beta testers for your Assaultcube-based game
-
:) We've been down that road before, twice I believe. I doubt I'll work on another game. I do have a desire to create something but PHP might fill that void.
-
First of all, huge thanks to all the people, current and the former, who keep this site and Assist running and make it possible to us to play the game we love.
--- It's the community that is narrow-minded and not willing to try new things.
This is something that I don't understand really. If people are not interested in something or they do something else that you guys want, they are always narrow-minded, they don't appreciate what have been done, they are bitching etc. When people outside of the dev crew suggest something or ask if something could be done different way, which can be put in words in so many different ways, it's always bitching about things and not appreciating what has been done before. You seriously can't except the feedback to be in correct hamburger form: say something good, then the negative thing(s) and end with something good again.
It sure feels like a kick to the balls when things are not going as you have wished and hoped, and to realize that you have wasted your time trying to get to your goal without possible reaching it, but who's fault it really is?
Once again, I really appreciate the things you guys have done by far and I really hope the forums and Assist keep running. I'm sure there are lots of people that have been and still are willing to help any way they can, I included. As you have "wasted" your time, there are people who are willing to do the same - if it's not called bitching.
-
First of all, huge thanks to all the people, current and the former, who keep this site and Assist running and make it possible to us to play the game we love.
This is something that I don't understand really. If people are not interested in something or they do something else that you guys want, they are always narrow-minded, they don't appreciate what have been done, they are bitching etc.
I don't think you are understanding the point. If they are too stuck in their old ways (playing maps like pipeline or Urban Assault) and they're not willing to try new things, that's being narrow minded. It has nothing to do with whether they like the new thing or not, but whether they're willing to try and accept the new thing. This is a topic we never really discussed. If the players tried mAAp maps and didn't like them, then we can't call them narrow minded. Also, there is a difference between suggesting changes and complaining about the current setup saying we need changes. I will say that Spanky seemed a little defensive to the suggestions, but really he's had to deal with a lot of people complain about his hard work he did for free.
-
I've been called names for wanting to play maps other than Pipe/WC/IC/UA
-
Seriously what do you expect about mAAp, i can barely see Woodland or SS servers... In spite of i do like the most of mAAps, players won't play them, it's a bit harsh but it's the truth, this game is dead :-\
-
I don't think you are understanding the point. If they are too stuck in their old ways (playing maps like pipeline or Urban Assault) and they're not willing to try new things, that's being narrow minded. It has nothing to do with whether they like the new thing or not, but whether they're willing to try and accept the new thing. This is a topic we never really discussed. If the players tried mAAp maps and didn't like them, then we can't call them narrow minded. Also, there is a difference between suggesting changes and complaining about the current setup saying we need changes. I will say that Spanky seemed a little defensive to the suggestions, but really he's had to deal with a lot of people complain about his hard work he did for free.
I completely understand that point of view, but I still wouldn't call ppl narrow-minded if they don't try something new or different. If I don't ever try high heels instead of my precious army boots, am I narrow-minded? I'm pretty sure that people have accepted that there are new maps and some even enjoy playing them. You can't expect everyone do the same. People need time to explore, for some the whole mAAp thing is a completely new thing.
As I said about bitching, the feedback, there are so many ways to put things in words. Some people tend to say: "This fucking map thing sucks" when others like to be more clear and say: "Hey, nice job, but could this and this be done that way?". Way too often both ways are called bitching - at least it feels so if there's something negative in it. It's quite difficult to see the right feeling behind the lines sometimes without tons of little yellow heads.
I don't deny that there hasn't been any "bitching", but if we think how many people do play and have played overall, the amount of complains is really small. You just have to leave the shit behind and move on when you know what you're doing. As in most cases, usually the negative things pop up first and the good words are not said.
-
I completely understand that point of view, but I still wouldn't call ppl narrow-minded if they don't try something new or different.
But that is the very definition of being narrow minded. An unwillingness to try new things.
-
But that is the very definition of being narrow minded. An unwillingness to try new things.
And the whole point is, people get called narrow-minded if they don't try something new right away, which has been the case all the time. That doesn't mean that they wouldn't try something new in some point. Even I may try the high heels some day although I'm not interested to try them this year. Give people time before judging.
-
People need time to explore, for some the whole mAAp thing is a completely new thing.
*checks watch* Hmmm. mAAp v5 (3 or so versions ago) was released roughly 3 years ago. That was release #8 if I remember right. I think the community has had plenty of time to adjust. The jury is in, they don't give a shit.
-
*checks watch* Hmmm. mAAp v5 (3 or so versions ago) was released roughly 3 years ago. That was release #8 if I remember right. I think the community has had plenty of time to adjust. The jury is in, they don't give a shit.
For me the mAAp project has existed from january, so not that long really and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. If you want to blame someone, blame the people who were around three years ago and knew about the whole project.
-
Well, Assist has been on Sourceforge since 2009, I know it was "Deploy" before that and it wasn't hosted on Sourceforge at first. I would guess that mAAp has been a part of Assist (and thus 2.5) since 2008. If that's not enough time for something to catch on, then I don't know how it would ever catch on. Even if we're talking just from January 2012, that's almost 6 months of it being a mandatory download.
Another "test" I did recently was run my mAAp only rotating server (changing maps every 40 minutes) for 2 days. Guess what? Not a SINGLE user joined it. I checked the logs, twice. I also ran the server twice, once for a day, the second time for 2 days. No users.
-
Well, Assist has been on Sourceforge since 2009, I know it was "Deploy" before that and it wasn't hosted on Sourceforge at first. I would guess that mAAp has been a part of Assist (and thus 2.5) since 2008. If that's not enough time for something to catch on, then I don't know how it would ever catch on. Even if we're talking just from January 2012, that's almost 6 months of it being a mandatory download.
Hmm, maybe I'm ignorant, but was there any signifiicant 2.5 community before 2.8 died?
Another "test" I did recently was run my mAAp only rotating server (changing maps every 40 minutes) for 2 days. Guess what? Not a SINGLE user joined it. I checked the logs, twice. I also ran the server twice, once for a day, the second time for 2 days. No users.
That's what already has been mentioned: servers don't just start rolling by itself, you mostly have to sit there, and with couple of others also, and only then people will start joining, and snowball effect will take place.
Starting a server with any map and just leaving it will rarely ignite anything.
-
Hmm, maybe I'm ignorant, but was there any signifiicant 2.5 community before 2.8 died?
Depends on the time frame. In the time right before auth went down, not really. A couple of servers were up, but not much. But 2.5 was still kicking and alive when 2.8.5 was out. We had more people on 2.5 than we do now. We had several tournaments and a lot of clans. The AA we have now is a shell of what 2.5 used to be, even when 2.8.5 was out. That's how many players AA has actually lost.
-
Well, Assist has been on Sourceforge since 2009, I know it was "Deploy" before that and it wasn't hosted on Sourceforge at first. I would guess that mAAp has been a part of Assist (and thus 2.5) since 2008. If that's not enough time for something to catch on, then I don't know how it would ever catch on. Even if we're talking just from January 2012, that's almost 6 months of it being a mandatory download.
Another "test" I did recently was run my mAAp only rotating server (changing maps every 40 minutes) for 2 days. Guess what? Not a SINGLE user joined it. I checked the logs, twice. I also ran the server twice, once for a day, the second time for 2 days. No users.
For me six months is really nothing as it feels like a couple of weeks really, but I do understand that as you have worked hard for a long time, you don't want to see servers running mAAp empty and the time feels much more longer. I try to do my part as a regular player and try mAAp maps this week - hopefully bringing some players with me. Just like Pit said, it always needs one or two player online to get things running. We have seen this many many times on SASF servers.
-
That's how many players AA has actually lost.
Fucking Battlefield and other pussy FPS-es. Those are the real source of evil in this world, i tell ya! ;-DDD.
-
2.5/2.6 had a bit of a player jump when the official map editor came out for 2.8 because we had better maps. And because some people kept leaking custom maps screenshots during 2.7.
-
There is much for me to respond and before I go further, I will just say before hand that if what I write offends anyone, well, my apologies. But I am straight shooter and I need to vent. So here it goes:
To Jared
I disagree with you. Looking at what competition does gives a new perspective. As a dev you get too involved in your own little world and you may miss things. The new perspective allows to come to the project with new ideas, new things to try.
So again, I disagree with you.
The point of CMS is to showcase the game. There are many games who use this method to showcase the game to visitors. Just one example is http://www.runescape.com/
What RS has done is not necessarily good, not necessarily bad, however it is an example.
Not sure if you took the time to read my previous posts. If not, let me clarify that I am very much familiar with how all the forums and CMS softwares out there work. I have created many websites (including the ones as part of my consulting business), moderated many different websites. So I know very well how those softwares I mentioned work.
I do marketing for a living. Two of the most important aspects of marketing:
-name recognition. In the case of a game, that means having players aware of the game. Both new and old players. In the case of Assist, having players aware of the existence of Assist.
-direct marketing. Direct marketing means that you have to actually reach to players, to players communities and introduce them to Assist and so forth.
To Spanky
reward should be the growth of the community. Many of us have done and continue to do stuff for games free of charge. It is part of the deal when you volunteer, when one wants to contribute.
Concerning the mAAp maps, as far our servers are concerned, just looking at our Dallas 1 server, 34 % of the time the server is on Ice.
But I do understand your frustration as well.
To all
Yes, Assist may have been on Sourceforge since 2009, but that doesn't mean anything. Sourceforge is about development. No player would go there without a good reason.
And talking about the time since January 2012, from personal experience, from looking at forums at Battletracker and other sites, the only reason people find about Assist is either because they stumble upon one of the threads or recently because some of us go on forums and advertise and answer questions about Assist.
Bottom line is that doesn't work well. To have a constantly growing community, there is need for constant advertising, And advertising doesnt need to cost any money.
Bottom line is that at end of the day, it needs to be decided whether the community and the dev want for Assist to grow or not. And if it is a yes, then all legal means should be used to grow the community.
Finally finish this long post by saying this. Personally, I would like to see the Assist/2.5 community grow and I do what I can to help with that. This includes submitting ideas/suggestions/proposals.
One may not like my ideas and that is just fine, but don't just say "your suggestions suck". Say "your suggestions suck" and then go ahead and post your own ideas and suggestions on how to grow Assist/2.5.
By the way, I am still waiting to see some constructive posts on how to further grow Assist/2.5
Done venting!!
-
To Spanky
reward should be the growth of the community. Many of us have done and continue to do stuff for games free of charge. It is part of the deal when you volunteer, when one wants to contribute.
Working for free is fine as long as people actually use your work. Do you see what I mean? There needs to be some motivation, some reward. Bluntly, that means either money or users that appreciate AND USE your work.
Yes, Assist may have been on Sourceforge since 2009, but that doesn't mean anything. Sourceforge is about development. No player would go there without a good reason.
Right. I mentioned Sourceforge as a timeline. Before mAAp was integrated into Assist, there were absolutely no users aside from us devs because it was incredibly hard to manage the files and get noobs to do it properly. But, from the moment mAAp was integrated into Assist (about 3-4 years ago, a bit before Jonny put it on Sourceforge), there hasn't been a significant increase. Over those years several of us, not just myself, have created the mAAp maps, graphics, videos and various websites dedicated to it. We have advertised many places that are in the heart of the 2.5 community yet very few people play them.
This post sums up my point. I'm not mad at you august, I'm not mad at anybody else. I'm disappointed, let down and tired of this cycle.
-
Spanky, I definitely understand where you are coming from and as I said, I understand the frustration.
As i mentioned, our Dallas server 1 is about 34 % of the time on a mAAp map.
But as others have said, having a server on the mAAp files doesn't create gaming. Seeing someone in a server that is what attracts other players.
On the advertisement issue, advertising to the same old folks is not a recipe for success. Bring in new blood, new players who may or may not have heard of Americas Army. Get the name of Assist out there by posting the info on any gaming websites, have banner exchanges with other gaming communities or gaming sites.
That is also where my suggestions for the website come in. When visiting a game site, people want to see immediately the game action, not read forums. Oh, and while on the subject of forums, I would also suggest to restrict the reading access of guests.
-
Okay so let me tell you where I come from. I'm not just some kid that knows how to code or use photoshop. I have worked and developed marketing campaigns, advertising and websites for Skyy Spirits (Skyy Vodka), ESPN, Redbull, XFS, and some fortune 500 companies but I'm not here to compare dick sizes ( clearly skrewy would win )
Looking at competition is bad, you should never let your decision or actions be determined by what they do, if you do you will fail. Its a common business mentality that " they're doing it, so we should to". The reason to not follow competition is each product relates to different psychographics and demographics. You should always set your own goals and your own metrics to measure success.
That's fine that you have knowledge of forum software and web dev. So does my 6 year old neighbor. ( sorry for the personal attack ) Now lets step back for a second, marketing & site features are far from the same. New site features will result in a miniscule ROI for any marketing. The point is to get people in game not to join the site.
As you said that you do marketing for a living I question your understanding of that by what you say the two most important aspects of marketing are. Those actually arn't two different things, they are one in the same. How do you plan to get name recognition without directly connecting with people?..
I understand your message tho, please don't think I'm ignorant of what you are saying but promotion is the last thing when it comes to marketing.
The number one thing in marketing is product, you have nothing without. Is the product worth using, will users take the time to buy/download/invest into that and why?
If you want to do real marketing start there...not with website features.
-
name recognition for a person or a product is done the same as everything: advertising and promotion.
We have a marketable product. AA2.5 is marketable just fine. Website is an integral part of any marketing/advertising/promotion. You could have a great product, but a site that is not appropriately tailored will do nothing. While you can have a great site, poor product and tons of downloads.
Yes, the point is to get people in game, however you cant separate site and game. Both site and game are tight together.
And how much of a result you get from new site features depend on the feature and how the marketing is done.
You seem to have a good background of the business (both marketing and gaming). Since you don't like any of my suggestions, how about you open a thread and post your suggestions/ideas on how to grow the Assist community?
I never said my ideas/suggestions are perfect, however at least I have constructive suggestions and ideas.
Like I said in my previous post, I am getting sick of people who write "this sucks", " I don't agree", but then no one is posting any ideas/suggestions on how to bring in more people (new players and old players).
-
This is your problem, Americas army 2.5 is a terrible looking old game. The only reason people play it is nostalgia / dislike of other games. I highly doubt any new players would pick this game up unless they are 13 years old and looking for a free to play game and frankly, I dont want to be in a community overun with kids. Give up on the advertising, its not going to work.
This is something I wanted to say. AA is a very old game and doesn't have much appeal to gamers due to bigger and better games. The majority of the population we have are players that have played AA for a long time and don't want to move on to other games. I don't think advertising is going to do much for it.
-
True that compared to the newer games, AA2.5 is not that, however it is still have much qualities and much fun for players. You both say that advertising is not going to work. My answer is when has advertising been fully tried? The only advertising I have seen is posts on BT forums. There are many more ways and locations to advertise than the BT forums.
-
There are many more ways and locations to advertise than the BT forums.
Get to it then! This isn't a monarchy! You don't need approval for spreading the word. Plenty of people have taken it upon themselves to share, the first that comes to mind is the guy that created the Assist torrent.
-
2.5Assist or 2.5Delpoy as it was called back then... http://americasarmy.filefront.com/file/Americas_Army_25_Deploy;95419 was released back in early 2008, Back then we used to see about 150 - 200 players online at busy times of the day, arguably the 2.5 community was busier back then. Noone gave a fuck then either.
-
(https://aao25.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi3.kym-cdn.com%2Fphotos%2Fimages%2Foriginal%2F000%2F158%2F701%2Ftumblr_lo1qh68nVL1qzgmxb.gif&hash=82152f2dfbf79f637a134e82e7c7a0fd)
-
Didn't read the entire conversation, just wanted to say it was not my intention to look rude.
Like I said I (and plenty of AA players) owe u very much for what you've done. If I had money I'd give to to you, cauz yes it's also a question of money and it's normal, but not everybody can donate and so we try to show our 'grattitude or dunno what' by saying thanks and such things.
Now for the mAAps, I used to play them alot in the beginning, when there were very few players on AA 2.5, bur now I believe people don't play em anymore cauz they are not really tracked. The little maps aren't tracked and the big are, but u can't see progress in BT. So I'm not sure bout that, but like we saw before in any cases people are obssessed by BT and numbers and statistics so perhaps if they were tracked it would change something (not sure though)
Ok I realise what I said is litle bullshit but dont wanna rewrite it.
Thanks again for your work, I'll keep playing AA every day till it dies.
-
Spanky, I have posted quite enough suggestions (download mirrors, website suggestions, banners exchange, affiliates, and so forth) to spread the word 3 times more than before LOL. But it is not about 1 person, it is about the community working together to spread the word. And at the end of the day, one has to think outside of the box.
By the way, out of the above, banners exchanges and/or affiliates listing is the easiest to get done and I did post the needed mod for that. It involves for Assist to discuss with other gaming community and/or clans and exchange banners. The clans/gaming communities showcase our Assist banner, while Assist showcase theirs.
To Jonny
Wouldn't you say that for the past few weeks, the numbers of players online almost reached that size?
-
http://s.aao25.com/24.188.135.73:1720
http://s.aao25.com/90.146.35.240:1737
http://s.aao25.com/180.92.199.194:1717
let's play..
-
In the end what kills the game is the lack of players which consequently leads people to play the same maps on the same servers. I saw that happening during the last months in 2011 before Auth. shutdown aswell.
Lack of feedback and lack of players using custom made maps sums up the situation. I personally still find the game entertaining to play, although by now it's harder to see the tactical (and teamwork) gameplay the game is supposed to be about, and most of the people plays a map without caring about objectives at all. Which is a shame considering that every map is a mission and such it is meant to be played (but today Call of Duty has a better feeling for most).
To make a simple comparison, n Unreal2004 in a mission mode like Onslaught you have to conquer path nodes in order to gain terrain and get to the enemy Main Core. That is a mission objective-like set too but designed so that you have to do your job along with others (and actually building path nodes with others fasten the process) in order to succed.
On AA2 such things do not exists so today the average gameplay aims more toward a Call of Duty Rambo shooting bullets in the air than what it should be (or either camping corners which again is dead stupid thing...you're supposed to play and not to investigate how interesting concrete is).
-
reserve obj's for playing against tryhards
-
Hey now, this thread is starting to lack drama. Do I need to start banning some random users and start giving myself admin on servers?
-
ban ronny and C0RRUPTER.wS
-
Hey now, this thread is starting to lack drama. Do I need to start banning some random users and start giving myself admin on servers?
yes.
-
Hey now, this thread is starting to lack drama. Do I need to start banning some random users and start giving myself admin on servers?
Post some photos of nude Major (fake them if you don't have it) - that will cause a real uproar in the community, and boost a new life to this forum.
And maybe things will get so exciting, that you consider backing from your decision?