Worst UT launch ever

[MajorDeath]

I play both games, but to be honest I have been playing COD4 a lot more. Thats where most CLR's are playing right now. Something about sitting in a room full of bots, waiting for the UT3 server to fill up just in time for it to crash, doesn't appeal to me. I love UT3 and it makes me very, very sad so see it flop like it has. I'll just go ahead and label it the dissappointment of the year. From both a game standpoint, and a community standpoint.

COD4 is fun, but it does lack objective/teamwork gameplay. I still have hope for UT3, but it's not looking good.

MD

[fuzzbunny]

Cain's warfare server has been, sadly, rather inactive. I think part of the reason for this is because there are bots. I know when i enter a server and its full of bots i typically leave as soon as i join. In all honestly the bot thing wouldnt be as bad if you guys lowered the amount of bots that are in there at all times to something like four, that and increase their skill level to inhuman or something around that. Currently the bots are set to novice, or at least it seems so (they basically just stand their while you pelt them with rockets)
Also forcing human player balance would be nice.

I know that one of you mentioned that having the map voting option is one of the reasons why the server keeps crashing, but not having it makes the server kinda "meh"

[Kronos[X]]

I know that one of you mentioned that having the map voting option is one of the reasons why the server keeps crashing, but not having it makes the server kinda "meh"

That was a guess are my part, I thought it might be to help trouble shoot the server crashing problem. It worked fine for UT2K4, its just a slow start for UT3. I Agree about the bots being too easy, but for new people its the right choice.

As for the server being inactive. It seems hit or miss. Last night a little after midnight I logged on and had to wait to get on the server because it was full. I think the only way to get things going is for us to put in a little more effort. Seems like everyone's bail for CoD4. Let's try and squeak by till things pick up. Like come on if you got a copy how hard would it to be to join for a game say around 8:00 pm for a half hour or so. Just to try and get things going for us hardcore UT guys.

[Rand{CLR}]

Kronos is on the right path. Regarding bots, they're there to give people something to do while waiting for more people. Think of it this way: if you're in there without the bots, just what is going to keep you sitting in there to help get the server jumpstarted? You don't have any competition of any sort in this situation.

If the server picks up to a normal Cains Lair level (which would require a LOT more people getting the game and playing it), bots would likely be turned off because we wouldn't need any sort of help getting her going. Or it wouldn't matter because they'd be gone within a few minutes of a crash.

Their skill level is set low because the bots in this game are wacked out. Even at a medium skill level, they'll rip apart novices and middling players, and give good players, even those with a lot of ONS experience, fits. In addition to ungodly accuracy, bots above the level they're at now are smart. The skill level was set where it is after several days of a bunch of us playing around with them to figure out just where they should be set so they won't drive people away.

On Cain's server vs. others, dude, they're ALL pretty inactive overall. Two nights ago at almost 9pm EST there were less than 200 people playing Warfare, period. That's absolutely pathetic. Even as low as the server often gets, we're 7th worldwide right now (or at least last night, before it picked up)--not just Warfare, but all servers in all game modes. Face it: this game is a gigantic failure at this point in time. If it's anything like this after Xmas, when hopefully a lot more people will have the game, it's not likely to last.

Map voting is out both for stability issues, and because Cain, who has an enormous amount of experience in running servers, has found that they cause far more complaints than lead to complements. Too many people force the same maps, or we end up with lame maps, or whatever.

If you have specific maps that are "meh," name them. Also, if you have suggestions for a better rotation, post those also. Cain is always looking for ways to tweak to make a better server.

-Rand

P.S. Now if only we could get people from COD 4, we'd be ok... :P

[BigTwinky]

P.S. Now if only we could get people from COD 4, we'd be ok... :P

We need them in TF2 as well

[fuzzbunny]

Regarding bots, they're there to give people something to do while waiting for more people. Think of it this way: if you're in there without the bots, just what is going to keep you sitting in there to help get the server jumpstarted? You don't have any competition of any sort in this situation.

i understand the reason for having bots in a server. I didnt say to completely get rid of them, i just suggested to bump their skill level up by just a tad. At their current skill level, they dont even dodge

Since there is no way to balance out the human ratios on each team, ive been in a couple of matches were the red team consited mostly humans while the blue team roughly had two or three humans. Every match ended in a landslide red win and no one cared to balance it out because the scored boards showed that each side had equal amounts of players.
godlike bots would most defiantly drive out players, but having a team full of placeholders would no doubt cause people to rage quit.

just turn the bots heat up a tad.

[Slaughter]

Map voting causes stability issues?

[Nomadicus]

ive been in a couple of matches were the red team consited mostly humans while the blue team roughly had two or three humans. Every match ended in a landslide red win

Seems to be prevalent on almost all servers. Maybe not here at Cain's.

Team balance -- which would easily fix this -- was not programmed in and should have; it is so easy to code and such a fundamental part of online gaming servers (I would have no problem in doing the coding).

Not much fun in always winning or losing on a lopsided basis. Cain's is about the only place where some of the players will change teams if they are lopsided. Even then, it doesn't help unless many do it.

Epic promised us, above all else, warfare would be fun. It is not fun when it is lopsided map after map after map after map. It's a shame that such a basic piece of code (i.e., team balance) doesn't exist. I believe this is driving away many new online players.

[fuzzbunny]

the old ut games use to switch up and re balance the teams at the start of every new map.

i sure hope they bring that feature back.

[Fluffy]

However bad we thought we had it on the PC the PS3 people have it worse. It just came out and they are not happy bunnies. The game is even more dumbed down than the pc version and on top of all that there is no split screen mode. So all the PS3 guys get is a slowed down version of the game with even more missing stuff and worse controller options.

[Rand{CLR}]

If the PS3 crowd is complaining and it gets anything close to what the PC crowd has expressed, the game is finished. Fluffy, got a link somewhere that nicely summarizes things from the PS 3 perspective so I don't have to try and go find something that probably isn't all that good? Thanks.

-Rand

[Fluffy]

No. I'm just following the epic forum. Lots of unhappy people and the usual epic thread locking/deleting going on.

The thing they are most vexed about is the no split screen play deal.

Other stuff includes no manual dodging. You auto dodge when you jump when going sideways but this only works on the controller. If you use a keyboard you cant dodge at all.

No manual crouching either. The game just autocrouches you when you enter an area of a map they decide you should be crouched in. So no low level sniping or crouching not to fall off a ledge.

Headset problems. People cant seem to get voice chat working at all and there isnt any other way of chatting either is what seems to be the situation.

also some stuff about gfx flickering.

Lots of this info is unconfirmed and epic are not exactly doing a stand up job of comunicating with its customers other than to confirm the auto stuff.

[Rand{CLR}]

No manual dodge or crouch absolutely sucks. :P WTH is Epic thinking with this game all around?

-Rand

[Fluffy]

Well to begin with I just assumed it was making sure they cashed in on the xmas sales window and they planed to patch later. However something as huge as not having split screen on a console game after saying it would be in... I cant see them doing that as part of a sales grab as it's going to hurt sales a lot. IMO we are just left with the theory of them wanting the game done to get out from under midway when they crash and burn at some point in the next year. Midway are going bust in a hurry.

[Dead_And_Gone]

Banking on Failure?
Well, it Has Happened before.

I can always help jumpstart TF2 or UT3 WHILE playing COD4.

New computers FTW!!!