A New Look At Stacking

[friedrice 8]

I thought we had the teams stacked pretty well on granary...

Until playing goldrush.

The funny part on the goldrush is that we steamrolled through all three rounds with red only having 6 or less players each round.

[The Lorax 25]

Yeah, I don't know whether to be worried about this or not. There are so many donators now that ridiculously uneven teams are common on stacks 1, and I'm not just talking about stacking, I mean team numbers being so unbalanced like Fried posted. This might become a nightly event.

[friedrice 8]

We basically cleared out that server. Then once we won we all went to the 2fort server. Currently no one is on Stocks 1

Maybe next time I'll go on the other team...

[Kranstan 3]

Arena #2! I'm pumped again... found out yesterday it's back to swapping teams after 3 wins.

[Spartan_0214 18]

Couldn't help but think of the song "We Will Rock You" by Queen, but switching "Rock" for "Stack".

[Nket 16]

you got crits on your face, big disgrace, kicking your team all over the place. SINGIN' WE WILL WE WILL STACK YOU.

[mitpatterson 3]

you got crits on your face, big disgrace, kicking your team all over the place. SINGIN' WE WILL WE WILL STACK YOU.

wow, someone should make that song, that would rock, we could have it play that when people join the server...

[Rivanor 1]

I thought we had the teams stacked pretty well on granary...

Until playing goldrush.

The funny part on the goldrush is that we steamrolled through all three rounds with red only having 6 or less players each round.

I got a good laugh out of seeing this.

[Mana 3,867]

Server id 1 (Stock Maps) has the most donators of all the other servers.

	/* num = 95 */
"ã‚­ãƒÂ£Ã£ƒ—テãƒÂ³Ã£€€Ã£Â’ã"
{
	"auth"			"steam"
	"identity"		"1:5807731"
	"flags"			"a"
	"immunity"		"0"
}

I think the changemyteam command needs a limit. Something like once every 30 minutes. Or maybe it needs to be disabled once the server has X donators. This can be part of the plugin updates when I get around to finishing them.

Also congrats to all those people who use retarded characters in their names, they just look great outside the game. You can totally tell who Mr #95 is. TOTALLY.

[Miyari 33]

I just wanted to point out that 2fort was hilarious. Two votebans in one night is a new one for me. Fucking medic exploits.

[Link2086 5]

I think the changemyteam command needs a limit. Something like once every 30 minutes. Or maybe it needs to be disabled once the server has X donators. This can be part of the plugin updates when I get around to finishing them.

All I can say is that this idea would make me rather happy in situations like the first post. There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to play with your friends or your clan, but when you have 8 people in spec trying to join the 14 person Red team and refusing to join the 6 person Blu team...well, there are problems.

Another possible solution: donators who only care about being on the same team with certain people could migrate to the opposite team in packs. I know some servers have a system where you can "lock" a buddy, so if you change teams, (s)he can go as well. Your group of friends aren't broken up if you all go, and that way specs will join up and even up teams.

Just throwing that out there, don't take me too seriously.

[friedrice 8]

Another possible solution: donators who only care about being on the same team with certain people could migrate to the opposite team in packs. I know some servers have a system where you can "lock" a buddy, so if you change teams, (s)he can go as well. Your group of friends aren't broken up if you all go, and that way specs will join up and even up teams.

Just throwing that out there, don't take me too seriously.

Buddy system doesn't work when everyone wants to be on the same team.

I do like mana's suggestion about limiting the team switches, although considering that maps stay the same for at least 30 mins, everyone would join the same team and hence the stack would be in effect for the duration of the map.

Maybe in addition to the team scramble, there could be a anti-stack vote option. It could arrange teams based on stats or class needs. At the same time, this anti-stack option would not always be in effect to allow the regulars to give everyone on the server a good thrashing.

[The Computer Geek 6]

Personally I don't have a problem with changemyteam being a one use per map deal. Also maybe just as a test run maybe we could turn off the immunity that donators get(including me) from votescramble. Cuz while I like to win, being on a stacked team does get a little too fricking easy.

[The Lorax 25]

I'm against disabling it entirely. Frankly, I don't get that much entertainment out of the game itself anymore. I won't even play unless 2 or more of my friends are on. So, to lose the ability to play with my friends whenever I wanted would be a game changer for me. In fact that is the entire reason I donate, and I think many other donators would tell you the same. We get accused of stacking all the time, but quite frankly I don't give a shit whether we win or lose, I just like having some laughs and some good killing times with my friends.

Maybe adding some kind of vote that would allow a forced auto-assign to the spectators. That would force the smaller team to fill up. It might not be the best solution, but I don't think eliminating the immunity is the best plan.

[Nket 16]

the game itself is boring to me as well now, its dementedly easy to dominate in once you know how to play, its only fun to play with friends and crush people you dont know into the ground, take away our ability to teamswap and you are gonna lose ALOT of donators.

[Krash 1,040]

Yea thats the one thing i liked when i had my benefits was the changemy team. Maybe not once every 30 minutes but once every 5-10 minutes? Im going to colorado at the end of the month so after that i will begin donating again!

[+Henry Spencer 117]

Take away the team switch, and I'd probably just stop playing. I don't play unless my friends are on.

[Mana 3,867]

Take away the team switch, and I'd probably just stop playing. I don't play unless my friends are on.

I said Limit. Not remove completely.

And it's OK, you can stop playing. Threats are awesome. Makes me wanna ban people >_>.

Yea thats the one thing i liked when i had my benefits was the changemy team. Maybe not once every 30 minutes but once every 5-10 minutes? Im going to colorado at the end of the month so after that i will begin donating again!

Auto balance immunity would be kept. It would just prevent people from constantly changing their teams to be on the winning side. Also teams could be enforced for spectators. Spec for X mins = auto assign.

There are different "levels" of spectators. So those purely AFK would still be eligible for spec then auto kick while those trying to dodge a team would be moved around first before being kicked.

In fact maybe I should just disable spectate for everyone but admins.

[friedrice 8]

In fact maybe I should just disable spectate for everyone but admins.

Don't you mean admin? Unless there's more than one mana

[+Henry Spencer 117]

Don't you mean admin? Unless there's more than one mana

Josh runs the West Coast stuff, I think. So technically, there is more than 1 admin.

[EagleEye 20]

I said Limit. Not remove completely.

And it's OK, you can stop playing. Threats are awesome. Makes me wanna ban people >_>.

Auto balance immunity would be kept. It would just prevent people from constantly changing their teams to be on the winning side. Also teams could be enforced for spectators. Spec for X mins = auto assign.

There are different "levels" of spectators. So those purely AFK would still be eligible for spec then auto kick while those trying to dodge a team would be moved around first before being kicked.

In fact maybe I should just disable spectate for everyone but admins.

I think this is a wonderful idea... the part about disabling spectating, or at least forcing a team decision within say 15 seconds or maybe up to 60 seconds...

That way when the server starts, you go spec... you're forced on to a team at about the time the gates open.

Personally, I donate so I can play with my friends. I don't care about the party hat... I don't care about the immunity at the end of a round... I care about being able to change to the team my brother and plethora of friends are playing on.

Note, I didn't say "change to the winning team"...

We DO lose... sometimes...

Here's the thing, though... we WIN because we play together a lot and know each other.

You should see us... start of a round, we even have our set spots that we all just KNOW we'll be standing at. Like DB stage 2 on offense... Dave is back by the fence to the right... I'm at the top of the main ramp... Emuzombie is behind me charging his uber... Ozzie is back at the fence charging dave... It's crazy, but we are all just in this groove now. We have habits and play styles that we all just kinda *know* about each other.

That sort of synergy contributes to good team play, which contributes to winning games.

Let me tell ya, when you have LOST games simply because you clear all the sentries and enemies from a point... and then your team doesn't follow up, giving the enemy time to respawn and rebuild sentries... it's that little 5 second window that makes all the difference... the difference between having to do it all over again, and winning the map.

And it's friends who play together a LOT that just know what to do... people who are used to communicating... people who are used to trusting each other's judgement...

The other day, Emuzombie told me he just KNOWS when to bail out from healing me and get safe, because he knows I will stay on the attack until I die after an uber is done... seriously... we work well together.

In closing, I'd just like to say... I believe that it's impossible to have "stacked teams" if the number of players on each team is even.

I don't CARE if one team is dominating the other... equal people = equal opportunity to win.

If your team can't muster up the teamwork, the personal skill, the class balance, the trust, and the communication that is required to win... and we can?

Well then you DESERVE to lose the game, because that IS the game!

It's not called "*I* Fortress"... It's TEAM fortress, and if your team sucks, and our team whoops your ass... as long as the teams are equal in number, that means we're playing the game better than you.

Suck it up, accept your loss, learn from it, and get better.

That is all.

[+Henry Spencer 117]

I said Limit. Not remove completely.

And it's OK, you can stop playing. Threats are awesome. Makes me wanna ban people >_>.

Not a threat, asshat. I literally do not play without a buddy. It's just not fun.

[EagleEye 20]

Not a threat, asshat. I literally do not play without a buddy. It's just not fun.

I will now list the best ways to get banned:

1) Hacking on the server

2) Spamming chat with bullshit.

3) Calling the admin an asshat

Good job!

[+Henry Spencer 117]

Well excuse me if I don't like vague threats and assumptions.

[Spartan_0214 18]

Josh runs the West Coast stuff, I think. So technically, there is more than 1 admin.

How'd he get that gig, anyway?

Well excuse me if I don't like vague threats and assumptions.

I'm with ya, buddy. And I understand only playing with a friend. If MagocracyforAll, Lotus recruits, or phantom/Lorax aren't on, I don't play. I tried playing Stock 1 the other day. I couldn't handle it. Neither team knew how to play properly. Kills were almost pure coincidence. The medics couldn't uber to save their life (I mean that one literally). Even when I went medic and gave someone an uber they'd just sit there for a second, realize they had an uber, charge blindly forward, lose the uber, and by that time I had to retreat.