WARPATH discussion

[primesuspect]

I installed a new map yesterday, Warpath.

There are two things about this map that stick out right away:

1) A demoman can "breach the base" by blowing open the cave that runs under the bridge. This gives a definite advantage to the demoman's team because the tunnel leads directly to the 4th control point (the second from last control point)

2) This map is extremely difficult to defend, which leads to LONG games - epic games! However, this isn't a bad thing. I think a few games on Warpath actually lead to building better teams, because there is no way you are taking a well-defended control point without coordinated effort. Those who have played this map know what I'm talking about. Each game that I played on Warpath lasted over an hour.

Yesterday, there was enough drama for a made-for-TV movie. The game went back and forth between 5th control points. Once a team starts pushing back, their momentum carries them almost all the way to the other side. The center is insane. In the end, we finally pulled an amazing victory off by ubering a SCOUT. Blackhawk did the most amazing run - I uber'ed him so he could get past all the sentries and as if he were psychic, he knew exactly what I wanted him to do. Of course as he pulled away from me because of his speed, the uber broke and I got gunned down, but I shouted "MAKE IT WORTH IT, BLACK HAWK!!!!!!!" as I died :p

He did. He breached the defenses and ran all the way back to the relatively undefended final control point for the win. :clap:

It had Matt and I jumping out of our chairs and shouting it was so exciting :D

[Black Hawk]

The design of that last capture point is what saved the win. Had the point not been designed with a cage, a demoman was a few feet away from when I captured. A heavy and some other were right behind him.

Awesome map but it needs less capture points and a shorter time limit. For like 30mins is was 30secs to 2 mins added to the clock (for a total of 30min time limit) every time a point was captured. Lots of different tactics were tried also. It was a blast.

[fatcat]

Agreed with Black Hawk.

[primesuspect]

Gate28 brought up the idea of removing the map from the normal rotation but still having it available if people want to play.

What say you guys? (poll added)

[Winfrey]

It sounds like a great map for like Clan vs Clan rounds if we ever get those to go down. Or if like there are 8-9 of us on and want to roll on the map then thats good too.

A bad map in the rotation however can lead to server death.

[Lincoln]

A bad map in the rotation however can lead to server death.
A non-standard map can lead to server death... which is what happened tonight :-/ The map is great, but I think people need to be in the mood for that one.

[primesuspect]

I think when people see that they need to download the map, they just disconnect instead of waiting.

[NiGHTS]

Always.

What an old clan of mine used to do was use a standard map that most people had, build up a server-full of people, then announce the switch to a new custom map. They were invited to stay with the hopes that they'd enjoyed their time thus far on the server and would continue to play, irregardless of being forced to download the new map. Sometimes they'd stay, sometimes they wouldn't. It's really hit or miss.

[Thrax]

I am more than willing to sit through a map download, as long as it's quick. I think this is why Unreal Tournament has <i>so many</i> of them because it's <i>very</i> fast to download on that game.

[Shorty]

I am more than willing to sit through a map download, as long as it's quick. I think this is why Unreal Tournament has <i>so many</i> of them because it's <i>very</i> fast to download on that game.
What he said.

[primesuspect]

Right now I could only get it working by having the maps download from the server itself. I am trying to figure out how to get remote downloads working so I can host the maps here, which would make it much, much faster.

[Black Hawk]

Yesterday when I was initially logging in to the server, stronghold b5 was on and it would disconnect me and tell me the map was missing. It didn't seem to auto-download from the server. Had to go on Google and search the map name, download it and then I got to enter the server where Brian was restarting it ever 2 seconds.

[Thrax]

Right now I could only get it working by having the maps download from the server itself. I am trying to figure out how to get remote downloads working so I can host the maps here, which would make it much, much faster.

The only way to do it is from the server.

[primesuspect]

The only way to do it is from the server.

No, there's a way to enable remote downloads, I just haven't gotten the syntax down yet, and I got tired of going back and forth experimenting with the technocrat testing for me.

BH, downloads are indeed working now

[Thrax]

I stand corrected:

http://forums.srcds.com/viewtopic/1077

Easy.

[primesuspect]

Yeah that info is from 2005, I read that thread, it doesn't seem to apply to our situation, seems like a CS thing.

Even though it should be the same, it's not working. Perhaps it's something with gameservers.com or I'm just bitching up the syntax, we'll see. When I have time to **** around with it, I will.

[Thrax]

It's not just a CS thing. SRCDS is mod-neutral; the syntax are universal to the server software. Any chance I could take a peek at the server's config files and web space? I have time to dink around with it.

[RyderOCZ]

Thrax,

Attached is a copy of the server.cfg file. :)

EDIT: re-attached current file.

[primesuspect]

path to files on ic server:

http://icrontic.com/files/cp_warpath.bsp

http://icrontic.com/files/ctf_stronghold_b5.bsp

[Thrax]

Alright, I'll repost the server cfg and the correct paths for the files on the web when I get home.

[the_technocrat]

I think when people see that they need to download the map, they just disconnect instead of waiting.

i know I do... except on the icrontic TF2 server.

What's interesting is when we have a new map, people who already have it get in in 20 sec, the rest of us download it. The 1 or 2 people that are in cap the last point, the server changes maps while I'm still downloading, and hl2.exe crashes.

doh

[primesuspect]

I think we need to implement the "team ready" thing.... Some of those maps like Hydro go so damned fast that the round is won before people are even able to connect.

[RyderOCZ]

I think we need to implement the "team ready" thing.... Some of those maps like Hydro go so damned fast that the round is won before people are even able to connect.Say the word, pick the commands, I will edit the MOTD :)

[TBonZ]

We blew through WP like a hurricane lastnight, twice.

[Lincoln]

We blew through WP like a hurricane lastnight, twice.
The challengers weren't up to it :rarr:

[Black Hawk]

LAG ;[

;D

[primesuspect]

shortest warpath run ever :p

For some reason, I just LOVE being a demoman on that map. I think it's painting the fourth control point with stickybombs and watching the enemies run in and explode, over and over again. It cracks me up every time :p

[NiGHTS]

Warpath goes quick when {IC} stacks one team and Lazarus and I are the only two really trying to do anything resembling teamwork on the other side. :(

I kept getting stuck in the damn locker-room-that's-not-while you guys were running through our capture point. All I could do was open the door, fire a quick shot, then retreat to the health and ammo in there. My only kill was FC as he was trying to figure out what to build, heh.

After having been on the receiving end of the {IC} wrath, I think it might be important to make sure we make some attempt to at least get a few members of our clan on the opposite team. There was plenty of "Ugh, jeez, not again." "Round goes quick when you clanstack" "Server sucks" last night as the opposing team was getting their asses handed to them.

Now, not that I'm any different, because I love playing on a team of {IC}...I just think it's important we space it out at times.

[TBonZ]

Warpath goes quick when {IC} stacks one team and Lazarus and I are the only two really trying to do anything resembling teamwork on the other side. :(

You do have a point there about the stacking. We probably should spread the team out more on both sides. I just find it more fun to be playing along with all our mates and not against. I think in that situation in the future, I will cross the floor to bring more clan balance. I know how much it sucks when you're forced to join the other team because many of us are all playing and there are only so many slots available.

[NiGHTS]

Oh it's great to play on a team full of IC, don't get me wrong. The problem only really rears its head when the rounds start ending quickly. I think that if that's the case, half the team should move to the other side to balance things out.

I'm almost positive rcon has a "to spectator" feature - if teams are full 12 v 12, moving 3 or 4 pubs to spectate to allow for IC to move over to balance teams.

[primesuspect]

clanstackers! :D

I went to the other side yesterday during "well", along with tiberius, and we got our asses absolutely handed to us :p

Yeah, we need to mix it up a bit, fo' sho.

Although I do take exception to people bitching about what we do on our server. If we want to clan stack, then that's one of the perks of having our own server. There are a thousand other public servers if they want to go to one of those. Who's to say we're not practicing team tactics or whatever? It's at our whim, we can do whatever we want.

[RyderOCZ]

Agreed....I seem to remember IC getting their asses handed once or twice when we were on other servers :)

We didn't bitch, did we?

[Black Hawk]

shortest warpath run ever :p

For some reason, I just LOVE being a demoman on that map. I think it's painting the fourth control point with stickybombs and watching the enemies run in and explode, over and over again. It cracks me up every time :p
and by "enemies" you mean me? ;D

[primesuspect]

I lolled! :D

[rolleggroll]

Regarding the whole issue of stacking teams, I apologize. I'm pretty guilty of that alot of the times we are playing. My bad.

I think a good solution to this problem is the option to randomize teams. I don't think its built-into the game, because I remember it was a small-mod or script or something. Nothing large like admin-mod or beetle-mod etc. But this mod-thingy basically took everyone on both teams and spectator modes and distributed them randomly across both teams. It eliminates stacking pretty well.

I can't remember what it is called though. Might be worth looking up.

[fatcat]

I am liking this map more and more. It has many options for defense and offense. You must have an engineer or two, teleports ftw!

[Gate28]

regarding clanstacking i almost always end up on the opposite team as IC for some unknown reason and im fine with it..i actually enjoy watching prime and fatty explode :honoes:

Maybe we should get an actual competitive clan-esque thing going on cuz a lot of us are really good, maybe just the occasional scrim with another clan, like those 2 guys from the epic game on warpath x days ago that complemented our server.

P.S. i <3 :honoes:

[Black Hawk]

:wtf::eek3:

[Winfrey]

P.S. i <3 :honoes:


;D

[Crazy Joe]

Wow, my first Warpath experience and I now understand the epic-ness... The first game the Red team lost pretty handily and were getting it handed to us in the second game and were down to our last control point... There was only 10 minutes left in the game and things were looking bleak, but we pushed back and continued the push to the middle where that point was contested for awhile... We finally made another push and got past into the 4th point... By this time the game was going close to an hour of playing... We battled back and forth until finally we capped the last point... What an epic comeback and a Red push FTW!!

[primesuspect]

SEE? I TOLD YUO IT WAS EPIC!

[TiberiusLazarus]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCC!

And on another topic, I agree with all the comments made about the clanstacking ( :cough: ...freaking clan stackers... :cough: ). Its always fun to play with a team full of familiar people (not just the {IC} guys) but sometimes its just not possible to do this. Plus sometimes its fun to blow up certain people (prime)or to destroy someone's annoying teleporter thats in our base (prime) or to stab some people in the back (hawk/winfrey) or to set someone afire (anyone).
I don't always play to win, as might be evident when I run around hitting everyone with melee weapons, but its not really any fun to continuously get egg-rolled because all the {IC} guys are on one team and I'm stuck on the other.

[GHoosdum]

I got to play Warpath for the first time today. Now I understand why you guys say it's epic every time.

My favorite part: winning the round less than five minutes after Black Hawk (on our team) said, "Let's just give up and let them take the last point guys." ;)

[Koreish]

Still haven't played warpath. Still see clanstacking.