Allegiance - The Future

[TheVoid37]

"Beautiful, squadron-based, large-scale multiplayer Space Action game, where you're one of the units in an RTS."

Incase some don’t know, this is a quote by Executive Producer Joel (Solap) Dehlin about what Allegiance was to become. I would like to see if we can organize something that will help the “squadron-based” aspect of this quote while potentially relieving some stress on the community and allowing it to grow.

I see one problem in Alleg right now; a lot of our old time squaded vets are loosing their will to play the game on a regular basis. This is detrimental as I believe most of us play the game for competitive squad style action. If our older vets continue to not play as much then their skill level drops and our overall competitiveness as a community does as well. As the competitive skill and edge of your competition drops so does yours. Most of you are rather intelligent so I will leave the future retributions of this to you all. While there are other reasons, the majority of older skilled vets don't play because pickup games can be very frustrating for them and probably for others as well.

While the ideal situation for all of us in squads would be to play squad games daily. Imagine that at any given time you log in and have at least 15 of your squad mates online and you’re playing against another squad. While ideal this won't be practical with the size of our community; however, during prime time hours I typically see 20 plus squaded vets online. I can't speak for the other time zones, but I believe that on a majority of the prime times this is the case.

Here is my idea. It will require some work and may take some time to really get going, but I believe it could be extremely beneficial not just to our community but for ourselves.

Have one server that is for squaded players only. This is not rank based and it should just be in the name of the server, possibly named something along the lines of "Squaded Players Only" or "Squadrons Only" Don't change any code to limit players infact you want other mercs to see it, explain more in a minute. @Allegs and Coms can politely enforce the fact that only squaded players will be allowed on the teams, this IMHO includes @CDT, @Allegs and Devs, enforced in the same gentle manner we prevent really new players from commanding /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />. This would also be a solid place for @ACS to allow their coms to get in some experience with solid teams. Commanders would then choose squads on their side, even them up as best as possible, and then fill in with CDT's. A lot quicker than picking teams and will allow for what we all want, to play with our other squad members while still having organized competitive games without being accused of stacking. This should be a quick way to even out a game, nearly eliminate stacking, and take some of the pressure off newer members and mercs in the community. Again this would be completely voluntary and squaded players are not forced to play here and can generally hang out on the main server and play there as well.

Now before the mercs crucify me /ninja.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":ninja:" border="0" alt="ninja.gif" /> . I do not in any way claim that squaded players are any better than mercs; however, squaded players have generally made a commitement to play in an organized fashion with their other squad members in a competitive manner. If they try and do this on the main server we are often ridiculed for stacking. This will not effect the mercs ability to play on the main server as they please and will possibly relieve some of the stress of squaded vets bitching that they were off killing a miner when they needed everyone on a bomb run or defending etc.

Here are the benefits I believe we would see from something like this:
- Older vets will play more and their edge will return, as well as their competitors.
- Overall squad skill levels will increase, think of this as squad on squad scrimmages.
- Commander skill levels will increase including the great coms will command more.
- Mercs and upcoming commanders will be able to command more on the main server with less negativity.
- Additional motivation for newbies and mercs to join @CDT and Squads, will encourage them to become more active members in our community if not already.
- Squads may grow in size if they wish, or more squads will become available, I would love to see more 25 vs. 25 squad games.
- Friendlier community: newbs will be less pressured, playing on the normal server and can learn at their own pace, vets will have more toleration as a majority of their games are their style of play and may be more willing in the off time to assist newbs and mercs alike. I believe this will also help newbies make the transition from the newbie server to the main server, hence assisting them with the steep learning curve in Allegiance. It should also allow a lot of mercs to enjoy a more relaxed and friendly atmosphere where they can feel free to experiment and step up their game.
- Community growth: Fewer players will be run off because they feel forced to play on the general main server and are pressured by vets to perform above their limits.
- Pure on Fun
- Some may not feel hiders are necessary to enjoy a game without being asked to com, or do other things.

Input from posting this thread in other areas.

-Some posted saying there will be no difference between this and creating an Adv, or Inter only server.

I believe there would be a huge difference. Adv only just means you have the ability to get a lot of points and increase your score; this has nothing to do with if you want to play as a competitive team, which is the point of squads. This will also mean that if we put a new member on our squad that doesn’t have a high rank; he will need to stack a lot to raise his rank quickly before he could play on such a server so as to become better with his squad.

- Squaded players plus vets of 1year or more was also suggested.

To me this doesn’t fit in with the theme of this type of server. This would be a server oriented for players who want a highly competitive team based play, which is generally typical of the reasons most join squads. Also do you draw the line at 1 year, 2 years, ELO?

- Initially I did not add the tid bit about Devs above, I just figured it was common place that a dev can play in any server, newbie, standard etc… as to see the effects of the changes they make. One of the devs expressed that something like this would make him leave the game and stop working on development. Personally I don’t see why players wanting to play the game to its limit would make a dev quit when the main server is still available and the community could possibly grow from this, but that is input we need to consider if we think something like this is a good idea.

- Some mentioned making this a single or multi day event. IE squad Thursdays.

Personally I would like it to be a dedicated game available 24/7, since it’s a voluntary thing. Squadies will still play on the main server when they don’t feel like being super crazy competitive on the stick, so it’s not like you’re going to loose all squaded players from the main server overnight. I also think to encourage some to play more regularly you want to have this option available to them all the time. I know I would be on more if I knew something like this was running during my prime time. Having a set night might exclude others, like myself, I play cards Tues and Thurs and while this would exclude me from joining that’s fine as long as it helps the community. IMHO.

Sorry for the longevity of this; however, I wanted to try and put in some of the input from the other threads.

[Kltplzyxm]

Removes the problem of hider stackers, stackers will be less of an issue, and sets goals for the true newbies to try to get into squads, Newbie ranked squaddies still get to fly, etc. IMO, the pro's outweigh the cons. I like just making it on certain days of the week in the beginning just as part of an initial trial to see how it works out. Why not try it? Doesn't seem hard to implement I would think.

[BlackViper]

Rotate the weekday. Say Wednesday one week, Monday on another.

[TheVoid37]

QUOTE (BlackViper @ Jul 26 2007, 01:42 PM) Rotate the weekday. Say Wednesday one week, Monday on another.

Shoot I can't keep track of where I am eating for lunch tomorrow let alone another rotating schedule /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> But an option and better than nothing I would presume. We tend to have a bunch of server's sitting idle and empty all the time, would having one of them dedicated to something like this interrupt other activities? This could also be the floating event server, so when the anniversary games or other community wide events are running, use it.

[Drizzo]

If you need any help Void, with scheduling, extortion-- finding someone to host the servers etc. Feel free to PM me, and if I can't do it, I'll be damn sure to find someone who can /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

[pkk]

Code: Select all

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//
//  The Allegiance Veterans League
//  ------------------------------
//
//
//    Conceptual Outline
//
//    Ian Christie (a.k.a. _Fox_Four)
//    October 16, 2004
//
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 I.  The Problem

   Over the last year, it has become increasingly difficult to find and play
   in high quality Allegiance games.  "High quality" games, from my point of
   view, are characterized by a relatively high level of player skill, good
   sportsmanship, and reasonably balanced teams.

   First and foremost, we have recently seen an influx of new players, many
   of whom do not make any effort whatsoever to actually LEARN the game, let
   alone excel at it.  Second, a large segment of the veteran community is
   is very limited with respect to playing time.  Both of these factors lead
   understandably to frequent stacking.  Finally, attitudes and behaviour in
   this community has grown downright embarrassing.  Personal attacks, core
   politics, in-game griefing, malicious booting... if it's childish and
   offensive, you've seen it in Allegiance over the last few months.

   Roll all of that together, and suddenly this game starts to seem more like
   work than play.  It's no surprise that a considerable number of veteran
   players have just disappeared lately.  We've all read the rants, we all
   remark that something needs to be done, but nothing ever changes.

   So:  how do we provide veteran players with consistent, high-quality games?


II.  The Squad Solution

   The answer to the question above has traditionally been "squads".

   Squad matches are typically very high quality games, because they are
   structured and competetive.  Members are playing not only for their own
   enjoyment, but also for the reputation of their squad.  That notion also
   alleviates SOME of the immature behaviour found in day-to-day open games.

   Unfortunately the squad model does not seem to be working as well as it
   should of late.  The disparate level of skill among squads, scheduling
   difficulties, and slowly decreasing rosters have made good squad matches
   very rare.  Squad politics and the public behaviour of members are also
   causing problems.


III.  The Veterans League

   The Allegiance Veterans League is my proposed solution.  It is a limited
   membership alliance of veteran players who want regular, high quality games
   with none of the aggravations of typical prime-time play.  League matches
   will be open to League members only, and will occur at regularly scheduled
   times each week.  Teams will always be picked, in an effort to ensure fair
   games, and abusive or disruptive behaviour will not be tolerated.

   Members will be required to adhere to a rather strict set of rules, but
   these rules are all grounded in common sense and good sportsmanship.  The
   rules are in place to safeguard the quality of the gameplay experience for
   everyone, and players who join the League to enjoy fair, fun games at a
   high skill level will not find it difficult to remain in compliance.


IV.  Core Choice

   High quality gameplay effectively requires the use of a single, standard
   core.  Players and commanders must become intimately familiar with all the
   nuances of the selected core in order to perform to their maximum potential.

   Unfortunately this is an exceedingly controversial matter at present, with
   at least 5 "major" and a few "minor" cores available to players.  Not one
   veteran in the community is without bias on the subject of core preference.
   The entire issue is a political nightmare, but it must be dealt with if the
   League is to succeed.

   When I first began considering the notion of a Veterans League, I had in
   mind a number of players to approach with the idea initially.  I knew that
   these members were experiencing precisely the difficulties with Allegiance
   that have been described above.  More importantly, these players are still
   fighting to enjoy a game that they no longer actually have fun with.  Those
   are the players that I see benefitting most from the League.

   So what does that have to do with core choice?  Everything.  Of the first
   dozen players that I thought of, nine have stated (in public or in private)
   that they prefer to play on Allegiance Plus.  Several of those individuals
   still have concerns about controversial Allegiance Plus balance issues, but
   they still consider A+ to be the most balanced, traditional core available.
   And of course, anyone reading this will be well aware that I also prefer
   Allegiance Plus over the other popular cores for regular games.

   Another factor to consider is the nature of League gameplay:  frequent
   matches with even teams and a high level of skill.  League gameplay will,
   in fact, be a PREMIUM environment for balance testing.  This presents a
   remarkable opportunity to iron out some of the remaining imbalances in the
   Allegiance Plus core, based on feedback from highly skilled, knowledgeable
   players who can rely on specific League-game experiences to support their
   suggestions.  As the current Allegiance Plus developer, I would be foolish
   to pass up such an opportunity.

   These two facts are sufficient to establish Allegiance Plus as the core of
   choice for the proposed Veterans League.

   At this point I invite the reader to stop and consider whether or not this
   decision is personally acceptable.  The selection is not negotiable, and
   non-constructive "core-bashing" has no place in the League.  If you are
   unwilling to play on Allegiance Plus, even given all of the benefits of
   League play as stated, then the League is not for you, and there is no
   reason to continue reading.  You are free to make a derogatory comment of
   your choice, discard this proposal, and continue as before.

   
V.  The Rules

   As stated previously, the high quality of League gameplay will be protected
   by a relatively strict set of rules.  The majority of these rules should
   never require enforcement, but must be declared nonetheless.

   The following list is not yet complete, but should establish a foundation
   for League membership and gameplay.

   1.  Membership

      a. Membership is by invitation only.

      b. Invitations may be offered by any current member,
         but all invitations must be approved by _Fox_Four
         before being offered to the potential member.

      c. Continued membership will rely on compliance with
         currently posted rules.

      d. Membership may only be revoked by _Fox_Four.

   2.  Communication

      a. All members will be required to provide a working
         e-mail address for an account that is checked with
         reasonable frequency.  E-mail addresses will be
         submitted directly to _Fox_Four and will not be
         made available to anyone else.  E-mail will not be
         used unless absolutely necessary.

      b. All members will be required to have a functional
         forum account on the FreeAllegiance.org boards.
         These forums will be the preferred medium for
         communication regarding events and League issues.

   3.  Callsigns

      a. Members will select a single callsign to be used
         in all League events.  Use of a secondary callsign
         may be permitted if required to solve technical or
         connection issues.

      b. ASGS tokens and squad tags will not be used during
         League events (see section 4).

   4.  Politics

      a. Members will set aside external community politics
         during League events.  This includes squad issues,
         admin issues, core issues (except constructive A+
         feedback based on League gameplay experiences), etc.

   5.  Gameplay

      a. During scheduled League events, the selected server
         will be closed to non-members.  This will be achieved
         via passworded games and, if necessary, admin boots.

      b. Teams will always be picked in League games. Players
         who are AFK when picked, or refuse to play for the
         picking commander, will be booted for the duration
         of the game.

      c. Abusive behaviour, deliberately disruptive gameplay,
         etc, are strictly prohibited in League matches.

      d. Booting is disallowed in League matches, except to
         enforce items (a), (b), and (c).  All boots must be
         preceded by a warning on "All" chat, and must be
         reported to _Fox_Four by the member who applied the
         boot, as soon as possible following the game.  An
         SOVLog or screen shot that clearly shows the offense
         must be provided with each report.

      e. The commander of the winning team in the first match
         of any scheduled League game must accept a rematch
         with swapped teams if requested by the losing commander,
         where time permits.  This rule is not applicable for
         games ending in a resign after less than 20 minutes.

      f. A draw offered by a team outnumbered by at least
         40% MUST be accepted by the opposing team.

      g. Players who fail to comply with any of items (b)
         through (f) may be reported to _Fox_Four by any
         observing member.  Reports not accompanied by an
         applicable SOVLog or in-game screen capture WILL
         BE DISREGARDED.  Frequent reports of unsportsmanlike
         behaviour by a particular member will result in a
         warning, or loss of membership if a warning has been
         issued previously.

      h. Abuse of items (b) through (f) in a manner not dealt
         with specifically by these rules may also be reported
         to _Fox_Four, again accompanied by an applicable screen
         capture or SOVLog.


VI.  The Beginning

   At present the Allegiance Veterans League is still only a concept.
   There remain a few details to be worked out in terms of organization
   and administration, and this outline accompanies the first tentative
   invitations to players that I believe will be interested.  I would
   like to begin scheduling League playing times soon, to start around
   the beginning of November.  However, all of this depends considerably
   on the feedback I receive following these initial invitations.

[revirdraw]

Another advantage that I see:

Cadets will better be able to determine squads and how they interact with each other.

I can't speak for anyone but myself (obviously) but I'd love to play on a server that only has squads (and cadets... wheee).

Also, speaking from a newbies eyes..

I'd hate to see the long standing vets go.. I think part of what draws me to Alleg is the legacy of some of the players who have been here since the beginning or near beginning. It'd be a travesty to lose that because of the annoyance at PUGs.

I enjoy getting on TS and playing with folks who play together often (Squads or not.. you can tell). I know it's not a squad thing, per say.. but it's still a lot more fun then playing a regular pug.

Actually, if I don't see anyone on I recognize on TS then I have a tendency to not play.

I don't see this as hard at all to impliment.. just get enough people over to a server and make it so that only comm's accept people with an @ flag. (Of course, I'm probably missing out on how this would never work since it's too simple.. enlighten me;) The difficult thing as I see it is getting momentum going.

[TheVoid37]

In regards to the veteran league.

Definitely something that might have been worth a good shot. I see two problems with it though.

One. Scheduling. The reason squad games are on Sundays at 3 is because that is the best time to do events like this. Other games at other times are difficult, but doable, and can require a large investment in time from the coordinator, which means it will eventually stop because no one can maintain that indefinitely. The reason I would like to see a server sitting there 24/7 is because to get players to stick around and come back they want something that is consistant. Squad games are consistantly Sundays at 3 and most squadies I know keep that open so they can play. If you want to bring people back more often then you need something that is running more often. If its up 24/7 then when there is enough squaded players on, they can migrate over there, get in some games till they tire of it, or there aren't enough of them, then migrate back over to the normal server.

The second flaw in that I see is the team choices. From what I saw it was a pool of players and you pick teams like in a PUG. I enjoy playing with my squad members, I can rely on them, I want to practice the game playing with them, in that sort of setup there is no guarantee I will be on a team with anyone I like, my choice of team mates has been totally removed. With the squad option at least you know your flying with your squadies, even if the other squad on the team has people you don't like.

Lets face it IMHO picking is a chore. The squad only option allows for a very fast method of setting up teams. Quickly scan the list and both coms can either discuss or eyeball it and say "OK PK and XT on yellow, GB and Ace on Blue" Add SF to Blue and Even up with some CDT's and you go.

The veterans league looked to almost be a reinvention of the wheel. We have squads, its an established entity and already maintained, why try to change that, use what we have and move on from there.

Another downfall would be the amount of work to get it going, this just requires a name change to be made on a server. We already have the tools neccessary to enforce it the comms just need to know they are free from rephrisal if they don't allow a non squaded player, or newb on, just like we do on squad sundays.

Excellent post and input pkk, thank you.

[TheBored]

For those that weren't around, the AVL bombed /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

TB

[carbon]

The squad games are already the 'Allegiance Veterans League'.

The voobs and noobs need the vets to learn and play with, so they can see what the game is really about.

If the quality players hide away on their own little server, it will take away from the game as a whole.

As an un-squaded 'merc', it would certainly shove a rotten banana up my interceptors exhaust port to be relegated to the 'voob' server for good!