![shaftwhores only by [EXE]dann](/files/avatars/2007/51852-shaftwhore.gif "shaftwhores only by [EXE]dann"){kind=small}
Fancied making a thread as I'm bored and haven't slept yet (went out last night, no point going to sleep now and waking up afternoon... full English breakfast, stay awake. Sorted.)
Anyway, of the top of my head (and you can all chime in with serious and/or troll ideas), here's what I think would be cool for QuakeLive (not mentioning all the obvious stuff like sound, netcode, certain things with mouses/mice (derp), GTV and whatever else we all know it needs)
- In browser IRC chatroom
This is a bit of a no brainer really. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Either regional for people wanting to talk to others in their own country or a general whole-chatroom. Also a couple of (perhaps Euro/America/Somebackwatercountry) channels for PCWs (for example people just going into the Euro PCW room and saying "4v4 CTF Ironworks, DE server, mid+ skill" or whatever)
- Extended clan options
As it is now, the clan browser screen is a bit pointless. I'm in a couple of 'clans' (especially the ESR clan) but it does little else then just give you the option to have the clan tag ingame (which we could do before anyway without having to fucking register it). How about chat windows with all your clan-mates that are online? How about a little bulletin board with notes for lineups, changes, practices or upcoming matches? (obviously it can't be a full blown forum or that would take up a lot of webspace). What about a public clan profile where you can see the players, stats of recent matches played or a little "Challenge this team!" button? The options you can add with the clans could be so much more then what it is now
- Ladders
Self-explanatory really and we all know QL needs it (and possibly will get it), and going against what I said in the second sentence of the thread, I'm going to go into it anyway. Leaderboards as they are now, are pointless. The only people that check them, are the people anal enough to desperately WTJ to get the most wins or whatever. Imma just say it: Stats are ruining public QuakeLive games. Do away with them and just have a ladder system or private stats if people really want them.
The ladder system doesn't just have to be for duel either. It can be for clans (whichever clan has the most PCW wins etc). I will add, that it really can't be done for public CTF/CA/TDM otherwise it's just circumventing the retarded statpadders that are already around ("oh noes, I can't help out the losing team because I might drop down the ladder rank") and might even make it worse.
- Inbrowser PUG
Basically what we're doing in IRC now, but inbrowser, and more simplifier for the newcommer (I know it's not rocket science to say !add tdm or whatever, but something like http://tf2lobby.com/ or a L4D style lobby would make a bit more sense).
There's a risk that this just wouldn't work and people would still quit just like public games, but this is where the stats could come in. If you've had excessive quits in a certain time period, or even just of all time in a specific game type, you can't play a pug until that time period has passed or you've either played more games the full length. Stats would also benefit balancing teams. No need for captains or picking players, simply arrange the teams based on stats (whether they be flagscaptured/flagsdefended/frags/deaths/quadruns/whatever). Obviously for people who want to mix the old way, they still can through IRC, but this just gets more beginners into it without worrying about letting down their team-mates because they're a lower skill (of which I should add, the pugs would be skill tiered anyway).
- Extended training
As it is now, the training is a bit derp. It really doesn't help newcommers learn how to strafe jump or give any real help of how to begin to understand it. It just gives a few maps and some videos of someone else doing (which I will add is pointless since the people watching can't see what that person in the demo is actually pressing on his keyboard etc).
As it is, it would be much easier to just have the keypresses put onscreen (much like defrag) and a general small video (VIDEO, not demo) of someone explaining in simple layman's terms of do's and don'ts (not some crazy cgaz HUD and people talking about angle degrees and some other bollocks to make them sound classy).
Also a detailed analysis of game-types. Before joining a server, perhaps a popup window saying "You are about to join a Clan Arena server! Shoot anyone on the other team! You spawn equipped with all weapons and full armor. You do not do damage to yourself. Completely eliminate the opposing team to win the round. There is no respawn. The first team to reach the round limit wins."
Now this actually is written when you join the server ingame, but I've personally never read it (infact I had to check it just now) and I know that all of my newcommers friends didn't read it). When asking my new-to-QL mates what they thought of QuakeLive, aside from "it's shit" they would say "I just didn't know what was going on" and that's basically it. I tell them you have to give it time and get used to it, and that I'll show them around, but really, they just don't want to waste time doing that when they can jump into another [easy] game and just shoot people without having to pick up weapons or learn how to move etc.
What about during the advertisements (I know this is exactly what advertisers WOULDN'T want but still), how about little sentences down the bottom much like TF2 or whatever where it has small tips. "Aim rockets at players feet so they can't avoid splash damage!" etc. Afterall, most new players won't be premium so they're going to get the advertisements, and that Fallout add that's on now I've seen a billion times but never paid attention to it anyway.
Also, how about training servers for example rocket-only servers or LG-only servers with respawn? I know that's alot of servers considering you'd need it for various different countries, but it can't be too hard to put a couple in some central areas. Whilst I'm on the subject, the FFA servers with full weapons/full armor are easily the best way to get better aim-wise and one of the more fun game-modes. When they did the devpick however, they put 200/100 which doesn't really work (can take ages to kill one guy). 100/150 is much better.
- GTV with 'featured matches'
We all know there needs to be GTV, but it's a fairly select thing and for the majority of newcomers to QuakeLive, they don't really know about competitions, 'famous' players or whatever. How about when there's a tournament, have a little bar down the side displaying active GTV. 'Hottest matches' where the most people are connected or whatever. Upcoming hot matches etc so people don't miss tournament games. It can even show up some public games that people can just join and spectate. We all remember how funny GTV chat could be amirite? I know recently because I can't be bothered to play with poor net, I quite enjoy jumping on the odd full duel server (usually US ones because they tend to play public duel more then private) and watching some of the pros go at it practicing or whatever. It's probably a little bit sad I know, but it's interesting and most of the time I just leave it on in the background occasionally watching whilst browsing the net or doing whatever else.
This could really be tied into the extended training for newcomers because watching pro players play live, from a fullscreen point of view, with their [the person watching] settings and config and seeing how they aim, move, make decisions etc can really benefit them for understanding how to use a certain weapon or playing style etc.
- Profiles
Profiles as they are now, I will say (aside from the stats debate) are pretty much fine. I don't think we need a section where people can put what their favorite film is, or what sexual position they prefer, although it would be interesting to have a downloadable config (so that people can see what other people use, or even people can download their own config when they're away from home).
Few other bits could be done around this as well. I'm not sure how taxing it would be on systems or QuakeLive but perhaps a randomscreenshot upload whereby whilst playing, QuakeLive will take a random jpg screenshot [which will not show up in baseq folders or something so the player cannot edit/view etc or bypass/prevent the screenshot] and upload it to their profile page (for a limited time perhaps). I don't know how the cheat programs work, but I assume this would show up wallhackers and from that youtube video would probably show up those cheat programs that do hitbox shit. Random screenshot. Upload to profile. Other player on server checks profile. See's cheats. Reports screenshot. Punkbuster obsolete. ??? PROFIT.
Anyway, that's all I can be bothered with now. I might add more though :P
Anyway, of the top of my head (and you can all chime in with serious and/or troll ideas), here's what I think would be cool for QuakeLive (not mentioning all the obvious stuff like sound, netcode, certain things with mouses/mice (derp), GTV and whatever else we all know it needs)
- In browser IRC chatroom
This is a bit of a no brainer really. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Either regional for people wanting to talk to others in their own country or a general whole-chatroom. Also a couple of (perhaps Euro/America/Somebackwatercountry) channels for PCWs (for example people just going into the Euro PCW room and saying "4v4 CTF Ironworks, DE server, mid+ skill" or whatever)
- Extended clan options
As it is now, the clan browser screen is a bit pointless. I'm in a couple of 'clans' (especially the ESR clan) but it does little else then just give you the option to have the clan tag ingame (which we could do before anyway without having to fucking register it). How about chat windows with all your clan-mates that are online? How about a little bulletin board with notes for lineups, changes, practices or upcoming matches? (obviously it can't be a full blown forum or that would take up a lot of webspace). What about a public clan profile where you can see the players, stats of recent matches played or a little "Challenge this team!" button? The options you can add with the clans could be so much more then what it is now
- Ladders
Self-explanatory really and we all know QL needs it (and possibly will get it), and going against what I said in the second sentence of the thread, I'm going to go into it anyway. Leaderboards as they are now, are pointless. The only people that check them, are the people anal enough to desperately WTJ to get the most wins or whatever. Imma just say it: Stats are ruining public QuakeLive games. Do away with them and just have a ladder system or private stats if people really want them.
The ladder system doesn't just have to be for duel either. It can be for clans (whichever clan has the most PCW wins etc). I will add, that it really can't be done for public CTF/CA/TDM otherwise it's just circumventing the retarded statpadders that are already around ("oh noes, I can't help out the losing team because I might drop down the ladder rank") and might even make it worse.
- Inbrowser PUG
Basically what we're doing in IRC now, but inbrowser, and more simplifier for the newcommer (I know it's not rocket science to say !add tdm or whatever, but something like http://tf2lobby.com/ or a L4D style lobby would make a bit more sense).
There's a risk that this just wouldn't work and people would still quit just like public games, but this is where the stats could come in. If you've had excessive quits in a certain time period, or even just of all time in a specific game type, you can't play a pug until that time period has passed or you've either played more games the full length. Stats would also benefit balancing teams. No need for captains or picking players, simply arrange the teams based on stats (whether they be flagscaptured/flagsdefended/frags/deaths/quadruns/whatever). Obviously for people who want to mix the old way, they still can through IRC, but this just gets more beginners into it without worrying about letting down their team-mates because they're a lower skill (of which I should add, the pugs would be skill tiered anyway).
- Extended training
As it is now, the training is a bit derp. It really doesn't help newcommers learn how to strafe jump or give any real help of how to begin to understand it. It just gives a few maps and some videos of someone else doing (which I will add is pointless since the people watching can't see what that person in the demo is actually pressing on his keyboard etc).
As it is, it would be much easier to just have the keypresses put onscreen (much like defrag) and a general small video (VIDEO, not demo) of someone explaining in simple layman's terms of do's and don'ts (not some crazy cgaz HUD and people talking about angle degrees and some other bollocks to make them sound classy).
Also a detailed analysis of game-types. Before joining a server, perhaps a popup window saying "You are about to join a Clan Arena server! Shoot anyone on the other team! You spawn equipped with all weapons and full armor. You do not do damage to yourself. Completely eliminate the opposing team to win the round. There is no respawn. The first team to reach the round limit wins."
Now this actually is written when you join the server ingame, but I've personally never read it (infact I had to check it just now) and I know that all of my newcommers friends didn't read it). When asking my new-to-QL mates what they thought of QuakeLive, aside from "it's shit" they would say "I just didn't know what was going on" and that's basically it. I tell them you have to give it time and get used to it, and that I'll show them around, but really, they just don't want to waste time doing that when they can jump into another [easy] game and just shoot people without having to pick up weapons or learn how to move etc.
What about during the advertisements (I know this is exactly what advertisers WOULDN'T want but still), how about little sentences down the bottom much like TF2 or whatever where it has small tips. "Aim rockets at players feet so they can't avoid splash damage!" etc. Afterall, most new players won't be premium so they're going to get the advertisements, and that Fallout add that's on now I've seen a billion times but never paid attention to it anyway.
Also, how about training servers for example rocket-only servers or LG-only servers with respawn? I know that's alot of servers considering you'd need it for various different countries, but it can't be too hard to put a couple in some central areas. Whilst I'm on the subject, the FFA servers with full weapons/full armor are easily the best way to get better aim-wise and one of the more fun game-modes. When they did the devpick however, they put 200/100 which doesn't really work (can take ages to kill one guy). 100/150 is much better.
- GTV with 'featured matches'
We all know there needs to be GTV, but it's a fairly select thing and for the majority of newcomers to QuakeLive, they don't really know about competitions, 'famous' players or whatever. How about when there's a tournament, have a little bar down the side displaying active GTV. 'Hottest matches' where the most people are connected or whatever. Upcoming hot matches etc so people don't miss tournament games. It can even show up some public games that people can just join and spectate. We all remember how funny GTV chat could be amirite? I know recently because I can't be bothered to play with poor net, I quite enjoy jumping on the odd full duel server (usually US ones because they tend to play public duel more then private) and watching some of the pros go at it practicing or whatever. It's probably a little bit sad I know, but it's interesting and most of the time I just leave it on in the background occasionally watching whilst browsing the net or doing whatever else.
This could really be tied into the extended training for newcomers because watching pro players play live, from a fullscreen point of view, with their [the person watching] settings and config and seeing how they aim, move, make decisions etc can really benefit them for understanding how to use a certain weapon or playing style etc.
- Profiles
Profiles as they are now, I will say (aside from the stats debate) are pretty much fine. I don't think we need a section where people can put what their favorite film is, or what sexual position they prefer, although it would be interesting to have a downloadable config (so that people can see what other people use, or even people can download their own config when they're away from home).
Few other bits could be done around this as well. I'm not sure how taxing it would be on systems or QuakeLive but perhaps a randomscreenshot upload whereby whilst playing, QuakeLive will take a random jpg screenshot [which will not show up in baseq folders or something so the player cannot edit/view etc or bypass/prevent the screenshot] and upload it to their profile page (for a limited time perhaps). I don't know how the cheat programs work, but I assume this would show up wallhackers and from that youtube video would probably show up those cheat programs that do hitbox shit. Random screenshot. Upload to profile. Other player on server checks profile. See's cheats. Reports screenshot. Punkbuster obsolete. ??? PROFIT.
Anyway, that's all I can be bothered with now. I might add more though :P
Edited by ZeritoN at 18:11 CDT, 9 October 2010 - 9647 Hits
Wasted
