Thanks eaglec, this plugin was just what the doctor ordered... and it works! <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
make sure you have the latest version Drek - it includes admin_muppet. and don't forget to say thanks to Lightning Blue who started this whole thing off.
Ya, thanks to Lightning Blue, didn't notice who started the thread off... I'm having more fun adding plugins, gadgets and doodads to my server these days than I am playing the game... <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif'><!--endemo-->
thats great stuff eaglec <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> note to everyone there IS actually an updated command on that link he gave above
Edit: eaglec on that site... his name isn't Electronic Blue <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> it's Lightning Blue rofliez
How much work has been done lately on this random team module lately? Has there been any success with auto-balancing? If not, I have a few ideas for any that are interested.
1) extend functionality to have latent stat logging to a database, datasource, or at least reference such a database or datasource. 2) use information in database to allow server to better balance the server rather than just random team allotment. 3) notify players whose skill is notably outside the range of the rest of the players (whether high or low) and optionally have server request they leave or be kicked after a certain amount of time. 4) possibly make the module extensible to other mods that could benefit from this kind of balancing function.
Most of the time I find that random assignment works pretty well, but I think this could benefit the NS community if widely used (not to mention other mod communities). Unfortunately I don't have the time to code this up myself (grad school sucks time into some undocumented vortex) but I'd be more than willing to provide my expertise in algorithm design and database interaction to any interested parties. This includes the official dev team. It would be nice to see this feature as a server option right out of the box, though I find that unlikely for some reason.
If you find that typing the entire command out is just WAY too much trouble, you may want to try out <a href='http://www.scriptordie.com/download.php?list.2' target='_blank'>CaveMan's AdminMod In-game Menu Plugin</a>.
You could just select admin_marine from the on-screen in-game popup menu and then choose the player you want to marine from the list! it's fast, it's simple, and it takes just 3 button presses.
And the menus are completely customizable too. Here's the one I use.
do you know if this menu plugin allows you to position it elsewhere on the screen (somewhere other than left-middle) so that the NS chat text doesn't cover it up??
<!--QuoteBegin-Lightning Blue+Mar 3 2004, 09:04 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Lightning Blue @ Mar 3 2004, 09:04 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Auto team would be nice but how do you choose? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> for starters you can look at www.freaksunleashed.com and view their stats page. It shows that there are many different factors that could be used in determining a balanced team. One way you could do it would to simply stagger the players based on rank starting from the top and going down. To be more precise you can use the skill field (directly determines rank anyways) and use this to implement the player alerts like I mentioned before. The algorithm could also be more complex to try and reason in stats you consider more important than others when it comes to balance (ie. K:D vs. K:M or a union thereof) The algorithm isn't really the critical part as that can always be coded and changed in a day or so... the more important part is getting the infrastructure design in place so that you can actually perform the algorithms in the first place.
The specific reason I'd like to have this ability (latent module as opposed to useable module) is that I admin a server, but unfortunately due to outside events and scheduling I don't have a great deal of time to actually admin it from inside the server. In this regard, I'd like the server to be as smart as it possibly can in order to basically self govern to an extent in my absence. Because of the clientelle of my server I basically have to monitor skill ranges and kick people that are either too high or too low for the rest of the players on the server. Without a module such as this, that becomes a 24/7 job and I'm lucky if I get 1/7 to be on the server myself. On top of that, I trust a computer to do what I tell it to do moreso than other admins... admins are still people, subject to human emotion and imperfect discretion.
Comments
note to everyone there IS actually an updated command on that link he gave above
Edit: eaglec on that site... his name isn't Electronic Blue <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo--> it's Lightning Blue rofliez
1) extend functionality to have latent stat logging to a database, datasource, or at least reference such a database or datasource.
2) use information in database to allow server to better balance the server rather than just random team allotment.
3) notify players whose skill is notably outside the range of the rest of the players (whether high or low) and optionally have server request they leave or be kicked after a certain amount of time.
4) possibly make the module extensible to other mods that could benefit from this kind of balancing function.
Most of the time I find that random assignment works pretty well, but I think this could benefit the NS community if widely used (not to mention other mod communities). Unfortunately I don't have the time to code this up myself (grad school sucks time into some undocumented vortex) but I'd be more than willing to provide my expertise in algorithm design and database interaction to any interested parties. This includes the official dev team. It would be nice to see this feature as a server option right out of the box, though I find that unlikely for some reason.
Comments? Suggestions?
Never found the need to add anything else.
Auto team would be nice but how do you choose?
You could just select admin_marine from the on-screen in-game popup menu and then choose the player you want to marine from the list! it's fast, it's simple, and it takes just 3 button presses.
And the menus are completely customizable too. Here's the one I use.
thnx!
for starters you can look at www.freaksunleashed.com and view their stats page. It shows that there are many different factors that could be used in determining a balanced team. One way you could do it would to simply stagger the players based on rank starting from the top and going down. To be more precise you can use the skill field (directly determines rank anyways) and use this to implement the player alerts like I mentioned before. The algorithm could also be more complex to try and reason in stats you consider more important than others when it comes to balance (ie. K:D vs. K:M or a union thereof) The algorithm isn't really the critical part as that can always be coded and changed in a day or so... the more important part is getting the infrastructure design in place so that you can actually perform the algorithms in the first place.
The specific reason I'd like to have this ability (latent module as opposed to useable module) is that I admin a server, but unfortunately due to outside events and scheduling I don't have a great deal of time to actually admin it from inside the server. In this regard, I'd like the server to be as smart as it possibly can in order to basically self govern to an extent in my absence. Because of the clientelle of my server I basically have to monitor skill ranges and kick people that are either too high or too low for the rest of the players on the server. Without a module such as this, that becomes a 24/7 job and I'm lucky if I get 1/7 to be on the server myself. On top of that, I trust a computer to do what I tell it to do moreso than other admins... admins are still people, subject to human emotion and imperfect discretion.
zippy