Plugin: Rewarding Cms/vets (and Others)
Wyzcrak
Pot Pie Aficionado Join Date: 2002-12-04 Member: 10447Forum Moderators, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
Pot Pie Aficionado Join Date: 2002-12-04 Member: 10447Forum Moderators, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
<div class="IPBDescription">beta... not sure what to call this yet..</div> <b>“The Plugin”</b>
I've developed a new plugin in an effort to reward "quality players" on our server who we don't yet know as regulars. It helps these visiting players by lessoning the odds they'll be auto-kicked, and it helps the server by promoting the presense of players who understand and appreciate the game.
How do I measure a quality player? Well, it's hardly a perfect science when you don't know someone, but here's what my plugin uses. The way I see it, if you are...
A) an NS developer
B) an NS guide
C) an NS playtester
D) a Constellation member
E) an NS veteran
- or you are ...
F) running Cheating Death (cheating-death.com)
... then you're MORE likely to understand how this game works than the average pubbie. Yes, there are idiots CD users. Yes, there are CMs who are less-than-desirable. Yes, there are veterans so consumed with owning the other team that they don't have time to follow orders. But, in general, giving these players a small advantage on a server is one small step toward idiot filtering. In theory, these players are more likely to understand and appreciate the game.
What kind of small advantage, you ask? Well, with my plugin, when you join a team and meet any one of the above criteria (and you don't, for whatever reason, ALREADY have a reserved slot on our server), <span style='color:yellow'><b>you're granted a reserved slot on our server that expires at map change and protects you from being auto-kicked from a full server for the rest of the game</b></span> (unless a paying member tries to join and no more random pubbies are left). If the server is full, and it's you or someone who DOESN'T meet the above criteria that's gonna get auto-kicked.... you keep playing, and they get auto-kicked. You get to finish your game, and maybe stick around to play another... and another... and another. This essentially gives the above players the same status on our server as <a href='http://forums.tacticalgamer.com/showthread.php?t=4159' target='_blank'>our RSRs</a> when being considered for auto-kick upon an incoming player to our full server. The main difference is that <a href='http://forums.tacticalgamer.com/showthread.php?t=4159' target='_blank'>RSR reservations</a> are permanent and can auto-kick random pubbies to JOIN a full server, whereas these new pseudo-reserved slots (heh. I'm not sure yet what to call them) cannot join a full server, but only remain on one more readily.
Your pseudo-reserved slot expires at map change, but is immediately re-given to you when you join a team on the new map. This design is intentional, as the purpose of this pseudo-reserved slot is to help you STAY ON the server, not allow you to join the server if it is already full. Your slot isn't reserved until you join a team. Hence the term pseudo-reserved (like I said, I'm still working on a name for these slots).
The goal of this plugin is to help populate our server with players who understand how the game works. It's one small tactic to weed out the idiots and reward the players who appreciate teamwork, coordination, communication, and an overall good game of NS. It's not perfect, but I think it will be helpful. Time will tell.
If you'd like to try it out (it's working fine so far, but I guess it's beta officially), and you meet one (or more, even) of the above criteria, feel free to join the server in my sig. When you join a team, you'll see a popup on your screen explaining that you've been given a pseudo-reserved slot. It's not a guarantee that you're safe (see explanation(s) above), but it's better than nothing...
I should state again.. this plugin is beta. I don't know yet if it causes any problem with our server, or for our members. It may stay, or it may not. Again, time will tell.
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. If you don't like this idea, that's fine... all I ask is that you keep your criticism constructive.
Wyzcrak
<span style='color:gray'><b>“The Background” </b>(not so important, and placed here only as supplemental reading)
I have been a CM since day one, and I think people who step up to the plate and donate to causes they take value from deserve respect. And we get respect, from the devs, from ourselves, and from players who share our love for NS but not our financial freedom.
However, for some time I have wanted to ... give back.. to the CMs, and others, for their contributions to NS, and to team-based play. I can't control what other people do with their servers, but I can control, to a certain extent, what I do with the one I've been assigned to manage for the gaming community I call home. To some our server is great fun. Some people hate us. We demand teamwork and communication, and that instantly means our server isn't for everyone.
Anyway, combine my appreciation for CMs (and others who value the game) with my little plugin-coding hobby, and you end up with my latest creation... what little I can do to help out players who share my appreciation for NS and its uniqueness. It's a plugin that sounds very similar to what you're looking for.
I've only just finished building version 0.1 in the last 24 hours, and I'm not even sure what to call it yet. But it works, and we're continuing to test it on my server (see sig). I was going to wait awhile before announcing it, but I decided to go ahead and let people know about it after reading a thread in the CM forum tonight requesting very similar features.
I manage a 14-player CO/NS server with avg pings across all 14 slots of about 50ms-80ms. We have TWO types of reserved slots. The first type is for members who financially support our gaming community. These slots can join the full server no matter what (unless every slot on the server is filled with members). These are "membership" slots. The second type is for what we call "reserved slot regulars," or RSRs for short. These are non-members who enjoy playing on our server regularly and have proven themselves to be team-based players with good attitudes. These RSRs are called such because they're given reserved slots that can auto-kick only players with NO reserved status whatsoever (random pubbies) when they (the RSRs) are trying to join a full server. If the server is full of players with either type of reservation, only members can join... random pubbies, and RSRs, have to wait in line.
So, in summary, you're golden if you are a supporting member of our gaming community. Secondly, you're in pretty good shape if you're an RSR, as you can auto-kick random pubbies in order to join a full server. The problem is that, sometimes, that "random pubbie" that gets auto-kicked is what I call a "quality player"... understands teamwork... communicates effectively... follows orders, etc. We love our RSRs and our members, but seeing one of these "quality players" auto-kicked always sucks.</span>
I've developed a new plugin in an effort to reward "quality players" on our server who we don't yet know as regulars. It helps these visiting players by lessoning the odds they'll be auto-kicked, and it helps the server by promoting the presense of players who understand and appreciate the game.
How do I measure a quality player? Well, it's hardly a perfect science when you don't know someone, but here's what my plugin uses. The way I see it, if you are...
A) an NS developer
B) an NS guide
C) an NS playtester
D) a Constellation member
E) an NS veteran
- or you are ...
F) running Cheating Death (cheating-death.com)
... then you're MORE likely to understand how this game works than the average pubbie. Yes, there are idiots CD users. Yes, there are CMs who are less-than-desirable. Yes, there are veterans so consumed with owning the other team that they don't have time to follow orders. But, in general, giving these players a small advantage on a server is one small step toward idiot filtering. In theory, these players are more likely to understand and appreciate the game.
What kind of small advantage, you ask? Well, with my plugin, when you join a team and meet any one of the above criteria (and you don't, for whatever reason, ALREADY have a reserved slot on our server), <span style='color:yellow'><b>you're granted a reserved slot on our server that expires at map change and protects you from being auto-kicked from a full server for the rest of the game</b></span> (unless a paying member tries to join and no more random pubbies are left). If the server is full, and it's you or someone who DOESN'T meet the above criteria that's gonna get auto-kicked.... you keep playing, and they get auto-kicked. You get to finish your game, and maybe stick around to play another... and another... and another. This essentially gives the above players the same status on our server as <a href='http://forums.tacticalgamer.com/showthread.php?t=4159' target='_blank'>our RSRs</a> when being considered for auto-kick upon an incoming player to our full server. The main difference is that <a href='http://forums.tacticalgamer.com/showthread.php?t=4159' target='_blank'>RSR reservations</a> are permanent and can auto-kick random pubbies to JOIN a full server, whereas these new pseudo-reserved slots (heh. I'm not sure yet what to call them) cannot join a full server, but only remain on one more readily.
Your pseudo-reserved slot expires at map change, but is immediately re-given to you when you join a team on the new map. This design is intentional, as the purpose of this pseudo-reserved slot is to help you STAY ON the server, not allow you to join the server if it is already full. Your slot isn't reserved until you join a team. Hence the term pseudo-reserved (like I said, I'm still working on a name for these slots).
The goal of this plugin is to help populate our server with players who understand how the game works. It's one small tactic to weed out the idiots and reward the players who appreciate teamwork, coordination, communication, and an overall good game of NS. It's not perfect, but I think it will be helpful. Time will tell.
If you'd like to try it out (it's working fine so far, but I guess it's beta officially), and you meet one (or more, even) of the above criteria, feel free to join the server in my sig. When you join a team, you'll see a popup on your screen explaining that you've been given a pseudo-reserved slot. It's not a guarantee that you're safe (see explanation(s) above), but it's better than nothing...
I should state again.. this plugin is beta. I don't know yet if it causes any problem with our server, or for our members. It may stay, or it may not. Again, time will tell.
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. If you don't like this idea, that's fine... all I ask is that you keep your criticism constructive.
Wyzcrak
<span style='color:gray'><b>“The Background” </b>(not so important, and placed here only as supplemental reading)
I have been a CM since day one, and I think people who step up to the plate and donate to causes they take value from deserve respect. And we get respect, from the devs, from ourselves, and from players who share our love for NS but not our financial freedom.
However, for some time I have wanted to ... give back.. to the CMs, and others, for their contributions to NS, and to team-based play. I can't control what other people do with their servers, but I can control, to a certain extent, what I do with the one I've been assigned to manage for the gaming community I call home. To some our server is great fun. Some people hate us. We demand teamwork and communication, and that instantly means our server isn't for everyone.
Anyway, combine my appreciation for CMs (and others who value the game) with my little plugin-coding hobby, and you end up with my latest creation... what little I can do to help out players who share my appreciation for NS and its uniqueness. It's a plugin that sounds very similar to what you're looking for.
I've only just finished building version 0.1 in the last 24 hours, and I'm not even sure what to call it yet. But it works, and we're continuing to test it on my server (see sig). I was going to wait awhile before announcing it, but I decided to go ahead and let people know about it after reading a thread in the CM forum tonight requesting very similar features.
I manage a 14-player CO/NS server with avg pings across all 14 slots of about 50ms-80ms. We have TWO types of reserved slots. The first type is for members who financially support our gaming community. These slots can join the full server no matter what (unless every slot on the server is filled with members). These are "membership" slots. The second type is for what we call "reserved slot regulars," or RSRs for short. These are non-members who enjoy playing on our server regularly and have proven themselves to be team-based players with good attitudes. These RSRs are called such because they're given reserved slots that can auto-kick only players with NO reserved status whatsoever (random pubbies) when they (the RSRs) are trying to join a full server. If the server is full of players with either type of reservation, only members can join... random pubbies, and RSRs, have to wait in line.
So, in summary, you're golden if you are a supporting member of our gaming community. Secondly, you're in pretty good shape if you're an RSR, as you can auto-kick random pubbies in order to join a full server. The problem is that, sometimes, that "random pubbie" that gets auto-kicked is what I call a "quality player"... understands teamwork... communicates effectively... follows orders, etc. We love our RSRs and our members, but seeing one of these "quality players" auto-kicked always sucks.</span>
Comments
Thanks man.
[Edit] Oh yeah the most important part. Do you have a paypal account linked through the site somewhere.
Visit tacticalgamer.com, and click on the link on the left that says Memberships. Paypal is only one way to purchase memberships.
Enjoy your time on our site, and with our community.
Wyzcrak
edit: while the point of this thread is to discuss the plugin, I will mention the following since you asked about Paypal: for the rest of Feb, you can get your first month's TG membership for $1. See site for details.
None taken. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> And like you, I have no time for players like you've described, regardless of what or who they are. Neither do lots of other players who play on our server.
This plugin is only one part of the big picture, of course. It's not the end all be all judgement of a player at all. This plugin only impacts gameplay when the server is full, of course. If the server is full, there is an admin present (for the sake of argument, history shows this to be true).
If there is an admin present, the type of players you're referring to, be they CM, VET, or anything else, won't be on the server long. Some people like our server. Some people hate it. It's not for everyone. But if you aren't on our server to help your team, you're warned and eventually removed by an admin. ( Now, if I could just find a plugin to reliably point out the idiots, that would be nice. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> )
So, theoretically (and, so far, in practice), what you've described isn't a problem. Our reliable admin presense prevents it from becoming one.
Wyzcrak
This plugin has not been publicly released. If it is publicly released, I'll make sure it's announced here.
Wyzcrak
I'm afraid to even respond to this. I sense hostility, and I get the hunch that no answer will please you. In the hope that I'm wrong, my best attempts to answer your questions follow.
I posted this thread to alert people about my plugin. I talk about it to let people know it's available, and why it's available, and where it's available. This is the most appropriate ns.org forum in which to do this. You asked if the source was available, and I plainly answered your question. If you think plugin authors are obligated to release their source, or their compiled plugins, I'm sorry to disappoint you. In my intial response to you, I didn't rule out a release in the future. But I'm not releasing it now.
Forgive me if I misread your tone/mood. The answer to your first question is stated above. The answer to your second question is, plainly, "No."
If I read your tone correctly, and you're hostile, please PM me with your thoughts. I don't want hostility in this thread.
Otherwise, I welcome in this thread any other questions you may have.
Wyzcrak
Dont worry im sure Voogoo got the same thing. When he made all those plugs for 1.04.
Its beta and in testing.
I've never seen an author of a plugin openly announce it and than say its not publicly available.
It's like a kid in a playground showing everyone his candy, but not sharing.