Ns On Larger Servers (above 20 Players)
NSInbreeder
Join Date: 2003-01-05 Member: 11878Members
Join Date: 2003-01-05 Member: 11878Members
<div class="IPBDescription">A 3-week study of a few NS servers</div> For the past 3 weeks, beginning December 13th 2002 and ending January 4th 2003, I have been keeping statistics on 4 of the largest and most popular NS servers. (listed below)
{H20} -7 NS 30-player
Coronas in Space 23-player
SNIPERLUST-2 23-player
Fists of Ra 22-player
I chose these servers because they were the most popular (almost always full). I have experienced a noticeable difference between these large servers and smaller or less-populated servers... mainly giving advantage to the marine side. To explain this, let me first post the statistics:
{H20} -7 30-player
total games played: 23
total won by marine: 21
total won by alien: 2
Coronas in Space 23-player
total games played: 18
total won by marine: 17
total won by alien: 1
SNIPERLUST-2 23-player
total games played: 21
total won by marine: 19
total won by alien: 2
Fists of Ra 22-player
total games played: 15
total won by marine: 12
total won by alien: 3
Seeing a pattern yet? In larger servers, where game action is much faster, marines tend to be extremely advantaged regardless of the map. In fact, the few times aliens won were usually accompanied with complaints from marines of a "noob commander", or ,in several cases, "the comm wasted resources intentionally by planting 3 comm chairs across the map at the beginning of the game then immediately left" (there were actually more cases of this, but the marines ended up winning anyway).
A major factor was spawning times on the alien side, which seem to work fine in smaller servers but pretty much ended the map after a large marine team portal-rushes and back up the alien spawnings considerably. This is very advantaged to marines who can spawn much, much faster.. even with just one or two spawn portals (something that isn't a factor on smaller servers).
In almost every game the aliens lost, the marines occupied and fortified a vacant hive and rushed a 2nd hive while aliens were still building up enough resources to plant the 2nd hive (the 2nd hive was able to complete in only 7 of the alien losses). Also noteworthy, I only noticed two occasions where there were more then 2-3 gorges out of 11-15 aliens.. both occasions the gorge immediately returned to skulk after being bombarded by complaints from fellow aliens.
Of all the alien losses, there were only 5 occasions in which the aliens were able to evolve at least one fade before the marines rushed the 2nd hive and killed it.
---------
Because the marines are so advantaged, almost every game began as a war of attrition in the Ready Room by a stack of players waiting to be marine, with absolutely no waiting line on the alien entrance. I also noticed many of the same players joining marines repeatedly over and over again... and I can't really blame them.. no one wants to loose badly time and time again as an alien. This circumstance makes this mod fun for only half of the players a majority of the time.
With the above findings in mind, I still think this is a good mod... it just needs to evolve. The graphics are wonderful and the mod idea is well-structured; I can tell someone went to a lot of trouble to create the right atmosphere. However, at this point, I feel this mod just isn't designed for more then 12-14 players.
Thank you
{H20} -7 NS 30-player
Coronas in Space 23-player
SNIPERLUST-2 23-player
Fists of Ra 22-player
I chose these servers because they were the most popular (almost always full). I have experienced a noticeable difference between these large servers and smaller or less-populated servers... mainly giving advantage to the marine side. To explain this, let me first post the statistics:
{H20} -7 30-player
total games played: 23
total won by marine: 21
total won by alien: 2
Coronas in Space 23-player
total games played: 18
total won by marine: 17
total won by alien: 1
SNIPERLUST-2 23-player
total games played: 21
total won by marine: 19
total won by alien: 2
Fists of Ra 22-player
total games played: 15
total won by marine: 12
total won by alien: 3
Seeing a pattern yet? In larger servers, where game action is much faster, marines tend to be extremely advantaged regardless of the map. In fact, the few times aliens won were usually accompanied with complaints from marines of a "noob commander", or ,in several cases, "the comm wasted resources intentionally by planting 3 comm chairs across the map at the beginning of the game then immediately left" (there were actually more cases of this, but the marines ended up winning anyway).
A major factor was spawning times on the alien side, which seem to work fine in smaller servers but pretty much ended the map after a large marine team portal-rushes and back up the alien spawnings considerably. This is very advantaged to marines who can spawn much, much faster.. even with just one or two spawn portals (something that isn't a factor on smaller servers).
In almost every game the aliens lost, the marines occupied and fortified a vacant hive and rushed a 2nd hive while aliens were still building up enough resources to plant the 2nd hive (the 2nd hive was able to complete in only 7 of the alien losses). Also noteworthy, I only noticed two occasions where there were more then 2-3 gorges out of 11-15 aliens.. both occasions the gorge immediately returned to skulk after being bombarded by complaints from fellow aliens.
Of all the alien losses, there were only 5 occasions in which the aliens were able to evolve at least one fade before the marines rushed the 2nd hive and killed it.
---------
Because the marines are so advantaged, almost every game began as a war of attrition in the Ready Room by a stack of players waiting to be marine, with absolutely no waiting line on the alien entrance. I also noticed many of the same players joining marines repeatedly over and over again... and I can't really blame them.. no one wants to loose badly time and time again as an alien. This circumstance makes this mod fun for only half of the players a majority of the time.
With the above findings in mind, I still think this is a good mod... it just needs to evolve. The graphics are wonderful and the mod idea is well-structured; I can tell someone went to a lot of trouble to create the right atmosphere. However, at this point, I feel this mod just isn't designed for more then 12-14 players.
Thank you
Comments
Anyway, it should be fixed!
And good observations <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
The main problem is aliens don't understand that you have to play differently on a large server. You CANNOT rush. The spawn times will lose you the game. You must also keep very close tabs on where the mobs of marines are going. Maybe they need three more months to learn?
- marines have one player less (commander) and this is a big disadvantage if u only got a team with 4-6 players...
- most often on public everyone builds and 1 marines covers (at most...)
certainly there r more.. <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
should be fixed somehow... with ppl per team spawn delay or sth like that..
greetz badmaster
Kharaa always owned on these even during the skulk rush (depending on the map). We even took out the CC one time.
The marines aren't too bad either, if theres a decent commander, decent players (L3TUC3 changed name to OMGIWANTHMGn00b) and if they stick together. I've been saved numerous times by the guy with the welder behind me. Thats one for a signature.
I just love the massive battles going on on the big servers.
More than 25 ppl server = marines win 95% (marine long range group attack advantage)
Less than 15 ppl server = aliens win 95% (Alien flexibility speed advantage)
Between 18 and 22 ppl its well ballanced.
I just dont have such stats.
Just the other night on a 24'ish person server the marines won by going banzai rush on the aliens starting hive. (Eclipse) There were just so many of us they couldn't do anything.
<!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&::gorge::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/pudgy.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='pudgy.gif'><!--endemo--> *gulp*
Something like that. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->