www.newcommunity.eu

I would like to suggest that we focus more on INF layouts to give the INS team a chance. Due to the overpowered and fast respawning assets for BLUFOR it usually end up in a rape of the INS team - regardless how good they play. Most of us lost the mindset of how to play as INS properly (since it completely changed?) and that makes it hard even with a half decent team to win a round as INS (plus the OP ARMOR), maybe there is a chance that we get back to that mindset if we play some more INF INS.
Another thing is balance in general, [NEW] is one of the few servers really trying to balance teams out between the rounds but I still see it go even better. First of all we need to make a difference between each case, some maps are balanced by having a stronger team playing the weaker side, etc. For example a weaker team can easily win Korengal Valley INS but will horribly fail at playing a balanced AAS map. That means we should review every round and then decide if balance is needed or not. After that I suggest that we wait until everybody is completely loaded in (approx 1-2 mins before round starts). IMO the best thing what can happen is that clans and bigger groups make their squads already to see who actually stays to play this round. And then using the !restart command to have the timer set back to 5mins. That will give the admins time to switch the people, it will give the people the time to organize and everybody would get deployed with a less hectic way - which might actually help both teams with their initial deployment. If people can’t wait another 5mins they are free to leave the server IMO. I remember that we discussed this before already, sorry for repeating myself. I believe this could help to reach the next level of teamwork and it will bring the regulars on NEW even closer together.

Another thing is a number of people which want to play together especially the Ducks and KSK, I believe that shuffling the teams and splitting up the larger clans for few rounds will also increase the team spirit and cooperation between the regulars of the [NEW] server. So for example if there is a clan with 10 players on the server we ask them to split up and have 5 per side. The next round they may can play on the same side again.

I understand that the admins see this as a lot of work but IMO if we all invest 5 extra minutes in the preparation and balancing we can have better and longer rounds full of teamwork and epic PR action.

cheers,
Curry.

P.S. Kinda turned into a wall of text - sorry.

First of all I would suggest to mix up all the layers. Often infantry layers are more balanced since the BLUFOR can no longer camp with heavy assets and unleash hell until a lonewolf blows up the cache.

I support your idea about balancing clans out, I would like to volunteer with the *LAAF* to be on the insurgent team. We like it, it is our natural habitat.

Actually in order to keep the balance good, every round there should be a review of the teams. That way you can keep teamwork high and the teams balanced so there will be no easy steamrolls due to bad balancing and team stacking.

Good points Curry. Hope we can finally get some more love for INS INF layer. The only point i see hard to implement is the !restart command in the beginning of every round. Balancing like this needs way to much admin power and i just dont see this happening.

What if clans join midround? It often happens that we, the [KSK] guys join one after another.In the beginning we are only two guys building FOBs trying to avoid contact, unable to help defend or attack. Once we finally gathered a whole squad midround it might get stacked.
When you apply this to lets say two or three clans in one team it surely is no more fun to play for the guys in the other team.

The only way i see more balannced rounds happening is switching clans even midround. I know this realy sucks at some point, but when every clan involved does this on a voluntary basis it gets easier i guess. At least it prevents switching the same clans all the time.

What about the !pause command? Did it get fixed? I think it was ElMariachi who got the idea. When we feel a need for balance we simply pause the game and switch everyone in the right place. But this requires that all SQL, or at least the ones who are up for balancing, are in one teamspeak channel and not muted.
It really bugs me when everyone is muted in the channel and you have to wait to get everyone together to discuss balance or whatever.

Im up to try everything to keep the balance. Like Curry said, 5 mins in the beginning isnt that much when you consider that we play rounds that last 2+ hours.

+1 for the !restart

We should invest the 5min to balance in the beginning, because its really annoying and hard to realize during the game.

@ Buschpilot: In my opinion the balance issue is not a midgame problem it comes in the beginning when for exemple a lot of us (3dac, KSK, NEW and WGP) play on one side, 90% of the rounds we (almost) steamroll the enemy team... So there is no problem if one clan gets another 5 guys midgame.

I also like the idea of INS INF for the unbalanced INS maps (Basrah, Karbala, Lashkar, Ramiel, Archer)
We should also try to play other INS maps like the militia ones (Iron ridge, dragon fly, black gold)

Just my technical 2 cents:
I'm afraid !pause would break certain things, I don't think it would be a good idea to implement it.

I like INF layers more in general as they get played way too less, but its everytime quite hard to convinve others to run it =/

Buschpilot453 hat geschrieben:Balancing like this needs way to much admin power and i just dont see this happening.

[NEW] could hand out moderator rights, which can only switch people. If everyone helps in those 5mins we should be able to do at least the switching part.

Buschpilot453 hat geschrieben:What if clans join mid round?

I'm not a fan of mid round balancing, simply because you play against the team you just worked for.
Another things is, that in fact on no other server there are playing that many clans as on [NEW] but at the end there are only [KSK] and [3dAC] on the [NEW] TS on a regular basis. Maybe we can put up a new server message like: 'Clans please join TS for balance discussions' or something. If a clan wants to play together they should be in TS or just get switched for balance and live with it.

Buschpilot453 hat geschrieben:It really bugs me when everyone is muted in the channel and you have to wait to get everyone together to discuss balance or whatever.

Maybe join a another channel? [NEW] has the usual chatter going on as every group of people during the round and especially while loading the next map (see mumble spam).

cheers,
Curry.

Curry-Chicken hat geschrieben:
[NEW] could hand out moderator rights, which can only switch people. If everyone helps in those 5mins we should be able to do at least the switching part.
it.

I doubt this will work, especially when you're not on the same TS.
Imagine clan A with moderator rights decides that Person X,Y and Z should be Bluefor while moderating clan B decides Z should play on Opfor. People will get switched multiple times and this will end up in a chaos.

The switch rule on ARC* worked well where only the Opfor admins are allowed to switch people

There should be a "Teambalance Channel" without smalltalk, otherwise people mute themselves

The never ending balance story. "Son, the nature will balance it!"

Curry-Chicken hat geschrieben:First of all we need to make a difference between each case, some maps are balanced by having a stronger team playing the weaker side, ect. For example a weaker team can easily win Korengal Valley INS but will horribly fail at playing a balanced AAS map

Nothing to add we have just to do it and have to pay attention to it when we are chosing the maps!
But dont additionally balance the teams then else its a cakewalk for the other team. We saw that already multiple times keyword over-balancing.

Buschpilot453 hat geschrieben:What if clans join midround?

If they are not plenty of them joining one after another it barely wont ruin the balance completely it can tip the scales though but thats not what we are discussing. Its more about a steamroll and when you are joing the server you can see with the stats which side needs really bad help and which gets owned. And here it should be clear that you dont join the winning team although your clan is there and have to swallow the pill this time until next round when "clan" balancing can take place.

Switching mid round
In my opinion the worst you can demand of a clan to switch mid round. I can fully understand that and hate it myself its rare but sometimes its the last resort to save the server. Gladly it doesn't happen often and only is necessary when amount of players is comlpletely unbalanced due to ragequitters.

Restart
Lets give it a try but as usual its actually all about comms i would love to have more clan representatives in TS to discuss balancing. We should create a extra Channel for "Balancing Discussion" where we can meet quick if necessary and a quick poke should be enough.
Yes there is a poke button Buschpilot! ;)

I really like this idea also:

Curry-Chicken hat geschrieben:'Clans please join TS for balance discussions' or something. If a clan wants to play together they should be in TS or just get switched for balance and live with it.