v2.0.5's Master Server Reform

With the release of v2.0.5 right around the corner, I’d like to take the time now to introduce and explain one of our most dramatic changes to how the master server works, to give you guys some foresight to the changes that lay ahead of you.

The Master Server system has been heavily revised. We have implemented a “room” system, allowing you to filter your possible server choices to suit your preference. The separate rooms will have different rules and allow us to support more people’s games on the master server. Should you not want to use this system, you can still opt to search for all servers, removing the filtering system.

At launch, there will be two rooms (names subject to change):

Standard Room - The standard room is for normal netgames using official gametypes. This room is pretty similar to the master server as it is now, aside from a few rule tweaks and refinements.

Casual Room – The casual room is a more relaxed room. The majority of the current MS rules are ignored here. Custom gametypes, role playing, chatting, and other things that have been traditionally banned from the master server are allowed and encouraged here.

The master server rules will of course be completely rewritten to handle this, with most of the rules being completely thrown out. Should you attempt to set up a role play/chat server in the standard room, for instance, your server will simply be deleted from the server list.

We hope that these changes will help to streamline the overall multiplayer experience.

For information on how this will affect editing, look here: http://mb.srb2.org/showthread.php?t=33305

Spazzo said:

With the release of v2.0.5 right around the corner,

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waitwut

Any way, I wholeheartedly approve of this idea (as if anybody cared). It gives everybody a chance to play the game exactly as they want to and still make sure that people searching for proper games will get them. This will hopefully end the tiring roleplaying discussion.

Spazzo said:

With the release of v2.0.5 right around the corner,

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I walked around my whole block and didn't find the release of 2.00.5. So the options of standard & casual will be on the game itself or will the MS determine that?

This sounds like a good idea in theory, but I think there's going to be a lot of spillover. There'll be disproportionate loads of people who will prefer hanging out in the Casual Room, and then some people who think they can hang out in the Standard Room who would be better off in the Casual Room.

Personally, I don't think this will work too great. Something tells me those sonic kiddies will choose the standard server for role playing.

fawfulfan said:

This sounds like a good idea in theory, but I think there's going to be a lot of spillover. There'll be disproportionate loads of people who will prefer hanging out in the Casual Room, and then some people who think they can hang out in the Standard Room who would be better off in the Casual Room.

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The staff team now has the ability to delist any given netgame from the master server with a click of a button. If someone is hosting in the wrong room, we can simply delete their listing with minimal effort.

luis90 said:

Personally, I don't think this will work too great. Something tells me those sonic kiddies will choose the standard server for role playing.

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Then they will get kicked.

I think the bigger problem with this system is that you have two bags, one labeled "legit games" and the other "anything". What's stopping a perfectly normal game from being listed in the "anything" category?

To me it just seems like a lot of risky games might end up falling into the casual bag to avoid otherwise being caught in the legit bag's stricter rules.

Neo Chaotikal said:

I think the bigger problem with this system is that you have two bags, one labeled "legit games" and the other "anything". What's stopping a perfectly normal game from being listed in the "anything" category?

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Nothing is. You just have to ask yourself: Is there anything really wrong with that?

If anything, the host will get the short end of the stick because he'll be hosting in a room where a different style of play is expected. If he was smart, he'd host in the room that's catered around standard play, where there are clients looking for servers just like his. His loss, not ours.

As an FYI, your room choice by default is the Standard room.

To me it just seems like a lot of risky games might end up falling into the casual bag to avoid otherwise being caught in the legit bag's stricter rules.

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To put things in perspective, our most recent draft of the MS rules (also subject to change) has only three rules -- and that's spread between two rooms! It's short enough that we can actually display them in-game, if we wanted to.

Neo Chaotikal said:

I think the bigger problem with this system is that you have two bags, one labeled "legit games" and the other "anything". What's stopping a perfectly normal game from being listed in the "anything" category?

To me it just seems like a lot of risky games might end up falling into the casual bag to avoid otherwise being caught in the legit bag's stricter rules.

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Perhaps the problem then is not that there are two bags, but that there is content that might seem appropriate for both bags. After all, "standard" and "casual" aren't antonyms, and so it might be hard to draw a line from as short a distance as it is.

It's possible that the label "standard" is better off replaced with "competitive" -- that way it's more distinct which netgames have which attitudes. Even if a netgame with a more laidback gametype like coop is placed in the competitive field, people will take it more seriously; if people chat, it's so they can discuss how to accomplish their goal, not just for the sake of chatting.

This is only an idea, mind, perhaps it wouldn't make a difference either way.

Casual room now being full, standard being empty.

I can see it....

Honestly, I really don't like the plan too much. From out of all the SRB2 player's I've seen, most of them have either acted stupid, or are just plain stupid. And that's most of who I've seen. But I haven't played for so long, I'm not sure how it is now.

But that's my small complaint/statement I wanted to make.

I think you guys are blowing this out of proportion.

Have any of you been playing/hosting netgames recently? I've been joining my fair share of random 2.0.4 games over the last few months, and there are plenty of servers up and running that fit the bill for the Standard room.

Smart players exist. You guys need to play more games and be a part of that statistic.

Spazzo said:

I think you guys are blowing this out of proportion.

Have any of you been playing/hosting netgames recently? I've been joining my fair share of random 2.0.4 games over the last few months, and there are plenty of servers up and running that fit the bill for the Standard room.

Smart players exist. You guys need to play more games and be a part of that statistic.

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I agree. I host all matches all the time. Us smart players are here. You just gotta look for us.

Damn, this looks alot more advanced and thought out than the old Master Server...

Also...

Spazzo said:

...With the release of v2.0.5 right around the corner...

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Yay!

Spazzo said:

there are plenty of servers up and running that fit the bill for the Standard room.

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Indeed, you only need to look at Spectrum's server for a prime example, and I just came out of a good Match game. (Albeit, a match game with a joke wad added and forceskin, but a standard Match game all the same)

But, regarding this new system. I'm concerned that it may spread the playerbase out to thin by segregating the SRB2 fanbase even more than it already is, and as a result, make it a touch more difficult for players to find a server to their tastes. Also, as there will be a clear cut definition between standard and casual servers, I wouldn't be surprised if there will be a small increase in elitism.

Whackjood said:

But, regarding this new system. I'm concerned that it may spread the playerbase out to thin by segregating the SRB2 fanbase even more than it already is, and as a result, make it a touch more difficult for players to find a server to their tastes.

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This isn't segregating two sides of the community, it's just allowing people to filter which kind of servers they are or aren't looking for. If anything, this should make it easier to find what you're looking for and mend some of the conflicts between the two sides of the community that exist.

Also, as there will be a clear cut definition between standard and casual servers, I wouldn't be surprised if there will be a small increase in elitism.

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Make it a point to frown upon this. Preferring an alternate playstyle doesn't mean that player deserves less respect, and everyone in this community should know that.

Spazzo said:

The staff team now has the ability to delist any given netgame from the master server with a click of a button.

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Gee, then I dunno, how about enforce the current freaking rules?

This sounds unintuitive (have fun answering more stupid questions guys) and like entirely too much trouble to accomplish absolutely nothing. At the end of the day the people not looking for a shitty and/or roleplay server still mostly have the common sense to know where not to go. Except now:

1) People looking to have a serious Shards game for instance have to venture into the Casual swamp for no other reason and risk having to put up with the excess of idiots residing there

2) Flinging the rules all but out the window for the Casual room is liable (maybe not, but entirely possible) to create a disproportionate increase in the amount of servers there, and make anyone who opts out of the filters have a harder time sifting through the crap to find decent ones; thus rendering not using the filters spitefully useless

3) As a result of the above, what use is LISTSERV anymore besides stopping lag?

4) Encouraging RPing and related activites thereof? Stock up on Excedrin, you're going to need it when that starts trying to spill over into this board even more frequently.

Also, hope you plan to have some way to explain all this to the rather large Spanish/Brazillian userbase that may or may not be so good with English so they'll be less suprised when their servers start getting abruptly delisted.


The more I hear about and see of this update the less I want it.

Mr. Mystery, the problem is that our current scheme is not enforceable. It ceased to be enforceable around a year ago, and if you go onto the master server right now it's clear that the old rules do not work. We've got people joining netgames purely to log role playing; we've got people breaking all the rules all the time without a clue; we've got all sorts of problems that are not going to go away and only are going to get worse. Our community has grown beyond the point where we can practically police it.

This will probably have some quirks and that's fine. Kinks are going to happen with changes along these lines and we may have to change the setup a bit to fix them. Regardless of any problems this may cause, our current system is busted and unmaintainable. I assume you prefer a filter to absolutely nothing, correct?

If that's the case, why make the standard Room default?