Taken from
http://forums.sscentral.com/index.ph...0&#entry152055
Please everyone understand now why the levi and weasel are so important to TW.
http://forums.sscentral.com/index.ph...0&#entry152055
This essay is not about 17th in particular. I'm sure there are other reasons why this, as any other zone, gradually lose their population . But at least one serious is the overzealousness of those who create the zone to make the "perfect zone", as they see it.
Many admins fail to realize what makes their zone popular. What makes Continuum, in the first place, popular. Their fail to realize the difference between a small, old game like Continuum with a small dedicated core, and a big new releaze like Halo 2.
Some of the most common techniques that end up backfiring:
- "Balance at all cost" principle
- Nerfing ships and other settings
- Overlistening to whiners
- Trying to imitate other games
- Overemphasize teamwork, dynamics, and any other "hot idea"
- Overemphasize graphics and other media
- Change for the sake of change
Subspace is not about the ultimate balance or ultimate teamwork. It's about having fun. It's about preserving it's charm and preserving the nostalgic spirit that keeps veterans here and not sends them off elsewhere.
BALANCE/NERFING/WHINERS:
Sometimes, your zone is unbalanced in one way or anothers. THAT'S FINE. No need to change it just for the sake of balancing it. You may lose more than you gain. A good analogy for 17th was, long time ago, the removing of the ICBM weasel and replacing it with a more traditional ship. I'm sure you did it because people were complaing "omgwtfbbq get rid of that stupid wizzel with cloak and 1-hit kill". So you did. But by doing so, you ruined the fun for others, not just those who liked the weasel, but the community in general who were used to the weasel the way it is, who, while sometimes not realizing it, were enjoying the challenge and uncertainty the weasel brought. Sure, they often cursed it, and sometimes even whined about it, but once removed, people suddenly lost their "favorite enemy", and felt a lot of the point about the zone gameplay was lost.
I roll my eyes when I see Trench Wars following suit now with nerfing the Lev. They will step in the same beartrap. They may please a few whiners, but those who whine will tend to whine anyways, they'll just find something else to whine about, while a large community of those who enjoyed LT-ing, or hunting LT's, will lose a challenge, and gameplay will become boring for them.
Many admins fail to realize what makes their zone popular. What makes Continuum, in the first place, popular. Their fail to realize the difference between a small, old game like Continuum with a small dedicated core, and a big new releaze like Halo 2.
Some of the most common techniques that end up backfiring:
- "Balance at all cost" principle
- Nerfing ships and other settings
- Overlistening to whiners
- Trying to imitate other games
- Overemphasize teamwork, dynamics, and any other "hot idea"
- Overemphasize graphics and other media
- Change for the sake of change
Subspace is not about the ultimate balance or ultimate teamwork. It's about having fun. It's about preserving it's charm and preserving the nostalgic spirit that keeps veterans here and not sends them off elsewhere.
BALANCE/NERFING/WHINERS:
Sometimes, your zone is unbalanced in one way or anothers. THAT'S FINE. No need to change it just for the sake of balancing it. You may lose more than you gain. A good analogy for 17th was, long time ago, the removing of the ICBM weasel and replacing it with a more traditional ship. I'm sure you did it because people were complaing "omgwtfbbq get rid of that stupid wizzel with cloak and 1-hit kill". So you did. But by doing so, you ruined the fun for others, not just those who liked the weasel, but the community in general who were used to the weasel the way it is, who, while sometimes not realizing it, were enjoying the challenge and uncertainty the weasel brought. Sure, they often cursed it, and sometimes even whined about it, but once removed, people suddenly lost their "favorite enemy", and felt a lot of the point about the zone gameplay was lost.
I roll my eyes when I see Trench Wars following suit now with nerfing the Lev. They will step in the same beartrap. They may please a few whiners, but those who whine will tend to whine anyways, they'll just find something else to whine about, while a large community of those who enjoyed LT-ing, or hunting LT's, will lose a challenge, and gameplay will become boring for them.
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