To the Distension haters -- we may have something in common.

[Vehicle]

tw's main problem is currently how incredibly bad our pubs are (first arena every new player enters and will probably stick around in for the first few weeks, that is if he doesn't quit within 5 minutes, which i would if i'd be starting to play this game right now). Staff should put 80% of their effort into FIXING THIS HUGE PROBLEM,

Double posted for truth.

[DankNuggets]

just a though, i know this in the wrong thread and no one will read it

would it be possible to have lvz graphics in the pubs? Ones that could be turned off? That way, instead of having a straight tutorial, or just the inane help ticker, you'd be forced to see what to do.

If it just showed even the basic default commands, that would be a start.
Crtl=shoot, f7=attach, that kind of stuff. Yeah, you can read that before ever entering the game, but who's gonna know that if no one tells them?

Is there a game-guide for noobs? surely there has to be. It should be almost unavoidable to start playing this game on a new name without being bombarded with help in the form of a WORD document or similar as an intro/guide, command lists, or even current links to places like the forums and homepage.


a lot of work has been done behind closed doors on a tutorial i hear, what about a quick fix?

Some of this might be a client problem... I know most if not all the links from the start-up screen to TW are useless. The menu bar on the entry screen is where most people who play games are going to look for clues on how to play and where to go for things. We have a decent help system, but it's not intuitive or easy to access.

[Downfall]

I think distension should be made pub.
1. It is more attractive and fun than the pub we have now. So if it's about getting new ppl who join to stay this would be a good choice.

2. If it is always on it won't be overpopulated like it is now, killing the rest of the arenas and players will actually leave distension for twd, cuz they know it will be thre when it comes back.

3. Many of the people who are saying No to this dont even use pubs. (many pubbers dont even use forums). If you want to impliment this idea I suggest you start a poll in both pubs for a week long. (many wont even know what distension is).

ps. (i am a hater of distension)

[roxxkatt]

i didn't read this thread. i never read any of the distension threads. even better, i've never played or even set a foot in the distension arena.

The typical anti-distension person. Makes same statement as every other typical anti-distension person.

[Liquid Blue]

since you're very active with distension threads

how about you think up some ideas on how to fix pub

[Lag.Com]

I agree with 'tutorial' LVZ for pub. Especially if you could put '!stopgivingmeadamntutorial' into your autoperform list on connect, for oldbies who still pub.

Also I'd like it if there were periodic pub 'advertisements' for TWD. There's a lot of talent out there waiting to be harnessed... and while there are a fair few squads who won't accept new players, there's no reason why some couldn't exist. Hell, if some pub newbie learns how to ?squadmake, invites a bunch of random people from the same pub, and signs onto the TWD website, that might be the beginning of the next Spastics or something.

In my eyes people need a reason to keep playing; TWD (and eventually TWL) is that reason. You make friends (and enemies) through competition. In pub you just shout at the javelin who TK'd you.

Distension is a great game but I share the feeling that people will get fed up with it. I'm already way behind the 'rank leaders' and I actually play it fairly regularly. At least it's better than WoW in that you need skill to play it.

[Stabwound]

Hell, if some pub newbie learns how to ?squadmake, invites a bunch of random people from the same pub, and signs onto the TWD website, that might be the beginning of the next Spastics or something.

Funnily enough, that's sort of how Spastic was started. :P This actually used to be pretty common back in the days when automated TWD first came around. I'm not too sure why it stopped happening as much, but it probably has a lot to do with the lack of pub population in general.

TWD/TWL is definitely an aspect of the game that keeps people coming back, but as everyone knows, it's not exactly the most accessible of things to get into. Yeah, I agree that there needs to be some way to draw players from pubs into the TWD community. It does actually happen, but those squads tend to get slaughtered by the more organized ones, and don't really go anywhere. New TWD/TWL stars are few and far between these days, and the competition is drying up.

We needs ta do somethin'.

[Lag.Com]

I made the comparison for a reason

It took me a long time to get really into TWD but now I have, I'm definitely not leaving it alone. If we want more proles, we need things that proles like, like tits and environment mapping and money. And "everyone knows that isn't going to happen". Seeing as attracting new players is almost impossible for this game, I don't see what is wrong with giving a reason for veterans to keep playing, i.e. Distension.

[Dwopple]

Hey Hate the Fake, newsflash

Distension is the most active part of the zone. If it wasnt, it wouldnt get double the amount of people that the weekend events do on a regular basis.

TWD/TWL is. distension doesnt boost up population on weekends to nearly 600, TWL does.

posts like this, make me want to say take ur shit...to another zone.

[DankNuggets]

TWD/TWL is. distension doesnt boost up population on weekends to nearly 600, TWL does.

posts like this, make me want to say take ur shit...to another zone.

i missed that, 600 people really? I wonder how many you'd get if both were on for the weekend... 700? Sky's the limit.

[Dabram]

The typical anti-distension person. Makes same statement as every other typical anti-distension person.

You're really good at selectively reading a post. I guess I'll just have to repeat myself, and elaborate a bit more. For the last years our main problem has been the negligence of our pubs. Pub is the first arena every new player enters, and most likely will be spending his first few weeks in. That is if they decide to stick around that long. Right now our pubs are so incredibly shitty, that if I'd started playing today, I'd definitely be gone within 15 minutes.
There's tons of free games out there, with similar graphics, if we want people to stick around, we have to show them quickly why our gameplay is superior to most other (free) shooter-games.
This is why years ago already people pleaded that more than anything we need a tutorial arena. Did that ever come? No. I wonder why. I can see staff + coders have enough time to make new bots for TWL every season and new events every week. But somehow have no time left to tackle the biggest problem this zone has to face with: getting new people to stick around.
Distension is by far the worst example of how staff + coders have lost track of what they should be doing for this zone. The time that's been put into creating this is beyond ridiculous. And even worse, unlike most events that already stray from TW's settings, Distension offers a complete new kind of game. It tries to make TW into something it isn't, more like a WoW-type of game.
The beauty of this game is that you become good because you master it's gameplay. This should never become a game in which you become 'good' because you put in more tedious hours of play than a guy who is 10 times more talented than you. Here experience actually comes from playing vs better players and in bigger and more important matches, with TWL-playoffs/finals probably being the highest level you can get too, which is also well reflected in the attendance these matches draw.
I think it would've made more sense to have Distension as a separate zone. Also the time that was spend on making it, should've been first spend on fixing our biggest problems; a lack of tutorial arena + new players are dropped in Pubs that in no way reflect the beauty of this game.


Probably posted this in the wrong thread, but w/e.


Ps. If TW still had easily 600+ people playing daily and distension wouldn't be fucking up our billing server, I'd honestly wouldn't care one bit if it's around or not, but right now TW has a declining population, and if staff +coders decide to keep it their mission to divide that population with offering an endless amount of side-games, we'll just keep going in the wrong direction.
Pps. Anyway, Gdug from what I understand, Distension was quite a creation, I've no doubt whoever codes these things is talented, so if it's finally finished, think about making a tutorial for TW your next goal. Pretty please.

[roxxkatt]

fyi: if distension gets its own zone, tw will die.

[HateTheFake]

fyi: if distension gets its own zone, tw will die.

Not if we get more people to join tw with advertisements!

[Zeebu]

fyi: if distension gets its own zone, tw will die.

bullshit

i call big stinky bullshit


edit:

well, if you allow distension to become the zone by allowing it free reign yes, it will probably kill tw if you remove it. if tw turns into distension, i dont think i could play this game anymore.


dont give it that option. it is far too different from the rest of tw; so get it out of the zone.

bram put it very well.

[2kill]

okay distension haters need to stop listening to extreme distension players... read dug's post

• Distension will NOT be pub

• Distension will NOT "become" TW

• Distension will WORK with events

there is a balance out there that we are trying to reach. distension players are not trying to kill tw or ruin everyones arenas. we just want to play the new game on the block and enjoy ourself which is kind of the reason you come on a game.

as stargazer put it himself

If you do the math. The schedule has been SLASHED over half from the previous one 55 hours. We now have it hosted 26 hours a week MAXIMUM.

So lets be patient. Lets be logical about this. And remember... The distensionites have given up over 50% of their fun for the zone. The least the zone can do for them is let them play when it IS the time.

as well distension will NOT be hosted during twl possiblly even before it won't.

in the spirt of this thread we are trying to find common ground work with us

2kill