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You didn’t understand... for soviet this is actually a major disadvantage you give the allies an early spy sat to stop any rushes you force the soviet player to depend on protecting the spy sat otherwise they are fucked its easy for the allied player to kill the soviets spy satellite so soviets are screwed on a map that already favors allies strongly besides its useless in ava games other than giving everyone a free map hack and making the game too easy

Yup spy satellites ruin the map. Cant do any proper rush against them and such. As a soviet player i have no problem playing without it and in some respects actually prefer no spy sat as it becomes a big problem if it dies and as you so eloquently stated... the allies can kill it rather easy with planes while the soviets dont have tge capacity to rebuild it...

Absolutely, I don't see why not. On my #1 wish, I don't think it would be hard to allow people to log into the lobby and thus have a lobby-rank interface where ranks are shown in the lobby, badges are shown in the lobby, and users can host their own tournament games. Get it done admins! That'd be sweet. You already have the badge images from old YR WOL :D. I would QM SIGNIFICANTLY more if I knew my rank was shown in lobby and badges accumulated. There would also be 100's more tournament games with people opening their own ranked games.

For 6) yes I mean the Ra2 Mode. for 8 no I didn't know, that's a nice option, thanks. I think our communities focus should be in #1. Integrating ladder with lobby should make #2 easily possible and should set the groundwork for a clan system. Thank you for the reply, I hope there's still work being done on number 1.

OP, not trying to be a douchebag to you, but take it from someone who has literally played over 100,000 games of ra2/yr (probably much more)... You are coming off sounding like a newb. You are complaining about people knowing the maps better than you, knowing how to kill you fastly, and using teamwork in free for all against you. If you were a more skilled player you'd be able to stop all of these actions. Want to learn? There's many ways to do so and we have many talented players here. IF not, then just host your own games.

@RaVaGe and Cypher had some excellent suggestions here. The map is well polished and with those suggestions I think it can be a new (cooler) version of Tsunami. I also hate maps that give free spy satellites to players. Nice work.

Thanks for the replies! @dkeeton @Grant I know you guys are busy, but may I request any updates on a few of these: - I think the easiest is the chat lobby, what do you think about making the chat more inviting with some of the suggestions? - I know this is a long shot as it will require an extensive amount of work, but is there any work/thoughts going on with streamlining the QM/Ladder system with the CNCNet lobby? (I.e: Badges/Ranks that show up IN the lobby, Hosting one's own Ladder games). It would be incredible to get this going, although admitedly I'm not sure how it could be done since the Ladder requires an E-mail log on while the lobby doesn't. Perhaps if you signed into the lobby with your e-mail verified account, you can have badges/ranks shown and host your own tournament games while those on un-verified accounts won't have that access? Anyway, as always -- thanks for everything :D.

For your first idea that could be covered in #10 -- more options like Tech Level. For your second idea -- the random map generator was a part of the original product Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revenge. I loved that part. I wonder where it went. Would be a nice idea.

For sure that would occur, but that has always occurred in clan ladders and Ra2 QM ladder. It promotes activity from a subset that wouldn't normally enter QM. In general, it has a very low affect on the top 10 outcome, sure a random newb might one-map or newb bash his way to the top 20 or so, but who cares -- it'd be pretty easy to rank bust him if need be. I'd take the increased activity (which I think there would be a ton of, since CNCNet is filled with players who don't know how to QM, but know how to play a few maps/settings) over the fact that a few lower skilled players would reach a respectable rank.

Bump, opinions

1. Integrated ranking/badge system with the lobby This would be the biggest help possible. As it stands, the current ladder is nothing but a system to set up semi competitive 1on1 games where the ladder winner isn't really known. With a ranking system integrated in the lobby, the entire CNCNet universe will want to gain rank/gain badges. This would increase ladder activity likely by 2x or more. This goes hand in hand with item #2 as there needs to be a way to integrate everything into the lobby. 2. Hosting own Ladder games and clan games This is important as players don't always want to play randomized match ups in QM. It also helps players who are very sensitive towards playing against yuri, or playing with supers on. This would allow players to play at their level and pace further increasing activity on the ladder as it opens it up to all strategies. Additionally, this is a necessary step towards creating the clan ladder. 3. Clan system Everybody's favorite wish. We all want a system that lets us group together and take on other groups. This combined with #2 would give CNCNet a new population of players. I'd venture to say around 100 active players would join the ladder due to this. Possibly more. 4. Fixed QM ladder bugs A big problem with the QM ladder is the games that get recorded when you don't even play, or disconnects occurring causing random wins/loses. Also the win % statistic is messed up and not real due to DC wins/losses. 5. Weekly or Monthly Game Patches (and an update patch) We need to emulate modern games like Fortnite that patch their base game on a weekly basis. First, we need to give this game a much needed initial patch that beefs up different factions like Russia, Cuba, Germany, etc. Also, we could patch yuri. Then, on a weekly basis we could introduce a new unit, or a new tweek to the game like Fortnite does. This would be quite spectacular if done right. 6. Ra2 Ladder A Ra2 ladder would be nice and not too hard to implement, methinks. It would be cool to gain badges (#1) based on RA2 and YR ladder. (Badges to be displayed in lobby). 7. A quick-match Clan based system This would be cool where you could enter a random system with a clan mate and get faced up against other clans doing the same thing (similar to the current QM system). This has never been done before, so it would be very different. 8. Better lobby chat interface The chat lobby is pretty dead right now. I personally don't like how it announces when users leave CNCNet or enter CNCNet. That breaks up any sort of chat conversations. Make it more inviting to chat. 9. integrated paging system using when typing similar to WOL/XWIS "/u Hi" or /page iwin4prep hello This was very helpful when you were paging multiple players especially when you are in game. As it stands, you can't receive or send messages during game. It would be nice to be able to page during game to set up future events. 10. More options in game like "no spy" Overall CNCNet has revolutionized YR/Ra2 with it's many options, but there's still some options left out that could be useful for FFGs. One in particular is the no spy option. This would make big massive FFGs more enjoyable as players can't prey on the weak by spying the weak and ruining the game. Other useful options exist.

Sorry, not going to happen. There's just no interest. Thank you for replying tho.

@TrainerWroyceWelcome to the board and nice to have you back after 6 years! However, I have reasonable doubts on much of what you stated here. First point about anti-tank/structure is fine. However, yuri is NOT weak against air units. In fact, they are wayyy overpowered in the anti-air department. Gattling tanks and Gattling cannons mow down pretty much every unit you listed. Not sure how relying on mind control units is a weakness. I understand your point that there is chaos, but that is yuri's game play and more often then not, it's a major strength. Weak navy may be true but only in the limit as time increases far into the future. Yuri has by far the strongest navy in the most important time of the game (the first 5 minutes). Yuri has the only navy unit that can take out an entire opponent with a rush within 2/3 minutes thus making water maps unplayable against yuri. That's pretty much all that's needed. Allies: Pillbox/Patriot/Prism Tower, Soviets: Sentry/Flak Cannon/ Tesla coil, Yuri: Gattling Cannon, Psykik Tower While Yuri's lack of a $500 defensive structure is harmful for them, they make it up by having a defensive structure that is both ground and air in one. Also, the psykik tower is incredibly powerful in stopping any rush as opposed to the Tesla coil or prism tower which can't stop an aggressive early game rush. Slaves are very reliable and the slave miner is likely the best economic object in the game as it transports itself anywhere on the field and also has a weapon attached to it. Also, has insane building health. I would not call it a weakness.

Lasher's get owned, magnetrons are extremely delicate and slow (i.e. take forever to kill a structure). Disks are the only fast option to kill structures equivalent to the soviets Rhinos and of course the allied tech force of prisms just destroy the base in seconds. When I'm yuri, my biggest problem is usually finding ways to quickly own the opponents structures. Outside of Yuri prime somehow owning the entire base, there isn't many options. Of course the response can be that it's a different gameplay, but still need something like the Discs.

In competitive 1-on-1 gameplay such as the Quick Match ladder on CNCNet we have to manually alter what maps the Yuri faction can be played on. This is for a few reasons: 1: Yuri's boomer rush ability allows them to destroy an opponents base on almost all water maps in a very quick and unfair amount of time. It's brutally hard to stop in a 1on1 scenario. 2: Yuri's initiates garrision strength makes facing off against yuri on City maps with lots of garrisons also very unfair. A few initiates in a building is an impenetrable early defense and just not right. 3: Maps with tons of pinch points/cliff spots give Yuri an unfair advantage since magnetrons can sit there and own the critical points. Looking at BIG 6/8 player maps, most big maps have either Water, or tons of garrisionable buildings, or tons of easy cliff clinch points. Not many big maps work well against Yuri. You can think about Sedona pass and all the cliffs it has or East vs. Best with the cliffs or Bay of Pigs with the water boomer rush. etc. I'm not sure what the best route is to fix yuri, but the problem with nerfing Discs is that Discs are yuri's primary unit to kill an opponent's base. Yuri needs *something* to destroy an opponents base. It's all a delicate balance. Perhaps their auto-heal feature is unfair.

A FFA game has many more variables involved. I would say just make sure you apply pressure to the yuri player early on if at all possible. The other problem with FFA and Yuri that leads me to believe that you are playing with yuri on the larger maps that aren't really 'balanced' or fair to face off against yuri on. So, you are at a high disadvantage. Usually when I play FFG's and yuri is chosen or picked at random, most the other users in the game tend to try to attack him first. That usually works out pretty well. The biggest problem for yuri players in FFA is trying to kill an enemy. They don't have a strong attack force (to kill enemy's base) and if they take their army out of their base then they will be vulnerable by attacks from other players. The one tactic to look out for is the floating discs. If they amass a large army of discs then they can attack enemy's at will and run away with the healing discs and still leave their main army at their base for protection. That's pretty deadly, but that's also why you try to put pressure on them early in the FFA so they can't get the army of discs.

Yeah -- there's no demand for this style of tournament, not going to happen guys!

Yuri's one true weakness is the early game scouting and inability to acquire tech buildings. Of course, as soon as they get a gattling tank that inability goes away, or, if they spend a sufficient amount of money to acquire the techs they can. Still, scouting remains a big problem for Yuri and rightfully so. Other weakness: Yuri has a really hard time applying pressure to structures early. It's hard for Yuri to kill your base with any sort of rush. That's why as soviets it's often best to go 2-3 miners from war, build to tech and neglect rhinos early on. There's not much yuri can do to kill your base early on... a few desos and yuri is forced to go away.

Mr. Rank 1 is a nickname Tomi either gave to himself or acquired. On the ladder we have: https://ladder.cncnet.org/ladder/12-2018/yr/player/MrRank1 My guess is that it is not Tomi, but who knows.

For this tournament, @a1nthony was willing to put up some money, however, I was just trying to gauge some interest first. Interest seems completely null, which is sad :(.

Not a lot of responses unfortunately. Doesn't seem others are interested, even in a quick format. Woulda been a lot of fun! Could of had some randomized things to make it more interesting rather than super competitive.

Nice job Zain with the tournament. Max and Matt continue to show why they are the best duo team around for the past 5 years.

I'm interested in setting up a singles tournament here with the winter breaks. The settings of the tournament are not yet set in stone, however @a1nthony had plenty of ideas for this. For now, I'm looking for people who would want to do this. The idea would be to get 16 players for a singles bracket where the first few rounds are quick... maybe best of 3 or so. We have fun, GG's and then have a good finals for viewing. Any interest?

Huh? I'm all for X-mas holiday tournaments, but who is looking for tournaments? I'd love to host a good ole 1on1 tournament, @a1nthony wanted to promote one. Is there any other interest?

Also note that Mustache's assertion is simply wrong. You can't force players to play, and it's not a 1:1 ratio in terms of skill. If I played serious as soviets, I'd likely make top 5. If I tried to play serious as Yuri, I'd probably sit around 10-15 range. Does that prove the point that Yuri isn't OP? Hell no. Why? Because Yuri takes a different skill-set. I've not practiced that type of skill in likely 10+ years. The game does have certain players that are somewhat skilled in yuri warfare. Andy is the obvious one that comes to mind, but also Leo and Reano are there too. And as stated in other posts -- there just isn't many yuri players around due to the climate of the last 10 years on this game... there hasn't been grounds available to play as yuri for most players. However, it's still worth patching and looking into due to already established reasons.