An approach to fixing the player drought on TS

[MarcJ]

Hello everyone, you might know me online, in game as mjg, marcj, WinMX, etc. etc.

Anyway, I feel that Tiberian Sun is an awesome game even it being almost two decades old. It has great replay value great diversity in gameplay.

However, as much as this game may be 'awesome', the game cannot be felt in its' full glory without others to play with.  Our community has grown somewhat in the past months.

Our growth though, I feel, is being hindered by the overwhelming of new coming players.  Let me elaborate.

Most of us don't remember what its like to be new at TS.  How hectic it is managing all these units and task at once. It takes time to learn this game.  Step by step.

I remember how I found TS.  I downloaded the 42mb demo back in '01; two missions it had.  It was limited to GDI side and only allowed to build up to MRLS. I was hooked. Bought the game a few days later.

 

That was back then. What we have now, is straight to multiplayer TS.  Where the newbs get banned for not know how to play, and thus becoming discouraged in pursuing any further advancement in learning the game.  I mean that isnt fun.

You're a new player trying to experience the game, but it's mostly online play.  When you get online, you either get banned or owned. 

What I propose to somewhat increase player retention is having some sort of shortcut directly on the load up lobby for the Tiberian Sun Campaigns.

I know that they are available (and I'm not sure but I think they are an optional rather than a mandatory download).  If we had new players experience the campaigns before their online matches, it may help keep the new players.  The missions will serve as an intro to TS getting players familiar with the keyboard functions, unit control, building functions, among many other things that comprise the TS gameplay.  It would be nice to make the campaigns mandatory before online gameplay but that can get boring.  So creating a shortcut to them, and maybe including them in the TS download on CnCnet might have a strong impact on keeping new players, resulting in more games, better players, diversity, fun!

Let me know what you guys think.

mjg

 

 

Edit: Including this guide ( http://mjryder.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Tiberian-Sun-guide-v4-c-Mole40k-2013.pdf ) as a button shortcut on the main lobby would be very useful as well.

[Humble]

I think a big issue is that new comers habbitually join and want to play games with the better players and don't understand that they severly throw off and ruin said game.

 

Big maps like Forest Fires can work better if there are an even amount of newbs on each side.

 

The ability to select teams is nice, but try being host of a game and managing "team captains".

 

It's like watching Dumb and Dumber (the movie) and trying to pull teeth out of a lion at the same time.

 

If there was an option for the host to enable that would allow newbs to be chosen and would guarantee they are on opposite teams, this would help tons for maps like Forest Fires.

 

For example, if I have 8 player FF game up, and I have 4 total newbs and 4 total good players, I could check a box next to each of the 4 newbs, guaranteeing they are not all on the same side.

 

Besides this, I think newbs should play WESTWOOD maps with other newbs or players of similar skill level.

[fir3w0rx]

You can play and complete the single player campaign 100x and still not have a clue with how to play online vs real people. Maybe some of the more experienced TS players, from time to time and has the patience to train people, should log in with nicknames like:

 

TS_Coach

TS_Helper

TS_Buddy

(Don't use TS_Trainer because people will think that you're cheating!)

 

so that newbies know who to ask for advice. I think this would be a quicker way for people to improve than playing campaigns. And note that the quicker they improve, the sooner you can have decent games with them. They can of course watch YouTube vids, but without someone explaining how or why something is done, they can only get so far.

[ore_truck]

They don't welcome new players, they only care about winning. I remember having a new player on my team in red alert, I spent the whole game telling him what to do and we end up losing. I laughed and had a great time with him. But if winning is all I care, I would probably start cursing and insulting him.

[chill]

^ exactly

for some reason alot of people think because they know how to playa video game people should ride their dick or something...newsflash...being good at a video game isnt cool it is fun however have fun and be a grownup

[1337timmay]

being 1337 is not learnt it is something you are born with  :tibsun: :tibsun:

[chill]

so is being a 14 year old girl...log out next time so your little sister doesnt practice her leet speak under your name

[ore_truck]

being 1337 is not learnt it is something you are born with  :tibsun: :tibsun:

I would like to learn more about your species.

[1337timmay]

this is me playing ts

[rockshard]

The campaign doesn't teach you any keyboard functions. It's not like modern games that have tutorials or hints for everything. You wouldn't know the game has keyboard functions unless you check the options or manual. Also, I beat both Nod campaigns using only the mouse. In GDI i had to use force fire because one of the missions requires that you destroy 2 bridges.

 

Anyway, the online play doesn't seem fun to me. The game needs mods to make it more balanced and maybe less intense. An idea I had was the game starts at tech 1, every 3 minutes the tech goes up by 1, and each time this happens, every player get 10000. And structures have 0 build time. (the idea being that people would be willing to play at lower speed if you don't have to wait for each structure)

 

Also it's odd there isn't a setting to have map revealed or radar permanently on. (except during ion storms) The way I see it shroud reduces interaction between players. If you can't see them it's basically solitaire.

[Micro]

Great idea I think we should have newer maps also where new players can try and make it very basic something like bbg and call it newbs only . Look at players like kine and firestar both played bbg for ages now they are both good on most maps (obviously not on Westwood yet)

 

Modders can be the worse for welcoming, we all know. Nodrescue likes to stack teams in his favour and cry when he more than often dies but I've seen him get scouted because an allie made one mistake and ban that person lol.

 

There's a handful of Westwood players that are probably leagues above everyone else . Energy52, humble, benny,  stylwar. Now even if a medium player played with these the medium players team would almost always lose so maybe they can buddy up and show how to play