24 Dec 11, 06:31PM
(This post was last modified: 24 Dec 11, 11:31PM by MasterKaen.)
I'm about to beat a dead horse, please brace yourself. I don't make a habit of bludgeoning deceased ungulates, but this one could do with a few more whacks.
I'll start by saying that I hate @camper style map (or any gimmicky maps of that style); I don't play them, and I don't allow them on my servers. I would continue by saying I think that these map restrictions are a bad idea.
The goal of the map restrictions (as far as I can fathom) is to improve the quality of the pubbing experience by disallowing this style of map via some (IMO arbitrary) mathematical restrictions on the construction of the maps. I consider this unnecessary, and actually potentially damaging to the AC community.
First, why it's unnecessary:
Ultimately the pubbing AC biosphere consists of two fundamental parts: players and server owners/admins. These two groups work/compete to determine the set of maps and modes which are publicly played by the AC community at large. The server owners control the maprot and command line switches which determine the maps and modes which the server will play by its own volition or allow through voting and possibly player uploads. Players then determine which of the maps within this set to play through voting, or through joining servers playing maps/modes they find interesting.
My point in this is to demonstrate that there already exist two mechanisms for culling bad maps from public play. By simply leveraging these two mechanisms, we (as the AC community at large) can indirectly influence the maps that get played, and do so in a very natural way.
All we'd have to do is work on cultivating a specific culture of admins and players. Server admins who have respect for AC mechanics and gameplay, and players who are critical consumers of AC maps, and who judge them based on a set of informed criteria which are in line with the developers' goal/vision for the gameplay. How this is to be done deserves another thread on its own, but it is well within the realm of possibility.
Additionally, having @camper style maps available to play does absolutely no intrinsic harm to the AC community. Period. First, they're sorted below official maps in the server list (an excellent way of skewing a newcomer's decision towards official maps, IMO). Secondly, people looking for the type of gameplay AC provides will quickly recognize them as garbage, and join another server playing an official map (i.e. one at the top of the serverlist). Third, experienced players have preferred servers, often with reasonable admins, and as such are never forced to play on @camper or similar garbage maps.
Now, to explain why I consider the limits to be damaging:
Essentially, I believe that creative restrictions in any form are bad for any given art. I include AC mapping in this. These restrictions will only motivate people making garbage maps to find ways to circumvent them. Furthermore, they will only serve as barriers to people interested in making unique maps that legitimately consider AC style gameplay. This is counter-productive to having high quality maps, since you need a large number of producers and products, filtered by the critical consumers I mentioned earlier, to have a vibrant artistic ecosystem (of good maps that people enjoy playing).
TL;DR:
Map restrictions are unnecessary and damaging, and we should rely on the members of the AC community to control map quality.
Thanks.
I'll start by saying that I hate @camper style map (or any gimmicky maps of that style); I don't play them, and I don't allow them on my servers. I would continue by saying I think that these map restrictions are a bad idea.
The goal of the map restrictions (as far as I can fathom) is to improve the quality of the pubbing experience by disallowing this style of map via some (IMO arbitrary) mathematical restrictions on the construction of the maps. I consider this unnecessary, and actually potentially damaging to the AC community.
First, why it's unnecessary:
Ultimately the pubbing AC biosphere consists of two fundamental parts: players and server owners/admins. These two groups work/compete to determine the set of maps and modes which are publicly played by the AC community at large. The server owners control the maprot and command line switches which determine the maps and modes which the server will play by its own volition or allow through voting and possibly player uploads. Players then determine which of the maps within this set to play through voting, or through joining servers playing maps/modes they find interesting.
My point in this is to demonstrate that there already exist two mechanisms for culling bad maps from public play. By simply leveraging these two mechanisms, we (as the AC community at large) can indirectly influence the maps that get played, and do so in a very natural way.
All we'd have to do is work on cultivating a specific culture of admins and players. Server admins who have respect for AC mechanics and gameplay, and players who are critical consumers of AC maps, and who judge them based on a set of informed criteria which are in line with the developers' goal/vision for the gameplay. How this is to be done deserves another thread on its own, but it is well within the realm of possibility.
Additionally, having @camper style maps available to play does absolutely no intrinsic harm to the AC community. Period. First, they're sorted below official maps in the server list (an excellent way of skewing a newcomer's decision towards official maps, IMO). Secondly, people looking for the type of gameplay AC provides will quickly recognize them as garbage, and join another server playing an official map (i.e. one at the top of the serverlist). Third, experienced players have preferred servers, often with reasonable admins, and as such are never forced to play on @camper or similar garbage maps.
Now, to explain why I consider the limits to be damaging:
Essentially, I believe that creative restrictions in any form are bad for any given art. I include AC mapping in this. These restrictions will only motivate people making garbage maps to find ways to circumvent them. Furthermore, they will only serve as barriers to people interested in making unique maps that legitimately consider AC style gameplay. This is counter-productive to having high quality maps, since you need a large number of producers and products, filtered by the critical consumers I mentioned earlier, to have a vibrant artistic ecosystem (of good maps that people enjoy playing).
TL;DR:
Map restrictions are unnecessary and damaging, and we should rely on the members of the AC community to control map quality.
Thanks.