Mastermode is good for once the game is going, to keep others out. While the game is still coming together, I think it could go badly with no password.
Suppose you want to start a match, so you tell a couple of people to /connect wha.tev.er. So now you're on a server that reports to the master list and has no password, and you don't set mastermode match yet, because you don't yet have everyone there. Unarmed F. Noobie sees it and decides that TDM Aqueous sounds pretty fun to play, and now you have to deal with getting rid of him and all the other randoms joining in because it looks like a pub game if you don't stop to read the whole server description. So that's a pain in the ass at best, and at worst you have to use admin to fix things and then people whine about that and nobody has a good time.
Suppose instead that you still have the server on the master list, except now you have the usual password of "match" on it. Randoms trying to join what looks like a pub won't get in, while those who are supposed to be there will have no problem. People won't be able to click to connect, but the target audience will quickly figure out why, and they'll know what to do if they want to use that server for a match.
The other way is to keep the server off the master list and have no password. That way you can have an easy /connect, but I prefer the master list advertising space. :P
Suppose you want to start a match, so you tell a couple of people to /connect wha.tev.er. So now you're on a server that reports to the master list and has no password, and you don't set mastermode match yet, because you don't yet have everyone there. Unarmed F. Noobie sees it and decides that TDM Aqueous sounds pretty fun to play, and now you have to deal with getting rid of him and all the other randoms joining in because it looks like a pub game if you don't stop to read the whole server description. So that's a pain in the ass at best, and at worst you have to use admin to fix things and then people whine about that and nobody has a good time.
Suppose instead that you still have the server on the master list, except now you have the usual password of "match" on it. Randoms trying to join what looks like a pub won't get in, while those who are supposed to be there will have no problem. People won't be able to click to connect, but the target audience will quickly figure out why, and they'll know what to do if they want to use that server for a match.
The other way is to keep the server off the master list and have no password. That way you can have an easy /connect, but I prefer the master list advertising space. :P