On Thu, Feb 10, 2005 at 02:17:55PM -0500, Lance Vorgin wrote: > In every modified server I've been on (too many to count) it's the > server that's rightfully been blamed for the modifications to the mod > and not the mod or mod authors themselves. There's no way to stop > admins from changing pretty much anything about your mod's server and, > as stated, it's not an option to make anything important client side > (just play AVP2 for an example). In fact by trying to prevent people > from modifying your mod, you attract people excited by the challenge > [so to speak]. It's a bad idea not only because of the time it wastes, > but because it actually hurts the mod: if more people play on servers > with modified damage, then that's what people want to play. There will > always be classic servers as well, so why would you not want to give > people the opportunity to improve your mod? > > _______________________________________________ > To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, please > visit: > http://list.valvesoftware.com/mailman/listinfo/hlcoders >
I may be coming in on the middle of this discussion, but I believe I have a good answer to this question. When someone plays your game for the first time online, what will happen if they see people flying around and swinging off the walls, and if a pocket knife kills with one shot to the foot and the sniper rifle hits for 1 hp? I really don't trust server admins with knowing how to make a fun game. As a game designer, I would prefer that gameplay be consistent across all public servers so that players can hop from server to server without having to constantly adjust their playing style to whichever server they happen to be on. Otherwise, it becomes like HLDM or Unreal, or like how TFC is increasinly becoming: you can't seem to find a straight game anymore without all those hooks and mods and hookmods and super-awesome plugins that people love to install. CS on the other hand is fairly consistent across the board, and it's easy to find a server that fits your tastes. Now, that's not to say that people shouldn't be allowed to modify how the game plays at all. In fact, just as you say, total restriction of any type of modification will make people simply want to do it more. On the contrary, it is good to allow administrators to change the settings on their own server to customize the style of play they like, and then the popularity of their servers will dictate whether or not that server will survive. However, giving the admin too much freedom causes a pain in the neck of players who want a consistent way of playing the game. It's the players I'm thinking about here. In turn, when you make the game you should be especially in tune with what people want. If every server is hacking it up to put more damage in, then obviously people think your game would be more fun with more damage, so a damage hike is in order. Not listening to your players (who make your mod popular) is as dangerous as giving too much power to the admins. -- Jorge "Vino" Rodriguez _______________________________________________ To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, please visit: http://list.valvesoftware.com/mailman/listinfo/hlcoders
