Ok, given the way the game is played, the lobby system *does* make the most sense. You want to be able to connect with all of your friends at the same time. The server browser can't really give you this option unless everyone is in a ventrilo channel relaying to each other which server they are planning on connecting to.
The solution I would pose is: Keep the lobby system. Allow a lobby to just connect to an official server or best available server, but also offer the lobby leader the option of browsing the servers manually. Have it so the leader can pop up the server browser, with only servers that are in hibernate mode listed. Then, the lobby leader can choose a server that has a decent ping, with whatever plugins and addons they like (or none if they choose to). Has anyone at valve looked into this? I mean, the server browser is how every other game out there works... it's not like the people who play left 4 dead are driveling idiots who can't figure out which server would be the best for them. Also, allow them to put servers that work well for them consistently in a favorites tab just like with TF2. The way the lobby system works now is kind of an insult to our intelligence. It would also make it easier for people like me, who are members of a gaming community that would like to branch out into running L4D servers (we do run one) to make sure we get connected to our own server. The way the sv_search_key thing works, you have to have a copy of HLSW up so you can make sure the server doesn't have people on it before you connect. We pay for a dedicated box through our GSP, so we can run whatever we want within the limits of the hardware and bandwidth, so I could care less whether our L4D server stays empty all the time. Our bread and butter is TF2. But since L4D came out, a lot of our members have gotten really into the game, myself included, and so it's nice to have an empty L4D server laying around with pings that we have all been extremely happy with from our TF2 servers. Teaching people the little search key hacks you have to pull to allow them to connect to our server is a lot of work. Not everyone is very technical when it comes to this stuff, but everyone is used to the server browser. If they aren't, they could still choose to just connect to the nearest valve box. Just my two cents. Patrick Shelley wrote: > Do Valve host any UK servers? > > I've been tossed into servers where my ping is way higher than normal just > of late. > > What determines the connection?? The lobby leaders locale? > > Cos each time i opt for a pub lobby, and i start seeing russian names, i > know im in for a shit pinging so i leave quick sharp. > > I was never any good at geography, but russians shoudnt be classed as > european? Im not getting poitical here, just trying to understand the > connection procedure. > > sv_region 3 = europe? Then i think this should be narrowed down a little > more as im in the UK - im sure that wouldnt be too hard for the boys? > > Narrowing it down a bit would certainly help UK gamers (and french, and > germans etc etc ) - ive convinced 7 friends of mine to buy this game, and > when they experience a shit server they all come after me and slap me with > rubber chickens. Its not nice. > > On Mon, Mar 16, 2009 at 12:23 AM, Richard Eid <[email protected]> wrote: > _______________________________________________ To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, please visit: http://list.valvesoftware.com/mailman/listinfo/hlds
