I was playing scrum the other day and found yet another invisible rock on a map that I had not found before. It cost me a score.

SO it got me to thinking... What if someone took one of the standard maps and added in a lot of invisble rocks. How many ? Enough so that driving straight to the scrum is a 50-50 proposition but not so many that you hit 10 or 12 on the way across the map.

This might be a good way of leveling out talented players advantage over others?

Also, imagine throwing this map into the mix rotation so that you are never truly sure which variation of the map you are on.

Example take the same lush map and create 10 versions of it all with different invisblu rocks. Making it very imporabable for anyone to learn/memorize all the hidden rock locations.

SO while playing you may find yourself thinking "Okay... Straight shot to the goal.. Noone is around.. Is this the one where ican go through the trees or the one wher I have to swing over by the grass patch...."

Essentially what this does is knocks down those who have memorized the map and drive well and brings up Average Joe.

"What do you think?"

I may cross post this in the Modding forums as well.

Sniper

Not a bad idea but I think if someone is going to put the effort into modifying a map, they should just make something completely new, a new great mod!

I can this scenario playing out for me personally. I would just get pissed off hitting invisible rocks just as I do when I'm smoking in BM but fail to see any bulletts hitting my tank.

Just my opinion. I've only run into two instances so far and didn't like either experience.

Napalm

It seems to me the difference between elite players and new players or good players, are the shooting skills and driving skills. Either you shoot good defenders out of the way or pre-wound "Good BM Scumers". Else, good driving skills/theft ability around the goal will rule. In an even playing field of vets. What seems to happen... You get the BM scummers equalizing the thiefs by keeping them out of play " keeping them dead/near Dead". Else you have vet players who can drive, not be bumped and react quickly with fast score strikes. If you put inviso-objects on the playing field randomly. The driver/quick reactors will still thrive. In even team games, the steals/stops make the
difference. In un-even skill games, the BM'ers can even out the playing field or make one sided games.

I believe with new players and vet mixed games. The BM guns rule the outcome. Placing objects in the way wont matter as there are no tank obsticales after BMers are finished. They walk in to the goal.

In my view of Team Scum league. The BM scum game seems to rule over the last few seasons. I believe the faster guns are in relation to differences in machine performance. To compete at the top level in leagues, requires later hardware "gun performance ". To make more even, I would think a mod where the gun aim is more like the first versions of ThinkTanks would be a better equalizer. That or providing more cover around goals "tree's , rocks, hills..

For red maps the X's, Kid's & Monkees seem to know the arrow pads well. Seems to be a lot of them on the mods. I don't think arrow pads are the best answer to stopping BM scum. As there are not enough red maps to make a fair playing field. Putting better cover, I think, would help a lot.

Last edited: Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 5:40:47 PM

Ditto Prey.
Perhaps servers should have a "TT Classic" option, wherein bullets fly as they used to and driving was more important than surviving the bloodbath (and the game was actually more entertaining).

I remember in the original version of TT that there were a lot more uncontested goals. I for one was very happy when aiming was improved.

I think it's a no win situation.

The last few nights I've played some late night scrum and witnessed many nice runs combined with some good old fisticuff battles. I was thinking about the above ideas and feel that more bloodbaths occur when the scrum spawns at or near the same place a goal was scored. I mean when the scrum spawns on the other side of the map after a goal the game becomes more fluid. I feel that scrum spawns dictate for the most part whether a game will be fluid or rugby like.

I add this: Is it possible to add a script that would shuffle teams at the start of each game? I think this would be a worthwhile tool. Possibly implementing it into the /codes would allow for admins or hosts to mix things up with ease.

Last edited: Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 11:54:01 AM

I think that's an awsome idea!

Napalm

Last edited: Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 11:36:18 AM

Ditto Rogue's last point about scrambling.
I've been suggesting this lately in the late night beat-downs: everyone-out and back-in, randomize things.
Another good server option.

I don't think it would equalize play, but it would make it much more fun...

Sluggy has been working on some kind of team shuffling script. He sent me some stuff but it was a little over me head! Maybe he will chime in.

I was thinking it could be an easy experiment to keep everything the same but increase the number of shots it takes to kill you and/or reduce the number of bullets you have. Would be easy to do I think and may be an intersting experiment to see how it affects play. This would have a major impact on 10 player indie scrum for sure.

Would cause more camping if overdone. The only reason people don't camp is because they have a chance to shoot the runner down if he gets past them. Without the ability to stop the runner from a distance no one would ever leave the goal.

I think a mod like that would probably just harm the noobs more. Veteran members aware of the invisi-rock phenomenon would quickly adjust to new obsticles no matter where they occur or how many you place on a map. Noobs, however, may be confused and frustated at not even being able to simply drive straight. The noob-verteran barrier is more likely to be less of a problem on terribly easy maps where freebees account for a large portion of the points (which no one wants to see). The best things noobs can do to get on the same playing field as the vets would be to play more and get better like everyone else has.

Last edited: Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 2:04:52 PM

I think that shuffling the teams is a great idea.... Putting invisible rock would be intresting but if there was too much rocks... It would be stressful. Scattering the rocks seems like a good idea. But not to many. B)

My thoughts exactly

The oldies like prey and ho complain about the increased BMing. I see their point as I was around back then (<= fall of 2003)

However, more camping just begs for more BMing. Throw in more obstacles and you get more lag, more camping, more BMing...

Gives the game more dependency on luck than is already there

B

That is a great idea! I think you also should put invisible jump pads so ppl will be racing and home free then suddenly they get air time and slows them donw a bit!
eagle

@Eagle... Have you played Sluggies mods? Fog, odd jumps near the goal & on re-spawn. No bullet cliff fall re-spawns. Fog that kills... Fog that doesn't. Light's that can't steer, heavies that turn on a dime... All quite a difference. I don't know that they actually equalize the playing field.

Last edited: Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 5:53:46 PM

KOOl! I want to play that mod!!!!!!!!!!!!!
eagle