A Phoolz' Match Issue 6
Posted by: Cheese @ 2002-04-18 13:13:13

Commentary by +Cheese+

Sorry it's been so long since the last update, folks. I continue to be busy, which is a good thing, but obviously detracts from my time spent writing. Alright, no cheers - at least pretend that you enjoy reading my rantings! Actually, I have noticed that a lot of people are reading this article, and for that I am truly grateful. It's nice to know that there are those out there who will take the time to read, whether the readers agree with what I'm saying or not. I have an announcement to make. I will no longer be covering the GLeagues matches at this point in time. I had to find a way to cut some time, and that actually took up an awful lot of time. I figure that those who are involved pretty much know what's going on, and those that aren't probably don't much care. Most of the feedback I receive about my article is related to my commentary - with the one exception of a month or so ago when a sentence I wrote fueled a feud that lasted for a week or two and got a lot of people pissed off - when it shouldn't have. If I have judged the interest in gLEagues coverage incorrectly, let me know - and if you want it back, I'll think about it. In the meantime, how's everyone's thinking about Red Faction? Cheats abound, the number of servers drop daily, the Volition Bulletin Board is shut down, and even Farslayer's server no longer operates. Is Red Faction dead (or dying)? Maybe. After all, it must happen sometime. I don't think anyone still plays Doom any more (at least not that they'd admit). Doom 2, maybe (hehe). But the truth is, all good things must come to an end. The main question here: how long will Red Faction continue to be around as a game that more than just a handful of die hards play? Personally, I think Red Faction has one of the best multiplayer versions going. The cheaters are a problem, but that can be dealt with (of course, if RF is in decline, maybe they'll give up and go somewhere else!). Other than that, I've found nothing else that really whets my whistle as greatly. Let's look at what's out there. RTCW - too stodgy, slow movement. I absolutely despise the interface. Medal of Honor - not bad, but more realistic than a fun game, it just feels a little more serious. I do think this could be a serious contender as a replacement for some who play RF (myself included) but I just don't like it as much. Ghost Recon - too hard (at least at first). Not enough people playing. I don't want to have to think so hard that sweat pops out of my forehead while I'm playing (keyword there). C&C Renegade - Not bad. It has real problems with server connections (even the new patch, which I downloaded last night, and mentions that it fixed some server issues, still jerks you all over the place on bad servers) sometimes, but the gameplay is fun. I really love getting in the Mammoth Tank on the GDI side - every blast shooting out the double barrels seems like it can be felt coursing through my body! I have yet to play the new Jedi Knight app, but I've already heard some bad things about it. I hold judgement until I've actually played it. Of course, we're all waiting with baited breath for the new Unreal Tournament...and that will probably be the final death blow, if it's as good as their pre-release teasing says. Truth is, I just don't see all that much out there that compares as favorably with the better aspects of RF at this point in time. Having said that, I bow to the inevitable. There are people out there who like other types of games. Not everyone shares my opinion of RF's good qualities, and see too many bad qualities (such as the cheaters). I can understand that. Too many people are also simply becoming bored, either because they are too good, or because they are not good enough, or because they are tired of playing the same freaking maps all the time (of course, there's a cure for the latter). I do think that the clan play is the last thing to keep mainstream RF alive. Oh, there will always be those few people who will continue to play. As an example, just for kicks, I installed Quake 3 Arena a month or two ago. People are still playing it! Can you believe it? I remember when I thought that was so hot, and in looking for something different, I went ahead and played it lately. My god, the sounds and the graphics actually suck! The weapons don't feel good. And so on. But people still play. I want RF to continue longer. The graphics are still first-rate. The sounds are still good (though not as good as Medal Of Honor or Ghost Recon). I can still feel the Assault rifle bucking against my shoulder as I take the other guy down. The HMG still shakes, rattles and rolls. If Clan play is what will help keep RF around a little longer, then let's encourage it. I think we are too small of a community at this time to have differences which set us at each other's throat. We should be rivals, obviously, but we should not let the rivalries turn into hate and anger. If we all get along, we'll take that attitude into our gameplay as well and RF will be much more fun. As long as we're all having fun, we have less incentive to leave RF. Maybe. It's time for people to stop looking at the other guys as enemies and embrace them as fellow RF players. BTW - I hold my current opinion based largely on what my wife and best friend (|NERV|cece) has been espousing for some time now. I thought I'd use this space to further such good sentiments. So what can we do to keep things going longer, other than just be nice to one another? There are a few suggestions on the table. Most of these take care of certain aspects of the cheater problem. For example, one suggestion is to have some sort of centralized place that players can go to and register. Once they are thought of well, they will be given the passwords to whatever locked servers are participating. Another possibility would be to have certain clans share passwords to their servers and mix it up. We already do that ourselves with DNR and sometimes some NERV folk (including my honey). The main problem I see with those solutions is that they may tend to isolate people. Clans will play with other clans and become a smaller and smaller circle. If you belong to a board that shares passwords with other people (clans and non-clan members), then you will tend to gravitate to those servers all of the time. The effective community will become smaller and more isolated. As far as maps go, there's a lot that can be done there. We need some sort of central clearing house, though - with VBB and Farslayer down, that takes a lot of the centricity that used to exist in the RF community. Most of the stuff that is now up is directly clan-related. Check out olski.com, which is a non-clan affiliated gaming website just starting up. This is being run by |NERV|WhoDaresWins. He hopes to have something more central to the gaming community, and this could be a good place for RF people to gravitate towards in terms of centralizing the community. Sites like this can continue to host map packs, and we may even be able to standardize those a little. If anyone knows of other "central" boards like this, let me know. Who's board is still in its infancy, but it does have a forum, and all it takes is YOU to make it active. Something else with maps - what about a contest? What if we were to start a contest for map makers, had an independent team of judges that judged for certain aspects of map-making? Maybe the entrants would have to contribute a small amount of money (say $5.00 - unless we could get someone commercially to sponsor this) and the winner goes home with the prize money? If we could get enough interest, I guarantee we could come up with some seriously new and inventive map packs, not just some of the crap that floats around. Anyway, I'd love some feedback on the problem. Everyone start coming up with ideas on how we can keep RF alive a little longer.