A New Use for Tac West [HLL] - (PROPOSAL)

[Noriega.D]

My thoughts and what I told my West Coast platoon:

1. Many of my west coasters get better ping on Tac East.

2. I can count the times we (1/B/2-7) have populated Tac West as a platoon on both hands, since furloug.

3. I have been a DI for a year and I have only given 4 BCs and BRs to players that were actively recruited from Tac West.

4. We are always recruiting, yes. With our platoon at 4 sections, It is safe to say we will be focusing on our current troopers and platoon cohesion as opposed to a recruiting drive.

5. I believe there would some type of test run.

I'm all for this idea..I find East can be so frustrating with the amount of new players not using comms or straight out ignoring any suggestions on a team based tactical FPS.

Make Tac West our noob friendly server move it to Central or East and make Tac East our level whatever server

 

[Lucas.A]

I think this is a wonderful idea and it would be cool to give it a trial run to see if it impacts the server popularity and if it works keep it going. Well written Leifried.R

 

[White.C]

I support the idea of a level-capped server. While others have covered most of the points, it's important to consider the impact of any changes on our EU members. If we transform our servers, we must ensure it doesn't exclude EU players. From what I understand, EU players might avoid the TAC West server due to high ping, so if we make one server newbie-friendly and another level-capped, we could inadvertently force EU players into one playstyle due to the unplayable ping on TAC West. We should consider this when planning server changes. Perhaps changing the provider, like we did for tac east, could be the solution here.

 

[Warren.G]

I'm all in support of this. I think it might make the most sense to move all of our servers to central so that our east and west coast folks have a more equitable experience for ping (and if you live in the Midwest you'll benefit). As for the EU players, do they play on our severs now?

If you're looking at this from a business standpoint, if you have an asset being unused and can repurpose it for a greater benefit then that decision just makes sense.

I think having a level capped server would also help prevent some of those pub stomp 15 minute games that occur so frequently simply because the player base can't fathom how to build garrisons or play defense. I would play on both but I would play on the uncapped server when I want to recruit or help players and on the capped server when I just wanna play a sweaty game with the fellas.

This makes sense. Let's try it.

 

[Feathers.A]

This is an amazing idea that I would love to see happen!

 

[Williamson.J]

I agree with giving this idea a go. I believe a level limit will attract more skilled players.

 

[Von Busch.M]

This is a great idea that I would like to to see happen. As Tac West stands, it feels like a ghost town wasting the time and money of our comrades here in this great community. If we want an active second public server for our AO, I believe Tac West can no longer stand as is. Weather that means making it Tac Central or East 2.0 electric boogaloo, it needs to change.

 

[Hermes.S]

Thanks Leif! Nice work. We've suggested things similar to this and we were constantly met with the excuse of "too much education or it would take too much" and typically from the same individual. Looking forward to the classes and such. Good initiative

 

[Ackerman.J]

I stand behind this!

 

[Rhodes.R]

Platoon leader of most of the EU folks in 2-7 here, I'll throw in our perspective:

TAC WEST is totally unplayable for us. Whatever is done with it, if it stays a west coast server, it will never be used by us. Moving it to somewhere in the central or eastern US and finding a new provider seems like a great idea to me, as we might actually get a chance to us it on occasion.

We do use TAC EAST very frequently, many of us attend (what is for us) late night TNT, and play on the servers all the time during the weekend. We also often pop the server earlier in the day. A lot of my EU guys have been looking for a more challenging and organized experiences as well, as we have begun attending events like Greyhound's Thursday Night Fights, and the European FNF circut. Having 7CAV option would be awesome. As an aside, many EU recuits do still get recruited from TAC EAST, so I would not recommend making EAST the leveled server, as it would severely hamper our efforts to recruit.

I would love to hear an S6 perspective as well, on the feasibility/ long term stability of CRCON as I believe this was a concern in the past. Overall this seems like a wonderful idea that i would support, save for level-locking TAC EAST.

 

[Berkowski.C]

Great idea and the responses are well thought out. Move the West server to Central or East and set the level to at least 25.

 

[Martinez.X]

I fully support this!!!

 

[Ashie.L]

Cav members span 10 time zones, from -8GMT to +2 GMT. That would put our median time zone between -3 and -4 GMT (the middle of the Atlantic). Perhaps it is bias, but being a member of D/2/E/2-7 which houses a large European contingent, time is an issue when it comes to Company wide events. Tac West sits at -8GMT, the far west extreme for the current Cav population, whereas Tac East sits at -5 GMT, far closer to the median. This effects a potential new players ping to the server, as well as, when the "uptime" of the server aligns with their personal schedule. This means that the window for uptime for most players in the Cav population currently, is far greater in Tac East than it would be in Tac West.

I believe we are all aware of CPL.Slagg and his dedication to acting as Cadre whenever he can regardless of time zone/ping etc. He is celebrated, as he should be for his incomparable dedication, beaming personality, and willingness to participate regardless of any of the aforementioned obstacles. He is a rare breed. His willingness and enjoyment of the game seemingly comes from a place that does not exist on "New player" servers. An understanding that communication & teamwork outweigh FPS skill and ability. It is what makes this game unique in the genre. It is also what makes "herding cats" so devastatingly painful.

D/2/E/2-7 recently had an issue with a new recruit where their inability to comprehend this basic aspect of the game led to his immediate dismissal. Yes, a lot of the communication issues were self inflicted, however, I believe he is a prime example of what the issue is: If recruitment into an organization where communication, teamwork and love of the game outweighs the skill of the individual, we need to be where the players are that EMBRACE that relationship. I, personally, believe those players are more likely to be found at the lvl25 - 500 range rather than the 1-25 range.

There are plenty of options for 1-25 or even 1-50 players have to learn the game and understand the mechanics. I find that, at the point of reaching lvl 25 - 50 where they either find that this game is for them or it isn't, as, this level is where they have tried all roles for the length of a typical game, 30min - 1hr, or have unlocked enough sub-roles that they have used most of the weapons the game offers. It is at this point where they usually realize, from a competitive standpoint, that this is all IRRELEVANT if they don't have a TEAM to work with and around them. This is the point where they seek to fill that void. This is where we come in. I don't believe you are limiting your clientele, but rather, recognizing a population with the need of your "product."

If the goal is recruiting players who are not only willing to join an organization who touts teamwork and communication above all else, but also STAY in that organization and become a beneficial member of that organization, I think the only alternative to a level cap, based on player population and server uptime, would be the implementation of a 3rd server either in the EU or Central time zones with a similar level cap. With that comes a financial burden and manhours of which, are beyond my comprehension. The pro, however, would be that this new server brings us closer to the game's overall concurrent player "uptime" by way of time zone, and finding the players who are seeking a new level of teamwork that blueberries just cannot provide on their own, PARTICULARLY in "New players welcome" labeled servers. By the time a player hits lvl 50, they tend to avoid these labeled servers altogether. I know I do.

 

[Ashie.L]

ESPT has 1 server, Garrisons and Whiskey. It's been level locked at 50+ since the game came out on Gamepass for PC. And it is ALWAYS full. I know firsthand of numerous vets of the game that quit playing simply because of the huge influx of noobs that knew nothing about the game and had no interest in learning the game mechanics. They just want to go off and do their own thing, and to hell with the team. Other communities are hesitant to level lock their servers, with the main argument being "noobs are the future of the game and we need to teach them." Except they have no interest in learning and get pretty toxic when you try to teach them. This usually results in quick steamroll games.
However, the opposite can be said with level locking the server. Due to servers like Bob the Builder, level means nothing. I played with a level 300 player that didn't know how to build a garrison. I know of another person that literally went from level 350 to 500 in just 10 days. Unfortunately, level does not equal game knowledge and experience.
That being said, I'm all in favor of trying out a 50+ level lock. Try it for a month or two and see what the results are. See how well it pops. Maybe even throw up a survey to judge what people think about the game experience. Were they the meat grinder sweaty games we are hoping for? Or were they 30 minute steamrolls?

They have excellent admin presence and their population is primarily comprised of players who want good games. They're one of my go-to's when looking for games with non-Cav members.

 

[Laui.M]

Make TAC West EU!

In all seriousness, I fully support this proposal. Quite a few of us are hungry for a good sweaty workout in 1/E, but like a few others have said, West is and would be unplayable for us. I'm all for it regardless of whether the server location moves, though; I believe it's a good move for the Cav as a whole and the alternative is an empty server anyway, so seems like a no-brainer. That said, my preference would, naturally, go to a server location move to something more eastern. Good post, good initiative. Consider me signed up if EU admin presence is a concern for this server.

 

[Crozier.N]

As one of the few players who probably have far better ping on west as opposed to east, I'd definitely be happy taking the ping hit if it means we have 2 active servers. As great as lower ping is, it doesn't really matter when only around 15 people (on the high end) use west. This may be because of average time that I personally am on, being around 5pm - 2 am EST.

However, with 2 servers running on a time zone that most of the Cav prefers, more Cav players could be in servers at once, which could facilitate recruitment on a larger scale. I know personally if I see that Tac East is full, I'll just close the game, since it's pretty much guaranteed that Tac West is empty.

In regards to a level limit, one of the things that I appreciate with the Cav is the prioritization of communication and teamwork, which while still something lower level players do utilize, a lot of lower level players are checking the game out for the first time (lots possibly coming from a more solo style game, where both factors are less important). Level caps could ensure veterancy within West, offering a 7Cav space for those who may be more focused on organized play, and who already dedicate time to HLL somewhat regularly. This could also be a way to deter some of the more "landslide" games, where due to a low level of experience, teams can be wiped by a team with more knowledgeable squad leads/commanders. This would of course be dependent on being able to attract players to the proper servers.

Honestly, doing anything with Tac West seems preferrable to keeping it as it is now, where most of the time it seems to just take up space on the server list. That's just my 2 cents though.

 

[Etoh.I]

There is nothing I love more than a logical, rational, and well organized idea brought to the people. Airing dirt laundry is one thing, but these are fresh pressed sheets and I couldn't be happier to see the care and effort used to start a productive conversation. Great work. Thank you for fostering this discussion Leifried.R!