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[aeolist]

and letting people run their own servers would solve a lot of the problem too, people who want to play CTF together would naturally gravitate to the servers that are set to run only that mode. communities would naturally form and sustain themselves, hell they might even grow and sell a few more copies of your game.

these guys really have no idea how to sustain a PC game

 

[MasterOfPastures]

It's a game developed for Consoles first. Matchmaking is the norm on consoles. End of story.
But, I'm sure Titanfall 2 is going to be a much better customizable experience.

 

[Sentenza]

How is that going to help?

So you can join an empty server and never have anyone join?

Let me explain you how server browsers (and community servers) work.
If there is a very small minority that wants to enjoy a specific game mode, these people can organize among themselves and create few servers which are constantly focused on that.
At that point how much they will play it or not will be just their fucking business, and none of yours (nor mine).

Do I need to stress how this is better than relying on the philosophical principle of "tyranny of the majority" and saying to people "You know, that mode you like isn't popular enough, so we are just going to strip it away from the game you bought"?

 

[Archaix]

and letting people run their own servers would solve a lot of the problem too, people who want to play CTF together would naturally gravitate to the servers that are set to run only that mode. communities would naturally form and sustain themselves, hell they might even grow and sell a few more copies of your game.

these guys really have no idea how to sustain a PC game

They've been working for Activision and now EA. The idea of "sustaining" a single game's population for more than 11 months would go over about as well as suggesting a diet of rat poison and cyanide pills.

 

[Crazy_Sunshine]

Glad to see that they are bringing back CFT. I thought it was the most enjoyable mode in Titanfall.

 

[shacklesmcgee]

holy shit i'm blown away you mean the thing i've been describing exactly with thinly veiled sarcasm this whole time is a real thing that actually exists?!

hahaha. No, no, that's a wikipedia page. It was obviously edited right before, because Dedicated Servers aren't real.

 

[EvB]

people want to play, just not enough that will wait forever to get a game. If there was a dedicated server of just ctf, people could join the game instantly

The reason people have to wait forever is because of 2 reasons.
There are only enough players to fill the games that are currently happening.
or
There are not enough players to play the mode.


Having a list of empty CTF game servers doesn't fix the root cause....not enough people wanted to play a playlist of pure CTF, hence why everyone played in the playlists which had it mixed in.

 

[Armaros]

and letting people run their own servers would solve a lot of the problem too, people who want to play CTF together would naturally gravitate to the servers that are set to run only that mode. communities would naturally form and sustain themselves, hell they might even grow and sell a few more copies of your game.

these guys really have no idea how to sustain a PC game

And it's hilarious considering they can see in real time, how active CoD4 is considering its age, the blueprint is right there, and what's more, they wrote it!

It seems they forgotten it all during their focus on consoles.

 

[Dr Dogg]

I remember when Battlefield used to let you either use a ranked server system or you could just go your own way and play with your friends and/or community in peace on your own hardware. Of course EA couldn't let that stand and while still touting "hey we still got dedicated servers on Bad Company 2" they were gated off to approved vendors only who also happened to change you an arm and a leg.

 

[rakkadakka]

Long post to say, we gave you suckers CTF back, now prove us wrong by actually playing it.

 

[Berna]

No, like, in my mind I'm invisioning something where like you can host a server on your computer and, like, you'd be listed in some sort of list of servers... or like people could type in your IP address or a domain or something to connect to you and you'd like put up a website on Geocities or something with your server info. This is pretty complex stuff, I'm not one of those computer geniuses. Any PhDs out there working on this problem?

Seems way too hard. If only the engine Respawn used as their source to develop their own engine for Titanfall had those thingamabobs built-in, like the engine CS:GO and TF2 use... oh well, I guess we'll have to live with matchmaking only.

 

[TTOOLL]

No, like, in my mind I'm invisioning something where like you can host a server on your computer and, like, you'd be listed in some sort of list of servers... or like people could type in your IP address or a domain or something to connect to you and you'd like put up a website on Geocities or something with your server info. This is pretty complex stuff, I'm not one of those computer geniuses. Any PhDs out there working on this problem?

I believe you're crazy sir.

 

[Deadbeat]

"Dedicated servers are a unnecessary feature in modern gaming"


"Dedicated Azure servers for matchmaking are amazing!!!!!"

Wouldn't it be hilarious if it were the same devs that flip flopped.

 

[SeventhSon]

Someone should invent a way for players to be able to, like, run their own servers so that developers don't need to worry about devoting resources to unpopular modes but players can still play whatever they enjoy. It's weird that online gaming has existed for so long and no one has ever managed to make this possible.

That's crazy moon man talk!

No, like, in my mind I'm invisioning something where like you can host a server on your computer and, like, you'd be listed in some sort of list of servers... or like people could type in your IP address or a domain or something to connect to you and you'd like put up a website on Geocities or something with your server info. This is pretty complex stuff, I'm not one of those computer geniuses. Any PhDs out there working on this problem?

The guys at NASA have more important things to do.

 

[ViviOggi]

Listen to the mad man, Respawn.

 

[EvB]

When The Cloud costs money for every server that's online or dormant, every gamemode and server count will be strictly analysed and anything unprofitable dropped.

Not at all. The servers get spun up as they are needed, the game mode or map is irrelevant.

 

[aeolist]

The reason people have to wait forever is because of 2 reasons.
There are only enough players to fill the games that are currently happening.
or
There are not enough players to play the mode.


Having a list of empty CTF game servers doesn't fix the root cause....not enough people wanted to play a playlist of pure CTF, hence why everyone played in the playlists which had it mixed in.

if there is seriously not enough people online at any given time to make a full 6v6 titanfall CTF match then there is nothing anyone can do to fix it beyond selling a lot more copies of the game, which isn't likely to happen at this point.

their solution (remove the mode) is shitty and customers were rightfully angry. having a server browser in and of itself will not make more people play but at the very least the mode would be available outside of private matches.

 

[Typomancer]

Definitely feel like the main reason people weren’t playing CTF was because you could bring a flag into your own Titan. That was the lamest thing that got patched out. Now that CTF is coming back, I’m gonna play it so damn much.

Only thing that could make CTF better, in my opinion, is making it so that explosives can’t be placed too close to the flag points. So cheesy how someone can just sit and wait to hear that their flag’s been taken, then immediately denote their satchel charge they placed in the room with the flag. As a flag runner, you just sort of have to take it, and it’s pretty frustrating.

Also, the begging for a server browser is not appealing. Browsing for a server is one of the things I hated about every Battlefield game. Just let me get in a game and get to playing and not have to worry about certain servers being full or getting banned from a server because an admin is shitty.

I like that I can get into a match fairly quickly in Titanfall, sometimes immediately when I chose the mode I want to play, and just play.

 

[SeventhSon]

By the way, I've never played TitanFall, but my understanding is that it has high speed movement and terrain traversal bordering on Quake III Arena (to paraphrase Shawn Elliott). It would seem CTF would be a great game mode for the mechanics... why isn't anyone playing it?

 

[hodgy100]

By the way, I've never played TitanFall, but my understanding is that it has high speed movement and terrain traversal bordering on Quake III Arena (to paraphrase Shawn Elliott). It would seem CTF would be a great game mode for the mechanics... why isn't anyone playing it?

It is one of the best modes in the game, but it was pretty unbalanced till a recent patch.

 

[Daemul]

Thank God they patched flags being able to be carried in Titans, I just have to wait for the update to come to the 360 and then I can play CTF again and actually enjoy it this time.

 

[Nome]

I don't understand.

If you join a server that is empty and nobody else wants to play that mode, why will people join?

Matchmaking culture and server list culture are very, very different.

When you have a server list with dedicated servers, the servers act as community hubs. They have their own group of regulars, their own rules, and their own culture. I spent the majority of my CoD games playing on a "tactical" server that didn't allow sprinting or blind grenade throws. You end up making a lot of friends this way, and it provides a level of familiarity and attachment that matchmaking will NEVER do. A CTF-only server will find its niche. Even if the server is empty, the regulars will fill it up every day.

 

[Delusibeta]

Fuck matchmaking for FPSes, unless you're the king of the tree (i.e. the latest iteration of CoD) your population won't be able to sustain automatic matchmaking, resulting in the sort of thing Respawn's doing. All first person shooters should have server browsers as a result.

 

[CouchMaster]

I remember KZ2 had like 200 players playing the game, but since you had server browser, you could find those 6 or 7 games immediately which had the entire population of KZ2. Then it was a matter of choosing which server you wanted to join based on pings.

 

[Turin Turambar]

It's all depends of how many people are playing the damn game.
I suspect it's a low number. The game can be a moderate success on xbox, but in pc it didn't click as well.Even more, I think it's a game lots of people left after the first month of play. So as I say, I think the number on pc has to be low.

Now divide that low number of concurrent players in between the number of data center regions. There are, how many, six regions? I'm not sure.

Now take that new number, and take only half of it, as the other half are people that are already playing a game in a full 6vs6 game, not searching in the lobby, They can't be accounted.

Now take the even smaller new number, and calculate 1%, as it seems that incredibly small proportion were the interested in CTF.

If there are, for example, 7500 concurrent players, the number of players searching for a CTF game or already playing a CTF game in a region could be as low as 6.


A server browser would help a bit, but don't think that's enough to reverse the trend of a dying multiplayer community that is more focused on TDM.

 

[JaggedSac]

People don't like waiting while staring at blank screen, dedicated servers removes this, thus more people will join/play.

There are kind souls that will pad their stats with flag captures in a 1 vs 0 game.

 

[Mrbob]

I appreciate the changes Respawn are attempting, but it is from a console point a view.

It's a game developed for Consoles first. Matchmaking is the norm on consoles. End of story.
But, I'm sure Titanfall 2 is going to be a much better customizable experience.

I don't expect it to be. TitanFall is a console game first and foremost. Respawn have a history of not caring about PC specific features post Modern Warfare. They are just trying to give the best console experience on PC.

 

[PAULINK]

Only thing that could make CTF better, in my opinion, is making it so that explosives can’t be placed too close to the flag points. So cheesy how someone can just sit and wait to hear that their flag’s been taken, then immediately denote their satchel charge they placed in the room with the flag. As a flag runner, you just sort of have to take it, and it’s pretty frustrating.

As a runner, you gotta be smart and clear the area. It is pretty frustrating, I agree, but a lot of times I blame myself. If it seems to easy, it probably is. throw some grenades to detonate that shit.

The solution respawn is implementing seems reasonable. Otherwise, you could always catch it in variety. That's where I like to play, rather than playing a same game type over and over.

 

[Sword Of Doom]

I think matchmaking across continents is needed for other game modes on PC as well. Not enough people playing this game

I remember KZ2 had like 200 players playing the game, but since you had server browser, you could find those 6 or 7 games immediately which had the entire population of KZ2. Then it was a matter of choosing which server you wanted to join based on pings.

yeah there needs to be a better way than what they're doing now cause it sucks to play a hard point match and then have to wait 10minutes for the next match. It completely ruins the experience

 

[Skyzard]

I think matchmaking across continents is needed for other game modes on PC as well. Not enough people playing this game

A real shame.

 

[SteveWinwood]

I can get all my achievements/trophies done in one day if that happens. We will just "arrange" it.

oh no not achievementz!!!11

 

[Mechazawa]

Server. Browser.

No one. Cares. About. CTF.

 

[SteveWinwood]

No one. Cares. About. CTF.

Well someone does. Even if it's 12 people they can make their own server to populate it instead of relying on a company to try and get them together if they all happen to queue in the same few minute window.

 

[EdReedFan20]

Someone should invent a way for players to be able to, like, run their own servers so that developers don't need to worry about devoting resources to unpopular modes but players can still play whatever they enjoy. It's weird that online gaming has existed for so long and no one has ever managed to make this possible.

I'm no expert when it comes to stuff like this, but this sounds exactly like what Warhawk on PS3 can do. Any PS3 can be used as a server (though, it's my understanding the person running the server can't join in to play). As far as I'm aware, as long as there is a working PS3 and a working copy of Warhawk, any game mode can be set-up.

 

[SwiftDeath]

Cool. It was a really odd move in the first place

 

[Salsa]

the blowback was pretty nuts so it's not surprising they compromised

still cant believe no server browsers

 

[Mechazawa]

Well someone does. Even if it's 12 people they can make their own server to populate it instead of relying on a company to try and get them together if they all happen to queue in the same few minute window.

If it's 12 people who know each other grouping up, they logically would've started their own private match.

If it's 12 people looking for a CTF match at slightly different times, it would've been the same effect: 1 or 2 people idling and waiting for others. The only difference I guess is whether you're idling within the server or a lobby.

I'll never support bringing server browsers back in favor of ditching whatever amount of team matchmaking/balancing Titanfall institutes and the ease of bringing friends along to play.

 

[Card Boy]

How is that going to help?

So you can join an empty server and never have anyone join?

maybe think with your brain first instead of just typing?

 

[AcceptableGhost]

Why do they hate server browsers so much?

If it's 12 people who know each other grouping up, they logically would've started their own private match.

If it's 12 people looking for a CTF match at slightly different times, it would've been the same effect: 1 or 2 people idling and waiting for others. The only difference I guess is whether you're idling within the server or a lobby.

I'll never support bringing server browsers back in favor of ditching whatever amount of team matchmaking/balancing Titanfall institutes and the ease of bringing friends along to play.

You can have server browsers + matchmaking as an option you know. Look at how Valve does it.

 

[Ziffles]

Why do they hate server browsers so much?

Less control of content I guess? It's so strange how certain publishers and devs are vehemently against any sort of consumer empowerment and go out of their way to prevent it, even at a cost to themselves.

 

[EmpReb]

Again I will say it again.... "GIVE US A SERVER BROSWER" That would be the solution and so MANY niche games on steam use one and they have small but alive communities. Blade Sympony is one such game and it would not survive under this stupid match maker but 'i am not peer to peer' bs. Fucking Server Browser respawn and we good.

 

[jakomocha]

Wasn't there another removed mode? I'm sorry, but I refuse to buy this game until I know that I'm getting the full promised content that is present in the console ports. It's ridiculous that it was removed in the first place, no matter how few people were playing it.

Hopefully this will bring some attention to the CTF mode though and more people will start playing it.

 

[SteveWinwood]

If it's 12 people who know each other grouping up, they logically would've started their own private match.

If it's 12 people looking for a CTF match at slightly different times, it would've been the same effect: 1 or 2 people idling and waiting for others. The only difference I guess is whether you're idling within the server or a lobby.

I'll never support bringing server browsers back in favor of ditching whatever amount of team matchmaking/balancing Titanfall institutes and the ease of bringing friends along to play.

Well in the first scenario none of this effects those people in the first place and the complaining still existed so it's obviously not a problem there.

In the second, it can be lots of fun waiting for people while you just practice and jump around while people stream in. Also people can play the mode to try it out in theory providing it a chance to grow in the future instead of a perpetual death spiral of never trying a gamemode because people never queue for it making it impossible to play... like this did.

You can have matchmaking and a server browser it's not hard.

At the end of the day more options are only a good thing. Modding, server browsers etc are only positives.

 

[KarmaCow]

So have they tried to understand why people don't want play CTF? They said they made a single change with flags and titans but is there any indication they're trying to figure out if there is a fundamental issue with how the mode works with the rest of the mechanics? With devs tweaking reload animations to the millisecond to make it feel correct it seems odd the solution was to simply rip ctf out.

 

[Armaros]

You can have matchmaking and a server browser it's not hard.

People only need to look at the top fps on steam to see it. Or how cod4 is still alive and kicking with a bigger population then Ghosts, pretty sure that's due to keeping PC fps features ala server browsers.

 

[TheSeks]

Server. Browser.

Second post nails it.

Axe the campaign mode. Give the two mechs given out in that shitty mode to everyone. Patch in server browser and more modes. BOOM. Game redeemed.

 

[SteveWinwood]

People only need to look at the top fps on steam to see it.

whats steam

is that that super niche platform that doesnt have titanfall

 

[Mechazawa]

You can have server browsers + matchmaking as an option you know. Look at how Valve does it.

You can have matchmaking and a server browser it's not hard.

Which games do this?

 

[Zeliard]

Some server browsers let you filter by all sorts of things; game type, latency, map, player count, and so forth.

Why should the player have to sort through hundreds, if not thousands, of matches to find an empty slot on a server with a good connection and people who are equally matched?

The above is probably my favorite part of the article. The writer accurately states that there are all sorts of filtering options in server browsers, then proceeds to lament the prospect of a player having to painstakingly sort through "hundreds if not thousands" of matches to find what they're looking for.

Filtering options are there to simplify just that and filter out the sorts of matches the player doesn't want - you know, like the ones that don't have empty slots, so the player doesn't have to scour the entire terrifying thing and go insane by having to look at something as intimidating as integers. The writer presumably knows this because they... pointed out the existence of such filtering options.

The writer also notes, "we believe good matchmaking is better than a server browser and we’ll detail out why in this article," then proceeds to describe all the problems with matchmaking that you don't find with server browsers. Let's look at just one example:

Furthermore, we’re introducing a test of even wider region searches. If you’re searching for 5 minutes without starting a game, Stryder will eventually widen your search to include neighboring continents.

Meanwhile, a server browser will give you a quick listing of every running server within your designated filtering. You can very quickly and intuitively see that there may be nobody playing a certain mode at a certain time at a certain latency range, so you can then tweak your filtering options to allow for, say, a higher ping. There's no twiddling your thumbs for "5 minutes" while the matchmaking system dawdles on and eventually decides to send you to another continent, which you don't realize it's done until you're in the actual game and can see your ping.

A server browser is far quicker and gives you far more control over the experience. It allows you to form communities centered around certain servers, and build camaraderie with familiar players. It allows for players of less-popular modes to gather together far more quickly and conveniently. But matchmaking is superior, somehow.

 

[malfcn]

x5 XP for CTF.
There the fix, thanks.