- Feb 17, 2013
- 414
- 488
So Geit recently gave us the excellent tool that is http://heatmaps.tf/. For those who do not know, this site is regularly updated with data from TF2maps tests and other servers with overviews of maps and "heatmaps" of death locations on them. This means that the redness of a location on the map indicates the number of players that have died there, with red locations seeing a relatively large number of deaths and blue locations seeing very few. I recommend that everyone familiarizes themselves with it.
This discussion, however, is not the same discussion about the particular heatmaps plugin that Geit has created. I would instead like to discuss how we should use heatmaps, not just his plugin but in general. Now I would like to say first that I do not mean to be disrespectful with the following statement or unappreciative of what Geit has constructed in his own free time at no cost to us.
My contention is that while heatmaps are plenty fun for the viewer, they don't really contain any information that could be gleaned by viewing a demo or playing a game. In other words, every sentry spot, sniper location, or choke point visible with certain filters in a heatmap is one that you would have found if you were playing the game anyway.
This statement is where I'd like to start the discussion and we'll work from there. I'd like to not sway too far into suggestion territory, as that is what the other thread is for, and I'd also not like to go into test sample sizes, as that is what this thread is discussing.
Let's be cordial about this.
This discussion, however, is not the same discussion about the particular heatmaps plugin that Geit has created. I would instead like to discuss how we should use heatmaps, not just his plugin but in general. Now I would like to say first that I do not mean to be disrespectful with the following statement or unappreciative of what Geit has constructed in his own free time at no cost to us.
My contention is that while heatmaps are plenty fun for the viewer, they don't really contain any information that could be gleaned by viewing a demo or playing a game. In other words, every sentry spot, sniper location, or choke point visible with certain filters in a heatmap is one that you would have found if you were playing the game anyway.
This statement is where I'd like to start the discussion and we'll work from there. I'd like to not sway too far into suggestion territory, as that is what the other thread is for, and I'd also not like to go into test sample sizes, as that is what this thread is discussing.
Let's be cordial about this.