just wondering, what do you do to try and fill up a server, especially if it runs a custom map?
how do you fill up your server?
- Thread starter martijntje
- Start date
- Apr 19, 2009
- 4,460
- 1,724
Run an official map (2fort) to fill up the server and hope to god people stay after it changes to the custom.
Jack Riguel
L10: Glamorous Member
- Jul 19, 2009
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I'd actually recommend arena_badlands for this strategy, as it tends to fill up the server rather quickly (oddly enough).
Anyways, coming from helping fill a custom map rotation server with limited slots I've found that running popular custom maps is usually the best strategy for getting people to join and, more importantly, stay. Maps that are very very good for this include pl_frontier, pl_cashworks, cp_furnace, pl_waste... etc. Just look at the server list and if you see a custom map that has several servers running it, throw it on your rotation. If someone joins your server, then they're likely to have waited patiently through the download, and are thus more willing to wait through other downloads when the server changes to a new map.
Secondly, have a good group of 4 to 7 people to help jump-start your server. Organize your friends and set up an event so that you call can be on at the same time and all be in your server. Unlike other games such as L4D, people are more likely to join an active server then an empty server.
J4CK8
L11: Posh Member
- Mar 4, 2009
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I barely manage to join any custom servers. Becuase I'm from UK, and would rather play with under 100 ping, and there aren't many UK custom servers worth playing on. I get toyfort, 2fort, 2fort *insert new weather here*, and official maps. I get the odd custom server that's empty.
I don't get why people don't like customs that much. It takes 1 death to know the map usualy, 2 to know all the places. If people have to know their way around a map before playing then fair enough, but why not even dare join a custom server to see if the map is any good? Or are you worried about loosing your precious K : D ratio?
I don't get why people don't like customs that much. It takes 1 death to know the map usualy, 2 to know all the places. If people have to know their way around a map before playing then fair enough, but why not even dare join a custom server to see if the map is any good? Or are you worried about loosing your precious K : D ratio?
Masakari
L1: Registered
- May 14, 2008
- 26
- 8
Biggest thing that happens in our community is the encouragement of "seeding" - the act of people joining the server when it's empty and staying/inviting people until it fills up. StrontiumDog, one of the main guys there, even wrote a Sourcemod plugin to keep track of who "seeds", and how long they've spent on a server seeding it. You can view the interface here is you so desire.
On our custom server, we usually start off with maps that are fairly popular and have been around for a while before getting into what I consider to be the really good customs. Maps like avanti_b1 (Once we fixed the ridiculous timers on it), toy_fort, freight, etc. are maps that bring people in, and we find that a decent percentage will stay once other custom maps start to get voted in.
On our custom server, we usually start off with maps that are fairly popular and have been around for a while before getting into what I consider to be the really good customs. Maps like avanti_b1 (Once we fixed the ridiculous timers on it), toy_fort, freight, etc. are maps that bring people in, and we find that a decent percentage will stay once other custom maps start to get voted in.
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MrAlBobo
L13: Stunning Member
- Feb 20, 2008
- 1,059
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sigh, I still find it mildly disappointing that these are considered "good" customs
if your going for "pure" customs ive found frontier is one of the most effective maps to start on, otherwise ive always used dustbowl
and the thing no one else has said...you need luck
Masakari
L1: Registered
- May 14, 2008
- 26
- 8
I don't consider them "good" customs aside from the fact that they bring people from our community to the server to help get the server seeded.
I've mentioned it before - our biggest strength in our custom server is getting our regulars in to the server. Sadly, over the past year mismanagement of the server by another group left a bitter taste in some people's mouth, and one of the easiest ways to draw them back was bringing back old customs that they remember playing, and ease them into the new, original, and *really* good maps.
I think of our twenty maps on there, I only have about four that are old seeding maps (avanti, corporation, toyfort, dbheights), and as good new maps come in like frontier (Which is actually becoming a great seeding map), those maps will slowly start to disappear.
Luck does have something to do with it, but especially in the case of a community's server, creating an enjoyable atmosphere is one of the best things to bring people back. People are willing to put up with a bad map on occasion if they know that they can come there at anytime and have great games!
MrAlBobo
L13: Stunning Member
- Feb 20, 2008
- 1,059
- 219
still, speaking from the players perspective its always mildly irritating when a fun map is about to end, the vote thing comes up and you see nothing but these crappy seeding maps, so you have to play one of them
from my perspective I will never join a server running any of those maps, and I am highly likely to leave if they come up, so you have at least one person that they have opposite the intended effect on
from my perspective I will never join a server running any of those maps, and I am highly likely to leave if they come up, so you have at least one person that they have opposite the intended effect on
Invite your friends.
Or try RCBot
That would be useful if it worked as you think it does, but the player count doesnt work properly when you do the
say you have a 24 slot server with 3 real players and 5 bots
the steam serverbrowser will say
8/24
however the ingame serverbrowser (wich I think most people use) will say
3/19
