Mission: Increase Server Traffic for TF2F Servers

    Undeniably, we all enjoy playing on the TF2F servers whenever they are full. But as my sleeping schedule becomes more and more screwed up over my vacation, I am noticing our servers, dwindle down to being empty as the night progresses. Often I am playing with a few other community members on random pub servers, only because our servers are empty.

    This thread is to help determine why the servers lose player counts in the late hours of the night, and also to help brainstorm ideas to get, and keep, players in our servers.

    Please refrain from sparking arguments about ideas in this thread (discussions and arguments are 2 different things), and please only contribute to this thread with useful ideas or info.

I will start the brainstorming:

1. Our servers names are "TeamFortress2Fort.com xxxxxxxxxx" This puts us down near the very bottom of the server list after you refresh it (default alphabetically ordered by server name). If you look at near the top of the list you notice that there are a LOT more servers full/with players in them. These servers include the eGo servers and the Q servers. I'm sure they have a large community, but their community isn't filling up multiple servers all on their own.
       My proposition is to somehow move our servers up near the top of the list with a name change of some sort, or rather a name tweak.

2. The original steam community for the Team Fortress 2 Fort hasn't had a post/event for as long as I can remember. As of right now the stats for this group are: 2,781 Members  |  78 In-Game  |  575 Online.
My idea is to somehow reach out to all of these people by scheduling some sort of public event (possibly a new years eve party night?) and hoping that we get some traffic that way. Also not all of the servers are listed on that group.

So, what are some of your thoughts/ideas?

#2 is a good idea, for sure. I think that we do need to get more of the many, many tf2f steam group members onto the servers, and the forums.

If all those people who are pubbing on the different server go to Tf2f there wouln't be much of a problem. Most people see 0/16 or 0/24 and don't bother trying to start it up at this time of day. If it's 4/16 then people would join.
Think of it like trying to make a fire in an isolated area. The hard part is starting the fire; it's much easier to maintain it once it's started

Quote:
That is sometimes true, but I think we have tried this and all it leads to is a 12 player game for 2-3 maps. Not very fun. For sure this is a way to start, but I don't think it is enough in itself.

I think this definitely should be a community-wide effort. Both actively and passively.

Judging from what I understand about other servers that are more popular than TF2F:

1. TF2F servers are all the same. Nomnom is the only server that can offer something unique, otherwise they are just nocrit 'pro' servers. I understand this is what the community wants, but I rarely see all the servers full - just one. Offer something unique and advertise it. Nomnom wasn't advertised enough. This is where madrox's idea #2 comes in. Host weekly events, like I play on a server on Friday nights and the event is the Night of Merriement, where everyone plays while drinking. Think of something creative, it doesnt have to be a tournament/pug-like event - TF2F has enough of those. This may require an additional staff member or staff memebers to organize these events, or it may not. You can call them Community Managers or something.

2. Other popular servers offer a specific gametype and rotate it. For example, eGO has 24/7 Payload (rotates dbheights, goldrush, badwater) and 24/7 CTF (rotates 2fort, turbine). With servers like these, you can get community members that stick to a particular server because it offers what they like to play.

3. Events! (repeat that this is extrodanarily important) If you dont advertise, you arent going to get people on the servers, even if they are extremely well managed, as TF2Fs are.

4. To add on Madrox's #1, rename the servers. Get them to the top of the list somehow: Add a few spaces before the server name or something.

5. Make an anonimous poll and find out why people dont fill up all the servers. Everyone has got a reason. Mine is that they are all nocrit - I dont play nocrit. Omnom never has anyone in it, so I dont play there.

Hell, I agree with both.

Make server 2 crit again, and add 2fort?


We still need that 24/7 HYDRO server.

Hmm..another server change? That's gonna mean work for an admin.

Anyway, elaborating on what Hellblazer said.

You can have different gametypes: CTF, CP, ZF, PL, KTF Edit: Arena
And Server Settings: Crit, No-Crit Edit: Teamtalk, Alltalk
And Maps: Stock, Custom
And votes: RTV, RTD, Votescramble, Nominate, Votecrit, Votemelee

Now one thing that I think isn't right is leaving out a map just because under 50% of people don't like it, like Hydro. That's were dynamic change on the part of the current community comes in, aka voting.

We need more votes! RTV, RTD, Votescramble, Nominate, Votecrit, Votemelee. We've already got most of those, but I think the cooldown time needs to be lowered, especially on rtv. And of course you can't have every vote on specialized servers.


We have 4 servers at our disposal, publically, so I suggest:

Server #1 Pro Server (Pro like Chro)
- Totally Pro, TFTrue, nothing random (or unpredictable), just for people who want to play pro. Edit: 8 Man Edit: No kill-cam Edit: Teamtalk
Maps: Well liked and known stock and custom maps. Keep the selection limited.
Options: Votescramble option, rtv (lower cooldown), nominate

Server #2 Regular (think of a more creative name)
- Just TF2, for people who want to play TF2! Edit: 32 Man Edit: Teamtalk
Maps: All Stock, selected customs
Options: Crits, Rotating CTF, CP and PL, Sudden Death (I loved that, and think a lot of people did! Maybe even melee only sudden death, just for fun ), no voting the crits off, I don't think. Rtv (lower cooldown), nominate.

Server #3 Specialized Server - One Gametype, Rotating
-Gametype One - CTF Edit: Teamtalk
Maps: All CTF Maps
Options: Votecrit, RTV, Votescramble, Nominate, Votemelee

-Gametype Two - ZF
Maps: All ZF maps  Edit: Teamtalk
Options: Votecrit, RTV, Votescramble, Nominate, Votemelee

Server #4 Nom Nom
-Just nom nom, as it is now.
Maps: Well, you know
Options: Everything!

Edit: I was totally just informed that we in fact have *five* servers. So in My master plan, the fifth one would stay as arena only.
But these are just my suggestions, anyway.

To help push the names of the servers to the top of the lists I suggest adding squiggs around the name of the site so they read {TeamFortress2Fort.com} xxxxxxxxxx.

But that doesn't look so cool.
Add a - in front.

We have 5 servers bro. We have a 24/7 Dustbowl/Badwater now too.

I would LOVE a nominate feature, often we RTV only to be given the option to choose between 2 equally disliked maps.