Originally posted by Wotan
That's how the CT started out. I am not sure how many of you have gone back and read some of the first posts in this forum but what the CT is today isn't what it started out as...
In one of the first threads this was pointed out:
The CT has been just a mini-main for some time. Since 'base capture' became a standard setting that's what you see, mini-main.
For well over a year it was nothing but fighting...
Some of you nachwuchs who have only seen Urchin's 'whine posts' his first post in the CT forum was entitled:
''Awesome Fights tonight! My first AAR".
Its come a long way since then and not for the good...
The first line of one of my first post in the CT forum dated (08-14-2001) was in reply to a question was if field capture was enabled in the CT:
The old saying that ''base capture helps to facilitate the fight" is true but only when the number of players can support it. As is, the maps are so large, even at 256 x 256, in an arena with 50 players the majority are off in separate corners pre-occuppied with capturing 'undefended bases. Out of those 50 players 10 maybe 'fighting' and then those numbers are split 7 ot 3.
Hell there wasn't scores kept for the CT.
The first mission run in the CT was by Funked called 'Circus One - Wafflebait'.
The only map we had was the crappy large Norway map. Later the first bug ridden "European map' was enabled.
Here was the first setup for on that ap:
http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35230
Why the CT blows chunks is because its just a mini-main with limited aircraft and less players. A lot of that falls directly on some of the ex-CT Cms who thought that by making the CT more main like it would attract more players. Most of these CMs quit shortly after or went into 'stand by status'. None of their changes brought in more players. They simply displaced the old players with new ones with no appreciable increase in overall player numbers. The large spikes in numbers have only come with new and better maps.
As the plane set begins to fill out (like the addition of the p38g) the potential is there to expand the numbers in the CT. But that won't happen as long as the CT remains nothing more then a mini-main. It can fill the gap between th 'anything goes' main arena play and the more structured ToD / Scenario play.
Some good thoughts Wotan
setting out to attract more of the "fighter" crowd is not a bad idea. The MA is crapping a lot of them off anyway
Focus on good plane matchups
Forget base capture - perhaps just forget GV's entirely
Forget scoring
Perhaps RPS/rolling map combined
Often I look at the numbers and think they might be ok , but get in there and half the players are milking running in GV's or something to improve their "score".
If there was 10 in there and 10 actually flying it might help things develop some monentum
Why bother with a score in the CT , it's even more meaningless than the MA. Track stats or something to keep people happy.
As wotan said
MA - pork/auger horde
ToD - history/mission types
CT - fighter town
CT could fit that niche quite well . there are days in there where it goes close , when the fights are really good
