Please Raise Server Browser Priority

tarquinbbtarquinbb Join Date: 2012-11-03 Member: 166314Members
edited October 2013 in NS2 General Discussion
I really think the server browser needs more attention.

NS2 could be the best game of all time, but right now I'd still be reluctant to play it because the server browser is so horrible... It's comparable to the server browser in the original half-life.

- Let's be honest, it could look a lot nicer
- Matchmaking option; quickly find you a game with good number of players preferably with the 'approximate' same skill level, giving you incentive to improve your stats
- It should allow you to queue for multiple servers simultaneously
- It should allow you to queue for servers and browse servers while in-game
- Show the players/match stats of select server (browse to see if your half-friends (people who you know/respect but aren't on your friends list) are playing)

Seriously, the server browser just makes me not want to play, and I can't be the only one.



19/10 edit:
since another thread recently reminded me of this issue, i want to bump it.

even though i enjoy ns2 more than counterstrike or tf2, i find myself more likely to play those games. i asked myself why, and believe the reason is simple - i don't have much time and therefore have to streamline my actual playtime.

this means:

1. not wasting time in server browser
2. not wasting time in noob server
3. only playing at peak time when you're more likely to get greater skill level and more competitive games



on average, if i spend 60 minutes 'playing' ns2, about half of that time is spent waiting for a slot in one (limited to a single server at a time) of my favourite servers to open. let's call that 50% efficiency. alternatively, games like CS:GO and tf2 have modern and useful server browsers where you can queue for multiple favourite servers and queue for those multiple servers while playing in another server - eliminating the time wasted in game menu where you're forced to (im)patiently wait for a slot.

on average in the latter games, i estimate that i probably spend about 5 minutes choosing a server and/or waiting for a slot. that means they're about 88% efficiency.

as much as i love the gameplay of NS2, a 50% efficiency ns2 does not compare to an 88% efficiency valve game. therefore when i have 1-2 hours to play, those valve games will always be favourable unless i feel like mixing it up a bit.

in my eyes this completely overlooked and neglected issue is absolutely HUGE, i simply can't foresee ns2 retaining a decent playerbase if it doesn't start to cater for people who don't have time to play in chunks of multiple hours.




note: this is only counting the server browser/lobby time, not even taking into account the tedious loading times. a few builds ago the loading times were 'normal', but now they're back to normal². what happened there?
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Comments

  • B3rTB3rT Join Date: 2013-02-14 Member: 183058Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    tarquinbb wrote: »
    - Matchmaking option; quickly find you a game with good number of players preferably with the 'approximate' same skill level, giving you incentive to improve your stats
    There are not so many server with players present and free slots you could join. So I don't think this would be necessary or very useful, but it may be a nice to have.
    tarquinbb wrote: »
    - Show the players/match stats of select server (browse to see if your half-friends (people who you know/respect but aren't on your friends list) are playing)
    You can right click on a server to see which players are connected.
  • cooliticcoolitic Right behind you Join Date: 2013-04-02 Member: 184609Members
    edited September 2013
    Benson wrote: »
    My only gripe with the server browser is the innacurate server quality rating.

    There are SO MANY servers that cannot handle the player counts they allow. The server quality needs to average over like 5 min, not just the instant it gets refreshed.

    Thats actually very true.

    As for the OP, you seem to demand a lot from a team of indie developers. If you want all that so much, why don't you just make it yourself?

    Though the server browser could be a little better, there is nothing wrong with it as of now.
  • SamusDroidSamusDroid Colorado Join Date: 2013-05-13 Member: 185219Members, Forum Moderators, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Gold, Subnautica Playtester, NS2 Community Developer, Pistachionauts
    edited September 2013
    - Show the players/match stats of select server (browse to see if your half-friends (people who you know/respect but aren't on your friends list) are playing)
    Right click on a server.

    Source code is all right there, everything you need to make this yourself.
  • MavickMavick Join Date: 2012-11-07 Member: 168138Members
    Benson wrote: »
    My only gripe with the server browser is the innacurate server quality rating.

    There are SO MANY servers that cannot handle the player counts they allow. The server quality needs to average over like 5 min, not just the instant it gets refreshed.

    How about directing that grief at UWE instead of pointing it solely at servers, as it's a server player limit they allowed. There's not *that* many 24+ servers.
  • B3rTB3rT Join Date: 2013-02-14 Member: 183058Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Mavick wrote: »
    Benson wrote: »
    My only gripe with the server browser is the innacurate server quality rating.

    There are SO MANY servers that cannot handle the player counts they allow. The server quality needs to average over like 5 min, not just the instant it gets refreshed.

    How about directing that grief at UWE instead of pointing it solely at servers, as it's a server player limit they allowed. There's not *that* many 24+ servers.

    As far as I know, they allow every player limit. Thats why there are some ridiculous 30 - 60 slot servers. If you set up your own server you have to make sure your hardware matches you desired player limit. UWE doesn't know which hardware your server have, so it can't be their fault. You might have a server which can handle 32 players fine or your machine is to weak for even 16 player, they can't know this and if they tried to guess they probably are more often wrong than right.
  • ezekelezekel Join Date: 2012-11-29 Member: 173589Members, NS2 Map Tester
    edited September 2013
    Wasn't there a mod which make the server browser really nice a while ago? But it was abandoned afaik.. it also did some other things with binding and etc

    Anyway I just wish the server browser remembered your 'ping setting' I always set it so lowest pings appear first, but it forgets that every launch!
  • B3rTB3rT Join Date: 2013-02-14 Member: 183058Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    ezekel wrote: »
    Anyway I just wish the server browser remembered your 'ping setting' I always set it so lowest pings appear first, but it forgets that every launch!

    you mean the sorting? yeah, that would be great.
  • NordicNordic Long term camping in Kodiak Join Date: 2012-05-13 Member: 151995Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Silver, Reinforced - Shadow
    There are several features it could have still that it does not.
  • JektJekt Join Date: 2012-02-05 Member: 143714Members, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited September 2013
    Yep. That's what it should of been. It's 2 years old by the way, was the shit during the beta.
  • tarquinbbtarquinbb Join Date: 2012-11-03 Member: 166314Members
    edited September 2013
    that mod looks really good. devastated that it doesn't work.
  • NordicNordic Long term camping in Kodiak Join Date: 2012-05-13 Member: 151995Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Silver, Reinforced - Shadow
    And a numerical FOV slider
  • TovaTova Join Date: 2012-12-26 Member: 176254Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    That mod is exactly what I'm looking for in a server browser.
  • VetinariVetinari Join Date: 2013-07-23 Member: 186325Members, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Silver
  • MavickMavick Join Date: 2012-11-07 Member: 168138Members
    edited September 2013
    B3rT wrote: »
    Mavick wrote: »
    Benson wrote: »
    My only gripe with the server browser is the innacurate server quality rating.

    There are SO MANY servers that cannot handle the player counts they allow. The server quality needs to average over like 5 min, not just the instant it gets refreshed.

    How about directing that grief at UWE instead of pointing it solely at servers, as it's a server player limit they allowed. There's not *that* many 24+ servers.

    As far as I know, they allow every player limit. Thats why there are some ridiculous 30 - 60 slot servers. If you set up your own server you have to make sure your hardware matches you desired player limit. UWE doesn't know which hardware your server have, so it can't be their fault. You might have a server which can handle 32 players fine or your machine is to weak for even 16 player, they can't know this and if they tried to guess they probably are more often wrong than right.

    Those servers are made by hacking UWE's code. They may be allowed in the sense that UWE doesn't force them to take them down, but they are not what UWE intended. And as far as hardware is concerned, 24 player servers can 99% of the time handle this game fine. But as is usual with many fps players it's that 1% that will be bitched about again and again even if it's the exact same case on smaller servers and usually due more to their own clients then the server itself.
  • ezekelezekel Join Date: 2012-11-29 Member: 173589Members, NS2 Map Tester
    edited September 2013
    Ah yes that is the server browser mod I was talking about, very space efficient, minimalist, and clean.

    The chat box is the only thing I wouldn't take from there unless it was adjusted, cause the current chat is fine even though to view history you'd need to look in your console.

    Agree something like that should be the official implementation into the game

    @walsa
  • tdunc-tdunc- Join Date: 2013-01-12 Member: 179214Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    at least you guys can SEE the server browser... every time I attempt to load it crashes NS2.

    pretty damned hard to practice before scrims or anything else right now..
  • hub3rtu2hub3rtu2 Join Date: 2012-11-01 Member: 165478Members, Reinforced - Diamond
    Oh look, it's magic. Too bad you have to add favorites from friends or IP addresses.
    Give us a master server compatible with steam server browser, UWE.
  • WalsaWalsa Join Date: 2011-06-28 Member: 106813Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Yes, you could add them to the server list in steam server browser. Just add +1 to the server port and its done.
    But you have to do it manually...
  • JektJekt Join Date: 2012-02-05 Member: 143714Members, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow
    fsfod boosted performance with luajit, perhaps he can save the gui with an updated version of his mod also.

    I can hope.
    The chat box is the only thing I wouldn't take from there unless it was adjusted, cause the current chat is fine even though to view history you'd need to look in your console.

    Whaaat! The chatbox was amazing. That frame only comes up when you go to type something.
  • BensonBenson Join Date: 2012-03-07 Member: 148303Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
    Mavick wrote: »
    Benson wrote: »
    My only gripe with the server browser is the innacurate server quality rating.

    There are SO MANY servers that cannot handle the player counts they allow. The server quality needs to average over like 5 min, not just the instant it gets refreshed.

    How about directing that grief at UWE instead of pointing it solely at servers, as it's a server player limit they allowed. There's not *that* many 24+ servers.

    Not trying to offend anyone, and I'm not only talking about 24+ servers. There are several combat (less than 20 players), and 18-20 player servers that I can think of that have the same issue.
  • EreboZEreboZ Join Date: 2013-09-28 Member: 188503Members
    To tell the truth, the NS2 server browser style, which is pretty similar to the one used in Half-Life and some Source powered games, gives alot more freedom and isn't as limited and dull as many of the modern server browser styles. For example, in L4D you couldn't even choose which server you would want to join, you could only choose which campaign and that was pretty much it. I don't really get the point with not being able to choose specificly which server you would want to join, instead of getting thrown into some random russian server.
  • JektJekt Join Date: 2012-02-05 Member: 143714Members, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow
    EreboZ wrote: »
    To tell the truth, the NS2 server browser style, which is pretty similar to the one used in Half-Life and some Source powered games, gives alot more freedom and isn't as limited and dull as many of the modern server browser styles. For example, in L4D you couldn't even choose which server you would want to join, you could only choose which campaign and that was pretty much it. I don't really get the point with not being able to choose specificly which server you would want to join, instead of getting thrown into some random russian server.

    You need to click on View Community Servers (I think, was a while ago) to open the server browser in the L4D games. Or type in openserverbrowser into the console. The quick join and lobby stuff is bad. The server browser is the same in all of the Source games.

  • tarquinbbtarquinbb Join Date: 2012-11-03 Member: 166314Members
    edited October 2013
    since another thread recently reminded me of this issue, i want to bump it.

    even though i enjoy ns2 more than counterstrike or tf2, i find myself more likely to play those games. i asked myself why, and believe the reason is simple - i don't have much time and therefore have to streamline my actual playtime.

    this means:

    1. not wasting time in server browser
    2. not wasting time in noob server
    3. only playing at peak time when you're more likely to get greater skill level and more competitive games



    on average, if i spend 60 minutes 'playing' ns2, about half of that time is spent waiting for a slot in one (limited to a single server at a time) of my favourite servers to open. let's call that 50% efficiency. alternatively, games like CS:GO and tf2 have modern and useful server browsers where you can queue for multiple favourite servers and queue for those multiple servers while playing in another server - eliminating the time wasted in game menu where you're forced to (im)patiently wait for a slot.

    on average in the latter games, i estimate that i probably spend about 5 minutes choosing a server and/or waiting for a slot. that means they're about 88% efficiency.

    as much as i love the gameplay of NS2, a 50% efficiency ns2 does not compare to an 88% efficiency valve game. therefore when i have 1-2 hours to play, those valve games will always be favourable unless i feel like mixing it up a bit.

    in my eyes this completely overlooked and neglected issue is absolutely HUGE, i simply can't foresee ns2 retaining a decent playerbase if it doesn't start to cater for people who don't have time to play in chunks of multiple hours.




    note: this is only counting the server browser/lobby time, not even taking into account the tedious loading times. a few builds ago the loading times were 'normal', but now they're back to normal². what happened there?
  • ns2isgoodns2isgood Join Date: 2013-04-16 Member: 184847Members
    I hate how it never remembers my filter selection for mod and always sets itself to ALL after I choose NS2. I hate accidentally connecting to a combat server and seeing it download 20 mods, so frustrating.
  • BensonBenson Join Date: 2012-03-07 Member: 148303Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
    I still think that a more accurate performance rating is required for player retention.

    Players on bad servers are likely to blame the game itself rather than the server for poor performance and just stop playing altogether, especially with this games reputation for requiring high-end hardware to play well.
  • cooliticcoolitic Right behind you Join Date: 2013-04-02 Member: 184609Members
    No the server browser doesnt need more attention. The server browser gets the job done and there are many other things that need more attention for example, only some of the gameplay/balancing problems have been fixed and that should be top priority.
  • cooliticcoolitic Right behind you Join Date: 2013-04-02 Member: 184609Members
    Benson wrote: »
    I still think that a more accurate performance rating is required for player retention.

    Players on bad servers are likely to blame the game itself rather than the server for poor performance and just stop playing altogether, especially with this games reputation for requiring high-end hardware to play well.

    I do agree that the performance rating is broken so maybe that is one thing but I am pretty sure that has more to do with the server than with the browser. (server checks the performance and then sends it to the browser, obviously it is checking the performance wrong)
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