Team Stacking

[DanoruX]

As much as I understand the problem, it's more fun to play on a team where 90% of the people are on your friends list.

[SoBe Green]

I always choose a random team. But I also rarely ever switch from that team I'm put on be it winning or losing. The problem is it usually takes at least two good players from one team to switch. One guy rarely changes the score in this game (most of the time). Unlike DM style games like say Counter-Strike where one guy can make all the difference in the world, in TF2 it can be one to three people just making that little bit of difference. There are exceptions like say that one Engy who somehow quickly gets his gun up every time you take it our or that one Demo who seems to always be right there with stickies or even that Pyro/Scout who is always on your ass keeping you in check. But most of the time you need that Medic and that Heavy that are never two feet from each other or that Spy that waits on your uber before he runs in and saps.

[Mr Poopy Pants]

Yea, I think that if it automatically shuffled the teams if the other team wins 2 in a row would be appropriate, or whenever admins feel like shaking things up.

[Balemur]

As I've stated before. I join the team my favorite spy is on (Liwi or Seph). Whether stacked or unstacked, the best spies win. =P

If my favorite spy isn't on I usually join the team with my favorite engie (avalanche).

Other than that I just click random and hopefully I'm killing rev and napkin for fun. =P

[beatnik]

Originally Posted by Balemur

As I've stated before. I join the team my favorite spy is on (Liwi or Seph). Whether stacked or unstacked, the best spies win. =P

If my favorite spy isn't on I usually join the team with my favorite engie (avalanche).

Other than that I just click random and hopefully I'm killing rev and napkin for fun. =P

Lies. Seph has a tracking beacon on him. I've seen it. Needs to lose his shoes or something. They have a homing device in em.

Oh yea, back to the topic. Got on a team with Kira and Sevil going against the stack for a few maps tonight. Was it not kind a fun? To go on a 60% moron team and steadily keep the stack from moving past their own cap pt. Thing about those who stack. When they can't move past their own point and own a team after about 5-10 mins they all start bailing.

P.S. Purchasing a pocket medic. Will provide mucho pts and naughty pictures of milky's milky areas.

Oh yea. Thanks Schiz, for the props. Hard to get recognized when you actually try and help the team win each time.
Had a whole story to go wtih this line.But I'm tired. I'll just stick with "thanks!" .

[Kira teh Blip]

xD

Yesh, that indeed was fun.

It was odd, once I switched, we did better but still got destroyed. Then you came, slowly started to gain momentum.....to the point where our team was considered stacked :P

I do love the challenge though, except getting stabbed nonstop by a certan someone *glares at Sevil*

Is it even possible to have a team shuffle command? Never heard of it before o:.
If so, that does provide for an interesting solution (assuming the problem becomes extensive)

I still think though, it can be solved with people switching and "bearing the storm" for a few rounds to even the teams.

[Balemur]

Originally Posted by beatnik

Lies. Seph has a tracking beacon on him. I've seen it. Needs to lose his shoes or something. They have a homing device in em.

Oh yea, back to the topic. Got on a team with Kira and Sevil going against the stack for a few maps tonight. Was it not kind a fun? To go on a 60% moron team and steadily keep the stack from moving past their own cap pt. Thing about those who stack. When they can't move past their own point and own a team after about 5-10 mins they all start bailing.

P.S. Purchasing a pocket medic. Will provide mucho pts and naughty pictures of milky's milky areas.

Oh yea. Thanks Schiz, for the props. Hard to get recognized when you actually try and help the team win each time.
Had a whole story to go wtih this line.But I'm tired. I'll just stick with "thanks!" .

Aww... Wish I didn't miss it. Sounds like a lot of fun.

I'm currently packing for a trip to CA and Hawaii so none of you will see me for a good week or two. ^_^

Originally Posted by Kira teh Blip

Is it even possible to have a team shuffle command? Never heard of it before o:.
If so, that does provide for an interesting solution (assuming the problem becomes extensive)

I still think though, it can be solved with people switching and "bearing the storm" for a few rounds to even the teams.

The easiest solution I could think of is to make everyone that joins the server automatically join a random team. Get rid of people choosing. Seems lame but it's the quick-fix for it all.

[TheGuy]

Don't underestimate the stuff voogru can code. I'm willing to bet a shuffle is possible.

As for the random as soon as you join, that has always failed. It either makes people upset they never get to play with their friends or people switch teams, or rejoin to join a different team. Sounds like a great quick fix, but we've tried it in NS and it didn't last long since people got upset.

[GrooTheWanderer]

Originally Posted by DanoruX

As much as I understand the problem, it's more fun to play on a team where 90% of the people are on your friends list.

I agree. And from my observations, that team is surely not guaranteed a win and I've been steamrolled plenty of times to prove it. I like playing with people who use a mic so prefer my 'friends'. But when I join a server that's full, I go to the team with the open slot from the person I just kicked. If balanced numbers, I join the losing team and hope I'll make a difference regardless of who's on the winning team. I rarely use my swapteams priv unless I have a very short time to play and want to be on with my buddies for the little time I'm on. It's all about playing and having fun for me, not winning.

[Captain Justice]

SOLUTION: Recently, valve has implimented a little widget so that when you choose auto-assign instead of red/blue, it shows "SO AND SO WAS AUTO-ASSIGNED TO BLAHBLAHBLAH".

We could expand on this and make these messages show up in big friendly letters, perhaps with "WE APPROVE OF THIS PERSON" added on. Any person as easily pleased as me will definitely start auto-assigning because of this.

Furthermore

Originally Posted by Balemur

The easiest solution I could think of is to make everyone that joins the server automatically join a random team. Get rid of people choosing. Seems lame but it's the quick-fix for it all.

And then donators can choose teams, so they can play with their bffs.

[Dance Commander]

a shuffle idea sounds like a good bet to me.

or maybe a vote to make all talk available...then vets/regulars can have fun but not need to stack to say hi to each other.

[pew pew]

I've always join the red team if there's space ever since TFC. Most of the time when I'm blue, I forget and just jump around the red team until they shoot me dead not realizing they're not there to help me.

[SchizoidMan]

Originally Posted by beatnik

Oh yea. Thanks Schiz, for the props. Hard to get recognized when you actually try and help the team win each time.
Had a whole story to go wtih this line.But I'm tired. I'll just stick with "thanks!" .

Believe me, your efforts are much appreciated.

And as much as I enjoy playing w/friends, I really like playing opposite them as well. Healthy competitiveness is fun, and it's cool to see just how good friends like pip, al, luigi, beatnik etc are when they're on the opposing side & they're coming at you. Even better when on those very rare occasions I get to pwn 'em!

[AsYLuM-DeMoN]

I enjoy playing with friends and against them. Unless it's morbid on the other team. Then I'd rather go die in a fire.

[`frotus]

Is there no way to auto-assign players when they join? I used to play on a CS server that did that to prevent stacking. Though if this worked you would have to remove the subscriber perk of being able to switch teams whenever.