Gameplay Preview Phase 6 Results

[Norfenstein]

As I said at the end of the last phase, gameplay for 1.2 is stable, but that doesn't mean we can't still find the occassional egregious, balance-affecting bug! Specifically, whales tracked down an issue with staging up that keeps teams from earning their full share of stage points when multiple people contribute to a kill. So the one gameplay change in GPP phase 7 will be a fix to this problem. But first, some statistics from phase 6.

Reading the graphs: Each cross is one game, the distance from 0 on the vertical axis indicates how close a game was to the mean duration for all games on the graph. The numbers in the bottom right are the min/median/max/standard deviation for stage up times and game duration.

Both servers combined


Euro server


US server


A little worse in larger games, but overall very similar results to the last phase. It's a little disappointing to see the EU server much less active, but I know there are also some newer, unofficial servers that have growing populations, which is a good thing.

So what can you expect in this phase? My prediction is that fixing the stage counter bug will not have a serious impact on the balance, and that if it does, the fix will be a simple matter of coarsely adjusting the fund values for one team or the other. But there's really no way to tell for sure until we see it play out. It should be interesting.

Other than that, there've been a handful of noteworthy, non-gameplay related additions:

• Votes for actions against other players (mute, kick, etc.) now require a reason to be given, and all votes now display the person who called them.
• Connecting players now count during votes (so the first person to finish connecting can't instantly pass a vote).
• Fixes and new features for map rotations. We'll eventually now get new rotations up on the official servers.
• The color black can now be used in names.

I'd like to thank the volunteers that have been working on the sound replacement project. It actually does feel like we're getting closer to the release of 1.2.

[Norfenstein]

Player kills by MOD, EU server

Code: [Select]

25325 MACHINEGUN
12337 MDRIVER
11187 LASGUN
11000 CHAINGUN
6982 LCANNON_SPLASH
6749 SHOTGUN
5902 LCANNON
5519 PRIFLE
2818 PAINSAW
2560 GRENADE
1835 BLASTER
1648 FLAMER
322 FLAMER_SPLASH

14080 MGTURRET
1141 TESLAGEN
914 REACTOR
549 HSPAWN

21646 LEVEL0_BITE
11278 LEVEL3_POUNCE
8309 LEVEL2_CLAW
7743 LEVEL3_CLAW
5928 LEVEL4_CLAW
3966 LEVEL1_CLAW
3450 LEVEL2_ZAP
3034 LEVEL4_TRAMPLE
2352 POISON
1699 LEVEL3_BOUNCEBALL
257 ABUILDER_CLAW
152 LEVEL4_CRUSH
18 SLOWBLOB

1328 ATUBE
657 SWARM
230 OVERMIND
41 ASPAWN

281 TRIGGER_HURT
268 SUICIDE
249 FALLING
201 TELEFRAG
42 CRUSH
17 LAVA
16 WATER

Player kills by MOD, US server

Code: [Select]

223713 MACHINEGUN
116574 LASGUN
115871 MDRIVER
99628 CHAINGUN
62047 SHOTGUN
58308 LCANNON_SPLASH
51156 LCANNON
50463 PRIFLE
30001 GRENADE
25714 PAINSAW
15169 FLAMER
6705 BLASTER
2960 FLAMER_SPLASH

85166 MGTURRET
10942 TESLAGEN
5642 REACTOR
3471 HSPAWN

188755 LEVEL0_BITE
115475 LEVEL3_POUNCE
75527 LEVEL3_CLAW
64689 LEVEL2_CLAW
53928 LEVEL4_CLAW
32966 LEVEL4_TRAMPLE
32307 LEVEL2_ZAP
28057 LEVEL1_CLAW
21276 POISON
16130 LEVEL3_BOUNCEBALL
1389 LEVEL4_CRUSH
1248 ABUILDER_CLAW
76 SLOWBLOB

7963 ATUBE
4379 SWARM
1382 OVERMIND
272 ASPAWN

7080 TRIGGER_HURT
2841 FALLING
1803 CRUSH
1675 SUICIDE
1654 TELEFRAG
1098 LAVA
104 WATER

Structure kills by MOD, EU server

Code: [Select]

4709 MACHINEGUN
3516 GRENADE
3387 LCANNON
2681 PAINSAW
2618 LASGUN
2112 PRIFLE
1339 BLASTER
1252 CHAINGUN
1029 MDRIVER
710 LCANNON_SPLASH
610 SHOTGUN
359 FLAMER
34 FLAMER_SPLASH

4958 LEVEL2_CLAW
4877 LEVEL3_CLAW
3462 LEVEL3_BOUNCEBALL
3099 LEVEL2_ZAP
2434 LEVEL4_CLAW
1419 LEVEL1_CLAW
993 LEVEL3_POUNCE
919 LEVEL0_BITE
449 ABUILDER_CLAW
152 LEVEL4_TRAMPLE
9 LEVEL4_CRUSH

6898 NOCREEP
520 DECONSTRUCT

Structure kills by MOD, US server

Code: [Select]

25812 GRENADE
20402 MACHINEGUN
16601 LCANNON
15102 LASGUN
14228 PAINSAW
11102 PRIFLE
7188 CHAINGUN
5027 MDRIVER
4308 LCANNON_SPLASH
3167 BLASTER
2987 SHOTGUN
2053 FLAMER
179 FLAMER_SPLASH

25575 LEVEL2_CLAW
24632 LEVEL3_CLAW
19460 LEVEL2_ZAP
19308 LEVEL3_BOUNCEBALL
13032 LEVEL4_CLAW
8044 LEVEL3_POUNCE
6969 LEVEL1_CLAW
5167 LEVEL0_BITE
2051 ABUILDER_CLAW
761 LEVEL4_TRAMPLE
21 LEVEL4_CRUSH

29456 NOCREEP
3474 DECONSTRUCT


[freezway]

we only need 75 more sounds.... hardest ones are the granger ones...

[SlackerLinux]

• Votes for actions against other players (mute, kick, etc.) now require a reason to be given, and all votes now display the person who called them.
• Connecting players now count during votes (so the first person to finish connecting can't instantly pass a vote).
• Fixes and new features for map rotations. We'll eventually now get new rotations up on the official servers.
• The color black can now be used in names.

you forgot the [censored] patch

the big thing 1.2 is still missing though is the hud elements for voip like who is talking,etc i think getting voip working would help alot with teamwork etc yelling at your team always seems to work better then typing to them.

[freezway]

I think that should be in 1.3 not 1.2.

[Plague Bringer]

I think that should be in 1.3 not 1.2.

Why's this?

Good to see some stats, and the "noteworthy additions" are very nice. The maprotation amendments remind me of an old idea somewhere in Mods that changed map appearance based on last victor, or something. Can we get a "tie" variable for lastWin?

[freezway]

because it'll delay 1.2

[Aelita]

Considering it's mostly there, I don't think you have much to worry about.

[Plague Bringer]

because it'll delay 1.2

I'd rather 1.2 be a complete product.

[CATAHA]

I'd rather 1.2 be a complete product.

No offence, but that voip thing in 1.2 wont be so commonly used. Most servers are international and players wont use it there. Voice usually used by clans and for clanmembers only. So if this not so vital feature, then 1.2 can be released without long tweaks in it. In any case such things not affecting gameplay much and can be fixed in mods, or in 1.2.1 release. Right now seems 'balance' stage almost done and we need 1.2 released already. Peoples want it. =]

[Asvarox]

No offence, but that voip thing in 1.2 wont be so commonly used.

Believe it or not, but there are many, many players that are able to speak in English well enough to communicate, but currently they can't/hardly can use VOIP. I don't have much experience from other games, but I do know that in games that have voice chat built in, it's often used and is extremely handy feature. I'd love to have it included in 1.2 release. As far as I know, it's already in-game (merged from ioq3), but disabled since there's no hud/menus for it. From what I've heard that's not particularly hard to do. Especially when "the thing holding the release is sounds".

Though nobody officially stated whether or not it's going to be actually included in main release. Maybe it's time to?

[CATAHA]

Lets not spam in this topic, but i dont think that rapidly game like Tremulous urgently need that. Many servers have message 'we also have teamchat... ' but im not heard it strongly wannable. =) Just lets gave devs chance release 1.2 in any way.
ps. offtopic.: Usualy i even turn off such voice chats even in games like CS and same. Always gonna be kids who will use it for screams like 'noobs' or 'idiots'. Most players will turn voice messages recieve off. I hope devs not forget about this function =D

[CorSair]

Other than that, there've been a handful of noteworthy, non-gameplay related additions:

• Votes for actions against other players (mute, kick, etc.) now require a reason to be given, and all votes now display the person who called them.
• Connecting players now count during votes (so the first person to finish connecting can't instantly pass a vote).
• Fixes and new features for map rotations. We'll eventually now get new rotations up on the official servers.
• The color black can now be used in names.

I'd like to thank the volunteers that have been working on the sound replacement project. It actually does feel like we're getting closer to the release of 1.2.

Woot. Finally can get rid of my white letters.
And finally can give good reason for kick. \o/

[David]

You always could give a reason, just now it's mandatory.

CATAHA: No one uses vent etc as it requires an extra program, and lots of alt-tabbing etc to get to the right place.  And then no one is there.

With it built in it's just push a button and done, so it'll hopefully it will be useful now, as so used.

[CATAHA]

CATAHA: No one uses vent etc as it requires an extra program, and lots of alt-tabbing etc to get to the right place.  And then no one is there.

With it built in it's just push a button and done, so it'll hopefully it will be useful now, as so used.

Even in games where voice chat was build-in i usually used 'standalone' voice chats. I just take look on one server. I have 3 friends online (i
d like chat with them), and a lot of players speaking on languages i dont understand. They from poland, spain, usa, many other countries. So i have only two choises:
1) use my own language in main chatting area and say 'f*ck off' to all players who dont understand my (and my friends) language, but listen to they screams too.
2) turn off ingame voice chat and do not listen to other players (and my friends too!)
3*) idk how devs maked it (dunno about !voicemute possibility), but anyway in 12x12 game i should waste a lot of time to mute players i dont wanna hear.

On other side my Mumble. I wasted once 2 min to tweak microfone and save my friend's server ip in settins. Now it taking from me 1 sec click on 'mumble' icon before clicking on 'Tremulous' icon and i got all what i need. Dunno where u saw 'lots of alt-tabbing etc' and such. Its pretty simple. And it dont require pushing button every time i want to speak trying evade from bullets with wallwalk etc. =) As i said before - ingame voice chat more usable in games with not so rapid gameplay (CS for example) and on local servers (when 99,9(9)% of players know your native language). In tremulous with its international servers its... not so usable. I only hope that devs will put server/client variables to disable ingame voice chat. Lets just w8 until 1.2 release and see how many servers(except clan/private/native) and players will really use this feature. =D

[Conzul]

Phase-Specific Feedback:

---> Including the name of the vote-caller in the vote is good, but now the vote can stretch across the screen and disrupt gameplay. Can we get an option to push the vote off of the screen after we've voted yes or no?


---> Build points for repeaters return instantly after slaved buildings have been destroyed by aliens. This might not seem like such a big deal, but on small maps you can actually see it a lot. I know if you gave them a timer, players might just Decon the repeater and rebuild it, resetting the point que, so how about making the BP's come back just as fast as it would take to build a new repeater?


---> I'm having trouble loading/viewing demos, and this has only been since the latest update.(no idea why). The demos are right where they should be, but I keep getting this:



Enjoy.

[Nux]

Reading the graphs: Each cross is one game, the distance from 0 on the vertical axis indicates how close a game was to the mean duration for all games on the graph. The numbers in the bottom right are the min/median/max/standard deviation for stage up times and game duration.

Just trying to make sense of the vertical statistic. What is the exact formula used to generate those numbers?

From the look of it you've taken the distribution of durations, split them into alien wins and human wins, folded them on themselves (absolute deviation), scaled the numbers and positioned the mean for humans at 1 and the mean for aliens at -1, with both distributions facing inward. From this I'd speculate you've got something like:

(1 - A(x)*|duration-mean|) * f(x)

where f(x) = 1 for a human win and f(x) = -1 for an alien win.

The most key part is A(x) which will be some sort of function you've used to scale your numbers so they fit between 0 and 0.5. This could be something as simple as dividing by two times the maximum absolute deviation, but I don't know that. I'd appreciate it if you could you let me know as it's key to interpretting the data.

EDIT: Also, are there any other statistics you used over the development of 1.2 or is this the main/only one?

I think you'd benefit from separating the high playercount games from the small onto two separate plots, because not only does the sample size drop dramatically but I'd expect the game behaves differently at higher numbers.

[Meisseli]

Any mid-phase data available on how or if the bugfix has affected staging up at all? I would be interested to know what the result is: my guess is it has speeded it up by some amount.