Pasta
Radio Bob Approved
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2022
- Messages
- 91
- Thread Author
- #1
Preface
While I've really just returned to the Willard Scene of things. I've done quite a bit of asking around to see what the current goings of the server are from an IC and OOC perspective. What I'm about to write is my own thoughts on what is happening, what can be improved, and what I think should happen in the near future. This does not reflect the Admin Team, Server Council, or anyone else other than my own PERSONAL thoughts.
Me being back into the Willard Scene can for some of you be a really good thing, and for others, you may wish me to have stayed gone. Whatever it is, I hope that when you read this you understand what I am saying is all in good faith and well-meaning. This will without a doubt upset people on both sides of the server, from the Combine players to the Rebel players, and everything in between is going to lightly get touched upon. As much as my ADHD-infused brain will allow me to write that is.
As of the time of writing this, I am not currently on the Admin Team, but I was before. I hope that you can all understand that I am not here for any malice or distrust towards the community as a whole, I want only the best, and that sometimes means saying things people don't want to hear.
So why am I making this post?
Unlike most of the community at the moment I'm quite refreshed for not constantly playing the current game. Not to say that the community is burnt out but there is signs of people being in such a state without really knowing. I want to make this post to have the community itself see things from a rather open perspective. This has been a rather hot topic as of late with having more than a few threads, to which I have read.
Such as the one HERE and HERE
Why is mine any different? In short, it's not. In reality, I'm going to be saying some pretty blunt things, which can be upsetting but sometimes (and often) needed to be heard. This is my way of giving a little nudge to the community in my own way, I'd rather say something than nothing at all. I just don't feel as if I have really too much to add to either of the old posts that would really make sense.
So... let's rip the bandaid off shall we?
Rebel Eco Wipe/Weapon Rework
Before you chew my head off, allow me to explain why I have been wanting to push for this for a very long time. It was a very loud subject that got me into a bit of trouble during my time as an admin, but this isn't a new issue. If anything this issue has been going on for a little over a year, maybe a little less at this point yet its starting point was during the City 24 Antlion Arc. That was a mess of a time for the server I will admit on all fronts, from the Combine players to the Rebel players there was a lot of really wacky stuff that I frankly didn't agree with.
During that time, however, there was a very odd few calls made. Weapons for the BMD were decreased, and we had an option for new spawns to have a Knife (which was removed shortly after). However, during this moment, I saw the imbalance of power slowly shifting into uneven territory. The amount of Rifles that the Rebels at that current time were able to get their hands on was insane, out-gunning, and out-equipped the standard Command Unit of Civil Protection.
So then it forced the OTA into having to be the main combat focus for the Rebels because Civil Protection was straight up left behind.
Sound familiar?
Currently, as it stands Civil Protection has become the punching bag once more of the server. Which has decreased the morale of the 'main' antagonist of the server. There's no blame here to anyone in the faction or who runs it, the simple truth is that the way Civil Protection plays is not equal to how the Rebel playstyle is. Both are so vastly different and both have their pros and cons. I'll explain more down the line what I mean.
I am not saying this is a "this might need to happen." I am stating that this NEEDS to happen for the betterment of the server itself in the current climate it is uncontained and unfun for an entire side of the playerbase (seeing this as Combine at the moment). While I understand this is upsetting to hear it is also something that has to be done, I don't quite know how it would properly work but the Rebels while they are strong enough to wipe out OTA. Doesn't make for a very enjoyable day-to-day story, it doesn't provide thriving engagements.
Rebels and Civil Protection should be the ones fighting one another, not the Rebels and the OTA. Yeah, Rebels AND Vorts should be fighting the OTA but they shouldn't be most of the time.
The power creep is too much, and it is impossible for the Civil Protection to become equal in any regard. I am not saying that everything needs to get removed from the Rebel Side of things, but weapons do need to be taken and replaced. And I don't mean by something equal to power either. I don't know why or understand who made the call to allow OTA to drop on death but that was one of the most foolish things I have heard to date.
Because it snowballed into what we have now.
I want to remind everyone that this is a Roleplay Community, and the efforts of that should be towards everyone. Even if it means giving up or replacing something that is strong and powerful. It is, and will always be for the greater good of the community/story/etc. I do not have any personal coin in this, but even I can see from a very outside source coming back in that there's going to need to be rather large changes.
It's gonna upset people. To which I say; "Deal with it, it's not all about you."
The Differences in Culture: Rebels and Civil Protection
Now there's no secret that there's always been these two sides to every coin aspect in every Half-Life 2 roleplay. To say there's bias is true, but I don't think that's the proper term. Both sides have their appeal to people in their own way.
For example;
I personally enjoy the Combine Faction far more than the Rebel Faction due to the fact there is structure, it has a decent reward system that makes me feel as if I am working towards something. Be it a rank, a reward, a weapon, and so on and so forth. I equally enjoy the political aspect of a corrupt government working with this impossibly powerful alien reign of power over them.
I personally do not enjoy the Rebel Faction because it’s so chaotic! That’s not a bad thing, it’s very quick and it allows for some amazing roleplay aspects to come forth, it’s just not for me. While there is and can be ordered, it’s at the end of the day a rag-tag group of people, doing their very best against impossible odds. That’s really fucking cool!
So… why am I stating this?
You see the Combine Factions operate on a reward-based system with Time, Effort, and overall just doing your job right. This can take A LOT of time in the long scheme of things, ranging from waiting 6 months to a year for a certain spot in a faction (see Civil Protection). They can’t just suddenly be allowed to have new gear, or new equipment, because it takes time to process, it takes time to interact with other Combine Factions.
They cannot keep up most of the time without having the Admin Team monitor the situation of the current CvR culture. Trust me, I butted heads a lot when it came to this, don’t even get me started on the SCAR stuff.
The Rebels on the other hand start out with scraps, nothing, and you have to beg, scream, and tear out some throats to get just a sliver of what you want. High Risk, High Reward is the name of the game. Or playing the long con. Both are amazing ways to play… but this is where the issue is found, Rebels have far easier access to superior equipment 9 out of 10 times compared to their Combine counterparts being the Civil Protection.
For Civil Protection you have to EARN everything you got. Through time, effort, etc
Rebels you have to FIGHT for everything you got. Through winning fights.
But that’s the thing, Rebels can easily profit off the hard work of another by stealing weapons, equipment, armor, etc where the Civil Protection cannot. Of course, there’s going to be an imbalance of things when the play styles are so vastly different!
I only bring this up to put things into perspective. There is no wrong way to play either side, I just want everyone to understand there sometimes will have to be action taken to ensure that the game is fun for everyone.
Vorts; The Overpowered Issue
I told you I was going to upset everyone, I meant it. Even the Vorts aren’t safe from what I think is one of the biggest issues, not only is it rather easy to become free… the sheer amount of power they have at their fingertips is insane, and they can without a doubt overpower the OTA with how they currently are balanced.
That’s not fun for anyone, it’s gonna suck but I’ll be the loudest voice to say it. Nerf the vorts of their abilities/power/strength until it’s on an equal footing to make it enjoyable again. Make it harder for them to escape captivity because there’s no real downside to escaping. Because they can’t really be stopped when they have these other Titans of War aiding them. OTA really can’t win. Civil Protection straight up will get bodied.
Yeah, I fully expect comments to be made about this. I just can’t see a world where the Vorts are supposed to be this strong, too strong in my eyes. And this isn’t punishing the Rebels or the Vort players. It’s not their fault that odd calls were made to have this insane imbalance on the server.
It’s just ripping off the hard truth to make things enjoyable, it’s gonna be upsetting but I promise. I promise you that things will become more enjoyable when both sides are having a fun time when it comes to daily RP, Combat, and overall the story of the server.
OTA; The Lackluster Force
Hey, don’t get mad at me. I think soft improvements here can help, for god sake, we should be using the Wallhammers more, the Heavy gunners too, they are in half-life for a reason but the current issue is that they’re too strong… well at least that's how it is used to be.
I suggest having an actual force (as it was seen in the concept art for Half-Life Alyx) to allow a special crew of Anti-Vort OTA so the grounds of combat are even. Maybe they have special armor, or maybe they have these weapons that go directly against the Vorts. I don’t know! Something!
Vorts and OTA should be what the Rebels and the Civil Protection are. Always equal but in the end with one another should they ever get into conflict. I do not have an OTA character, I do not have a Vort. I am speaking out of what I think as a player could be fun to see, I am speaking not out of malice or hate.
I just want to see things fun again. People are upset, and they have every right to be. It’s gonna take a gentle overhaul or some patches here and there to make things right.
Ending Remarks
I’ve taken up enough time, but this is what I wanted to get off my chest. To those of you who are upset at me, I fully understand and accept any comments that come my way. I still would like to hear different points of view.
How would you fix the imbalance?
How would you make sure both sides are having fun?
What do you agree or disagree with and why?
If you wish to reach out to me personally feel free to do so over Discord, I’m more than happy to talk! Discord: PastaTM
Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope this helps even if it’s a little bit pushing the server in the right direction. If not? No one can say I didn't try!
-Pasta
While I've really just returned to the Willard Scene of things. I've done quite a bit of asking around to see what the current goings of the server are from an IC and OOC perspective. What I'm about to write is my own thoughts on what is happening, what can be improved, and what I think should happen in the near future. This does not reflect the Admin Team, Server Council, or anyone else other than my own PERSONAL thoughts.
Me being back into the Willard Scene can for some of you be a really good thing, and for others, you may wish me to have stayed gone. Whatever it is, I hope that when you read this you understand what I am saying is all in good faith and well-meaning. This will without a doubt upset people on both sides of the server, from the Combine players to the Rebel players, and everything in between is going to lightly get touched upon. As much as my ADHD-infused brain will allow me to write that is.
As of the time of writing this, I am not currently on the Admin Team, but I was before. I hope that you can all understand that I am not here for any malice or distrust towards the community as a whole, I want only the best, and that sometimes means saying things people don't want to hear.
So why am I making this post?
Unlike most of the community at the moment I'm quite refreshed for not constantly playing the current game. Not to say that the community is burnt out but there is signs of people being in such a state without really knowing. I want to make this post to have the community itself see things from a rather open perspective. This has been a rather hot topic as of late with having more than a few threads, to which I have read.
Such as the one HERE and HERE
Why is mine any different? In short, it's not. In reality, I'm going to be saying some pretty blunt things, which can be upsetting but sometimes (and often) needed to be heard. This is my way of giving a little nudge to the community in my own way, I'd rather say something than nothing at all. I just don't feel as if I have really too much to add to either of the old posts that would really make sense.
So... let's rip the bandaid off shall we?
Rebel Eco Wipe/Weapon Rework
Before you chew my head off, allow me to explain why I have been wanting to push for this for a very long time. It was a very loud subject that got me into a bit of trouble during my time as an admin, but this isn't a new issue. If anything this issue has been going on for a little over a year, maybe a little less at this point yet its starting point was during the City 24 Antlion Arc. That was a mess of a time for the server I will admit on all fronts, from the Combine players to the Rebel players there was a lot of really wacky stuff that I frankly didn't agree with.
During that time, however, there was a very odd few calls made. Weapons for the BMD were decreased, and we had an option for new spawns to have a Knife (which was removed shortly after). However, during this moment, I saw the imbalance of power slowly shifting into uneven territory. The amount of Rifles that the Rebels at that current time were able to get their hands on was insane, out-gunning, and out-equipped the standard Command Unit of Civil Protection.
So then it forced the OTA into having to be the main combat focus for the Rebels because Civil Protection was straight up left behind.
Sound familiar?
Currently, as it stands Civil Protection has become the punching bag once more of the server. Which has decreased the morale of the 'main' antagonist of the server. There's no blame here to anyone in the faction or who runs it, the simple truth is that the way Civil Protection plays is not equal to how the Rebel playstyle is. Both are so vastly different and both have their pros and cons. I'll explain more down the line what I mean.
I am not saying this is a "this might need to happen." I am stating that this NEEDS to happen for the betterment of the server itself in the current climate it is uncontained and unfun for an entire side of the playerbase (seeing this as Combine at the moment). While I understand this is upsetting to hear it is also something that has to be done, I don't quite know how it would properly work but the Rebels while they are strong enough to wipe out OTA. Doesn't make for a very enjoyable day-to-day story, it doesn't provide thriving engagements.
Rebels and Civil Protection should be the ones fighting one another, not the Rebels and the OTA. Yeah, Rebels AND Vorts should be fighting the OTA but they shouldn't be most of the time.
The power creep is too much, and it is impossible for the Civil Protection to become equal in any regard. I am not saying that everything needs to get removed from the Rebel Side of things, but weapons do need to be taken and replaced. And I don't mean by something equal to power either. I don't know why or understand who made the call to allow OTA to drop on death but that was one of the most foolish things I have heard to date.
Because it snowballed into what we have now.
I want to remind everyone that this is a Roleplay Community, and the efforts of that should be towards everyone. Even if it means giving up or replacing something that is strong and powerful. It is, and will always be for the greater good of the community/story/etc. I do not have any personal coin in this, but even I can see from a very outside source coming back in that there's going to need to be rather large changes.
It's gonna upset people. To which I say; "Deal with it, it's not all about you."
The Differences in Culture: Rebels and Civil Protection
Now there's no secret that there's always been these two sides to every coin aspect in every Half-Life 2 roleplay. To say there's bias is true, but I don't think that's the proper term. Both sides have their appeal to people in their own way.
For example;
I personally enjoy the Combine Faction far more than the Rebel Faction due to the fact there is structure, it has a decent reward system that makes me feel as if I am working towards something. Be it a rank, a reward, a weapon, and so on and so forth. I equally enjoy the political aspect of a corrupt government working with this impossibly powerful alien reign of power over them.
I personally do not enjoy the Rebel Faction because it’s so chaotic! That’s not a bad thing, it’s very quick and it allows for some amazing roleplay aspects to come forth, it’s just not for me. While there is and can be ordered, it’s at the end of the day a rag-tag group of people, doing their very best against impossible odds. That’s really fucking cool!
So… why am I stating this?
You see the Combine Factions operate on a reward-based system with Time, Effort, and overall just doing your job right. This can take A LOT of time in the long scheme of things, ranging from waiting 6 months to a year for a certain spot in a faction (see Civil Protection). They can’t just suddenly be allowed to have new gear, or new equipment, because it takes time to process, it takes time to interact with other Combine Factions.
They cannot keep up most of the time without having the Admin Team monitor the situation of the current CvR culture. Trust me, I butted heads a lot when it came to this, don’t even get me started on the SCAR stuff.
The Rebels on the other hand start out with scraps, nothing, and you have to beg, scream, and tear out some throats to get just a sliver of what you want. High Risk, High Reward is the name of the game. Or playing the long con. Both are amazing ways to play… but this is where the issue is found, Rebels have far easier access to superior equipment 9 out of 10 times compared to their Combine counterparts being the Civil Protection.
For Civil Protection you have to EARN everything you got. Through time, effort, etc
Rebels you have to FIGHT for everything you got. Through winning fights.
But that’s the thing, Rebels can easily profit off the hard work of another by stealing weapons, equipment, armor, etc where the Civil Protection cannot. Of course, there’s going to be an imbalance of things when the play styles are so vastly different!
I only bring this up to put things into perspective. There is no wrong way to play either side, I just want everyone to understand there sometimes will have to be action taken to ensure that the game is fun for everyone.
Vorts; The Overpowered Issue
I told you I was going to upset everyone, I meant it. Even the Vorts aren’t safe from what I think is one of the biggest issues, not only is it rather easy to become free… the sheer amount of power they have at their fingertips is insane, and they can without a doubt overpower the OTA with how they currently are balanced.
That’s not fun for anyone, it’s gonna suck but I’ll be the loudest voice to say it. Nerf the vorts of their abilities/power/strength until it’s on an equal footing to make it enjoyable again. Make it harder for them to escape captivity because there’s no real downside to escaping. Because they can’t really be stopped when they have these other Titans of War aiding them. OTA really can’t win. Civil Protection straight up will get bodied.
Yeah, I fully expect comments to be made about this. I just can’t see a world where the Vorts are supposed to be this strong, too strong in my eyes. And this isn’t punishing the Rebels or the Vort players. It’s not their fault that odd calls were made to have this insane imbalance on the server.
It’s just ripping off the hard truth to make things enjoyable, it’s gonna be upsetting but I promise. I promise you that things will become more enjoyable when both sides are having a fun time when it comes to daily RP, Combat, and overall the story of the server.
OTA; The Lackluster Force
Hey, don’t get mad at me. I think soft improvements here can help, for god sake, we should be using the Wallhammers more, the Heavy gunners too, they are in half-life for a reason but the current issue is that they’re too strong… well at least that's how it is used to be.
I suggest having an actual force (as it was seen in the concept art for Half-Life Alyx) to allow a special crew of Anti-Vort OTA so the grounds of combat are even. Maybe they have special armor, or maybe they have these weapons that go directly against the Vorts. I don’t know! Something!
Vorts and OTA should be what the Rebels and the Civil Protection are. Always equal but in the end with one another should they ever get into conflict. I do not have an OTA character, I do not have a Vort. I am speaking out of what I think as a player could be fun to see, I am speaking not out of malice or hate.
I just want to see things fun again. People are upset, and they have every right to be. It’s gonna take a gentle overhaul or some patches here and there to make things right.
Ending Remarks
I’ve taken up enough time, but this is what I wanted to get off my chest. To those of you who are upset at me, I fully understand and accept any comments that come my way. I still would like to hear different points of view.
How would you fix the imbalance?
How would you make sure both sides are having fun?
What do you agree or disagree with and why?
If you wish to reach out to me personally feel free to do so over Discord, I’m more than happy to talk! Discord: PastaTM
Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope this helps even if it’s a little bit pushing the server in the right direction. If not? No one can say I didn't try!
-Pasta
