I like it that Adj mentions my "don't like it, don't play" philosophy, because its a swift way of showing distaste for a server's rules. No polling, no questionnaire, just looking at the logs and seeing who left and when.
Saying "We don't ban for skill" then kicking people who are skilled for other ill-given reasons is the same as banning them for skill, you're simply doing it by proxy.
I don't think player skill should be a mystical shield of ban protection. If someone is being a tard, they're being a tard, and should get the same punishment. Hell, in my pov better players should be punished harder purely because they should know better. If I screw up in a game, there's no chance of me saying "oh I'm new" or "my finger slipped" because noone would buy it. Forgiving of the newbs, exacting of the educated. Furthermore, if someone can't understand the "no advertising" rule then tbh can you trust them with any other rule? Rulebreaking is rulebreaking, no reason why some should be special cases. If I was #Nec.Rosis then I'd drop the # because its part of the server rules. Its easy as that.
Gorks were overpowered, got removed. Pancaking is seen to be an exploit, so its frowned upon. A good player can cope with these changes from server to server. Its no different in any other game where different servers might be running FFA, or TEAM DM, or OBJECTIVE play... you change your style for each game. NS is no different - you play as mercenary as you like on some servers, and on other servers you have to follow someone else's concept of "fair play". Yes, an experienced player knows how to pancake, but they can also read "no pancaking" and act on that instruction. Its not a matter of being out to get anyone, its a matter of the concept of "fair play". Also in this category are such things as structure blocking.
Hitting RTs or cutting a hive down in fast fashion. The way the spawncamping rules are set up you can be banned for doing either or these.
Not by my reading, but perhaps I'm wrong? If you and your team rush a hive and drop all the skulks, then you're not likely to be spawncamping - its called endgame rush. If you sit in the hive entrance and pick off spawners... its hardly a rush.
Again, its like the difference between smashing peons en route to base, or smashing peons, setting up walls and turrets around their base, building up a pile of res, then finally after an hour doing something silly like trying to get 100 cruisers just to take out a cc.
I completely ignore built hives, but thats only because I can't take them down without help from the comm. Conveniently, I also think thats how NS is meant to be played. If I was a really really good NS player (ie someone finally gave me my beloved GL for once) then I'd avoid the hive because vs spawning skulks I'd have a hideous and unfair advantage. Its also the same reason I avoid the noob servers I started my gaming career on - its just not fun to beat someone who's incapable of beating you.
I agree with some of what Adj says, in that there should be a way to tactically stall the enemy - but imho thats what nodes are for. Camping the enemy base should NOT be considered a viable and fair tactic for this. I can agree that its weight against marines, but thats largely because (imho) marines have ranged weaponry and can camp in cosy little holes. Aliens HAVE to get into CC, which carries with it the risk of a telefrag, the fact you can only bite one person at a time, etc etc. An alien rushing MS gets a few bites in, maybe kills a rine, the comm hits beacon. Exception being the devour ip camper onos - he can sit there all day doing it.
A marine rushes the hive, shoots a few skulks, shoots a few more, gets some ammo and meds, rinses and repeats. For a rapid alien response, you're talking MC everywhere. Not likely.
Its not so much about "keeping marines from going into the hiveroom" but more "keeping one marine from systematically picking off spawning players before they react, without a view to ending the game"
Admins should not HAVE a personal preference, and if they do, nothing should come of it!
Isnt that the point of running your own game? I mean, you choose the variables and switches YOU like? If it was purely about "running a popular game" then we'd be flooded by plugins and all sorts of tosh. If it was about "being fair to the playing public" then you might as well take NS off and put up X Wing vs TIE Fighter or X Wing Alliance, since they're virtually extinct now. Maybe I'm odd in my opinions, but seriously, isnt the point of your own server being the right to enforce whatever game conditions you enjoy?
The democratic process of real life revolves around the fact that YOU pay taxes, YOU vote for the leaders, and in return those leaders are obliged to keep YOU happy.
In the internet, you don't pay taxes to the leaders, you don't vote for them, and in return they're not obliged to keep you happy. Otherwise the path leads to madness, and you have people begging for Rome: Total War to be a football soccer sim with lasers. They can listen a bit if they want to, but noone is OBLIGED to, by any means.
On the other note, I myself have been banned and kicked from other games for exploiting/hacking/aimbotting/using the Hand of God, and I was banned from using my favourite tabletop army in my local store because I simply could not be beaten. I feel the pain of people who face hackusations. I think they're silly too, but come on, everyone faces hackusations, its part and parcel of online gaming.
"Not being fun" doesn't disqualify something from being effective and a valid tactic
UNDERSTAND the difference between the rules of a game, and the spirit of a game. Unplugging someone's pc is an effective and valid tactic of defeating them at a pc game. Getting up from your chair at a LAN and shooting your opponent IRL is again a very effective way of ensuring your victory. Are either fun for the opponent? No. Are they how the game was meant to be played? Not likely.
Again, coming onto a privately run server, you accept that you have to follow someone else's concept of fair play. If you find their concept of fair play to be limiting and dull, then exercise free will and play elsewhere.
If you look at a rule and think "I better not do this" then you're in the right frame of mind to play on someone's server.
If you look at a rule and think "Ok its legal then as long as I don't do this" then you're really not in the right frame of mind to play on someone's server.
Rules are there to attempt to explain the spirit of the game. They're not there so that a player can find loopholes or follow the "letter" of the rules but avoiding the "spirit" of the rules.
