How can we populate our ranked server?

[=50K=Skuz]

Re: How can we populate our ranked server?

What you need is some people to connect every morning and stay on until the server starts - if the server gets full it'll usually stay like that until late at night, sometimes all night if you're lucky.

[SciFiMan]

Re: How can we populate our ranked server?

I can't comment on running a server, but I'm going to mention that I think the vast majority of BF2 players are pretty casual about it. I have over 300 hours now but I never got around to using the favorites list. Possibly because I'm older and I can't play for 6+ hours straight like the kids can. I'll jump on whatever map takes my fancy after work for a round or two. Then I get off to make supper or cart the kids to their ballet and baseball. Then when my youngest is in bed I can maybe get another hour or so. Occasionally on a Friday/Sat night I'll do long stretches into the wee hours but it's rare that I'll stay on any one server for hours at a time. I like BF2 plenty but my free time is valuable. If there are idiots on a server I'm gone in a flash. Life is too short for putting up with crap like that.

So your main goal will be having reasonable rules that are consistantly enforced to make the games enjoyable for the maximum amount of people. Also fairminded, mature admin's. If I'm on a server for more than 3 rounds it is only because there is quality play and teamwork happening.

Schools almost out. Traffic should pick up soon. So lot's of 13 yr old idiots all day long.

[Resplended]

Re: How can we populate our ranked server?

Ooh, we should get a group together from here and get a few games going. :) Hope you're in Europe.

=50K=Skuzgib, cool you run the 50klicks servers, I've played there, nice servers.

[low_iq]

Re: How can we populate our ranked server?

Hey guys,

If this is a inappropriate post, please let me know and I'll edit it at once. Don't want to step on anyones toes.

Thank you all for the tips.

Our server IP is; 64.69.45.207:16567
Name: KORT/Spc RANKED w/VOIP

I'm located just north of Toronto, and I ping around 90-100 as the server is located in California.

Rules:
-Swearing and stat padding =kick/ban
-Team killing for vehichles =kick or ban
-Offensive player names =ban
-Vehicle priority goes to those waiting the longest

I think our rules are fair. We just ask people to watch what they say in game and over the microphone. If you need to use foul language, we ask they you don't type it into the chat window, nor broadcast it over the mic. Pretty simple concept.

We like gaming and having fun in an adult environment. If that appeals to you, may I suggest dropping by, or being part of our community in our forums.

https://www.kortclan.com

Thanks again,
[KORT] SWAT
kortclan.com

[Heous]

Re: How can we populate our ranked server?

City maps ftw (just put it in the server name, nevermind the actual rotation, should do the trick)

Don't listen to him. I've been tricked by deceptive server names like this before, but I leave as soon as an air map loads. Doing this will just cause people to distrust your server as deceptive and stay away from it in the future.

[Resplended]

Re: How can we populate our ranked server?

Agh, too bad you're american, sounds like a good server, well good luck anyway. :)

[Soldat]

Re: How can we populate our ranked server?

Try starting with Wake, that seems to be everyones favorite as well as Karkand

Encourage your members who have more then one PC networked to the internet to purchase another copy of BF2 (preferably on Ebay) then create a secondary acct and "put him in" as a placeholder until your server is Ranked and the snowball rolling.

[Heous]

Re: How can we populate our ranked server?

Try starting with Wake, that seems to be everyones favorite as well as Karkand

Encourage your members who have more then one PC networked to the internet to purchase another copy of BF2 (preferably on Ebay) then create a secondary acct and "put him in" as a placeholder until your server is Ranked and the snowball rolling.

I agree with Soldat, either Wake or Karkand is good, but first you have to determine what kind of server you want; an air whoring server or a ground pounding server. Despite the name, I have no problem with air whoring servers; I just stay off of them because I'm a ground pounder and hate getting raped by jets. But of you and your clan prefers sweeping the skies, you'd probably want to start the map up with Wake and then go into various air maps of your choosing.

If you and your clan is more infantry oriented, than always start with Karkand. While you may have some negative opinions of it, seeing the reputation it has gotten as being a point-whoring map and the such, it tends to often draw a large playerbase in. Then you can rotate to Sharqi and Mashtuur without fear, as it's unlikely your playerbase will drop off after Karkand's finished up.

[TokenBrit]

Re: How can we populate our ranked server?

I would simply suggest being descriptive in your server name, if you play 24/7 of some map put that in the server name, you need some sort of gimmick that people searching for will find, and find attractive. Don't just put some crappy generic clan tag that nobody cares about.

[White*Feather*67]

Re: How can we populate our ranked server?

Make it a 24/7 sharki and karkand map. I garauntee it will be populated.

[JonnyMacFred102]

Re: How can we populate our ranked server?

Make it a 24/7 sharki and karkand map. I garauntee it will be populated.

Agree 100%. Wake Island works too. Also, popualrity and age also determines it. Moongamers is 99% full all of the time because it has been around so long and everyone knows about it.

[-=4th=-1/2Hawk]

Re: How can we populate our ranked server?

That's no guarantee at all ... there are 300+ servers out there which are 24/7 city maps of one form or another. In fact, its getting impossible (esp with Special Forces) to find servers with a healthy mix of maps in rotation. Half the reason I switched from BF42 was being sick of the same stupid maps again and again and again. Now when Karkand starts loading every 3rd map on any server I have a descent ping on, I start falling asleep at the console. :hmm:

Anyways, we also have problems with traffic volume so we switched to 24/7 City Maps + 1 (we also run the 16 man TWL/CAL map of the week - this week is Dragon Valley 16 for example), put four hot chicks in our server graphic and the server still lies dormant all week. I think the trick is getting a server people can land a 45-60 ping on. I usually sort for those, then by # of players, then look to see what map is playing / map rotation is advertised.

[xpnl]

Re: How can we populate our ranked server?

xpnl, if you have a 48 man server you need 10 people to start it regardless of the map size. it is a 48 slot. If it is in ranked mode you cant lower it from 10 to 6 for minimum amount of people to get it going.

Sure you can, at least with the bf2cc tool its possible

[White*Feather*67]

Re: How can we populate our ranked server?

I can garauntee it will be populated because many players want to play 40+ maps on 64 player size maps. These server's are the best ones for gaining badges. The rounds last longer too.

Another thing is try and get several of your clan members to log in at the same time. That way you will have more chance of getting the server going whether you map it 24/7 sharki/karkand or not.

[coco]

Re: How can we populate our ranked server?

(1) You can't keep all the people happy all of the time. If you make a pure urban map rotation you get people moaning. If you make a pure rural map rotation you get people moaning. Something like Kark-Sharqi-Mashtur-Fushee-Kark-Sharq-Mashtur-Dragon.....and so on.Wortks on SKUNKDOGZ 1.

(2) You'll have a pattern of lull and busy times. For me the lull is 0400-1300 most weekdays. Most players that play all night then sleep all morning!
Late at night(early hours of morning usually) i put Karkand on 24/7 till i get up the next morning.

(3) Kick off with a popular map that attracts enough players who want to practice (usually flyers) then when the minimum is reached (i.e. critical mass) the game should sustain itself.Sharqi is a goos map for this.

(4) Have at least two rounds per map maybe even three. That encourages the slow connection players to stay. You will always get a turnover of players when a new map starts. Have a 30-60sec wait (set in the config) at the start as well.

(5) Use the third party tools like BF2CC to alter the map rotation in-game at certain times, for example I will often cut out the rural maps during the night (especially like Kubra Dam) because overnight folk seem to enjoy the urban maps. With BF2CC (and other tools) who can alter maps without server restart.

(6) Name the server so that people can easily remember the name and its not hard to find on the browse list. Then they will come back to it. Remember human nature knows what it likes and likes what it knows.

(7) Give the server an attractive server sig (400x100 .png file hosted on imageshack is fine). It looks cool and people realise someone cares about the server.

Proof i know what i'm doing, my server......