Fortress Forever - View Single Post - Something that can more people play Fortress Forever

the_cake · 05-11-2014, 02:33 PM

I think ovd maps are a great idea, just don't be overly restrictive. You don't have to force pickup classes, just eliminate things that would be completely useless or mostly for griefing. Maybe no sniper, HW, and engie on O (or disable buildables); and no scout, medic, and spy, on d.

The class selection screen plays a big part in how people feel restricted, classes shouldn't be "greyed out," but rather only list the available classes. Greying things out implies things that are normally available, but have been made unavailable for some reason. A restriction. It would be like playing a soccer/football video game where there are 6 goalie slots, but 5 are greyed out. The first question you might ask is "why are there even 6 goalie slots?" That sounds silly because in real life no one has implied that there should ever be 6 goalies, so you never felt restricted about having 1 goalie. The video game is implying that there can be 6 goalies, but not this time. You shouldn't give the idea that a player should be able to play d scout, but not this time. Give the immediate impression of "scout is not played on defense in this game."

Classes should be clearly listed based on their role for the appropriate side, also it should be made very obvious that you are on the O or D team.

Something like,

OFFENSE
You are on the offense team, attack the enemy base and get their flag!

FLAG RUNNER
scout
SUPPORT/AUXILIARY FLAG RUNNER
medic
spy
SUPPORT
soldier
demoman
pyro

The emphasis is on the team and class role, not the class itself. Instead of "what do I do and why can't I do this," you're presented with "Here's what you're doing, and here's what you're doing it with." The idea of even asking the question "Why can't I play o HW" (from the perspective of someone completely new) isn't even brought up.

05-11-2014, 02:33 PM	#87
the_cake Beta Tester Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts Rated Helpful 144 Times	I think ovd maps are a great idea, just don't be overly restrictive. You don't have to force pickup classes, just eliminate things that would be completely useless or mostly for griefing. Maybe no sniper, HW, and engie on O (or disable buildables); and no scout, medic, and spy, on d. The class selection screen plays a big part in how people feel restricted, classes shouldn't be "greyed out," but rather only list the available classes. Greying things out implies things that are normally available, but have been made unavailable for some reason. A restriction. It would be like playing a soccer/football video game where there are 6 goalie slots, but 5 are greyed out. The first question you might ask is "why are there even 6 goalie slots?" That sounds silly because in real life no one has implied that there should ever be 6 goalies, so you never felt restricted about having 1 goalie. The video game is implying that there can be 6 goalies, but not this time. You shouldn't give the idea that a player should be able to play d scout, but not this time. Give the immediate impression of "scout is not played on defense in this game." Classes should be clearly listed based on their role for the appropriate side, also it should be made very obvious that you are on the O or D team. Something like, OFFENSE You are on the offense team, attack the enemy base and get their flag! FLAG RUNNER scout SUPPORT/AUXILIARY FLAG RUNNER medic spy SUPPORT soldier demoman pyro The emphasis is on the team and class role, not the class itself. Instead of "what do I do and why can't I do this," you're presented with "Here's what you're doing, and here's what you're doing it with." The idea of even asking the question "Why can't I play o HW" (from the perspective of someone completely new) isn't even brought up.