My contention is that with the current map list, which I believe to be bloated, we have relegated gameplay to a small nucleus of maps that the general population of the server is familiar with. Some of them are fantastic and I'm really glad we play them a lot, but some of the others? Not so much... I think the map list in its current format has a negative effect on the server for the following reasons:
1. The good but unfamiliar maps do not get voted.My example for this is jb_nexzoid, a map I'm a fan of for it's wide array of games and though the hallways to those areas are a little complicated, the map is designed with a navigation system that lends readily to rebelling. If we played it more often I have no doubt it would become one of the server's favourites. I also believe that if we added a kickass new map tomorrow, chances are it would get passed up in the vote for something more familiar and within a few weeks forgotten about entirely.
2. We play maps that are just awful.When the map vote comes up, players inevitably vote for the map they know the most. If nobody has nominated one of the maps we always play, then sometimes we end up on an obscure one that's just thoroughly miserable to play. You know what I'm talking about - it has no secrets, the warden has no idea what to do, it all gets boring because nobody is enthused nor motivated by the map we're playing... but we end up sitting on it for 30 minutes because we can't get enough RTV's to change it! By the time the next map vote rolls around the server population has been halved, all because we ended up on a map that nobody really wanted to play in the first place.
I took the liberty of going through the Jail Break map list using the server's nominate feature and I have noted down every single map eligible for nomination. I have listed them in the below spoiler.
jb_panopticon_v3
jb_greybrick_v3
ba_jail_aperture_v3beta
ba_jail_foxriver_v1
ba_jail_partyhouse_v4
jb_golden_chicken_twse
jb_lego_jail_v8_css_a1
jb_paradise_prison_fix
jb_paper_alive_fix
ba_jail_prisonspace_zz
ba_jail_canyondam_v6_fix
ba_jail_cavewalk_v1b
ba_jail_experiments_v1night
ba_jail_experiments_v2d4y
ba_jails_mars_2013_v1_b
ba_jail_tile_paradice_v_2_sg
jb_parabellum_xg_v1-1
ba_jail_lockdown_final
jb_b1_detention_center_final
ba_jail_electric_aero_v1_1
jb_egn_jt2k_razor
ba_jail_abfd_clockwork_b3fix
ba_jailrp_scofield_v3_5
ba_jail_alcatraz_final_BETA
ba_jail_sand_v3
ba_jail_outer_space
jb_spy_vs_spy_beta7
ba_jail_pk_rocksolid_prison_v8
jb_egn_pendium
ba_jail_egn_oxid_v1
ba_prison_break_final
ba_jail_blackops
ba_jail_xtreme_maximum_v1
ba_hiddens_jail
jb_electric_egn
ba_jail_electric_razor_v6
ba_mlcastle_v4_css5
jb_carceris_final_fixed
ba_jail_xtreme_downview_v4
jb_lego_jail_v4
ba_jail_alcala-meco_rc2
ba_jail_askaban_v2_fix
ba_jail_concrete_jungle_v1
ba_jail_gothic_beta2
ba_jail_maximum_b1
ba_jail_future_beta
ba_jail_yolo_tm
jb_vipinthemix_v1_3
jb_kittens_b1
ba_jail_Retizetia_v2
ba_jail_aeon_v1
ba_jail_kistroll_beta
jb_nexzoid
jb_space_jail_v1_fix2
ba_jail_fun
ba_jail_entanglement_v1
jb_last_encounter
ba_jail_pk_rocksolid_prison_v8
ba_jail_lotus_final_fixed2
ba_jail_kirbys_space_v2
ba_jb_jail_new_summer_sg
jb_blade_RAGE_a20
jb_corvell_RAGE_Ng
jb_desert_RAGE_a20
jb_extreme_rage-a20
jb_jurassic-park_RAGE_a20
jb_Night_Prison_RAGE_a20
jb_Sona_RAGE_NG_a20
My observations are as follows:
1. What the fuck even are some of these?Has anybody ever played ba_jail_entanglement_v1?! What is that? Is it good? MAYBE! What is jb_golden_chicken_twse? What is ba_jail_partyhouse_v4?
2. We have maps that even the creators themselves are surprised by.My friend made ba_jail_yolo and Retizetia at least four years ago because he wanted to learn how to use Source SDK. We ended up on Retizetia a few weeks ago and he was stunned when I told him we were playing it. It's extremely basic and he assumed it would have been removed for quality control reasons once he stopped associating with the community. I'm with him, we shouldn't have maps like this on the list when we have far greater ones.
3. There are two versions of Lego.I'd rather we had no Lego jail, I hate it with a passion and find it ruins my enjoyment but is there a reason we have both v4 and v8?
4. Too many Razor clones.Hiddens Jail was played more than Razor itself back in the day but we never play it now. Aero is pretty bad and boring. Outer Space is mostly a re-texture with some nifty little additions like the laser and the library, I know Musical likes it. I think it's decent and all but it hardly changes the game up enough to warrant its inclusion IMHO. I don't mind electric_egn, vipinthemix or the JT2K one either, it's just that we play enough Razor as it is without also playing the razor clones.
My suggestion is that we shorten the map list drastically to a small pool of the best 10 to 15 maps. I've listed my ideal map list in the spoiler below.
jb_greybrick_v3
ba_jail_canyondam_v6_fix
jb_parabellum_xg_v1-1
jb_spy_vs_spy_beta7
ba_jail_electric_razor_v6
ba_mlcastle_v4_css5
jb_carceris_final_fixed
ba_jb_jail_new_summer_sg
jb_nexzoid
jb_desert_RAGE_a20
My thought is that not only will we always be playing a map that we both enjoy playing and are familiar with, but new additions to the map list will stand out more and that may encourage the server to vote for them more often than they currently do.
If this is a dialogue people could bring up in the server to the regulars that don't have a voice here, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm positive that some of them would rather the map list be shortened to the maps they love the most so we never end up on an awful one that kills the game.