Attn Herm, MH players...

[gopostal]

Just in case you get some bewildered players dropping into the MH server, here's why...

I set up a DM server here:
10 Players Unreal Tournament [68.232.163.90:7777]
There is only one map and it is a "gateway" map with portals to various MH servers, MHM included. The map clearly states what the intention is, so no underhanded player redirecting is going on.

If any mappers take a look at that and want to "better" it, please feel free. Over the next week I'm going to customize a couple of bots to wear monster skins so DM players might become intrigued by the idea of fighting them. Also, don't try to use the teleports in any sort of MH server gateway map. They WILL crash the server. I have a specially made one for MH if you so desire to create something like that.

MH needs some new players coming in. Perhaps a couple of fun DM maps to get some interest going might be the ticket to showcasing the mod.

[Blood Asp]

Had a go at doing something like this before with DM-Porta and CTF-Porta, however it never really kicked off.

[gopostal]

I've done this before and it works, you just have to offer something unique to stand out in the DM servers. Consider this a hastily created placeholder for what is going to be there. Ideally I'm going to whip up a monsterhunt that will run on a DM server, though with limited functionality. I think most DM players don't really "get" MH but with a little taste of things that are so taboo (like the radar hud and player location) it will pique interest, I'm sure.

[Blood Asp]

you could have some bots running the Skaarj Trooper Skin in DM, that would help them understand for a baseplate.

[gopostal]

That's kinda the idea, but I want something that just "GRABS" them right out of the gate. Remember the excitement when whomever that was ran the utcoop server and you guys saw you could play as a monster? That's what I'm going for, something so unique and different DM players will have to stop and go WTF?

[Blood Asp]

Hmmm, now you've said that why not make it more horror and force a person into the portal if they get close enough? A Monster comes and drags them into the portal sorta like a supernatural ghost horrow thingy, where a black portal appears and a demon/corpse drags someone thru I Think that would be absolutely mega!

use some blackout lighting as well, and have sorta flashing lights which will reveal monsters chasing you or something, some sort of mega horror map!

That will make people be like DAMN I WANT SOME OF THIS!!! *runs 2 portal*

[Hook]

I might be interested to put that map on {CMM}

[*POTS*]

This is an interesting topic. A few days ago me, Rei and Supreme were talking about what people may be looking for in a new server. First of all we noticed old players tend to stick with their favourite server(s) and new players just jump on populated servers. We also thought that a multimod server may attract more players than a singlemod one. Finally you have to offer something unique and at the same time trying to avoid put 100 mods and custom skins and crap stuff cause people really dislike wasting their time with huge downloads. Also the name is important: a server named "AverageJoe's Monster Hunt" for example is not a good idea since people won't notice it.
What do you think?

Wow this is sorta UT-marketing.

[gopostal]

Multimod servers with MH as one of the voteable gametypes tends to not run so well. Remember the times we loaded JB and the monsterHUD was still there o.0

[*POTS*]

Yes sure, people nearly impossible to be killed, such a nightmare!

BTW I noticed the MH mod requires a separated INI for server settings. This mod is really coded in an odd way: it uses its own master server and INI, unlike most of the other mods.

[gopostal]

Blame Shrimp. He coded it from the beginning so that it would be broken if you tried to mod it forward.

BTW, the other settings you see are simply brought forward from the defaults. Setting them here makes it so much easier because everything is put into one place. I don't really understand your reference to a new master server? MH2 uses the default servers.

[*POTS*]

I don't really understand your reference to a new master server? MH2 uses the default servers.

Oh never mind I was thinking of a different thing my bad.

[Hermskii]

The first Monster I ever saw was in a DM-Map that was a remake of DM-Deck16. It had a couple of Sliths in the water. One jumped out and walked up to me spitting the green globs at me. I thought I had lost my mind! It was so awesome until we all determined that killing one was worth a frag so 15 well placed deemeres won the game in seconds.

GOPO and I discussed this entire concept of a DM-PortalMap to MH type servers about a year ago. He already had it working back then except maybe the teleportor problem wasn't evident then I guess.

My feel for one of these would be a long freaking tunnel that just curves and keeps getting deeper. Every once in a while it should open up into an area where a flat screen display like at the beginning of MH-Kittara which would explain to the players what they are walking towards and how to play MH. It would explain teamwork and everything. Have them fight monsters in the tunnels on the way and learn by reading in the open areas. Finally have them walk through one of several well explained teleports that pushes them straight into one of the MH servers. Just my 2 cents.

[BIOMECH]

Ooo...I like that one. Only problem would be people rushing past the signs without reading them.

[Hermskii]

They might rush throught at first but I bet the 2nd time they stop and read. Another thing would be to make the first one really big and stress the importance of reading the others between getting to see and fight certain types of monsters. In the end, I suspect it would be a really big map if each monster was found in the type of area they should be found in. The most important thing though would be to make sure it never opens up too wide. It has to force them along a single no options offered path from begining to end with new spawn points starting at the beginning of each new section. The map would never change. It would run 24/7. It is genius I tell you.