Custom Servers, Your Feelings.

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

I only really started to notice this once again with custom servers on Battlefield 3 consoles, but I realised I actually hate custom servers.

Not all custom servers, but the majority of them.

Battlefield is the easiest example as I've used it the longest, back to BF1942 days, I really started noticing how much I despised custom servers around 2142, roughly around the time I started becoming a more serious gamer.

Titan movement restriction, I wanted to be able to play the game as the developers intended, but nearly every server I ended up in threatened a ban if you moved the titans, a small gripe back then but still not great.

Then jumping into Gears of War (Not exactly custom 'servers' but I digress) hosts would often kick me for killing them, not a massive problem as I swapped to ranked matches where kicking wasn't an option.

But now with Battlefield 3, the server list is full of '%400 tickets!', 'No shotguns!' or bad admins.

I got kicked from a game a few minutes ago for killing an admin.

/Rant over.

What does everyone else think of custom servers?

TLDR; I generally dislike most custom servers that don't add something of a fun new dynamic or don't mirror official servers, opinions?

 

[baddude1337]

The rented severs single handedly ruined Battlefield 3 for me. Quick Match became broken and everyone ramped up the ticket counts to insane levels. The rest of the patch was awful, but the rented servers were the worst part. Haven't played it since.

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

The rented severs single handedly ruined Battlefield 3 for me. Quick Match became broken and everyone ramped up the ticket counts to insane levels. The rest of the patch was awful, but the rented servers were the worst part. Haven't played it since.

I just don't see people's obsession with being in hour long games where the attacker pretty much cannot lose without spending the entire game shooting at the sky.

 

[Doclector]

The rented severs single handedly ruined Battlefield 3 for me. Quick Match became broken and everyone ramped up the ticket counts to insane levels. The rest of the patch was awful, but the rented servers were the worst part. Haven't played it since.

I just don't see people's obsession with being in hour long games where the attacker pretty much cannot lose without spending the entire game shooting at the sky.

Yes. Remember being 20 kills away from winning? Which was around...80 kills later than it should have been?

Honestly, it wouldn't be so bad if there were still official servers available, but no, it all has to depend on a load of idiots thinking "lolz, let's get our own serverz so we can ban shotguns and get MILLYUNZ of tikets!"

 

[Smooth Operator]

Loved them in the olden days where you didn't haveto pay fucking extra to have it, and people would clearly state the rules so you were never confused what you are in for, and matchmaking wasn't around to stuff you into some random horrid piss pool, you found your favorite servers where people would just play properly.

Also you could run mods, own maps, own scripts and full engine options, some games even featured auto downloads for players entering, ah the glorious olden days.
And as far back as I remember good custom servers were always superior to vanilla because let's be honest devs go for the jack of all trades so everyone gets something to do, but if you want a refined match you need to put it together yourself.

 

[Moriim]

I miss the ones that were good. In Tribes: Ascend most of the US dedicated servers are ghost towns, because the auto-join a Hi-Rez server is super convenient. I miss meeting new people, far too many communities it seems have gone the route of "silent nothingness." Entirely preferable to the assholes I'm sure everyone has had to deal with, but depressing nonetheless.

 

[Jolly Co-operator]

I don't mind them as long as there are a decent amount of vanilla servers around. I'm looking at YOU Battlefield 3.

 

[The Great JT]

Some custom servers are okay. Example, any TF2 server that runs cp_Warpath_Elite, since it's an awesome map, or any server that runs Vs. Saxton Hale or Prophunt.

But I get what you mean, custom servers that massively change, if not totally upend, how the game works. Those I have kind of a problem with.

 

[Joccaren]

Ya know, I haven't come across a bad custom server. I generally prefer them to default servers really.

400% tickets is good for me. It keeps the match going, and gives you a chance if there are a ton of noobs on your team that they will rage quit and have someone good join instead.
No Shotguns I don't see at all. I only ever see no Underslung shotguns when using the Heavy Barrel [Understandable thanks to that glitch], no USAS 12 and no M320/SMAW/RPG - all of which make the game more fun. There is nothing worse than getting onto Metro and finding it a spam of M320s, RPGs and USAS 12s with f[r]ag rounds [Pre the more recent patches], or Sienne Crossing filled with Mortars, or people sniping you from 2-300m away with their underslung shotguns on Kharg Island thanks to the heavy barrel somehow effecting them, turning them into decent mid range weapons. Sometimes banning things that the Devs haven't bothered balancing or have broken can be a good thing.
I also generally haven't had a bad admin. Most I've found just enjoy playing the game for fun, and DGAF about winning or losing, or maintaining a perfect KDR.

 

[Evil Smurf]

Some custom servers are okay. Example, any TF2 server that runs cp_Warpath_Elite, since it's an awesome map, or any server that runs Vs. Saxton Hale or Prophunt.

But I get what you mean, custom servers that massively change, if not totally upend, how the game works. Those I have kind of a problem with.

never played prop hunt, want too

 

[DustyDrB]

I avoid them, but I have no ill will for them. I just don't like to have more going on than there needs to be. I even turn off sprays in TF2.

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

Some custom servers are okay. Example, any TF2 server that runs cp_Warpath_Elite, since it's an awesome map, or any server that runs Vs. Saxton Hale or Prophunt.

But I get what you mean, custom servers that massively change, if not totally upend, how the game works. Those I have kind of a problem with.

never played prop hunt, want too

Back in my LAN gaming days, Prophunt was the best thing ever.

I can imagine it still is.

 

[Terratina.]

Meh, however, ever the custom server launch on Tribes: Ascend, all the skilled players have migrated over there and in the public servers, now there's just point farmers more than anything. >:/

 

[octafish]

I find there are always a couple of vanilla server sitting idle with no players whenever I play BF3. These are usually maintained by ISPs or gaming websites. No one wants to play them. I have NEVER been killed by an admin or kicked for on reason. (I tried to play HC CQ maps with 64 players the other night and got kicked for the first time ever. Excessive TKing.) I do tend to stick to old man Clan servers because they have set rules they stick to, and they tend to not tolerate aggressive dickheads.

No Titan movement servers are stupid.

 

[Conn1496]

Custom servers should be kept private. If you want to tamper with the game, try not to get other people involved, they probably won't like it.

 

[Tharwen]

I tried playing Halo 1 again for the first time in about 3 years a few weeks ago.

Upon loading the server list, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was a handful of full servers.

I logged into one. Rockets only. OK, I can live with that.

Got bored after a few minutes, tried a different server. Rockets only. Huh.

Different server. Rockets only.

Next one, rockets only.

The one after that... was normal! Wait, no. Rockets only.

The only server I found that didn't limit you to only using rockets was one with a shitty zombie mod on it.

I just want to play it as it used to be! Rockets only servers aren't fun! Graaah!