Server List and Multi-Environment Servers

[zixxiz]

I know that there has been a good deal of discussion on the boards about adding servers supporting multiple environments, etc, but I would like to express some thoughts about the implementation of these and other multiplayer servers in general and create a space for further discussion.

To begin, I think the current implementation of servers between title environments and even user-created title packs has a (perhaps?) unintended side effect of dividing the multiplayer community within each game, especially within Trackmania 2 where there are now 3 environments and a variety of title packs. By the current system, to explore available servers for each title, players must exit each title in turn and load the next. This is no problem for players who own one environment or prefer to play only one environment. However players who enjoy multiple titles must deliberately make a decision to look through the server list of one title and then spend time switching to another if their first search is fruitless. Perhaps this is something only I experience, but forcing different server lists is a problem because it in a way discourages players from moving between environments as they play if they so wish (as long as servers host only one environment).

I think the multiplayer community could be more unified by consolidating the serverlists in to one master list for each game. The system could function similarly to the TMForever list for United players, in which you could toggle the visibility of Nations servers. In the case of Trackmania 2, each environment could be toggleable depending on preferences, and environments not owned would be automatically filtered from the server results. The benefits of a system like this would be the ease of browsing servers from multiple environments without unloading and reloading each environment.

This sort of a unified server browser would also create a platform for multiple-environment servers to be available easily, and without creating some funky title pack to contain the support for such servers. As I understand it the current plan for such servers is to stick them in some title pack, but I think that this is problematic for the reasons above: the online community is fractured more as servers and players collect in each title bucket, rather than be able to mingle in a larger pool. The intention of this sort of unification can and should also be implemented with user title packs so that packs with a large player support could be officially included in the master list and filtering system.

[Blueplayer]

As far as I know Nadeo is planning an United-Title in future but without high priority, so I think it will take some months.
In that title would be such a serverlist as you mentioned it.

I´m and my team working currently on a project for simulating a multi-environment server in trackmania. The serverlist of this servers would be presented on a manialink (or a maniaplanet-plugin, if we get to know, how it works). If the current plan will suceed the release will be in some weeks.

[Smigles]

To begin, I think the current implementation of servers between title environments and even user-created title packs has a (perhaps?) unintended side effect of dividing the multiplayer community within each game, especially within Trackmania 2 where there are now 3 environments and a variety of title packs. By the current system, to explore available servers for each title, players must exit each title in turn and load the next. This is no problem for players who own one environment or prefer to play only one environment. However players who enjoy multiple titles must deliberately make a decision to look through the server list of one title and then spend time switching to another if their first search is fruitless. Perhaps this is something only I experience, but forcing different server lists is a problem because it in a way discourages players from moving between environments as they play if they so wish (as long as servers host only one environment).

I have been writing about that for a year now, and the way that maniaplanet is designed clearly shows that there was no thought wasted on multi envi servers when they created it. ( as in there is absolutely no support for it and nothing that even hints in this direction. they will have to rework maniaplanet when they implement cross envi servers. )

IMO this should have been the TOP priority from the beginning and the most important function that should work at latest when a second envi is released.

Nadeo seems to think different, and who knows how many more years till we will see them implement this. I am playing TMU till then, even though that is dying too since players are now spread out across so many versions in so many games.

It's shameful. Yes, the new envies dont drive bad, I actually really like canyon. But the way the maniaplanet overall concept was done is just sloppy.

[Kyralaris]

All has been said.
I wrote exactly the same in french forums, community looks to approve but Hylis and his team don't react.

What about a BF3-like system ? It could really encourage us to play more and moreover, I don't wanna buy Valley till cross-enviro is there..

[db89]

As far as I know Nadeo is planning an United-Title in future but without high priority, so I think it will take some months.

A titlepack with TmUnitedForever for ManiaPlanet? That will be really cool (sorry for offtopic)

[Omnixor]

no, a titlepack with multiple TM² envis.

[zixxiz]

I wrote exactly the same in french forums, community looks to approve but Hylis and his team don't react.

I do not frequent the French forum, nor do I read French, but I cant imagine that my ideas are unique. And I have never played Battlefield, but I would suppose it works like Red Orchestra 2 where servers using the new expansion are listed alongside vanilla servers.

As far as I know Nadeo is planning an United-Title in future but without high priority, so I think it will take some months.In that title would be such a serverlist as you mentioned it.

I´m and my team working currently on a project for simulating a multi-environment server in trackmania. The serverlist of this servers would be presented on a manialink (or a maniaplanet-plugin, if we get to know, how it works). If the current plan will suceed the release will be in some weeks.

As much as I enjoy United, I really don't care for it to be added to ManiaPlanet, as the new system should be for new, fresh environments rather than rebuilding old ones.And honestly, I think fixing current problems with the system would be more beneficial for building a community, because if the same problems exist with rebooted environments then people wont stay.

A community solution is cool, but I dont think I could play it, especially with manialinks because it is not good replacement for official support.

[Blueplayer]

No, I doesnt meant porting the old environments. The United-Title just includes every environment for the possibility of multi-environment servers and one single ladder system for all environments. But creating that can currently only Nadeo.

[w1lla]

In the first releases of the maniaplanet dedicated there was methods like: SetServerPackMask, GetServerPackMask.

With these you could do environmental titles. But since they are partly working or deprecated it seems that the team of BluePlayer found a workaround for that problem i presume.

[Slig]

In the first releases of the maniaplanet dedicated there was methods like: SetServerPackMask, GetServerPackMask.

Still exists (anyway i did not tried it), but the real drawback is that it is usable only when the server is stopped (i don't mean killed), ie changing packmask at best means that all players will be disconnected. It's only a eventual way for a xmlrpc script to change the packmask without killing the dedicated process.

With these you could do environmental titles. But since they are partly working or deprecated it seems that the team of BluePlayer found a workaround for that problem i presume.

As i understood it, his workaround "just" make the players jump from one server to the other, so 1 apparent multi-environments server would need 3 running servers (in case of 3 enviros). And it would mean fundamental changes in scripts controllers to handle that !
That is just unusable for mass competitions like GC or FET, and probably not either for most teams, which have often difficulties to have one single good server...