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Yes, hi, and hello. Xg has a lot of maps and an even longer history of them. I think it's about time that we talk about what makes or breaks a good map. What better to start off with then the closest map to 24/7 we have Clocktown. So, right off the bat let's talk about spawncamping. Love it or hate it. It is a part of xg. A lot of this map has been simplified to "It's a good map if you're on red team." Which for the common server drop in sounds like enough. I am going to say a very unpopular opinion on this. It's easy to camp blu, but it's easy to break out. The problem I see a lot on this map isn't the camp itself, but the players who refuse to break it. I have seen blu camped with nothing more than 1 medic, 1 demo, and one gunslinger engy. Blu refused to break out of it. This doesn't happen all the time but it is commonplace. People want to go on a trade server to relax and not feel pressured to participate in spawncamping/breaking out. That's what the !friendly command is for and all it's glitchy glory. To the next side of things when people complain it's too hard to break out. Which is silly. Rtd is a tool that any single player can use to break out of a nest. Likewise defaulting to spy then leaving a single chokepoint is going to get you killed. Pick a power class like solly, demo, or heavy. If your team already has one go medic. There has only been one time in which I've seen a spawn camp literally be unbreakable on this map. All blu went friendly except one player against 3 sentries, a vac medic, and a heavy, and he refused to use rtd. Needless to say I don't think spawncamping is really an issue with this map as prevalent as it may be. With that out of the way let's talk about the nitty gritty of the map quality. This map is fairly well made. The glitches are minimal and the environment is fairly accurate to the actual game Majora's Mask. There are a few complaints that I have. For one the area where you face skull kid and link's garden are inaccessible without noclip. An easy fix would have been to open up the areas during the last day at midnight. The skybox is inaccessible as well without noclip but that is fairly common.for maps. The next issue that I have with the map is that the buildings are incomplete. To be fair, this was an issue caused with porting a game that had no intention of elaborate jumps in these areas. As tf2 is significantly more vertically accessible than Majora's mask. So I can give a light pass on this problem. This map has a few fun things to do like usable ocarina buttons and secret areas for you to play with including the credits room and observatory. The map is plenty spacious and grants open areas, tight corridors, and of course secret areas. This map doesn't particularly favor any class and can be enjoyed by most anyone. However there is an elephant in the room. It's played way too often. This map as good as it is gets tiring as the interesting things you have access to starts to become nothing new. Unfortunately I think this is what causes players to default to spawncamping for enjoyment. I think that this map in moderation can be very enjoyable. Anything played too much starts to become boring and saturated. Overall I like this map. I would just like to see it less often. I know that many of you won't share the same opinion so feel free to share what you like/dislike about the map. TL;DR Spawncamping happens.The map is good in quality, but is extremely overused.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46eBVFVd4jA

@Bello This is clearly the best meme that has ever sprouted. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn9r_Z4POY4

My favorite one. ^

So, this is just a thought on the matter (and it never really occurred to me before), though I feel that it would be an improvement of sorts. This thread really only pertains to Players who have a grievance or are otherwise looking to report or are experiencing issues with anything xG related. With that in mind, consider the following: Imagine you are a disgruntled player. You're experiencing issues with the Server, or you've noticed that a function on the Server isn't entirely working properly. For the intents and purposes of this thread, lets just say that the typical gamer will either do one of three things: 1) Approach a Staff Member on the Server 2) Start a discussion or comment on Xeno Gamers' official Steam Group 3) Head to www.xenogamers.com for assistance in troubleshooting Now, both 1 and 2 are incredibly straight forward, ask the Staff Member for help or comment (post a discussion) on the Steam Group, the latter being laid-out in a relatively easy to understand way. However, I've noticed that our site isn't exactly user-friendly. Let's say that I'm unfamiliar with the site; I've never used it before and this is the first time I've accessed it. First and foremost, there is a lot of information to take in upon first loading up the site that I guarantee the average new player would not be interested in. Generally speaking, a new player will [typically] come to the site for one of two things: to become a Member, or to report a problem or issue they are having. For users who are looking for Membership, it's a given that their first click (assuming they're registered) will most likely be in accessing the 'Applications' section, so this isn't a major problem. However, for a user experiencing problems, there isn't much else. The first thing that I (both personally and as a "new Member" with a problem) would be comfortable seeing is a simple means of communication, a way to quickly inquire about something. Namely, the Shout box. Unfortunately, this is no where to be seen until the user accesses the 'Forums' section of the site, so that's no longer an option; and with no way of knowing it exists, the experience becomes a rather negative one. The second thing I would look for, would be some sort of Troubleshooting heading, link, or what-have-you. Again, this is no where to be seen. At this point, the user is left with a very diverse (and somewhat intimidating) home-landing page. That being said, some players will post the problems they are having in the General section, though I honestly feel that there should be a section strictly for General Troubleshooting or Problem Areas as it would make things considerably easier for new users to navigate. On top of that, Higher-Ups could Sticky 'common issues' for particular Divisions/Servers for players to refer to. As someone who regularly deals with user-friendly environments (literally part of what I do at work), I feel that something could be improved here. With that said, I do have a few suggestions that I believe may improve the user-friendly aspect of the forums. [spoiler=1. Tutorial] Yes, I quite literally mean a tutorial in the form of a video. A short but detailed video can greatly improve a new user's experience on the site. This could be in any shape or form, something that prompts immediately when someone who is unregistered (or otherwise not logged in) accesses the site. The video could potentially consist of a simple image of the landing that progresses through a brief description for each heading/section (IE. pop-out 'Applications', include caption: Includes forms for Member/Staff Submission as well as reports for Abusive Staff or Members). It doesn't even have to be a video, this is completely up to the discretion of the Higher-Ups. [spoiler=2. Reorganization] A reorganization of the forums that includes the Shoutbox to appear on the landing page. Alternatively, reorganizing the 'Applications' section into two separate headers; one labelled 'Applications' the other labelled 'Problem Reports'. Needless to say, Applications would consist of Member Submission, Staff Submission, etc. Problem Reports would consist of forms for Member Protest, Report Abuse, etc. Naming conventions would be up to the Higher-Ups. This is merely a concern from my perspective and as such should only be treated as an opinion. Though I would like to see if anyone else feels that the forums (or at the least, the landing page) could be laid out in a more user-friendly way (not implying it isn't, just that it could be improved on). Thoughts? Concerns? Suggestions? Leave em' below. :coffee: This stupidly long post is brought to you by Forest, the nagging collective of nature.

RTD isn't going to get added, Bello has already stated that. There are far too many ways to abuse with it, and even with it nerfed to hell so you only have pathetic negative commands it becomes practically useless. Not to mention there are plenty of end-map rewards for finishing the course. The cons outweigh the pros. The video idea seems decent though.

I maybe able to take care of the tutorial portion.

Hey man I appreciate the post, always love getting thought out suggestions from you. I'm at work currently but I'll look indepth tonight and give you a response. I do agree with us needing an easier way for new registered users on the forums to know where they can direct their problems. I can make a guide and have it linked and shown in a way that is clear to new users.

the shop warp isnt working also, can you add a creative section

Local/Global Chat we need this :)

Not so sure it's worth going through the trouble of implementing anything over something that seems so minor and trivial. Though it is worth noting that this is a Gaming Community, so it makes sense that sections related to 'Music' or 'Drawing' are dead, and honestly I don't really see that as a problem. The only reason they're there is to provide an outlet should anyone feel like posting specifics. If anything, I would just consider removing them altogether or just merging them (remove specifics like MS Paint, Sprays, and keep Drawings). Reason being that the 'General' section is a section for practically anything in general, which can include [but is not limited to] drawing, music and the like. Sort of makes the existence of any other specific section moot in a way. I mean, I would go so far as to say that the General section makes up the majority of activity and threads to begin with. But even then, I see no reason to remove those sections as they aren't really doing any harm; at the most, they encourage people to share their opinions/thoughts on topics outside of the whole gaming spectrum. Aside from that, I don't really see the need/benefit to promote sections that don't exactly pertain to Xeno Gamers as a whole, especially if they don't receive any attention to begin with. As previously mentioned, the existence of those sections is purely for convenience. The attention/resources could be better spent on higher priorities like Servers, Social Media, YouTube, etc. If grave digging is the problem here, then just implement a small rule stating that it doesn't apply to 'Creative' sections of the Forums. EDIT: apologies in advance for this long-ass post, I swear it wasn't supposed to be this long :coffee:

Voting Ends 7:00PM EST Get your votes in! And while your at it send me one of your own entries for February.

I understand the reasoning for it, the only issue I have is some sections would be omitted from this as (member protest) for example shouldn't ask for a new post lol. I personally don't think this is a big issue, but figuring out ways to generate conversation in other sections of the thread is not a bad idea

I'm two days late, but @BonfireCentipede will post pic of himself if I do mine :) with my fucking neckbeard that I need to get rid of and a chubby fatso as well :3

i still love the background. also giving credit to @virr for basically sponsoring this!

-1 Argues with staff and <- this A: 7/10 M:4/10

god damnit thunder. this is why you didn't get mod :mad::mad::mad:

overdue ignore the snapchat fudge, it's my friend's @ThunderLimes @Goodra @Salazzle @Dethman @everyoneelsewhocares

I personally feel that Drawings should stay, but music should be merged into the General board as well... its a topic that doesnt pertain to gaming (sometimes)

*TATICAL MEME NUKE INBOUND* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV9ViPrL1Zw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWtBMqli91k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mip4wld5M0c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOid6hCacmI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ysn1h1osg4 http://mboxmp3.com/u/moskau%20krabs.mp3 http://mboxmp3.com/u/You%20Reposted%20in%20the%20Wrong%20Science.mp3 http://mboxmp3.com/u/You%20Reposted%20in%20the%20Wrong%20Mesothelioma.mp3

I play wow but I only play on eu and on ravencrest. So chances are I won't be able to play with anyone here.

yes please. that would be amazing and I'd be on there a lot if we can make this happen. Maybe take down zombie fortress?

+1 hes ok A:8/10 M:10/50