Hey I used to frequent this server, and did a little bit recently, but I have some suggestions and constructive criticism I would like to share. For I feel the server is great, and its an awesome idea, but the execution currently prevents it from being better and is currently stifled.
I feel that frankly the bot amount is to little, and many of the maps available are unfriendly to the player-led bot army.
The multiple maps I've played, some were just literally littered with 20+ artillery. Really, do you honestly need that much? That's over-kill, and it stifles any significance that at in another scenario five would have on a defensive map, which one being lost would be a critical blow to the defender's, which is really what these maps should offer at a maximum. Furthermore, some maps are so rigged that the bot-army just can't win. The amount of trenches, river placement, and strategic hills; its such an uphill fight the AI is simply shot down on bayonet charges, and usually not to the player commanders own fault, they're simply not led good as a medium, though its not even that easy to lead them either.
I know they win, though I honestly have never seen so then when I used to play here, and the time I spent last night. Also, defender's should have limited-lives instead of immortality, since it removes any pressure that might which be exerted upon player's and it infinitely makes the attacker's job harder, since they can never quite run them down into dust. Its actually disproportionate in advantage, since an entire side of player's never-dying will be leaps and bounds superior to one divided and led by 5 player's. I read some player commentary that night suggesting it was better in a way of reminiscence that the server once supported that too. I can't quite remember that portion of the past.
My suggestions are: is to simply remove the maps from rotation that are overflowing with defenses. I might even post photos as examples, or these examples are actually within this thread already. To reiterate: No map should have more than multiple cannons, at that point, we have a large contingent of player's raining artillery upon the dumb bot's that simply stand there in large concentrations which no amount of player handling could adapt too. Its quite preposterous really, I even have to go as far as to say, its not good map-making. The entrenchments which sometimes involve an uphill slow-walk, to a dirt-inverted mound to a small upward climb into a fenced trench where dozens of players are firing off their muskets, then the flag is surrounded by its own trench I've seen, and then the blistering amount of cannon-fire which I'm at this point being repetitive of is occurring in constant frequency. It needs to be fixed. I'd even suggest, remove BP points because the defensive structures are so elegant, and aided even by the natural terrain and water-walking that defending player's don't need anymore leverage as is. Any BP at this point just prevents the Bot's from maneuvering fairly towards the player. I'd honestly suggest half the map rotation be those random maps spawned from generation it seems from the other Bot-Server, and give player's 300 BP. That'd be awesome. Not Maginot-Line fortifications that the five-attacker's have no hope of taking its flag when the entirety of the team is amongst it.
My second suggestion is from what I've seen, correct me, the player-to-bot relativity is for every one player, there is two bots. This just isn't enough. The Bot's aren't good enough against concentrated players, with unlimited lives to, to uplift from their defensive postures into desperation. Even with limited lives, I'd suggest that the ratio needs to be every three bots for one player. So instead of what I see being typically being 70-90 players versus 160 Bots, to 90-defenders versus 250-bots. At a minimum. Its obvious how easily they get destroyed, I'd find it hard to argue against my proposal. That hasn't never been seen by me, maybe the Mount and Blade servers can't handle it, I don't know, but as of now, the attacker's are ground into dust. 9/10 from my overall length of experience: The Defender's win.
If not that proposal, I propose a maximum of ten players on the defending side instead of the 5-player limit. If you could even make it so that only five players have bot's, and the other five don't so they can go commando, that'd be awesome.
Sorry for my long post, and I mean it in the deepest search for better gameplay for this server which I respect and like.
Thank You.
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