Building a practice/training server

[Tek7]

First, thanks to everyone who helped test my 6-slot practice/training server tonight.

Secondly, I wanted to ask you all for suggestions on how to configure a small server designed to help my wife learn the game.

Here's a short list of tasks I wrote out tonight while we were testing pings and resource usage:

• Disable crits
• Add dm_fortress, other small maps
• Install SourceMod
• Disable respawn timer

Any other suggestions?

Also, any suggestions for small maps to add?

 

[The Mighty Gerbil]

tr_walkway is a no brainer for aiming movement practice (hmmm I haven't tried it since the bot update though wonder if it still works).

You may want to try a koth map and spawn a bot or two for target practice as well. I'd start with spawning only one on the enemy team as a medic or something easy while you and Ember could be on the other side. Then you could go through fighting the different classes one by one or up the numbers when she feels more confident. Bot instructions are here.

One thing that occurs to me is have you told her it's natural to die a lot in a FPS so she knows she is not doing bad?

 

[Tek7]

tr_walkway is a no brainer for aiming movement practice

Already downloaded it. Just need to extract it to the server directory on my desktop and ask my wife to install it on her computer.

You may want to try a koth map and spawn a bot or two for target practice as well. I'd start with spawning only one on the enemy team as a medic or something easy while you and Ember could be on the other side. Then you could go through fighting the different classes one by one or up the numbers when she feels more confident. Bot instructions are here.

Sounds like a plan. I'll try it out, provided you can spawn bots on a dedicated server.

One thing that occurs to me is have you told her it's natural to die a lot in a FPS so she knows she is not doing bad?

Yes. It still doesn't change the fact that she wants to avoid dying in any game we play (including World of WarCraft). Disabling the respawn timer on the practice/training server should help ease the fear of (virtual) death, though.

 

[The Mighty Gerbil]

Yes. It still doesn't change the fact that she wants to avoid dying in any game we play (including World of WarCraft). Disabling the respawn timer on the practice/training server should help ease the fear of (virtual) death, though.

Even though Medics are targeted over other classes a lot I think on average I can live the longest as a Medic if I'm not ubercharging with people. The best thing for staying alive is taking the time to run for HP as many players do not. Also learn the Gerbil dance .

I think my current longest life is as a Swordsman though. It takes a lot more know how and is very risky compared to Medic though. 23 minutes of head collecting fun but then it needs a nerf IMO .

 

[Icthus]

leave crits in unless you plan on only playing non crit servers.

they are a part of the game and you have to learn to deal with them

 

[Whon]

I would give suggestions on how to config the server tek, but I can't even seem to get "Tiffany" working right. For everyone that's out of the loop, Tek and I have dubbed the L4D2 server a teenage girl named Tiffany, since it's just as fickle and frustrating.

 

[Tek7]

For everyone that's out of the loop, Tek and I have dubbed the L4D2 server a teenage girl named Tiffany, since it's just as fickle and frustrating.

Our apologies to any Tribe of Judah members named Tiffany.

 

[Tek7]

leave crits in unless you plan on only playing non crit servers.

they are a part of the game and you have to learn to deal with them

When she and I play together on a larger server, chances are very good that we'll be playing on the ToJ TF2 server.

Besides, random crits in a FPS are a game design flaw. Earned crits are still enabled on the ToJ TF2 server.

Even though Medics are targeted over other classes a lot I think on average I can live the longest as a Medic if I'm not ubercharging with people. The best thing for staying alive is taking the time to run for HP as many players do not. Also learn the Gerbil dance .

Exactly. The first subject in FPS School(TM) I want to teach her is movement. The Medic moves quickly, but not as quickly as the Scout (and thus easier for a new FPS player to control).

Playing Medic also makes it easier to learn new maps as you spend a good portion of your time following other players. A Scout will need to learn for himself or herself how to get to the objective in a new map; a Medic can follow other players until it's clear. A new player can also make an important contribution to the team before learning and improving his or her aim.

There are a lot of good reasons to advise a new player to start with Medic, especially if you're able to provide a controlled environment for training--which is exactly what the practice/training server is designed to be.

And hey, if Medic doesn't work out, there's always Pyro.

 

[The Mighty Gerbil]

Our apologies to any Tribe of Judah members named Tiffany.

OH... MY... GOSH my real name like is Tiffany and I am like totally offended by that. I'm like crying here and stuff for realz. I'm like 13 and like why do all you like old dudes treat me like a baby or sumthin'.

...BTW I have a crush on you <3.




This has been post number 27 of the "Giving Tek a hard time foundation". If you would like to give Tek a hard time please write P.O. box 1337 and leave your suggestion. Remember together we can create a more perplexed tomorrow.

 

[Tek7]

This has been post number 27 of the "Giving Tek a hard time foundation".

Only #27? I would have thought we'd be much further along than 27 by now.

Back on topic, I'd like to give the updated practice/training server a spin some time this weekend. It depends on when my wife can and wants to play, of course.

 

[The Mighty Gerbil]

Only #27? I would have thought we'd be much further along than 27 by now.

Well 27 is for only as long as we have been a foundation. We were more of a cult until we recently found out the government really will give you a grant for anything.

Back on topic, I'd like to give the updated practice/training server a spin some time this weekend. It depends on when my wife can and wants to play, of course.

I can be a non-killing target or give tips if needed. If I am around that is (IDK if I will be). I am sure you will have others if need be . Oh a thought occurs to me you definitely want to turn sv_cheats on as it is supposed to disable stat tracking. I say supposed too because I heard it was recently messed up and did not. I think they fixed it now though. There is also another command for it um tf_stats_track 0 but I've never used it only sv _cheats 1 .

 

[BassMan449]

It might be useful to have her attack actual players who wont shoot back to give her time to learn how people tend to move. Gerbil would probably be one of the best as his Gerbil dance is frustratingly effective.

 

[Tek7]

Oh a thought occurs to me you definitely want to turn sv_cheats on as it is supposed to disable stat tracking.

Ah, good point. I hadn't thought about stat tracking.

I'll check out the tf_stats_track command first, but if it's not guaranteed to work as desired, then I'll go with sv_cheats 1.