Apologies for quoting one of my earlier posts almost verbatim, but I feel like they just aren't being read; as I covered a number of points that were subsequently raised and disputed.
Warlord Zsinj wrote:What I'm proposing isn't a 'seperate' TASClient, but simply for new players to be funneled into the same TASClient (perhaps skinned with the mods flavour), but a client that has had a certain default profile attached to it that directs the new player to a specific mod channel, and filters out all unrelated mods (or whatever mods according to the mod-makers preference). New players would then enter what is effectively a "mod-only TASClient" - with the exception that they are still on the server, so any say, IW games that they host don't only appear to all the new players in #SWIW, but also to any players using a standard TASClient and idling in #main. That way you do not split the community into different, unrelated servers. Everyone is still congregating on the same server.
Further, with what I am suggesting, new players who have downloaded the custom TASClient but are curious about other mods are not forbidden from trying them out (as you might see on a mod-specific server). Because they are logging into the same server, all they need to do is adjust what mods are being filtered by their personal TASClient (instead of 'only show SWIW games', you set it to 'display all games', or something like that).
I think that allowing this server to be divided up in this way is necessary for the survival and growth of communities for smaller and newer mods, but still allows us to centralise our community on a single server, and still allows an easy transferral between different mods. Specifically it means that someone who wants to occasionally play BA, and occasionally play s44, or IW, does not need to join different lobby servers in order to do so, and can keep in touch with all the different mod channels (and other channels), keep an eye on all those games being hosted currentlyand retain a constant user ID throughout is perfectly able to do that, which benefits the Spring community as a whole.
In summary:
- If IW is forced to move to it's own server, as Vadi and a number of others are suggesting, it would be a Bad Thing.
Not only would it split the community into unrelated servers, it makes any transfer between those servers difficult for all involved.
On the contrary,
Keeping all of the mods playing of the same server encourages mutual cooperation, overlapping of communities, a richer Spring-focused community, as well as a centralised server for organisation (Spring updates, lobby updates, etc).
However,
If my mod is to have the chance of developing a community that is self-sustaining (that is, games running every day, preferably games running all the time at peak hours, preferably several at a time, people active in the channel to assist with questions), I cannot reasonably expect to do that when IW is fledgling, and new players are arriving to find 3-4 IW games and 40 BA games. As a mod maker, it is my prerogative to ensure, as nemo says, that the work that I have poured thousands of hours of my life into is given as much opportunity to be experienced by as many people as possible, so that to a certain extent I can feel vindicated by the massive time I've put into my project.
Therefore,
From my perspective, either the changes are made or I will have to seriously consider moving elsewhere. That's not meant with any threatening overtones, it's simply an honest appraisal of my options.
What confuses me is specifically that for me, the choice to leave is a hard one to make, but reasonably straightforward if the changes are not comitted. If I stay, my mod will struggle to gain popularity, but I will get to access to some 'crossover interest' (see nemo's calculations). If I leave, I lose this crossover benefit, but I also lose the attrition to the primary mod, which I suspect will be much larger (and the crossover interest is likely to be only passing or casual, rather then a committed playerbase). The net result is that it makes a reasonably clear choice for moving to my own server.
Here's the bit I have difficulty resolving - on the other hand, to the BA players (particularly the main opponents here, DemO, Vadi, etc), if the changes
are committed - they can only gain. If the changes are made, then there is the likelihood that there will be transferral between all of the mods. Yes, the initial wave of mod downloaders may be funelled into a lobby limited to the specific mod they downloaded, in time they will discover other mods, because they are on the same centralised server, and playing with people who are also playing BA, s44, whatever.
The only people being funnelled into specific lobby profiles are people who are downloading the game without any foreknowledge of Spring.
ie: people who would most probably have not found spring if not for the specific mod.
Everyone playing Spring currently would simply download the 'mod sdz', or just download the mod and run the default spring lobby instead of the custom mod lobby.
The other alternative that has been proposed - that is, we do nothing and keep the system as it is, results in BA losing potential crossover player if mods are forced to move elsewhere to avoid being strangled out.
So, mods need it, and BA players can only gain, really. Why the hostility?
And, for the record, I can afford to spend time on long posts like this, because I'm at work and essentially getting paid to do it ;)
). 
