Core Level Selection

[Vainiac]

Based on this conversation the ladder admin are the people most opposed to changing the way core levels work. Seeing as how they both created and run the ladder, and no changes can happen without their help, this opinion should be given a proper amount of respect. However, it seems like the general opinion is that the level pool is stale and something could be done to help freshen it up. Here are the ideas that have been brought up so far:

1) Automatically rotate out the bottom 2 or 3 levels after each season and replace them with:
a. The next most popular maps
b. Community voted maps

2) Keep core level functioning the same but have a separate group of spotlight maps that are voted on by the community each season that can raise the mindshare of different levels as sirius puts it.

3) Use a"something different" button as Mark puts it that functions similar to the random level selector for core, but instead populate the list with 10-20 of the better non core levels.

4) Collude with other players to blacklisted the bottom core maps and promote a new map to try and force the rotation.

For point 1a my biggest concern would be that it wouldn't help the current staleness much because one season you would kick out fuzed and take2, then replace it with salute and nysa. The following season salute and nysa would be kicked out and replaced with fuzed and take2 again (both just being used as examples). I don't know if this would actually happen but the potential is there.

On 1b the biggest argument against that I've seen here is that you don't trust your community to pick good maps. I don't know if I buy that argument, but everyone can make their own decision on it.

I like both options 2 and 3. It will keep core functioning as it currently does for the people who are strongly opposed to making any changes but still raise the visibility of other less played levels that could become popular if their mindshare is increased.

Point 4 is my least favorite option because it promotes the exact tunnel vision that I'd like to avoid when negotiating levels to play.

[Cyrus]

Okay, so I like the poll and Roncli does not.

Roncli smells.

[Entropy]

[LotharBot]

[Cyrus]

So, exclude any votes from people who haven't played at least 10 matches between the current season and last season?
I think a poll/vote is not a bad thing - especially if it only affects two (2) levels.

Seriously.....

I'm the most active pilot (even though I'm retired).

I have the most potential (besides a ladder admin) to swing what maps that I want.

I PREFER the core maps (except fuzed).

I PREFER to hit the random button (Unless I can angle maybe my top 3 maps) to avoid any x's.

Why in the hell would I agree with Vaniac? He's a microphone-less pleb.

I went through this whole process all I did was core, core, core, core, core even though I preferred bigger maps when I started, and now I absolutely LOVE the core levels.

I have no present advantage to push for a poll. I can play all the core levels except one pretty damn good. I'm good at one map that is not on the core list and I know I could get it on there if I wanted to.

A good amount of players definitely suggest maps outside of the core when they approach me for a game:

Rethink
Mark
Melvin
Morfod
Bahamut
Behemoth
Vaniac
Spud
Souljah

Yet I insist on core to be "safe".

This change would open people up to be better pilots and have a greater range of skills. I want to play descent more than anything when I am negotiating and if it comes down to random - so be it. It'll force me to adapt to levels with bigger dog rooms and less missiles. This is a positive suggestion - not a negative!

Statistics can always be skewed.

Let the community have a choice with mild restrictions on who can nominate and vote for the bottom two.

Let's see some variety and let's grow together as better descent pilots.

The whole point of descent is to bring the game to a whole new level.

Even though I am one of the strictest on what type of maps I play. I don't see a negative in this except maybe my ladder rating going down, and I'm way past that type of thinking.

At my core I want to be able to beat anyone in any level.

I'm cleaning and I'm busy - so I can't spend anymore time voicing my opinion, but really why not give it a shot for next season? What's the worst that can happen? We all hate it and we revert back to how it was? So be it?

[melvin]

I dunno, i don't mind leaving some of the spots up to a community vote. It seems almost like a bicameral means of representation, where the way we do it now would be the house of representatives (a player's influence is proportional to volume of games played) and the slots voted on via survey would be the senate (every player gets an equal amount of representation). 'MERICA!

Would this change anything? I dunno. Would it be enough of a change to justify the work? Probably not.

I dunno, this all seems like change for the sake of change. If you want more levels played, play more levels.

Right??

I will say that people looking for promotion and other assorted devotees of the algorithm are afraid to get their asses kicked in a new or unfamiliar level. Maybe less algorithm transparency could have made people bolder but I think that cow is out of the barn and on a plate by now.

[LotharBot]

[Sirius]

+1 for the "something different" idea. Shouldn't just be any old thing though, a level needs some degree of vetting before it ought to make it in.

Another note is "styles" - one level might be spacious and slow, another might be tight and fast, etc... and then there are your dogfight levels, missile spam levels, D2 gauss/mercs levels, D2 "classic" levels, mega levels... maybe the reviews roncli/Morfod talked about have a place here.

[deimos]

You folks need me to make a ruling here?

[Morfod]