urk?!?

We (gotfrag) actually posted a series of articles on this PRIOR to the CPL decision based on our observations of the trends and the recent Summer CPL event. it's a two parter, with the first part being prime and discussing the trend ( http://www.gotfrag.com/cs/features/829/ ), and the second part being a free article ( http://www.gotfrag.com/cs/news/2457/ )and proposing the changes. It's good to know that the CPL listens, they adopted many of our proposed changes wholesale.

Not sure how to do custom amx commands, but you can always use: amx_votemap

Oh, on the KZ maps... agreed. 150% agreed. Also, I definately think in order to do "fun" maps, we need map voting.

One thing I definately remember from the ole Trop I days is that there was a solid rotation of the "common" maps. Then it would flip over to fun maps once in a while and ppl would stay. Largely bcs there was a really core crew of FUN ppl that would talk it up on voicecomms. There was "friendly" trash talking. I usually HATE fun maps, mostly bcs I'm such a competition freak. But that USP map with roll-the-dice was insanely fun, especially with alltalk on. Lunk, Gruter and all kinds of other ppl hollerin on Voice was awesome. Same thing with Scoutz. Especially the friendly trash-talking. BUT, that was only possible bcs the server was full with the core crew, and those maps were a "once-in-a-while" kind of thing. I'd say let's give this a shot and see where it goes. It'll take a few days for it to pick up again, but once it does and ppl realize that there's a regular FUN server to play on, we can start re-introducing the fun maps in off-peak hours.

Good question. Either one works. I'd say we start out with the map rotations, then go to map voting. Build up the base first, then go from there. I'm not sure how the algorithm for what shows up in a map voting cycle works, so that would take some work to figure out.

So do you think it'll be more defense orientated then? I think one of the reasons I didn't like it was I kept rushing as a CT into the tunnel, quick scoped, hit fire while it was still "scoping" then switched only to realize I hadn't shot yet . Either that or start pushing while you're scoped so you don't have that weird delay. Maybe I should buy CZ if I can find a cheap copy.. It's more balanced. I think with some practice, you can push with the AWP, but it's much more of a fixed position weapon now than it used to be. Meaning, you'll have a harder time rushing all out with it, but advance and then hold will be fine, if not awesome. ALL the weapons feel a little bit different--enuf so that it'll take some time to adapt to it. I never really thought about it til Jason (the GF article writer) pointed it out, but the subliminal feedback you get from the dynamic crosshairs is a big indicator on how your recoil is doing. IN CS:S you have to really look for where your shots are "registering" to control it. It takes alot more concentration... and maybe even a little more skill. I didn't get a chance to play with it for very long, but the weapons all FEEL different. Bursting is also something that's now... different, not harder, just different enought to take some getting used to. It's a good change imo.

<3 Magruter. I'm all for it.

Throw de_dust in there as a "extra" map. I'll try to get on tonight... and btw, Magruter, sry bout hijacking control last night. Been so long since I've played, totally forgot what the rules were

I'd say give it a week - 10days. BTW, aztec and D2 are currently THE most popular maps in CS. So it's a good idea to have them spaced out. Also, can we increase the map time to 25minutes? 20 minutes is just a touch short. What does every1 think about the skunked mod?

Definately agree with Fatty/Magruter. Have a stable map rotation of the "competition" maps that everyone knows. Once we get regulars in there again (ie server is always full) then we can add in some "fun" and "aim" maps after hours. Most of those maps though aren't very good with 18-20 ppl on them. It's too crowded. Aim maps are supposed to be 3-4 versus each other, practicing aim. They don't have cover and fire positions or chokepoints like normal maps, so when you pile in 20 ppl in there it's more of an instadeath map. Iceworld, etc are insane fun when they're crowded, but people have to be willing to go to that map first. Map rotation that would work best, imo: de_dust2 de_inferno de_train de_nuke de_aztec de_clanmill de_cbble That's 7 solid maps to roll through. Once CS:S comes out, the situation isn't going to change much. It's still going to be the "best" maps to play on. Other "standard" maps that we can rotate in for giggles might include: cs_militia cs_italy cs_office de_aztec2 (even tho this map really sucks, it might be fun for a pub).

AWP is definately different PDO. But it's MUCH better than 1.6, it hails back to the 1.3/1.5 era. Not quite as fast as the ole quicksnipe/fastswitch, but it's verrah nice.

Bleh, sorry guys. We put it up for public and everyone went after it. Maxed out an external switch so we had to restrict it to Prime members for a bit. You can stream the first video for free here: http://www.gotfrag.com/portal/media/VIDEO_PLAY/95/ We'll have the rest of it up for free shortly.

The betas are out to the LAN centers in Valve's program. GotFrag has video previews from actual gameplay for dust (only map available in the beta). Check it out here: http://www.gotfrag.com/cs/news/2469/

Haha rgr. BTW, the hi quality videos MFAVP shot will be going up tonight. Took a little bit, but we were behind on taking care of it for them.

I have the best screensaver... EVAH.

<3 TeK. Shoulda told me you were posting here at the event bud, I woulda chimed in with ya ;p

Haha. Ok, tek beat me to it. He did some great work and put up with my (VERY) acerbic sense of humor for 5 straight days. It was definatley great to meet him. The final wrap up for the event is at: http://www.gotfrag.com/cplsummer2004/ Oh, and btw PDO. We were prepared to take 5x the normal traffic that we do, which was still 2x the traffic that we saw at previous CPLs. We saw more than 4x the traffic that we saw at previous CPL... which ended up being more than double the amount of traffic that we had projected. In other words, we're bigger than we thought. Technical Upgrades is the message you got when our coder has to fix stuff on the fly (and did an amazing job of it I might add). To give it to you more in depth, we have 3 web servers that normally serve content. On a busy CAL-I night, those servers barely even burp. For CPL, we put up FOUR extra web servers, and still pegged every single one of them (SEVEN in total). Now... think that through for a moment, and remind yourself that GotFrag provided not just up-to-the minute coverage and reporting of scores, but also write-ups of the matches, reviews of trends and breaking news at the event, interviews in TEXT AND IN VIDEO, and two videos per day, not to mention some 1000+ pictures during our coverage of this event. Not to mention the week of pre-event coverage of bootcamps, previews and other news. TeK and everyone else that works for GotFrag does this entirely on a volunteer basis. They deserve alot of recognition and should be proud of the work that they did. They were warned going into this event that it would be lots of hard work, but also lots of fun. So, to reply directly to your statement: Unprepared? No. Under-projected? Definately. But hey, that's growth for you

Finally got a chance to get my feet back under me after Summer CPL. Not sure how many of you were following it, or were at the event itself, but it was an awesome, awesome time. CPL put on the best show ever, despite some early problems. http://www.gotfrag.com/cplsummer2004/ Is all the coverage that me and the guys put out. Non-stop for about 2 weeks (including the previews). I got down there on Friday and it was a whirlwind affair checking out all the sponsor booths and watching the intense matchplay. There were an incredible number of OTs at this event, lots and lots of close matches and upsets as well. EYE put on a great showing and absolutely trounced the opposition. Check out the videos as well. MFAVP did a great job for us at the event and it was a real pleasure to work with them. They also did the Electronic Warfare movies, which are absolutely awesome. Some of the coverage is Prime only (which you need a subscription for), but everything is worth a quick peek. For anyone that still competes in CS in this community, the playbooks that Midway and Bootman wrote are some great pieces of content on strats and generally breaking down a team ala ESPN.

Crow... hair on you toenails is NOT normal. You should get that looked by a professional.

Haven't had time to play, but I'd love to see some CTF

"Men spend 9 months trying to get out of the womb, and the rest of their lives trying to get back into it." That pretty much sums up my life. Anything else is fiction... unless you're lame. In which case, more power to you. Please note: This does not include the ubiquitous "A-hole" effect, which every man surrenders when they ask THE QUESTION and subsequently stand at the altar and say "I DO." The other alternative, of course, is to behave like this: http://maddox.xmission.com/26_things.html (Please note: Explicit language)

Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2.8C Memory: 1 Gigabyte PC3200 matched Low latency RAM (Corsair XMS 4-4-4-8) Hard Drive1: Seagate 160GB 7200RPM SATA drive Hard Drive2: WDC 250GB UATA150 Optical Drive: DVD-R/DVD-RW Drive Video Card: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB (I have a ATI X800 Pro on order, waiting on release) Monitor: Sony 21" CRT Flatscreen Headphones/Soundcard: Sennheiser PC 155 USB Keyboard: Microsoft Multimedia Mouse: Logitech MX 500 Mouse Surface: Gotfrag Eclipse Pad Case: Shuttle XPC Internet Connection: Cable Modem EDIT: I run UT2k4 in 1280x1024 @ 50-60FPS (which is painful, I may drop it down to 1024x768, but that resolution is kinda wierd). I've got an AthlonXP 3200 sitting around that I need to build a system around, but I'm waiting on the prices to dip a bit more before I bite that bullet. Rough_Rider: Best headphones for gaming the PC155's from Sennheiser. The Plantronics are almost as good, but they break ALOT. The sound quality on the Audio 90s is terrible in comparison. But bang for the buck, the A90s are a good value. The PC130s from Sennheiser offer better sound, but they don't cup the ears as well. If you want to save a few bucks and have a good soundcard, get the PC150s from Sennheiser (more than the A90s tho).

Woman Psych 201 - Post-pregnancy - Having recently had the baby... I'd bet that Moss' wife just needs to know that he still loves her. For 9 months, she was an extra 30-50 lbs, bloated with water, and feeling intensely unattractive. She just gave birth to a new life that was once nestled cozily in her womb for that same period. She's feeling anxious, seperated and unattractive as those lbs are shed by a deluge of hormones. How that affects you: Be prepared for more random nonsense. Tell her you love her alot. Tell her she's beautiful alot. Buy her flowers. Do the chores. Get up in the middle of night to get her that glass of water. Give her random hugs or other forms of random PDA which will make you want to surrender your hard-won title as "MAN OF THE HOUSE." Put on the collar, sit up, and speak. Alternative course of action: Tell her to make you a sandwich and pack yer bags into convenient, shot-putting packages so she can toss them AND YOU to the curb. In other words... Yes. They own us; We ARE the weaker sex.

Infinite

My contacts over at Recongamer tell me that a 20 person ONS server uses up about 40% CPU. So if (and there always are) other servers hosted on that box, well it's going to lag the heck outta the box, especially with bots.