Whatever Happened to Respect and Co-operation?

[CR0M]

Originally Posted by ViR

We could have just standarized game names in ASC to clearly state when they are happening. For example <Date> :: <Location> :: <Name>

May 12 :: Finch Field :: Skirmish Game
May 11-13 :: Muskoka :: Force on Force Patrolling Exercise

This should be standardized in the game forums. This is an excellent idea.

I think one of the other reasons this is an issue lately is because were seeing more dedicated hosts and less players who occasionally host.

[Blackthorne]

That's a fricken brilliant idea! The games forum are a mishmash of advertising and marketing titles right now.

Originally Posted by ViR

We could have just standarized game names in ASC to clearly state when they are happening. For example <Date> :: <Location> :: <Name>

May 12 :: Finch Field :: Skirmish Game
May 11-13 :: Muskoka :: Force on Force Patrolling Exercise
.

[ShelledPants]

Originally Posted by Blackthorne

That's a fricken brilliant idea! The games forum are a mishmash of advertising and marketing titles right now.

I'm sure at some point someone tried to make a standard, the only problem is that game hosting is a form of advertising, and often it's important to have the game thread stand out (I don't agree with this, I am 100% for conformity of thread titles, but I understand the game host wanting to be "forum creative").

This is almost entirely the most important thing about OPs-CENTER for me.

[CR0M]

Originally Posted by ShelledPants

I'm sure at some point someone tried to make a standard, the only problem is that game hosting is a form of advertising, and often it's important to have the game thread stand out (I don't agree with this, I am 100% for conformity of thread titles, but I understand the game host wanting to be "forum creative").

This is almost entirely the most important thing about OPs-CENTER for me.

yeah but if the forums are already strict with other rules, they can be just as strict with this one. Either way, if the forums dont want to fix this issue its going to turn into a relic once OPS-Center gets going.

[MaciekA]

Originally Posted by CR0M

yeah but if the forums are already strict with other rules, they can be just as strict with this one

+1 ... I'd also like to see an end to 90+ page game threads that cover an entire game series instead of one game. That was nuts... and very hard to follow.

[Brian McIlmoyle]

Originally Posted by MaciekA

+1 ... I'd also like to see an end to 90+ page game threads that cover an entire game series instead of one game. That was nuts... and very hard to follow.

only one person ever thought that was good idea...

[Blackthorne]

If any of you has ever looked at other forums, you would realize how far ahead ASC really is

We did a recce of every major board in North America as a market research effort, and found some surprising stuff. ASC is one of the few boards that actually KEEPS it's old games. Most boards delete them outright. Many also don't update their game threads. No AAR, roster updates, just a date, place and time and that's it.

I realize ASC can be trying on some days, but once you move around the North American and Global scene a little bit, it's actually a pretty cool place.

While I appreciate folks who are of the opinion yet another website isn't the solution, I have to put forward what we have hear in our market research:

1. New players often walk away from boards like this due to flaming, and thus do not participate in games posted here
2. New players are "data generation". They have never been analog and accept new ways of doing things easily. They expect more from websites, expecting social features, automated updates/game management and mobile functionality you can't get on a d-Board
3. Hosts want the same thing (social features, mobile functionality, automated game management)

Things are changing and the new generation of players is not getting left behind, they are leaving US behind. We need a better way of bringing them into this sport/passtime/hobby and passing on the wisdom we as older players have to offer. If we don't they will make up their own. Where that leads nobody knows.

[5kull]

+1

[L473ncy]

I feel this may be moreso a problem out East where you have a multitude of venues and a larger playerbase. From the perspective of a player in the West; we're really hurting for new venues (as well as more AV reps). As of this moment there are only 3 main venues in the GVRD to play at. Panther (Surrey), Big Foot (Mission, too far drive for some people who live in Vancouver and surrounding area), and a new venue we recently got; Tsawwassen.

In terms of scheduling how it works as I understand it was; at Panther on Saturdays one club would play and on Sundays the other club would play. Big Foot is Sundays and caters moreso to people out in Mission, Abby, maybe Chilliwack, and maybe a few players from Langley if they don't go out to Panther.

With the new venue it's partly good to take off some load from new players just starting out (some regular gamedays apparently had 70+ people show up and games would be a lot slower and not as fast paced when it came time to do straight up deathmatch or other types of games).

I honestly don't see it as stepping on others toes since we desperately need more and new venues to play at to keep things fresh. But I guess that wasn't the point of this thread, since it's more oriented to players in the East where you have different numbers, venues, hosts, playerbase, experience, etc.

Realistically the only thing you can do is continue what you're doing and get as many players as you can. Given everything else equal (obviously it won't be since certain games attract certain types of players and hit calling, admining, conflict resolution, and such are always an issue), it would be sad to see some of the veteran hosts (who hopefully run a tight ship and have the experience to back it) have to fold. However, I see the variety of games and venues only being good; different fields, different types of terrain, not the same old same old etc.

At the end of the day the playerbase is always growing and new venues are needed but hopefully you don't get lopsided games where at one field 90 players show up and at another maybe 10 show up when ideally it would be a ~50/50 split. Obviously geographic location will affect this as well but also humanistic choices. Based on the concept of "Central place theory" wherever there is more population will be where more and bigger games are. So if a game were held closer to a larger metropolitan area then more players would show up to that venue assuming everything else is equal. In the boonies you're going to get less players. However that assumes the "products" (in this case games, admining, hit calling, etc.) are all the same, in reality it's not but it should theoretically work out that if 30% of the players near the metropolitan area decide to go out to the boonies because they think it's better or like the gameplay a bit more the central place doesn't really lose out that much and the venue in the boonies gets an attendance boost.

In short I wouldn't worry about it, there will always be new players and I think that everyone can share the pie.

[MaciekA]

Originally Posted by L473ncy

However that assumes the "products" (in this case games, admining, hit calling, etc.) are all the same, in reality it's not but it should theoretically work out that if 30% of the players near the metropolitan area decide to go out to the boonies because they think it's better or like the gameplay a bit more the central place doesn't really lose out that much and the venue in the boonies gets an attendance boost.

In short I wouldn't worry about it, there will always be new players and I think that everyone can share the pie.

This kinda nails what I feel is happening in the GTA and greater golden horseshoe region. It's a big place and there are a lot of players. Our team tries to play once a week if we possibly can, and I haven't a game that had too _few_ players yet.

I'm not certain this angle of discussion addresses Brian's concerns though... Maybe there should be some load balancing going on between organizers who know they are producing similar products.

[Brian McIlmoyle]

Originally Posted by MaciekA

This kinda nails what I feel is happening in the GTA and greater golden horseshoe region. It's a big place and there are a lot of players. Our team tries to play once a week if we possibly can, and I haven't a game that had too _few_ players yet.

I'm not certain this angle of discussion addresses Brian's concerns though... Maybe there should be some load balancing going on between organizers who know they are producing similar products.

yes.. this is my point..

maybe it's too much to ask...

I had started a Hosts bunker... but I could not keep up with the proper management of it... had to let it die.. I did hand it off but they guy I handed it off to got busier than I was..

There is a Community of Hosts and venue owners .. but it's not really communicating in any meaningful way at this point.

[Scarecrow]

Originally Posted by Brian McIlmoyle

yes.. this is my point..

maybe it's too much to ask...

I had started a Hosts bunker... but I could not keep up with the proper management of it... had to let it die.. I did hand it off but they guy I handed it off to got busier than I was..

There is a Community of Hosts and venue owners .. but it's not really communicating in any meaningful way at this point.

my bad. but thats why I threw in with Brent on OPS - Center in an attempt to unf**k hosting.

geeze today is non-stop mea culpa for me....

[Brian McIlmoyle]

Originally Posted by Scarecrow

my bad. but thats why I threw in with Brent on OPS - Center in an attempt to unf**k hosting.

geeze today is non-stop mea culpa for me....

Hey .. it's no problem... I see the potential in OPS-Center to address a lot of these issues.

I'm behind it

[Kit]

Originally Posted by ShelledPants

Sorry you've been gone for 5 years?

EDIT: Mods, clean up this thread please, it is for constructive posts regarding hosting in Ontario.

Yeah don't need negativity in this thread. Its a great issue to bring up. And as Brian was saying im sure Ops Center will clean up some of the hosting issues that we are having for Ontario. And I love the idea of Ops Center, more of the future of Airsoft game hosting. Thanks for the great website you have so far for Ops Center Scarecrow.

[Scarecrow]

To speak to Brian's original topic, from my perspective, airsoft in Ontario at least has fragmented at the hosting level. Hosts don't know one another as well anymore and are serving subgroups of players. We used to be much more homogenous when it was underground and retailing wasnt rampant. It used to be you had to be of community to play, or host within it. Now its possible to go buy an AEG and go play somewhere without first establishing yourself within the community.

It was inevitable. We cannot have our cake and eat it too. We want Airsoft to be legal, accepted and conventionally available to widen the player base and venues creating choice and competition. But those thing bring negatives like lower accountability, community fragmentation, etc.

Brian, you and I are old men in this sport. Most of those who played 10 years ago are. Different times. We can pine for them, or we can shape our future by leading by example and not getting sucked into being nostalgic about the old days. As I recall it wasnt ever all peaches and cream between hosts. I got sucked into some wicked politics here and within the venues I hosted at (Deadlands/Wolfpack Primary/The Plantation).