quake/articles/1997/art-1178
Path: mantis!not-for-mail
From: jbaxter@lemur.Stanford.EDU (Joel Baxter)
Newsgroups: rec.games.computer.quake.announce
Subject: Last call for beta testers for new-map server
Date: 8 Mar 1997 20:07:28 -0000
Organization: Clan 9 From Outer Space, http://lemur.stanford.edu/clan9/
Lines: 84
Sender: moderate@jobstream.co.uk
Approved: quake@mantis.co.uk
Message-ID: <5for6t$e5k@nntp.Stanford.EDU>
The short form:
Deathmatchers needed for Internet playtesting sessions. You will be
checking out non-id maps to be used on a new server from Clan 9 From Outer
Space, the lovable aliens who brought you the C9_Mothership and
C9_Mothership_II servers at kitty1.stanford.edu. Mail
jbaxter@lemur.stanford.edu for details.
The long(er) form, if you need more convincing:
The admins of C9_Mothership and C9_Mothership_II (port 26000 and port 26001
of kitty1.stanford.edu) are interested in starting up another server port
that uses new maps. The Mothership servers are among the fastest, most
reliable, best-configured, and most popular "straight deathmatch" servers
on the Net (it's true!), so we want to make sure that this new server is up
to the same standard. It will be hard to attract players to a server
that requires a client-side download (for the new maps), so we need to
make sure that it starts out with a high-quality map rotation.
We will probably be using some of the maps from the Quake .BSP eXpansion
pack #1, but this playtesting is not concerned with those maps. Instead,
it is for testing the twelve finalist maps (from an initial pool of over
100) in an extensive deathmatch-potential "talent search" among the
individual Quake maps scattered around the Net. We need volunteers to help
vet these maps for Internet play, to make sure there are no terrible lag or
gameflow problems. Both modem players and digital-connect players are
needed.
Why should you do this? Glad you asked!
- You get to play Quake on cool maps on a fast server, with other
players that are perhaps more interested in playing Quake than in
autospewing, suiciding, or otherwise pissing people off.
- You get to expound on your opinions about Quake! Is there ANY Quake
player who doesn't like to do that?
- You will get mentioned (by Quake nick or by real name, as you prefer)
on the Web page about the server, thanking you for your help.
- You will get early play on the map pack for the new server, so you
will have a (short-lived) edge when the server comes up for real.
- You will be helping us out, and helping us to continue to provide
neat stuff for the Quake gaming community.
Here's what you need to do. First, SEND ME MAIL (jbaxter@lemur.stanford.edu).
I need to know how many people will be participating so that I can know
how many beta test sessions to have, and how long they should be. You
can also tell me if you have preferences about when you can play, although
keeping everybody happy will be tough. I will mail you back when I know
the details about the playtesting sessions, and I will point you at a Web
page with information about the server and a client-side package for you to
download (a 5 MB zip file).
Then, any time while the server is up for playtesting, connect to it and
blow people up. I won't ask you to play for any set period of time or
for you to look at any minimum number of maps. I do ask that you play
on the maps enough to have good intelligent opinions about some of them,
and then, after the testing is over, SEND ME MAIL (again!) telling me your
opinions. No credit for you on the server Web page if you don't. :-) You
could, of course, just come play on the server and then not bother to send
me your opinions. But that would make me sad.
If you are going to volunteer, do it this month (March), because I plan to
have the beta sessions this month. The sooner you mail me the more likely
it is that you will not have missed the beta; in any case next month is
definitely too late. If you mail me and I don't answer within a couple of
days, mail me again. If you answered my previous call for beta testers, and
I replied, then don't worry: you're still on the list. I think that covers
everything. :-)
Hope to hear from you soon!
--
Joel Baxter jbaxter@lemur.stanford.edu http://lemur.stanford.edu/~jbaxter/
aka lemurboy Clan 9 From Outer Space http://lemur.stanford.edu/clan9/