Squad preference is going away for a month

[Emeraldblood]

I'd like to test it, but given a large amount don't want it, it's not really worth the test

[NoahKirchner]

I'd like to test it, but given a large amount don't want it, it's not really worth the test

I think testing it could be useful to see some stuff but a month is a really long time and the reasons for testing are kind of strange. Tests are good though just to see what is an integral part of the game and what isn't imo.

[DefinitelyAlone0309]

Just test it for one or 2 weeks. If it's good, you can do some more tests. If it's received badly, at least you did the test

[WinterClould]

I think people would complain and others would not play during the test, but I wouldn't mind if we gave this a week long test just to prove how poor of an idea it would be to remove squad prefs just so we don't need to have this whole explosion of conflict again.

[driecg36]

I genuinely believe there is no significant value in testing this, and that it would do nothing but alienate/piss off a bunch of players without solving any of the problems it set out to.

[FGRSentinel]

Fun fact: experience shows that only Squad Marines get their preference taken into account most of the time. The game picks faction first, then Role, and then lastly Squad, so if everyone who rolls SL wants to be Bravo, only one of them gets it but four of them still get SL. Squad Preference is only taken into account for SL, Spec, SG, medics, and engineers when there's few enough that want a specific squad that it'll assign the people who want that squad first.

Considering most of the server is Squad Marines, though...

[Dolth]

Really. There is nothing wrong in testing something as long as there is a given period and the population is warned... I encourage you to try few rounds. Or days.

[biscuitsakimbo]

The problem with testing it for a month is that it gives the impression that you've decided to implement removing squad prefs and are just trying to see if you can get away with it. If you're testing over a few rounds, you want to see how it effects how players are experiencing a round under the new system, same for a test over a few days. The only reason to test over a period as long as a month is to see if people will leave the game entirely if you do implement it, which means you've already decided that your theories about how it'll effect rounds are correct. This is especially true if you haven't already tested it on that smaller scale of a few rounds/days (I’m not sure if you have or haven't, I haven't been plugged into this until now but if it is true that's just extremely poor design/management). You just need to focus on preserving the parts of the CM experience that people enjoy, rather than being so in your head about the pressures of running the server to the extent that you convince yourself it's a good idea to axe one of the game’s core features. Just focus on keeping the game fun, don't worry about extremely online bullshit. Complaining about 'metabuddies’ is extremely online bullshit. I'm not opposed whatsoever to those smaller scale tests, but a month long test out the gate does not bode well.

The narrative for a really long time, starting basically as far back as removing hairstyles last year, has been one of continual updates and tinkering leading to dissatisfaction among the playerbase, and that's driven core players to leave the game. Personally, punctuating that narrative by removing squad preference would just be the last straw.

[Dolth]

Too long. Didn't read it all.

BUT. Yeah testing over a month would of been too long .

[Jeser]

The problem with testing it for a month is that it gives the impression that you've decided to implement removing squad prefs and are just trying to see if you can get away with it.

You mean devour bug?

[NethIafins]

This topic is void, see latest Town Hall meeting

No restrictions on squad selection will be implemented
...
At least for now