One of my little side projects is a xb1 controller custom shop. We do all kinds of crazy nonsense with LED's, leather/suede grips, remaps, custom triggers, etc etc. (NO MOD CHIPS!) We generally specialize in controllers for halo players and as such I sponsor a competitive team in MLG called, Danger Incorporated. Not a top 32... yet... but definitely very high level players (our guys have pulled several Champion ranks in Slayer and Arena over the past few seasons.) This is a legitimate team coached by an awesome coach in the scene who chooses to remain anonymous but has coached many of the top name pros we are all familiar with. All of this not quite humble bragging to simply say, these guys play really hard! I like to have them do community involvement stuff like hosting lobbies and clinics and that sort of thing. So naturally I thought, "these guys should be hosting a testing lobby for competitive 2v2 and 4v4 forge maps!" So the idea is pretty simple. This is a lobby where you can submit a map and get to watch gameplay and hear good feedback from really high level TEAMS (not just individuals) as they scrim on your map in your preferred arena game types, and really put it through its paces. I think its a great opportunity, especially if you might not have easy access to gameplay from Unysheck... I've always gotten really strong feedback from my guys when I put them on my maps. It's nice because they are speaking from an expert level but not so much about design choices, pathing, and movement incentive. Their feedback is going to be solely about how the thing plays and whether or not it was competitive; they only care if they are able to work with what the map has to offer in order to win games, and then whether or not they had fun doing it. And that, of course, is the whole point of this lobby. So this will be a closed lobby. All the players will broadcast on xbl or twitch respectively and provide feedback that I will compile and post on forge hub after each lobby. Forgers can watch the gameplay and see how their choices play out in the competitive arena, and then hear and read the feedback from the players themselves. We are going to do this once a week. We will probably take a smaller number of maps and run more tests on them so the players can learn them and really get after it. I plan on starting the lobby in the next week or so, I'm just locking down other teams to scrim against for a few weeks out so I know we can proceed uninterrupted. If you are interested in being a part of the lobby and getting some solid, sweaty feedback or if you have any questions for me about it just holler and I'll get scheduling posted asap.
Are you intending to focus on 2v2 and 4v4 experiences, or would you expand that to larger lobbies as well? I've found it very difficult to build testing lobbies on my own, would be nice to hook up with others to meet that goal. What time of day and how often do you intend to try to get lobbies going, and will it be regular or semi regular?
So right off the bat it's 4v4 and here's why: an mlg team is 4. That's the purest experience i can deliver since these guys play together every day. I can also make them committ to a schedule because it's part of the deal at UCC (sponsoring company). Looking forward yes I would like to make the lobby bigger or at least make it able to test squad and BTB sized maps. At this point I can dip into a fairly large pool of serious, try-hard halo players so I think I can rally a larger lobby but for now a lot of those groups will be the opposing team in our 4v4s. My main thing is this- I've been in some very good lobbies with strong players and had great feedback; super helpful. But if you're really focusing on competitive play then you need competitive teams to rock it. I want the integrity of this lobby to be found in the highly competitive style of gameplay. And of course I'm always psyched to work with other ppl who want to get stuff happening. Atm I'm going for a weekly lobby in the evenings when everyone is home from work. as I said it's a week or so from starting- as soon as I get commitments from other teams and players so I know it will be sustained. The timeline into the future is indefinite. I'll get it going for as long as ppl want it and like the results. You can message me too if you want to talk things over. Or hmu on xbl, my GT is Seems Dangerous. --- Double Post Merged, Mar 16, 2016 --- ... I'm gona wrk on being more concise
Well, if I don't find you, feel free to find me. I usually float online late night during the week and whenever it suits the situation on the weekend. GT is in the Signature.
This is awesome, Smerf. Really excited to see this happen. When will you be posting some of their stream locations? Also, do you have a plan on how you'll be choosing maps? Also also, is Breakout something that will be played, or is it strictly Slayer/CTF/Strongholds? Did I mention this is awesome?
Haha cool man sounds like ur as psyched as I am! Absolutely we can test breakout. Slayer and breakout tend to be our strongest game types so I'm sure they would be psyched to rub some try hard all over some fresh breakout maps. How I select maps is going to be a bit of a learning process I think. I will probably want maps that have had a few tests already and had any major obvious issues resolved. There will probably be some priority for maps that have a chance to make it into matchmaking. Beyond that we will just have to see how it goes. All that said I do want this lobby to be useful for anyone who wants to use it. I'll have info on players- including streaming info once I announce the schedule so people can go and take a peak at who will be doing the business. Im really happy that people seem excited about this. I'll put a link below of my captain and one of the other guys duking it out with some friends on my first 2v2 map. At the time of the match the guy whose gameplay you're following was onyx 1800 something and my captain was champion 92. One of the kids they play was top 32 a few years back (he no longer competes but will likely be in this lobby often playing against my team.) Enjoy-
It's a possibility in the future but probably not right off the bat. What these guys can do is play competitive game types in a serious way. if you take them too far out of their element then at some point there isn't going to be much benefit to having them test your map as opposed to any other lobby. They don't scrim 4v4v4v4 half their lives you know what I mean?
So here's a little update- @Captain Punch you will probably find this interesting. I've started organizing an 8 person team using my guys and some of their friends whom they play with often. I think what we are going to do is use the 8 man squad to accept challenges from other btb squads and then settle them on forged btb maps- in the test lobby. To make things a little more spicy my company UCC will put up some prize money for the winners. It will be a minute while I get organized with getting the word out to other large groups of try hards, but that should make for some really interesting and exciting gameplay.
@Merder Smerf You are a beautiful beautiful man. I've got a project that I'd really like to have help from some tryhards hammering into shape. I'll keep you updated as to when it comes into it's own.
Things are moving forward. We expect to get the first sweaty ass lobby started one week from today. The players are monsters. I think this thing is going to end up more competitive than I had originally expected, so thats great news. We have players with champion ranks in breakout, slayer, and arena <- I believe (maybe not yet this season?) Super strong players tho. The first lobby will be 4v4's, and I have started to get a list together for the btb version so I'm hoping we can run that soon. If you would like your competitive 4v4 map tested post below with gt, map name, game types you are set up for, and anything you want the guys to know before they get after it. I will have a list of where to watch the streams day of. Also I should have schedules up soon and a full roster posted this week so you can check out who will be playing on your maps.
anyone wanting a map tested please do so in this thread: http://www.forgehub.com/threads/ucc-sweat-test-lobby-is-here-3-28.151292/#post-1632825