FAFBeta Testing Tourney Proposal

After discussing with Jagged and Tagada (and some others), my memory got refreshed and remembered not long ago Tokyto, Jagged, and I coordinated to host a tournament with the goal of giving balance testing/evaluation a more fun path rather begging someone to play "fafbeta" mod.

Here is one of the events I helped set up (and sadly did not play whomp whomp): https://forums.faforever.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=15958

So, in good nature, I would like to propose resurrecting this concept, and possibly make it a standard so the community gets a chance to provide real feedback to the balance team. Their testing and methods are mostly behind closed doors (it is boring and lengthy according to them, not fun to watch) so maybe this will help.

With how infrequent balance updates are, I do not have a problem hosting this at all. If more want to help out - great!

Petric, as balance councilor, what do you say to working together on this? I would think it does 2 things:

1. Cuts down on "der der der I don't get where these UPDATES came from!" posts here in the balance forum
2. Give some unique perspective on testing with a larger group.

Since a large focus of the next update is for SACUs, maybe a 4v4 or 3v3 with ridiculous reclaim maps would make for an interesting focus.

Just trying to help keep the community informed, let me know what you guys think.

We are using FAFbeta to do showmatches on maps with custom props (because we have to add our .scd folder to the game in order for them to work.

I’m only going to be working on refining the props once I handle some licensing, so you should probably talk to Archsimkat about this instead.

Oooh, yes! And please run it on the test server so I can test my shiny new replayserver too

I did share this idea with arch to get input, biass, but would really like to hear Petric and other balance team members chime in.

Thanks, though.

If we're going to have a balance beta tourny, can we make some more extreme changes? For example, a complete retooling of submarines to make them the dominant naval combat unit, and of torpedo launchers to make them the most effective killer of subs. (This would make naval combat roughly rival land combat in T1, with subs being expensive water tanks and torp launcher being expensive water PDs.)

A tournament with only +5% unit A speed and -10% unit B damage will play out indistinguishably from a regular faf touny.

I think you’re missing the point. The point isn’t to change the balance to accommodate the tournament, it’s to host a tournament to facilitate getting some decent playtesting on upcoming balance changes so we can avoid the usual patch day shitstorm.

@askaholic said in FAFBeta Testing Tourney Proposal:

I think you’re missing the point. The point isn’t to change the balance to accommodate the tournament, it’s to host a tournament to facilitate getting some decent playtesting on upcoming balance changes so we can avoid the usual patch day shitstorm.

Yeah, what askaholic said. I don't want to give anyone the impression that this is to create changes for the balance team, but more to help refine and introduce them.

Still waiting to hear from the team, though.... not sure Petric looks at the message boards much...?

I'm happy if someone hosts a beta tourney but I don't really know why you are asking me, you don't need my permission. Other than that if you want I can help you select the format, create the map pool and ask with ftx for some ava prize, don't know about prize pool, I think he is already using the tourney fund quota for league invitationals etc.
Also this patch is mostly more minor things which are better tested in 1v1/2v2 format, scus are there for general testing but they won't be coming next patch and will likely be reworked still.

I am asking you because I think it would alleviate all the balance update hate in this sub forum. If people got a chance to be part of the evaluation it would be a much more “community approved” action rather balance coming out every so often to declare “okay, these are the updates, don’t care if you like them or not”