I'm only referring to surf, but my points can probably be transferred to all games.
The first time I heard about the requirements that Momentum demanded from the mappers to be fulfilled before getting their maps added was objective quality: no leaks, etc.
Later I heard that there are many bonuses they don't want to be added because they are guilty of "gimmick".
To me, that sounds arbitrary and elitist.
On KSF they have the problem that players are "forced" to play the maps that are on the servers, so on KSF, it makes sense to some extent to prevent deviating map styles. But on Momentum there is freedom, so if players don't like a map style, they can simply choose to not play it.
And even to "like" something is a stupid word because you may like pizza, but if you eat it every day, you don't like pizza, and you choose something you, in general, less like, therefore variation is always good.
You don't get offended in the supermarket because there are products you rarely eat standing there.
However, we should still keep the map pool under control because
If the best surfers tend to dominate a certain map style, and tend to not dominate another map style (adjusted for competitiveness), it may suggest that there is a map style that accommodates a skill that differs from what is the main skill of surf. If this map style comes to dominate too much, it may be argued that the main skill of surf is under attack. Bhop bonuses are an example of where this is the case perhaps.
Amateurs like to grind for completion %, points, and XP, so they will to some extent be "forced" to play these maps.
Luckily, I have seen many people agree on stats like !topgroup1/2/3, highest map rank, highest tier completed, etc., have its right, and those can accommodate the noobs that are more competitively orientated.
So we should keep control of the map pool. But do you know why a map style is even considered "deviating"? Because it deviates from the majority of the map styles which means it already has a little weighing in the map pool.
I do also disagree that there is a gimmick surf map style in terms of skill required other than those that are obvious, e.g., bhop bonuses. I don't recognize that picture on the years I played on KSF from 2011-2020 where I have taken records each year. The players who were good at gimmick maps were the same players who were good at all other maps. I don't recognize that there was a "surf a" and "surf b".
Not exactly. For long maps with oldschool surf style that was, in general, the case, but that had something to do with long learning curves, etc. If you look at who dominates the wrcp's of surf_mash-up, that's the same players who are good at everything, whilst the WR and top10 of surf_mash-up is dominated by less good players. So it has to do with a lengthy learning curve, not the style.
Weird map styles get naturally weighed less in the map pool. If they somehow don't because mappers decide to start a troll movement, you should maybe deal with it. But even if they started such a troll movement, it would actually be a funny and historical event?
I'm especially worried that Momentum will have an unbalanced map pool.
- Their stance on the so-called gimmick.
- Their high requirements will only allow the best mappers to get a map added which means only that map style that the best mappers tend to like will get added which is often unit-surfy. I'm not attacking the best mappers. I know the best mappers have their eyes on different map styles, but KSF is not very open, e.g.,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUPNzXr67E8&t=95s by Hardex
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HULCkzea3O4 by Otter
None of them have been added (but I have also admitted that KSF has a slightly better reason for more regulation than Momentum in one of my first paragraphs)
On both videos, there are far more likes than there are dislikes. So there is a clear interest in these maps. But somewhat because there is a shouting mob of bullies who don't tolerate deviant map styles and because it is really easy to point fingers at whatever is deviant, these maps don't get added, though there is a big demand.
If deviant map styles evidently get too overwhelming, they should simply be weighed less. If something is very disliked so that only 1 among 100 likes it, the supermarket still sells it, just in a less quantity.
Use weighing like the free market, and don't go the elitist way is my message. The supermarket won't profit from selling the same popular product, e.g., milk, but in 20 variants with 20 different fat percentages. You need variety, but the variety needs to be under control yes, but that even counts for the popular products as well, e.g., milk in the supermarket.
It is also weird to attack the bonuses because the bonuses seem overall to be the most competitive tracks on KSF! So in some way, these should be the last ones to attack. Even the so-called gimmick bonuses are very competitive, therefore I was surprised to hear that all wrcp's are ranked. I expected it to be the other way around actually.
(inb4 all maps can still be played, just unranked, yes, but it isn't fun to play a map that is declared as a map b. it will actually feel like an offense for those who like them)
