More Server list categories

[EbErT]

Hi,
I've been told this isn't a priority, but eventually it would be a great addition.
BZflag needs a more modern server list. It should filter by play style, server lag times, and maybe even beginner/moderate/expert categories. Some of this metadata would have to be policed for accuracy, but if done right it would reap great benefits. Beginner players would know where to go so they aren't overwhelmed, International players would know where lag is best, and league players could get to their modes easily. Take a look at FPS games like UrbanTerror for templates.

List categorizing/filtering may also help with the map popularity bias that goes on too. Although I am not certain of this, casual players find it easiest to join the most popular map and just play there until they get frustrated or tired, then quit. A better server list might mix up people's choices of what map to choose, and even make them pickier. This will be hard to prove/disprove until player count goes up significantly though.

Just thought I'd post this, its probably been said before..
-EbErT

[Mopar Madness]

under ideas on the wiki, this is marked as a good idea and the date submitted is "old" meaning like 3 or 4 years old at least. Definitely a feature I'd love to see though.

[JeffM]

Actually the code for a better lists exits. It was done as part of a summer of code project and it is part of the 2.99 codebase. The development roadmap has a section to get that merged into the mainline code a some point, right now it's dependent on the new font system that was not rolled back to 2.4.

[Mopar Madness]

can you define font in this use, cause that's had me confused for a while, I guess it has something to do with the tradition use of the word as the style, size, and design of lettering, but because of all the stuff dependent on it, I assume there is more to it than just the typical definition of font.

[JeffM]

I am using the traditional sense of the word, with another word "system". The font is the thing we use to draw letters on the screen.

I am talking about the code that draws the letters on the screen. It was rewriten for 2.99. In 2.4 there is a png with a per-rendered image for each letter in each size of lettering. In 2.99 we use true-type fonts that are rendered at the desired size at runtime. The new font system is much more flexible and lets us draw text at any size, not just the few we have pre-made when we ship the game. The new server lists makes heavy use of the ability to draw text at various sizes so it needs that new font system.