Hey EMC, I have been seeing a lot of new players who join complain about what server they spawn on, either they want to be with a friend, or want to be on a server for another reason. My suggestion is to Bump the http://track.emc.gs/issue/CON-7 With this it would allow players to spawn in a world (Small World) with several portals, from there, they can choose to either type /smp# or walk through the portal. You would also be able to get there with /lobby. This way when someone joins, they will be free to choose what server they want to join on.
Well, originally, everyone spawned on smp1 and so this acted like a main lobby server. The issue with this was that people weren't spread around enough, so some servers were very quiet, while others were very active. The current set up alleviates this problem. However, IMO I think a lobby server could work well as long as people are someone prompted to join different servers by being spawn in front of them or something like that.
-1, pretty easy to tell a complaining player to type /smp#. Also, there is the current default server system
-1. I don't like the idea, personally, because it makes it seem like one of the twenty billion mini games servers. I like how we're unique about it. We have multiple servers but we don't have a main hub and it is still easy to go to different servers. For me, my bias is just that it makes it seem like just another mini games server which we are 110% not.
The objection I have with this is, it becomes an "extra step" in getting players where they ought to be. Either You insert it before the tutorial, in which case all new players spawn in knowing nothing about EMC's peculiarities, and start asking easily-answered questions before taking one step forward. Worse, they're not localized to a /SMP which means they're in the lobby with all the other people who know little to nothing and eventually they just leave. You add it after the tutorial, in which case they've still been spawned on a random /SMP, have made it through the tutorial, and are now being made to jump through an extra hoop in order to play the game. You can get through the tutorial pretty quick, but it's not exactly short. How many players do you think we'd lose because they finally get fed up and bail? Finally, a welcoming lobby in itself is a bad idea, because of the chaos it causes. Here's a quick test: Hop over to TopG and look for other servers that offer multi-world or plot/residence-based gameplay. Or hell, just Creative Mode. I can guarantee nine out of ten will have overcrowded (and probably obnoxiously-colored) chat scrolling by so fast from so many different people that it's overwhelming and nigh-impossible to make sense of. Besides, as Huckle said, so what if they spawn on a different server? Type /SMP#, problem solved. (*Exception being if the cap is hit, but I'm willing to bet in most cases, if a player is convincing their friend to join, they're also communicating through another program like Steam, Skype, etc and the existing EMC'er can server-hop to their friend instead.)
I like the idea, it leaves open many possibilities to show off and do many creative things, more easter eggs and hidden places to explore. I wouldn't want it to circcumvent the current default server set up and tutorial. Perhaps it could be a release with the games smp. have the lobby as a "limbo(topia?)" where you can travel from any server similar to the /event town we had(which im very sad I can't visit anymore.) there are many ways it could be implemented. A main lobby doesn't have to be where you start, I get that that would be the assumption but I quite like the way you start when you log into emc as is. and if you are trying to get a friend to join there is the whole smp7.emc.gs address you can use(who would want to go anywhere else anyways?) too many possibilities with this idea to strike it down over a few could be problems that are easily solvable before hand or as they come up.
The Games server will already have a lobby - I don't think that's been kept a secret. As I recall, Aikar's talked about some kind of "lobby" world between server-switching as well, for when servers hit cap. Neither of these are a bad thing, in my book. The suggestion being discussed here though seems very specifically aimed at new players entering EMC for the first time. I don't disagree with what you're saying, for the most part, but in this particular case I can't help thinking it's just an awful idea. Also, FTFY
