Calling all PUG match players

from Sins Forums

 

I'm pleased to see that the idea of PUG -- (P)ick(U)p (G)ames -- matches seems to have really caught on.  I've enjoyed some great, intense games and I think it makes the teams more balanced and fair.

Anyway, now that people are pugging, I was wondering if you guys might want to take it to the next level.  Picking teams in ICO is a little klunky and you don't always know which games will be pugs and which won't, and it would be nice if we could establish a more formal PUG match community where people would learn how to use voice comm and custom maps.  I learned about pugging from playing capture-the-flag matches in the original Unreal Tournament (1999), and it's all set up in IRC channels and everyone uses voice comm and competition-grade custom maps are played (though they auto-download).

To learn more, visit my other thread in the Multiplayer forum:

https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/310043

Here are two screenshots showing what it looks like in an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel.  Note that people sign up and a program called the pugbot keeps track.  When it fills to ten players, either two type a command to become team captains or the bot picks random captains, trying to balance them based on their normal draft spots.  Then the bot keeps track of who's been picked and who's still available.

(This bot also keeps track of the average draft position of players who have accounts with the IRC server, so even a clueless captain will have some idea who should be drafted where.  For example, in the 2nd screenshot, my friend Frank[2.6] is normally a first, second, or third pick.  Neato, huh?  Also, note the irc.stardock.com server and #sins and #stardock channels on the upper left of the screen, where you can actually chat with Stardock folks; another reason to use IRC.  Query 1 to Joe was probably a private message asking if he wanted to play Sins.)

8,177 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

 

JJJJOOOEEEE and I have just formed a PUG channel in IRC and we're going to get a pugbot.  Come idle in the channel and it will be a place for chatting and maybe we can get some pug action going.

SERVER:  irc.GameRadius.net

CHANNEL: #sins

 

 

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

 

Your best bet for IRC is to either use mIRC:

http://www.mirc.com

If you use Firefox as your Internet browser, try Chatzilla:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/16

 

mIRC Tutorials

http://www.smogon.com/irc/mirc_tutorial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ret7zQgFwmQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYLQAeEicX4

 

Chatzilla Tutorials

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFCLhXGn56w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPnxoKzQ8b0

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Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

Hey this works. I decided to use chatzilla since its addon on firefox.  Ive never used IRC before but those clips was very helpful expecially the 2nd post.  For those new aswell  heres a small tip change your username. I bothered to skip that crucial step and that wasted 3mins of my time :thumbsup: since it will not  work under administrator.  To log in to SINS server/channel you just type the commands  like so....(its IRC language i call it) 

/server  irc.GameRadius.net 

enter -> (there is a space there on server and irc, also a small mistake made by me)

/join #sins

enter ->

and ur in. easy peasy :moon:

 

TOROROSSO :banhammer: Put the hammer down.

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

I wish to join the PUG.

 

Is #sins still the channel? I've logged on a couple times during "prime time" and not seen anyone.

 

Also, what maps do I need to download and where?

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

Hi Kerrek.  Sadly, IRC-based pugging is a great idea that didn't take off, probably because most Sins players have never heard of IRC and learning to use it, Teamspeak voice comm, and how to add custom maps takes effort.

However--pug matches are still set up and played every night--they're just organized after you've joined a game and are at the game setup screen.  Since we don't have a pug bot, we do it mechanically.  They're normally played on the Huge Random Single Star map in 4v4 or (preferably) 5v5.  To start out, everyone joins Team 10.  Two people end up becoming captains and join separate teams.  Sometimes they play a pick-a-number game to determine which captain gets to choose whether he wants to be first or second captain.  Then they start drafting the teams.  As players are picked they change from Team 10 to their captain's team.  That way the captains can still see who is available (who's still left on Team 10).

For 5v5, the draft order is:

A-BB-AA-BB-A so that the first captain (A) has the first and last picks.  (Or rather, he gets stuck with the last person left unpicked.)

For 4v4 the draft order is normally:

A-BB-A-B-A

I all works out pretty well and many Sinners love the pugs.