Server Revamp?

[Guushi ✓]

The 24/7 Modded MCTTT server is over 4 years old now. It has saw many changes throughout it's time. From barely having any extra add-ons to it's current stat of being more and more modified. As time has went on it's saw many new weapons added, removed, balance changes, and different pointshop and traitor/detective items that some consider "overpowered" or too "weak/useless". I feel the server is currently in a state where I have to continuously revamp items and stuff to keep players interested/satisfied.
I have a proposition for the MCTTT community. Basically I'm willing to completely revamp the server into a more balanced and fresh gameplay experience. While this does sound exciting, you need to understand there would be cons to it as well so I'm going to list both the pros and cons of completely revamping the server:

Pros
- Way less downloads so new users can connect to the server faster. Which means more regulars.
- More balanced gameplay with weapons believed to be "overpowered" removed.
- Models with no hitboxes changed.
- Less lag/freezing, overall better server performance.
- A fresh start to the new year. 

Cons
- A lot of the donator weapons/items would be removed but I'd be willing to refund at least 50% of what the items were valued at. You would just have to provide proof. (Custom player models will remain.)
- Players who have been MIA for a while will be completely out of the loop.
- Not everyone will be satisfied with the new gameplay/items/weapons.

Your opinions will truly impact my decision after all, you are the regulars here and the ones who makes the server a thing. My verdict towards what I will do will entirely depend on your responses, suggestions, etc. Be sure to vote for yes or no. I will probably make a decision around January 4th.

[MagikHorse]

Honestly, I do think this is an overall good thing. Game balance is definitely way outta whack to the point where trying to balance everything is altogether a nearly impossible chore. The t-shop is a total mess, with some weapons being virtually useless and others being perhaps a bit too strong (such as the Thriller, which is essentially better than the already buffed knife 100% of the time and required less skill than the Silenced AWP on top of making everyone around dangerously terrified and suspicious of pistols).

And hey, it means fewer claims of a "pay to win" server, which is accurate to some degree given that many of the most broken weapons are available for premium points.

[LolzTheGuy]

I'm all for it, I think that less server lag and less downloads is actually a great thing. I personally think that some of the weapons in the server we can do without specifically the P90 and the Katana. Its for the best, and honestly the people who are gone for a while honestly just have to suck it up. Just like the jetpack removal.

[ConIsCool]

First of all, I think this will benefit the server. I’ve said this before, but I’m willing to give up my P2W weapons to make the server more welcoming and bring in new people. I think a revamp will help bring new regulars in and will make the server better for those who already play. 

[Ruby Rose]

I’m personally not for or against it if the weapons and items are refunded then suck it up I think but I personally think all we need is the removal of a few items like thriller and p90

[Stargentian]

What would a revamped server look like, what weapons would be removed, etc. ?

[ThousandHail]

I'd definitely want the server to be reworked, the shop definitely needs to be revamped, as it is right now it is a pay to win server, there are 106 items in the shop (not including limited time) and 78 require premium points to be purchased. The things you can buy with regular points are mediocre at best. If and when the revamp happens, I'd like to see all the base weapon guns (Deagle, Rifle, Famas...) be purchasable with a fair amount of regular points. I'd also like to see more skins that can be bought with regular points. My only other concern would be the overpowered weapons that exist, P90 is still way too strong, Awp weapons like the Dlore should not be available to innocents. I don't want to see those weapons return to the shop at all.

[Administrator]

Do I believe the server should be revamped? Yes, I think it should. Would it be practical to revamp the server considering the circumstances? No, it is probably isn't. The Minecraft TTT server is currently being supported by two developers, one of which is in college and the other who works on multiple projects at the same time. Not to mention the Minecraft TTT server is one of about 7 actively developed servers and multiple other work-in-progress servers. Developing and balancing a TTT server is quite difficult, especially with custom weapons. So, I wouldn't expect it to be anywhere near the top of the priority list. 

Since everyone is talking about the pros of the revamp, let's talk about the cons that everyone has either ignored or avoided. One problem is the custom weapons, to which Guushi has said he would refund up to 50% of the weapons. This raises a lot of questions, as we would have to pull server assets that we would otherwise need for server development/support. Ethical arguments could also be made about the remaining 50% of donation funds that would not be returned, and while we are well within our right to do so within the terms of service, it could cause public backlash should such a refund occur.

Such a revamp would at best take the server offline for a few hours, which will cause missed opportunities for new regulars. At worst, such a drastic change could cause more problems with balancing, as it would be completely new. Data transferrals and deletions of this magnitude could cause database corruption as well. This could lead to bigger problems, and while this is hypothetical in nature, it is concerning considering how pivotal the MCTTT community is to the wellbeing of the network.
MCTTT updates would be slow, as all updates would have to go through balancing before making it on the servers. Playermodel donations (which are already slow), as well as bug reports/suggestions, would be slowed down to ensure balancing remained intact. 

And to top it off, because we are dealing with a community of different people, it could be possible that more of the community would be angry over the balancing. Balancing issues with custom objects (weapons/player models) as well as donor objects would probably arise again. The only way to truly ensure these propositions would probably throw out all donations outside of sprays or playermodel customizations (hats/pets), otherwise, such a revamp would've been pointless anyway as it could still be argued that it is pay-to-win.

 Please do note that a majority of these comments above are hypothetical, and are merely presented to strike a more realistic argument. The only reason I am proposing such cons is that nearly all of the positive replies are talking about the situation as if it is a perfect world. I do not believe it is fair to assess the proposition that Guushi made as if none of these potential issues are probable outcomes/repercussions.

[Guushi ✓]

While what you said may be true Reeb and those are certain outcomes, I still feel like a revamp far outweighs the cons. Our regulars would remain, players custom weapons would remain since they aren't "OP" they simply are a reskin. Custom player models would also remain except we'd take the time to change the ones that have no hitboxes.

Stuff that would go would be the things players consider "overpowered" and the pointshop would be changed around a bit. Less weapons = less downloads. However, it is nearly impossible to perfectly balance TTT. Like you said tho there's currently only 2 developers capable of modifying MCTTT and that would be you and I. Willay doesn't have access yet.

You're right tho, development would be even moreso than now considering balancing would be a huge focus on the revamp.