Should there be a third goonstation server?

[Pararoid]

Just to make a final small point; as anyone who runs a game server will know the server hits a 'Critical Mass' where it starts to fill up, about the point the average person is going to ping the server, see the player number and decide to join because it looks like a 'real game'. Through this effect a huge number of players can simply not join in the first place because all they see is two small games and so they say small until the regulars come back the next morning. I don't want this to sound like a whinge or grizzle for my first posts but it would be cool if the servers could be at that point 24/7 and it seems totally possible to me.

[Twoflower]

Some people actually prefer small games, and a weird confusing system to force people onto one server just seems like a lot more trouble than it's worth.

[Lantern]

Just to be a bit clearer, at around 5-6am server time there is often around 7-8 on one server and 10 or so on the other. If there were only one server for those rounds between say ~4am and ~8am they would still be small games, but they would at least be playable for people who don't want to do genetics research or go on a space mission, which is in general all that seems to get done on those rounds.

To me, it seems like it's those small games that allow things like Solarium to go down. You have just enough people around to help support it, but not enough for some random asshole to waltz on over to telescience and blow it all up with a pipebomb. But that's just from my personal experience.

[Lantern]

I think that's more of a sec attitude than a time thing.

Thats a whole other debate/problem that needs to be resolved honestly. It can be pretty frustraiting to be captain, not want to be super-sec captain, but kinda get forced into it because there is literally no one else willing to do it.

[DrivetimeMozol]

I think that's more of a sec attitude than a time thing.

Thats a whole other debate/problem that needs to be resolved honestly. It can be pretty frustraiting to be captain, not want to be super-sec captain, but kinda get forced into it because there is literally no one else willing to do it.

Yep. Same with detective. Instead of doing your actual job and solving crimes you get roped into breaking up fights between non-antags. I think Sec needs a lot of new toys to get people interested.

[Pararoid]

Some people actually prefer small games, and a weird confusing system to force people onto one server just seems like a lot more trouble than it's worth.

Seems like a bit of an oxymoron to me when apparently some people like extremely small non-game games but the actual issue is that there are often less than 8 people on each server at the times I'm discussing, so clearly not many people or we wouldn't even be having this discussion.

I'd love it it that meant more runs at cool shit like the Solarium but the reality is I've only ever seen one very half-hearted attempt on the 'Late Shift in the last couple of months'. Really, 95% of games are just a changeling/vampire/robust traitor stalking from department to department knocking off the solitary Rube Goldberg Machine builders in each and getting even more unstoppable.

I totally agree that the Sec thing is a big deal on these small shifts but really the issue is compounded tenfold when there are so few people playing, the actual game just doesn't really work when Antags just have total free reign and even if they're IDed or whatever they don't care because there could very well be no one able to stop them even if they wanted to. It just leads to extremely sloppy Antags who just murder in the middle of the bar or right outside medbay with no concern someone might come along. I don't want to sound hyperbolic but it can really fell like a Deathmatch mode eventually.

[Sunbeans]

Then why not just unlist the third server? only people who like small games would join it, and the other higher traffic servers could remain.

I still think that having more people is a really bad tradeoff, because of the lag, and the lack of any fun jobs to play.