A New Idea for Everyone

[Raider Wesley]

Hey everyone!

For a long time now, I've had this idea bouncing around in my head about how we could spice up the gameplay on the server, and I'd like to share it with you.

What if we did a "New Maps Month"? Let me explain in more detail.
The idea is to gather a pack of NEW maps made by the community and put them on the server, temporarily removing the maps everyone usually plays. As you've probably guessed, this would last about a month. Players would get to explore the new maps, get used to them, and maybe even put together their own top list of maps they'd want to see on the server permanently. As an option, at the end of each map there could be a "script" with a survey asking if they liked the map or not. (I'm not an expert on this stuff, but maybe you could explain to me in more detail whether something like that is even possible to implement.)
At the end of the "Map Month," a list would be compiled — the maps with the most votes would be at the top, and the maps with the worst rating at the bottom. Makes sense, right?

Why this would be useful:
I've noticed more than once how players complain about the maps being repetitive (and I'm one of them), the same thing every day. But here, literally ALL the maps would be new — that would be really interesting. This could be presented as a new EVENT. An event with its own prizes at the end (for both players and map creators). Old players who haven't logged onto the server in a long time would come rushing back with a fresh new experience.

If you guys aren't too lazy to actually make this happen, it would be really awesome. If you have any arguments in favor of "Nope, this is a bad idea," feel free to post them here! I'll gladly read them and maybe even try to challenge your opinion. (Or not.)

This translation was made with the help of DeepSeek, sorry if there are any mistakes.

 

[SOUR]

I don't think this is a good idea, and here's why.


Every new map needs proper testing to make sure it's balanced. The maps we currently run have been tested and refined over the course of years - that's a big part of why they play well. Bringing in a whole pack of new community maps would mean we'd have to test all of them ourselves, and honestly, I don't think SPA/HA has the bandwidth for that. Everyone on the team has real-life jobs, families, and other commitments. It's not just a matter of clicking "approve" actually playtesting maps for balance issues takes serious time.


On top of that, we have a certain standard for our maps. We like them to be detailed, well-built, and polished - and that kind of quality doesn't come quickly. Good maps take a long time to make, and rushing a bunch of them in for a month-long event risks lowering the bar we've worked hard to set. that's exactly why people don't complain about them being broken; they complain about them being repetitive. Fair. But the solution to repetition isn't to throw a bunch of untested maps into rotation for a whole month.


I appreciate the enthusiasm behind the idea, but I think the practical side of it just doesn't add up.

 

[Raider Wesley]

I appreciate the enthusiasm behind the idea, but I think the practical side of it just doesn't add up.

Thanks for the reply!

I understand that this requires a lot of time, and I get that the maps that actually make it into the rotation are thoroughly checked and tested many times over. I'd like to offer an alternative:

What if we repurpose Server v1 specifically for this idea? Hardly anyone plays on it, and I don't think the community would lose anything from a "rebranding." We could re-enable the banned weapons on v1 (autosnipers, machine guns) and launch it as a new, test server with a fresh look. Essentially, make it a clone of v3, just — once again — modified. This option doesn't really threaten anything. Players who are tired of the "same old maps" could simply hop onto a different server where new ones are featured.

The rank system and kill points could be disabled (if that makes things easier), and, as I mentioned before, we could introduce voting for community-made maps. Maybe the server would shine in a whole new light! Once v1 maps have been thoroughly tested and proven, they could then be moved over to v3, since players would already know them and be used to them.

I'm not sure if this is a thing, but on v1, where the maps are being tested, we could grant full admin rights to REGULAR admins. The whole moderation system is built on player review — maybe some people would be interested in taking part in map moderation as well? They could write reviews of new submissions, recommend maps, and help filter them.

I know this just means more work, and not everyone wants to carry yet another burden of responsibility on their shoulders, but it really is a good idea! (in my opinion).
I like the server, I like the community on this server, but I truly feel like there's a lack of variety. I'll admit, these are just my personal "wishlist" items, but I'm genuinely hoping for some big changes that could breathe new life into the game for veteran players.

The only one who makes no mistakes is the one who does nothing.

This text was translated with the help of DeepSeek, apologies for any mistakes or misunderstandings.

 

[Woozu]

Everyone on the team has real-life jobs, families, and other commitments. It's not just a matter of clicking "approve" actually playtesting maps for balance issues takes serious time.

Yeah i 100% agree, playtesting is not just about playing it once and asking players 'is the map good or nah', it takes a lot of time. And the staff-member has a lot of stuff going on in their life and still finds time to do this for free, big props for that. So its natural that a playtest may take in the worst case 6 months, for it to properly be playtested you may need 2-3 years.

On top of that, we have a certain standard for our maps. We like them to be detailed, well-built, and polished - and that kind of quality doesn't come quickly.

But i do disagree on this small part. Not all maps in rotation right now are properly polished and tested to be suitable for play, and some maps work really well with the server but are not in rotation.

For the former, an example i can name is zm_clouds. 90% of the spots are on high elevation with a view across the entire map, creating for most rounds a perfect autosniper haven and a ct round win. On top of that, the map is FULL of secrets that the zombie players all gotta know aswell because there is no other way of challenging those spots. It was in special map list for quite some time, i dont know why it was moved again, when its for a handful of active players a disliked map.

For the latter, an example would be officeattack, a map that was a cornerstone of the active map pool for quite some time, suggesting the map is well-built, is detailed and polished. However, the map was removed because of a singular spot being deemed as too op, which i find unfair since most other maps have spots that are quite op as well yet dont get removed. And there is quite the amount of players i randomly just see saying "#freeofficeattack" or something in the likes.



I think some maps are definitely better or worse designed than others, and some of these new maps can at their current version probably not be counted in as one of the better designed maps. But i think there needs to be a way to properly credit the maps and give them the playtime/playtests they deserve. And i think this can be arranged by adding a handful of them into the mappool every month, and actually giving them a bit of time and testing. You could swap some of the very rarely played maps that are in rotation. I personally rarely see zm_temple being played or zm_examen if that map is still in rotation even but im also playing mostly at night at a specific time so i may not catch every vibe of the server.


Now im not raider nor have anything to do with the management, but i think this thread invites any player to express their thoughts and ideas to potentially better the server and make the life of it more sustainable with a diverse mappool

 

[SOUR]

Fair points, and I'll concede on parts of this.


You're right that not every map in current rotation is perfectly polished. That said, I'd push back a bit on the clouds example. The elevation thing is real, but the idea that zombies need to know 20 secret routes to challenge those spots isn't really accurate - there are actually plenty of little hiding spots and approaches for zombies on that map, you just have to learn them like you would on any other map. It's not as one-sided as it sounds.


On top of that, clouds is one of those legendary maps that's been on the servers for 10+ years. At a certain point a map stops being just a map and becomes part of the server's identity - people have nostalgia for it, new players learn it as part of "the EH experience," and removing it would honestly upset more people than keeping it. There's a reason maps like that stay in rotation.


On officeattack - quick heads up, it's actually already back on the server for testing. Nikoo uploaded zm_officeattack_v10 on April 7th, and admins can manually set it as the next map with !setnextmap zm_officeattack_v10. So if you (or anyone) wants to see it get tested and pushed for rotation again, just ask an admin to queue it up when you're on.
It was removed for fixing (And alot of maps have been fixed through the years to be more balanced) just look at canals that i fixed a few years ago.

And 2 days ago @easy added more mother zombies at the start to balance out things like on cbble.

 

[SOUR]

Thanks for the reply!

I understand that this requires a lot of time, and I get that the maps that actually make it into the rotation are thoroughly checked and tested many times over. I'd like to offer an alternative:

What if we repurpose Server v1 specifically for this idea? Hardly anyone plays on it, and I don't think the community would lose anything from a "rebranding." We could re-enable the banned weapons on v1 (autosnipers, machine guns) and launch it as a new, test server with a fresh look. Essentially, make it a clone of v3, just — once again — modified. This option doesn't really threaten anything. Players who are tired of the "same old maps" could simply hop onto a different server where new ones are featured.

The rank system and kill points could be disabled (if that makes things easier), and, as I mentioned before, we could introduce voting for community-made maps. Maybe the server would shine in a whole new light! Once v1 maps have been thoroughly tested and proven, they could then be moved over to v3, since players would already know them and be used to them.

I'm not sure if this is a thing, but on v1, where the maps are being tested, we could grant full admin rights to REGULAR admins. The whole moderation system is built on player review — maybe some people would be interested in taking part in map moderation as well? They could write reviews of new submissions, recommend maps, and help filter them.

I know this just means more work, and not everyone wants to carry yet another burden of responsibility on their shoulders, but it really is a good idea! (in my opinion).
I like the server, I like the community on this server, but I truly feel like there's a lack of variety. I'll admit, these are just my personal "wishlist" items, but I'm genuinely hoping for some big changes that could breathe new life into the game for veteran players.

The only one who makes no mistakes is the one who does nothing.

This text was translated with the help of DeepSeek, apologies for any mistakes or misunderstandings.

Honestly, I think this is just a big job for everyone, and we're already doing map testing on v3 as it is. We tested your maps a couple of days ago, along with some others, and the ones that turn out to be good and balanced will eventually get added to either the main pool or the special map rotation.


So the system you're asking for kind of already exists - it just happens gradually rather than as a big event. Maps get tested, the good ones make it in, the bad ones don't. No need to repurpose v1 or build a whole new structure around it.

 

[Raider Wesley]

Honestly, I think this is just a big job for everyone, and we're already doing map testing on v3 as it is. We tested your maps a couple of days ago, along with some others, and the ones that turn out to be good and balanced will eventually get added to either the main pool or the special map rotation.


So the system you're asking for kind of already exists - it just happens gradually rather than as a big event. Maps get tested, the good ones make it in, the bad ones don't. No need to repurpose v1 or build a whole new structure around it.

That was just a suggestion, but thank you for the reply anyway!

As you might have thought — I came up with this post just to promote MY own work. Let me say right away that that's not the case. First and foremost, I'm driven by the desire to experience something new on the server.
(I said this because I figured you might have thought that. Anyway.)

I'm also curious about the Special Admins situation. I don't mean that they're doing a bad job — I'm saying that there are really very few of them and they're all very busy. Are there any ways for a regular admin to become a special admin — one who doesn't have too much on their plate and has plenty of free time? When was the last time you "hired" someone for a special admin position?

 

[SOUR]

No worries, I didn't take it as you promoting your own maps - your post came across as genuinely wanting to improve things for everyone, not a self-promo thing. Appreciate you clarifying though.


On the Special Admin question - that's actually a fair thing to bring up. You're right that there aren't many of us and everyone's got their own real-life stuff going on, which is exactly why progress on map additions and server changes can feel slow from the outside. We do talk a lot internally in our own Discord about maps, fixes, and general server stuff - players just don't see most of that work happening, so I get why it can look quiet from the player side.


As for becoming a Special Admin - it's not really a "hiring" process in the traditional sense. It's based on trust, time spent on the server, demonstrated knowledge of how things work, and honestly just whether the existing SPA/HA team thinks someone would be a good fit and would actually have time to contribute. It's less about applying and more about being noticed for already doing the kind of work that's needed. I can't give you an exact date for the last addition off the top of my head, but it's not super frequent - it's not a position we hand out casually.

 

[Woozu]

On officeattack - quick heads up, it's actually already back on the server for testing. Nikoo uploaded zm_officeattack_v10 on April 7th, and admins can manually set it as the next map with !setnextmap zm_officeattack_v10. So if you (or anyone) wants to see it get tested and pushed for rotation again, just ask an admin to queue it up when you're on.
It was removed for fixing (And alot of maps have been fixed through the years to be more balanced) just look at canals that i fixed a few years ago.

And 2 days ago @easy added more mother zombies at the start to balance out things like on cbble.

I see - i wasnt totally aware of the latest situation and state of officeattack, so its good to hear there is stuff going, thanks for pointing it out! And the mother zombie balancing sounds great as well.

On top of that, clouds is one of those legendary maps that's been on the servers for 10+ years. At a certain point a map stops being just a map and becomes part of the server's identity - people have nostalgia for it, new players learn it as part of "the EH experience," and removing it would honestly upset more people than keeping it. There's a reason maps like that stay in rotation.

I TOTALLY agree with you on this, that there are those iconic maps that i myself love its charm of. However, i would differentiate between removing and moving it to special maps. I actually like clouds a lot since it has this special and unique character like 16 (or these days 8 chambers), or atix panic (helicopter escape map). But i dont think it works all too well as a normal rotation map. I personally think it could be in special map list but just be played/selected more often just like i think atix panic or 8 chambers should be.

You're right that not every map in current rotation is perfectly polished. That said, I'd push back a bit on the clouds example. The elevation thing is real, but the idea that zombies need to know 20 secret routes to challenge those spots isn't really accurate - there are actually plenty of little hiding spots and approaches for zombies on that map, you just have to learn them like you would on any other map. It's not as one-sided as it sounds.

On this one i think you confused 2 seperate things i was talking about, or maybe i expressed myself inconsistently (or in an impossibly rare scenario, you are unaware of the secrets spots on this map xd). The elevated spots are all on its own very doable, some even alone if you know your tricks and execute your attack quickly. But that wasnt what i meant with "FULL of secrets" i mean actual secret spots that are accessed by pressing e on a seemingly random spot, so that you enable a teleporter somewhere to end up in an unapproachable spot except somebody else knows of the secret. There is a whole maze that you first have to trigger with an e press, go into the teleport and then enter a 5 digit code that opens and closes a door, then you can progress through the maze with traps that teleport you out once again. And in that maze you can press another button somewhere and direct to a newly unlicked teleport that sends you into the sky at the corner of the map, basically the same position as in zm_rush. Actually sounds ridiculous describing that whole secret spot but there is like 4 more xd. You can enter the inside of a tower via a hidden teleport, that again is unbeatable unless you know. In the region accessable with the public teleporter, you can also get tped on top of the tree which is not accessable in any other way. And then there is also another platform in the sky like on zm_rush thats on the opposite side of the other one that this map has, one time there was only 1 human remaining with 3 mins left on the clock and none of the zombies knowing the teleport including me. If that guy didnt jump off that would have been some boring 3 minutes

I made this one very long, but i think u will now understand the slight misunderstanding about the 'secrets' i was actually talking about xd