Yeah Yogi, most of those maps sucked.
Here are my dream gametypes, with an idea of why I think they're good compared to current versions:
CTF: We all know and love the way this gametype works.
TR: This is so in depth of a design that it's up to TR's designer, not me. Really, I'd like a more TR1 design, but whatever.
DM:
Deathmatch is a great gametype. It's fun, it's a big fighting scrum! That said, Tribes deathmatch has consistently SUCKED in the last two versions. They made DEATHMATCH suck! DEATHMATCH! I'm amazed.
Past Versions:
Now, one thing that T1 and T2 deathmatch taught us, is that field pickups are not fun. While they work in other games, they've tended to interfere with what makes DM fun: killing. In T1, it was a complete joke. Field pickups do not work in Tribes games because we can switch armors. Where do you pick up the medium armor? Oh wait. ;|
New stuff:
So in a deathmatch gametype for Tribes, we need to eliminate the wait time between fighting. We need to spawn our players, right in their favorite gear. So let us implement spawn favorites. Mines, and all other passive things (such as deployables) are removed from this gametype. It is restricted to active packs, weapons, and such. You drop players into the fight, and let them kill each other. When players spawn, they spawn on any viable surface anywhere on the entire inbounds area of the map.
Gameplay and Goals:
Players are randomly spawned all over the map. They spawn in any armor, ready to fight from the moment they hit the ground. Momentary invulnerability (3 seconds) vanishes when you fire your weapon. One kill = one point. First to a certain frag count wins, or if it's configured on the server, most frags at the end of so much time wins, or if both are turned on: whichever comes first.
Last Man Standing Variant:
Like DM, but each player starts with only so many lives. Last Man Standing wins. If there are several people alive at time end, then the one with the most frags wins. If they are tied, then the one who has died the least, wins. If they are still tying, then the match is a draw.
King of the Hill Variant:
Like DM (including a point earned for a frag), but points are also scored by being in the sphere (the hill) alone. One second alone in the circle = one point. 10 second spawn delay when you die. First to 120 wins. Every 30 seconds, nomatter what, the sphere moves to a new position randomly chosen from those placed by the map maker.
Hunters-like Variant:
Like DM, but each consecutive kill without a death earns you more points. Second kill in a row = 2, third kill in a row = 3, etc. If you kill someone with a lot of points, you get half of theirs, and they lose half of theirs. First to 100 wins, or whomever has the most points at the end of the game.
Rabbit:
Wow Rabbit rocks. The chase is on!
What we learned from the past:
The more options, the better. T2 has had so many rabbit versions with so many good ideas. Too bad they aren't all one gametype with a huge options list.
New Stuff:
Options options options. Let us decide the points needed to win if we like. Let us limit weapons, make it spawn or inventory based, allow it to be made direct hit or MA only if we like, allow us to make it so that you can only score if you kill while being the rabbit. Let people give you option ideas in the beta. Options, options, options.
Duel:
Mmm... the mode for fighting in.
What we learned from the past:
Duel is good the way it is.
New Stuff:
Nothing really. It's a good mod as is.
Duel Tourney Variant:
Five maps, each designed to drop the player down a huge ramp and send them screaming into each other while everyone else observes. If you remember this from T1, it was fun. Everyone fought everyone once, and whomever had the most points in the end one. If you didn't win the duel in two minutes, then neither player won a point.
Aren
This works like in the past. Nothing more needed to be said. Great gametype.
Siege:
Siege was more popular than DnD. The balance of this game design lies WHOLLY in map design. Just include it again, and people will make it good if the maps you provide aren't so good.
P.S. Give tiny, global popup announcements when someone blows up important assets in Siege. This really helps.
These are all the gametypes I'd like to see.
Here are my dream gametypes, with an idea of why I think they're good compared to current versions:
CTF: We all know and love the way this gametype works.
TR: This is so in depth of a design that it's up to TR's designer, not me. Really, I'd like a more TR1 design, but whatever.
DM:
Deathmatch is a great gametype. It's fun, it's a big fighting scrum! That said, Tribes deathmatch has consistently SUCKED in the last two versions. They made DEATHMATCH suck! DEATHMATCH! I'm amazed.
Past Versions:
Now, one thing that T1 and T2 deathmatch taught us, is that field pickups are not fun. While they work in other games, they've tended to interfere with what makes DM fun: killing. In T1, it was a complete joke. Field pickups do not work in Tribes games because we can switch armors. Where do you pick up the medium armor? Oh wait. ;|
New stuff:
So in a deathmatch gametype for Tribes, we need to eliminate the wait time between fighting. We need to spawn our players, right in their favorite gear. So let us implement spawn favorites. Mines, and all other passive things (such as deployables) are removed from this gametype. It is restricted to active packs, weapons, and such. You drop players into the fight, and let them kill each other. When players spawn, they spawn on any viable surface anywhere on the entire inbounds area of the map.
Gameplay and Goals:
Players are randomly spawned all over the map. They spawn in any armor, ready to fight from the moment they hit the ground. Momentary invulnerability (3 seconds) vanishes when you fire your weapon. One kill = one point. First to a certain frag count wins, or if it's configured on the server, most frags at the end of so much time wins, or if both are turned on: whichever comes first.
Last Man Standing Variant:
Like DM, but each player starts with only so many lives. Last Man Standing wins. If there are several people alive at time end, then the one with the most frags wins. If they are tied, then the one who has died the least, wins. If they are still tying, then the match is a draw.
King of the Hill Variant:
Like DM (including a point earned for a frag), but points are also scored by being in the sphere (the hill) alone. One second alone in the circle = one point. 10 second spawn delay when you die. First to 120 wins. Every 30 seconds, nomatter what, the sphere moves to a new position randomly chosen from those placed by the map maker.
Hunters-like Variant:
Like DM, but each consecutive kill without a death earns you more points. Second kill in a row = 2, third kill in a row = 3, etc. If you kill someone with a lot of points, you get half of theirs, and they lose half of theirs. First to 100 wins, or whomever has the most points at the end of the game.
Rabbit:
Wow Rabbit rocks. The chase is on!
What we learned from the past:
The more options, the better. T2 has had so many rabbit versions with so many good ideas. Too bad they aren't all one gametype with a huge options list.
New Stuff:
Options options options. Let us decide the points needed to win if we like. Let us limit weapons, make it spawn or inventory based, allow it to be made direct hit or MA only if we like, allow us to make it so that you can only score if you kill while being the rabbit. Let people give you option ideas in the beta. Options, options, options.
Duel:
Mmm... the mode for fighting in.
What we learned from the past:
Duel is good the way it is.
New Stuff:
Nothing really. It's a good mod as is.
Duel Tourney Variant:
Five maps, each designed to drop the player down a huge ramp and send them screaming into each other while everyone else observes. If you remember this from T1, it was fun. Everyone fought everyone once, and whomever had the most points in the end one. If you didn't win the duel in two minutes, then neither player won a point.
Aren
This works like in the past. Nothing more needed to be said. Great gametype.
Siege:
Siege was more popular than DnD. The balance of this game design lies WHOLLY in map design. Just include it again, and people will make it good if the maps you provide aren't so good.
P.S. Give tiny, global popup announcements when someone blows up important assets in Siege. This really helps.
These are all the gametypes I'd like to see.