How To Use MapVote

[LaughingRat]

Seems there's some misconception about MapVote and how to use it, so I thought I'd write a brief "how to" for it here. I'll break it down by the different tabs in the MapVote window (you DID notice there are three tabs, right?).

Voting Tab
There are several ways to vote for a map. You can double-click a map name, either in the server's list of maps, or in the list of maps already voted for. Alternately, you can highlight the map name and click on the vote button. The same applies to the vote for kicking a player. And you don't have to close it to use ingame chat, just type your message in the field at the bottom and press enter, and it'll appear ingame, just as though you used the "shout" chat.

Config Tab
There's not much on this tab, but what there is is handy. On this tab you can bind a key to bring up the MapVote window at any time ingame. So if you've closed it and want to change your vote, or even start a mid-game vote to change maps or kick a player, you can use your keybing to open MapVote and do that. The other setting on this tab is the message duration. You can set, in seconds, the amount of time that chatbox messages stay displayed for you ingame.

Info Tab
This tab has a series of buttons along the bottom. The server info button displays a small, simple webpage with the server info on it (duh) if the admins of that server have made one and set it to display in the MapVote properties (the Crackaz Server has the server rules and admin names/email addresses on it). There are also two report buttons, which give you some info on the maps on the server and how often they're voted for and played. There's an "about" button which links by default to a page no longer maintained by the creator of MapVote, and a help button which gives some basic info on how MapVote works, most of which I've already mentioned here.

To anyone who regularly plays the Crackaz server, I'd recommend binding a key to MapVote on the Config Tab the next time you have it up. It's just kind of handy to have, in case you close the MapVote window too soon or accidentally.

[BiG_D]

So why do all that maps show up red, and if I try to vote for one it tells me I can't?

[LaughingRat]

So why do all that maps show up red, and if I try to vote for one it tells me I can't?

We have MapVote set so that the last 15 maps (out of 25 on the server) can't be voted for. This is so the same 3-5 maps don't get played over and over and over again, yet allows the least popular maps to be left out of a map cycle unless there are enough people who want to.

[BiG_D]

Good idea. But sometimes all of the maps show up red...

[LaughingRat]

Good idea. But sometimes all of the maps show up red...

That's because Grank and Entropy keep screwing with it and messing it up.

to Grank 'n' Ent.

[Grank]

Good idea. But sometimes all of the maps show up red...

That's because Grank and Entropy keep screwing with it and messing it up.

to Grank 'n' Ent.

pfft! Who messed it up last time?

[LaughingRat]

pfft! Who messed it up last time?

Last time? That would be Ent. Time before that? That would be you. Yes, that's right, you. I had to fix it after you "fixed" it last time.

[Chalrif]

You need to add a "help" section.

How do I stop it from kicking me at the end of every map?

[LaughingRat]

You need to add a "help" section.

Note that I said there was a "Help" button on the "Info" tab.

How do I stop it from kicking me at the end of every map?

Improve your connection quality, maybe?

Otherwise, you might try downloading the MapVote file itself and putting it in your unrealtournament/system folder, if you haven't already. Not running off a cached copy might help.

[Omega]

If the players want to vote for a map in red why shouldn't they be able to do so?

[daniel]

just use callvote if you really want to play it

[LaughingRat]

If the players want to vote for a map in red why shouldn't they be able to do so?

I've seen what happens in UT on a completely open vote list. Typically, only about 3-5 maps ever get played. One of the early complaints about MapVote (on the TSG forums, no less) was that some of the maps would never get played on a server with MapVote. We've tried to strike a balance between keeping the entire list played through, and allowing players to choose the next map.

Look at it this way, on a server without MapVote, you play the next map in line, period. It's as though all the other maps were listed in red on MapVote.

[Chalrif]

You need to add a "help" section.

Note that I said there was a "Help" button on the "Info" tab.

Noted.

try downloading the MapVote file itself and putting it in your unrealtournament/system folder, if you haven't already. Not running off a cached copy might help.

Trying that now. . .

[Cliff]

Good CHalrif cus its a pain in the profundas when you get kicked from it at the end of the game!

[LaughingRat]

Have you tried it yet, Chal? Did it work? Even if it didn't, if you have a key bound to MapVote and rejoin immediately, you can bring up the MapVote window and still vote.