Random Weapon and Item balancing/selection

[Pliny]

So, how do you choose weapons and items for your server? Are there any themes or ideas you want to follow or find? What makes you choose what you choose? The reason why I'm asking is because weapons balance is a tough job- most weapons are made with their own ideas in mind that make them hard to balance and use together properly. While they can all work as add-ons, as weapons they might tend to throw each other off in minigames. How do you try and judge what to use and what not to use, or what will/won't fit?

I'd also like some advice on my server loadout. I'm trying to get weapons and items that are simply modeled but which have unique roles and functions on the field/server.

I currently have, including defaults:
-880 Rifle (Ridiculously OP but it at least has a cool laser sight)
-Auto Rocket Launcher (Kaje's tri-barreled rocket monster)
-Aim Rocket Launcher
-Bow
-Buster Gun (The first and as far as I know only weapon to have true damage falloff.)
-Chainsaw
-Combat Rifle
-Double Barrel Shotgun
-Deflector (A tiny bit easier to use than the Push Broom Reflector)
-Flak Cannon
-Gravity Gun
-Guided Missile (old V8 add-on, probably won't use as it is ludicrously OP even with its extra slow firing and debilitating immobility)
-Gun
-Guns Akimbo
-HE Grenade
-Homing Rocket (Not going to use in DMs much, I keep it for the projectile and functionality)
-Laser Pointer (Not going to use this in DMs much either, damage to players by the laser ground burn can kill outrageously fast but it's a useful tool for measuring sometimes.)
-Minigun
-Old-School Rifle
-Portal Gun (Might not use in DMs, abusable for escape.)
-Push Broom (with Push Broom Reflector mod, although a bit hard to use)
-Solarflare's Revolver
-Revolvers Duo
-Rocket Launcher
-Shotgun
-Sniper Rifle
-Spear
-Swingable Sword
-Sword (With shield and Riot Shield)
-TF2 Butterfly knife

-Invisibility watches
-Pill
-Pipe Wrench

My main thing about this is that it lacks a weak 'spray n' pray' weapon or variety. While the Guns Akimbo and Minigun can fill the role, they're also both fairly powerful. I'd like to use Tier+Tactical, but it currently has a bug making it impossible to use the midway between full ammo/reloading and ammoless settings. I also can't find a decent flamethrower, and though I've heard good things about Ephialtes' I can't find any downloads.

What do you guys think about weapons and item balancing? Any suggestions?

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[Manchild]

-Auto Rocket Launcher (Kaje's tri-barreled rocket monster)

i have a bad feeling about this weapon in particular

[Pliny]

i have a bad feeling about this weapon in particular

It's not too bad. It's about the same as firing the default Rocket Launcher as fast as you can, anyways.

[Bushido]

what's the gamemode

[Deadzone]

Don't use the bow unless if you're manually balancing all the other weapons; that's the only thing I can really say.

[Pliny]

what's the gamemode

Generic deathmatch/team deathmatch, Quake-like player or limited jets of some sort.

[Pliny]

Bump?

[AromaniaFTW]

Are you making classes of any sort?

You should definitely add weapon spawns around the map; it'd really help the classic theme.

[Pliny]

Are you making classes of any sort?

You should definitely add weapon spawns around the map; it'd really help the classic theme.

I'm just looking for items to throw in. I don't really wanna add classes. This is one reason why, with the other being that they're unnecessary and don't really have any use.

If players can't pick up weapons, how would they get 'em in the first place? I'm not really going for a theme either, if people use newer or older stuff I can't say anything. I don't get when people say "classic this" or "classic that". It's just changing attitudes and tastes and ways and means.

I'm only trying to get an idea of what stuff to use in general, not for just one one-off lameo TDM or something.. I'm trying to find something I wanna stick with. I also get that this may make it hard to make suggestions, but that's kinda the point. I'm trying to get some stuff I could use for anything and everything!

[Pliny]

Bump? No feedback, no ideas?

[Pliny]

Bump, just once more. Still looking for suggestions.

[AromaniaFTW]

actually maybe you can make something where instead of spawning weapons you have to get them via evented bricks
i don't mean just click a brick and get it but stepping on a brick and having it spawn somewhere, etc
and then you could make basic rooms scattered around with basic, low-tier weapons in them just to give the player a "starting loadout" when they find them; the players themselves actually spawn with one, low-power weapon like a pistol or something and maybe a knife.

[Pliny]

actually maybe you can make something where instead of spawning weapons you have to get them via evented bricks
i don't mean just click a brick and get it but stepping on a brick and having it spawn somewhere, etc
and then you could make basic rooms scattered around with basic, low-tier weapons in them just to give the player a "starting loadout" when they find them; the players themselves actually spawn with one, low-power weapon like a pistol or something and maybe a knife.

Pah. It's a nice thought for some people but it just makes things unnecessarily complex. I'm trying to get good items for good fun, I guess. Thanks, though.

[brian498]

Tier Tactical 

[Nevermind]

I think in a Randomizer DM, only one weapon should be granted to a player, and that weapon should be completely random with no balancing.

The whole point of Random weapon game is the anticipation. The hilarity when you get a head and shoulders when your enemy gets Storm Bolter.

Just my two cents.