Suggestion:
With the clan/competitive scene in Enlisted continuing to grow, I would like to suggest adding a live spectator mode for custom games. This would allow non-combatants such as content creators (“CCs”) to live cast the tournaments and vs battles that the clans have been hosting.
Enlisted already technically has a live spectator mode, as can be seen on Invasion Attack when the team runs out of tickets and the player can spectate each player still alive. There is also the observation mode in the replay system, which is even better as it has free cam that would be perfect for spectating! (Please add the one from the replay system if you can!!)
If server load is an issue, then even just adding 3-5 spectators would be more than enough for CCs to spectate and cast the games.
Background:
The clan scene has continued to grow this past year. A Clan Hub discord server was created last year and has been a central hub for clans to organize events and announce activities. Currently we have over 21 Clans “officially” recognized within the Hub with more joining all the time. These clans span across the globe and range from mega-sweats to milsim to modders to new-player friendly!
As the scene continues to grow, more and more events are being held between the clans. And now a popular Enlisted CC, Sjf0212, has announced a 10v10 Br4 tournament he is host in Feb that even has a cash prize!
Proof of Interest:
Yesterday (Jan 19), my clan (EVA) and another clan (-TnT-) played three 6v6 games. These games were streamed by -TnT-Noksor (VOD was saved for anyone who wants to watch) and currently has >260 views despite the stream only being announced right before the games.
On November 23, 2024, U45N and RGD did a best of 5 which was streamed by SnakeStyle (VOD link) and currently has >650 views. At the time of the event, we even had a watch party going on in the Clan Hub discord server with >20 people watching and chatting about the games.
The first “official” clan war event was covered by our very own MajorMcDonalds (link) and since that video many of us long-time players can say we saw an uptick of players using the very same strats as the clans in the average public game!
Final Comments:
Speaking for myself as someone who has played nearly daily since May 2021, I have been feeling pretty burnt out of the game. I have everything unlocked, lineups at nearly every Br for every faction, most of the premiums and gold order stuff, millions of silver, etc. But then a clan war event or tournament gets announced and suddenly my love of the game is reinvigorated as me and other clan members spend hours discussing strats, meta loadouts, testing gear, and practicing in public games and customs. I know others feel the same.
Between my personal experience and looking at the interest section above, I believe adding the live spectator mode (and eventually an official clan system) would be a huge boon for the game and the playerbase. Clans are already a thing but having them officially implemented would drive engagement and makes players feel like they belong to a group. The live spectator would allow for more and bigger events to be held which garners interest from both old and new players alike! But an official clan system and live spectator mode are must haves.
The best part is that, once added, there isn’t much more DF needs to do to let the clans and CCs do their thing. The clans and CCs can organize and host things, which drives people to play more and works as free advertising for the game on twitch and youtube.
Interested in hearing other’s opinions or suggestions for the live spectator mode!
Edit: Also wanted to give DF a shoutout for an update they made at the end of December to custom game server stability. Yesterday was my first time using them since the fix and they are significantly more stable than before. The games were not lag fest, no crazy rubberbanding, and I didn’t have any icons flashing in the top right corner of the screen like used to happen before! And this was with people playing spanning USA west coast to Poland!!
