Remove maps that are no longer played

[tall harness]

This might sound counterintuitive for a server that wants to have as much variety as possible. However, there is no functional reason to have maps that take up space and do not get played at all. It makes it easier to navigate the map repository as well as ensure that maps, if updated in large quantities simutaneously, don't miss out any updates. It also makes it easier to learn maps that are more consistently played. For instance, there is a certain KoTH map that went 3 years without a match even being played despite being loaded. Maybe even allow for less confusion on which map is what.

Bottom line up front: Easier traversibility, quicker indexing, more efficient for downloading, makes it easier to learn, maybe frees up some legacy names of older maps, streamlines updates in batches. Less data hoarding, faster backup/cloning, prevent data redudancy on the technical side.

Solution: Pull which maps have been played when. If they haven't been played in over, let's say, 2 years or played once or twice and aren't new, remove them. If they haven't been played it's obvious they're either forgotten, or not one player wants to request to play them.

[vocal seal]

This simply makes no sense. The size of the repository is not proportional to the complexity of indexing or "efficient downloading"

The map repository is managed under git, which means updates are based on changed files, not overall size

It makes it easier to navigate the map repository as well as ensure that maps, if updated in large quantities simutaneously, don't miss out any updates
Removing maps from the repo is actually the reason those maps would miss out on updates, keeping them in the repo means they can get updates even if they aren't actively played or in the pools, as those maps could make a return at a later time, in a different context, or with an updated version

[vocal seal]

Also for a bit of extra context on the numbers:

• Total maps loaded on the main server: 1228
• Maps in the default pool: 365
• Maps in the funky friday pool: 113
• Maps in the tnt tuesday pool: 64

If you ontop of that add map variants from halloween or xmas editions, and maps that are rotated in/out of the pools periodically, you're looking at maybe somewhere around ~750 (at the strictest minimum 542 maps) played maps out of 1228.

That's within the same order of magnitude, meaning that effectively speaking you're not actually reducing complexity to any significant degree. Even if you were to go around and remove the maybe 200-250 maps that haven't played in a while, it won't magically make scrolling thru the repo any more viable than it is now.

Last but not least, the server has played 1149 different maps in the past 6 months according to our database (out of 1228). I'm sure finding and removing the 80 that didn't play will make our repo:

Easier traversibility, quicker indexing, more efficient for downloading, makes it easier to learn, maybe frees up some legacy names of older maps, streamlines updates in batches. Less data hoarding, faster backup/cloning, prevent data redudancy on the technical side.

[tall harness]

murdered by words

[vocal seal]

and numbers, don't forget the numbers were involved in this assasination too

[tulip jasper]

ngl I'd be interested to know what the 80 maps were 👀

and how many of them were my maps lol