surf_10x_tf2_complete is by far the most popular surf map in existance. It has 4x as popular as the 2nd most popular surf map.
I understand you run your servers like a business. I've looked at the stats regarding average player count on the surf server and there was a spike in numbers in just the past few months; it's actually the highest it's ever been. Does that spike coincide with when the map pool was culled to the most popular maps? If so, I would argue that it's because the more popular a map has been in the past, the more likely it is that people will recognize it and join the server. I also argue this is not a long-term strategy.
I see the same thing happen on Saxton Hale and Deathrun. People always say they want 100 different maps, but people only vote for a small handful.
Which is why having 20+ maps is useless.
Agreed. Having 50 Saxton Hale maps that are essentially just reskins of each other makes no sense, but like you said, there are only 9 maps on surf, not 20. I think the key is having a few maps that differ meaningfully from one another, which is something surf maps generally do well. We're not asking you to add a massive map pool, just a few more to bring some variety into the mix. Adding maps you've had before can work because the environment is different, and the server has a consistent population, most of whom are new players. They're willing to give any map a shot, that's why they're on a custom server to begin with. Regulars got excited for Quack_v2 when it was added, because people get excited for new maps. If you added, say, Overcast to the map pool, it may prove to be very popular. It's kind of a classic. It's no harder than Rainbow, and I've seen it become popular on two different servers.
Honestly, Kingfin and I just love surf. We like the plugins Skial runs (essentially just spawn protection and !nominate) and we want to see surf thrive there. I see where you're coming from, but I feel that reaching a balance between a conservative map pool and meaningful variety will result in the most beneficial outcome for the surf server. Thanks for your consideration and for reading these walls of text.
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TL;DR i agree that more maps doesn't equal good but adding the right maps now will extend the longevity of the server)