You also have to consider raiders who have a lot of knowledge about the SWEPs and utility like shields, heal spams, breach sweps, breach/tac binds, many raiders are capable of steamrolling bases with well set up plays like having a dedicated heal spammer/breacher etc - when buffing raiders in a way such as lingering entities or movement speed SWEPs you are allowing the raiders who are already good at what they do even stronger. This of course doesn't go for if you are heavily outnumbered when raiding you will still get killed fast unless you get lucky or you plan it for when they're away from the base but that is fair imo.  The rooftop changes were not only because the bases were obnoxious but having so much open free space allows for a lot of raider unfriendly designs, when bases are confined to basing spaces there's only a limited amount of really good/strong locations. I disagree that allowing those rooftop mega bases encourages creativity instead it just made everyone use the same 'meta' base design copied into any section of the map that has a roof. 

I appreciate the detailed reply, and I agree with some of what you said. I understand that a lot of the older basing rules were too defender-sided and that some of the recent building restrictions were needed. I am not trying to argue that every old base should come back, or that defenders should be allowed to build impossible mega bases again. That being said, I still think the current rules have gone too far in the other direction when it comes to what raiders are actually able to do during a raid. The main issue, in my opinion, is not just whether the base is technically raidable on paper. The issue is how the raid actually plays out in practice. A base can follow all the rules and still be extremely defender-sided if the raider has no realistic way to push through prepared angles. Right now, a defender can hold an angle, watch the raider approach, wait for the exact moment the raider is exposed, peek, shoot, and fall back. The raider has very limited ways to punish that. Without movement speed buffs or any real approach utility, the raider is basically forced to slowly walk into a prepared angle and hope the defender makes a mistake. That is why I disagree with the idea that speed boosts are “purely an annoyance.” I agree that the old speed boosts or consumables may have been too strong, especially with Garry’s Mod hit registration. But completely removing movement options also removes one of the only ways raiders had to create pressure, bait shots, reposition, or punish defenders who are just holding a tight angle. I am not saying all movement SWEPs/consumables should be allowed exactly as they were. I agree that would probably be too much. But I think there should be a middle ground, such as a limited raider-only movement option with a clear cap, or some other balanced approach utility that helps raiders push angles without making them impossible to hit. On the one-way prop point, I understand why shooting through one-ways was messy and hard to enforce. I am not saying the old system was perfect. But even when one-ways cannot be shot through, they still give defenders a huge information advantage. The defender can see timing, movement, and positioning before the raider can properly react. That information advantage becomes much stronger when the raider has no movement or pressure tools to counter it. So from my perspective, the issue is not just “can raiders shoot through one-ways or not.” The issue is that defenders can still use one-ways to control timing and angles, while raiders have very few tools to force interaction or create an opening. About lingering weapons, I understand your point that a lot of them favored defenders more than raiders. I am not asking for every lingering weapon to come back. I agree that things like mines or defensive spam could easily become annoying or unfair. My point is more about the general lack of raider utility. If certain weapons were too defender-sided, then they should stay restricted, but that does not mean raiders should be left with almost no tools to push strong defensive setups. Regarding rooftop bases, I understand why the rule exists. Huge sky bases, ugly floating structures, and bases stretching across the map are obviously bad for the server. I agree that those should not be allowed. However, I do not think every rooftop base that extends slightly outside the exact roof boundary should be treated the same as an obnoxious mega base. I recently made a rooftop base that I genuinely believe was fair to raid. It had a clear path, it was not a sky bridge across the map, it did not block major areas, and it was not designed to be impossible. But because the rule is based strictly on roof boundaries, that type of build becomes invalid even if it is fair. That is the part I think should be changed. Rooftop bases should be judged by whether they are fair, clean, accessible, and raidable, not only by whether every prop is perfectly inside the roof boundary. A small, reasonable extension should not be treated the same as a massive floating base across the map. Overall, I agree that the current basing rules are cleaner and probably easier to enforce than before. I also agree that some of the old bases were too strong. But I still think raiding is currently too defender-sided in actual gameplay. A good defender already has base knowledge, prepared angles, one-way information, and a timing advantage. If the raider has no meaningful movement, no approach utility, and no way to pressure those angles, the raid becomes less about skill and more about waiting for the defender to mess up. I think the solution is not to fully revert the rules, but to test controlled changes. Things like limited raider-only movement, clearer limits on one-way usage, balanced approach utility, and carefully restricted rooftop extensions could make raids more interactive without bringing back the old problems.

Thank you for the replies. I want to clarify my point a bit because I think my original post may have sounded like I want all raider restrictions removed or that I want old unfair/overpowered bases back. That is not what I am asking for. I understand that the rules were recently changed through community feedback, and I also understand that some of the old building rules were too strong for defenders. I am not trying to undo every change or bring back impossible bases, mega bases, or rooftops that stretch across the map. I agree that bases still need clear limits, especially for newer players and for staff to enforce rules properly. My main issue is that raiding in its current state feels too limited and, in many situations, not fun or skill-based for the raider. Right now, the defender already has a huge advantage. They know the base layout, they control the angles, they know when the raider is cracking/keypading, and they can prepare their position before the raid even starts. In practice, a lot of defenses come down to the defender waiting behind cover or behind a one-way, peeking at the right time, shooting, and then falling back. The raider has very limited options to punish this or create pressure. Even if one-ways cannot be shot through, they still give defenders a major information advantage. A defender can see the raider’s movement, timing, and position before the raider can properly react. Since the raider also cannot use movement boosts, lingering weapons, AOE-style pressure, or many other tools, the raid often becomes very predictable: walk the path, crack the doors, and hope the defender misplays. That does not feel like balanced PvP. It feels like the defender has to make a mistake rather than the raider being able to outplay them. I am not saying raiders should be able to abuse speed, spam overpowered weapons, or ignore base defenses. I agree that unrestricted boosts or certain weapons could become unfair very quickly. But I do think there should be more room for controlled raider counterplay. For example, instead of fully allowing all movement boosts, maybe there could be a limited raider-only movement option during raids, with a clear cap. Instead of allowing every AOE or lingering weapon, maybe only specific approved raid utility could be allowed, such as balanced Smoke/flash-style tools that help raiders push strong angles without instantly winning the fight. Thus, giving more room for Counterplay, the goal would not be to make raiding easy, but to give raiders more ways to actually interact with the defense. I also want to be clear about the rooftop basing point, because this is something I personally care about. I recently made a rooftop base that, in my opinion, was still fair to raid. It had a clear path; it was not some giant sky bridge across the map, and it was not built to be impossible or confusing. However, because of the current rule that all props must stay within the roof boundaries, that kind of base is now restricted, even if it is otherwise balanced. That is the part I disagree with. I do not think rooftop bases should be judged only by whether every prop is exactly inside the roof boundary. I think they should be judged by whether they are fair, clean, accessible, and actually raidable. I am not asking for massive sky bases, ugly floating structures, or bases stretching across the fountain. I agree that those would be messy and bad for the server. What I am suggesting is a middle ground where rooftop bases can extend slightly beyond the exact roof boundary if they follow strict rules. For example, rooftop extensions could be allowed if: The base is visually clean and not obnoxious. The entrance and path are clear. The base is still fully raidable with normal raid tools. The build does not stretch across large parts of the map. The base does not block important areas or public movement. The base still follows width, height, turn, and movement rules. Staff can reasonably check and enforce whether it is fair. I think this would allow more creativity without bringing back the problems that the old rules had. A fair rooftop base should not be removed just because it extends slightly past the roof, especially if it is still easier and more reasonable to raid than many indoor bases. Overall, my point is not “make raiding overpowered” or “allow every rooftop mega base.” My point is that raiding currently feels too defender-sided because the raider has very few tools to deal with prepared angles and defensive information, while creative but fair rooftop bases are being restricted too heavily. A raid should still be difficult, but it should also feel like the raider can win through skill, planning, teamwork, and good utility usage — not only because the defender peeks badly or makes a mistake. At the same time, builders should be allowed to make creative bases as long as those bases are fair and raidable. I think the best solution would be to test small, controlled changes rather than fully reverting rules. Things like limited raider utility, clearer one-way limitations, slight movement options, or carefully restricted rooftop extensions could make raids and basing more fun without bringing back the old issues.

I can't spawn the poker table as casino owner even though it is in my F4 menu

Suggestion: title How this would improve aether: I think what made the sweps named in the title unique was their (10 second?) speed boost that stayed after you put the sweps away. While I understand they were OP at a time it's just not that way anymore, you can't use them in raids or pvp zones anymore. Just feels silly to keep them kneecapped.   (P.s, I didn't want to copy the template since I'm making this on my phone so I made my own. If I need to add the other 2 options send a pm on discord pls don't just deny/delete)