[quote]Valve has started a Team Fortress 2 closed beta test, with the goal of balancing the game for competitive matches, according to TF2 developer Robin Walker.
"The TF2 Beta is something we've just started running," said Walker to Shacknews. "It's aimed at filling a hole in TF2's iterative development model."
European and American competitive TF2 clans are being recruited for the beta, which will incorporate changes to the game ahead of an update's release to provide Valve with valuable balancing data.
"To iterate effectively, we need to be able to measure the impact of our changes," he said. "Up until now we've been successful at measuring that impact on the non-competitive TF2 community, because we have good internal proxies for it--the TF2 team itself, plus other internal and external playtesters. Our proxies for the high end competitive play aren't as good, and that's lead to us making some design decisions that have hurt it."
Walker pointed out that the beta does not represent a shift in Valve's approach to the casual community.
"This doesn't reflect any change of our attitude towards non-competitive TF2 play, it's just going to give us more data," he added. "We'll continue to talk and listen to the non-competitive TF2 players, as we have done in the two years since we shipped. The more data we have, the more effective we'll be as we continue striving for design choices that work for all TF2 players."
European TF2 clan FokkelBrigade says that a small group of top European and American teams have been selected for the beta, and that the first stage is focusing on tweaking the Sandman bat-and-ball unlockable, a weapon routinely banned from competitive TF2 play. Rumors of a fire-repellent suit for the Spy are also circulating.
Walker has previously expressed a desire to "get more insight" into what Valve can do for the competitive TF2 community.
"I'd like to build some more bridges to organizers within the competitive community, which is something we've tried to do but still continue to have trouble with," he said in a recent CommunityFortress interview.[/quote]
[url]http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/59820[/url]
It's just competitive stuff then.
Why can't they just ignore the competitive community like Nintendo?
[QUOTE=KmScMT;16465932]Why can't they just ignore the competitive community like Nintendo?[/QUOTE]
To be fair, nintendo's gone a bit overboard in the other direction.
[QUOTE=Street_Wolf;16466660]To be fair, nintendo's gone a bit overboard in the other direction.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, their demographic is now on two opposite ends of the scale: wee kiddies and grannies who would break their hip bowling.
Why does Valve have to pander to the smallest, bitchiest, hardest-to-please part of their playerbase? We all know that no matter what, come the next update there will be the usual wave of nerd rage from the "pro" TF2 players.
[editline]05:34PM[/editline]
"Competitive play" is just 2SCOUT 2SOLDIER DEMO MEDIC, DUSTBOWL ONLY anyway.
[QUOTE=Sibilantjoe;16467778]Why does Valve have to pander to the smallest, bitchiest, hardest-to-please part of their playerbase? We all know that no matter what, come the next update there will be the usual wave of nerd rage from the "pro" TF2 players.
[editline]05:34PM[/editline]
"Competitive play" is just 2SCOUT 2SOLDIER DEMO MEDIC, DUSTBOWL ONLY anyway.[/QUOTE]
For the same reason Valve changed the ripple effects so there's less lag on lower end computers.
Valve loves all of their players.
[QUOTE=IDTL;16467815]For the same reason Valve changed the ripple effects so there's less lag on lower end computers.
Valve loves all of their players.[/QUOTE]
Except the players with higher end computers who could use some better HD models :argh:
They're not PANDERING to JUST the competitive players you assholes. The fact is that the last few updates, especially the Scout Update, have created some problems in the way competitive TF2 is played. Valve has never had a way to playtest updates with competitive players before, so they're trying to give the comp teams a chance to give them some feedback before they ship their update. Moreover, these are some of the top competitive players who actually know what they're talking about and aren't the "LOL PUB SCRUB LRN 2 PLAY FGT" type of competitive players you find in the lower levels who have inflated egos for no reason.
And lastly, just because Valve is getting feedback from the comp players doesn't mean they're going to incorporate every horrible idea the comp players have. They'll take ideas, playtest them among the comp players, and playtest them internally with more casual/normal/pub players to make sure they work well in both settings.
ps, comp teams don't like Dustbowl, the only attack/defense map that is favored by the competitive community is Gravelpit. Mostly they play 5CP maps like Granary and Badlands.
tl;dr NERDRAGE
[QUOTE=OutOfExile;16467867]Except the players with higher end computers who could use some better HD models :argh:[/QUOTE]
mp_usehwmmodels 1; mp_usehwmvcds 1
Too bad the entire competitive community still plays Quake.
[editline]09:08PM[/editline]
Oh, and Counter Strike.
[QUOTE=PandamobileV2;16469486]mp_usehwmmodels 1; mp_usehwmvcds 1[/QUOTE]
yeah but that is only for people who are using ati cards.
[QUOTE=mysteryman;16470527]yeah but that is only for people who are using ati cards.[/QUOTE]
Wrong.
[QUOTE=mysteryman;16470527]yeah but that is only for people who are using ati cards.[/QUOTE]
I've got an nvidia card and I can use that command just fine.
I don't see a problem with this. How could balancing the game for competitive play unbalance the game for casual players? Balance is balance. TF2 isn't perfectly balanced yet and people are going to bitch no matter how Valve changes it. This seems like the most rational way to go about it.
It's not exactly fair to only let competitive players try the beta, I paid the same amount for the game, I should get the same treatment.
[QUOTE=Sh33p;16476705]It's not exactly fair to only let competitive players try the beta, I paid the same amount for the game, I should get the same treatment.[/QUOTE]
Well if valve knew you existed they'd probably ask you to help them playtest too.
[QUOTE=GetCatTonight;16477011]Well if valve knew you existed they'd probably ask you to help them playtest too.[/QUOTE]
Because valve is only aware of the existence of competitive gamers and everyone else is invisible.
[QUOTE=Sh33p;16476705]It's not exactly fair to only let competitive players try the beta, I paid the same amount for the game, I should get the same treatment.[/QUOTE]
The whole point of the beta is to get feedback from competitive players you twit.
[QUOTE=smurfy;16477425]The whole point of the beta is to get feedback from competitive players you twit.[/QUOTE]
But... I don't like competitive gaming.
[QUOTE=Sh33p;16478341]But... I don't like competitive gaming.[/QUOTE]
Then why would you want to participate in the beta?
[QUOTE=Sh33p;16476705]It's not exactly fair to only let competitive players try the beta, I paid the same amount for the game, I should get the same treatment.[/QUOTE]
wow SHUT UP. this is directed for competitive players, and before you start bitching, they get a kick out of it playing so seriously.
[QUOTE=HOUSEMASTERR;16478435]Then why would you want to participate in the beta?[/QUOTE]
To stop the others fucking our game up with their rules.
[QUOTE=Shibbey;16478477]To stop the others fucking our game up with their rules.[/QUOTE]
That's not what's going to happen. Your casual tf2 won't be changed.
[QUOTE=Shibbey;16478477]To stop the others fucking our game up with their rules.[/QUOTE]
it's not your game
You people really don't get it, do you?
THE REASON YOU AREN'T IN THE BETA IS BECAUSE VALVE DOESN'T NEED YOU. They can playtest regular/pub TF2 matches with *anyone*, including themselves. They only invited competitive players into the TF2 beta because they need a way to playtest their changes in a competitive, 6vs6 setting, something they can't do themselves.
Valve is NOT changing TF2 to be a strictly competitive game. They are NOT going to add anything in that would negatively impact regular play. They just need a way to test gameplay changes with competitive players so things like the Sandman CEVO ban don't happen again.
Hadurrr... :downs:
I'm still wary about the implications of giving the tournament community their own mode.
The more arrogant tourney players will harass the people who don't play the tourney mode and vice versa.
Still, I'm pretty excited about the idea of a Sandman nerf. I'm rarely hit, but being a Medic, unless I have another team member nearby to help take out the Scout, I usually end up dying along with my stunned patient.
What I'm saying is, why do the competitive players get updates and interesting new developments while the rest of us normal players have to wait for something that will effect us?
I want valve to put all their efforts into the next update.
[QUOTE=Sh33p;16479444]What I'm saying is, why do the competitive players get updates and interesting new developments while the rest of us normal players have to wait for something that will effect us?
I want valve to put all their efforts into the next update.[/QUOTE]
Because "the rest of us normal players" have gotten updates since the game was released.
itt: "casual" players (pubfags) whine about comp players getting fair treatment for once
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.
