My proposal of new mechanics for Crafting, Trading, Achievements and "Random" Drops. - Games

Hi there TF2 forum. I come to you today with a bunch of new concepts for the functionality of the item-based "metagame" in TF2. After having a gander at the "TF2's Crafing Table" thread and the "Possible crafting revamp in the works" thread, I started to think about some potential new mechanics that could "shake up" the Item Metagame, hopefully in a good way. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first proposition on the agenda is a Metal Revamp, which I mentioned earlier in "Possible crafting revamp in the works". Currently, when one looks in their backpack, they see piles of metal from their crafting, taking up valuable real-estate where there could be a Stout Shako or a Candy Cane or a Duelling Minigame. To solve this problem, I propose a new mechanic, transforming Metal from an item into a resource. Essentially, in all the places you'd see Metal, like the Backpack, the Crafting Table, the Trading screen, etc, wouldn't show the metal in your Inventory, but instead in a Metal sidebar that has Metal icons with numbers that correspond to how much of that metal you have. For example, if you have 2 Refined metals, 1 Reclaimed and 3 Scrap, you'd see a 2 next to the Refined icon, a 1 next to the Reclaimed, and a 3 near the Scrap. This way, you wouldn't need Backpack space to store your precious Metal, and you'd also know how much Metal you had without having to skim through your entire inventory, kind of how currency is represented in most other games. However, there's still the problem of having this system, where you can't just drag the metal to the table/trade. To circumvent it, there'd be an add/remove Metal function in Trading/Crafting, so you could simply click the Add button next to the Refined icon, and your trade offering shows a small Refined icon with a 1 next to it in the Metal bar beneath the Item slots, representing how many Refined metals you've added to your trade offering. The same system could apply to Crafting, meaning that you don't need to rummage through your pack in order to find your metals. As Metal becomes more of a resource, it becomes more important. The recipes for certain weapons nowadays often require plenty of Metal to forge, such as the Brass Beast needing 2 Reclaimed and a Natascha, or the Sun-on-a-Stick demanding 3 Reclaimed and a Boston Basher. When we come to the Achievements and "Random" Drops section of this thread, I will speak about my plans concerning the Drop System, and how a whole new breed of "Achievements" will take the random out of random drop. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Second proposition involves Trading, and from what i've seen, there is no real economics, as the value of items is often skewed and subjective, with no-one being able to agree on a common price for a common-or-garden Stout Shako, even if a certain Pan-wielding Demoknight claims it to be worth 2 Refined, which is ridiculous. In short, Trading is chaos, with everyone performing unequal trades due to there being no commonly-accepted equal value. No longer, says I! I hereby propose a system that could establish basic guidelines of value, kind of like an "exchange bureau" but without the overall banking part. Essentially, through player feedback concerning the worth of certain items, like a Sun-on-a-Stick or a Hound Dog with Australium Gold, the overall worth of an item would be calculated via the arithmetic mean, by adding up all the values and dividing the resulting number by the number of values. However, issues may come apparent when some claim a Stout Shako to be 2 Refined whilst others believe it to be worth 1 Refined and 2 Scrap. To counter this dilemma, when rating how many Refined, Reclaimed or Scrap an item is worth, the values are broken down into how many weapons are required to make that amount of metal. Many people know that it takes 2 weapons to make a Scrap, 6 weapons to make a Reclaimed (1 Reclaimed = 3 Scrap = 6 weapons), and 18 weapons make a Refined (1 Refined = 3 Reclaimed = 9 Scrap = 18 weapons). So if someone estimates an item to be worth 2 Reclaimed and a Scrap Metal, the program translates the 2 Reclaimed to be worth 6 Scrap, then adds up the Scrap value to 7, then translates the 7 Scrap to be worth 14 weapons. This value is shown in the process of rating an item's worth. As well as using Metal values to rate the perceived value, you can also use Token values, worth 3 weapons, to rate, as well as the simple Weapon value, represented by a Pistol icon, which is worth a single weapon. The Metal values are the simpler values that most people understand, whereas the Weapon and Token values are for the more savvy amongst us. Anyways, once you've calculated the value you can submit it to the system. At the end of the week, all the values are added up, and the resulting number is divided by the number of votes cast, calling upon the power of the arithmetic mean. In simpler terms for the mathematically-inept, I will explain how arithmetic mean works. 20 + 24 + 17 = 61. The number of values is 3, so next we divide 61 by 3. The result is 20.333r, with the r meaning that the number is recurring throughout the number. For sensibility's sake, the "Item Value Calculator" would only have the first three decimal numbers, then round those numbers up and down depending on their value, in order to make a clean number without any decimal values. In this case, the final result would be 20. "The fuck does this have to do with item value!?", I hear you cry. Well, imagine that the three numbers were ratings for an item in terms of how many Weapons it was worth. The values are added up, and the resulting number is divided by the number of ratings, calculating the mean value of the item, whilst rounding off any decimel values to ensure that the number is exact with no decimel places to mess with the heads of players. Item value votes are collected over the course of a week, and at the end of the week, all the values are added up by the IVC (Item Value Calculator), and through the magic of the mathmaticalities (WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT'S NOT A REAL WORD), the Community Value of the item can be seen on the TF2 Community Value database, accessed either in-game or via the Steampowered website. This is done for all items in TF2, and each player can rate as many items as they wish, including combinations of Paint and/or Unusual effects on Hats. The values are updated weekly with player feedback, so that both the community and the developers can investigate the latest fashion trends, with one week yielding a rise in Stout Shako value, and the next yielding a sudden drop in worth concerning the Stout Shako, in favour of the Camera Beard making a sudden skyrocket. (ZUT ALORS!) What does all this hope to achieve? Well, by taking into account the collective judgements of the TF2 community concerning the values of different items, the community itself can see the mean value of an item, which serves as a guideline for how valuable and coveted it truly is, and it can also help the developers to judge which items are liked best, so that they can implement weapons and hats with qualities and appearances that the community appears to collectively like. Essentially it is both a guideline concerning how much an item is really worth (so you can work out if you're being ripped off or not), and also a form of player-developer feedback that's a bit more coherent and understandable than "OMG NEF BACKBRUNER" or "DAPPER TOPPER SUX BALLS". With this system, hopefully Trading in Team Fortress will become more structured and understandable, instead of the following we usually see: Perceptive Demo: "Me Pain Train..." Phallic Muffin: "*mumbles in thought* BOX! *offers Supply Crate*" Perceptive Demo: "Hahuuooh! Thanx maeht!" Whew, we're finally in the home-stretch of my proposal. This final bit is going to be a bit more interesting than the boring tirade of how to work out the value of an Australium Gold Hound Dog. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My final proposal for today concerns achievements and random drops. Currently, we can earn a few basic class unlocks via completing a number of Achievements for the classes, and the rest we earn in what I think is a rather silly way indeed. I speak, of course, about Random Drops. Every hour we fight, we receive a randomly-generated item, be it a Flamethrower that deals extra damage from behind (Das Buttburner), a hunting shotgun capable of some serious knockback (The Annoying FaN), a jar of what I HOPE is piss that causes saturated enemies to take more damage, or even a fancy piece of headwear that changes how you look. Let me ask you; is there any skill involved in this process? Does anything you do in-game affect what items you mysteriously obtain? Does playing as a specific class increase your chance of getting weapons for said class? [B]My pasty white ass it does![/B] No matter what one does, you always get an item every now and then. You could stand around in some bland featureless room just watching paint dry, and you'd still end up with a few new items in your treasure chest. I've been playing Soldier 99% of the time I play Team Fortress, and I sure-as-hell aren't swimming in rocket launchers, tactical backpacks and pickaxes! From my viewpoint, it's such a broken system, with zero strategy involved in gaining new equipment. If the Announcer saw all her mercenaries sitting around in the spawn, waiting for hats to drop, she'd be fucking LIVID! She doesn't pay them to stand around and watch paint dry all day, she pays them to FIGHT! The mercenaries are paid to kill the enemy team, to steal each other's intelligence documents, to secure territory for their respective employers, to sabotage the enemy's secret projects, all sorts of action-packed tactical objectives on the battlefield! Imagine in real-life, if instead of fighting against al-Qaeda, our military forces just stood around in Afghan villages, watching the sand blow across the desert, waiting for advanced equipment to drop out of the sky. There'd be so many court martials that the list would stretch from Big Ben to Johnny Cthulhu's fancy apartment complex in the South Pacific. As much as it pains me to say this, Call of Duty has got a fair idea about how to distribute equipment, all based around a simple principle: you actually WORK for your new gear. Now, i'm not necessarily proposing UAVs or tactical nukes, i'm not trying to turn TF2 into Call of Fortress: Modern Pootis, NO SIREEE BOB. What I propose is a rather different system, revolving around Achievements as they used to, only with many differences. I call it the Worth system, as it revolves around proving your worth on the battlefield in order to get the equipment. My main source of inspiration for the Worth system draws mainly from the Amulet system from the GemCraft series of tower-defense flash games, a franchise that I quite enjoy playing sometimes. In GemCraft, Amulets are effectively achievements. gained by doing certain things like "build at least XX Towers", or "gain XXX Mana from starting waves early", or "kill XXXXX monsters throughout your journey". Some Amulets are earned by doing certain things within the level, whilst other Amulets are earned by passing certain milestones, similar to the achievements we TF2 players are faced with. But whereas GemCraft Amulets reward the player with experience-points, TF2 achievements aren't as rewarding as they should be, with the biggest rewards being basic unlocks rewarded for completing certain amounts of achievements, which I personally find disdainfully miserable. Anyway, back to the Worth system. Currently there are only two, no wait, THREE kinds of achievements; ones that rack up things that you do all the time (Pyromancer: Do 1 million points of total fire damage), ones that motivate you to perform feats of skill and tactical prowess (Hard to Kill: Get 5 kills in a row without dying), and ones that are a mix of both (Laddy Macdeath: Kill 50 enemies with direct hits from the Grenade Launcher). Currently, once you complete an Achievement, that's it, it's done, you have the Achievement. However, with the Worth system, that all changes. By completing an Achievement, your class earns a set amount of Worth, a statistic similar to experience, but not as nerdy as you think it to be. Once your class earns enough Worth, you receive a semi-random drop that applies to the class, most often a weapon, but occassionally a hat. This way, you can truly EARN your equipment, and not rely on the generous-yet-random nature of the Holy Gaben chucking random items at you every hour or so, like some demented overworked Father Christmas. On top of earning Worth for your mercenaries, you also gain General Worth, which drops general items like tags, paints, duelling minigames, crates, all-class hats, basically stuff that doesn't adhere to a single class. General Worth can also be earned from completing General Achievements, like being an MVP in a battle, or killing multiple enemies in a row (yeah yeah, it sounds a lot like killstreaks, but i'm sure they're not really bad, even if they bear a stigma that reeks of cod). I know what you're all thinking now. "But ironman, once we earn an Achievement, that's it, isn't it?". WRONG. The Worth system works in such a way that certain Achievements, specifically the ones that require you to perform feats of skill on the battlefield, can be repeatedly earned, meaning that you not only have a constant supply of Worth, but you can also show your peers how many times you've earned that achievement, how many times you dominated several people in a single battle, how many Demomen you disembowled with your Pickaxe after enduring their bombs and blades, how many times you earned that MVP badge, how many times you reduced that Scottish sonofabitch to chunky salsa just as he was about to capture your control point, and other such feats of bravery, skill, and eating ribs. Another part of the Worth System is that if you earn a certain Achievement a certain number of times, you can earn a special item that has something to do with that Achievement. For example, if you earn the Most Valuable Mercenary (a pretend achievement in which you gain MVP 3 times in a row on a server with at least 12 players playing) about 5 times, you are rewarded with an MVM Medal, which describes how you earned this medal by being the best darn merc on the team. Similar to the Duelling Badge, the MVM Medal records how many times you got MVP, levelling up every so-and-so MVP's earned, rewarding you with an item when it does, just like the Duelling Badge. But here's the problem that's on everybody's mind, "What's to prevent some no-life loser from grinding for Worth on Walkway with a bunch of bots?" Well sir, i've thought about that problem quite a bit, and believe it or not, I have solutions to this dilemma. Firstly, you need a minimum of 12 players in order to earn Achievements and Worth. Secondly, sv_cheats must be deactivated as well (no-brainer). And finally, you cannot earn Worth or Achievements of any kind if there are Bots on the server. Harsh sanctions, but necessary to prevent the worthless swine from grinding with Bots on the server, thus earning their "Worth" in shameful and dishonourable ways. not to mention the fact that it's hardly worth playing if there's too few players on the server, and I think 10 is a fair-enough minimum for mercenaries to prove their worth, as 6-a-side is probably a big enough battle to prove one's worth in, even if it pales in comparison with the full-on 32 player battles we know and love. Hopefully, this system is superior to the random-drop system, and I can't really see why not. It could eliminate the boring pestilence of idling for good, reward players for actually playing the game, give purpose to achievements, and overall give a greater sense of purpose and immersion to players, as they're being rewarded for doing their jobs, which motivates them to be the best they can, and prove their Worth on the inter-corporate battlefield that is Team Fortress 2. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In conclusion, I have proposed turning Metal into a "resource" of sorts as opposed to an item, a community-driven voting system concerning the Trade Value and overall appeal of in-game items, and most importantly a serious overhaul of the drop system that intertwines gaining items with actually playing the game. If you've scrolled past it all, shame on you. Go back and read through the proposals. I didn't spend the majority of my Sunday just for these ideas to pass by unnoticed. Like any wannabe developer (i'm studying a college course concerning that very thing), I need feedback. If these ideas are good enough, i'll send this proposal to Valve in the hopes they'll pick it up. And with that, i'm off to play TF2 as it is. Hopefully i'll get a drop that's worthwhile. Remember; feedback is a GOOD thing.

I'm sorry but.. can you put a TL:DR at the bottom?

You could split Berlin with that wall of text.

I think metal specifically needs be changed a bit. And about the trading values derived of arithmatic mean, how would that work? Like trades are recorded and check both sides to determine the worth of each item? Because that can be heavily abused.

Totally agree with you op, I'd like to see metal becoming more like a currency, so people can stop using max heads or earbuds as one.

[QUOTE=Doneeh;28461172]I think metal specifically needs be changed a bit. And about the trading values derived of arithmatic mean, how would that work? Like trades are recorded and check both sides to determine the worth of each item? Because that can be heavily abused.[/QUOTE] Well mah boi, the IVC system doesn't monitor trades or anything crazy like that. What it does is kinda simple; the IVC has a Rating system in the Mann Co catalogue, where players can select an item and input what they believe is the Trade Worth of the item. For example, one could go on to the catalogue, look up the Stout Shako, and press the Refined Metal button twice to input a Trade Value of 2 Refined, then press the Vote! button to submit the Trade Value to the IVC database, where the vote is stored until Estimation Day at the end of the week. On Estimation Day, all the votes are added up. For example, if Stout Shako received a vote for 2 Refined (worth 36 Weapons), a vote for 1 Refined and 2 Reclaimed (worth 30 Weapons), and a vote of 2 Reclaimed and 1 Scrap (worth 14), the total would add up to 80 Weapons. The total is then divided by the number of votes cast, effectively 80 divided by 3, which would yield a mean Trade Value of 26.666r, which is then rounded off to the nearest whole number, in this case 27, meaning that the Official Trade Value of 27 Weapons, which translates as 1 Refined, 1 Reclaimed, 1 Scrap and 1 weapon. This is a simple example of arithmetic mean, which is probably secondary school level maths at least, which roughly translates as high school for Americans. Anyways, the OTV for each item is updated weekly, with change depending on the collective votes and ratings of the community, and when one observes the changes in popularity and value concerning different items, one can observe fashion trends and preferences, which can help understand what is in style this week. However, note that the Official Trade Value of an item isn't a mandatory price to pay in a trade, it is merely a guideline as to the fairest techincal price concerning item trading. Hope that cleared it up for you.

If the values of items are determined solely by community input, couldn't a bunch of people just rate, say, a sunbeams vintage merryweather to be worth 1 weapon to bring down the value? Even though experienced players would disregard the low price, newbies with unusuals would start trading them away for a sandman.

Well, as I said, it's not a mandatory price, it's a rough guideline to be taken with a pinch of salt. If newbies aren't smart enough to know that unusuals are meant to be valuable, and fall for the trolling trap, then that's their fault for not having any common sense (serious business, you need a clear head). Trolling like this happens in ANY democratic system, so it's wise to keep an eye out for scammers. Besides, if Valve hires some kind of economist to moderate the IVC (it's not meant to be fully-automated in case of trolls), then they can choose to omit any "troll votes" and ensure a fairer OTV for the Sunbeams Vintage Merryweather.

[QUOTE=ironman17;28462371]Well, as I said, it's not a mandatory price, it's a rough guideline to be taken with a pinch of salt. If newbies aren't smart enough to know that unusuals are meant to be valuable, and fall for the trolling trap, then that's their fault for not having any common sense (serious business, you need a clear head). Trolling like this happens in ANY democratic system, so it's wise to keep an eye out for scammers. Besides, if Valve hires some kind of economist to moderate the IVC (it's not meant to be fully-automated in case of trolls), then they can choose to omit any "troll votes" and ensure a fairer OTV for the Sunbeams Vintage Merryweather.[/QUOTE] Scammers will go bankrupt.

These ideas sound pretty good to me. I really like the Worth system, I can actually gain something from not idling, instead of getting the same idlers get.

how would decrafting metal work

I want them to change the drop system, too I only get like 6 weps per week and then 500 crates.

[QUOTE=ironman17;28461062]Call of Fortress: Modern Pootis[/QUOTE] Laughed. Anyways, that was a great read. I would love some sort of achievement system like that too, somewhat reminds me of those missions you can do in Black Ops where you get money. I really like this, and I hope Valve see's this.

The only thing I disagree with is the way you get items. I think getting items shoud be just how it is now. But the time between drops is the time you spend inputting commands into the game. For example, If you're running along as a scout, the drop system would be just as it is now. However, if you stop moving, time will essentially stop for the drop system. You won't be able to find anything. Then once you start looking around and moving again, it would be back to normal. Kind of like how the idle kick function works. If you don't physically do anything, you will eventually be idle kicked. Except in this case, you won't find anything.

-double post-

[highlight]TL; DR[/highlight] [b]Metal[/b] is placed in a sidebar, not the backpack. [b]Trading[/b] values are ranked in terms of how many weapons (1/3 metal) they are worth, voted on by users. [b]Achievements[/b] are replaced with "worth" values based on actions, with sanctions placed to avoid cheating with bots. [quote]In conclusion, I have proposed turning Metal into a "resource" of sorts as opposed to an item, a community-driven voting system concerning the Trade Value and overall appeal of in-game items, and most importantly a serious overhaul of the drop system that intertwines gaining items with actually playing the game. I need feedback. If these ideas are good enough, I'll send this proposal to Valve in the hopes they'll pick it up. And with that, i'm off to play TF2 as it is. Hopefully i'll get a drop that's worthwhile. Remember; feedback is a GOOD thing.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=DDSNv2;28468677]Laughed. Anyways, that was a great read. I would love some sort of achievement system like that too, somewhat reminds me of those missions you can do in Black Ops where you get money. I really like this, and I hope Valve see's this.[/QUOTE] Yet when [I]I[/I] said that, everyone got mad.

[QUOTE=wari65;28468714]The only thing I disagree with is the way you get items. I think getting items shoud be just how it is now. But the time between drops is the time you spend inputting commands into the game. For example, If you're running along as a scout, the drop system would be just as it is now. However, if you stop moving, time will essentially stop for the drop system. You won't be able to find anything. Then once you start looking around and moving again, it would be back to normal. Kind of like how the idle kick function works. If you don't physically do anything, you will eventually be idle kicked. Except in this case, you won't find anything.[/QUOTE] That's about what his system is doing. Valve could implement a bunch of "micro-achievements" for each class (think things you could earn easily in each game, like killing 5 enemies in one life, staying alive for a minute and a half [which is a bit longer than you probably think], etc.), and each micro-achievement gives you both "Worth", and "General Worth". General Worth could increase your drop rate, or possibly your drop cap (though it would be a good idea to set drop cap increases to ridiculously high amounts of General Worth so you don't get people farming on a server), on top of increasing your chances of getting all class items, crates, tools (paint, tags, etc.), and the like. Worth would obviously be divided into nine sections - one for each class. Getting more Worth in a single class would increase your chances of getting a drop for that particular class. Need an extra Brass Beast? Play Heavy for a while and rack up some Worth for him so you can get a greater chance of getting Heavy drops. You could probably even subdivide each Worth into 3 sections - primary, secondary, and melee, so that you can try focusing on kills with that weapon type to increase your chances even more. Both General Worth and Worth should definitely have easier micro-achievements that are worth less Worth, and more difficult micro-achievements that are worth more. Class-based micro-achievements should definitely give a lesser amount of General Worth, or implement enough general micro-achievements to where you can still earn decent General Worth by playing a class and doing well. One thing I think, though, is that you shouldn't be able to directly look up your Worth. It would just be another "exp" system that people would brag about being X "levels" higher than you, and yadda yadda. The values themselves should be hidden, though you would obviously want to see your micro-achievements. It would be a good tally of how well you're actually doing. Someone could have a shitload of Worth, and if you look simply at that, you may think they're good. Then you look at their micro-achievements, and they just have a LOT of easy ones, so you know they either play a lot, but aren't too good, or farm easy ones. Whereas someone else may have the same amount of Worth, but have a lot fewer micro-achievements spread over much more difficult ones. Another thing to think about would be resetting Worth weekly, perhaps. If someone wants a certain item and plays the class its for religiously, it could skew their Worth and they'll only be getting items for that class for Gabe only knows how long. If it resets weekly with the drop cap, you get a clean slate every week. General Worth could possibly stay, and micro-achievements would definitely stay. Could implement a sort of system like the current game time one. Total micro-achievements, over the last (2) week(s), current session.

Make it do you can only rate a weapon within 1 refined of it's current price, and within 2 scrap for a hat.It'd be hard to negatively affect the rating, because it would happen over time.Also, 1 vote per week.

[QUOTE=ironman17;28461062]But here's the problem that's on everybody's mind, "What's to prevent some no-life loser from grinding for Worth on Walkway with a bunch of bots?" Well sir, i've thought about that problem quite a bit, and believe it or not, I have solutions to this dilemma. Firstly, you need a minimum of 12 players in order to earn Achievements and Worth. Secondly, sv_cheats must be deactivated as well (no-brainer). And finally, you cannot earn Worth or Achievements of any kind if there are Bots on the server. Harsh sanctions, but necessary to prevent the worthless swine from grinding with Bots on the server, thus earning their "Worth" in shameful and dishonourable ways. not to mention the fact that it's hardly worth playing if there's too few players on the server, and I think 10 is a fair-enough minimum for mercenaries to prove their worth, as 6-a-side is probably a big enough battle to prove one's worth in, even if it pales in comparison with the full-on 32 player battles we know and love.[/QUOTE] While that's a good idea, it's still exploitable. What works well is to also add a map whitelist on top of that, like Killing Floor does!

[QUOTE=Max of S2D;28471063]While that's a good idea, it's still exploitable. What works well is to also add a map whitelist on top of that, like Killing Floor does![/QUOTE] How about any map that has the word "achievement" or "idle" in the name is excluded from getting Worth. :v:

I personally think there should be no crafting nor trading nor deleting. I think every player should get one of every item in the game and be able to go wild and customize their characters to their heart's content, without having to wait for drops or achievements. They could wear whatever hat at whatever time, switch to a different weapon strategy on the fly, etc. It'd just make everything so much easier.

[QUOTE=Doomish;28471106]I personally think there should be no crafting nor trading nor deleting. I think every player should get one of every item in the game and be able to go wild and customize their characters to their heart's content, without having to wait for drops or achievements. They could wear whatever hat at whatever time, switch to a different weapon strategy on the fly, etc. It'd just make everything so much easier.[/QUOTE] Say goodbye to 60% of players.

[QUOTE=A B.A. Survivor;28471103]How about any map that has the word "achievement" or "idle" in the name is excluded from getting Worth. :v:[/QUOTE] But then map makers could just rename their maps to bypass the filter. A whitelist would work better.

Great ideas. I completely support metal and crafting ideas. That rating system looks like stock trading! Today Max's head price fell 8.5%. :v: Though in Russia we'd write it: 20.(3) And when it gots to achievement part, I'm afraid of SAM users. That bastards. Anyway, you got great things there. Submit it to Valve.

[QUOTE=Doomish;28471106]I personally think there should be no crafting nor trading nor deleting. I think every player should get one of every item in the game and be able to go wild and customize their characters to their heart's content, without having to wait for drops or achievements. They could wear whatever hat at whatever time, switch to a different weapon strategy on the fly, etc. It'd just make everything so much easier.[/QUOTE] New players would be overwhelmed with the amount of weapons (tho they're probably now as well, but only when fighting against them, not deciding which to use), that's why I like the achievement system. Sadly, it also has its limits. I prefer it to random drops and crafts however.

That worth system sounds cool.

[QUOTE=maxumym;28471319]Great ideas. I completely support metal and crafting ideas. That rating system looks like stock trading! Today Max's head price fell 8.5%. :v: Though in Russia we'd write it: 20.(3) And when it gots to achievement part, I'm afraid of SAM users. That bastards. Anyway, you got great things there. Submit it to Valve.[/QUOTE] I kinda had the idea of a "stock exchange" theme for the IVC (Item Value Calculator) and OTV (Official Trade Value), although instead of company value the system is all about item value. Also, the whole SAM problem would be present for a bit, but Valve would probably initiate another of those Idlecausts like what happened with the idling program. Anyways, I guess i've gotten generally positive feedback on the ideas, so i'll just make the suggested adjustments and submit it to Valve. Tell me, who's the head of TF2 development nowadays? Is Robin still in charge?

If Robin was not in charge you would see your precious hats gone. Just saying.

Ok, so I guess Robin IS still head honcho on TF2, judging by your subtle thingimajong. [editline]7th March 2011[/editline] Well, I edited the document slightly for the professional recipient (Robin), and sent the email. Hopefully he'll be interested. I implemented some of the thread feedback into the edited document, as well as credit to the posters and a link to the thread, so I threw in a few good words for you guys. (I started the email an hour ago, so any input between then and now hasn't been implemented)