• Major Update Speculation XXX: cp_orange_x3 confirmed!
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It should also end with all the doomsayers deciding to move on to other games since TF2 is dead to them, and leaving everyone else who still enjoys playing the game in peace. Funny how that never happens.
So, uh, on topic of the title of the thread, do any of you think that we're going to be seeing a first wave of beta passes this week, or has valve done a 180 on the group
[QUOTE=Dark RaveN;49688551]Timeline should start with Mannconomy introduction.[/QUOTE] that wasn't too bad. the real origin of the downhill is when valve suddenly decided that new players are incapable of virtually doing anything on their own (even though their former titles were a million times more confusing than TF2). That mindset was indeed put in effect with the uber update.
[QUOTE=pepetoads;49688636]So, uh, on topic of the title of the thread, do any of you think that we're going to be seeing a first wave of beta passes this week, or has valve done a 180 on the group[/QUOTE] No clue. It'd be nice, but Valve Time can strike at any moment...
There is always a love and hate relationship with Valve. Doesn't matter if you are a player, server admin, map mapker, item creator or simply someone else. Same rules apply. On the other end, you like what they do but on the other, you really dislike some of the things they do. Community servers are the most annoying thing for me so far. I've been running gameservers over 10 years now for Valve games. CSS, L4D, L4D2, TF2, CSGO and whatnot. When the change for TF2 quickplay came which led people to Valve servers, I had 4 full servers every night. No mods, nothing shit, just stats and a lot of custom maps and same faces with new ones to play with. Regulars came in and quickplay filled the rest. Then started the slowly decay. Right now every server is sitting empty unless we spesifically go in and start the games with a group and also right after 2-3 hours of that, it dies off. They seem to forget that the admins like me ran the gameservers when there were no official ones from them. This single change was a dead strike to many communities, including ours. I personally lost interest to TF2 for over 2 years because of this. I literally had to watch servers die and i could not do a damn thing for it. Nothing helped what i did. I even tried to change things knowing that the quickplay change was the fault in the first place. I slowly got my interest back sometime summer 2015 but it's still not in the level that it used to be. It's also funny thing, i made maps for CSGO, another Valve game and got bored to do those to that, so i returned to make them for TF2 and it felt good. Playing also felt good again since Valve brought back the updates and added these "contract missions". It's only a shame that they work only once again, on a Valve server. I can guess the reasoning for that though. Even now if i go to play this contract to any valve server, [URL="http://server2.pelipurkki.fi/~dustin/tf2/pl_barnblitz0001.jpg"]this happens[/URL]. It's like there isn't any challenge to play or you are leading the whole your team against the other team with some other guy on your team. There's really clueless and new people there playing. On any community server games i played on ours, i'm basically mid scoreboard. The skill level is so different. But like i said, love & hate relationship with Valve is amazing. They add your item/map to the game or reward you with community weapon or even reply to one of the ten's of mails you sent to someone of them, they are awesome but on the other end it's not that good situation. Receiving feedback is one thing but giving it back seems to be a lot harder for them. Look at blog posts count for example. They have decayed over the years and have become just news posts for things to come, not explanations of how they do things and why some things are like they are now. But i've finished my morning tee now so this is the end of my 2 cents. Thanks.
[QUOTE=ics;49688734] Even now if i go to play this contract to any valve server, [URL="http://server2.pelipurkki.fi/~dustin/tf2/pl_barnblitz0001.jpg"]this happens[/URL]. It's like there isn't any challenge to play or you are leading the whole your team against the other team with some other guy on your team. There's really clueless and new people there playing. On any community server games i played on ours, i'm basically mid scoreboard. The skill level is so different.[/QUOTE] Your pub experience is why so many people really want competitive matchmaking; they will be paired with people who a) care who wins for the most part and b) actually know what they're doing. I'd love to do contracts in matchmaking (for the challenge), but I can see why that wouldn't be allowed; changing what you'd already do competitively just for a contract.
[QUOTE=G. Verloren;49688582]It should also end with all the doomsayers deciding to move on to other games since TF2 is dead to them, and leaving everyone else who still enjoys playing the game in peace. Funny how that never happens.[/QUOTE] Facts don't lie. Quickplay only allows Valve maps to be played. Actually, not even all Valve maps are allowed (Hydro is blocked from quickplay; it still annoys me to this day). This restriction effectively killed custom maps on servers that wanted to use the benefits of quickplay. Trade maps and other bullshit have their niche homes still, but actual TF2 maps are now collecting dust on the workshop because no quickplay = no players in this day and age. Your only hope is for Valve to add your map or a map you like in a campaign. I should also mention the map workshop hasn't done anything for TF2 other than give Valve a way to add maps officially. It has not helped servers one bit because the above crippling restriction is still in place, barring server owners from running any custom maps, even ones from the workshop. No one really tries to run a custom rotation server anymore. Those that tried have failed and/or have zero players because all traffic is being pumped into Valve servers only. Even Skial, the "big one" here in the US, has been slowly dropping servers ever since 2014 (they publicly admit this), and they aren't even being penalized by quickplay. Skial used to have 24/7 Egypt servers, believe it or not. However, ever since Valve servers were made default in early 2014, the only community servers that get traffic are 24/7 Dustbowls, 2Forts, Hightowers, etc. What you are seeing is the server owners adjusting accordingly. It's fucking eerie seeing the TF2 server list starting to mirror the one in TF Classic. You can deny this all you want, but the TF2 community has taken a huge hit. TF2 isn't dead in terms of player count; it never was. It's the communities surrounding this game that are dying and suffering, including Facepunch. You also have to ask yourself, how long can TF2 sustain itself with just F2Ps and Valve servers? Perhaps that's why Valve is trying to turn it into an esport, who knows. All I know is that until Valve addresses the issues regarding community servers and mods, this game is going to continue on a bad path.
Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out. [highlight](User was banned for this post ("rude/shitpost" - OvB))[/highlight]
[QUOTE=usaokay;49688987]I still like to think most of Valve is working on L4D3 and Half Life 3. Which would explain why Cactus Canyon and Moonbase aren't 100% done yet; and Dota 2's new hero rate has rapidly declined per year.[/QUOTE] I just have to bite on this.. you must mean rd_asteroid? Because [URL="http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=601801525"]Moonbase[/URL] is nearly done :v: But VR stuff and Steam are the ones that take the time, i don't think it's those games.
[QUOTE=G. Verloren;49688915]Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.[/QUOTE] It saddens me how even after all the evidence has been brought before you, culminating with an actual server owner coming in and verifying what people here have been saying, all you have is vitriol and mean spirited words.
Imo the best way Valve could deal with the community Server stuff is to straight out inform the player about them. As in, the next time Jimmy the 50 Hour Soldier opens Quickplay, a message will pop up saying "Have you tried Community Servers yet? Community Servers are a great way to find skilled players or custom gamemodes. Why not give them a go?" - along with that message, Community Servers and Valve Servers are now default in Quickplay, instead of only Valve ones. That message should appear around using Quickplay 20-30 times.
[QUOTE=G. Verloren;49688915]Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.[/QUOTE] So instead of providing evidence for your claims, you provide evidence for you being a moron. The fact of the matter is, is that at the height of TF2's player count community servers began slowly dying out as Valve began making the easiest, most profitable (for both them and the player) way to play on Valve servers alone. The only community servers remaining are gimmick gamemodes such as VSH or Prop Hunt.
[QUOTE=G. Verloren;49688582]It should also end with all the doomsayers deciding to move on to other games since TF2 is dead to them, and leaving everyone else who still enjoys playing the game in peace. Funny how that never happens.[/QUOTE] I'm pretty sure this does happen, I've noticed a steady decrease in tf2 players. And at this point most people are holding out for matchmaking, if that ends up being a flop then I can see a huge decline in tf2 players happening.
I've been playing TF2 since 2007 and have noticed a death of the high quality community servers I used to play on here in the US. There are still a few decent communities left but nothing like it used to be. It's really too bad, because it's very easy to tell the difference in player skill level and things like having balanced team class wise in a decent community server vs a Valve server. I was hoping that matchmaking would be a breath of fresh air in that regard, it would be Valve servers but higher quality players, but I'm disappointed the focus is going to be on 6v6. I was really hoping for highlander being the main focus, so it would be similar to playing normal TF2 but with higher skilled players.
[QUOTE=usaokay;49688987]I still like to think most of Valve is working on L4D3 and Half Life 3. Which would explain why Cactus Canyon and Moonbase aren't 100% done yet; and Dota 2's new hero rate has rapidly declined per year.[/QUOTE] They also still got the vive and steam machines to work on.
[QUOTE=G. Verloren;49688915]Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.[/QUOTE] Why do you even post
I used to be a main server admin for years on a few servers named UberZ, as well as PunkD, they were a really nice and strong community for the longest time, ever since 2009 I believe. We used to get full servers all the time until quickplay was introduced, we had an achievement server and a trade server. They've been dead ever since, and we're pretty tempted to just shut it down. It's a shame really, a lot of my experiences have been with the community and this server. It was always fun trying to help people out with some achievements and act as a middleman for trades, and I've met most of my friends through TF2 in the first place. Hell, without TF2, I don't think I would've been on Facepunch. But that's all in the past now, and it's impossible with the current state of TF2. It really sucks. TF2 strives on the small communities that were created off of custom servers. It was the best way to make some friends and know new people and regulars, best way to have some fun. But now it's pretty much impossible, and good luck trying to make friends on a Valve server with people typing lenny faces and saying "rekt" every half second. To me during that time, it wasn't just a game, it was more of a social event. It's how I made most of my friends on Steam, friends that I am still with, and hell, even my boyfriend. And all of us agree that it's saddening how TF2 has changed.
[QUOTE=Johnny Joe;49684913]Not trying to sound mean spirited or down right contrarian, but I honestly can't recall anything valve has done recently that has made me jump with joy. I mean just as of a few years or so we have: paid skyrim mods, trading escrow and the mobile authenticator made essentially mandatory for trading, sv_pure 1 on official TF2 servers, quickplay, the R8, [B][I]that whole ARG xmas debacle, CSGO effectively destroying custom servers.[/I][/B] There really hasn't been something valve did as of late that stands out to make me love them.[/QUOTE] Wait, there was an ARG debacle? I knew it wasn't well known at first but there was a debacle? That and how is CS:GO destroying custom servers? I'm honestly out the loop at this point.
Considering the [URL="https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1URgEtYCsqdpFdbWPMNqNJIZngSbUUCCtSQ03AuHrcBE"]bulk of fixes and updates the community has lined up[/URL], I wish Valve would follow their id predecessor's example of handing their game off to the community when it's clear they don't want to work on it anymore. Doom came out in 1993 and they released the source code for the Doom v1.9 engine in 1997 so people could make Linux source ports and versions for newer operating systems. They kept the IWADs commercial so the game assets and levels they created still had to be purchased (or you could play the shareware version) but it allowed people to make an open-source set of assets for the Doom source ports, and people continue making plenty and plenty of new maps and gamemodes to this day, 20-some years later. Likewise, Quake also got its source code released publicly 4 years after its commercial release. It's a damn shame Valve didn't do the same thing with GoldSrc or Source, then maybe we'd actually understand their myriad bugs.
[QUOTE=G. Verloren;49688915]Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.[/QUOTE] Jesus christ, why are you so fucking toxic and why do you even bother to post here? Seriously, if you don't like the opinions people express here and/or the game itself, then take [b]your own advice[/b] and get out, or grow a pair and stop being a massive dipshit to everyone whose opinion is different than yours..
[QUOTE=Snowshoe;49688833]Trade maps and other bullshit have their niche homes still.[/QUOTE] Tf2 x10 servers are mostly empty these days, and many trade servers have shut down and lowered in size because of Escrow. I haven't been able to trade since they introduce it, since it is far too much of a hassle for both parties to wait for your items to arrive. [QUOTE=Snowshoe;49688833]However, ever since Valve servers were made default in early 2014, the only community servers that get traffic are 24/7 Dustbowls, 2Forts, Hightowers, etc.[/QUOTE] This one annoys me as well. I like hightower, but the rest are just annoying stalemates the whole time. I'd really like a 24/7 hightower with carts disabled and sentries disabled, but those seem to have disappeared as well. [QUOTE=usaokay;49688987]I still like to think most of Valve is working on L4D3 and Half Life 3. Which would explain why Cactus Canyon and Moonbase aren't 100% done yet; and Dota 2's new hero rate has rapidly declined per year.[/QUOTE] I played a game of asteroid yesterday for a few hours and it was a lot of fun. I haven't played it for months because they still haven't finished it however. I would play it all the time if it was just textured completely. I also would really like the original map textured and released as an alternate. The doors everywhere were a bit confusing, but I liked how there was a progression to it. Attack wave 1 of bots before moving on to wave 2. Also, the caves below were better before in my opinion.
[QUOTE=Enterim;49690574]Likewise, Quake also got its source code released publicly 4 years after its commercial release. It's a damn shame Valve didn't do the same thing with GoldSrc or Source, then maybe we'd actually understand their myriad bugs.[/QUOTE] Their official reasoning for not releasing GoldSrc source code was that they don't want malicious users to have an easier time finding and abusing glitches and bugs.
Going back to valve not wanting fixes and sv_pure, what's the point of continuing making fixes, or contributing to the community if the only thing they care about is [B]Hats[/B], updating [B]Hats[/B] and fixing [B]Hats[/B]. If we really wanna change they're minds we should do something drastic, If BANG! and Sparkwire can make 3 updates based soley around the community and Vavle allowing them to put it in, why not make an update only on Fixes and General Improvement and get BANG! and Sparkwire on the idea.
After the whole incident with the CSGO server banwave last week, along with the webhelper being completely broken between December and January, I get the impression Valve no longer cares about the communities that kept their games alive for all these years. It just doesn't make sense, why would you prevent people from accessing apart of your game thats made by other users which adds more value to your product? Because of the "Oh they spent 10 bucks on that host when they could've spent it on some keys to unbox items with the total value of 10 cent"? What happened to the whole generating value for the customer? And the free market for all speeches from Gabe. Valve was the one company I had hopes to be different from the rest, but in the end it turns out to be the fucking same.
[QUOTE=Enterim;49690574]Considering the [URL="https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1URgEtYCsqdpFdbWPMNqNJIZngSbUUCCtSQ03AuHrcBE"]bulk of fixes and updates the community has lined up[/URL], I wish Valve would follow their id predecessor's example of handing their game off to the community when it's clear they don't want to work on it anymore. Doom came out in 1993 and they released the source code for the Doom v1.9 engine in 1997 so people could make Linux source ports and versions for newer operating systems. They kept the IWADs commercial so the game assets and levels they created still had to be purchased (or you could play the shareware version) but it allowed people to make an open-source set of assets for the Doom source ports, and people continue making plenty and plenty of new maps and gamemodes to this day, 20-some years later. Likewise, Quake also got its source code released publicly 4 years after its commercial release. It's a damn shame Valve didn't do the same thing with GoldSrc or Source, then maybe we'd actually understand their myriad bugs.[/QUOTE] That doesn't make them money, and all Valve cares about is money. I'm excited for the new unreal tournament because that will be (and already is) completely open source, and I'd like to see what the community does with it.
I wouldn't be so angry with Valve and their servers being pure if the game wasn't such a broken pile of shit that needs like 50 mods to be acceptable, all of which just fix textures, models, sprites, sounds, visual inconsistencies, etc. TF2 doesn't NEED mod support, it needs competent developers, so I don't have to resort to mods to do what they should be doing themselves.
Maybe they should just put the entire map in instead of the prepacked file on theirs servers. I have a feeling that would help quite a bit in the land of optimization, because I get 60-100 frames on any map that isn't from 2015, with the exception of Powerhouse. I get a whooping 20 FPS on Snowey Coast.
[QUOTE=_Dalek;49690721]Tf2 x10 servers are mostly empty these days, and many trade servers have shut down and lowered in size because of Escrow. I haven't been able to trade since they introduce it, since it is far too much of a hassle for both parties to wait for your items to arrive. This one annoys me as well. I like hightower, but the rest are just annoying stalemates the whole time. I'd really like a 24/7 hightower with carts disabled and sentries disabled, but those seem to have disappeared as well. I played a game of asteroid yesterday for a few hours and it was a lot of fun. I haven't played it for months because they still haven't finished it however. I would play it all the time if it was just textured completely. I also would really like the original map textured and released as an alternate. The doors everywhere were a bit confusing, but I liked how there was a progression to it. Attack wave 1 of bots before moving on to wave 2. Also, the caves below were better before in my opinion.[/QUOTE] Our Prestige Gaming servers still maintain a populated TDM Hightower with sentries disabled.
Has anyone noticed that there is now brazillian valve servers in quickplay or am i late to the party?
[QUOTE=Fruitpunch;49692016]Has anyone noticed that there is now brazillian valve servers in quickplay or am i late to the party?[/QUOTE] You're late.
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