Major Update Speculation V35 - A Distinctive Lack of Communication - Games

looks like they extended halloween? weird

[QUOTE=testinglol;51379571]looks like they extended halloween? weird[/QUOTE] For everyone unaware - Strings were updated, 16th was replaced by 18th. Two more days of Halloween? Maybe they want to release another update as halloween ends, and its dragging off. [t]http://i.imgur.com/Zguj2yO.png[/t] [QUOTE=Contra132;51378229]Joshua Casey Coffey. Seems to be legitimately your account. I took some time to reflect on it, and I think Facebook recommended you to me because we both commented on a TF2-related article on a site that used a Facebook comment plugin. That, or Facebook is omniscient and the only way to escape its grasp is to become a hermit.[/QUOTE] Offtopic: Am I the only person that thinks Facebook's all-knowing makes doxxing people super easy? I managed to turn an username to an address, full name, etc in 15 minutes thanks to it. It's scary.

[QUOTE=Blackavar;51379467]12 MB update?[/QUOTE] The TF2 team is pushing updates at 2:30 AM their time and people say they don't care about the game.

Why are they prolonging Halloween again? People haven't had enough gimmicks for one month?

[QUOTE=Lord Exor;51379764]Why are they prolonging Halloween again? People haven't had enough gimmicks for one month?[/QUOTE] [url]https://www.reddit.com/r/tf2/comments/5d7w0w/i_see_valve_employees_still_dont_know_the_meaning/[/url] [url]https://www.reddit.com/r/tf2/comments/5d7tnl/apparently_by_extending_halloween_through_the/[/url]

Quake84 indicated that it was extended two more days, and yes, I know it was supposed to run [I]through[/I] the 16th. That didn't prevent me from being jubilant over the event's premature conclusion.

[QUOTE=Lord Exor;51379795]Quake84 indicated that it was extended two more days, and yes, I know it was supposed to run [I]through[/I] the 16th. That didn't prevent me from being jubilant over the event's premature conclusion.[/QUOTE] Unless something else was supposed to happen on the 16th, I think that's the case. Combined with reports of SF being again accessible it seems like the only explanation.

So I guess we are going to get an Update on Friday ending Halloween officially?

Seems like you can't turn in contracts.

My optimistic mind is telling me that we can expect something bigger than "officially ended Halloween" if they went through the trouble of deleting Quickplay fully and even delayed the event

Quickplay coming back would be amazing! I still can't stomach casual. I miss being able to join a friends game. Did anything ever come of the new "more comprehensive" elo system the tf team teased in august? Edit: Actually if we did have an update adding content this week I expect it would be Thursday to give the tf team time to polish the game before U.S. Thanksgiving.

[QUOTE=SLBros.;51380248]Seems like you can't turn in contracts.[/QUOTE] [t]http://i.imgur.com/e3vQdn3.png[/t] Same here. Got two completed contracts I can't turn in, meaning I can't receive any more either.

[QUOTE=Fluury;51380256]My optimistic mind is telling me that we can expect something bigger than "officially ended Halloween" if they went through the trouble of deleting Quickplay fully and even delayed the event[/QUOTE] I highly doubt Valve would release a large new update the day Halloween ends. I hope valve learned their lesson after MyM and SF8 and prolong the time until Pyro Update(or any new major non-smissmas update) so they can refine and tune it to be actually good.

[QUOTE=Kreepis;51380428]I highly doubt Valve would release a large new update the day Halloween ends. I hope valve learned their lesson after MyM and SF8 and prolong the time until Pyro Update(or any new major non-smissmas update) so they can refine and tune it to be actually good.[/QUOTE] Not talking Major Update, but still a significant one.

[QUOTE=Dreamscape;51380374]Quickplay coming back would be amazing! I still can't stomach casual. I miss being able to join a friends game. [/QUOTE] I do agree that we need a way to join a friend's game in progress, but quick play isn't coming back for Valve servers. They changed the way Valve servers work with MyM, they don't run a traditional map rotation anymore but every Valve server can run every official map and mode. This probably makes the logistical end of running the servers easier so they don't need to devote X servers MVM, Y servers to comp matchmaking and Z servers to normal game modes. They also don't need to worry about running enough servers to have every map playable since a server can switch from Badwater on one round to Junction on the next. The other goal of matchmaking seemed to be making the game more competitive and get people to play the objective more seriously, which is a huge success since Valve servers are far more competitive then they were under quick play.

[QUOTE=ComodoreBluth;51379701]The TF2 team is pushing updates at 2:30 AM their time and people say they don't care about the game.[/QUOTE] That's almost as early as Trump's 3 AM Tweeting sprees. :v:

[QUOTE=BlindSniper17;51380487]That's almost as early as Trump's 3 AM Tweeting sprees. :v:[/QUOTE] They're gonna take Jill's repo access away because he can't stop updating at night

I think we will just get a patch note like this one: [url]http://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=25548[/url] and the end of scream fortress.

[QUOTE=BlindSniper17;51380487]That's almost as early as Trump's 3 AM Tweeting sprees. :v:[/QUOTE] he cares about our beautiful nation. [T]http://puu.sh/skjcU/1846b24efd.gif[/T]

[QUOTE=ikes;51380777]he cares about our beautiful nation. [T]http://puu.sh/skjcU/1846b24efd.gif[/T][/QUOTE]:stop:

[QUOTE=ikes;51380777]he cares about our beautiful nation. [T]http://puu.sh/skjcU/1846b24efd.gif[/T][/QUOTE] Though the topic's icon is indeed "POLITICS" it's by no means about politics. So yeah. :stop: [sp]also he cares about money he can milk out of your "beautiful nation" rather than the nation xD[/sp]

Item Schema Update hit [url]http://git.optf2.com/schema-tracking/commit/?id=c2ca1f029cf04d91cf3ed0ecea86b33f79bc4560&context=10[/url] Seems like tomorrow is truly the end

If I open my untradable spider crate will the item I get also be untradable? I'm kind of curious... I gave all but two of my tradable crates away, but I still have this one left and been debating on opening just for shits and giggles...

[QUOTE=ikes;51380777]he cares about our beautiful nation. [T]http://puu.sh/skjcU/1846b24efd.gif[/T][/QUOTE] [B]Major Update Speculation[/B]

Could you please stop replying to that gif so it doesn't appear anymore?

[QUOTE=Punchy;51382151][B]Major Update Speculation[/B][/QUOTE] the U.S. is getting a major update on January 20th [highlight](User was banned for this post ("Stop going off topic!" - Blazyd))[/highlight]

[QUOTE=ComodoreBluth;51380466]I do agree that we need a way to join a friend's game in progress, but quick play isn't coming back for Valve servers. They changed the way Valve servers work with MyM, they don't run a traditional map rotation anymore but every Valve server can run every official map and mode. This probably makes the logistical end of running the servers easier so they don't need to devote X servers MVM, Y servers to comp matchmaking and Z servers to normal game modes. They also don't need to worry about running enough servers to have every map playable since a server can switch from Badwater on one round to Junction on the next. The other goal of matchmaking seemed to be making the game more competitive and get people to play the objective more seriously, which is a huge success since Valve servers are far more competitive then they were under quick play.[/QUOTE]They could update the quickplay matchmaking system to work with how the servers operate now. I have to admit the new way servers run is better even though the casual system is fairly bad. For providing a more competitive experience casual does a much better job than quickplay. I personally really like the more relaxed experience quickplay provided. I have found that in a non competitive environment players socialize more. I met most of my steam friends through socializing while playing. We had conversations about player's favorite subway sandwich, television, dating, weapon balancing, politics, other fun games, etc. Players who I did not add on steam I could get to know a bit. Even if players didn't talk I would still eventually recognize players and their names by the hats they were wearing and their preferred maps by voting for a new map or extending the current map. Maps lasting longer and being able to stay on the server meant that you could continue to socialize/play with the same players. I made most of my steam friends through socializing while playing tf2, and had plenty of short term acquaintances. Quickplay sent you into a server you could stay in however long you wanted with players who you could get to know over time while playing. Casual throws you into a random server with faceless people you will never meet again. That's what I really hate most about the new system. Unless your previously have friends who play tf2 its a lot harder to make any. The only reason I have continued playing after two months was due to a friend I made in game who gave me a lot of weapons when I was new and encouraged me to keep playing. On the topic of in game mechanics Team Fortress 2 is by design a casual, not highly competitive, game and many mechanics implemented before meet your match showcase this. The relationship between the medic and the other classes is a good example. The medic by himself is weak and requires a team mate to help him. Upon healing a team mate the medic and patient gain a unique bond through many in game mechanics. The medic gives his patient overheal which is unique in that it is generally only obtainable through healing from a medic and to be kept requires staying near the medic. The medic, who regenerates health, gets protection which he lacks from his pocket while the pocket gets consistent healing which, barring some weapon unlocks, is not obtainable aside from the medic. The medigun beam showcases this class relationship and provides important gameplay information but also showcases the player's relationship to each other. By showing the medic his pocket's name and vice versa it shows them what player they are with in this unique class relationship. Players can learn about each other through being in this relationship. Unskilled patients are unlikely to be prioritized for healing or receiving ubers. Skilled patients are more likely to receive healing and ubers and to be relied on for protection. This relationship goes the other way as well. Patients can learn which medics are unreliable with ubercharges and healing priorities and in turn be wary of relying on them. By simply playing the game players learn a great deal about other players through this unique social, gameplay interaction, in this case their skill. We can even see commonly who are friends in game by who they prioritize healing and ubercharging. Another casual aspect of the game are cosmetics. Cosmetics provide a way to customize in game characters to be unique. By seeing which cosmetics players wear and what color they are painted players can see other players value judgement on cosmetics. Through simple gameplay you can learn what a player value's and their name through the kill feed. This unique cosmetic-kill feed relationship attaches a name to an otherwise random person on the internet. The customization system even goes further with stranges, unusuals, item names, descriptions, festives, and weapon skins. Through the cosmetic system and the kill feed these mechanics interacting together allow players to learn a great deal about each other through gameplay. To go even more in depth to cosmetics and the killfeed are respawn times. Respawn times work in waves so players are more likely to spawn in groups. This silently encourages teamwork but also further ensures that cosmetics are seen. Players being spawned in groups are indirectly forced to see other players cosmetics and, by looking directly at them, their name. Players can know who exactly they have spawned with and can adjust their strategies accordingly. The medic can recognize who is an incompetent patient and priorities healing better team mates. Wave spawns of groups is designed to encourage team work which, by extension, encourages players to engage in the game's socially interactive gameplay mechanics. To add even more depth to player relationships is the quickplay matchmaking system. Quickplay allowed players to join and leave whenever which has been a staple of pubs for years. My further study of this system has made me realize that this system is yet another mechanic to further player relationships for a casual game. Players can stay however long they wish and as a result may spend more time with other players. This provides more value for the cosmetic system as players have more time to identify a players name to their cosmetics. This in turn provides more value for group respawning which provides more value for other gameplay mechanics, such as the medic-patient relationship, which in turn provide more value for the quickplay and cosmetic systems. I personally think a more competitive pub and official competitive play definitely has a place in Team Fortress 2 as TF2 has many skill based mechanics but I disagree that it should be default. The game has mechanics that are intended to contribute to a casual game and the new casual matchmaking system, even the competitive system, is fundamentally incompatible with these mechanics. Simply removing quickplay is not enough as the core mechanics of TF2 are designed to create a casual game. The cosmetic system is intended to add depth to player relationships but it provides more value if given time, which quickplay provided. 2 rounds is not a long time to connect cosmetics to players and, even if the player is able to establish this connection, it doesn't really matter as they will likely never see their fellow players again. The casual system does not provide value for existing in game mechanics. It can exist as a more competitive pub but quickplay must exist for casual to be viable. Valve has removed a lot of mechanics casual needed to succeed to be viable as a competitive pub leaving it as the awful mess it is now. If you guys want I could explain more in game mechanics and how they interact/contribute to make TF2 what it is.

[QUOTE=ikes;51382170]the U.S. is getting a major update on January 20th[/QUOTE] I won't lie, I chuckled

Anyone noticed merasmus can't set you on fire? It's been happening for a few days now

[QUOTE=quake84;51379593]For everyone unaware - Strings were updated, 16th was replaced by 18th. Two more days of Halloween? Maybe they want to release another update as halloween ends, and its dragging off. [t]http://i.imgur.com/Zguj2yO.png[/t] Offtopic: Am I the only person that thinks Facebook's all-knowing makes doxxing people super easy? I managed to turn an username to an address, full name, etc in 15 minutes thanks to it. It's scary.[/QUOTE] are you implying that you just spent the last fifteen minutes searching for geels home address