Hello dear TF2 community,

for those who do not know me, I am one of the two people (the other one being Aoshi) who recently took over Head Adminship of the ETF2L.
Every season we spend an enormous amount of time deciding who gets to play in prem next season and who needs to qualify and how. I assure you we are aware of the difficulties that the process of this decision brings. In the end there will be a decision made and not everyone will be happy with it- that's how life works.
It surprises me to see this thread exploding the way it did over something that may or may not have happened over 2 years ago. Looks like a chain-reaction to me, where several people got baited into discussing a matter in public that should have stayed privately.
Be it as it may, I wanted to clearify a couple of things:
I was already an admin when Hildreth left the staff 2 years ago. In fact, I had a very heated discussion with him about it the very night the decision was made that he'd leave the staff and not every word in there was nice. I am fully aware of what happened and witnessed it first hand.
However, Hildreth expressed his desire to rejoin the adminteam by formally applying last october. After SonnyBlack stepped down, we were looking for refreshments for the adminstaff in order to fill the gap that Aoshi and I left behind when we got promoted to Heads. Hildreth again expressed his interest and we decided to give him another shot.
We decided to shake off some rust that had settled step by step over the last few years without anyone really noticing (for instance reaching out to our supposed competitor UGCLeague) and that this new and hopefully successful era after the retirement of the last "old school" veteran SonnyBlack should mark a fresh start. Our staff has been incredibly busy and productive this year so far, firing out competitions and initiatives, catching up on the medaldistribution etc... And Hildreth has had his share of input.
We did not forget what happened (BTW, the fact that he is a trial admin shows that), but we also shouldn't hold grudges for too long. Usually former staff members do not undergo the trial process again...We are fully aware of Hildreth's strengths and weaknesses.
That being said, It has always been my sincerest belief that we, as a TF2 - or in this case ETF2L - community cannot afford the luxury of being divided. We are small enough as it is and we should work together hand in hand for the game that we love so much, whether you like 9v9 or 6v6, whether you are an active admin or a retired one etc... Especially when the topic in question is completely irrelevant to any current events. So everyone should calm down, go outside and enjoy some sunlight. (:
It saddens me that (former) staffmembers felt the need to get involved in this kind of public drama. As for current staffmembers, there will be no further statements in this thread from this point on.
If you have any more input on relevant topics, feel free to contact an admin through IRC or message me on discord.

Thank you for your attention!

Much love, Stinson_Out | ETF2L.org

Yes!

Stinson_Out | ETF2L.org

I agree, I never understood why people poison the relationship between these two sub-communities. Although I feel like the hate is a one-way-street as 6v6 players seem to be very quick to trashtalk the gamemode and anyone who takes it seriously whereas most (if not all) HL players respect the 6v6 gamemode as a fun one to play and a large percentage of people that consider themselves HL mains participate in the 6s seasons with friends to have a good time.

The deadline was today, sunday. Immediately after the LB finals, CeeJaey contacted Chess (tuesday night) while he was still playing 6v6 with his team in order to find a date until sunday. Strong Opinions offered every single day except sunday (i.e. wednesday-saturday).
Chessclub said we can only play sunday or we need to default. As players from Strong Opinions had scheduled work trips and exampreparations to after our deadline, a further delay would not have been possible. Especially because pushing the GF further into the already running 6v6 season will probably only make it more complicated for teams to schedule, because as the season progresses, teams (including prem 6v6 teams) tend to scrim more and more in order to be at their peak at playoffs).

We put the default date because SO was available 4/5 days, and chess only on one. We chose the latest date (saturday) in order to give chessclub the most possible time to sort out their roster or even get scrims going.

That being said, nobody wanted this situation. It is very disappointing to end the season like this and I promise this mess will not happen again.

In my experience of having hosted 2 LANs, the venue is the most important and hard one to figure out.
Before you start, though, you have to consider: What is your LAN supposed to be? A community event (the more teams the better, everyone is welcome) or an "eSports" event with 3-4 invite teams competing for a prizepool and a shitbunch of production.
If you do not aim for the ladder, it doesnt mean it can't be a successful LAN. You just have to make up for the absence of Top tier teams with athmosphere and an overall enjoyable LAN experience.

To answer your question: I think it is not too hard know-how-wise. It's simply a ton of work. But I am convinced anyone can host a LAN if he/she is passionate enough about it.

Last day of signups, boys and girls! Only 10 more hours (until 21 cet) ! GOGOGO

In case you have not heard or read about it until now:

The European Team Fortress 2 League (ETF2L) is hosting its 26th season of competitive 6v6 and you can be a part of it!

You want to shake off some rust? You enjoy matchmaking, but it just doesn't satisfy you anymore?Whether you are a pro gamer who wants to get back into business or a pub/matchmaking player who has never played in an organized team- this competition is completely free to join!

Signups close on 20th January, the regular season lasts until 9th March. The season will feature 7 weeks of games and, for those who place at the top of their division, a playoff round.
For more specific information on schedule, format and deadlines check out the season announcement post (http://etf2l.org/2017/01/08/announcing-season-26-powered-by-tt-esports/) and keep checking ETF2L.org regularly for updates.

We are looking forward to welcome all of you - veterans and newbies alike!
Stinson_Out | ETF2L League Admin

Crossbow would be fine had they not added the uber building mechanic. It is a weapon that doesnt punish you for being bad. You just spam it into a group of people and either it damages an opponent (up to 80 dmg I believe) or heals your teammates for 60-150 hp. On top of all that, you can just switch to your medigun and back without having to reload.
To reward a medic with up to 8-10% (?) uber on max range for spamming your arrows - or when powerbuilding - shooting a not moving target, is simply not necessary.

That being said, it does need to get nerfed but not banned. Yes, you basically have to run it. But by far most medics run it, because it is simply more exciting to use than needles.

I cannot understand the uproar this thread causes.

Slin makes a great effort to unify the whitelist, which is important for a number of reasons. Yes, this is only one and only a small step towards TF2 as an eSport, but it is a step that we have to take.
He does not claim to have a solution for all the other problems or things that have to be done.
This is also not the thread to discuss this. This is the thread asking for your input regarding the meeting on saturday for all those people that will not have a voice during the discussion.
I cannot see how this is a bad thing.

At ETF2L we experience this kind of backlash almost every season. Ban a weapon, you get shit. Try to cycle a new map into the rotation, you get shit. It does not matter what you change, people will always give you shit for anything you decide, just because it is new and teams/players actually have to learn a new angle towards the game.
This is a big problem! People seem to think signups are declining because we change weapon bans or maps. That is wrong. If we wouldnt change stuff every season, the game would be even more stale as it is and the number of players would decrease faster.

What I am saying is: stop bashing people that contribute to the community, accept and embrace change!
Without people like Slin we have no chance of surviving.

Warmfront is a 5cp map, bagel = KotH and edifice is a gravelpit style attack/defense control points map. (:

Hello gamers,

a happy new year from your European Team Fortress 2 League!

We are kicking off 2017 with our Season 26 Preseason Cup... As the name suggests, Season 26 is soon to start. We hope to be able to open signups a couple of days after the cup.
Whether you want to test your new roster, shake off some rust or just have a good time with a funteam of friends - you should not miss this!

Maps being played are warmfront, bagel and edifice. This does not necessarily mean, that one of those will make it into the Season 26 rotation.

Signups for the cup are already open. For all information, including the schedule, check out http://etf2l.org/2016/12/28/announcing-the-season-26-preseason-cup/ !

Hoping you and your teams are going to attend I leave you with best wishes for 2017,

your Stinson_Out

North Americans getting baited by WARHURYEAH somehow.

(We do all appreciate your work and I cannot wait to see this film!)

afaik we considered it but eventually went with these three maps. It is definetly on our radar though! (:

We don't really need to test those maps as we have run them in regular seasons before and have a fair share of experience on them...
The goal of this cup is to give some (to the public) more unknown maps attention and valuable feedback in order for the mapmakers to keep developing them. Who knows? Maybe one of these three get their chance in ETF2L Season 26/27.

Hello boys and girls,

in case you are not checking the ETF2l.org website regularly, here is everything you need to know about the cup this weekend:

http://etf2l.org/2016/12/05/etf2l-6v6-winter-map-cup-sponsored-by-serveme-tf/

Maps being tested are:
- cp_drudgery
- koth_sandstone
- cp_cardinal

Joining the cup with your 6v6/Funteam is completely free! Matches are going to be played throughout the weekend with the group stages on friday and the semi- and grand finals on sunday!

Sign up now!