Hear me out here, i think this might work.
Valve has this thing in their in-game store where you tryout a weapon before you buy it. it puts a time limit on the item and when the timer is up the item disappears in game. what if this was applied for 6's? i suggest that instead of banning weapons, we implement a plugin for an in game timer on unfavorable items. that way they both get to be playable but not to the extent of a standstill game. Not only will this eliminate white-lists, but this will allow for fair play and fair use of all items in a proper manner and also less spamming one item for an eternity of a match.
Something like this: each round all items are allowed, but items that are banned in the current white-lists have a set time limit on them. after said limit is up, the item becomes unusable and is no longer allowed for that round. (time limit debatable, but enough so that it wont be in for the entire round) this formula is applied for every round until the round is over, and then it resets.
i.m.o i feel like every weapon can be countered, and in a fast paced game like 6's i feel like the game isnt being played to its full potential. if a guy comes with the cow mangler to a sentry, that doesnt make the sentry op and it doesnt make the manger bad. its just a bad play and the team/player deserved to be punished for it. this will ultimately put team to the test on their playstyles, their roles, and their teamwork. which is what comp is all about.
better players being better at the game in all aspects, no matter what. pushing every possible option to the limit. i also feel like valve wants all aspect of the game to be balanced both for all forms of comp and casual. and the best way for us to do that is to show them what we can do with what we already have. id love to hear thoughts on this :D all are welcome.
Edit: lots of good points are being made. i further suggest that maybe something like the first 2 rounds would be for all weps, then in the later rounds the whitelist would be applied, therefore shifting into a more tactical game.
Edit 2: so many good suggestions! keep them coming. here are some good scenarios to help explain what im talking about:
1: The first or last 2 rounds of a match could be an item free for all, balancing a game for both tactical and open play
2: The first few mins of a match or round could start out with all items then gradually shift to whitelist standards in a reasonable time period
3: For every round you get maybe 2-3 times to use an item that isnt whitelisted (death and resubs can apply, its debatable)
Edit 3:
After much thinking ive decided to rework this idea into different gamemodes of the users choice. i call this
The oasis
- HAVEN: On the third round of a match, whitelist restrictions are lifted for the entire round. after the round is over, whitelist restrictions will be re-applied for the remainder of the match. this will only last for 1 round
- SANDSTORM: At random periods throughout a match/round, a few random items from the whitelist will be unrestricted for a short period of time. after the time is up, those items will go back to being whitelisted until it is time for a new set of items to be unrestricted. this will last the entire round/match
- OASIS DAWN: The beginning of a round/match temporarily lifts whitelist restrictions. these restrictions are then gradually added back over a set time period until the standard whitelist is applied again. this will only last the beginning of a round/match
- OASIS DUSK: Towards the end of round/match time, whitelist restrictions are lifted momentarily and then re-applied after a short period of time. this will only last for enough time for 1 push and will only be done once
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I feel like haven or sandstorm would work the best for 6's i.m.o
For these gamemodes, the only weapons that can maybe sit this out (or be used only once) because they might put the game at a standstill are: (both jumper weps) crit a cola, mad milk, jarate, bonk, natasha, vita saw, bazarr bargain, sydney sleeper, razerback, whip, gru, wrangler (maybe the rescue ranger and the vaccinator) just to be fair (more items can be discussed) but at the least id like to have it where if one item is in play, so is the weapon that can counter it
Edit 4: How about we just take the slow-mo from freak fortress (inspired by killing floor) and use that to implement item changes during fights