http://i.imgur.com/lZ5hwrZ.png

I didn't wake up at 4 AM to watch Funs get ultra fucked by his team

ANTIC DIDN'T DIE FOR THIS

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DIM9rsbV4AEXc8_.jpg:large

Don't talk to me I need a moment

WAR's casting is really good. I'm so used to the dry style where WAR puts more priority on his jokes & humour, and as a result tends to be considered or cast as one of the weaker, less enthusiastic casters. This style worked out in his favour for i58's analyst desk, but I'm still reminded of times where he says he doesn't take TF2 seriously, compared to other casters or production people. I don't believe that for a goddamn second. I think you care just as much, if not more than most of us, about TF2. The buildup to i61 as well as right now seem to make me think that even more.

I don't know if it's just because it's live at LAN. I don't know if his original co-caster dodging has something to do with that. I don't know if I just need to tune in to more WARHURYEAH casts brought to you by WARHURYEAH.gg. But from the moment he started casting during the Group Stages, I was shook. I can hear when his voice strains out and when his energy gets depleted if he overdoes it but holy fuck. I've been tuning into OW Contenders which has Bren and ZP casting for background noise while I work, then I tuned into Se7en vs SVIFT Map 1 after 123 won. Then I had a moment where I'm like "wait that's right this hype caster this time is WAR". I can really feel his passion for i61, and for TF2. The only issue I'm noticing most is that he is cutting off Kermit a fair bit to catch the play-by-play.

http://i.imgur.com/KtoocSf.png

https://clips.twitch.tv/GrotesqueAggressiveSoybeanWTRuck

FUNS I BIGGEST FAN OF YOU RIGHT NOW, YOU THE BEST PLATINUM TEAM I SEE, FUNS IS GLORY HERO and muuki

(Voice) Smirre: Thanks!

LANTIC

http://i.imgur.com/2uG4wnF.jpg

You can find them in the ESEA S17 reskins + posters linked in the post above!

There's a certain art style that TF2 adheres to that at some point, it's objectively broken if no remnant of it remains.
I think it was more of a colour palette thing when I considered the feedback. There's slides in the Design Philosophy folder of the download that explains colour distribution theory, as well as this slide which shows adhering to the TF2 colour palette more:

http://i.imgur.com/nlAMRsk.png

http://i.imgur.com/hGH5Khg.png

With i61 right around the corner, I figured it was time I blow the dust off these and finally release the iSeries Project UniREform jerseys. The project's roots started during ESEA S17 LAN as a project with Forward Command Post (in which those fellas moved forward and became ChampGG). It was inspired from eXtelevision's attempt at reskins in previous broadcasts, as well as esports teams getting exclusive org-based content, skins, or cosmetics for their characters. When first debuted, the skins were client-side and visible for the official broadcast, not disrupting the players or SourceTV broadcast.

The project has been positively received by those who liked the additional production touch, as well as how it felt. Legitimate criticism has been brought up as to the aesthetic of them clashing with TF2's art style, or the necessity to keep the RED/BLU colours. We learned from i55's era, and for i58 adjusted from there. Some of the cosmetics still ended up clashing due to the fact we didn't want to reskin 2000+ or something hats to match each team.

That being said, a lot of the later feedback we received was along the lines of "the skins are fugly can you not". In response, I remember saying:

I've held to that promise this year. Scurvy (my reskin partner-in-crime) and I became drained on the tediousness of the work. It's too much effort for something that unanimously has been agreed clashes with the art style of Team Fortress 2 (although I understand there's a literal banana hat now in this game). Likewise, it felt like too little effort to just copy & paste logos onto sleeves and backsides (although that probably clashes least with the art style). If we had been keen about it, we could have painted the textures on in Blender to make sure they would match up better, but it didn't seem worth it then, nor does it seem worth it now.

Even if it was worth it, there was a period where the compliments got drowned out by the complaints, and we couldn't hear them. We became burnt out from it. I've personally retired for now from editing textures for competitive series.

http://i.imgur.com/j1BXcmz.png

That being said, the textures are being released for those who would like to use it! They are open to re-modification for anybody who is interested in using skins for their cast using StatusSpec, as well as their own game. I am unaware if Casting Essentials has also carried over this capability. The VTFs can also be used for Source Filmmaker and Garry's Mod artwork, or Team Fortress 2's gameplay as a mod - for instance, my BLU team still is adorned with Crowns Esports Club and my RED team is decorated in froyotech green whenever I'm on a server that isn't sv_pure 1.

The VTF texture files included here are from both i55* as well as i58. There are 192 VTF textures packaged, which include Medic's backpacks as well as various normal maps for any texture that needed to stand out (read: anything where I put gamer gloves on TF2 characters thinking that was a good idea). The teams included are:

The download to those can be found HERE.

http://i.imgur.com/GbAmxUA.png

Included as well are the promotional posters made by Scurvy (who you can find at scurvyorangesfm), including individual 7K team posters from i55, and i58's promotional posters. Additionally, there's some I made in there. You're free to use these posters (as well as the skins) for personal and non-commercial use such as printing these out for your wall. You are not permitted to redistribute, modify, or use the materials within this package for commercial purposes. Please credit scurvyorangesfm and I if you reupload these.

Additionally, attached are some other behind-the-scenes things such as concept sketches, unused artwork, artist mockups, and the original presentation made to Teamfortress.tv in 2014, showing the thought process for a variety of designs, as well as updates for why various changes to the philosophy were made for i58.

FOR SERVER USE: Please be aware that if you want to use the textures such as have them on your Gmod or SFM servers, that the brands used in these skins are owned by the respective teams and organizations. Assuming you’ve cleared that, you can use a plugin like TF2 Model Manager on your server to replace models. Due to how the StatusSpec player models module mimics the functionality of TF2 Model Manager client-side, the models included in the VPKs should be fully compatible and ready-to-go for such use.

If you're also looking for the ESEA S17 reskins + posters, those can be found HERE.

http://i.imgur.com/w1oOK6g.png

I encourage people to revisit or think about what they would have done differently, or how to improve upon the design challenges of the reskin jersey project. Ultimately, we were aware of the flaws in the reskin project - but it wasn't meant to be permanent. It was meant to be a buildup to eventually encouraging interest in actual cosmetics, such as in-game hats or Scout jackets emblazoned with a decal from your favourite team. If I ever revisit the concept of jersey branding or the like, that's probably what I would go for - but this presents a lot of challenges aside from design, such as why the Esports Crate Debate still isn't as simple as it sounds for TF2. That's all part of the challenge.

It's always a pleasure to bring something a little bit extra to Team Fortress 2, even if it wasn't necessary a hat you could buy from the Mann Co. store. Thank you to everybody who supported the project, or appreciated the effort that went into it. If you have any questions, feel free to leave it in this thread.

And for those people heading out to i61 this weekend to compete, produce, or just hang out and watch some TF2 action - hf@. I hope you enjoy LAN!

http://i.imgur.com/i5ocltt.png

Concept Artists: uberchain, Lizisabutt, jasbutts, kichizone, Fudge
Reskin Artists: uberchain, The Scurvy Orange, Fudge, DillyDong, Colteh
Artwork: uberchain, The Scurvy Orange
Special Thanks: TeamFortress.TV, TF2 Texture Improvement Project, all those who were asked to help, all organizations that allowed us to use their branding and sponsors, and Multiplay

*We did not have enough time to make Danger Dogs jerseys. We apologize for not being able to let the Dogs out.

- - - - -

EDIT: By popular demand of two people, I've uploaded the Jasmine Tea reskin gag concepts.

http://i.imgur.com/WkFWlUY.png

IT'S OKAY 16JACOBJ, YOU ARE INDEPENDENT BUT WE R HERE 4 U

http://68.media.tumblr.com/64fb80087f95b5664af39e440ae166ce/tumblr_inline_mph3ahfM7y1qz4rgp.gif

To 16jacobj,

Mojo_da_Kidd, who says that you are "his best friend ever", says that you are quitting TF2 again to focus on college. Now, there's a lot of things that you need to watch out about college, things you were probably told about in your freshman year. Assuming you're North American, these warnings includes textbook prices as well as not getting back what you'll pay for when you sell, student loans that will accumulate into a hefty debt, 3rd-4th year being an absolute mental drain on your health due to your workload. College is a very stressful time, as well as very shady business practices. Post-secondary institutions in NA like to make money off of you, whether you pass or you fail.

You will also need to find time to juggle some sort of work experience nowadays once you're done with college, because quite a lot of baby boomer parents put emphasis on education before work, particularly immigrant families. Work places are looking for experience with your piece of paper that says "DEGREE" on it, not simply the piece of paper. The piece of paper will certainly help assist you in receiving work, that being said. In the current job landscape, degrees still tend to beat out general diplomas, especially if you have experience on your resume with it.

Now, let's look at Team Fortress 2. You play a few games as well as join a team. You get satisfaction from advancing your skills forward and being on point with your DM and your airshots, and you make a lot of friends going forward. But this isn't always the case, especially if your team crumbles or if you beef. You spend hours practicing some more, and often, you ask yourself, "is this worth it?". You'll probably ask yourself that in college too when the crunch comes, and you realize your shit prof skipped the one section you're covering in that exam worth like 40% when every other exam before that was just worth 10-15%. It happens.

There's a few things Team Fortress 2 can offer you beyond just skill in a video game. If you compete at the top, prize money is higher. Your fame and recognition is more well-recognized. Your skill is better. But you have to consistently keep doing it to maintain that, and I think you know that. Your skill will dwindle if you don't keep practicing. Your fame and recognition will diminish. The prize money? It's pocket change. If you work a job, you will make that much from two weeks at minimum wage than the Open prize pool. You might miss it a lot when school gets really hard. You might want to escape to it. That's normal, but remember, school is a big commitment just as much as dedicating your time to TF2. Not many can multitask effectively enough, and if they have - well, they're not you. You don't know their stories as to what they might have sacrificed, and to be honest, I don't think they themselves know what they sacrified.

But what about those other prize pots that are worth $5000, like LAN? Let's look at it like this: if you're NA-based, you need to factor in flying to LAN. Prices from NA to Europe based on where you are cost around $500-$1000+. You still need to drop a single digit if you're flying to an NA-based LAN that isn't in your area unless you drive over, which you still need to factor gas and hotel money depending on the drive. But for NA to Europe if the price is $1000, that's one part of it. Then there's rentals or BYOC tickets. If you land in London and are taking a train to Birmingham for Insomnia, that's transportation money for trains. You're probably going to need to stay somewhere too, most likely splitting money for a hotel room or AirBnB. If your hotel/AirBnB is further away from the venue, that's transportation money for cabs or Ubers. Don't forget about food. And because Insomnia is a social event with a lot of drinks, you should also save some money aside for buying your friends or some folks some drinks; although that's optional, there's a lot of people who will feel bad if people buy them drinks and they're unable to buy drinks back.

The privilege of Invite teams and players, as well as European players who still are at an estimated cost of $600 USD for everything else, is that they're often fundraised by the community. However, with the money they make, it usually just ends up paying their costs made to go to LAN. Some of them might not even make that money back. You probably already know this when you took a good luck at the higher levels, and asked yourself, "why not me?". But after talking to enough Invite and Prem players who have decided to leave, take a break, or not take it as seriously, they've also told me, "there's not much at the top. You'll play if you want to and if you love the game, you'll obligate your time if you need to and want to help your team or yourself - but otherwise, there's always other things to do."

Now, who am I to be telling you why you should pick school over TF2? Simple. I've never been a good player, ask anybody who has played with me and they can tell you what rollouts I've botched or what stupid shit I've done. I decided it wasn't worth playing it compared to doing things for it. But I almost failed the last year of college when I started focusing on TF2 and Source Filmmaker, and I was at the top of my class. I was going to go back to do another program and had a guaranteed spot due to knowing the administrative faculty well. I skipped the interview that would have put me in that program to do Tip of the Hats 2015, and focus on being one of the 4-6 well-known SFM artists/animators who gets paid decently for commission.

It's 2017, SFM has faded from relevancy, I'm focusing on a documentary as well as a charity event above other things like the Saxxy Awards (which I really wanted to finish this year since I botched it last year), and I'm making most of my money on graphic design. I don't regret 2015-2016. I have no desire to go back to school. I can't afford it, I don't want to burn money on things I know I can learn myself. Life is a little rough, and I want to focus on the people closest to me, so I have to focus on myself for a bit right now.

But 16jacobj, I might know what you're thinking in the back of your mind. Maybe you didn't want to leave because deep down, you love Team Fortress 2. You love the community even if they pissed you off, you love the game even though it felt like it wasn't worth it. You, at some point, enjoyed or still enjoy playing it, especially when you're able to win. And you love the friends you've made here. That's true, I understand exactly what that's like. Your friends, they love you too. Mojo_da_Kidd, who has made this thread to prove to you how great TF2 is so that you don't dismiss TF2 as a waste of time, must love you a lot.

But if Mojo_da_Kidd really was your friend, then he would not hold you back on what you want to do. You've got your own shit to do, you gotta figure out you. And if friends know that, that means they'll let you go rather than hold you back. You want to do college. Then go do college. You're ready to take that on, because you've decided that there are benefits to college right now over TF2. And you know what? That's okay. Maybe you will succeed, get that goddamn piece of paper that says "DEGREE" on it, and you can find good work with it. Maybe you'll not be happy with college, and you'll leave to figure things out in your life, find something else. Maybe you'll come back to playing TF2 whenever you can. Maybe it'll be harder to find a team when you come back, but TF2 should still be around. And if it's around, and if Mojo_da_Kidd is your best friend ever (as well as still playing the game), then he'll be waiting for you.

Good luck, 16jacobj. Do your best! If you decide to come back or check in on us, TF2 will be around for a bit longer. It might not be what you wanted it to be, but so as long as it's around, you're always welcome back.

Froyo's scrims and their first map went absolutely rough. Habib, from what I saw when I went to watch Shade, was incredibly on edge and hyped up after, probably to bring the mood up. b4nny would go over what the team would need to work on or do, Habib would always be the one talking the second most (or even more than b4nny).

During that match, Habib often went into speeches and snippets too like "nice job guys, let's do it again", "you can win this, you're better than them", and "I'll be with you guys, all the way, we're in this together". It's actually kind of sweet and inspirational.

Except his timing and pacing when he says these things don't always match up to when he's saying them. This clip is probably an example of this, but it's not uncommon. See: Thaigrr qualifies for Prem grand finals.

She is the leader.