we wouldnt need bans if we played the game properly

https://i.redd.it/tczxhasnbaeh1.png

[RANT] "6s" need complete teardown!

I find myself constantly amazed when playing against bots while also confused with state of meta game in tf2. I am sure that many don't play with bots ("offline training") a lot due to many posts of "Just do it" character as suggestions for new players when approaching tf2. I think many people confuse terms as play style specialization instead of core part of the game, for example:

* Battle engineer / medic is when you are participating aggressively in fight instead of playing passively
* My take : Thats just medic/engineer. That is how class is supposed to be played otherwise you wouldn't be able to do damage (medic) or would be stuck to your buildings.

This results in meta of being able to dish out damage while staying alive, but tf2 is much much much more than that - which bots show. In my opinion what produced this meta is combination of extreme skill/knowledge required to play comp and blindly copy pasting same principles to casual. There are entire dynamic front lines in tf2 which exist **only** if all classes are present at the same time and not if they are partially represented. If one has played with bots enough one can notice that they position themselves according to their specification:

1. Front line (closer to enemy): Pyro, Scout, Soilder
2. Middle line (core of the team): Demo, Heavy, NG
3. Back line ( backup of the team): Medic, Spy (other team backup) and Sniper

They present themselves always in that formation before game starts and hell is loose. And if you make teams uneven the composition automatically adjusts! Only reason why people dont realize this is because they dont play with bots but *also* because class imbalance has become the norm which prioritize solo damage dealing playstyle instead of teamwork.

There is nothing wrong with game /class balance even with unlocks, but they become overpowered once entire team isn't there because some load outs require multiple classes to be properly countered. Again playing with bots can clearly illustrate it, because if one makes team uneven (and bellow 9, so that classes are gradually not spawned) clear OP-ness of loadouts become more and more noticeable.

In full 9 classes team, there is no roamer / flanker/ambush because every class does it by simple fluctuation of fronts. If someone played with bots enough , they'd realize that if one of the tree (Solider,Demo,Sniper) is missing from team composition entire row of front line is busted and they will be demolished by Scout, Heavy and Medic no matter the loadout. What confuses me is that tf2 is played as checkers while its actually chess/shogi.

The majority of the issue is that entire battle front is actually dynamic, and nothing is stopping you (game mechanic wise) to go outside of your line for as long as you know where your safety is. There is plethora of strategies that can be used just because tf2 is tf2 and not CS:GO or other classless valve game but we keep not using it because we are playing tf2 like stupider CS:GO.

!

(cvv28jh3liwg1 "Chess in tf2")

So we end up limiting ourselves (even if game is showing us other different) to thoughts:
1. "Oh this class is OP!" , even if its not the class but the player in given team composition
2. "Oh this loadout is OP!" , even if it isn't , but if advisery team is all scouts, it becomes OP.
3. "Tf2 class distribution is wrong!", only because we don't play how game intended
3. "Spy counters engineer" (or input whatever class pair), no it doesnt! Spy is a long distance friend of NG and Pyro and can't function without them.

People at valve aren't stupid, they put a lot of thought it which order classes would be represented and what are drawbacks of each. Why do we think we know better than people who spent months/years building an system and a way to show it to us - if we chose to notice. All this because we like to blow stuff up by ourselves without working as a team. So 6v6 dropped in class representation because we as people couldn't gather entire team and played tf2 like quake/cs, which produced meta that is active till this day.

So comp (and by extension casual) should get a quick remodel. Instead of 6v6, it should focus on mixing and matching 3x3 , each team enabling one row of entire front line. Then they dont have to shorten the game to make it dynamic and fun, and they don't have to punish entire team for not advancing given expirience gap.

Tf2, according to what i can see in game design, is meant to be played by preference (maining) in teams of 3 players. Then entire combat lineup is made from different teams which isn't difficult to combine and play. Then you can have 9v9 and 6v6 and 3v3 depending on ranking. This alone would remove A LOT of misconceptions about classes, play styles and make both comp and casual team work based instead of rushing blindly into the fight.

Rant over.

Pubbers believe the base game is well balanced and that the game should be about switching weapons and team comps to counter the opponent. They do not understand that the game is not well balanced and that it would devolve into figuring out the optimal ratio of demomen to vaccinator medics

this is cool. reminds me of lovely planet aesthetically

Nicky, Rochter, telling people you have autism sounds like a great idea if you have autism, but most very emotionally intelligent neurotypicals will point out that its actually not an excuse. Pointing out that something is not an excuse sounds really badass to some people so you need to understand that if you bring up your autism you're going to have to deal with people posturing like that. Don't be disheartened by this, they just have a lot in common with you.

Being a moderator for tf2center is the biggest responsibility I have ever had placed on my shoulders in my entire life. I didn't think I could handle it, but after years of hard work, I decided to take a much deserved break from my tf2center duties. Since then, I've been working on developing my skills as a moderator. I've talked with moderators of top subreddits, digested the literature of the top academics in the field, and even developed flashcards for myself to use a study tool.

One of the things I did try to get more hands on experience was to go into the field and mod without authorization. Some may see this as a flagrant violation of the basic principles of moderation, but not all of us are fortunate to have parents that can get you in straight out of college. Most people have to work their ass off just to get a chance to learn. I decided to practice moderating on this website, teamfortress.tv. A difficult assignment, because I don't have moderation permissions on teamfortress.tv

Since I'm a moderator without moderation permissions, I had to get creative with how I make the forums better for everyone here and for society as a whole.

https://i.imgur.com/3buxTIT.jpeg

Here you can see me making an impact by making a bright eyed gamer with dreams of twitch stardom believe the staff personally went over their request. Not just because they are obligated to by law, but because their logs were worthy of the staff's time and attention. Starting a career in streaming can be absolutely nerve-racking, so I hope this gave them a little confidence to get them through the early days of their financial future.

A lot of people think being a moderator is all about the suspensions, the big bans, being a watchdog that's a human, but in reality a lot of it is way less exciting than that, which is a good thing. It means we are doing our job. One of our responsibilities is to help make the site as user friendly as possible, and this is not just a matter of removing bad actors, but by making moves that encourage positive social interaction between everyone.

I saw that a user was trying to change their name, which is absolutely amazing. In fact I encourage everyone to be their true self, but there's a unique factor that must be considered in an online forum environment, your name is what we see. In non-virtual life, you recognize people by their smell, face and other features unique to them. Online, we don't have this luxury so when someone changes their username it becomes much more difficult to recognize who they are. This realization motivated me to suggest a username that allows them to take on a new moniker while also helping everyone else remember our memories of them

https://i.imgur.com/PNj8RVX.jpeg

They were a little confused, hell I would be too, but in the end I believe they sympathized with the intention. I made another attempt to practice moderation in the requests subforum, but for whatever reason my comment wouldn't go through even though I had no issues commenting elsewhere on the site. I brought this up to the TF.TV staff on discord because I was concerned that they disapproved of my my methods, and was met with some an understandable but disheartening response.

https://i.imgur.com/BOoUvlZ.png

look, I know I'm not an official mod, but im god damn trying to be! I try not to take things in the field like this personally, but damn I really look up to the team here. I doubt it'll ever be here, but one day I would love to be a part of something like what they have here. Most people don't have that.

So what now? I'm not sure. I guess I'll keep moderating, doing what I can to make the forums a better place. So yeah, sometime you run into those roadblocks, but that's what passion is for. It'll be tough working undercover but if I use it as an opportunity I might be able to really make something of myself. I don't know what the future holds, all I know is that I have grown in the process.

^yeah i remember this showmatch existting but I never really took it seriously because the the teams are imbalanced and I dont think either team ever truly went full aids unlock/lineup abuse mode.

They should just do an invite showmatch for money so we can have video proof of why 6v6 has an actual ruleset. There's way less time investment and whenever clueless pubbers whine you can just show them the match and they will be forced to reconsider everything they know about tf2

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https://giffromgod.bandcamp.com/album/dissimulation

really sick mathcore album that just came out

Any updates on the mmorpg

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Lft as backup

FUCK U ENAGMAA

Just got back into deadlock after a long hiatus. the last time i played the game it had 4 lanes and the art style was very much in a state of transition. While I do miss some "arenas" the old 4 lane map had, like that whole intersection between the secret shop and the big mid building, I think 3 lanes focuses the game and leads to way less confusing and weird rules about splitting souls in solo vs duo lanes. The area's between the lanes just need a little development to make them into more interesting combat spaces since right now theres a lot of "flat ground with small buildings/" that feels very samey.

artistically, the game is looking great. I was worried it was going to come off like some hazbin hotel theater kid shit but I think they did the whole occult new york thing very well. The characters are interesting while not being overdesigned since theyre about as detailed as a tf2 class with some cosmetics equipped. There are a few characters I think were little over-redesigned though. Pocket looks way too kpop and mcginnis lost her butch.

From a gameplay perspective, I hope they make the two sides of mid lane more visually distinct because its really easy to walk the wrong way after coming out from the tunnels below around there, and I think the last base areas are a tad too dark. You know how metalworks is dark but its still well lit? Yeah I think the last base area should be more like that.

I still have some gripes with the movement system, like the lack of air control and having to dash jump within a specific, but generous window, but I've grown to appreciate its strengths. Managing your stamina is really important since its extremely valuable in fights, so when you figure out ways to move around the map while farming and you get to survive an encounter you would have been trapped in due to that extra bar of stamina you have, you feel rewarded for learning the system. What I find most intriguing at the moment about movement is that it seems like they're experimenting with giving different characters their own movement rules. For example, there is a new hero named Celeste who is allowed to just staight up kz around the map and there's also a character named Holliday who has increased air control after using her jump pad. This gives me hope that they'll add an explosive jumping character or maybe even a scout-esque character in the future.

Here are some characters I recommend for tf2 enjoyers:

Pocket: an early/mid game focused hero with a shotgun who the ability to shoot projectiles that amplify the damage of his aoe abilities. He is a hit and run, burst damage character who requires good movement to play effectively, and has a tool for dealing with some moba aids abilities. He farms quickly due to his ability to nuke the shit out minions which makes him feel less tedious to play than a lot of other characters.

Holliday: Her kit is a little disjointed but basically you're like an ambassador spy with a launch pad, a quickie bomb, and a mantreads stom. Shes a pretty hard character to play but shes a ton of fun. If you decide to play her i highly recommend spending some time in the sandbox figuring out how her kit works. For example, its practically required for you to arm your barrels by meleeing them as you launch so that they explode on impact.

celeste: bhop character

lash: the og movement character with a kit that feels designed specifically around the game's movement mechanics. Learning to play this character will force you to learn the fundamentals of movement and he is pretty fun.