TL:DR first link
A brief summery of team recognition: a critical design element that helps players quickly and accurately determine who is on their team. It combines visuals, audio, and interface cues to enhance teamwork, strategy, and gameplay flow.
We've had hundreds of cosmetics over the years, and those that have paint regions have stayed small. But not all the paint regions have been equal, and now it's easy to create sets that overlap the original team colors with a small handful of cosmetics.
I'm going to use the most extreme example of this, but obviously we need to draw some sort of line of what is competitive, and what isn't. Even just removing a few outliners can plant the seed to prevent future cosmetics causing issue. The most offending set is Flavorful Baggies, Water Waders, Deity's Dress all painted slate. If I asked you what team this was you could guess it, but in the middle of a competitive game, there shouldn't have to be that question. , (TLDR)
We don't allow noise making misc items (bootie time) or the Bombinomicon for being annoying, but yet we are allowing cosmetics that can be painted and made to look like the wrong team color. I think having a red pyro look blue is way more of an issue then having a noise when moving.
No-hat mod should not be the community standard, or the "solution" to team recognition. TF2 has always had some of the greatest customization, and identity in any game, and we shouldn't take that away. Also it being deep in a tftv thread is not exactly easy for newcomer players to find.
Another thing to note is the artists who make the cosmetics can patch their paint regions, as seen with the Delinquent's Down Vest. This is the same slate color as the pyro cosmetics above, this is not a problem. The owner of the water waders also emailed valve asking if they should change the paint region, their response was no, it would upset people.
In conclusion whitelist some of these outliner cosmetics to keep team recognition, cause valve isnt gonna do anything
TL:DR first link
A brief summery of team recognition: a critical design element that helps players quickly and accurately determine who is on their team. It combines visuals, audio, and interface cues to enhance teamwork, strategy, and gameplay flow.
We've had hundreds of cosmetics over the years, and those that have paint regions have stayed small. But not all the paint regions have been equal, and now it's easy to create sets that overlap the original team colors with a small handful of cosmetics.
I'm going to use the most extreme example of this, but obviously we need to draw some sort of line of what is competitive, and what isn't. Even just removing a few outliners can plant the seed to prevent future cosmetics causing issue. The most offending set is Flavorful Baggies, Water Waders, Deity's Dress all painted slate.[url=https://i.imgur.com/vtTXdO2.png] If I asked you what team this was you could guess it, but in the middle of a competitive game, there shouldn't have to be that question. [/url], (TLDR)
We don't allow noise making misc items (bootie time) or the Bombinomicon for being annoying, but yet we are allowing cosmetics that can be painted and made to look like the wrong team color. I think having a red pyro look blue is way more of an issue then having a noise when moving.
No-hat mod should not be the community standard, or the "solution" to team recognition. TF2 has always had some of the greatest customization, and identity in any game, and we shouldn't take that away. Also it being deep in a tftv thread is not exactly easy for newcomer players to find.
Another thing to note is the artists who make the cosmetics can patch their paint regions, as seen with the [url=https://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Delinquent%27s_Down_Vest#/media/File:Painted_Delinquent%27s_Down_Vest_2F4F4F.png]Delinquent's Down Vest.[/url] This is the same slate color as the pyro cosmetics above, this is not a problem. [url=https://i.imgur.com/zrJQG0T.png]The owner of the water waders also emailed valve asking if they should change the paint region, their response was no, it would upset people[/url].
In conclusion whitelist some of these outliner cosmetics to keep team recognition, cause valve isnt gonna do anything
I think the issue of these pyro specific cosmetics breaking team recognition comes up a lot, and for good reason, but in a situation like competitive play the pyro doing this is really failing to achieve two things:
- Competitive players are extremely quick on their feet and can usually recognize that the pyro staying with them and spy-checking / NOT attacking them is likely their teammate or enemy within the first view of the player, and deal with it accordingly
- Running these cosmetics, if anything, has a chance to mess up the pyros own team just as much as the other. As rare as it would be, teams allowing this would honestly just be stupid on their own right. Would obviously only possibly affect extremely low divs.
So I think allowing it is just saying "If you're doing this, it's really stupid and only has a chance to harm your own team more than anything.
I think the issue of these pyro specific cosmetics breaking team recognition comes up a lot, and for good reason, but in a situation like competitive play the pyro doing this is really failing to achieve two things:
[olist]
[*] Competitive players are extremely quick on their feet and can usually recognize that the pyro staying with them and spy-checking / NOT attacking them is likely their teammate or enemy within the first view of the player, and deal with it accordingly
[*] Running these cosmetics, if anything, has a chance to mess up the pyros own team just as much as the other. As rare as it would be, teams allowing this would honestly just be stupid on their own right. Would obviously only [i]possibly[/i] affect extremely low divs.
[/olist] So I think allowing it is just saying "If you're doing this, it's really stupid and only has a chance to harm your own team more than anything.
While I don't necessarily disagree that it is uncompetitive, if you fall for this you are probably just really bad. get better.
While I don't necessarily disagree that it is uncompetitive, if you fall for this you are probably just really bad. get better.
In 6s, this is a nonissue. In HL, isn't separating your pyro from your combo generally also really putting your team at a disadvantage against soldier bombs and spy plays?
I get as well that clearly you used an example from a most extreme case scenario, and taking it as your sole argument is obnoxious. But in the really few instances where this could ever come into play, it's generally always a better solution to just shoot rather than some inane spy-adjacent play without an invis kit to be able to position yourself with. I get where you're coming from, but I'd rather start banning these cosmetics on just being horrifically ugly than pretending it has an actual negative outcome on the game state.
In 6s, this is a nonissue. In HL, isn't separating your pyro from your combo generally also really putting your team at a disadvantage against soldier bombs and spy plays?
I get as well that clearly you used an example from a most extreme case scenario, and taking it as your sole argument is obnoxious. But in the really few instances where this could ever come into play, it's generally always a better solution to just shoot rather than some inane spy-adjacent play without an invis kit to be able to position yourself with. I get where you're coming from, but I'd rather start banning these cosmetics on just being horrifically ugly than pretending it has an actual negative outcome on the game state.
I would just call ppl who do this shit and cringe.
Also iirc bootie time and bombinomicon are banned not just cause they are annoying but also cause they omega break spy (disguises have no feet with the former and i think latter just breaks DR or something).
I would just call ppl who do this shit and cringe.
Also iirc bootie time and bombinomicon are banned not just cause they are annoying but also cause they omega break spy (disguises have no feet with the former and i think latter just breaks DR or something).