that could be why, but unfortunately our option is just to theorycraft because valve won't tell us what they have and haven't looked at, what they specifically want or don't want out of a competitive format, and what feedback they're willing to actually use to improve

it's honestly infuriating to have a company that's ignored our scene for this long come in now, pretend they care now, and still refuse to change their shit competitive mode and highlight this travesty of a challenge cup while not giving us a peep of actual feedback

it doesn't feel more accurate overall, but now rollers are actually useful and can be used strategically, so for demomen who can aim it's a straight upgrade

the thing is we already did that (arena respawn is a recent example that comes to mind) and they paid no attention to it

At this point I don't even understand the point of this, and I'm an lolhl Spy Main.

6s main benefit is being fast-paced and easy to watch on a spectator's end. HL's main benefit is being able to run all your classes simultaneously, but at the cost of pacing and watchability.

Like Prolander before it, this just seems to have looked at both formats and taken nothing good from either of them. You don't get 6s speed or HL's diversity, but you do get a lower player count and awful pacing.

If this becomes our main format, I'll sudoku live on stream.

how does this event help TF2? what does it do for the scene at large? I guess it's great for the two teams who win this terrible challenge cup, but what about the rest of the participants? what about the spectators?

"pipelines are totally safe guys"

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/us/gas-prices-surge-in-south-after-pipeline-leak-drains-fuel-supplies.html

It's fun, but we need more people in the queue. @_@

I wrote a guide for anyone watching this thread that needs help getting in.

[I originally posted this on r/tf2 and r/truetf2.]

Hey there!

A while back, FaceIt announced that their service was coming to TF2. FaceIt is a competitive matchmaking/lobby/ladder system (even leagues!) with proper ELO/skill-based matchmaking and points that can go toward earning real-money rewards, such as a mouse, or in-game items.

For the time being, FaceIt's TF2 service is in a closed beta. However, tests are being run within this beta, and gaining access to it is actually quite easy. We'll discuss how to get that later in this guide.

First, let's take a brief moment to discuss the games you'll be playing in FaceIt.

The Games

For the time being, FaceIt is being run with a 6v6 lobby system. Unlike TF2Center, people don't choose their classes upon entering a lobby, and unlike Pug/Mixchamp, there is no process of captain or player selection. If you're in the queue, you're going to be playing soon. [There are, however, captains- these captains pickban maps on behalf of their team, and are picked based on level/experience.]

However, this means that classes need to be decided in-game. This is akin to Valve's Competitive Matchmaking, but FaceIt differs from Valve MM in that it actually has the proper 6s class limits, in addition to their whitelist.

In my experience playing today, people were willing to switch classes with one another and were friendly to newcomers. Make sure to spread the love if you choose to play, and if you're new, don't be afraid to ask questions! 6s isn't as intimidating as you may think!

Watch this 5 minute guide for a quick overview of 6s.

What You Need To Play

* A computer powerful enough to run TF2 and a single browser tab (for FaceIt) simultaneously, alongside a VoIP client (Discord, or Mumble if you're stacking with friends).
* A computer/connection fast enough to connect to the gameserver within 4 minutes of readying up.
* Discord! You'll want to install the application and set up the in-game overlay for TF2. To do this, go to settings within Discord and enable the Overlay. Then, go to Games and check "Team Fortress 2" on the list if it isn't selected already. Finally, if the Discord overlay doesn't work whenever you launch TF2, alt-tab out of TF2 (without closing it) and check the Team Fortress 2 box under "Now Playing". Most players won't want to use ingame chat due to poor voice quality and high latency in mic communication.
* A desire to play Competitive!

Getting Started

1. To get started, you'll need to open FaceIt and their TF2 Discord.
2. Next, sign up for FaceIt. To get into the TF2 beta, use the beta code "TF2FTW" or contact a friend within the beta for an email invite.
3. Now, click Play A Game on the right side of your screen, or use this link. Select "TF 2" as the game you'll be playing, the 6v6 queue, and either of the available Ladders.

When To Play

This closed beta test runs from September 20th to September 25th, starting at 3PM EST and running until 1AM EST the next day. So, there's plenty of time for you to hop in and play! EDIT: Actually, it looks like the tests are running all day for each of those days! Check in whenever you want! If you get your friends onto FaceIt, you'll also be able to queue together as a group or full time.

Added Notes

* Have fun! Players of many diverse skill levels will be playing, so don't feel too bad if you perform poorly. (Don't break your arm jerking yourself off if you're going on 6Ks, either.)
* Try to play around the team. People from pub TF2 or Highlander, like myself, may not be adjusted to the 6v6 whitelists and restrictions. Know that 2 Scouts/2 Soldiers/1 Demo/1 Medic are objectively the best choice for running to mid and making big pushes, but know that the offclasses have their roles! If a game isn't a one-sided roll, and they usually aren't, it's usually time for the Soldiers or Scouts to start switching around. Sniper and Spy can be used to make key picks to break a stalemate, while Heavy, Engineer and Pyro are ideal for defending last points. Always try to play what's best for the team!
* Don't be afraid to ask to switch/ask for advice! Any good player will be eager to help you improve at competitive TF2, and most skilled players have flexible class choices. Me, I can reliably play Scout, Soldier and Medic despite being a Spy Main. Just make sure you run the right classes!
* Ready up! Seriously, ready up before the timer runs out.

Honestly, try minmode if you haven't. It's way better for visibility than any old viewmodel fov solution was, and it literally never gets in the way of shots you're trying to make. It's the perfect middle-ground between gameplay and immersion, and if we HAVE to have viewmodels on, it works well.

until now, when that capability was explicitly disabled.

I don't agree with Valve's decision here, I should mention, but you should've known better. regardless of your intentions, you poisoned the stream for everyone else with your actions.

they made it extremely clear that they didn't want viewmodels to be changed in this way, but you went and did it anyways

did you honestly believe valve would approach this ant of an issue with anything less than a hammer? you exploited a lane they opened for us, which gave them only one option to stop it.

this, by the way, is why graphics mods aren't allowed, because they can also be used for exploits/outright cheats. the precedent was here for you to make a better decision.

Frontier's pit bothers me because it copies the doomsday device from Nucelus and looks like it could drop down into Nucleus. One's a community map and one's a Valve map, so this is an unlikely connection, but I'm sure everyone's thought about it at least once. Has anything ever been said about that?

also, on-topic, this is beautiful work you've done

it's even better than that thing I wrote about the Engie fucking a Mini Sentry

I think a good idea to reduce concerns of 2nd/last being too easily attackable (while still enabling fast rollouts for all classes) is by simply shutting off certain doors and shutters depending on what points are capped.

For instance, simply keeping everything open while everyone goes to mid is fine, but the fast rollout paths can make holding 2nd really difficult...perhaps closing off the one that's in the dead middle after mid is capped could be a solution?

Through extensive experimentation, I've noticed that Lawena recording doesn't display either wrangler lasers or unusual effects properly...if you use the pldx particles.

The pldx particles bundled in the vpk seem to be identical to the ones given in a download from PLDX, but whether you use his particles on their own or you use them with Lawena, they remove unusual effects and wrangler effects.

I'm under the impression that these particles are quite old, and they both add new particles and overwrite originals.

Is there any way to fix this? The PLDX particles make the game look gorgeous, and I'd love this program if I didn't have to disable those to have all game info displayed.