I would disagree very much with that. When a developer states something or promises an update or whatever, you are resigning yourself to fulfil that promise. While that seems like a good thing, it becomes extremely limiting and for a company as volatile as Valve, change is a constant. By becoming more transparent, you risk a larger amount of your player base will become hostile to the changes put forward.

People freaked over "Neato" for Christ's sake, let alone a insight into the developers' mentality and goals. If Valve came out with "We're working on a MvM update", the competitive scene would believe that they have completely abandoned competitive. If competitive is the focus, casual players will claim that the focus is killing off what made the game popular. By not speaking at all, they ideally could listen to what people are saying or reading feedback from emails, etc and work on delivering that through updates and such, which has been the method of communication from Valve for the entirety of the games history.

Nowadays though, the TF team don't have the manpower to sustain that method and because of that, the game feels abandoned and crucial fixes seem like they haven't been patched in years (Det Bug). You can't blame Valve for focusing on more lucrative or innovative ideas, especially due to their transition from Games to Hardware/Software.

Transparency only works when there are enough people there...and even then can do more harm than good. See: Overwatch.

Won't lie, we used your format due to it containing all relevant information for the event.

I believe some more rentals may have been made available

Hi, we've heard from a few individuals about this issue and will be contacting the supplier to see what would be possible/when more are expected.

If you mean the audience, then we have one here: https://imgur.com/a/3JnHts7

If you mean BYOC, thats something you guys would have to arrange i'm afraid.

EDITED: 15/07/19
Hello all, just throwing a thread out for all relevant information to be posted.

Birmingham NEC
North Ave
B40 1NT
United Kingdom

Start: Friday 23rd August
End: Sunday 25th August

Tickets: https://insomnia.seetickets.com/tour/insomnia
If you wish to compete in the tournament, you will need to order a BYOC Ticket which will provide access to the BYOC area. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THIS TICKET YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO COMPETE! If you are a spectator only, we would recommend that you get the Weekend pass which allows access to the Esports area after the main exhibition has closed.

What is the closest airport to the NEC?
This would be the Birmingham Airport (BHX) which has a connecting shuttle to Birmingham International Train Station and the NEC.

What are the available accommodation around the area?
There are various hotels in and around the NEC and Airport which is closest to Halls 1-4 which is the site of the event. That being said, there is also the option of Indoor Camping for a less expensive option.

How can I sit with my team?
Seat Picker can be found here, but you must have a BYOC ticket to make a reservation.: https://seatpicker.seetickets.com/belongbyoc/account/login

Information about the seat picker can be found here: https://insomniagamingfestival.com/byoc-seat-picker/

Rentals
Rentals are only available for BYOC Ticket Holders and can be booked here: https://insomniagamingfestival.com/rentals/

Fundraiser
We are running a fundraiser for the prize pool and to send Ascent.NA to represent North America at i65. Details here: https://matcherino.com/t/i65tf2
__________________________________________________________________________

TOURNAMENT DETAILS - BEING WORKED ON
How can I register for the tournament?
https://www.toornament.com/tournaments/2587533425695768576/

What will the Prize Pool/Payouts be?
This is still in the works, but initial predictions are around £6,000 depending on signups. The more signups we get the bigger the prize given to the tournament by the organisers.

I am a sponsor and I am interested in supporting the event, who should I contact?
We would love to hear from you! Contact me over at charlie.smith@essentials.tf

When does the Tournament start?
TBC

What is the format of the Tournament?
TBC

Rules
TBC, most likely similar to previous years however.

Maps
TBC
___________________________________________________________________________

Any updates will be posted here and on our Twitter. We aim to answer any questions as quickly as possible.
Insomnia FAQ
https://twitter.com/TF2Essentials - Twitter
http://discord.gg/yWN93tx - Essentials Discord
https://discord.gg/igfestuk - Insomnia Discord (Thx Sami)

This is legitimate progress, nice work from RGL for this. Going forward, working with the leagues to work towards centralizing other parts of the game like Map Pool and Ruleset. Whilst it would have been nice to see a closer map pool/ruleset, I do understand that NA is in a state of moving leagues per ESEA's closure so perhaps efforts could be made in the future once things have settled.

That being said, as always, only time will tell whether this was the right move.

This notion that the Global Whitelist and centralization of rules leads to bureaucracy nightmare and stagnancy within the esport is close-minded at best. The key factor that creates friction between leagues are discrepancies and the unwillingness to compromise. RGL has yet again demonstrated, to my understanding, a complete lack of advocacy towards working with other leagues to work on a cohesive map pool, whitelist, and ruleset.

As Dreamboat rightly said earlier on, and I must clarify that this is my own opinion and not one representing anything to do with EssentialsTF, but a lack of a centralized method of play proves difficult when determining how events are to be played. Things like time and winlimits can be shaped to fit the LAN setup, but Map Pools and Whitelists prove to be tricky since we wish for all teams to not be disadvantaged when attending an international event. However, due to the difference in how regional leagues approach their ruleset, there has been a consistent discrepancy between key rules and such.

It is disappointing that one of the game's best opportunities to take a step towards progress is hampered by this short-term mentality of rapidly iterating rules without giving them a chance to truly see their effects. For people who want to implement change, forcing people to quickly adopt new ways of playing the game and such month by month is risky and historically has proven unsuccessful. Gradual implementation based on consistent feedback over longer periods of time globally would be far more effective than throwing shit at a wall and seeing what sticks.

Your consistent alienation of the community, leagues, and current players makes me concerned for the scene as a whole should RGL be the main choice post-ESEA.

LOL. Top tier games journalism.

Tickets are now live over at https://insomnia.seetickets.com/tour/insomnia

Applications for Staff are still open if you wish to work at LAN, this is your best opportunity to do so!

We are opening applications for the on-site crew! If you wish to work at i65 in any capacity, please fill out the form below.

https://forms.gle/3gKvAfLBJ1pbTTCJ9

You must be able to be 18+ years old to apply and, should your application be approved, must agree to the Insomnia on site policy as well as the EssentialsTF Code of Conduct. All applications will be read and selected applicants will be invited to a short voice chat interview, to discuss details, and answer any questions you may have. All applicants will be contacted to inform as to whether or not their applications have been successful.

If you have any questions or issues regarding the application process or being on staff at the event, contact soda#1071 on Discord or email kirsty.meek@essentials.tf

If you are an organization or company and would be interested in sponsoring the event, or you wish to apply for a Tournament Admin position, email charlie.smith@essentials.tf

- Option for PugChamp style team selection or medic in-game picking

1) I don't believe so, IIRC they have people go round at night to make sure that isn't happening. There is indoor camping which is considerably cheaper, which isn't too bad but doesn't beat a Hotel obviously

2) Staff do not pay an entry ticket as they have their own passes given to them which gives them access to the event so they can get where they need to. If they want to have their own BYOC spot, though, they obviously need a separate ticket.

Hi all.
This thread will be used to keep people in the loop as to what is happening and provide information where possible. One of our prominent issues last year was the lack of communication, both internally and externally and as such we aim to be much more active in ensuring there are no lingering questions in the run up to the event.

LAN Staff Applications will be released as soon as possible. We will unlikely be approaching people individually as to whether or not they want to be on staff, so if you want to attend you have to fill out the form. This form will be posted here and on our Twitter (@TF2Essentials for those that aren't aware) which also will be where the vast majority of our public details will be posted so keep an eye on them.

As of right now, nothing is confirmed in that regard. The only thing that is certain is TF2's attendance at the event. That being said, if there are intercontinental teams (NA, AU, Asia) that may be interested in attending that may need some additional support to attend, contact us and we can see what we can do. Although we cannot guarantee that support can be given.

BlackoutJon is the current owner of EssentialsTF as a company since Wolf Machina has decided to move on from TF2. However, since he will not be attending the actual event, yours truly will be the acting Project Lead for i65. Specific questions should be directed to these people:

Event Management or General Queries - DrHappiness#0897 on Discord
Event Production - ArchRhythm#0001or soda#1017
Creative - soda#1017 or Teleportato#9730

Hope to see you there!

cu@

Perhaps "sculpted" may have been a poor choice of words, but there has historically been a notable shift in behavior and mentality to the way we have approached the 6s format. Whilst I will agree that the class lineup has remained generally the same (which I believe is more a consequence of the way the classes have been designed), the maps and especially the mentality when approaching the Whitelist has very much changed over time. Notably, ETF2L Season 9 to like 17-18 is a great example of a gradual flip in approaching weapon bans.