KoobadoobsAlright. Well, thank you for accepting the input without treating it as an insult like many might do.
Maybe I'm just used to UGC (I play for a new team that is starting in Iron but playing well against Steel teams too), but I feel like a lot of the bans are unnecessary. I'm of the mindset that an item should never be banned unless there is a very good reason that it would harm the tournament.
For example, the Vita-saw gives one side a free uber advantage when they don't deserve it, forcing the other team to use it as well to keep the balance. That makes it bad because it only prevents medics from making their own choice on which melee to use. That's why I would ban it.
However, the Short Circuit (among other weapons which I could list if necessary) does not have such a reason. It is a difficult weapon to use, and when it is used correctly it is at most a sidegrade to the pistol. The select few engineers who are good enough with it use it to support the team and lessen the spam of the enemy, and there's nothing wrong with sacrificing large amounts of metal to do so IMO.
As far as maps go, I would suggest pro_viaduct for 6v6 and koth_ashville for highlander. viaduct plays out very well in 6s and ashville is a little too soldier-friendly to work with 2 on each team, but is fine in highlander. If you still need more maps, I'm sure the HL veterans you talk to will give you plenty of advice.
Thank you for being open to discussion, and I may be interested in this if certain concerns are addressed. The support of extv would be awesome. This looks like it has potential, but just isn't quite ready yet. Good luck!
Hehe, I'm not a rude asshole :P, as I actually want the tournament to go places. Besides, what's the point of doing a tournament if the community hates it? I should take all my input from the community. Right now, the 6v6 is pretty much a solid go, but the highlander needs some work. In UGC, the ban list was pretty bad (IMO). There were a lot of weapons bans I didn't agree with (and the lacktherof). I definitely need to speak with some highlander players to figure out what THEY want.