The in game demo recording starts as soon as you load in, which means it records all of pregame before both teams ready up. I use it because P-rec is Windows only, but not having to fast forward through 20 minutes of pregame to grab a clip is handy.

https://i.imgur.com/Jo5jo42.png

ICYMI: TF2 Coaching Central is back with Newbie Cup 5 for summer 2023, with a prize pool sponsored by Mannco.store!

TF2 Coaching Central is a 4000+ member discord server focused on helping new players and introducing players to competitive TF2 with classes, pickup games (now with IM and Main pugs!), and fun events. Our Newbie Cup events are an ideal starting point for anyone interested in trying out competitive TF2 for the first time, as well as for coaches that want to help grow the competitive scene by teaching new players.

Players with no to minimal competitive experience will sign up to be placed on a team of six, led by a coach who will teach the basics of how to play the format and help you learn the maps. You'll have three weeks to learn and practice together as a team before facing off in a tournament, which will be brought to you with help from our casting partner Fireside Casts.

Sign ups are open now, and the deadline to apply to be placed on a team is July 31. Team and coach assignments will be made by August 4 and tournament matches will be the weekend of August 26-27. Check out the discord for more info, and tell your friends!

HL players tend to scrim on weekends with default matches on Mondays, so if staying up late on a "school night" isn't an option for you that schedule might work better.

Why can't you have an experienced player guide and mentor new players without actually playing on the team? Taking a spot that could have gone to a new player seems counterproductive - in fact, you're taking multiple spots because once one team rosters an experienced medic every other team is at a disadvantage if they don't - and newbie medics should be fostered too.

As a new player, I will say that you can watch video tutorials and map reviews till the cows come home but nothing really compares to actual experience playing and trying to put that knowledge to practice. Newbie Mixes, pugs, and eventually something like the TF2CC Newbie Cup, which is probably the closest experience to actual league play in terms of having a practice schedule and a consistent team for a few weeks, in addition to easy access to a more experienced mentor.

Also, not even main calling, just how to comm properly needs to be in the new player curriculum. Communication is the biggest thing separating comp from casual play and I'm surprised at how many people trying to play AM and even IM fail to provide even the most basic comms and will say like 5 words all game. Learning to talk while shooting is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced.

https://i.imgur.com/Tz2lgXK.png

Are you or do you know someone who is curious about competitive 6s but not sure where to start? TF2 Coaching Central is a 3000+ member discord server focused on helping new players and introducing players to competitive TF2 with classes, reviews, and low div pickup games. This month we're announcing our fourth North American Newbie 6s Cup, a learning experience and friendly competition for people who are new to competitive 6v6.

Players with no to minimal competitive experience will sign up to be placed on a team of six, led by a coach who will teach the basics of how to play the 6v6 format and help you learn the maps. You'll have four weeks to learn and practice together as a team before facing off in a tournament with prizes including keys and a month of free private server hosting from SwiftyServers. Our past Newbie Cup events have been stepping stones for many players and teams to continue playing in RGL.

Sign ups are open now, and the deadline to apply to be placed on a team is April 14. Team and coach assignments will be made by April 19 and tournament matches will be the weekend of May 20-21.

Check out the discord for more info. Whether you're looking to dip your toes in competitive, a more experienced player looking to mentor newbies, or even a fresh install, feel free to join our community - we welcome all skill levels!

People from EU stumble upon Newbie Mixes or TF2CC and can't participate because of the time zone diff and I always feel bad because I don't know where I can point them, other than "uh I guess try Rahmixes?"

TF2CC used to accommodate EU players in pugs and events (our first Newbie Cup even had an EU division, we had an NA coach waking up at 5am to give map talks for a team of newbies on another continent), until the NA organizers decided it was too much trouble trying to coordinate things across continents and zero EU players stepped up to fill the gap. Newbie Mixes was trying to expand outside of NA but seems they had trouble getting participation from EU coaches. I'm just an outsider, and maybe there are differences in culture or whatever, but if you're looking for why your scene is dying, those seem like some pretty big clues.

Are there challonge brackets for playoffs so we can see how everything's going without clicking into team and match pages?

As a med with 40k hrs, exclusively in pubs. I can tell you a few things that help me do my job easier:

• Don't come find me if you need heals. I'm not going to come looking for you, and I don't care. Get a pack, go to a resupply cabinet, or press your kill bind (most of the time).
  
• If you're far away and need an arrow, ROCKET JUMP or AIR STRAFE so I can practice my sick m9 arrows for my upcoming frag video.
  
• DO NOT PROTECT ME so I can concentrate on yelling at you when I ultimately can't do my job because I am dead. If you see me engaged with the enemy, don't.
  
• If we push and I have uber, stay close to the enemy stickytraps so I can drop you in the uber and say that I was "right about to flash you too".
  
• If you are another medic on the team, just votekick yourself. I'm the best medic around and choosing to play the same class as me is just a waste of a class space.
  
• Communicate effectively by saying nothing. I can't focus on wiggling my mouse around and frantically clicking on people with my medi-gun otherwise.

(Credit to and reposted with permission from drift)

The problem RGL faces is how do you do that while maintaining the privacy and identity of people involved. Having a public ban reason state something like "Inappropriate behavior with minors" (which "Breaking RGL Code of Conduct" is kind of already a euphemism for anyway) is even bigger drama bait and isn't necessarily going to keep people from snooping for more details, in addition to being a serious public accusation of something that could also potentially get the perpetrator in legal trouble.