Thanks for standin still, wanker.

drp

aa
Oct 25, 2007
2,273
2,628
The pain train was the first drop I got after the relavent update. However I accidently crafted my eyelander (the excitement of seeing 3 swords, and the urge to merge them was overwhelming). In an effort to craft back my eyelander (which should have been simple) i got a second pain train.

This is why the system sucks.
it sucks because you're not careful when crafting?
 
Feb 14, 2008
1,051
931
how can you accurately ascertain that someone is idling?

if player.velocity = 0 && timeSinceLastMovement = 600 then
player.shouldGetItems = false
timeSinceLastMoment += timeSinceLastFrame
end if

(time in secs)
 

Terr

Cranky Coder
aa
Jul 31, 2009
1,590
410
if player.velocity = 0 && timeSinceLastMovement = 600 then
player.shouldGetItems = false
timeSinceLastMoment += timeSinceLastFrame
end if

(time in secs)

Nope. There's no practical way to distinguish idlers except by their time-spend-idling, and then you run the risk of false-positives with players who simply play a lot.

Code:
alias dance "+left; wait 200; -left; wait 10; +right; wait 200; -right; wait 10"
alias danceloop "dance; danceloop"
danceloop

Other possibilities include maps with func_push and teleportation, and servers installing plugins to control the client like a marionette.
 

grazr

Old Man Mutant Ninja Turtle
aa
Mar 4, 2008
5,441
3,814
it sucks because you're not careful when crafting?

This is just one example. For instance, you can only craft the gunboots. I know of many people who've attempted to craft the gunboots only to craft a 6th buff banner.

Yes it was stupid of me to craft my eyelander, but i might never acquire an eyelander for the rest of the time i play TF2. Is that not an unreasonable scenario to find yourself in? I don't have an eyelander and i don't have gunboots and i may never get them. This annoys me as a dedicated TF2 player. I should be rewarded for constantly coming back to TF2 and playing, not mocked by the system and other people who don't really care for TF2 yet were lucky enough to craft gunboots; which only adds insult to injury.
 
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Fraz

Blu Hatte, Greyscale Backdrop.
aa
Dec 28, 2008
944
1,152
I got my gunboats from a random drop... they're not craft-only material/
 
Jan 20, 2010
1,317
902
id be inclined to think that he meant drops or crafts <_<
namely the only way to get them is through luck

In that case, he is quite correct. You cannot get them from achievements. However, they're not too hard to come by and they're not very useful anyway.
 

YM

LVL100 YM
aa
Dec 5, 2007
7,135
6,056
This is just one example. For instance, you can only craft the gunboots. I know of many people who've attempted to craft the gunboots only to craft a 6th buff banner.

Hi, I'm an idler. Gunboats are a random drop, I've had hundreds.

Proof (along with my word that I'm only crafting scrap for hats

opinion disproved. You can't criticize the system cause you're not careful enough to check if you can craft stuff before hitting craft. Think up another reason to bash the system.
 

Shmitz

Old Hat
aa
Nov 12, 2007
1,128
746
Hell no!

Look, suppose I program some web site and encrypt (technically, hash+salt) the passwords in the database. I'm not "fine" with people stealing the database and trying to brute force crack the passwords. Sure, I've made it "not worth their time" to try, but I'm working within certain technical and practical restrictions. I still 100% loathe the idea of anyone managing to steal my password table, and if I had a fooproof "punch intruder in face over internet" system I'd use it!

Similarly, Valve is also working within technical and practical restrictions on what is-or-is-not vulnerable to hacking/bypass and false positives when detecting and preventing idling. The fact that they have stopped short of some impractical draconian idler-permabanning system does not mean they're "fine with idling".

"Blah blah blah I'm projecting my own opinions onto Valve". Your example is ridiculous and not analogous at all. When you can replace all those "Is" with "Valves" maybe you'll have a point.

All you really have to do is compare the language they've used publicly when exploiting is involved with the language they've used publicly regarding idling. The former is very strong and very decisive. The latter is very accepting and laissez faire in tone. An effort to make the system better for active players does not equate to a campaign against idling players.

You can dislike idling all you want for whatever reasons you want as long as you acknowledge they're your reasons, not Valve's.
 

Tinker

aa
Oct 30, 2008
672
334
I think that was pretty much what he was saying, though. Valve doesn't LIKE idling, but can't do anything against it and knows lots of people are doing it, and are at peace with it until they can solve it.
 

grazr

Old Man Mutant Ninja Turtle
aa
Mar 4, 2008
5,441
3,814
Hi, I'm an idler. Gunboats are a random drop, I've had hundreds.

Proof (along with my word that I'm only crafting scrap for hats

opinion disproved. You can't criticize the system cause you're not careful enough to check if you can craft stuff before hitting craft. Think up another reason to bash the system.

It's not an opinion, it's a fact. You're an intelligent person YM, trolling doesn't befit you. As Mr Albobo already conviniently pointed out (Albobo>YM), and you apparently decided to ignore, my point was that you can only acquire the gunboots through luck. Be it crafting or a drop, what i meant was that there is no garauntee you will ever get a pair, even if most people do. I've played several hundreds of hours and still don't have them. I've tried crafting them and only got duplicate weapons already acquired through achievements. Chances are the same i wont get my eyelander back either. As 2 attempts to craft it have failed and i'll need a significant amount of drops, including specifically demo and soldier drops, to replenish my scrap just to try again. The same goes for chocolate and home wrecker.

Just to add a little salt to the wound, while i'm trying to (unsuccessfully) craft unlocks to open up gameplay tactics other players are casually using against me, i'm prevented from making hats (which i could have 2 more of by now).

@ flame: My backpack is organised, i'm not entirely sure of the purpose of your post, an organised backpack doesn't increase the chances of acquiring gunboots.

Leminnes said:
However, they're not too hard to come by...

Tell that to my backpack.
 
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Mr. Wimples

L6: Sharp Member
Jan 27, 2010
276
226
Honestly, all this random drop modifying really doesn't effect me. Any player with all of the weapons shouldn't complain much because that's all you'll need to play the game to its fullest. Hats are just bonuses, nice bonuses, but still a bonus. As in not gameplay effecting. For all of you that feel they need to idle for days on end to be satisfied with TF2, more power too ya. I just enjoy the game without worrying about hats.
 

YM

LVL100 YM
aa
Dec 5, 2007
7,135
6,056
If you look at the time mralbobo posted, you'll see just two minutes difference between his and mine, It takes me several minutes sometimes to make even a short post since i skip around tasks all the time. He ninja'd me, and I'm not stupid like flame in trying to troll you, you genuinely seemed to suggest that the gunboats were only attainable by crafting, which I disproved. You seemed to also blame the system's lack of gunboat drops, for your careless crafting of your eyelander, thus giving you the appearance of an upset child eager to project it's own shortfalls onto others.

Yeah its unfortunate that you crafted a weapon you wanted, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the drop system, and everything to do with your own carelessness. So you shouldn't even mention it in any kind of rational discussion of the drop system, especially in a way that makes it look like you're blaming the drop system for your mistake.

To your point of the gunboats only being accessible by luck - so what? everyone else is in the same position you are, they can only use what they've been lucky enough to find (or earn in the case of the older weapons). That sounds fair to me. The only problem is there idling is like a "give all now" cheat.

Its a random system, you really can't get fairer than random. I know the statistical unlikelihood of having a massive dry spell isn't fun when it's you, but that's the nature of random stuff, it's.... random.

But, I do think that they should add some kind of counter to it so that no one person is ever subject to a massive dry spell and if they enter a dry spell they get a drop forced to break the appearance of the spell. Although I don't think the delay between drops now they've updated it is big enough to warrant it.
 
Jan 20, 2010
1,317
902
I would have a problem if Idling broke the game. It doesn't. I feel Valve uses the same logic. They aren't breaking the game for other people, therefor they don't care. They want to discourage it, but they're not going to completely ban it mostly out of lack of interest.

I believe this change came from more of a need for higher drop rates for normal players and less from a want to make idling less appealing. It just so happens that one effects the other.

Also, Grazr, the gunboats suck. I mean, you can want them all you want, but not getting them isn't the hugest crime. Statistics prove, though, that if you keep on playing you will eventually get them.