I wasn't a part of any scrap or fight or whatever that caused this, but I do have opinions based on it.
The problem can't be fixed on a single front. Any problem based on trolling isn't justified simply by demoting Flame (although I feel this action was justified). Nor can the problem be fixed by simply manning up and accepting this. Success in this would require reprimands for the primary party as well as tolerance and acceptance of the person by the mass.
Supertoaster's idea wouldn't work due to the position Flame is in. Flame, dare I say it, is similar to a prophet. Its in his nature. He's a very dominant person, and attracts people to follow his advice. There will be people who will not. This has happened. This causes a sect amongst members of TF2maps.net. Its why the Rexy incident happened, in a boiled down scheme of things. The thing is, if what Super said happened, and flame was asked by staff to apologize, a rift just like this would happen, where half of us would say he had to and the other half would say he shouldn't have to. He'd only become less popular amongst the people who didn't like him, and the outcome would pretty much have no effect.
I don't have specifics on what to do to fix anything, I don't. I'm not in the position to judge. But the problem doesn't fix itself. I feel like the action taken is probably the best of the simplistic actions to take.
Intelligent Rant over, Pure rant below, highly opinionated. Don't try to argue against it because its pure opinion.
Flame is... for lack of a better word a dick. I'm tired of him acting entirely elitist amongst a community of mappers with no mapping experience. I don't care that he's given feedback on maps that have gone official. Feedback and shit like that is not time consuming nor skillworthy as the act of mapping. Hell, I suck at layouts. I'm going to admit that. But I know when there is something wrong with the gameplay and how to give feedback. Sure, I don't always do it. I'm not a guy who posts much feedback, especially now that I don't play much. Hell, I wouldn't mind that Flame only did that. But he acts like an elitist because of that. He gives good feedback, I know that. But most of the feedback he gives as a mapper I can see in the map. I can see when something is going to play like shit. I can see how flow is affected in areas. I can see and feel if a map is boring to play on. Anyways, I don't care that he can see that. Anyone who's ever played on maps for a while can pretty much see that. I guess I sound like a broken record, but that doesn't give you the right to act like you are better than me. I can understand that Flame is proud of what he has helped. But seriously, he's been such a prick on the way up to it. He pretty much bogarts higher ups, practically sucking their dicks it feels, in an effort to secure that he's better than me. And then he has the right, after being elitist, to shove his opinions in my face, treating them like its fact and the fucking word of god, and I get shunned for not agreeing? I guess I'm overreacting over everything, but in the words of what I have always wanted to say, Fuck you, Flame. Quit being such a fucking Guido Prick, and learn to respect us all.
Now Please give me an infraction for that. That's months of anger brewing, trying to prevent myself from posting in these threads, but I really wanted to get that out of my system. I'm sorry that I didn't get that out directly to your face or in a PM, Flame, but the impact would have been different and not nearly the same. I try to stay civil in PMs.
Everyone, go ahead and flame the shit out of me.
