TF2 Update 1/24/2011

[tyler]

I was never really sure. TPG said "Haha to anyone that thought this was serious" or something like that so I always assumed some people took it upon themselves to make the pins and vote for no real reason. zpq also thanked some post about not taking the thread too seriously which made me think it was fake for a long time anyway.

 

[Swordz]

A friend of mine who actually participated in the contest but didn't sent it in the upload thread asked an admin (i think it was zpq) if he would get the medal anyway, and he said yes, if you had a thread created, and didn't looked like he was kidding which brings me to think it's real. But if it's fake i would appreciate if someone said now...

 

[HellJumper]

The mapper's medallion is definitely real. I think yyler has the wrong idea here.

I'm pretty sure valve accepted this idea. Also, polycount did the same thing. They had the contest without any mention of a pin, and half-way through it, they decided to make the pin.

 

[Pocket]

God dammit Valve, why can't you quit adding stuff that breaks TF2's theme. That's the reason I like the game.

Because the people who are running the show now clearly think said theme was "cartoony" and therefore anything goes. All those people who talked about drawing influence from Leyendecker and Rockwell... I'd bet almost anything they moved on to work on other projects and left the interns in charge.

Frankly, from the looks of things Monday Night Combat is exactly what the TF2 update team wish TF2 were. Cartoony lunacy that they can do whatever they feel like with, and use as a marketing platform for Steam's other products.

 

[Mariner]

I suspected as much, and while TF2 has always had a wacky side to it, it was always part of the world.

 

[PL-7764]

Because the people who are running the show now clearly think said theme was "cartoony" and therefore anything goes. All those people who talked about drawing influence from Leyendecker and Rockwell... I'd bet almost anything they moved on to work on other projects and left the interns in charge.

Frankly, from the looks of things Monday Night Combat is exactly what the TF2 update team wish TF2 were. Cartoony lunacy that they can do whatever they feel like with, and use as a marketing platform for Steam's other products.

Valve can make the theme behind TF2 be "cartoony lunacy" if they want. It's their game, and if that's what they say it is, that's what it is. It's 100% their call, and if folks don't like it, they don't have to play.

Also, although it's a bit of a tangent ... I've confirmed with a couple different people from the company that they do not have, nor have they had, interns of any kind. So interns have not been "left in charge."

 

[Wilson]

And to be honest, it is the fun gameplay that matters, not how much some hats (That can be modded to be invisible anyway) are out of so called TF2 Artstyle, or is TF2 theme cartoony lunacy or cartoony shooter set into 60''s.

 

[Mariner]

Well excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse this art major for wanting some consistent eyecandy with his frags.

 

[Trotim]

I too agree the art style has been botched. It used to be about precisionism, clear class silhouettes, restricting the use of color to conform to the teams. Now we have pink cartoony bunny ears and green socks people can wear.

That said I just ban the majority of items and only whitelist the weapons (not even all of these - e.g. reskins are still banned). That fixes everything. There are some people who are like "OMG NO HATS??" at first, but after a minute or so they already accepted it and keep playing nonetheless. I figure that's because nobody wanted hats in TF2 in the first place, just like nobody wanted name or description tags. If Valve hadn't added them, nobody would want them. Honestly, what for? Did anyone ever think "hey it would be cool to rename my Scattergun"? I have my doubts. But as soon as they see one in their backpack, they're desperate to use it right away. It's sad.

/mad

 

[sniprpenguin]

OK, the green socks are ugly. They should at least be colorable. (LIKE WEAPONS. YOU HEAR ME VALVE?!)

But at the same time, the scout already wears socks. Who says he can't change them?

And don't forget, that the teams are just the muscle of some big umbrella corporations. You have Mann Co. caps, you says you can't have other companies' merchandise? (The MNC cap)

Though, I'll admit, some of the hats added (All the damn Indian feather hats or whatever you call them)... no lick of sense at all.



Granted, there are still many items that fit within it, and many contributers work with the guidelines and design to make their stuff. But their influences are more than Leyendecker, like old spy movies (C'mon, look at any spytech base and tell me that's the work of Rockwell.)

 

[lana]

Well excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse this art major for wanting some consistent eyecandy with his frags.

Earth to art major: socks and baseball caps are real

 

[Mariner]

FYI, I was being facetious, though it's my fault considering that I decided not to use an emoticon at the last second.


I must admit, the only item that actually bother's me is the Dangeresque, Too, which is both a terrible model and really terrible gag reference to Kanye West's revival of the glasses when he ran with the 80's theme in 2008.

Honestly, who really thinks of fucking Strongbad when they see the Demoman running around with those specs? I don't mean to insult fans, but I'm shocked that series still exists. The explanation that the said mini-series (which I'm amazed that anyone even saw) involves walking away from explosions is actually more insane that the fact that the Demoman is wearing "Kanye West glasses" 20 years before they were popular.

I mean, I can handle things because they're either things that either existed at some point before/during the time period (MNC Cap, the Halloween Hat, the Ellis' Cap and Bill's Hat), or they're just so goddamn funny without being so much of an eyesore, which really applies to Max's Severed Head, which in all honesty isn't at all dissimilar with period cartoon styles at the time.

But in the case of Dangeresque? Bullshit.

[/rant]

 

[Wilson]

I too agree the art style has been botched. It used to be about precisionism, clear class silhouettes, restricting the use of color to conform to the teams. Now we have pink cartoony bunny ears and green socks people can wear.

That said I just ban the majority of items and only whitelist the weapons (not even all of these - e.g. reskins are still banned). That fixes everything. There are some people who are like "OMG NO HATS??" at first, but after a minute or so they already accepted it and keep playing nonetheless. I figure that's because nobody wanted hats in TF2 in the first place, just like nobody wanted name or description tags. If Valve hadn't added them, nobody would want them. Honestly, what for? Did anyone ever think "hey it would be cool to rename my Scattergun"? I have my doubts. But as soon as they see one in their backpack, they're desperate to use it right away. It's sad.

/mad

Sorry to break it to you Trotim, but hats etc, all were something people asked Valve add time to time before they came, why it seems nobody wants them is because the ones who did don't go SPUF make furious rageposts about hats, not to mention saying "Nobody wanted them" is stupid when you seem base it only on SPUF forums, i think it is pretty fair to say SPUF is minority when it comes to TF2 community.

 

[Mariner]

I need to say that I'm sorry for forcing this thread off-topic. Seeing the MNC hat on the Demo on the Update blog just reminded me about my rage regarding the Shades.

This is coming from a guy who wears an Indubitably Green Ellis' Cap named the Deerestalker's Cap, so it's obviously not a really game-breaking issue. I just was really worried that the MNC items were going to be in that same vein (which they aren't, thankfully).

 

[A Boojum Snark]

Valve can make the theme behind TF2 be "cartoony lunacy" if they want. It's their game, and if that's what they say it is, that's what it is. It's 100% their call, and if folks don't like it, they don't have to play.

Except, some of us paid for a game with a well rounded and cohesive art theme, and as expected from uhh... every single game before it, we expected it to stay that way. Sure, we can stop playing, I have, but that doesn't make me feel any less cheated.

 

[PL-7764]

Except, some of us paid for a game with a well rounded and cohesive art theme, and as expected from uhh... every single game before it, we expected it to stay that way. Sure, we can stop playing, I have, but that doesn't make me feel any less cheated.

You weren't cheated, you were dissatisfied with an unexpected change. Where in the legal agreement when purchasing the game did it say that Valve was required to only make changes if they pleased each and every customer?

They haven't "cheated" anyone. They've simply gone in a direction that people weren't initially expecting.

 

[A Boojum Snark]

Now you are just arguing for the sake of arguing. Don't pick on the semantics of what "cheat" means while willfully ignoring the commonly accepted meaning of "feeling cheated". Legal agreement? My god man what don't you get about it? Yes, of course I was dissatisfied with an unexpected change, that is the entire point me and many others try to make.
Valve flaunted the in-depth art style and all the sources and influences they used to develop it. That is now destroyed with all the inane things that have been added.
The gameplay itself has been modified by an enormous degree merely due to the fact that there are now over three times as many weapons than at launch.
The only games that have EVER had more content added post-launch than TF2 has would be MMORPGs. Anybody that buys a game expects it to stay the same for the most part, with maybe at most a handful of differences in balance tweaks or additions to the core gameplay.

Why do people like you think that just because Valve has the legal right to change the game means that everyone who is unhappy with what they do should just shut up and deal with it or leave? Valve has long been known for their community interaction, which is part of the reason why we complain about it.

 

[Trotim]

Sorry to break it to you Trotim, but hats etc, all were something people asked Valve add time to time before they came, why it seems nobody wants them is because the ones who did don't go SPUF make furious rageposts about hats, not to mention saying "Nobody wanted them" is stupid when you seem base it only on SPUF forums, i think it is pretty fair to say SPUF is minority when it comes to TF2 community.

I do not remember anyone asking for hats before their introduction in Sniper/Spy update. I also don't remember anyone asking for name or description tags before they were added. On top of that, when did I mention SPUF? Even if I based my argument only on SPUF, the point is that the people who care enough and are active enough to post on SPUF are the core fanbase of the game. Disappointing or splitting them is a terrible move.

Really, all Valve needed to do is leave the game alone. Of course instead they chose to make money off it and run experiments in it (like testing how tolerant people are until bugs or balance issues have to be fixed - I highly doubt they really have such a hard time fixing them as they make it seem) for further gain in the long run. They sacrificed the integrity of the original game, however. Notions of people disliking "the new TF2" are widespread by now.

And even if a few people of the community ask for something it's safe to say you can ignore the vast majority of suggestions. The cosmetics were added as a means to make more money and as an experiment, not to appease the community.

I wonder if there will be rules in the future granting customers of a game the right to revert to a previous version at all times, at the rate this is going.

 

[gamemaster1996]

I like toast
Actually no I don't
Not if it doesn't have any LOD's

Me thinks we all need to calm down about the hats. Some people like them some people don't (it's usually older players that don't). It's kind of like mar... oh what am I saying that'd be a terrible analogy.

 

[HellJumper]

Valve can make the theme behind TF2 be "cartoony lunacy" if they want. It's their game, and if that's what they say it is, that's what it is. It's 100% their call, and if folks don't like it, they don't have to play.

That logic is terrible.

You "don't have to play"? I bought this game at a certain point, and if they change it past all recognizably, then I'm not playing what I paid for.

Of course the changes they implemented aren't game-breaking or drastic. I'm not attacking Valve, just your argument.

Edit: Didn't see this.

Now you are just arguing for the sake of arguing. Don't pick on the semantics of what "cheat" means while willfully ignoring the commonly accepted meaning of "feeling cheated". Legal agreement? My god man what don't you get about it? Yes, of course I was dissatisfied with an unexpected change, that is the entire point me and many others try to make.
Valve flaunted the in-depth art style and all the sources and influences they used to develop it. That is now destroyed with all the inane things that have been added.
The gameplay itself has been modified by an enormous degree merely due to the fact that there are now over three times as many weapons than at launch.
The only games that have EVER had more content added post-launch than TF2 has would be MMORPGs. Anybody that buys a game expects it to stay the same for the most part, with maybe at most a handful of differences in balance tweaks or additions to the core gameplay.

Why do people like you think that just because Valve has the legal right to change the game means that everyone who is unhappy with what they do should just shut up and deal with it or leave? Valve has long been known for their community interaction, which is part of the reason why we complain about it.

Argh... where is the thank-you-twice button??