official Team Fortress 2

[Denis W. Veteran]

I did get the Ambassador last night while playing as a pyro. Finally.

[-Vivicidal-]

I think it's cheating in the sense that it's violating an accepted norm. Obviously Valve doesn't want people to join an achievement server. It's the whole reason they made this new system. Unfortunately, it's not working as well as it should and Valve has acknowledged that. I just hope they can get it fixed as soon as possible.

So everything that isn't normal is cheating?

[Denis W. Veteran]

Meet the Spectator. :laugh:

[Vice]

In their TOS they mention things about being against the spirit of the game. They are likely to remove any items or achievements that are received through cheating or exploiting bugs. You can bet for sure that in the next update they will tweak the system so Idlers cannot receive items.

[-Vivicidal-]

Meet the Spectator! HAHA!

[Ayepecks]

In their TOS they mention things about being against the spirit of the game. They are likely to remove any items or achievements that are received through cheating or exploiting bugs. You can bet for sure that in the next update they will tweak the system so Idlers cannot receive items.

Eh, we'll see. They never did a thing about achievement servers. The current unlock method is dumb.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

They didn't care about achievement servers because the people were still playing the game, but they cared about achievement unlockers so they took the weapons away from people who used it.

The idle servers are a strange kinda mix, they're playing the game, but at the same time not. All they're doing is using CPU power on their end and taking up a slot on the server.

[-Vivicidal-]

I hope then don't begin removing my weapons because I spectate a lot. My PC was the spectator for the last few LAN games we did - I don't want to be penalised for that!

[Denis W. Veteran]

Joining idle servers is a giant waste of electricity in my opinion for a bunch of silly weapons. I'm in no rush to unlock everything - just let me be pyro and spam fire like mad, and I'll be a happy camper. :p

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

Joining idle servers is a giant waste of electricity in my opinion for a bunch of silly weapons. I'm in no rush to unlock everything - just let me be pyro and spam fire like mad, and I'll be a happy camper. :p

That's what I'm doing, I get to set people on fire and I get weapons every so often.

Jarate + fire = win.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

So everything that isn't normal is cheating?

No, that's not what I meant. People who join achievement_idle servers are acquiring the items in an abnormal way. It's essentially violating an accepted norm. People shouldn't idle around just to find weapons.

In their TOS they mention things about being against the spirit of the game. They are likely to remove any items or achievements that are received through cheating or exploiting bugs. You can bet for sure that in the next update they will tweak the system so Idlers cannot receive items.

I figure they would. It makes sense.

I hope then don't begin removing my weapons because I spectate a lot. My PC was the spectator for the last few LAN games we did - I don't want to be penalised for that!

They won't remove your weapons for spectating. I'm sure Valve can tell which map you're playing on. If anything, they could devise a system that strips the items of players that idle in achievement servers.

Anyway, my brother found the Ambassador. All that's left for me to find is the two Spy watches and the Razorback/Huntsman.

[Nagisan]

No, that's not what I meant. People who join achievement_idle servers are acquiring the items in an abnormal way. It's essentially violating an accepted norm. People shouldn't idle around just to find weapons.

People shouldn't be forced to play with less weapon choices than other people either, but they are due to the completely random and broken system they have right now.

[Fid]

People shouldn't be forced to play with less weapon choices than other people either, but they are due to the completely random and broken system they have right now.

I used to play TF2, and recently just started playing again now. Now, I've missed out on all the weapon unlocks and what not, as I hadn't played for months and months. When I could play, it was only for a little while, so didn't have time for achievements.

Was I at a disadvantage when I was playing today/yesterday - no.

Out of my 3 unlocks, I only use the flameburner for my pyro at the moment anyway.

After playing about 5 hours, I've unlocked 3 weapons.

So I think saying "People shouldn't be forced to play with less weapon choices" is a bit moot... I'd have had to play without those weapon choices in the first instance... doing those achievements to get them. Secondly... I can now focus on playing the game and having fun... rather than (oh do 5 of this, 100 of this) to unlock weapons.

I quite like the system, it helps newcomers/those sick of "do this for this.... over and over again" - even more than when using achievements - as it gives the weapons out through game play... and yeah I get a few duplicates, but it would be no fun if you got all the new weapons in one go.

The system is a little flawed, but I quite like it. Much, much, MUCH better than if I had to sit here trying to get achievements - I probably wouldn't bother to be quite honest.

[Nagisan]

So I think saying "People shouldn't be forced to play with less weapon choices" is a bit moot... I'd have had to play without those weapon choices in the first instance... doing those achievements to get them. Secondly... I can now focus on playing the game and having fun... rather than (oh do 5 of this, 100 of this) to unlock weapons.

My point is when they used achievements you could at least get the weapons when/if you wanted to. With the random crap you are at the mercy of luck. Want to get a certain unlock? Too bad.

I quite like the system, it helps newcomers/those sick of "do this for this.... over and over again" - even more than when using achievements - as it gives the weapons out through game play... and yeah I get a few duplicates, but it would be no fun if you got all the new weapons in one go.

So playing for hours on end attempting to get weapons and not getting anything is better than being able to get weapons when you want by doing achievements?

I have nearly 22 hours of gameplay since the update came out...I have 0 new unlocks, and 2 duplicates. I personally rarely play spy or sniper, but I would love to try the new spy watches as they fit how I want to play spy more than the default watch and possibly start playing spy more often. Why haven't I? Simple....I am unable to get the unlocks.

Now, if they used the old achievement system, I would be able to do the achievements and get the watches then start playing around as a spy. But now they are using a random system that has told me (so far) F--- You! You will not try the spy class with the unlocks until Valve fixes the issues!

Basically, they made the random system to attempt to give people weapons without them having to do specific things so the servers dont get flooded with one class for weeks after an update, but instead they are disallowing people to use the new unlocks (and possibly a different class than their norm) because the system refuses to give people unlocks.

[Samn9]

I'd really like to see a currency system, where you get points or coins or whatever for kills, achievements and milestones. Different items could be priced differently, and cosmetic items like hats could have very high prices so you have something to work towards. You would be able to swap and gift items with friends, or just buy them off each other. I think if done right (and simply) it could work really well.

If they do this system then I think they should reduce the size of the inventory thing so you can only carry a more limited number of items (to make trading more interesting and worthwhile), and start everyone from a clean slate - take away everyone's items, so they can make choices over which items they want to work towards rather than everyone going for the same 3 latest additions. At the same time give one or two new weapons for each class. I think it could add an interesting layer to the game.

[Nagisan]

Ok, right at 22 hours of gameplay....Razorback!

Granted I never play sniper (and dont really want to try until I at least get the Huntsman) its the third unlock and first new item I've gotten since the update.

So far for me:

10 hours - Blutsauger (already had)

6 hours (after the first 10) - Natascha

6 hours (after the previous 6) - Razorback

[JoeC]

Well I've just started playing TF2 today, finally decided I should and I've just been messing around on some classes, mostly Spy/Sniper, and I have Natascha and the Kritzkrieg in a couple of hours of not really trying for them. Hopefully I'll get the Spy and Sniper ones soon for actually using :)

Wish you could only get the ones from the class you're currently playing as though.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

People shouldn't be forced to play with less weapon choices than other people either, but they are due to the completely random and broken system they have right now.

That's the thing, people aren't forced. The only items that you can get purely by chance are the new Spy and Sniper unlockables as well as the cosmetic hats. Yes, the system is completely random but for a reason. They don't want people to sit in an achievement server in order to unlock a certain weapon. Unfortunately, the system isn't working as it should and people are frustrated. It sucks but Valve will fix it soon.

My point is when they used achievements you could at least get the weapons when/if you wanted to. With the random crap you are at the mercy of luck. Want to get a certain unlock? Too bad.

That only applies to the new Spy/Sniper weapons and the cosmetic hats. You can unlock the older weapons through achievement milestones. It's certainly better than nothing. Newcomers will benefit from the new system because they could unlock a weapon simply by playing.

So playing for hours on end attempting to get weapons and not getting anything is better than being able to get weapons when you want by doing achievements?

I have nearly 22 hours of gameplay since the update came out...I have 0 new unlocks, and 2 duplicates. I personally rarely play spy or sniper, but I would love to try the new spy watches as they fit how I want to play spy more than the default watch and possibly start playing spy more often. Why haven't I? Simple....I am unable to get the unlocks.

Now, if they used the old achievement system, I would be able to do the achievements and get the watches then start playing around as a spy. But now they are using a random system that has told me (so far) F--- You! You will not try the spy class with the unlocks until Valve fixes the issues!

Basically, they made the random system to attempt to give people weapons without them having to do specific things so the servers dont get flooded with one class for weeks after an update, but instead they are disallowing people to use the new unlocks (and possibly a different class than their norm) because the system refuses to give people unlocks.

The new system is based on chance. If you haven't found a new item, blame probability. It's not like it hates you and wants you to try a class other than Spy. Here's a suggestion: Play the game without expectations. I too was frustrated when I played for 5 hours straight and didn't find anything. After awhile, I didn't give a damn anymore. I played some more and finally found something I liked. I was happy to finally find something; however, I wasn't disappointed for not finding something. It's a win-win situation. Expect nothing, but gain something.

All in all, Valve wants weapon to be common and hats to be rare. Chances are you'll find the new Spy watches once Valve fixes the system. The question is, when will they release an another update?

[kylejn]

Well, I played for another 6 hours yesterday and today and haven't gotten any more unlocks, even though I see tons of other people getting unlocks. Guess I'm just unlucky.

[Aero_Rising]

I think the people not getting them are just unlucky i'm thinking it's something like you have a chance every half hour. What they really need to do is not have it give you duplicates until you have all the current weapons that would keep hats rare and weapons still common but allow you to get weapons easier when they come out if you have the rest already.

[Nagisan]

The new system is based on chance. If you haven't found a new item, blame probability. It's not like it hates you and wants you to try a class other than Spy. Here's a suggestion: Play the game without expectations. I too was frustrated when I played for 5 hours straight and didn't find anything. After awhile, I didn't give a damn anymore. I played some more and finally found something I liked. I was happy to finally find something; however, I wasn't disappointed for not finding something. It's a win-win situation. Expect nothing, but gain something.

All in all, Valve wants weapon to be common and hats to be rare. Chances are you'll find the new Spy watches once Valve fixes the system. The question is, when will they release an another update?

The problem for me is I took a small break from TF2 shortly before the update (before it was announced, that is)......since the announcement of the update and during the update itself the main reason I have been playing is to get the new unlocks to try them out. If it wasnt for the update I likely would be playing maybe an hour a day (as opposed to 3-4 hours a day). If I were to not give a damn about finding the new weapons, I would likely not play very often at all and it would take me weeks if not months to find anything that would get me more interested in the game.

They added the random system to get people to play the game more....with achievements you could get all the unlocks in a half hour, then go play the game, get bored and stop playing for awhile....with unlocks you are forced to play the game (or at the least, idle in achievement_idle servers) for hours on end just to try the new unlocks. They took a system that people could use to quickly get unlocks that you want and possibly not play the game as long, or have fun with the new unlocks and play even more, and turned it into a system that forces a person to play the game for long amounts of time to get any kind of unlock including those you don't want and possibly cause you to give up trying out of sheer boredom.

[jonhapimp]

i hate reserve spots

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

The problem for me is I took a small break from TF2 shortly before the update (before it was announced, that is)......since the announcement of the update and during the update itself the main reason I have been playing is to get the new unlocks to try them out. If it wasnt for the update I likely would be playing maybe an hour a day (as opposed to 3-4 hours a day). If I were to not give a damn about finding the new weapons, I would likely not play very often at all and it would take me weeks if not months to find anything that would get me more interested in the game.

They added the random system to get people to play the game more....with achievements you could get all the unlocks in a half hour, then go play the game, get bored and stop playing for awhile....with unlocks you are forced to play the game (or at the least, idle in achievement_idle servers) for hours on end just to try the new unlocks. They took a system that people could use to quickly get unlocks that you want and possibly not play the game as long, or have fun with the new unlocks and play even more, and turned it into a system that forces a person to play the game for long amounts of time to get any kind of unlock including those you don't want and possibly cause you to give up trying out of sheer boredom.

That's the unfortunate thing. People that play Team Fortress 2 to unlock new weapons get frustrated easily. I don't blame them though. Granted, it's an incentive for people to play (especially those that get bored easily). However, a lot of people play for fun. I mean, it's new content and it makes the game more interesting but the game itself is still fun. I think it's unfair that Valve made this new system a little too random. In a sense, it is forcing players to play but that's only because those players want the new items. People that play the game for fun, like me, are pleasantly surprised when we find new items. I used to play hours on end, hoping to find a new item. It became frustrating when I'd play for X hours and not find a single item. By the way, when I said I didn't give a damn anymore I was referring to finding items.

Anyway, wait until Valve releases an update to fix the currently broken system. I'm sure they'll make the weapons more common. I've come across a few too many players who haven't found a single item yet despite investing lots of time in the game. And I've come across even more with duplicate items. Simply put, Valve has to fix this issue. It's frustrating too many players. If they don't, then we're going to see a rise in the popularity of achievement_idle servers. Also, the new trading system should allow you to acquire an item of your choice. I'm sure there's someone out there with 5 Jarates or 3 Ambassadors.

All in all, I strongly suggest playing the game without any expectations. You'll be happy once you find an item and you won't be disappointed for not finding one. It's working great for me.

[Chanser]

Valve is torturing me, getting duplicates all the time now. :(

[vertigosity]

The new unlocking system isn't only for the sniper and spy unlockables, I've gotten all three scout unlocks (which I didn't have before), and a dupe of a medic unlock I already had.