Team Fortress 2

[Blacklightning]

Unless you're fucking Kung Lao, I don't see why it even matters. If Valve had arbitarily decided to remove usable items from thousands of players at once, sure, I could understand people being a little bit pissed off. But hats? They are a decoration, nothing more. If you're really that concerned about your self-image maybe you should work towards losing some weight first. =D

[Solly]

Unless you're fucking Kung Lao, I don't see why it even matters. If Valve had arbitarily decided to remove usable items from thousands of players at once, sure, I could understand people being a little bit pissed off. But hats? They are a decoration, nothing more. If you're really that concerned about your self-image maybe you should work towards losing some weight first. =D

Hats are the ultimate status symbol.

Seriously though, as it's been said more than once, it's not the hats that people are really pissed about. It's Valve's reaction in general to something that, I feel, the good majority of idlers thought was okay. There were other ways- better ways to go about doing it. I lost 4/5 of my hats, and I couldn't give a shit. That's not what bugs me.

The "cheaters" were criminalized and crucified out of nowhere, when earlier Valve had seemed pretty indifferent to everything, even joking about it(Gabe jokingly said that he idled). Why couldn't they just have contacted Drunken Fool, the idler's creator from the very beginning? Why did they have to make the Cheater's Lament, just to give several thousand people who didn't even know what the idle program was a condescending attitude towards us alleged "hat hackers"? Moreover, they're treating anyone who didn't idle like people who "took the moral high-road" when as I've said, most didn't even know what it was, and the ones who did didn't avoid it because they had moral qualms with it.

They lit the fuse for a war in the community. They could've prevented the mayhem, and backlash by reacting earlier, and just deleting our hats then, but instead it seems as if they almost WANTED the shitstorm that they've created.

That's why people are mad. It isn't about hats for most of them, so saying "they're just hats" is irrelevant at this point.

Edited September 4, 2009 by The Soldier

[Urtheart]

And all this stuff says to me is people value status and virtual material objects over the gameplay itself.

I can certainly understand the weapons as they affect gameplay, but if the hats are that important to you, you are playing the game for the wrong reason, in my opinion only of course.

Remind me never to sign up to the TF2 forums.

EDIT: Are you sure Valve didn't want this shitstorm? Maybe they are trying to make a statement, to a certain extent it kinda seems like they planned this all along when the hats were introduced with the random drop system.

[Solly]

And all this stuff says to me is people value status and virtual material objects over the gameplay itself.

Oh, that's not the case at all. Everyone values the gameplay more, but people are only concerning themselves with the hats for two reasons.

1. They're neat.

2. Most players already have all of the items they want.

Believe me, a class update or gameplay tweak is always bigger news than a set of hats. People acknowledge them as decorations and nothing more.

The point of the idler program though is that it was extremely low profile, simple, and straightforward. Since nobody really knew that it was against the rules and unwanted at the time, there was no real reason for them to NOT run it as long as they wanted a hat and their computer would be on anyway. It's just something people turned on when they weren't using Steam for anything else, and it was convenient, so I don't know why I always see people acting like the idlers are freakshows who are obsessed with virtual hats.

The idler wasn't a substitute for playing the game. It was just something that people turned on when they weren't playing.

As for whether or not Valve wanted the shitstorm I can't say, but they shouldn't have created it as it is. They should have been clear that they didn't want it, and shut it down from the beginning.

[Tiller]

^ See you actually have a very valid point. I was worked up at the chaos that was the Steam forums. The whole halo hate bandwagon and discrimination on both sides over a retarded item.

On a lighthearted note, it's my theory that Valve did act in a quickly manner. Everyone seems to forget that a few weeks = months in Valve time.

[pooshoes]

This isn't also the first time Valve have had a major fuck up.

Anyone else remember the dynamic pricing fiasco in CS a few years back?

[Blacklightning]

So, wait a minute.

There are people out there that went through a method of obtaining hats that didn't even require you to play the game... and somehow expected it not to come off as cheating?

Incidentally, I feel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05SctgtCfyAmay help put things into perspective here. XD

[bolt7]

So, wait a minute.

There are people out there that went through a method of obtaining hats that didn't even require you to play the game... and somehow expected it not to come off as cheating?

Incidentally, I feel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05SctgtCfyAmay help put things into perspective here. XD

Like Chris, I wouldn't have done it if I knew Valve would panellise people like this. I've never done anything like this with a game before in my life, but it intrigued me to see how it worked to say the least. As far as I'm concerned it doesn't give players an in-game advantage so whatever.

It is funny that those people that play TF2 on a regular basis are the ones getting in trouble though like mentioned before- I know most of my friends who play TF2 for at least 10 hours or so a week were idling because they were sick of getting the same bloody weapons over and over again like me and wanted something new. Another friend of mine who just got TF2 a week ago has the Halo and he's pretty much shoving it in everyone's face. It was annoying to see people joining the server and five minutes later getting a hat, I remember one guy got the spies Fedora after ten minutes or so when we'd been in the server 3 hours.

Quite frankly, I'd be a bit pissed off even if I hadn't 'cheated' now. The Halo looks rubbish and I would've liked it loads more if they'd given players an existing hat for their most played class or something. That and the people that didn't get a Halo are talking about not healing players wearing it and what-not. Not having hats doesn't really bother me much either, for it is the CAMERA BEARD I am after! Screw the halos. XD

Edited September 4, 2009 by bolt7

[Chris]

Like Chris, I wouldn't have done it if I knew Valve would panellise people like this. I've never done anything like this with a game before in my life, but it intrigued me to see how it worked to say the least. As far as I'm concerned it doesn't give players an in-game advantage so whatever.

Valve's perspective has always been that if it doesn't give you an ingame advantage over another player, it's fair game; the idler program manipulated a design feature of the Steam API that allows other programs to utilize it - which can be considered a design flaw or security hole in a sense.

Hats or not, what bothers me is my account being flagged when I had no benefit from the idler whatsoever. The whole hat issue is silly when you think about it, and the halos are just causing a tear in the community with this "no heals for halos" (and vice versa) business.

Truth be told, there are a few hats I want - but that's with everybody. It's an option to customize your character, and an extra to have. At the end of the day though, I don't mind having no hats. It's when Valve or another user constantly throws it at me that I get a bit annoyed, hence what sparked using the idling program (that and it really didn't seem immoral or detectable at the time).

[Solly]

So, wait a minute.

There are people out there that went through a method of obtaining hats that didn't even require you to play the game... and somehow expected it not to come off as cheating?

Incidentally, I feel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05SctgtCfyAmay help put things into perspective here. XD

Well, to put things into perspective, an "idle server" doesn't require you to "play" the game either.

That's not against any rules, and since the idle server isn't then the idle program was presumed to be okay in-part because it's just a substitute for....THAT.

Also what Chris and Bolt said.

[bolt7]

Well, to put things into perspective, an "idle server" doesn't require you to "play" the game either.

That's not against any rules, and since the idle server isn't then the idle program was presumed to be okay in-part because it's just a substitute for....THAT.

Also what Chris and Bolt said.

Hahaha, that video was amazing, thank you sir! Seeing stuff like that just makes me want to go in and set everyone on fire despite actually idling before myself. I've never gone into a server like that though- is that what the 3rd party idle software does? Stick you in a server like that until you unlock stuff? See, I don't even know and yet I am a big smelly cheater!

Still, forget unlocking hats and drops, the most fun I've had out of Team Fortress 2 is selecting the Spy class in either Gold Rush or Dustbowl, disguising as an enemy heavy and running up to their gates yelling 'Daa da daaa, daaaaa' then cloaking just before the countdown ends. XD I dunno why, just get a kick out of that.

Edited September 4, 2009 by bolt7

[Saint Nathan]

Part of me died when I read this. What are you on about? Should i not listen to you bitching about people wearing halos, does not wearing a halo make me cool!? I'm so conflicted

You don't have to listen to me bitching about bitches bitching about hats.

But the cool people used the idler.

And yes, you are conflicted.

[Remy]

But the cool people used the idler.

the cool people don't give a fuck about whhether you get a hat or not.

[Solid SOAP]

To be honest I think most of the hats are ugly, I saw my friend playing TF2-PC and I just like everyone's normal headwear better.

[BlueFox]

To be honest I think most of the hats are ugly, I saw my friend playing TF2-PC and I just like everyone's normal headwear better.

Some of the hats are nice little visual things, however, some of the hats look quite odd and out of place. If I'm honest, on some characters the Halo looks like crap.

[Solly]

[quote name='Br

[Saint Nathan]

[quote name='Br

[Remy]

Either way though, this has comepletly put me off the PC version, just with the idiots that are Valve fanboys. I mean, Xbox Lievers are horrible too, but they don't kick you from a game for not having a hat. : |

What the fuck? Does this shit even happen? do you just pulls these ideas out your ass? If that shit happened on PC I'd just go play on a server that isn't populated by wankers

@ at your second thing: what would be the point of taking hats out, no one has them anyway.

hat's have no bearing on gameplay, why are they a problem?

Oh right, they're not, unless you happen to be some kind of self centered dickwad more obsessed over how you look rather then playing the game itself. it which case, screw you, I hope you get butthurt.

this whole hat thing is being blown completely out of proportion... hat's weren't even the best thing about this update, KoTH totally is!

[Chris]

Either way though, this has comepletly put me off the PC version, just with the idiots that are Valve fanboys. I mean, Xbox Lievers are horrible too, but they don't kick you from a game for not having a hat. : |

Then you go play on a server that isn't full of people who are so far up their own ass that they believe their shit doesn't stink. There are tons of TF2 servers available for PC because it's designed well and updated - it's not worth your time to even attempt to compare it to the 360 version. It's a completely different entity now because of the updates.

[Urtheart]

I've been kicked from one game for having the Halo hat on my soldier, definitly happens, just means they are wankers basically.

Tbh the only reason I still prefer the Xbox version is because I enjoy playing with my mates and they all own 360 versions, nuff said.

[Solly]

I've been kicked from one game for having the Halo hat on my soldier, definitly happens, just means they are wankers basically.

Damn, that sucks. Be sure not to go back to that server then. I have to say, while I think the idler's frustration with Valve is justified, the way some of them seem to be retaliating is ridiculous. Although it does go the other way too. Some people are being kicked from servers for not owning halos.

I couldn't imagine myself playing the 360 version, probably because of the amount of content the PC version has over it. That, and keyboard/mouse controls.

[Remy]

I have to say, while I think the idler's frustration with Valve is justified,

but it's not like the idler's actually lost anything gained by real effort, all they did is idle. :0

[Solly]

[quote name='Br

[Remy]

So the frustration is from the random drop system then?

How else does one suggest we obtain these hats?

[Solly]

[quote name='Br