I'm quite sure that the experience on many more community servers has given poorer experience than the number of Valve servers for any given region. Take Nightteam for instance, let alone any other server with donation perks such as immunity to auto-balance. Not that Valve servers don't have their share of teamstacking. It's also important to remember that many servers run on a 24/7 same-map rotation designed for players to switch to another server when they grow tired from a map. That's really inefficient for those with many different servers managed that way, as you can see many of them being empty. In fact, hundreds of Community servers have been empty before this quickplay change, but Valve servers only had a few empty during high-time.
We could always assume that Community servers are in the vast majority of servers, thus also have most of the, completely subjective concept of 'poor quality'. We could also assume that new players want the actual default experience of the game instead of a very specific method of play. When I first started playing I had no idea which server to join, with the massive list of servers with different maps and tags. I wasn't aware that when I decided to pick a Lotusclan, that I would be unaware that I couldn't 'really' pick my team when autobalance came around, because it most definitely autobalances more frequently than Valve servers' system. While I do understand that's it intention, to prevent stacking, this feature is definitely present in most Community servers with normal maps, greatly limiting any real variety. Community servers have only served the community with custom maps and gamemode that Valve doesn't host. People come or came to play the game, in general. I doubt that anyone new at all cares about any particular community or which server to play as long as they get to play it. "AND those of us who didn't try to turn TF2 into a money machine" A lot of people seem to think that somehow more hats means less fun, and no new weapons or maps in a year means the game is dead, but TF2 is still one of the most played games on Steam. On 6/1/14, Alexander Corn <[email protected]> wrote: > I agree entirely with everything that has been said. > > Simply put, the player experience on "official" servers is a joke. The term > "official server" implies some standard of quality since after all, it's an > *official* server. > > In reality, the experience is subpar, even borderline terrible. Valve > hardware is overloaded to the point of hilarity. If I didn't get loot from > Mann Up mode, I wouldn't dream of paying $1 per game for servers that can't > keep up with the game. Valve PvP servers aren't much better. > > Lack of moderation makes the player experience dreadful in many cases. > Cheaters have free reign on Valve servers since even when a votekick is > started against them (note that many inexperienced players do not know how > to start such votes), they can simply rejoin the server and continue > cheating. Even when eventually kicked, they can simply join another > "official" server and start over again. Lack of moderation is to blame. > > > Dr. McKay > www.doctormckay.com > > > On Fri, May 30, 2014 at 5:31 PM, E. Olsen <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Let's not go the way of throwing out insults towards the TF2 team. >> There's >> no doubt that - while certainly a mistake - they initially made the >> change >> to get rid of the nefarious server operators that were both screwing it >> up >> for the players AND those of us who didn't try to turn TF2 into a money >> machine. I think their hearts were in the right place, but they simply >> failed to think the change all the way through. >> >> Having said that, I DO hope they take into account that while a couple >> dozen people on their SPUF forums might be glad to play on Vavlve servers >> only, for every successful legit server operators that wants this change >> reversed, we are probably speaking for hundreds if not thousands of >> server >> regulars that will most likely walk away from TF2 soon if their servers >> keep getting choked off this way. >> >> The fact of the matter is, with the options they added to the quickplay >> system, there is no longer any reason for freezing us out this way. The >> players that complained the loudest about hating community servers now >> have >> the option to pick the "offiicial servers only" button. >> >> With that in mind, why on earth would you keep it as the "default" option >> any longer? Why actively eliminate access to diversity, custom mapping, >> the >> replay system (which only community servers support) and any new >> community-driven innovation in the game? Why keep a change that is >> actually >> decreasing the skill level and emphasis on teamwork for a game that was >> both known for AND built on it? >> >> I struggle to find a single upside in allowing official servers to >> continue to be the "default" option. The only thing being accomplished is >> the utter decimation of diversity and long-term player retention. >> >> Brings us in from the cold, Valve. >> >> >> On Fri, May 30, 2014 at 5:13 PM, Robert Paulson <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> Is anyone left at Valve humble enough to admit a mistake? Not only do >>> community servers provide more value, but this is also a massive >>> betrayal >>> of what TF2 originally was. When I bought the game, I did not expect >>> community servers to be segregated and much more difficult to find. >>> >>> Where is the original TF2 team that was smart enough not to keep "custom >>> tabs"? >>> >>> Emulating CS:GO and DOTA2's lobby system is not going to magically make >>> TF2 more popular. If you are not going to copy their update speed, >>> screwing >>> community servers will make things worse. To the person behind this >>> change, >>> how do you like the drop in players it is causing? >>> >>> >>> http://www.steamgraph.net/index.php?action=graph&jstime=1&appid=440&from=1383289200000&to=End+Time >>> >>> Every day this policy remains in place more servers that took years of >>> seeding, prizes, and moderation get killed off, maybe even permanently >>> given how old TF2 is. >>> >>> Anyone that is interested in seeing something done about this, you >>> should >>> probably also email them directly as there has been no response here. >>> http://www.valvesoftware.com/email.php >>> >>> >>> >>> On Fri, May 30, 2014 at 1:01 PM, Paul <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> I agree. TF2 has dramatically lost my vote since the changes to >>>> Quickplay and the lack of response or update from Valve regarding any >>>> future changes to it. In my own opinion they seem quite careless of the >>>> matter and to those who spent years hosting genuine servers for little >>>> to >>>> nothing in return. It's as if Valve wants the game to end up eventually >>>> being a ghost town (which it will if nothing changes). >>>> >>>> My own experience on the Valve official servers is negative, ranging >>>> from lack of moderation to the connection quality in comparison with >>>> similar community servers. >>>> >>>> Please, Valve, show us a sign that you really do care about the future >>>> of Team Fortress 2 (and other Valve games, because one bad game will >>>> most >>>> likely put newcomers off from trying any other game title by the same >>>> company). and make a statement for crying out loud! Thanks. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On 30 May 2014 20:54, ics <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> I can tell you about the status of community servers regarding >>>>> quickplay - it's really sad to see it in the state as it is now. I lost >>>>> my >>>>> interest to TF2 back in january or so due to this quickplay change and >>>>> i'm >>>>> _this close_ to lose my interest completely. I feel abandoned as a >>>>> person >>>>> who rans servers for free and doesn't tease the players with any crap >>>>> and >>>>> propably i'm not alone. I can spend the 152€ a month to something >>>>> quite >>>>> else instead of doing what i do now. >>>>> >>>>> Current status has gone from normal to bad. As a company, it really >>>>> would suck to lose people like me who have been around nearly 10 >>>>> years, >>>>> helping your games to grow by hosting servers and providing players a >>>>> place >>>>> to stay, enjoy the game and on the side have a good feeling about the >>>>> thing >>>>> i do. >>>>> >>>>> Don't prove everyone right that it's better way to throw money at >>>>> servers and host everything yourself. Because that is the way Valve is >>>>> right now going for, isn't it? It will help on short term but not for >>>>> long >>>>> term, and Valve games tend to have lifespan of years but i doubht that >>>>> with >>>>> current rate there will be too many communities left if you don't >>>>> support >>>>> them in any way. >>>>> >>>>> Thanks. >>>>> >>>>> -ics >>>>> >>>>> Jason Tango kirjoitti: >>>>> >>>>>> Dear TF2 team, >>>>>> >>>>>> Would it be possible for you to communicate a status as to if/when >>>>>> the >>>>>> quickplay changes you made four months ago will be reverted to allow >>>>>> all >>>>>> community servers to be included in quickplay again by default? >>>>>> >>>>>> Fletcher Dunn had stated when this change was made that it would be >>>>>> temporary, yet four months later as community server after community >>>>>> server >>>>>> dies out, we've had zero communication on the subject from the TF2 >>>>>> team. >>>>>> >>>>>> Why are you no longer talking to server operators? >>>>>> >>>>>> Please, guys - communicate to the server community that has supported >>>>>> the game for so many years. If this is going to be the "default" >>>>>> quickplay >>>>>> configuration from now on, at least let us know so we can start >>>>>> shutting >>>>>> off servers as opposed to continuing to pay for hardware in the hopes >>>>>> that >>>>>> we'll be treated fairly again. We're hanging on here and financially >>>>>> supporting servers in the hopes that we'll be able to fill them again >>>>>> someday soon, but if there's no more hope left for us, at least let us >>>>>> know. >>>>>> >>>>>> Thank you. >>>>>> >>>>>> - JT >>>>>> >>>>>> P.S. If I could express to you the extreme sense of hopelessness you >>>>>> are imposing on the good communities that have built themselves around >>>>>> TF2, >>>>>> I would. We love this game, and we see the "culture" that so attracted >>>>>> us >>>>>> to it for all these years slipping away. Please consider the harm >>>>>> you're >>>>>> doing to the "good" communities out there but effectively diverting >>>>>> half of >>>>>> the player traffic away from even finding us. Spending years building >>>>>> a >>>>>> community only to have the rug pulled out from under us has depressed >>>>>> some >>>>>> of our members so much that they've walked away from the game all >>>>>> together. >>>>>> These are long-term TF2 players who - if they can't play on the >>>>>> community >>>>>> servers they helped build - are not going to play anymore at all. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>> To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list >>>>>> archives, >>>>>> please visit: >>>>>> https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, >>>>> please visit: >>>>> https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, >>>> please visit: >>>> https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds >>>> >>>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, >>> please visit: >>> https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds >>> >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, >> please visit: >> https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds >> >> > _______________________________________________ To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, please visit: https://list.valvesoftware.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hlds
