> Further - if Valve wanted to get rid of those horrendous MOTD ads (and I wish to hell they would), they could easily do it by disabling flash/javascript/html5 from functioning in the in-game web browser (which would have probably fixed the problem almost entirely).
This is still not an ideal solution. Plenty of community servers rely on the MOTD and features such as JavaScript and Flash (mostly for audio streams, but many are switching to HTML5 audio elements) for their custom features. Removing those features is still removing features that have existed for a very long time due to the abusive tendencies of a few. Those that are abusive should be dealt with. There is no reason why everyone should suffer in order to punish a few. It goes back to grade school gym class. Weren't you pissed when the teacher/coach made everyone run laps or whatever because 3-4 kids wouldn't stop talking? That's how we're being treated now. I could live with the default Valve-only option if it were more obvious how to switch it. When the player first starts up TF2, they're shown popups directing them to the store, showing them how the backpack works, etc. Ironically, these popups really only cover the item system, which most can agree comes second to actual gameplay. There's no coaching regarding how to actually join a game. Display a balloon that points to the Quickplay button and says something like, "Click here to be quickly matched into a game based on gamemode" and one that points to the servers button and says something like, "Click here to fine-tune your desired game settings". Also show a balloon in the Quickplay dialog that points to the settings button (which isn't exactly immediately apparent as being clickable) and also a dialog that explains the difference between official and community servers. "Official servers offer an unmodified and uncustomized experience." "Community servers typically offer better moderation, some minor gameplay modifications, and a greater sense of community." Dr. McKay www.doctormckay.com On Mon, Jun 2, 2014 at 5:45 PM, E. Olsen <[email protected]> wrote: > Perhaps it's time to examine the possibility that Valve is very >> purposefully forcing community run servers into the minority because >> they're straight tired of having to play code-counter-code withe people >> like the fuckjobs who programmed plugins to force ads down players throats >> and other like-minded stains. > > > I guess I would consider that a valid argument if it wasn't Valve who had > enabled the "ad farms" in the first place. Those things were never a > problem before quickplay came along, because those kinds of servers would > never get favorited to see a return visitor. The Pinion-supported folks > were only enabled by quickplay, plain and simple - which is why when Pinion > came on the scene shortly after quickplay came along, you had these guys go > from a dozen or so servers to 100+ just to farm ad impressions. > > > Further - if Valve wanted to get rid of those horrendous MOTD ads (and I > wish to hell they would), they could easily do it by disabling > flash/javascript/html5 from functioning in the in-game web browser (which > would have probably fixed the problem almost entirely). If they did that, > and just quietly dropped any of the "premium" servers from quickplay, they > would have knocked out all but the most determined black-hat folks, and > those can always be dealt with. > > > > > On Mon, Jun 2, 2014 at 5:14 PM, Eli Witt <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Replied to the last message, I'll post this here too. >> >> Well, we know from experience just how good Valve is at keeping a lid on >> things (case in point HL3) so I doubt they're going to acknowledge this in >> any way unless they see fit to, not because we're disgruntled and asking >> for information. >> >> And for what it's worth, everyone (who's opinion on this list is worth a >> damn) has thrown out the point that "we're the ones providing the servers >> for Valve, we're the ones who give their players a place to play etc etc" - >> but what I think is going unnoticed here is the fact that Valve is >> obviously taking steps (and increasingly larger ones) to nullify that >> argument in it's entirety. >> >> Perhaps it's time to examine the possibility that Valve is very >> purposefully forcing community run servers into the minority because >> they're straight tired of having to play code-counter-code withe people >> like the fuckjobs who programmed plugins to force ads down players throats >> and other like-minded stains. >> >> We've got the binaries on both ends, and Valve knows this. It's virtually >> impossible to stop people from being fuckjobs with access to both binaries, >> so let [Valve] just diminish the footprint the fuckjobs get access by about >> 90% by forcing people into the servers we can afford to run now that we've >> monetized TF2. >> >> If I was Valve and I made this decision, I wouldn't give a piss whether >> people who run servers are upset by this or threaten to pull their servers >> offline because of this decision, because that's the direction I wanted to >> force you in anyway. >> >> Just a thought. >> >> >> On Mon, Jun 2, 2014 at 4:47 PM, Robert Paulson <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> Making a new thread because replies are being blocked with "Message body >>> is too big: 41090 bytes with a limit of 40 KB". >>> >>> Complaints here have historically gone ignored but it doesn't mean it is >>> a bad idea to keep the issue in the spotlight here as well. >>> >>> Just make sure you also contact Valve directly. >>> http://valvesoftware.com/email.php >>> Some people say Fletcher is in charge of TF2 now so email him too. >>> >>> We're really past the point in asking Valve for an "answer". The answer >>> is probably the same as before: a handful of servers ruined the experience >>> for a few new players and some lazy players who couldn't be bothered to >>> type valve in the tags. >>> >>> So they threw in some useless features like quickpick and released >>> server migrations at the same time to shut you up before you realize your >>> community was also going to get screwed so there would be no huge public >>> outrage. >>> >>> What needs to be done now is to get someone at Valve to realize that >>> this change did more harm than good and there is evidence to prove it. >>> >>> Any other argument we bring up they will consider it biased because we >>> host servers and somehow that means we don't care about players. >>> >>> Ever since the change, global TF2 player counts have steadily been >>> dropping. Peaks have dipped from 82k to 71k, a 15% loss. And summer >>> vacation has already started as you can see from the weekday player counts. >>> >>> >>> http://www.steamgraph.net/index.php?action=graph&jstime=1&appid=440&from=1388563200000&to=End+Time >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> 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 > >
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