Sunday, October 4, 2009

How Do You Think The Update Changed The Game?

With almost 200 people voting on five different options, you would think that some sort of discernible consensus could be reached. Unfortunately, the finale of the last poll I initiated put me in a two month spot of writer's block.

You see, since I view myself as a responsible, organized site manager (with, like Valve, punctuality being at the bottom of my list of admirable qualities), I couldn't bring myself to just ignore the poll. Therefore, I had to mention it in a post.

Poll Results
  • The game is worse. 47 votes (25%)
  • The game is the same. 43 votes (22%)
  • The game is better. 42 votes (22%)
  • The game is much better. 29 votes (15%)
  • The game is much worse. 27 votes (14%)

My readers, you will not be entirely blamed, because I also cannot decide how I feel about what happened. When I thought long ago about simple changes to the game, more options did not seem like they could hurt anyone. But look what happened!

Obviously, the ability to turn off Critical Hits and Random Damage Spread is a harmless option that greatly assisted fair competitive play but Class Limits screws everyone over once in a while!

For a detailed description of how to cope with class rushes, you can view my most-widely quoted article, but if you have already read it, just remember to avoid Engineer Rushes like the Black Plague.

The rushes I mentioned above are relatively harmless compared to the restrictive (and disturbingly common) trend among some hosts of blocking access to just one or two classes. As the self-proclaimed generator of the last patch, I feel it is my duty to both apologize, and, more constructively, suggest a solution.

As you know if you are reading this, the current build of Team Fortress 2 on the Xbox 360 allows hosts to toggle Critical Hits and Random Damage Spread, as well as set individual class limits on all class limits with the options 0,1,2,3,4,5, and Unlimited.

I think that a different set of options would be more suitable and more fair. If I could have had my way, Valve would have released a patch with the option to toggle Critical Hits (Random Damage Spread is toggled alongside this instead of two different options) and the ability to set individual class limits with the selection of 1,2,3, Unlimited, and Rush.


Here, have a picture so you don't get bored.

The revised options I suggest create an optimum balance between fun and fair, while also considering confused beginner hosts who have no idea what Random Damage Spread is because it doesn't present itself in GIANT GREEN LETTERS.

Next up, readers, I have to announce a momentous discovery I made a while back that I must thank you all for (because I think you had something to do with it.) But first, you must activate Google.

Is Google loaded? Good. Now, search "team fortress 2 xbox" or just "tf2 xbox." Are the resulsts in? Scroll down, scroll down. There!

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, pat yourselves on the back for coming to this website a load of times. Fun fact: type "Neal Kenneth" and autocomplete says "Neal Kenneth tf2" before "Neal Kenneth w md." Translation: I am more popular than a doctor in Virginia.

That's all about Team Fortress 2 for today! If you want to read something cool, check out this incomplete work I have written in anticipation of Left 4 Dead 2!