OCR TF2: New Server forthcoming - new server IPs and other stuff

[Brycepops]

I idled my ass off during the sniper/spy update for days at a time, and still got the halo. Thanks valve

I ran it every so often and haven't gotten flagged. Do you get it right away or what :/

[Black Waltz]

nooooes my yellow headband.

[ThndrShk2k]

Did you use a third party program?

I did Acheivement_Idle during the same updates and still got the halo, but I had the game running then.

Perhaps they flagged accounts with the past update and decided to do another one that removes the items. Who knows. I've heard people who had their legit items removed as well.

Which made me worry enough to log in to make sure I got the halo and my medal was still there.

[Black Waltz]

Did you use a third party program?

I did Acheivement_Idle during the same updates and still got the halo, but I had the game running then.

Perhaps they flagged accounts with the past update and decided to do another one that removes the items. Who knows. I've heard people who had their legit items removed as well.

Which made me worry enough to log in to make sure I got the halo and my medal was still there.

I used Druken F00l's idling program, so they caught me.

[Powerlord]

Here's the best part: The Cheater's Lament hat doesn't take up a spot in your inventory: Powerlord's inventory

[ThndrShk2k]

Here's the best part: The Cheater's Lament hat doesn't take up a spot in your inventory: Powerlord's inventory

How did you do that?

also: Fishbus' Inventory <-- They apparently gave out a bunch of community items today too. Fishbus got a wrench.

[Powerlord]

How did you do that?

also: Fishbus' Inventory <-- They apparently gave out a bunch of community items today too. Fishbus got a wrench.

I dunno... I equipped it on all my characters prior to opening my backpack to finally go clean it out.

Turns out I had like 4 Kritzkriegs.

Also, anyone know what the new (higher) drop-rate is for hats?

[BardicKnowledge]

Does that wrench do anything special, or just look neat?

[Powerlord]

Does that wrench do anything special, or just look neat?

No idea, but I noticed that Valve employees also have special items, with purple names.

Edit: lol, another one of my friends has a Level 100 Cheat Detector in his inventory too. Apparently that's there until you launch the game after getting the Cheater's Lament.

[Brycepops]

I used Druken F00l's idling program, so they caught me.

So did I, and...nothing. I guess I'm stuck in "purgatory" ¬_¬ No halo, still have everything, no horns.

[Powerlord]

How did you do that?

Oh, apparently as soon as I joined a server then died, it moved it to my inventory.

[FlagshipAmadeus]

soldiers wearing the halo look nice

[atmuh]

Oh, apparently as soon as I joined a server then died, it moved it to my inventory.

cool so ill load up my brother's account to get me a halo even though i idled on mine once we can trade stuff same with a few other friends that i know own the game but never play it

but yeah the whole concept behind giving the people that never idled halos and whatnot is pretty stupid i gotta say

i mean ok some people dont have school or jobs or whatever and can play tf2 a lot more which increases their chance of getting a hat so whats wrong with other people that have more busy lives doing the same thing

i could have sat in an achievement_idle server this entire time and it would have done exactly the same thing as the program and valve would have no problem with that so whats the difference seriously

valve more or less rewarding, at least to some degree, the people without lives

[Clefairy]

So did I, and...nothing. I guess I'm stuck in "purgatory" ¬_¬ No halo, still have everything, no horns.

This is my situation, minus the idling. Neutrality suits me, so I'm not too fussed.

We took a crack at koth_lighthouse tonight; much, much better than oilfield. It's a rework of a custom arena map I used to play on another server, and it's looking pretty good. ZUZ ruined the teams with their usual antics, but that's hardly the map's fault.

[A Random Tiger]

I think its funny how everyone who doesn't like this is blaming Valve for causing the idling.

That's pretty much what it comes down to.

"broken drop system"

The idea is they were supposed to be rare.

That means they're not going to hand out hats to everyone who wants one

The drop system makes them rare.

I don't see anything broken there.

Saying people who play more and have no lives are rewarded is kind of funny too.

You would think the people who go out and use a program outside of their game in order to try and get a rare item in the game would have less of a life.

Maybe that's just me though.

The people who play the game a lot would have, and SHOULD have a better chance of getting the items.

That's pretty much how it works in all games that have rare drops.

[Vivi22]

but yeah the whole concept behind giving the people that never idled halos and whatnot is pretty stupid i gotta say

i mean ok some people dont have school or jobs or whatever and can play tf2 a lot more which increases their chance of getting a hat so whats wrong with other people that have more busy lives doing the same thing

i could have sat in an achievement_idle server this entire time and it would have done exactly the same thing as the program and valve would have no problem with that so whats the difference seriously

The difference is that not only are you not even playing the game to get something, you don't even have it open. The whole idea of the hats is to encourage people to play, but idle programs reward you for doing the exact opposite. I'm not saying I agree with the drop system at all, but I also don't agree with people being rewarded by circumventing it. If you want it changed, then keep harassing Valve to actually add the features that might make the system tolerable. You know, things like trading or crafting items into other items. The things they should have had in place before item drops was ever implemented.

valve more or less rewarding, at least to some degree, the people without lives

Actually I'd say it's the opposite to some extent in regards to the halo; the people who have lives and don't measure their self worth with funny hats obtained in an online game are being rewarded. Not that the hats aren't cool, but seriously, if I get them I get them. If I don't then I'm not going to be arsed to find whatever way I can to cheat the system and get some.

And if you're referring to the regular hats, then gee, I wonder why Valve would reward people who actually play their game? I know it boggles my mind trying to figure out the reasoning behind such a move.

[Secret Agent Man]

If the ability to craft duplicate items into wanted items comes around, then I'll start holding on to the duplicates I receive then.

As for the whole hat mess... Well, I never used the idle program, as I held at the same level as achievement servers. I didn't like the idea of having to get achievements, but I didn't try to circumvent the system either.

[EdgeCrusher]

I only idled for weapons, cause that changes the gameplay. Hats, I could care less about it, cause its cosmetic. People bitching about how they have to idle for hats are the retarded bunch that seem to think that they have to have a hat to play a game, like it increases their chances.

[Brushfire]

Valve has stated that weapons that were taken away, and that you have the achievements for, will be given baxk. So I am no konger mad at Valve for taking my Sandvich. The anger is now gone from me blood.

Still don't like the Moral Highground wording, but I can play as heavy now.

[DarkeSword]

i could have sat in an achievement_idle server this entire time and it would have done exactly the same thing as the program and valve would have no problem with that so whats the difference seriously

The difference is that you're using an external application to manipulate game data. You're not gaming the system, you're hacking it.

In any case, I'm going to say this here to everyone: if you want to play on the OCR server and and plan on griefing/trolling people because they have a halo-hat on (e.g. not healing teammates, stealing metal from engineers, standing in front of snipers), then don't bother joining, because you'll be kicked out.

Also, please don't whine about losing your items because you were running an external idler on the voicechat. You'll probably just be muted.

EDIT: Oh, also, vice-versa. If you're trolling/griefing people because they don't have a halo and you know they didn't get one because they used an idler, you can similarly expect to be kicked out.

Of course, I don't really expect any of this kind of behavior from regular OCRTF2 players, because you guys are a good bunch to play with. I just wanted to make it known that I personally won't tolerate that kind of douchebaggery.

[Black Waltz]

If the ability to craft duplicate items into wanted items comes around, then I'll start holding on to the duplicates I receive then.

As for the whole hat mess... Well, I never used the idle program, as I held at the same level as achievement servers. I didn't like the idea of having to get achievements, but I didn't try to circumvent the system either.

That would make TF2 into the MMORPG that we all fear.

ie: "Collect 100 backburners to create a fireman's hat!"

[Trianine]

I only idled for weapons, cause that changes the gameplay. Hats, I could care less about it, cause its cosmetic. People bitching about how they have to idle for hats are the retarded bunch that seem to think that they have to have a hat to play a game, like it increases their chances.

Hold the phone there. Do not assume that because people like hats, they think their gameplay is going to suddenly improve. Are you really that silly? Sure, hats are purely cosmetic, that's one of the reasons why Valve's action doesn't seem appropriate, which is why many people are a little upset. A little, okay, most people on the forums aren't crying the quitting game. Also, have you taken the time to observe the inventory of the game developers? They sure like to have their funny hats, and you can be damned sure they didn't idle for them. It certainly doesn't help that Valve essentially called idling players cheaters for trying to improve their odds, the only way they can, and for an item that has no bearing on actual gameplay. In other words, completely harmless.

I don't hold it against valve for not liking idling, and for trying to stop it. But their punishment came without warning or grace, and caught innocent people as well. They created a situation where the only thing you can do is spend time in game to get the lottery. Most lottery systems only require you to have your ticket and not be present during the drawing.

The difference is that you're using an external application to manipulate game data. You're not gaming the system, you're hacking it. -DarkeSword

Idle programs, simply put, are more efficient for servers and players, other than that the difference between an external application and playing the game are insignificant. The idea that there is hacking involved is a bit ludicrous.

The idea is they were supposed to be rare. - A Random Tiger

Valve already seems to have reneged on this, promising different ways for players to get hats. Giving hats to "95.5% of the player base", (a bullshit statistic) and starting off with an item drop system that gave enough hats that players began to feel entitled to them, and constantly reminding them that they got new stuff that was not in fact new. Whether Valve is to blame or not, they are reinforcing this behavior.

Personally? I think valve dropped the ball on this one. But they already seem to be alleviating the problems with their decisions. I really think it would have been better if they FORCED dunce hats on all the idlers for a time, because that is amusing and still gets the point across. (Okay you want a hat, right?) Makes any hats legitimately earned a bit useless for some time. And I agree with Rambo on one thing, if it's going to be a lottery, make it a once a day thing. All you have to do is play long enough to earn a ticket. Drawings at a specified time. Chances are whatever they are.

[DarkeSword]

It certainly doesn't help that Valve essentially called idling players cheaters for trying to improve their odds, the only way they can, and for an item that has no bearing on actual gameplay. In other words, completely harmless.

People used idlers to get weapons too.

Idle programs, simply put, are more efficient for servers and players, other than that the difference between an external application and playing the game are insignificant. The idea that there is hacking involved is a bit ludicrous.

It's not ludicrous. You're spoofing a connection to the Steam servers in order to get items even though you don't have the game running. Try doing that in a game where items and drops actually matter, like like WoW. Run a program that connects to the WoW servers and manipulates game data in order to give you items and see what Blizzard does to you. It's hacking, plain and simple.

It's not even a question of idling vs. playing. Read the TF2 blog; this crackdown is only on people who use external applications, and they explicitly say that using external applications is where they're drawing the line. And you know what? Good on them. I'm honestly surprised they didn't hand out VAC-bans.

As for warning people, what exactly would that accomplish? What are they going to do, make a blog post telling people, "We're going to remove your ill-gotten goods in a week, so get ready?" They're certainly not going to say, "Hey guys, you should stop using the idler programs, or we're going to remove your items," because that doesn't really punish people who've already cheated to get their crap. They're not going to come out and say, "If you already got away with it, we're going to let it go, but from now on don't do it."

And when it really comes down to it, if a player is using the idler program, he knows he's doing something they consider wrong, but he does it anyway. Then he complains because he got caught and punished? Screw that.

And for the record, I think the drops system is absolutely stupid and terrible. I have been playing regularly again since they instituted it and I don't have any hats besides the halo I got yesterday. Do I care? Actually I do; some of the hats are really cool and I would like to have them, but in the end, they don't matter that much. As for unlocks, I'm pretty sure that any unlocks I actually like to use I got through achievements, and if there's one I don't have that I want, I could just try to earn it through achievements, or hell, find it through the drops system during the course of regular play.

[Rambo]

People used idlers to get weapons too.

It's not ludicrous. You're spoofing a connection to the Steam servers in order to get items even though you don't have the game running. Try doing that in a game where items and drops actually matter, like like WoW. Run a program that connects to the WoW servers and manipulates game data in order to give you items and see what Blizzard does to you. It's hacking, plain and simple.

It's not even a question of idling vs. playing. Read the TF2 blog; this crackdown is only on people who use external applications, and they explicitly say that using external applications is where they're drawing the line. And you know what? Good on them. I'm honestly surprised they didn't hand out VAC-bans.

As for warning people, what exactly would that accomplish? What are they going to do, make a blog post telling people, "We're going to remove your ill-gotten goods in a week, so get ready?" They're certainly not going to say, "Hey guys, you should stop using the idler programs, or we're going to remove your items," because that doesn't really punish people who've already cheated to get their crap. They're not going to come out and say, "If you already got away with it, we're going to let it go, but from now on don't do it."

And when it really comes down to it, if a player is using the idler program, he knows he's doing something they consider wrong, but he does it anyway. Then he complains because he got caught and punished? Screw that.

And for the record, I think the drops system is absolutely stupid and terrible. I have been playing regularly again since they instituted it and I don't have any hats besides the halo I got yesterday. Do I care? Actually I do; some of the hats are really cool and I would like to have them, but in the end, they don't matter that much. As for unlocks, I'm pretty sure that any unlocks I actually like to use I got through achievements, and if there's one I don't have that I want, I could just try to earn it through achievements, or hell, find it through the drops system during the course of regular play.

The difference between this and botting in WoW is that Blizzard explicitly forbids it. Prior to retroactively punishing all the people using this program, there was absolutely nothing in the terms, announcements, or blogs that stated, or even implied that it was foul play. This is why valve says:

Due to us not having a policy in place prior to today

instead of "due to people breaking our rules".

In this respect' date=' yes, it [b']would be ludicrous to VAC-ban people retroactively. Or even punish people without warning. It can be assumed that valve spent a month and a half deliberating what they would do about this before acting, which is why they could, and should have given warning or explicitly condemned the program.

If this was about doing something that valve considered wrong, than achievement_idlers should be lumped in the same category. I had a good laugh when I saw 6 people with halos in one of those servers this morning. Neither case is what valve intended. And until yesterday, neither was expressed by valve to be cheating. Now one is, and one isn't. Those who chose one over the other got rewarded.

I completely understand that valve doesn't like what happened. But they didn't deal with the situation very diplomatically.

[atmuh]

In any case, I'm going to say this here to everyone: if you want to play on the OCR server and and plan on griefing/trolling people because they have a halo-hat on (e.g. not healing teammates, stealing metal from engineers, standing in front of snipers), then don't bother joining, because you'll be kicked out.

Also, please don't whine about losing your items because you were running an external idler on the voicechat. You'll probably just be muted.

EDIT: Oh, also, vice-versa. If you're trolling/griefing people because they don't have a halo and you know they didn't get one because they used an idler, you can similarly expect to be kicked out.

Of course, I don't really expect any of this kind of behavior from regular OCRTF2 players, because you guys are a good bunch to play with. I just wanted to make it known that I personally won't tolerate that kind of douchebaggery.

something to say about this

it really was a breath of fresh air after playing on so many servers where ALL I HEARD FROM EVERYONE IN THE CHAT was about halos/hats to come to the ocr server to find that you guys were actually playing the game!

i mean seriously though valve has taken their playerbase and turned them into a bunch of old women that do nothing but talk about their hat collection and i cant stand it