Team Fortress 2

[SirBryghtside]

Unrelated: is it normal that TF2 takes a really long time (>2 minutes) to switch from windowed to full-screen and vice-versa?

No, it normally just crashes and has to be restarted if you try that.

You're too impatient, it does come back. Eventually.

[The Scyphozoa]

TF2 is the only game that makes me feel like if I've done anything other than opening Steam prior to playing TF2, I have to restart.

[broken_escalator]

HL2.exe is very picky and any false movement will cause it to rebel.

[SirBryghtside]

I think it's TF2, might be HL2, but one of them just flicks on and off my desktop halfway through loading. It's really weird.

Oh, and EVERY time my TF2 is 5 bars from loading a match, it freezes for about 2 minutes before loading the next one. Once that's done, there's a 50% chance that it'll just fail to load the last 4 bars, meaning I have to cancel. The second time it always works, but then then half the time it gives me a disconnection error. But I've NEVER had it go wrong on the third try

Weird, these issues don't seem to affect my favourited servers.

[EmptySet]

Unrelated: is it normal that TF2 takes a really long time (>2 minutes) to switch from windowed to full-screen and vice-versa?

No, it normally just crashes and has to be restarted if you try that.

You're too impatient, it does come back. Eventually.

I've left it sitting there for half an hour while I go have lunch, and it hasn't come back. Perhaps I should leave it running while I find a nice girl and start a family in the hope than in two decades' time it will be fixed and my kids will be able to play, just to be sure. And then if it's still stuck, we could pass the computer down from generation to generation as a sacred trust, until the prophecied day a hundred generations hence when TF2 starts working again. Over the centuries, countless legends shall be wrought, telling that the holy artifact once showed visions of an endless war, and that on the day when it once again shows the unending battle it shall be the first sign of the End of Days, when all civilisation shall crumble and man will be locked in war until the Hatless are slain and the Earth is pure once more.

Or, alternately, I could manually terminate it and fix the problem in two minutes.

[cjmcjmcjmcjm]

HL2.exe is very picky and any false movement will cause it to rebel.

This. If you accidentally, alt-tab away from it, good luck getting back in the game. It doesn't have this problem on the mac, though.

[Reassuring Curve]

This. If you accidentally, alt-tab away from it, good luck getting back in the game. It doesn't have this problem on the mac, though.

Yeah, the mac version usually crashes before you can alt-tab out.

[Kolko]

Add '-noborder -sw' to your launch options and all your alt-tab problems will disappear like snowflakes in the sun.

[Jorpho]

I've left it sitting there for half an hour while I go have lunch, and it hasn't come back. Perhaps I should leave it running while I find a nice girl and start a family in the hope than in two decades' time it will be fixed and my kids will be able to play, just to be sure. And then if it's still stuck, we could pass the computer down from generation to generation as a sacred trust, until the prophecied day a hundred generations hence when TF2 starts working again. Over the centuries, countless legends shall be wrought, telling that the holy artifact once showed visions of an endless war, and that on the day when it once again shows the unending battle it shall be the first sign of the End of Days, when all civilisation shall crumble and man will be locked in war until the Hatless are slain and the Earth is pure once more.

Bless you, sir.

[EdgarJPublius]

Add '-noborder -sw' to your launch options and all your alt-tab problems will disappear like snowflakes in the sun.

And they will take about half your frames per second with them.

[BurningLed]

Roll with an FPS config and you'll be running at 100 anyways, so it doesn't matter

[Reassuring Curve]

Probably a repost, but check that lvl4 sentry preview.

[Rek]

I really wish Strange Rocket Launchers hadn't gone up to 3.66 refined in price. I also wish I hadn't sold the one I had. I find Strange Weapons are really good for when you want to practice with a weapon. It makes it more fun for me anyway.

[broken_escalator]

I agree with that idea. I like the strange weapons that I don't normally use. Like my strange crossbow. Every kill on that is glorious because of how sucky I am at killing with it. Whereas my strange minigun I'm not surprised to have hundreds of kills; it is a good weapon and I'm already quite good with it.

[userxp]

I'm surprised no one has posted this before:
http://ganggarrison.com/
You can play as Runner, Firebug, Rocketman, Overweight, Detonator, Healer, Constructor, Infiltrator or Rifleman. It's surprisingly fun.

[Jorpho]

I'm surprised no one has posted this before:
http://ganggarrison.com/
You can play as Runner, Firebug, Rocketman, Overweight, Detonator, Healer, Constructor, Infiltrator or Rifleman. It's surprisingly fun.

Oh, sure, it's come up before. I wasn't aware it still had any kind of community behind it, though; I thought it was just a novelty (albeit a thoroughly well-done novelty).

[The Scyphozoa]

I took Star's (youtube.com/niichts) advice: don't play plr_hightower. It's really just tdm_hightower. That is, I played hightower without thinking about the carts at all and just screwed around killing people.

[Rek]

I took Star's (youtube.com/niichts) advice: don't play plr_hightower. It's really just tdm_hightower. That is, I played hightower without thinking about the carts at all and just screwed around killing people.

More servers need to play Hightower. It's one of my favorite maps when people are actually aware of the cart. Great soldier/demoman/pyro map

[NoodleIncident]

Heh, I got my Strange Rocket Launcher for a summer cooler when it came out. I had no idea stranges were that expensive now! I want a s. knife...

[Rek]

So there are some new Pyro and Engineer weapons coming out for christmas
http://teamfortress.com/post.php?id=7005

I want that flamethrower.

[frogman]

All of those anti-medic weapons make me sad

Foundry looks pretty cool though!

[The Scyphozoa]

Wait... the Phlogistinator (flamethrower) lets you CRIT BOOST yourself??

[EdgarJPublius]

The Pomson looks like it could be brutal against some spy tactics, especially dead-ringer which can't be activated except at 100% cloak bar.

However, I am giggling over the spy-cicle. Silent backstabs and (temporary) fire immunity? I can't wait!

[SirBryghtside]

I never liked the soldier lasers, and these look like the same thing - but that wrench and flamer both look great!

[userxp]

Double drop rates! Well, time to leave the computer on overnight again.

Edit: woah, how...? I got an Eureka Effect already!

Maybe I should sell it now that the prices are high?

[The Scyphozoa]

Valve's intent to release items in a clearly OP state so people will buy them and then nerf them is pretty apparent. There's no way the Spy-cicle will be left as-is.

[userxp]

Valve doesn't need to do that. Whenever they want more money, they can just make a new "EXTREMELY RARE UNUSUAL NEW Respectless Rubber Glove! Buy a special key for just $2.50 and you have a 1% chance of getting it! Hurry, you only have a week!" or "Hey, would you like to buy a virtual helmet for just $12?".

No wait, that would be too expensive. They need to make complex 3D models and all. So how about letting the community create some empty badges for them, selling them for $10, and then make people pay $5 more to let them put a 256x256 image on them?

I wish I was exaggerating on the slightest.

(Do the makers of community hats and weapons get a part of the benefits? They do, right?)

[EdgarJPublius]

(Do the makers of community hats and weapons get a part of the benefits? They do, right?)

And how!
For the link-clicking averse:

Spoiler:

The creators of the first polycount packs got royalties checks ranging from 39- to 47- thousand dollars... for two weeks worth of sales.

It seems that Valve has done a pretty good job of releasing balanced weapons, especially with the help of the Beta to test new ideas before release.

Having not yet used it, I don' think the spy-cicle is actually over-powered (not like the Enforcer at least). The spy desperately needed some form of fire resistance since just about every other class now has some form of DoT or knock-back that can be used for spy-checking, and especially now that the Pomson can pre-empt the Dead Ringer. At the same time, the Spy-cicle is a lot more restrained than other options they could have gone with, like the 'flame-resistant suit'. I think losing the knife for fifteen seconds more than makes up for a brief chance to escape an enemy pyro or avoid a spy-check. And the silent backstab isn't going to be as useful as the YER since it'll leave a big ice sculpture behind and won't instantly disguise you.

[The Scyphozoa]

The following is actually true, but sadly I only JUST thought of the pun:

I use the Holy Mackerel to help me fish out Dead Ringers!

No, really. Maybe it's been patched, but I'm pretty sure that when you hit a Spy with the Holy Mackerel and he uses the Dead Ringer, it doesn't show that you killed the Spy in the killfeed, it'll just say "[icon] x1" (or however many times you hit the Spy).

[Derek]

No, really. Maybe it's been patched, but I'm pretty sure that when you hit a Spy with the Holy Mackerel and he uses the Dead Ringer, it doesn't show that you killed the Spy in the killfeed, it'll just say "[icon] x1" (or however many times you hit the Spy).

Yeah, this still works. Also if you have damage text turned on, a dead ringer kill will not show any damage text. Not very useful for things like the Minigun or Flamethrower, but incredibly useful for things like the rocket launcher or shotgun.

[The Scyphozoa]

It wouldn't show damage numbers if the spy was disgiused, either.

[Derek]

It wouldn't show damage numbers if the spy was disgiused, either.

No, but it's an extremely useful and easy way to tell if undisguised spies are used the dead ringer or actually died. From my experience, most (certainly at least half) of spies are undisguised when they activate the dead ringer, because they're trying to get away after a stab (successful or not).

[Kain]

Ugh, accidentally made a non-trade-able reclaimed metal. Not sure how, I was being rather careful about going back and selecting the trade-able weapons (seriously, why does it start with the achievement ones?).

At least I was somewhat able to salvage the situation. I had just got an achievement dead ringer, so I crafted myself a YER, which I have been trying to get a hold of for about a month. (Of course, now I will probably get one tomorrow).

Anyways, I have decided that Foundry is really annoying when there are less than 8 people on. Of course, this seems to be true for just about every control point map...

[The Scyphozoa]

I really like Foundry. Like, a lot. Foundry and Coldfront I think are now my two favorite 5CP maps.

[Kain]

Overall, yeah, its a fun map. I still haven't quite got the hang of the layout (namely what can be rocket jumped to with my poor rocket jumping skills, and where the best spots are for engie nests). I figure once I have that down I will probably rate it among my top two control point maps.

[Rek]

I still have yet to play Foundry as every time it comes up in the map vote people vote to play Badwater.

Again.

[Derek]

There are very few maps that are playable with 8 players. Some of the smaller KOTHs can work.

[Cecilff2]

It wouldn't show damage numbers if the spy was disgiused, either.

I listen for the damage indicator ding. If there's no ding, Dead Ringer.

[The Scyphozoa]

I still have yet to play Foundry as every time it comes up in the map vote people vote to play Badwater.

Again.

There are probably some Foundry 24/7 servers out there.

And as for knowing the layout: I think I know Foundry better than some of the older 5CP maps, since I've played a bit on Foundry 24/7 servers. You don't see a lot of Granary 24/7 servers, do you?

[GenericPseudonym]

I'm probably late here, but I'm going to say it anyway: The Phlogistonator ought to be called the Dephlogisticator, for maximum scientific (or maybe historical?) accuracy.