On Idling, Halos, and Team Fortress 2.

[Knight Templar]

~snip~

You used a third party application to cheat at the game, and feel like you're the one in the right? The whole point is it takes time to get them, you decided that this rule did apply to you and you were somehow better than those who played the game the way VALVe intended because?

We realize there is a high level of demand for items, and we're still working on systems to allow you to find them in new ways (via Trading, and crafting duplicates into desired items). However, we need to draw the line at running external applications.

Also its not odd for the devlopers of a game to have all the gear for said game, hell they made the damn game.

valve never stated an opinion on this. and where is the justice? theres still servers that run achievement_idle theres achievement servers to unlock things so really where is the justice? its a very bad system that we didnt like we wanted a hat but the drop rate is ridicoulous and the way to get it requires no skill which is the opposite of our interests. we wanted to get hats other ways its team fortress 2 not world of warcraft. they dont have to punish us for their incompitence and bad system they dont know how bad the system is they didnt have to wait to get their hats! they just gave themselves the hats they dont know how ridicoulous the drop rates are. my account has over 5k hours of team fortress 2. i havent gotten a single hat yet.

You didn't address a single thing I said, but my first post has allready addressed things you've just said now.

Read what Erik Johnson said and remember, just because something isn't instantly condemed does not mean it is condoned. You had no information, but decided that cheating would be ok, you're just being stupid.

"I'm allwoed to wash my horse in the pool, it doesn't say on the sign that I can't! They're being so rude by stopping me!"
It's not idling that is being punished, its people who used idling programs to get things when not even playing the game.

 

[Thelogman]

I used the idling program right near the end. Got a few dupe items that I deleted anyway.

Honestly, I did it because the chances of getting a hat were so slim you had to play near 350 hours just to get one.

Now, I'm a fairly devoted TF2 player, I play quite a bit, belong to quite a few groups, have played a ton of maps, custom and otherwise, have all the unlocks via achievements, etc.

But I had no hat. So, I would idle when not playing (When I was asleep, at school, working on homework, and the like). Didn't get anything, and I didn't get a halo.

That didn't really bother me.

What did bother me was the Valve said that I was a cheater for using an external program to idle instead of booting up TF2 and joining an idle server that did the same thing. In fact, as soon as the idle server was banned, I started idling on the servers, where people with halos would prance and sit, idle, waiting for hats.

But whatever. I can see where they were coming from, and it doesn't bother me anymore. I never got anything from idling, but I didn't see anything wrong with it. I've done this argument a thousand times, and I'm not interested in doing it again, so there's my two cents.

Oh, and I got a Demoman's Fro while playing (Not Idling) the other day, and true to the promise I made, I'm done idling. Still do play quite a bit. Especially in Dodgeball servers. I freaking love Dodgeball.

 

[Mikela]

I agree with the OP completely, they shouldn't have done the crime if they can't do the time. It defeats the purposes of why the server and the system was created for. It's also hysterically redundant, why would you claim a hat for bragging rights in a system that you knew sported people using similar 3rd party software to cheat. That's like bragging about cheating.

If you cheated and got caught deal with it.

P.S- the hats are stupid anyway. Why do people care so much about them?. It makes everyone look like RA2 engineers.

 

[scotth266]

When they first introduced the system, it took me 3 days without an unlock to idle. I'm sorry, but because a few wankers made achievement servers, we get punished?

Actually, only people that used the 3rd party idling program have been punished, I think. Those that used idle SERVERS are still in the clear. Oh, and Achievement Servers have been around for a long time.

I think Valve is right to punish idlers, but i think they should also close down specific idle servers as well to clear up confusion, and they definitely should have replied to people's questions.

I agree that Valve should have said something sooner, but to be honest, we have no idea how long they actually KNEW about the idling program for, or how much they were discussing it. I mean, for all we know, they were debating about this for weeks or something, or had to push the issue aside for a while to handle important patching stuff.

I just don't like that people are going: WHY DID THEY PUNISH US, THEY NEVER SAID IT WAS BAD when the morals of what they were doing were quite obvious.

And as far as the idle servers go, they'll probably leave those up for the sole reason that they left up Achievement Servers. While I dislike Idle Servers, I can understand how THOSE are legal in Valve's eyes, considering that you at least still have to run the game to get stuff. The idler program is actually a manipulation of the game by 3rd party software (like aimbots), so I'm not surprised that they only hate that.

Oh, and I got a Demoman's Fro while playing (Not Idling) the other day, and true to the promise I made, I'm done idling. Still do play quite a bit. Especially in Dodgeball servers. I freaking love Dodgeball.

What's Dodgeball? That a custom mode like Balloon Race?

 

[Thelogman]

What's Dodgeball? That a custom mode like Balloon Race?

It's a gameplay mode that focuses on the pyro's airblast. There's probably dozens if not over a hundred maps of that gametype, tons of servers that just rotate them. The basic premise is arena mode, except the only damage you can take is falling damage or crit rockets. You can only play as Pyro, and every few seconds a red or blue crit rocket flies at you from above, seeking someone on either team. Someone reflect it with the airblast, it flies at someone on the other team. Back and forth, back and forth, each time getting quite a bit faster. If you get hit, you're out for the round, much like dodgeball, except you explode and die instead of just getting hit with a ball.

Oh, and sometimes there are "nukes" that are detached Payload Cart Bombs. Those things can kill 4+ people if someone fails to reflect it.

 

[That Guy Ya Know]

All right, I'll jump in in defence of myself and my fellow idlers. I for one ran the idle program based around the following logic: 1. Hats are a nice piece of eye candy. 2. The idler can get me hats. 3. It takes no effort on my part. Based on that logic there was no reason for me to not idle. The problem I have with the latest update and one I'm fairly sure a lot of idlers share is how valve handled the whole business. The creator of the idler sent it to valve before releasing it to ask them if it was acceptable, he stated numerous times that all it would take for him to remove the server would be for valve to say something. Valve even mentioned the idle server saying that yes it was technically cheating but really it was no different from idling normally. Then out of the blue they decide idling using the idler is wrong and actually different from idling in game. They retroactively punish players for idling and then go around handing out badges to people who didn't idle and may as well have attached notes to them saying "Feel free to insult anyone not wearing these". I also want to know when I'm getting my Not Aimbotting halo? Or apparently that isn't as grievous a crime as actually trying to get some eye candy.

 

[TheGreatCoolEnergy]

Look I bet something like 85% of the people complaining that they are punished for idleing are immature losers who want everything for nothing

 

[Katana314]

All right, I'll jump in in defence of myself and my fellow idlers. I for one ran the idle program based around the following logic: 1. Hats are a nice piece of eye candy. 2. The idler can get me hats. 3. It takes no effort on my part. Based on that logic there was no reason for me to not idle. The problem I have with the latest update and one I'm fairly sure a lot of idlers share is how valve handled the whole business. The creator of the idler sent it to valve before releasing it to ask them if it was acceptable, he stated numerous times that all it would take for him to remove the server would be for valve to say something. Valve even mentioned the idle server saying that yes it was technically cheating but really it was no different from idling normally. Then out of the blue they decide idling using the idler is wrong and actually different from idling in game. They retroactively punish players for idling and then go around handing out badges to people who didn't idle and may as well have attached notes to them saying "Feel free to insult anyone not wearing these". I also want to know when I'm getting my Not Aimbotting halo? Or apparently that isn't as grievous a crime as actually trying to get some eye candy.

That's actually some pretty convincing information, but you have to provide a source.
"The internet" isn't a source.

 

[happysock]

Seriously all this over some hats, please someone else take a step and see this from where i am, who honestly gives a crap. I find it amusing people would "cheat" to get these as well also I find it funnier they are being discriminated for not having a hat.

 

[TimeLord]

The problem is hats can only be obtained through gameplay/idling

If unlocking achievements got you hats as well as weapons then this wouldn't matter.

Also I went into idle servers a couple of times cause me n a mate knew the servers would be AFK so we could get a couple of tricky achievements and now I don't get a Halo My own fault really

owell i like my Snipers standard hat anyways

 

[Katana314]

The problem is hats can only be obtained through gameplay/idling

If unlocking achievements got you hats as well as weapons then this wouldn't matter.

Also I went into idle servers a couple of times cause me n a mate knew the servers would be AFK so we could get a couple of tricky achievements and now I don't get a Halo My own fault really

owell i like my Snipers standard hat anyways

Problem? The idea is that they're rare. If you saw them every game they went into, it would feel like MyFortress or something.

Think about the citizens in HL2. They have some funny comments like these:

"Sometimes...I dream about cheese."
"Oh my god, Freeman's dead!...Dibs on the suit."
"I don't miss Dr. Breen...but I do miss his show. Remember when he had the jugglers on?"

Thing is, not everyone hears them. They're heard pretty infrequently. I'm sure we all know of games where NPC's repeat a certain phrase over and over again to the point where you want to murder them (fighting games often a victim of this) Hats are the same way, and they're not meant to be earned in just one or two months of play.

 

[Mcface]

The only cool hat, is the Soviet one.

And I recently tried to play TF2 (got a free key from my friend)
and was myself Kicked from a few servers for not having a halo.

I have no way of getting one, since I started playing a week ago haha.

So, needless to say, I dropped the game and gave it away.

 

[Bloodcursed]

Not sure what to think, really. Valve kinda ruined TF2 IMO with these updates (coming from someone who has spent 40+ hours with the game).

 

[aakibar]

personally as the 1% of people who are to poor to afford a new computer i have the xbox version but i belive the hats system is like that of the HAlo 3 armour system and there fore could care less

 

[hopeneverdies]

I haven't played for a bit so I don't know if I got a halo.
Can anyone clarify that if you only went to an idle server, not used an idler program, that you would get a hat? Because the only reason I went into one, was to go out and kill idlers. But sadly you can't reach the other team.

 

[Pimppeter2]

They cheated, and got punished. Thats how society works. They can all go fuck off.

 

[WhiteTiger225]

The meaning behind hats was customizing your character. Idling took nothing away from that.

Strop trying to be offended.

The meaning behind aimbot is to increase your kill and headshot rate at the cost of lowering the value of opposing players own scorecard. See? I can claim any kind of hack does no REAL harm. But in the end, it is STILL hacking to unfairly gain.

 

[Halfbreed13]

The meaning behind hats was customizing your character. Idling took nothing away from that.

Strop trying to be offended.

The meaning behind aimbot is to increase your kill and headshot rate at the cost of lowering the value of opposing players own scorecard. See? I can claim any kind of hack does no REAL harm. But in the end, it is STILL hacking to unfairly gain.

This man here deserves a cookie!
Oh wait...

Spoiler: I found one!

 

[penguin123]

pretty much valve punished the people who idled before they even said not too i lost all my items even the ones i didn't idle for