Insights Archive Past views from a seasoned veteran.

Views From The WEDGE

|Is change bad?|October 5, 1999

Is the TFC Community so bad compared to the "good 'ole" TF Community?

What I am enjoying the most from the "new" community is the fact that there are MANY more map makers and they are NOT afraid to try new things.

The power of Team Fortress is in its flexibility in map designs. I have always found it disturbing that everyone makes maps the same way over and over again. This is starting to change.

The biggest problem with the old TF community was that all of the maps were 2fort clones. 2fortX, 2techX, aztecX, well, BaM, yadda yadda yadda... (Now do you know why Radium gets bored with 2fort clones?)

Rock came out and it took a LONG time for it to catch on.
Canalzone came out and people nearly shit their pants screaming about how hard it is to play.
Spazball came out and people just plain had panic attacks.
Then The hunted president showed it's face. Oh My GOD!

What the hell was happening to the TF community?! Our precious 2fortX was vanishing and making way for this funky stuff. (I remember reading this somewhere... no shit!)

Each and every one of the good new ideas made it into Team Fortress Classic.

Rock2 became... er... the_rock.
Canalzon became... well... cz2
spazball got reduced to 2 teams instead of 4 and became push.
The hunted president became hunted.

I only wish they had left 2fort and well out... I was sick of those years ago.

The old TF community was stale. Nobody wanted to play anything but the same old maps...

BORING!

Now there's lots of nifty new stuff.

More push-type stuff. (Pigskin)
More CZ-type stuff. (Domination)
More Rock-type stuff. (Spacedout)
Unfortunately a fresh influx of boring 2fort-type stuff. (pick your own)
A bunch of attempts at making a new hunted-type map. (I've yet to see a really exceptional one... The Retreat was VERY close)

At least there IS new stuff and people trying to make interesting new things.

<shameless plug>
Have you tried scrummage!? Now there's a new idea. Let's combine Push with CZ and arrange it into 2forts. Sprinkle in some voice communications and a sexy new overhead announcement system. and Viola! New STUFF!
</shameless plus>

Note: I made scrum back in early 1998. But the boring old 2fort-clone TF community wouldn't even give me the time of day. I had to wait for the much broader and open-minded TFC crowd to finally get people to see the advantages of my map.

=====
Here's my recipe for bringing back "the old TF Community"

1) Take all of the cool new maps away.
2) Make all of the servers run a combination of the following maps:
    -2fort
    -well
    -rock
    -2tech (just like 2fort with a high tech theme)
    -aztec (just like 2fort with an aztec theme)
    -sniperwar (all snipers... why?)
3) Now make it VERY hard to set up the game and learn how to bind your own commands.
4) Now be sure to be insulting and degrading to all newbies who are trying to learn how to throw grenades.
5) Mix in a BUNCH of nifty cheaters (invulnerable players, flying players, faster players, unbelievably accurate players, etc.)
6) Throw in a dash of spam artists who make their names spin and do crazy shit (not to mention lag the server).
7) Add generous amounts of "We're better than everyone else" attitude.

Mix well.

Serve in a drab gray and brown environment.
=====

Give me the New TFC Community.

Wedge.