World of Team Fortresscraft goes live |
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| BY Butner Brimberry May. 22nd, 2009 | More on: |
After what has been the most exciting build-up to a Team Fortress 2 update yet, the Sniper vs. Spy update has finally gone live. The new update features a bevy of achievements and new weapons to unlock, such as the “Jarate,” a jar of pee.
However, after playing with this update for about five minutes you’re going to notice something very strange. Valve has completely done away with rewarding players with new weapons by earning achievements. Instead, players will randomly collect unlockables (whether they had already earned them or not) while playing the game, similar to an MMORPG. One would assume that this was done to encourage players who don’t have time to unlock achievements to play more. However, after playing two hours with fellow TVGB editor Jordan Fehr, the reactions we’ve seen have been largely against this new system. What do you guys think?
May 22nd, 2009
at 8:05 am
The new system stinks, to put it mildly. There’s no feeling of accomplishment when something unlocks anymore. The argument that it makes it easier for casual gamers to get everything misses the point. If you want casual gamers to have access to every part of the game, then just give everyone the “unlockables” right off the bat. By making it completely random, Valve has only annoyed those of us who think that “hard work” should be rewarded, not just in real life, but in our virtual lives too. I played 5 hours after the update and got the Sandman (which I’ve had unlocked for months). During that time, people “found” new weapons while waiting for the round to start, after they were killed in Arena mode, and spectators “found” the new weapons too. Gee thanks Valve for making me feel like you hate me.
May 22nd, 2009
at 8:16 am
I see what you did there!
May 22nd, 2009
at 8:41 am
Here is the thing though, I definitely understand where you are coming from, as someone who unlocked most of the previous items, it makes me mad when people just simply receive them and I get the flare gun which I already had. However, just like the achievements on the 360 can sometimes “get in the way” of the real game by becoming a chore, this new system allows people to simply play TF2. The frustrating randomness has no real point, and maybe they should just hand everyone the new weapons, but for me I am not sure what I feel because on the one hand I am mad at people who get things when I don’t, but on the other hand I am relieved that I can now just play TF2, and don’t have to fight a team of 10 spies.
May 22nd, 2009
at 10:04 am
I see where your coming from Jordan, but i really hate this new system. If people want getting achievements to become a chore i say let them. I play the game to have fun, and if i was one or two ceeves from a new pyro weap, yes i would concentrate on getting them but it has ruined the whole system. I got the Better pyro axe twice and 2 sandviches, on the flip side i got the new sheild and the new watch once each.
I hope they swap it back to like it was.
it could just be for the weekend to try and reel in some more people who haven’t played it before, they’ll think ‘i’ve already got the 10 best weapons in the game i have to buy it now’ and so on
the new system stinks worse than whats in the Jar of Jarete!
May 22nd, 2009
at 10:14 am
very good points all, and yes from a business perspective, opening up random drops for the free weekend makes tons of sense, there isn’t enough time to unlock and try them all normally, that could be what they are up to.
May 22nd, 2009
at 11:09 am
I’ve never in my life been so angry at an online multiplayer experience than when I saw the Ubersaw - the weapon that I toiled endlessly for, killing more than 50 scouts with my NEEDLE GUN and snagging EVERY SINGLE ACHIEVEMENT (you had to do that back then) to unlock - just dropped effortlessly and randomly for some random Blu.
Is he ever even going to appreciate that weapon? Understand what it means to own one? Cradle it gently, and make sure it’s stained in blood every night before it’s put away? Is he going to develop the proper tactics to use it properly? Is he even going to play heavy-metal on it!?
But - deep in my heart - I know that it’s just a ‘those damn kids have it so easy’ kind of anger. I can get past it. We all can get past it, honestly. I’m not saying the random drop system is perfect, or acknowledges or rewards people who put in the time to get those achievements (ALL of them, way back in the day to unlock the 3rd weapon - arrrg) - but as long as Valve keeps the focus on TF2 on the skills of the shooter and the role of the class he plays at the forefront of the game experience, we’re going to be alright.
…Now this ‘+2 Item’ business they’ve been hinting at, however, may well be the big problem further down the road. That’s officially (for me) the point where it moves past shooter and into something dark and truly terrible. Please, Valve. Keep the “epic weaponry” in the MMORPG’s where they belong.
May 22nd, 2009
at 11:34 am
I’m of two minds with this but I do tend to agree more with Jordan. However, I don’t know if I’d feel that way had I spent hours unlocking those impossible Medic achievements, kind of what Charlie was getting at. I think the best argument against this new system is the fact that there seems to be no rhyme or reason to finding the weapons. But again, like Jordan said, I like being able to just play now and not feel like I have to spend my time as a certain class so I can unlock weapons.
May 22nd, 2009
at 1:58 pm
It sucks balls.
I’ve played for 8 hours with a couple of breaks and not gained one “drop” from any server.
What I have gained is 20+ achievements which would have gained me 2 uniques for the spy.
Thanks for wasting our time valve and if I wanted to be randomly rewarded with loot I’d still be playing world of borecraft :P
May 24th, 2009
at 7:49 am
It’s a terrible system. There has been a clanmatch in which the other team had the pre-nerfed Ambassador, and the other team didn’t. The latter lost.
Right now, I’ve got 19 achievements for each updated class, 38 in total. So I would’ve had 4 new weapons by now. The others are either grind-achievements (Kill 1000 enemies as a sniper), or require the weapons that I haven’t gotten yet. After 20 hours of ‘play’ (half of it has been idling), I have had 5 unlockables, 4 of which I already had in the first place. It’s stupid. A buddy of mine was playing on the same server, and got the batter’s helmet, and his FOURTH sniper bow, whereas I got… nothing. And I was top of the ranking on the server the whole time, he was somewhere mid-range.
tl;dr. IT IS STUPID.
… and now how I would fix it: let everybody have all weapons from the get-go. This way, nobody misses out on different playing styles. The headgear (as in, items that do NOT impact the gameplay) can be designated randomly for all I care, though it would make more sense if you could earn them instead, through, oh I don’t know… achievements?
May 24th, 2009
at 8:03 am
It’s completely horrible… While I have been one of the luckier players…
In the Scout Update, I was 1 achievement away from the weapon I really wanted, the sandman.
Of course, now, with the new system, I had to wait forever to find it.
After 5* hours of gameplay, I finally found my sandman… (In addition to Natascha, The Razorback, a Flare Gun, and the Huntsman)… It seems much more meaningless having this drop system.
However, I don’t think that Valve should change it. They should, however, make it so that its more likely to find an item for the class you’re playing as.
*Please don’t flame me… I know, I HAVE been lucky.
May 25th, 2009
at 3:11 pm
This system sure smells…. I’ve played a total of 24 hours or something since the update, and the only new thing i got is the Demoman’s Afro, Like Woohoo! It doesn’t even do something! It just stands on ur head…. Further on I received the Axtinguisher 2 times, my second sandman and my second Boink…. They really need to put the Milestone system back ’cause this sucks…. Or atleast create a trade system so you can trade the worthless crap you got for a second time for the new cool sniper and spy stuff!