Valve Trying To Fix TF2 Item Drop Issues

[Keane Ng]

Valve Trying To Fix TF2 Item Drop Issues

Angry at Valve because you've been AFKing in Team Fortress 2 for sixty hours straight now and still haven't picked up a new item in a random drop? It might get better soon - Valve's been working on fixing the new system.

For all the goodwill Valve had accumulated over two weeks of hilarious and surprising Sniper/Spy Update updates, some of it was arguably lost when that update actually went into effect. See, what Valve didn't tell us was that they'd be instituting a new system for acquiring the new items (as well as all the old ones you may have already had).

Doing away with the Achievement-centered system that necessitated boring grinding or outright cheating, Valve implemented one where players received unlockable items on a sorta random basis determined based on the amount of time you spend playing the game.

Unfortunately, things haven't worked out exactly how the TF2 team planned, and folks have been understandably angry with the game - reports of servers full of players sitting idle just to wait for items to unlock and then getting stuff they've already acquired are probably not what Valve was hoping to get out of this.

So they're trying to fix it, and apparently have taken major steps toward doing so. "Last night we fixed one major problem that accounted for a lot of those cases where people were finding multiple items at once and where other people weren't finding anything at all," TF2 director Robin Walker told Kotaku [http://kotaku.com/5272295/valve-team-fortress-2-random+item-issues-improved-last-night]. "So we fixed that. We're not at all sure that that fixed everything, so we're going to keep plugging away at that."

Other item-related things Valve is plugging away at: item trading (the reason why you find items you already have is so you can trade them), giving players the ability to work toward the specific items they want, and more "rare items like the hats." So don't be a grouchy gamer and condemn TF2 and Valve for getting off to a rocky start. Sounds like they're trying their hardest to get things where they should be.




Permalink

 

[sheic99]

As long as I can get the items I need, I don't care how they do it.

 

[300lb. Samoan]

i miss the old heady days of "earning rewards for accomplishing goals"

really, if items are dropped at random and you can theoretically 'earn' anything just by waiting long enough for it, that makes all of the items valueless. how are you supposed to build a trading system bases on items which have zero value?

note to self: this was my 300th post, finally a get which wasn't about something stupid!

 

[randommaster]

i miss the old heady days of "earning rewards for accomplishing goals"

really, if items are dropped at random and you can theoretically 'earn' anything just by waiting long enough for it, that makes all of the items valueless. how are you supposed to build a trading system bases on items which have zero value?

note to self: this was my 300th post, finally a get which wasn't about something stupid!

Valve wanted the items to be available to everyone, so knowing you will eventually get what you want, or something to trade for what you want, helps people not feel angry about having to get a bunch of achiements.

The achievment system just created achievement servers, where skill was also meaningless.

Valve will continue this method for obtaining items for a while, so get used to it.

 

[300lb. Samoan]

The achievment system just created achievement servers, where skill was also meaningless.

Valve will continue this method for obtaining items for a while, so get used to it.

And this new drop system has created idle servers, where gameplay itself has become meaningless.

And the mere fact that Robin and Gene are admittedly "plugging away" at their new RPG elements is proof positive that nothing in the TF2 class structure is set in stone.

 

[edgarsLV]

I'll keep on being grouchy as long as there's a random variable involved, it takes control away from the player and there's no reason and zero justification for that. It's the dumbest change I could have ever imagined and I never expected something like this from a respected dev like Valve. Whatever one does now is completely unrelated to one being rewarded. One isn't rewarded for being skilled, one is rewarded for, well, nothing. This inevitably leads to a feeling of unfairness and pointlessness. And if I want to sit in front of a slot machine and pull a lever for gratification I'll go to a casino. In the future I'd appreciate you leaving that choice to me.

To summarize: Sun shines, guns kill people and brotha', this unlock system is broken.

 

[randommaster]

The achievment system just created achievement servers, where skill was also meaningless.

Valve will continue this method for obtaining items for a while, so get used to it.

And this new drop system has created idle servers, where gameplay itself has become meaningless.

And the mere fact that Robin and Gene are admittedly "plugging away" at their new RPG elements is proof positive that nothing in the TF2 class structure is set in stone.

It's easier to deal with idle servers, however. Also, it's more fun to simply play TF2, then join an idle server while you sleep than to actively grind out achievements on your own time. Additionally, sleeping gets in the way of TF2 playing, and anyone who does it is clearly not serious about TF2.

 

[esserius]

And ultimately there's also no right answer as to how to fix this in any case. You can't ask players to not take advantage of the systems they're given. It'd be like asking a person to not use the queen in a game of chess.

 

[eelel]

*smacks forhead* wow that is stupid atleast they are fixing it

 

[300lb. Samoan]

The achievment system just created achievement servers, where skill was also meaningless.

Valve will continue this method for obtaining items for a while, so get used to it.

And this new drop system has created idle servers, where gameplay itself has become meaningless.

And the mere fact that Robin and Gene are admittedly "plugging away" at their new RPG elements is proof positive that nothing in the TF2 class structure is set in stone.

It's easier to deal with idle servers, however. Also, it's more fun to simply play TF2, then join an idle server while you sleep than to actively grind out achievements on your own time. Additionally, sleeping gets in the way of TF2 playing, and anyone who does it is clearly not serious about TF2.

lol that's damn true, I've lost plenty of sleep.

And ultimately there's also no right answer as to how to fix this in any case. You can't ask players to not take advantage of the systems they're given. It'd be like asking a person to not use the queen in a game of chess.

that's very true, except the queen is a proper part of the gameplay structure. creating a custom map that lets you crank out pyro damage in pursuit of 1 million points is an abuse of a system that's meant to reward hundreds of hours of game play. IMHO, achieving Pyromancer should be a bittersweet moment, a chance to reflect on the hours of fun, frustration, and sleepless nights I've sunk into this great game. Not just the most retardedly epic task on my to-do list towards getting my new gun. That new gun used to mean a good bit more to those of us who didn't sidestep the system.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

As long as I can get the items I need, I don't care how they do it.

There-in lies the problem. With the current system as it is, you may or may not get the item you're looking to get. The trading system will help a little when you have people running around with 2 or 3 of the item that a lot of people want, but then you're stuck with the same shit-uation that Diablo 2 had for trading items. You need to have something the other person wants for them to feel justified giving you that nice weapon that you and about 50 other people want. You'll find an occasional charitable soul, but probably not often enough to get those few rare gems.

The real problem with the current system is that Valve is all going on about how they don't want players to feel obligated to use Achievement Servers to get the new weapons, so they just introduced a new type of server that people feel obligated to use in order to get the new weapons. Only problem is that where you could maybe spend an hour on an achievement server (just guessing because I don't use them) to get your 20 achievements needed, you could spend 40+ hours on an AFK server and STILL not have that one weapon you really want to try-out.

I seriously wish I could have been in that meeting room when they were talking about this system so that I could go around the room and swat them all in the back of the head.

 

[randommaster]

The achievment system just created achievement servers, where skill was also meaningless.

Valve will continue this method for obtaining items for a while, so get used to it.

And this new drop system has created idle servers, where gameplay itself has become meaningless.

And the mere fact that Robin and Gene are admittedly "plugging away" at their new RPG elements is proof positive that nothing in the TF2 class structure is set in stone.

It's easier to deal with idle servers, however. Also, it's more fun to simply play TF2, then join an idle server while you sleep than to actively grind out achievements on your own time. Additionally, sleeping gets in the way of TF2 playing, and anyone who does it is clearly not serious about TF2.

lol that's damn true, I've lost plenty of sleep.

I'm losing it right now as I mess around on the forums.

 

[300lb. Samoan]

lol that's damn true, I've lost plenty of sleep.

I'm losing it right now as I mess around on the forums.

requoted for mutual truth
wtf im going to bed

 

[randommaster]

lol that's damn true, I've lost plenty of sleep.

I'm losing it right now as I mess around on the forums.

requoted for mutual truth
wtf im going to bed

What, is your body moving to your bed on its own while you want to stay at the computer?

 

[300lb. Samoan]

What, is your body moving to your bed on its own while you want to stay at the computer?

It's called a laptop...
my head keeps telling me to turn it off and go to sleep already but my fingers keep typing

 

[randommaster]

What, is your body moving to your bed on its own while you want to stay at the computer?

It's called a laptop...
my head keeps telling me to turn it off and go to sleep already but my fingers keep typing

Well, reading this certainly isn't helping.

 

[300lb. Samoan]

What, is your body moving to your bed on its own while you want to stay at the computer?

It's called a laptop...
my head keeps telling me to turn it off and go to sleep already but my fingers keep typing

Well, reading this certainly isn't helping.

I know! But every time I load a new video I see I have a new message, and every time it's a quote from this thread! From you!
No offense, I'm kinda grateful for it. This is the first time I've been kept up by a living person who wasn't just blaring a stereo in the next room or running up and down the dorm hallway like a cracked out retard.

 

[theultimateend]

What, is your body moving to your bed on its own while you want to stay at the computer?

It's called a laptop...
my head keeps telling me to turn it off and go to sleep already but my fingers keep typing

I often wonder if people forgot that Laptops were invented.

Heck even cellphones are killing kids right now (texting further and further into the night and even leaving their phone on as they sleep so that it wakes them up when they get a text).

 

[randommaster]

What, is your body moving to your bed on its own while you want to stay at the computer?

It's called a laptop...
my head keeps telling me to turn it off and go to sleep already but my fingers keep typing

Well, reading this certainly isn't helping.

I know! But every time I load a new video I see I have a new message, and every time it's a quote from this thread! From you!
No offense, I'm kinda grateful for it. This is the first time I've been kept up by a living person who wasn't just blaring a stereo in the next room or running up and down the dorm hallway like a cracked out retard.

It's nice to be appreciated.

I'm the guy who will get you to do stuff that you know you shouldn't do, know you will regret doing, but will do anyways.

What, is your body moving to your bed on its own while you want to stay at the computer?

It's called a laptop...
my head keeps telling me to turn it off and go to sleep already but my fingers keep typing

I often wonder if people forgot that Laptops were invented.

Heck even cellphones are killing kids right now (texting further and further into the night and even leaving their phone on as they sleep so that it wakes them up when they get a text).

A laptop's being used, and I think that's just making the problem worse.

 

[KeyMaster45]

Now see, I have a bit of an issue with games that require you to spend X amount of time in them to gain certain awards. No, I'm not talking about grinding, I'm talking about what valve has done with their system. While yes, rewarding players based on their activity in a game is a great PR incentive and likely to keep dedicated players it takes away the need for attainable goals in a game.

Every game has a goal....scratch that, every game created by a sane person has a goal. While I'm certain valve hasn't done away entirely with their achievement system by moving items into a random drop based upon play time takes away that need for goal setting.

Imagine this, and humor me if you will, that you want [The Beer Hat 9000] with arms on top that randomly scratch your character's ass. What sounds better to you: You must get X head-shots on maps P, Q, and R; or Play the game and pray to the gods of luck deem you worthy of attaining it.

I don't play TF2, but from what I've read in the article valve may have thought they thought their new system through, but forgot the one golden rule of gameplay development. Players will always take the fastest path of least resistance for the end result. Unfortunately in valve's case, their failure to take that rule into account has resulted in AFK farming en mass, rather than actually playing the game. They will be hard pressed to remedy the issue in its entirety.