August 31 update: Idlers BEWARE

[Pathia]

Only concerns are the following.

1.) Some idlers lost a few, some alot, some everything.
2.) Some people had hats deleted, some didn't.
3.) Achievement_idle the map is still 'OK'

They hit a bee hive and knocked it down, but there was another one right next to it that the first one and ran into the other on the way down.

[Purplecat]

And a quick look at the server list, confirms that Achievement_idle is getting popular again. Wouldn't be surprised if there was a quite few -nomaster idle servers too.

[Mr. Munchlax]

I've never used either but I honestly think the idler program was better than Achievement_Idle... :/

[Jinx]

[Stormcaller3801]

In my opinion I'd say achievement_idle servers are as appealing as buying, say, Fallout 3 and then using a program to play it for you while you go read a book. Some of the most fun sessions I've had in TF2 have been ones where people decide to just try for achievements. The actual game goals are set aside, and instead you end up just screwing around, sometimes in setting-perfect environments. For example, the last stage of dblheights, where you've got that massive drop off the side- perfect for the Scout Sandman taunt kill achievement where you have to bat someone 25 yards. Even more fun when there's a dozen people doing it. Or Hot Potato hockey games, where you've got Demomen tossing down stickies and Pyros airblasting them around. Or any number of instances where folks aren't quite sure how to get a specific achievement and so they keep coming up with more complex methods to do it.

No worrying about cheats, or latency, or team stacking, or "That fucking {insert class here}!" It's just pure, unadulterated fun, hanging out with friends and having a good time. Why would you want to skip that?

[Nocturnefoxx]

Just a thought on how Valve has handled the idling issue (and you'd think they'd never dealt with an online community of gamers before by the way they've handled this):

I really don't have an issue with them deleting idled-for items. They're going to fix the issue with honest items being deleted too, so that's cool.

It's the Halo that I think is a problem. Not because idlers can't get it, but because it definitely seems to be causing a stir in the community between general taunting (I have it, you don't!) crap and then some of this stupid Heal No Halo nonsense. Instead of spending time finishing this trade system they claim they have, they spent it making ANOTHER silly chase item to stir the pot further.

So...why not devil horns for idlers? I know that the first thought is "why should idlers get anything", but let's look at it as an issue of keeping the peace and not stirring up a hornets nest further. The honest injuns would have their mark of awesomeness and have their halos, and dirty ol' idlers would have their mark of shame with the horns; it would handle the whole idle4hats issue in a manner that's all in good fun.

Idlers lose their idled items and get their mark of shame. I mean, lets face it; with the hat drop increased you're going to see more people with hats. If Valve ever gets off their ass and gets this trade/item crafting system in place, you'll see MORE hats. The Halo will fade out of favor as people start to get the class-specific hats that they really want, and so the whole Halo thing will be - ahem - old hat.

So, putting aside the attitude of "no I don't want you to have something that won't let me flaunt my status over you" (polishes Soldier medal ), what would be the harm of the devil horn idea?

[Stormcaller3801]

I would imagine the most immediate flaw would be the fact that there's people who would actually desire those. Whereas Valve's stated goals are to punish the use of third party idling programs. Anyone who actually felt the horns were bad would simply delete them or never equip them.

Ultimately it sounds as if the main problem inherent with this whole halo thing has less to do with the halos themselves or Valve handing them out, and more the perennial problem of online gaming: people can, and often will, be asshats.

[Ayeaka]

[Nocturnefoxx]

[Stormcaller3801]

You know the irony of the medal? I missed out on getting one because I was playing TF2, and by the time I checked message boards here, they were all gone. Se la vie.