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File 13688210543.png - (110.96KB , 380x210 , blog_nowfeaturing_34xyxx.png )
13818 No. 13818
So, TF2 got his fully community item update with 57 items, the "official" scout's mana robot(and Announcer's face)and a comic with the story managed by Cat Bountry.
What do you think about this upadte?
(let's revive this damn site back to his old days (fuck you hipstr)
Expand all images
>> No. 13819
First and hopefully the last community-created update ever. I've read some terrible stories in my time, but this makes Twilight look like a modern day literature masterpiece. It felt and read exactly like a fanfiction. It was just a bunch of "this seems funny!" drivel tossed together with the hopes that a decent comic would emerge from it. It felt nothing like the past comics. While they too weren't super serious, they still had some serious undertones that helped make the game feel more "real", as real as a TF2 could be. Hence why the mac update isn't considered canon, because it's full of random playfulness (self igniting shovels, exploding moons, etc). Feels like even valve knew this community-driven update was a complete joke. They put crates inside crates just to troll people.

But hell, if there is one thing I've learned from this comic, it is that even a dog can become the president of the USA before a woman.
>> No. 13820
>>13819
bless you.
>> No. 13821
First of all: all of my respect for the people who did this comic, I can imagine it was hard work. But I have to agree with nublet >>13819, I really do hope this is the last community-created update.
The comic (and again, sorry to the folks who had all the work of drawing it/etc) was terrible. The style was close to amateur, there isn't a single panel that I can honestely look and say I like the art-style.
Second, it really does look like a terrible fanfiction.
Tf2 is known for its ridiculous humor but I'm afraid this whole comic is nothing more than ridiculous.

Also, there are so many better arists (refering to the posters); why weren't they invited?
>> No. 13822
>>13821
probably they were busy or they declined to offer (of seeing something like this)
I'm OP and yeah, it was kinda fun reading the comic but if valve considered this canon..i would probably stop try to talk about the lore or comic.
>> No. 13823
>>13819
this man speaks the truth.
>> No. 13824
>>13819
>>13821

Jesus Hoverboarding Christ, thank you both. I didn't find the comic all that funny either, and I feel a little bad about it, considering the people involved. The dog was a little funny, but otherwise it was just...meh. I was expecting more, to be honest.

...I'm just wondering if this stuff is going to be considered canon?

I really hope not.
>> No. 13825
I would have liked seeing a new MVM map, but I'm happy to see how many fan contributions were made.

As for the comic? Personally, I liked the art style. It's different from previous comics, yes, but it was bright. I liked the roundness and simplicity of it.

The plot was bonkers, sure. But as bad as Twilight? Really? Were four novels and five movies made out of this? Did you have to suffer through every other woman you know squealing about this? What are you out of? Five minutes of your life?

Frankly, I'm just happy to see some fan representation. Maybe the comic's story was a little rough, and the time-travel thing was nuts, but what the hell. I still found the dialogue enjoyable. Someone could make a nasty, overwrought, depressing fanfic about a war over hats, if they wanted to hitch off of the story's plot.

Or not.

I was beaming all afternoon about this. It's nice to see some fans get recognition.
>> No. 13826
>>13824
my friends are saying they don't consider this canon, some are not even in the fandom so yeah, most people seem to have the same opinion as you.

>>13825
too bad they blew it
>> No. 13827
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxeK7U1ExrU
>> No. 13828
>>13827
(this is what the comic looked like)
>> No. 13829
I know some people who consider all of the comics and videos non-canon, so I don't honestly know.

I loved it, personally. I'm only slightly annoyed I didn't know about it beforehand so I could have tried to submit something myself (but then again, I'm not as good as any of these folks, so maybe it was for the best).
>> No. 13830
File 136883225130.png - (106.08KB , 245x332 , 1231.png )
13830
>>13829
>I loved it, personally. I'm only slightly annoyed I didn't know about it beforehand so I could have tried to submit something myself (but then again, I'm not as good as any of these folks, so maybe it was for the best).
>> No. 13831
>>13830
...What?
>> No. 13832
Speaking of which, who was in charge of this whole thing? Was it open to the entire TF2 community? Because it honestly doesn't seem that inclusive to "everyone" in the community if only a select few were invited and such.

About the comic, I didn't think it was as bad as Twilight, but it was pretty stupid. I was disappointed, too, since I was expecting something quality from someone so well-liked throughout the fandom as Cat Bountry. I didn't even crack a smile during the entire story, and if something's funny, I'll generally laugh at it. I didn't care for the art style, either. I'm not an artist, but to me it felt blocky and awkward, and a lot of the character's expressions in panels didn't really fit.
>> No. 13833
Personally, I find the idea that the mercenaries are doomed in a dystopic future to be incredibly depressing. They have crazy adventure in the present, but I liked to think that they would eventually get a happy ending. But now apparently it's canon that they are fucked. It's depressing.
>> No. 13834
I've had a change of heart on this.

Guys, you weren't purposely excluded, and you'll have your time to shine. Maybe Valve only saw artists who uploaded their art on Steam. Maybe they didn't know you were interested. It's not personal. Just keep writing your fics and drawing your fanart. You'll get there. Worse comes to worse, a company other than Valve might see your artwork and ask you to work for them instead.

Just look at ChemicalAlia. She did amazing TF2 artwork for years, and who hired her? Not Valve, but Gearbox (Borderlands, Borderlands 2). Shoomlah was well known for her Disney fanart, but Disney didn't hire her, 2K did. She did a ton of the character designs for Bioshock Infinite.
>> No. 13835
>>13834
I have very strong, affectionate feelings for you right now.
>> No. 13836
I thought I was upset about not being included in the update, but wow. The petty jealousy in this thread is so pungent I can taste it.
>> No. 13837
>>13835
And I for you.

>>13836
Some people are angry about art in general. It's not easy becoming popular for your art, and some people finally end up getting popular...for all the wrong reasons. But they need to get past that.
>> No. 13838
>>13837

Fair enough, but saying unnecessarily bitter, cruel things helps no one. It's just childish.
>> No. 13839
File 136883788279.gif - (821.98KB , 175x166 , hahahahareally.gif )
13839
>Organisation thread locked to Facepunch members only
>Facepunch people raging at Redditors for leaking images there
>keeping it hush-hush
>"community" update
>> No. 13840
>>13838

>unnecessarily bitter, cruel things

...Where is that on this thread, exactly? Comparing the comic to Twlight was a bit harsh, maybe, but otherwise I'm missing the rest.

>>13839

...Well, glad to know that it was a community effort, then.
>> No. 13841
Obviously, if someone doesn't like this update OBVIOUSLy this person is jealous of course.
white knight much?
>> No. 13842
>>13840

I can guarantee that if this comic was not created by big fandom names, this thread wouldn't exist. The comic was essentially the same quality as all of the other ones and the few examples of valid criticism are nitpicking at most.

This whole thread is just seething with jealousy and it's silly.
>> No. 13843
>>13841

>TF2Chan is primarily comprised of artists
>Update with fandom artists is released
>People on TF2Chan start ragging on the update more than I've seen with any other update

It's a logical assumption.

White-knighting ≠ pointing out what's kind of obvious.
>> No. 13844
>>13842
How is calling on a clique jealousy? It was locked to Facepunch members only. BFNs or not, it doesn't deserve 'community' to be in the title.
>> No. 13845
>>13844

You're the only one who mentioned Facepunch and frankly I don't know what that entailed. I was referring to the people criticizing the quality of the comic and artwork.
>> No. 13846
>>13845
People wanted to know how this thing was organised. It started on Facepunch. The threads on there are locked to members only, and you can only be a member by invite. Therefore, this should have been called the Facepunch Update. Things such as the Polycount update were available for anyone in the community to be involved in.

You mentioned petty jealousy, I assumed you were talking about people upset because they weren't included. Just trying to clear up that when it's obviously a clique thing, people are allowed to call on that. I don't see how it's jealousy.

That's all I was trying to clear up here.
>> No. 13847
>>13843
>>13842

No, this is bullshit. I, for one, had no idea who drew the comic, and I certainly didn't like his/her artstyle. I know who Cat Bountry is, and I've read her stuff, and so, like I said before, I was fucking disappointed when I read the comic and didn't crack a smile. To me, the comic was disorganized and poorly-made. And no, it was not the same quality. I gave you valid crit. The comic was not funny, the story was jumbled and confusing, and the expressions were disorganized.

I am not jealous, because I have no reason to be, since I am not an artist. I am also quite sure that this 'community' update wasn't really community-oriented at all, if what Mawaru said was true. If it was invite-only, then no, it wasn't community-orientied. It was a circlejerk.

Feel free to continue calling anyone who didn't like the comic/update 'jealous' and talking down to anyone who doesn't support your opinion.
>> No. 13848
File 136883957157.jpg - (24.51KB , 474x325 , 4ca19e9a-917b-4df6-ac98-c567496ac6a4_grid-6x2.jpg )
13848
>>13819
>>13821
>>13824
>>13826
>>13832
>>13841

P. salty in here mang.

Too bad I can't hear you over all this HOLLA HOLLA GET DOLLA.

Eat it, shitlords.
>> No. 13849
>>13848
Why are you calling us shitlords?
Can't we express our opinions on this?
>> No. 13850
Hi guys. I'm the guy that was organising this update. I can see some of you are a very angry about it all, and I am sorry you haven't enjoyed this. But I can talk about it and see if I can explain.

A while ago, some modellers started making robot hats. Then, me and a friend 'NeoDement', decided to make a fan update. This was just going to be a small mod website that had a video, comic, and all the items as reskins.

Part way into this project, Valve caught wind of what we were doing, and asked us if we would like to develop our work into an official update.

Obviously, this was an amazing opportunity! And we've spent the last 6 months working on this day in, day out, to get the best update we could possibly create for you guys.

I wrote the update, designed the website, modelled some hats and the scout mom bot, drew the comic, and storyboarded the animation, along with organising the team to get the project finished. I also tried to include a bunch of artists from the community, as I thought the first community update shouldn't just be about modellers, and that artists deserve part of the action. I also included Cat, as I know her from her writings and thought including a writer I knew form the community would be even more inclusive.

We know we aren't as good as valve at some things. We really tried our best over the last 6 months to get this done. I was actually really nervous about the comic being released, because people are so used to seeing Makanis amazing art. I actually re-drew the comic a couple of times, and lost a lot of sleep contemplating what your reactions would be. So, I'm sorry if you didn't like it at all.

I actually used to post here a few years ago, but was shunned quite a bit, so just moved on.
>> No. 13851
>>13848
Holy shit, you're immature.
>> No. 13852
>>13850
Well the art wasn't that bad, it reminds me of the first tf2 comics so don't feel bad about it. But like I mentioned before, it does look like a cheap copy of Makanis artwork, so maybe you should try to create your own style rather than worry so much about Makanis'?
I'm not angry, just disappointed.
I for one, am not a writer, artists, etc. I'm just a player, so yeah, this is def not about me being included or not?? I just think it could have been way better, the dialogue and such sound really outside of character to me.
>> No. 13853
>>13850
I personally didn't have a problem with the art (the only things in the comic I laughed at were art-related). Or the fact Valve jumped on the idea to make it official. It's great they wanted the community involved.

I do, however, have an issue with the fact you kept this closed to Facepunch. Where is the community in all of this when you kept it to a members-only-by-invite site?
And the fact you brought in others by invite only reeks of preferential treatment.

Well done on working so hard, I guess. But you've made elitist asses of yourselves in the process.
>> No. 13854
File 136884119440.jpg - (11.56KB , 297x169 , whatamireading.jpg )
13854
>>13849
>>13851
Burns my eyes whenever I see butthurt over cursing and perceived bad behavior. Go back to tumblr.
>> No. 13855
>>13852
I am very sorry you feel that way. I actualy put a lot of effort into trying to differentiate my style from Makanis. I tried to keep close to the characters in-game look. Makani usually has a masterful use of expression and pose, mine were more rigid, and closer to the in-game animations and poses.

>>13853

I don't consider what we did elitist by any means. Facepunch is where the item creating community is, it's where most of the collab happens. The project was born out of that community.

Most of the team would have left it at that, but I went out of my way to find artists that weren't involved with face-punch, to include them in this. I also tried to include artists I knew from when I posted here, and some that are popular on hipstr (yeeeeah, I know). If you take a look at the credits list, you will probably find names you know.
>> No. 13856
The update was great, kudoz to everyone who participated. Comic was enjoyable, hats look good, love the scout mom bot and the website was wonderful. I'm truly overwhelmed by the amount of work all of the contributors put into this great new content. It's wonderful that this kind of stuff happens at all.

I wont waste more text than I have to by indulging all the poisonous butthurt except to say that anyone who is complaining about the lack of 'inclusion' of the wider 'community' needs to read the blog post on teamfortress.com, which clearly provides opportunities for future community updates; if you want to be included then gather up your pals, produce some content and release it. If it's as good or better than the content these hardworking artists have provided you, maybe valve will include you too. Put up or shut up, as they say.

To Cat Bountry, Heartsman, et al. Great Work and Congratulations.
>> No. 13857
I can appreciate the people working hard to make this stuff. It's just not into my interests. The comic was lackluster and could have been better. As for the update, it looks like it's just a bunch of robot versions of existing hats?

I suppose there will be people interested in those, but not me. It just doesn't seem interesting. To me they feel like a poor man's version of the existing hat. I would have been excited for a bunch of community-based original hats, not ones already based on existing ones.
>> No. 13858
File 136884568831.jpg - (44.39KB , 288x306 , 1282622736697.jpg )
13858
>>13849

Yes, and it's my opinion that your opinion is dumb. You cannot debate me on this, because it is my opinion and it is mine.

Also the guys from Valve that reviewed this comic liked it plenty and I sure as hell respect their opinion more than yours. Who the fuck are you? Why do I have to give a shit about what you think when anons on this site have a clear track record for being terrible? How could I possibly be convinced that you people wouldn't be singing this comics praises if it weren't for the fact that mine and Cantsman's names weren't attached to it? Why should I even give a shit about your shitty opinion at all?

Even if you could answer any of those questions in a satisfactory manner it wouldn't stop you from coming off as all butthurt as hell that I was lucky enough to be able to participate in this, and I'm pretty deeply honored by that.

So fuck off. Everybody that worked on this did their best, did fuckin' great in fact, and quite a few of us were ready to do this shit for free. I had fun and I'm proud. And as far as I'm concerned everybody else can eat a dick because holy shit I got to write an official comic for Valve.

>>13851

Never claimed to be.

Also me bein' immature don't change the fact this threads full of thirsty-ass scrubs.

Have fun being miserable.

>>13857

I respect your opinion and I am sorry that our work was not to your interest. Maybe there will be more of these in the future, who even knows?
>> No. 13859
>>13819

President Butternubs isn't the president we needed, but the president we deserved.
>> No. 13861
File 136884700635.png - (98.80KB , 520x316 , tumblrgem.png )
13861
First this happened: >>13849 >>13851
Then this: >>13854

And now this: Pic is related. "BAWW CAT WAS MEAN TO ME AND NOW I HATE HER FOR NO REAL REASON."

Priceless gold.

Stop having not having fun, asshats, and enjoy the update. We are allowed to have fun in TF2chan.
>> No. 13862
this is not a personal war, jfc. You're not that important sweetcheeks.
I simply didn't like it, why is that so hard to swallow?
>> No. 13863
Instead of being butthurt, let's figure out instead how we can become better at art and focus on getting our names out there, possibly getting Valve and Facepunch's attention. Focus anger into positive energy.

Also, apologize to Cat and crew, regardless of what you thought of the comic.
>> No. 13864
So much intestinalpain, so much butthurt, so much sphinctersoreness, so much coloncrucifixtion going around in this thread.

Stop being the cancer killing TF2chan. I love this site, but people like you guys are really killing it. Get the fuck out of your shitty circles and perhaps do something positive instead of passive-aggressively bitching. We could all have focused our energies into doing something positive and pushing this community forward to get it noticed and get your names out there.

But hey, why do that when it's just so much easier to whine and bitch about something you don't like?
>> No. 13865
>>13862

>sweetcheeks.
>> No. 13866
>>13864

>The cancer that is killing TF2Chan.

What are you talking about? This is literally the most activity we've had in the past...three months, probably.

And it's because we're all fighting like bitches over an update.

Once this shitstorm dies down, everyone will just head on back to Hipstr to be with all their friends/mindless followers, so who cares? At least people are fucking posting.
>> No. 13869
File 13688539236.jpg - (48.10KB , 500x426 , image.jpg )
13869
Goodnight, sweet prince
>> No. 13870
>>13869
They're all within the style of the game.

Every item is literally just a reskin of a pre-existing item.

Many of which were made by Valve.
>> No. 13871
>>13864

>implying that it's not already dead
>> No. 13872
I don't know why it seems so many people dislike the update, personally I found the comic to be really funny, and I find it amazing a lot of artists and writers whose work I know help make this and it helped me discover other great artists as well.

These people put good work into giving us an update, and I am happy for their success. Hopefully this will lead to more community updates where others will have their chance to shine as well.
>> No. 13873
File 136885535562.jpg - (15.52KB , 195x194 , tumblr_mkegi9wP0p1r95mglo2_250.jpg )
13873
>>13862

Call me sweetcheeks again, motherfucker, I'll wreck ur shit.
>> No. 13874
>>13872

you know that nobody cares about tf2 anymore and all those money will go on Dota, right?
>> No. 13875
I liked the part where the robo-scouts suggested making robots that run on something other than money.
>> No. 13876
>>13848

Cat, do you realize that none of this thread was personally directed at you, and that is what makes your reactions uncalled for? Because you sure as hell are taking it on a personal level and shutting down any and all negative discussion with the sole goal of defending yourself and your friends. If they had attacked you or them, it would have been a much different story, but as is your petulant abrasiveness is unacceptable and I am not content to let others make excuses for you. Be the bigger person, for once.
>> No. 13877
>>13876
^This.
A lot of the criticisms were by people who didn't mention anyone by name and didn't seem to know who Cat Bountry (or other contributors) even were, and making the leap of logic that they must be bitter or jealous that they didn't get into this community thing or whatever it was just sounds like a way to avoid any criticism whatsoever. I'm not talking about personal attacks either, because those are a completely different matter entirely.
Everyone involved should be proud of the work they did, absolutely, but the fact that it's a community-run update should not absolve it from negative criticism, nor should the people involved be shocked that some people didn't like it and are expressing their opinions in a hurtful way. Just because people didn't like the update doesn't mean they are automatically trying to ruin it for everyone else.
>> No. 13878
As an addition to my previous post >>13876, I realize that there were many issues of jealousy, hurt feelings, and personal attacks today, but that does not justify lumping all negative feedback under the same blanket, or responding to criticism so crudely. That has been frowned upon many a time in the chan's history, and I expect the moderation to be held to the same standards. I trust (and hope) that taking a day to let the dust settle may clear everyone's heads and allow them to approach this more civilly.
>> No. 13879
>>13876
>>13877
>>13878

Maybe.

... Maybe I'm high strung because I have a history of people trying to pick on me personally because it's me or people taking advantage of me looking for legit criticism so they can insult me personally and make me look like an asshole if I get upset.

I didn't want that to happen here. Not with something I was really proud of.

Or maybe you guys just have a lot more faith in the anons of this community than I do 'cause at this point I trust no bitch.
>> No. 13880
>>13879
If you're unable to take your personal stake in situations out of the equation enough to calm down and make fair and balanced judgments about the comments people leave on this site, anon or not, that says to me that you shouldn't be in a moderator position.
If you truly don't trust the anons on a chan website because of shitty things people have done to you in the past and will misconstrue posts that have nothing to do with you as personal attacks, seriously, you should not have weight to throw around as a moderator.
And this is not the first time I've seen you lash out at people in ways that just make you look petty and stupid. Maybe people were shitty to you in the past, but no one was trying to incite you here (or, at the very least, very few people were, and why should you give people who are obviously trolling your time and attention? Just ban them and move on.)
>> No. 13881
>>13850

Hello,

I’ve been waiting a while before making this post because I wanted to try and come across as clearly as possible. People are angry and lashing out, and while I’d like to express my opinion, I also don’t want to shit-stir. Please keep in mind that my opinion is not a fact, merely what I personally feel.

First of all, congratulations for getting recognition by Valve.

It had never occurred to me that making an update would require six monthsof hard work. Reading your post, I was extremely impressed by your dedication.

It also sounds like you went out of your way to include as many fellow fans as possible, even though that would mean sharing both credit and profit. It was fantastic to see so many different artists on the official gallery! You also took care to include very different styles. There is the beautifully realistic Spy from Desolè, old-school pixel art, in-game models, cartoon-ish pictures, stylized motivational posters… Pretty much the whole spectrum, so that any fan is bond to like at least something.

Finally, you opened the gate for future fan-made official updates, meaning that any writer and artist who couldn’t make it for this update has a chance to make it for future updates. If people are upset that this particular update was invite-only, they should consider that experiments are supposed to be made under controlled conditions, and then if they work everybody can try their hand at them. You basically did them a service by opening the way for them.

That said. I do have an issue with the update. As you’ve probably guessed from my previous post, my issue is with the dystopic future.

I’m going to elaborate. The TF2 Community is fantastically creative. It’s telling that getting less than a new fanfiction every day for a 6-year-old game is making people declare it dead. “Dead.” People, are you kidding me? TF2 is six years old and it still gets more fanworks (high quality fanworks, at that. I guarantee you that no other Fandom gets anything near as good as, say, that Robot Hell fanvideo) than most other Fandoms.

I can honestly say that, ever since I joined this Fandom a coupld of years ago, I’ve read hundreds of fics. Hundreds.

And a common theme in TF2 fanfiction is “after the War.” There are countless fanfiction dealing with retirement. Catbountry herself wrote two: Reunion and Afterwards. But she is by no means the only one. Before this update, every fan was free to pick whichever ending they preferred. There was an almost embarrassing wealth of options. You like serious drama? Go with Afterwards or many others. Like tragedy? Go with If They Are Not Dead or many others. Like fluffy romance? Any of Anne’s fics or many others. Like a mix of all? Go with Don't Forget to Read the Postscript or many others. Like Horror? Go with With Apologies to Harlan Ellison.

But now all of them have been Jossed, because now the canon ending says that Engineer, Pyro and most likely the other mercs as well are all doomed. I know it was meant as a joke, but the Blood Brothers comic was full of ludicrous jokes too (mpreg, anyone?), and Redmond and Blutarch are still dead.

In other words, by making the future Engie joke, you have basically written the canon epilogue for TF2. A depressing one where it’s implied that the mercs are killed.

THAT is why I’m extremely unhappy with this update. I didn’t mind the art or jokes, and I was actually really happy that Valve chose to involve their fans (especially a fan that is publicly associated with slash fics, and is a mod at TF2Chan. How awesome is that? Valve basically said that they are totally cool with Heavy/Medic and slash! HELL YEAH!). You have written a canon epilogue for TF2 where the mercs are doomed.

If you ever get asked to make another official TF2 comic, I’d be VERY grateful if you change that. Like, I dunno, present!Engie has a throwaway line like “golly, good thing I did a bunch of things to avoid that dystopic future!” Anything.

If you’ve read this far, thanks for listening to my pov.
>> No. 13882
>>13879

Dude, why are you even on the internet if you're that fucking paranoid? Not everyone's out to get you. Anons aren't just "trying to get you upset." I mean, some of 'em might be, but really, I'm not sure why you're so on edge.

Anything you produce will have people that like it and people that don't like it. People that don't like your shit do not dislike you, they just don't like what you did. Ffs, how they feel is not a reflection on you. It's how they feel. And it doesn't matter how hard you worked on something, or how proud of something you are. If someone doesn't like it, they're not going to like it. Does that make them less-than? No. Does that make you less-than? Also no. Does that take away from the significance of what you produced? That's up to you.

My advice to you is to take a chill pill. If you can't handle the crit from people, don't look at it. If you think that people are being unfair and nasty and are targeting you and your friends personally, explain that to them instead of calling everyone shitlords. Being so antagonistic takes any chance of a civil discussion and tears it into little tiny pieces. You don't have to be on the complete defensive every time someone doesn't like your work. Again, disliking someone's work is not the same as disliking someone as a person.

That's the best advice I can offer. Take it or leave it.
>> No. 13883
>>13876
>>13877

These. (And pardon if there have been more relevant posts since these in the time I've taken to write this, which is a long time.)

Cat, I love you man, I really do. I got excited when I saw your name on the comic, and I'm proud of what you and the other fans did, and I'm proud of Valve for empowering their fans. I thought it was really cool that a community update was picked up and accepted by Valve, and fans did a pretty darn good job of running the show for being, well, just fans. I like a lot of things about the update...and, OK sure, there are some things I maybe didn't like in this update quite as much as other updates, but that's okay!

And, okay, some people might feel left out because this update wasn't offered to every TF2 fan out there. These people gotta understand that community updates have been a thing that have been put out by some really aspiring fans on the sidelines for a while now, and Valve saw it and liked it and decided to make it official. They were the ones who started it, and this really is just a start. It's all a big experiment to Valve.

But the drama and over-reactions in this thread are really disappointing.

I really didn't think this thread was truly mean-spirited or unproductive till it started degenerating into arguments on people's character and dismissive declarations of butthurt. Like, it started out with Not Liking Things, which is OK if you Don't Be A Dick About It. I don't think people were being dickish about it. Maybe brutally honest, but not malicious. (If anything, I think the dickery started with people fiercely lashing back. People Not Liking People Not Liking Things, and Being Dicks About It.) Okay, maybe some people might be jelly. I don't think EVERYONE is jelly, and this invalidates their opinions. Some people just Don't Like Things. And that's OK.

To Cat: I'm glad you found out how to not let people's opinions get you down, but I think you've been a bit unfair to people here, given the actual sentiments stated by people in this thread right here and now, and not by stuff you're reading between the lines, or, idk, a buildup of past hate? I think you're a cool person inside, and maybe you might not always feel as cool as you are, but what I don't think is cool are your reactions in this thread. It's really overblown, and this is why people are genuinely confused as to why you're going off the handle on this (see >>13849). Okay, so you don't give a fuck. That's fine. Except you're vehemently asserting your stance on not giving fucks instead of actually not giving a fuck. As in, letting it roll off your back and knowing in your own mind that random people's opinions don't matter to you, and not engaging them in fights not worth your time (and other people's time...and alienating the site's few remaining visitors via more of TF2chan's infamous drama). Your posts here come off as incredibly arrogant and douchey compared to your typical playful sarcasm.

On top of that, a bunch of people joined in the "BAWW U BUTTHURT" taunt and laughed like kids on a playground. Including our site's own administrator. And people dragged drama on and off the chan to/from hipstr, which I thought was something we at TF2chan try to avoid. I'm really disappointed.

Heartsman, you're a saint in how you've reacted to criticism in this thread. This is how a business with good PR would respond to customer complaints and poor reviews and keep a respectable image and possibly assuage the customer's dissatisfaction. This is how to politely engage with people who don't share your opinion.


>>13875

This is the first on-topic post (which also completely sidesteps adding to drama) I've seen in this thread in a while. Good on you, anon.

Can we please either get back on topic minus the drama, or if there's no chance of talking about this topic without fighting, can people quit feeding the fire and, idk, go home and eat some delicious ice cream and CHILL? Holy hell, THIS right here is the cancer killing TF2chan. The drama. Not one group of people or another, but the fights that come up between them. I thought TF2chan prided itself on dishing out and taking criticism like adults, but that's not what I'm seeing here. Especially from the people running the site, who I expect to set a good example for the common users. I'm really disappointed at the level of childishness I've seen throughout this thread and how non-conducive to level-headed, open communication this thread has been. Or even seeing some benefit of the doubt or a sprinkle of good faith.

I thought about naming up to be taken more seriously as someone who isn't "just another anon hater." But with all the personal attacks and drama going on in this thread, I really don't want to put my bacon out there. Sheesh. Maybe the other "stupid anons" are anon because they're too afraid of voicing an honest opinion without getting attacked, especially by the site's own caretakers. And "honest opinion" doesn't automatically mean "secretly butthurt troll."
>> No. 13884
File 136887274776.jpg - (14.54KB , 184x184 , image.jpg )
13884
Fucking TF2chan, can't you just keep /dis/ a place for game-related discussion, and make a board for those whiny cunts who do nothing, but shitpost about "MUH OPINIONS" and "A-APOLIGISE!" bullshit.

I WARNED YOU ABOUT NAMEFAGING
I TOLD YOU, TF2CHAN

why can't you be more like TF2General
>> No. 13885
>>13884

The board for game-related discussions is /srs.
>> No. 13886
File 136887475128.png - (73.01KB , 191x210 , avinagiggl.png )
13886
>>13873
oi m8 wuts ur prob i'll slap ye cross th' jaw u keep that up

Dog image joking aside, I enjoyed the comic enough that I see no real major problems to complain about within it, canon or not. Congratulations on your successful community update, and I'd rather see more of them in the future than no updates at all.
>> No. 13887
Lot of awesome work and effort in the update, kudos to that. And lots of hard work and talent that is amazing and undeniable.

I just wish the focus hadn't been so hard on the art side of fan content. Sure, there's heaps of really great artists out there, and Cat Bountry is one of the finest writers in the fandom, but why did she have to be the ONLY fan writer involved? There are so many who could have contributed, even if it was only in the form of the little ads and Easter Eggs in the corners.

I wish there had been more community consultation.
>> No. 13888
I feel alot of the butthurt is coming from naming it "Community" update VS "Offical Fan" Update". Past Community updates were like contests of sorts sponsored by Valve,and maybe why some people feel cheated.

Like, if Bethesda took "Moonpath to Eleswyr" fan DLC for Skyrim, made it official, and called it a Community DLC(sounding like anyone could have joined) and then people who had no idea Moonpath was a thing, they would argue, too. Wereas if it was called an "Offical fan DLC" would be more accurate, ja?

People getting mad it was closed to the public: I would guess due to a non-disclosure agreement once Valve gave them the OK for the update, they /had/ to keep it secret from then on! I knew there was a fan-update mod out there, shrugged and didn't bother with it 'cause I didn't feel like modding TF2. Lo and behold,it is now official. Quite happy for them,and I don't have to dick around with TF2 to mod it!

As for people complaining about the art: Art's good, but I suppose they are so used to Makani's work they are kinda like "wait,what"

Also,I recognize some of the fanartists: Kilomonster, Lintu, Deersu,and Owlygem!
>> No. 13889
>>13887

Hopefully this update will have been the 'beta', so to speak, for more community updates to come. Like I said, as a writer, I would have loved to be included. Perhaps if there's another community update there will be more consideration taken in that regard.
>> No. 13890
>>13881
Don't worry, no one took this update seriously. It's just an update for hats, so no, it's not canon.
>> No. 13891
I'd like to give out a word to Cat Bountry as well.

I love your fics very much and they are one of the only long fics ever I've read completely and enjoyed every bit of em. And I was excited when I figured out that the comic's plot was made by you.

HOWEVER. I just lost a whole lot of respect towards you because of your overreacting and namecalling (shitlords, really, dude?). Like a lot of peeps have said already; not everything is directed strictly at you, and if it is, perhaps you should try to be reasonable. Sort trolls and real people into different rows and see how you should deal with them. And, just a suggestion, try to be smarter and bigger than haters, yes?

I didn't realize you could be a rather.. obnoxious person when it comes to discussing with anon haters and trolls. But now I know, and that is good.
>> No. 13892
File 136888987513.jpg - (9.83KB , 234x216 , demothumbsup.jpg )
13892
>>13883
Heck yes. I was initially going to withhold my opinion and say on the matter, but holy heck, whenever someone acts like a baby or gets their panties in a knot over being called a shitlord or any other sort of name, they ought to be reminded that this is an imageboard and shouldn't take that kind of thing seriously. That was the intent in my post.

Was it unprofessional for Cat to call them (anons) shitlords under her mod capcode? All signs point to yes. Yes it was. She should have not used her capcode and instead mentioned that what she was saying was all personal opinion. I will not defend, justify nor condone the action she made under her capcode. However, I will also not "punish" her because this is something she has to learn. What deserves defending was that it was her personal opinion, and that being said, it does not reflect her opinion as a moderator and it does not reflect our opinions as members of the staff. On the other side of the coin, was it unprofessional for me to post in the manner that I have under my capcode? Yes, yes it was. However, was I laughing? No. Could I have worded what I was going to say in a better manner? Yes. Did I? No. Should've I? Hell yes. However, I'm not sorry I didn't. Sometimes what makes a Chan, a Chan, is unprofessionalism, even from the moderators! It's a misperception to think I had wanted to engage in the dribble that was going on in the manner you thought I did. Although I understand why you thought that way and I do realize this will paint my character in a negative manner, and it will give fuel for lowlife pondscum to flame with.

Arguements like what have we seen here remind me why I made myself recluse to posting publicy and namefagging, 99% of the time I want to stay out of the bullshit that goes on because it is that bad. Part of me wants to apologize, another part wants to give up, but yet I keep on truckin' and trying to improve this website behind the scenes without posting (unless it is directed in a manner that will affect the site, like suggestions and features). All I can do in the meantime is watch things unfold as time goes on. Another thing I can say is that yes, moderators will make mistakes, I will make mistakes, you (directed to everyone) will make mistakes. And all what we can do is apologize, learn from them, and move on hoping that things will eventually change and make for a better future for our community and our website. It can start with everyone shaking hands and working together for the common good, and putting bad feelings behind, instead of picking each other apart over what the other person does. We can work together, and have Chan fun while doing so, but it's going to have to start somewhere.

The moderators can only do much. Instead of putting it on the moderators by themselves to try to change things for the better, you (again, directed to everyone) take it upon yourselves to post more content (art, stories, discussion,etc) and talk about things other than the site and community taking a shit. You are just as responsible as the moderators, if not more so!

You can always get a hold of Ashe, Eudevie and I in IRC, through email, or through Steam chat. I prefer live chat over posting here because I'm a workaholic and I'm generally busying myself with the site and other community projects on the side. There just hasn't been any time for me to post. I would like us to actually get together in the Circlejerk and discuss things, share ideas and opinions, etc.

>>13884
>make a board for those whiny cunts who do nothing, but shitpost about "MUH OPINIONS" and "A-APOLIGISE!" bullshit.
Make a thread in /inception/ and we'll talk about it and get input from the community. Who knows? Maybe we already have secret, hidden boards for that sort of thing!

>>13885
/srs/ is actually for competitive game discussion and anything related to the sort.
>> No. 13893
>>13892
To be honest, this whole thread has left me feeling like crap today. Maybe I'm a pansy, a big fucking sook, but this has been a horrible day watching my favourite place for years devolve into this. And to see offsite armies and staff tags brought into the mix made me seriously consider leaving. But...

Thank you for this post, Kumori. You've... restored some faith in this place, for me at least. I know I'm going to wake up tomorrow and writhe in embarrassment at the drivel I'm writing but damn it, can't we have civil conversation and act like adults?


And to be actually on topic (and something I should have posted at the start): Update was fine, in my books. Personal issues with the way it was managed aside, I remember the original leak of the hat models and cracking a smile at a few of them. The video was probably my favourite thing, followed by the site design. Wished the map-making crowd was involved, too, but... I'm done grinding my teeth over how things could have been handled.
>> No. 13894
File 136889845559.jpg - (8.21KB , 148x188 , b9OTir74J7A.jpg )
13894
>>13892

god bless admins like that
>> No. 13895
Hey guys I'm sorry about all that outbursting. I come to the chan and see somebody's first response to the comic update being a Twilight comparison and I am thinking that this is less about legit criticism and more people having an axe to grind. I have been getting more actual legit criticism on my reaction to those guys than I have the comic writing. I shouldn't have used my mod code though, Heartsman seemed dismayed by the initial reaction in this thread and it came off as completely disrespectful and I kind of found myself like "are you guys serious right now how dare you."

I tried too hard to make a point because I have gotten hurt trying to bend over backwards to please everybody. I went in the complete opposite direction and now everybody is all "Cat I expected so much better of you OMG" and this time it was bigger than previous times. And here I am, wondering where you respectful, polite and intelligent people were earlier. I should not have to flip out at people to incite thoughtful discussion. That is terrible.

There is no doubt in my mind that there are people on the internet who are just waiting for the opportunity to shit all over the accomplishments of others and hoo boy have I learned that with this update; not just here, either, so many reactions to this update are complaining that there are no new weapons or maps or play styles. I do not doubt that those people posted in this thread. And really I don't regret calling them out so much as the way I did it. It wasn't very mod-like. But I ain't gonna discuss that with you guys, I'll save that for Kumori.

I lost my cool and I want to think so bad I am just reading too much into things. Just be wrong and be an idiot. I don't know that though.

TL;DR: I am sorry for flipping my shit and being awful to people who just didn't like the comic but to those folks who were waiting for an oppurtunity to talk shit I apologize for nothing.

>>13881

Who said everybody else is dead? You're jumpin' too some conclusions there mang.

Also can't somebody make a nod to the tonal shift in science fiction from the 60's to the 80's and 90's without people gasping and going "MUH HEADCANON!"

NGL that has been the single silliest response I've seen and it's pretty hilarious to me. I love it.
>> No. 13896
>>13895

You wrote an Engie who looks and sound frantic, and is dragged away while screaming "you've doomed us allllll!"

Therefore I came to the conclusion that they were doomed.

I wasn't going to reply anymore because ~drama(~, but jfc Cat, not a second after you write a cool and mature apology, you go and mock me? Talk about tonal shift. Was it really that hard to just say "I didn't mean the threat to be real, future!Engie was just exaggerating for humor's sake and they are not actually doomed" or something like that? You know, expressing your opinion without scorning the person you are talking to?
>> No. 13897
File 136890252749.jpg - (69.06KB , 600x425 , image.jpg )
13897
>>13896

do you have any isea how autistic that sounds?

captcha related: consequence evidal
>> No. 13898
I don't. I don't think I've done anything wrong. And I'm truly, honestly baffled as to why she is being such a jerk to me.

While I've disagreed with her plenty of times, I've always been polite and respectful. I've always taken great care not to offend anybody, and to be friendly.

So why does she always reply by being a jerk? If it were just the first time I'd shrug it off, but this is at least the third time. And now I'm autistic too?

Christ. Ok, enough with the drama. I'm going to leave TF2Chan. I got upset to the point of tears because of an internet discussion, how ridiculous and pathetic is that? I'm obviously too thin-skinned for a Chan, so I'm not going to post here anymore. Bye guys.
>> No. 13900
>>13896

But why does "doomed" automatically means "everybody's dead, Dave"?

For all we know, "doomed" actually means "hats are worthless in the far-off future of 1999", something that our time traveler would obviously be frantically trying to avoid, but it doesn't mean that Your Favorite Murderdoll hasn't retired on their own island micronation with more money than they know what to do with with their love interest of choice.
>> No. 13901
Yeah, maybe "doomed" just means the hat economy has collapsed. Future Engie doesn't specify who all "we" is. He might just mean the world at large, which doesn't mean that our favorite mercs themselves didn't speed away laughing. As far as hats go, they should be in the 1% and at least half of them (judging by their lack of conspicuous wealth) seem to have some grasp of fiscal responsibility and would have saved for the future.

Maybe he just means all those millinery school graduates who can't find jobs or pay their student loans.
>> No. 13902
>>13901
he could also have dementia or Alzheimers and blame something that never happened on the robo-crates.
...now I made myself sad.
>> No. 13903
This is Engie, not Soldier.
>> No. 13904
>>13850

I really liked robo Scout Mom. Also the hub was very professionally done, so congrats upon that.

What I found disappointing about this update was that in terms of the actual game it's just hats: no new maps, no new lines, no new weapons, nothing. That's Valve's failing though not yours; it's clear they're not really bothered with TF2 right now (the TF2 team is down to 2-3 people I believe, not even Walker's working on it anymore) so decided to tide things over with this, something they barely had to put any effort into at all.

If I have a criticism for you it's that it would've been nice to include some non-robo gear, too. There's been some really nice looking workshop stuff contributed recently, whilst a good 15 or so of the robo hats are very mediocre, literally just lol metal versions of existing hats. A bit of variety would have made all the difference.

You seem to be taking the barracking very hard, which is understandable. Don't. You did a good job with what you had.
>> No. 13906
Yeah, that'd be my contention with it, for the most part. Updates are exciting because there'll be new maps and weapons and maybe even gamemodes. None of which this update delivered.

I will say that I am a little disappointed by the comic's art. There are a lot of really weird faces going on in it and the characters go off model A LOT. It actually reminded me of Cuanta Vida in that way. It looks like Heartsman was doing a very disproportionately large load of the work otherwise and drawing the comic might have been something best delegated to a more solid artist. They certainly had their pick.

It would have been nice to have included more fans of other sorts. As it was, the bulk of the content was existing hats robotized and fanarts. Which is wonderful, but that limited the "Community" update to basically the community's modellers and artists. And at that, only those that knew of or where invited to Facepunch.

But my DEEPEST DISAPPOINTMENT was that in an update that consisted of fifty fkn seven hats?

Not one of them is Soldier's Pretty Pretty Princess tiara? He had a whole new set right there. Tiara, rangs, necklace, and HOLLA HOLLA badge. $20. Missed a grand opportunity, champs.
>> No. 13907
Y'know the only thing surprising about this update is how a Pomeranian and not a Corgi is the President of Future!TF2 America. In a story by Cat Bountry.

Maybe it wasn't up to her, I dunno.
>> No. 13908
>>13906
>But my DEEPEST DISAPPOINTMENT was that in an update that consisted of fifty fkn seven hats?
Not one of them is Soldier's Pretty Pretty Princess tiara? He had a whole new set right there. Tiara, rangs, necklace, and HOLLA HOLLA badge. $20. Missed a grand opportunity, champs.



THIS, so much! I was actually looking in the store just in case(well,it isn't a robot!version so...)
I was gonna buy one for Kurmo if it was a thing :c

...next fan update: everyone is a pretty princess? no comic even needed just like...sets of stuff. or a paint that can do sparkly!hats/misc items?

Truthfully I thought this update(before it became offical) was gonna like...add robot!paint and some hats could be painted robot. Like on Neopets,I guess :V
>> No. 13915
File 136893268235.jpg - (162.65KB , 525x296 , cat bountry.jpg )
13915
>>13864
>Stop being the cancer killing TF2chan.
it died a long time ago, sweetheart. sorry you missed the boat on that one. tf2ch actually was a pretty swell place in its heyday.

>why do that when it's just so much easier to whine and bitch about something you don't like?
the community was asked for their opinion. people who wanted the opinion in the first place get mad when it doesn't fall in line with the slavish, sycophantic praise they were expecting. fucking deal, son.

>>13866
>everyone will just head on back to Hipstr to be with all their friends/mindless followers
doesn't bountry use hipstr avidly? OOPS!

>>13872
>I don't know why it seems so many people dislike the update, personally I found the comic to be really funny
>personally
>personally
>personally liked it
>cannot conceive of another person personally not liking it
i see this shithole of an imageboard can still into cognitive dissonance with the best of them

>>13892
"shitlord"'s a real Phil Fish-tier insult. just sayin'. step up your asshole vocabulary

Kren hit it on the nose: the people who actually mattered and contributed some worthwhile shit to this community left a long time ago. on the one hand, i feel bad for all of the relative new blood who missed out on some real good art and contributions from the likes of makani, p-ro, alia, pelli, kren, phish, and a host of others i can't recall at the moment.

even so, i can't lie and say that i don't enjoy seeing this place continuing to eat itself from the inside out while inflicting excruciating emotional pain on everybody involved - because, for the most part, y'all deserve it. a years-long process that just grows funnier every moment it goes on. it's like a human got killed by a zombie, rose from the dead, and is now getting killed again by a double-zombie. that is this place nowadays.

god bless you, tf2ch, for giving me some of my best friends who continue to stand by my side even when i'm an insufferable douche most of the time; but also for the endless source of laughter you have been, are continuing to be, and will most surely continue to be. keep it up!

(I WILL EAT YOU,YOU SKINNY FUCK. Best Regards,-E)
>> No. 13916
File 136893758558.png - (6.02KB , 192x172 , enochdesk.png )
13916
>>13915
so can you not?
>> No. 13917
is there a thread where we can discuss the update in which people who contributed to it aren't allowed to post?
>> No. 13919
>>13917
I dunno, is there a site we can go to where people who want to be an asshole and exclude other people based solely on their own personal biases can't post? That sure would be great wouldn't it?
>> No. 13920
>>13919

>Facepunch
>> No. 13921
osnap
>> No. 13922
>> This place is weird.
>> You guys are mostly all dopes.
>> The update was reasonable.
>>The contributors talk a lot of shit.

/thread
>> No. 13923
You can now get a LEGIT UNUSUAL GIBUS
>> No. 13924
File 136899778662.gif - (774.32KB , 276x220 , 1364754959628.gif )
13924
STRANGE BOT KILLER JARATE, THAT WOULD GET THE KEYS PRICE DOWN!!
>> No. 13925
>>13896

... Man I was gonna try and stay away from the chan for a few days to get my head in the right place but I guess me trying to do some light-hearted teasing was too much.

Too flippant for my own good, dang.
>> No. 13926
>>13898
Fuck it if this is considered carebearing. I can't stand to sit and watch one of the most decent people on here leave because of one person.

Millia, I sincerely hope you're still around.
>> No. 13927
File 136906142720.gif - (18.64KB , 410x539 , spine.gif )
13927
>>13898
Holy shit. Grow one of these, please, on your way out. Not saying that to sound like an asshole or anything, but you seriously have a problem thinking Cat is out to get you when she's not. Cat apologized and explained why she acted the way she did, but you kept on crying like a baby and dragging it out. Cat did not mock you at all after her apology.
>> No. 13928
>>13898

Good Riddance. Pathetic at everything.
>> No. 13929
File 136907139153.jpg - (228.40KB , 1024x1271 , 156894621564.jpg )
13929
SO TELL ME GUYS, WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE HAT FROM THIS STUPID UPADATE. MINE WAS THE RESKIN OF THE SCOUT'S VISOR CAUSE IT REMINDS ME OF GEORDI'S VISOR AND I THINK IT'S COOL.


Millia, I don't care if you go or stay, but I'd be happy to have you back.
>> No. 13930
>>13927

Man, I don't even have any hard feelings towards Millia I just thought having that kind of concern over a game that has a tone as silly as TF2's was silly and I didn't even mean that as an attack on her or nothin'.

Though, if Millia is unable to handle this kind of thing around the chan perhaps it might be better for her own peace of mind to not stick around? That sounds pretty awful to say 'cause she seems nice enough, but if she can't handle the chan environment then it would probably cause her a lot less stress to just stick around if she's unable to adapt. Last thing I need is somebody giving themselves ulcers 'cause they're compelled to stay in a place that is making them uncomfortable. Image boards gotta be image boards and if that's not right for you that's fine, there are plenty of other places to discuss the TF2s. This is just one of them.

Millia whatever you decide I wish you the best of luck regardless it's your call mang.

>>13907

That would have been too obvious.

>>13929

Unusual Gibus makes entire update worth the weight eff da haters.
>> No. 13931
Okay, so in regards to the update itself, I found the content underwhelming, with Gray coming across as highly out of character based on his previous appearances and the rest of the comic being too over-the-top in regards to humor – not that punching a Yeti is subtle, more that a time-traveling Engineer with a dog as president don’t quite match the established tone and feel. It felt very much like the whole thing was made by fans.

And by the same token, that’s exactly what I loved about it.

The Team Fortress 2 fandom doesn’t seem to realize how lucky they have it. There isn’t anyone else I can think of besides Valve that’s willing to legitimize fandom productions like this – not Marvel, not DC, not Fox studios, not Warner Brothers or Viacom and Sony or any other major player in the entertainment oligarchy. Even MTV fanfiction contests won’t open the doors to the authors the way Valve did to the artists and writer of this update. Every other fandom I’ve been in has had to figure out the right disclaimers, labels, warnings, secret handshakes and passwords, secure document-sharing networks and blogging platforms, where they wouldn’t get their work erased, or threatened with legal action, or both. No one else has ever considered deigning to entertain the possibility of throwing their arms open and inviting everyone in for a hug the way Valve did here, and will do so again in the future.

I don’t like the content. I love the precedent.
>> No. 13934
The precedent is what worries me. The content in and of itself, at least the hats anyway, are good. It's just that the robot hat project alone was not suitable for an entire update, no matter how many of them they made. And because of the main selling point on the update, people aren't going to remember it as that time Valve tried to pass off a bunch of reskins as a full update, but as the time the "community" was given the reins and all they did was remake hats and build a disjointed, incoherent hub to show them off in.

It looks like Valve was really hands-off on this in the interests of it being all-community, when it could have been much better if they had given the organizers more direction. Hopefully, they will try this again, but the next update would need to really knock it out of the park if they don't want the playerbase to get the idea that community updates are just substandard tide-overs until Valve can be bothered to make their own.
>> No. 13935
>>13934
Agreed. Even if this turns a tidy profit to Valve and the digital haberdashers, there isn’t all that much to it. It’s my hope, as well, that the next such community update will be more cohesive and comprehensive – a map or two, something to genuinely add to the gameplay. As an initial demonstration for community-created updates, this demonstrated possibility; the next one needs to establish viability.

And as long as I’m dreaming, who knows, maybe a short story collection or somesuch.
>> No. 13936
Yeah, that thought occurred to me too, a short story compilation. Or maybe greatly expanded bunch of easter egg and teaser pages that writers and artists could collaborate on.

Like, ideally, in an actual community update (wherein the focus is actually the community and not just that the items are non-valve) there would be a lot of smaller projects that are designed to show different aspects of the community and what they do with the source material. Not just artists and modellers, but the mapmakers and weapon designers, writers could expand upon certain aspects of the story that aren't explored all that much (1850 team or Soldier and Spy cohabiting come to mind), maybe crafty people could submit designs for a new batch of merchandise (maybe start with improved patterns for those plush toys and Lux had a really neat idea the other day about crates with items for the action figures in them). Asking the artists to get involved in this update was a great thing to do, but follow through on that to the next logical conclusion. Consider all viable aspects of the fandom and figure out ways for them to contribute. (Hopefully find ways to monetize it all.)

And THEN, figure out ways for members of the community who don't do any fandom shit to also contribute. Like that time they let people come up with descriptions for items. Let them vote on stuff, or like the WAR! update, let them sway events with their performance in game.

I mean, as long as we're talking about an update that truly is about the community, then inclusivity is going to be a big thing.

And all of that needs to be built around a solid theme and that theme should ideally be built around some new features in the game itself. The biggest problem with this update was that it didn't do the primary thing an update is supposed to do. It didn't get people excited about playing the game. The reason everyone goes apeshit during updates is because new features mean you get to see a new side of the game, you get to learn how to use new weapons, explore and strategize around new maps, and just have fun with your new toys.

This was a Christmas where all we got were socks. There was no actual change to the game this time around, so there's no reason to jump back in with renewed fervor like people did during previous updates. And there's no reason to tell your friends.

So maybe some new gameplay or features that encourage a sense of community. I mean, the whole robot thing in the first place was supposed to be everyone setting aside their team colors and working together. Maybe gameplay that actually reflects that would be a nice addition to build an update around.
>> No. 13937
Sorry to say, but I don't think fanfiction is ever going to hold much potential as part of an update. If and when people want to read fanfiction, they'll come find it on their own. If they don't want to read it, then shoehorning it into an update isn't going to make them want to read it any more--if anything, it'll creep them out, considering some of the prejudices people have about fanfiction. Besides that, when people have just got this big, exciting new update with all sorts of new toys to play with, the last thing they want to do is sit around and read a story. There's a reason that even the comics, which are fast paced and full of shiny, pretty pictures to begin with, almost never exceed a dozen pages, or take more than two or three minutes to read.
There is, however, plenty of room for skilled wordsmiths to work on these updates, and we should be utilising their help to make our blurbs and descriptions clever and concise, well-written, fun, and consistent with the TF2 style. So if you're a good writer, you can still get involved and help out. Just don't get your hopes up on using the updates to showcase your fanfiction the same way it showcases hats, maps and other playable content. It just doesn't have the universal appeal.
>> No. 13938
>There's a reason that even the comics, which are fast paced and full of shiny, pretty pictures to begin with, almost never exceed a dozen pages, or take more than two or three minutes to read.

What is The Sacrifice comic, Alex?

I'd read a story as part of the update. Especially if, lol, updates were like the old days of two updates ago where the features were revealed over a period of days and until the update shipped, you had nothing but the hubs to pore over.

But if we're worried about people not being able to read without pretty pictures, then we have artists out the ass too. Let them make comics.
>> No. 13940
>>13938
The only Left4Dead comic Valve's released so far, and to this date, still the longest comic Valve's put out. Other than TF2, there's been three Portal comics, ("Lab Rat", a turret lullaby, and a Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer parody), and a DoTA 2 prologue. Still no Half-Life comic, although they've said they'd love to make one.

I think unfortunately Valve thinks fans of one game care about all of their games, which is not always true.
>> No. 13941
<a href="http://www.teamfortress.com/pyromania/thepoopyjoefiles/">THIS IS NOT FICTION IN AN UPDATE AT ALL NO SIR</a>

<a href="http://www.teamfortress.com/pyromania/soldierhome/">NEITHER IS THIS</a>
>> No. 13942
http://www.teamfortress.com/pyromania/thepoopyjoefiles/

http://www.teamfortress.com/pyromania/soldierhome/
>> No. 13943
Fiction by fans, yes – they’re also comics done by professionals, so the comparison doesn’t quite work. You do, however, demonstrate that there’s a market for people that want to read TF2 stories in one form or another. (And if you like Michael Avon Oeming’s style, go ahead and give Powers a shot. Good reading.) If an update included a bunch of pieces from the fan community in the form of short comics, that might be easier to pitch than a collection of prose pieces. Still, as someone whose fan contributions are prose pieces – and a 1000-2000 word story wouldn’t take that much longer to read than the comics – I admit I’d much rather see the latter, since I have a shot at it.

Incidentally, since 13941's HTML tags don’t work on this board, does anyone know if it’s possible to embed a link, or is the only way raw text?
>> No. 13946
>>13943
There's also fans who can become canon writers. Just look at Star Wars, Star Trek, and Transformers. And our very own Makani.
>> No. 13947
>>13946
Star Wars, Star Trek, Transformers, Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, Superman, the Avengers, Doctor Who, Doctor Strange, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Battlestar Galactica - the list goes on.
>> No. 13948
>>13938

You can't compare the Sacrifice to this update's comic. The Sacrifice was a major event, a canon story that had huge significance on the L4D story and lore that was done and controlled by Valve. These fan-related side comics have no real bearing on TF2 canon and are often very forgettable in the long run. Adding the sub-heading "Community update" to the mix further emphasizes it's outside of Valve and therefore lower on the totem pole in terms of significance.
>> No. 13949
Sure I can. The point was that there was a comic over 20 pages released for an update and people read it. I don't know what you're trying to imply by "fan-related" comics. All the comics were issued as official content from Valve to complement the updates and so aren't "fan" content. If the question is of legitimacy to the canon, as if they aren't just because Valve puts them out for the fans (lolwat?), that they had to go out of their way to say the Apple comic was not canon, would imply that the rest are. Even this unfortunate one.

But if you're so certain that the comics aren't canon or important or memorable, then why do you give a shit if the hypothetical update has one?
>> No. 13951
>>13949

I DON'T give a shit if this comic is in the update or not, I'm saying it isn't held as an offical / canon comic in the way that an official Valve one is. They've plastered "Community-created" all over the update on purpose, to clearly define the update as a community product, not Valve's own. That's why it's not on the same level as something like the Sacrifice, whose purpose was completely different and was a much bigger deal, a bigger deal that most of the TF2 ones, honestly. Regarding that, it may also be worth noting that this comic is not in the group of official comics on the TF2 page's Comics tab: http://www.teamfortress.com/comics.php
>> No. 13953
They're not presenting the update up as being community-created to distance themselves from it and reduce its legitimacy. They're doing it in an attempt to capitalize on it being created entirely by those we are supposed to recognize as our friends and peers.

You know what they would have done if they wanted us to feel it wasn't an official and legit update? Not made it one. They would have let the Facepunchers make their fan update like everyone else who ever made a fan update and then picked the best things out of it to incorporate into their own update later.

That the comic is not on that page doesn't say anything conclusively. The only thing it reasonably suggests is that because Valve themselves didn't write and draw it, they're unsure whether they should put it up there. But it's far more likely to be a matter of legal rather than wanting to make vague inference about which comics are "legit" and which aren't.

Also, Sacrifice only seems like a bigger deal because Left 4 Dead hardly ever updates. But in perspective, it really wasn't THAT monumental an occasion.

But if the content of the comics disrupts your ideas about the integrity (lolololol) of TF2's plot that badly, you have my full permission to ignore them completely.
>> No. 13954
Sacrifice was just Valve trying to get by on a technicality on the promise they made when they released L4D2 that they would continue to update and release new maps for L4D since everyone was complaining about it being too soon for a sequel.
>> No. 13957
For those of you still mad about the lack of weapons or maps or new play modes in this update, perhaps you should give this a good ogle with your eyeballs:

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3124353
>> No. 13958
>>13957

The behind-the-scenes-testing answers to the first question are really cool to know.
>> No. 13959
That thread doesn't actually answer that question though. It acts like it's gonna by stating it, and but then the answer belongs to an entirely different question: "What ulterior motives were behind releasing an update of such bulk and yet no substance?"
>> No. 13960
>>13959
With very little at stake and Valve mostly using the update for field-testing, my guess would be ‘revenue.’
>> No. 13961
Well, yes, but my point was, while those are legitimate reasons for shipping a lot of hats if they wanted, that information doesn't absolve this update of the failing of being nothing but hats. Could they not ship some weapons and a map or two the old fashioned way?

They would have caught a lot less flack for it if they'd just said that the update was more for the purpose of testing their new infrastructure and look how the community answered the call when they needed the content, rather than trying to make it into a celebration of the community's industry. Then it wouldn't have been a thing of the "community" taking the fall for a anemic and poorly executed update.
>> No. 13962
If it's any consolation, I did hear of a couple of people in the Kritzkast pre-podcast chat discussing a hypothetical competition where modes like Special Delivery and Medieval that only have one map each would have a map-making competition.

To be fair, it is a hell of a lot harder to make a map than to robot-icize a pre-existing hat.
>> No. 13963
It is. It's a damn shame tf2maps.net hadn't hosted an MVM map-making competition recently or something.
>> No. 13964
>>13963
actually i would like more Medievial Maps because just one is boring as hell (MvM at least have 3 o 4 maps).
>> No. 13965
Yeah, Medieval and Special Delivery are underrepresented gamemodes, but MVM would have been the obvious choice in a robot-themed update. Unless someone got creative and made some maps in those gamemodes that still went into the MVM storyline. Which would have been awesome.
>> No. 13967
File 13697659241.jpg - (217.60KB , 2000x1125 , 01_cpSteel_2.jpg )
13967
While on the discussion on maps, I would really love to see more maps that work like cp_steel. I really love that map.

You know, the final point is open at all times, but red spawn being next to it makes it tough to cap unless reds are dumb. Capturing other points make the final cap easier bit by bit.
>> No. 13971
I think it was pretty cool but I would've liked to see some robo-weapon reskins. Just hats...I'm sorta "meh" on the whole thing
>> No. 13974
>>13967

It's a great map, but there have been few attempts by the community to try anything similar (or at least none that have achieved a similar level of popularity), and Valve are always reluctant to release anything that can't be immediately grasped by newer players.

The Lecture Valley thing seemed to hint at more Medieval stuff and I'd be down with that, but I really hope they don't do any more Special Delivery. Doomsday seriously bites.
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