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Thanks, Valve.

polycounter lvl 19
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adam polycounter lvl 19
So anyone else feeling the same way I am since playing TF2? My thanks comes for two reasons.

Firstly, I haven't been this excited for online gaming since the old days of Quake 2 DM. Sure, I play games online. And sure, they're exciting. But not since those good ol' days have I yearned to play a game. Or has a game taken over my artistic schedule like TF2 has.

And second, for the past few days I've felt this certain sense of revival in game art and its potential. There's this bar that's been raised, and I'm thanking Valve for doing so. No, not every game has to be in the style of the Incredibles. But there needs to be a conscious effort from our fellow developers to give the paying customers this visual experience they have yet to receive. It's an easy thing to go with realism, and its an easy thing to go with cartoony. But its the blend between style, theme, and setting that'll set the games we make a world apart. I only hope that the companies paying for these games realize this.

Your thoughts/feelings?

Replies

  • ElysiumGX
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    ElysiumGX polycounter lvl 18
    I strongly agree. You say realism is easy, but I see most companies attempt it and fail. Individual assets may show details, but the visuals as a whole lack any compelling aesthetic values. And in the end, realism isn't as fun. You're left playing an environment simulation that's taxing on your resources and provides few new gameplay concepts. When that's your goal, mistakes are easily noticed.

    Not since custom QIII content have I seen this much creativity in level and character design blended nicely into new gameplay functions for an FPS, and I hope it brings the mod community back to life. I'm excited. I'm hoping companies will take note of this and stop pushing games based on processor speeds and quantity of content, and push more on great looking fun to play low cost high quality games.
  • acc
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    acc polycounter lvl 18
    As much as I loved the art style and those awesome preview videos for TF2, I was never really excited to play it. That is, until I did. It's an extremely well put together game. I haven't had this much fun with an online shooter for ages. I've been completely blind-sided by how awesome it is (once you get it to stop crashing).

    Another amazing aspect about the art is how much and how well it is built for gameplay. You see someone across the map and instantly you know what team they're on and what class they are. You never "lose someone" against the background. You never get caught on little details on the environment. You never fire a weapon and think "wait, why didn't that hit him?".

    The bar wasn't just raised, it did a rocket jump into the sky.
  • bounchfx
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    bounchfx mod
    I gotta say man, I haven't played an online shooter (pc.. though I didn't play halo 2 much), since UT/Tac ops this much (didn't play UT2k4 half as much as UT), and I have a feeling this game is going to last me a while.

    Once the crashing is fixed. It's much better than it was but I want it FLAWLESS.

    I mean, the game is pretty much perfect in every other regard.

    I love it.
  • Mark Dygert
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    I see myself making maps again, something I haven't wanted to do in a very long time. Thanks Valve for putting the F back in fun!
  • TheWinterLord
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    TheWinterLord polycounter lvl 17
    Thanks valve for making my computer crash! I'm totally serious your game is so much fun so when the other day I was asked to LAN another shooter I was bored with the other game (my old absolute favorite shooter for several years with good friends btw).

    The crashes will keep me on track in school and life because right now I really need to put together the most awesome portfolio showing my current ability.
    I concur with what everyone is saying about art and gameplay its great/flawless? and stands out from the crowd.
    Soon I will be able to play it more and more and im looking forward to that time.

    Oh and the crashes are not your fault its just my old videocard I believe :P
    I also want to thank you for the commentary sections, for a person like me who has not done a lot of maps or games in the matter of fact it is very nice to hear what you were thinking when you made certain elements in the game.

    Thanks Valve
  • flaagan
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    flaagan polycounter lvl 18
    Brome.. Amen to that!

    It's been a loooooong time since I've had this much fun with such a simple yet solid game... and technically speaking it's not even out yet. All the fun little details combined with the overall quality of the game.. I was sold on the game just for the sheer comedy it provides, and was won over the sheer enjoyment I get from playing it.

    Thanks Valve! smile.gif
  • aesir
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    aesir polycounter lvl 18
    Yar, I think we need a team project making a polycount only map for this game. One or two level designers and the rest of us can make props and textures as the level designers demand. We set it up as the official map of our polycount server.

    I'd be down to help. I just hope the game supports custom levels easily.


    Edit: brome, I have noticed that you are one of the only polycounters who rivals my TF2 stats (in some areas at least). Soon I shall pull away.
  • rollin
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    rollin polycounter
    thanks, valve for bringing us steam... muhhahahaahahahaha
  • neolith
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    neolith polycounter lvl 18
    Thanks valve for making steam suck so much that I don't even want to try TF2 any more. frown.gif
  • NeoShroomish
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    Steam is awesome.
  • ElysiumGX
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    ElysiumGX polycounter lvl 18
    Steam is allowing me to have fun with PC games again.
  • rollin
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    rollin polycounter
    [ QUOTE ]
    Steam is allowing me to have fun with PC games again.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    jie i also have a lot of fun with systems which say ME what i may do and what not.. jie.. lot of fun.. do you also want some dictator ruling your life? tongue.gif

    nevermind.. steam has also some very cool sides but as long as i HAVE-TO use it instead of USE-IT-IF-I-WANT, steam is total sucking bullshit smile.gif

    so and now back to tf2 .. crazy.gif
  • James Edwards
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    James Edwards polycounter lvl 18
    Yeah cuz game companies have so much in common with dictatorships. Oh lord please deliver me from cheaper games, easy, transparent updating, friends lists and auto-join linkage, news updates on my game purchases, and generally making my online gaming experience more enjoyable due to fewer asshats exploiting and abusing open systems to the detriment of all! I am oppressed! WOE! =]
  • vahl
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    vahl polycounter lvl 18
    yeah get the standard publishers back, the ones that would have forced me to pay individually for each single game of the orange box, added some retarded anti piracy system that wouldn't allow me to play at home and at work and that would patch the game only once in a while, thanks.

    thanks vALVE for all of this, I can now painlessly play with my friend and enjoy a MP game retard free.



    communists
  • rollin
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    rollin polycounter
    i begin to wonder if all the games in the past i´v played, were exclusively reworked only for me? so that they work fine with no problems..

    hmm.. i´m realy sorry for all of you guys who had to play the "ugly-world-versions" laugh.gif

    (i never bought any game wich had stupid-anti-piracy shit .. ok expect hl2-oleole-i-need-steam-bla.... so why you??)
  • ebagg
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    ebagg polycounter lvl 17
    I'm just glad to see Valve making a stylized game like TF2, with vibrant saturated environments, whereas most of the top western games coming out these days tend to be more realistic and dark monotone visuals. Most of the really awesome looking stylized games these days come from Japan.
  • Jeremy Lindstrom
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    Jeremy Lindstrom polycounter lvl 18
    Yes, thanks Valve, if you had a penis and I had a vagina, I'd like to have your TF2 babies.
  • ElysiumGX
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    ElysiumGX polycounter lvl 18
    [ QUOTE ]

    (i never bought any game wich had stupid-anti-piracy shit

    [/ QUOTE ]

    because you pirated them
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    I haven't bought a PC game in the last 10 years that didn't have some sorta anti-piracy system in place and steam is the easiest and transparent for me, no typing in a stupid 20 digit key or having to hang on to a box/booklet.
  • Joshua Stubbles
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    Joshua Stubbles polycounter lvl 19
    I've always loved Valve, and STEAM. Even when everyone hated it, I loved it.
    TF2 is digital crack, and I want more. I'm giddy about it. In love with it.
    I don't think it's made me think about the artwork any differently, though. It's certainly a nice style, but it's something that we could have always done. They made it very sexy looking, but it's nothing revolutionary.
  • coldwolf
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    coldwolf polycounter lvl 18
    Steam has suddenly decided to not work anymore. The damn thing won't even launch. It was never transparent to me, at all, ever--it has always given me troubles and is just a huge inconvenience for me (soo slooow!!). And now I can't play Geometry Wars or Peggle because it's not working. Fuck Steam, it's a piece of unnecessary shit.

    Edit: Valve's games kick ass, but forcing me to use Steam was a bad idea. I'm just very bitter about it.

    Edit2: Steam suddenly started working again. What the fuck is going on. Jesus fucki^%$^%#$^#^$%*&

    Edit3: New update from them: "Changelog: Fixed rare crash during startup." Oi. Still slow. ALL I WANT TO DO IS PLAY MY GAMES. JEEZ.
  • rollin
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    rollin polycounter
    ok maybe i´m missing the point .. but WHY is it BETTER to be forced to enable your game online? than typing in a key??? it takes longer AND you need internet...
    i mean.. how long did it take them to build the go-offline button.. lol-wtf-lol ??
    sorry.. steam is and will ever be a real big LOL as long as i HAVE-TO use it

    where is the deal to make it possible to by the game and typ in the key OR use the internet auth..??

    if you want to play the game without buying it you can, even with this who-hoo internet auth.. so why FORCING the people who paid for it to use this system..?? bc its an incredible big advertisement/shopping/datamining system that is just in its beginning..

    btw: games i never had any problems installing playing modding (and deleting .. never thought this would become an issue in modern games): doom3,ut2k3-2k4,maxpayne1-2,farcry,gta3,dow+addons,pray,cncgenerals,q4,stalker(ok havn´t deletet it yet wink.gif )mechwarrior2,3,4 mechcommander1,2, jediknight1,2,3, agesofempires1,2 and more and more AND ..

    HALFLIFE 1 .. best ever smile.gif

    so at least i can say valve makes realy cool games..

    thx valve!! *G*
  • hawken
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    hawken polycounter lvl 19
    I can't play TF2 because my credit card and paypal are rejected by steam.

    I wrote to them ,but judging by the reply, it looks like they don't want to take my money
  • CheapAlert
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    CheapAlert polycounter lvl 18
    thanks for removing grenades and slapping needless cartoon gimmick all over the place for the hype, gg, not only that but thank you for making my games all temporarily unavailable at random, get stuck at 99% in update, with none of your technical support solutions working for me. Excellent!
  • Davision3D
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    Davision3D polycounter
    Thx Valve for making that groundbreaking Game!
    Thx for replacing the limbs of exploded bodys with random stuff like Hamburgers, Ducklings, gears and a lot of other random stuff to make it available for germans! laugh.gif
  • buddikaman
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    buddikaman polycounter lvl 18
    Honestly, i dont like the gameplay as much as TFC, timing gernades required mucho skill, the spy class is even more underpowered, the knife attacks to slow, no slow gun so hard to backstab, eh, other than that its ok, doesnt have the magic that TFC did though imo.

    -Buddikaman-
  • Steve Schulze
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    Steve Schulze polycounter lvl 18
    Theres Team Fortress Forever for you conservative types.

    Its worth having a play through the developer commentary levels in TF2. They explain many of Valve's decisions including why they went with the cartoon art style and why they ditched the extra grenades.
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 19
    I'm glad grenades are gone. It'd be a spam filled shitfest if they were added back in. Just like TFC. Timed conc jumps or not (which you can do with the demoman now).

    buddikaman : Spy's are generally at the top of the scoreboard somewhere, and Scout's are usually up there too. Play the game more?
  • Ryno
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    Ryno polycounter lvl 18
    No concussion grenades for scout?!! The shame!
  • Ged
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    Ged interpolator
    just played my first hour of TF2. What a beautiful game.

    it makes me happy smile.gif

    and to play a game for the first time and actually get kills and move right up and down in the scoreboard, its so easy to pick up and play and yet theres so much depth to each character I dont know who to play as yet :P
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