In the TF2 source code, both the Pomson and Bison has broken code for giving crit Pomson/Bison shots critical hit particle effects. However, in-game no critical hit particle effects are shown.

This is how they would look like if that code was fixed (https://youtu.be/vhmqq7-D9ww), and the results are underwhelming. The crit effects are barely visible for both weapons, especially for the Pomson.

For the Bison, the appearance of its crit projectiles has circles that are less aligned with a bigger gassy circle. For the Pomson, it just has a faint big gas trail kind of like the Cow Mangler's charged shots.

The Bison's crit projectiles are more visible compared to the Pomson's own. But regardless they are still not that visible in normal actual gameplay.

# Pingu PUGS | New Highlander PUG server! 🐧

*A new home for **accessible, balanced, and hassle-free** Highlander PUGs in Asia! 👀*

Whether you're completely new to Highlander or already a seasoned player, Pingu PUGS makes it easier to **find games and meet players**. With easy sign-ups, fresh games, and resources for newcomers, *there's a place for everyone*.

**Here's what you can expect: **

- 👆 **Easy PUG & Mix sign-ups**

> Join games with ***one click***, or start a Mix request with ***one command***. No more manually organizing signup threads.

- 🔥 **Fresh PUGs**

> ***Anyone* can host** a Fresh PUG and get a game going as soon as enough players are ready.

- 💎 **High Div Games**

> We’re hoping to **bring high-div games back to the region**, giving experienced players a place to compete and play their main classes.

- 🌱 ** Newcomer-friendly**

> *Everyone starts somewhere.* With newcomer-friendly PUGs, resources, and mentors, Pingu PUGS gives you a welcoming place to** learn, ask questions, and improve**.

- 🎉 **Events & Giveaways**

> We'll be hosting community events, giveaways, and more activities to keep things lively outside of PUGs.

- ⚖️ **Fair balancing **

> No intentional cherry-picking for easy matchups. Teams will be **reasonably balanced** so PUGs & Mixes don't turn into one-sided stomps.

- 🛡️ ** Active Staff Team**

> Our team is active in the community and always around to help, keeping Pingu PUGS a **welcoming and well-moderated space**.

**Whether you're here to learn, compete, make friends, or just wanna find a game, there's a place for you at Pingu PUGS! **🐧

- 🔗 **[Join Pingu PUGS!](https://discord.gg/7Ms2xQPHnv)\*\*

If you are a TF2 player from Asia, you will notice that the Asia region is pretty much an abandoned wasteland (Uncletopia Asia is gone), and is only filled with heavily modded servers.

Fortunately, there is a community server where you can just simply play TF2. The servers are called arctic tf servers, and is the same server network operating the MGE servers in Asia. New Vanilla+ and Reverts servers in Singapore have been added, and these are the IPs/links:

• Vanilla+: connect 202.1.31.153:27016
• Vanilla+ Direct link: https://beta.arctic.tf/vanilla-plus-singapore
• Full Weapon Reverts: connect 202.1.31.153:27015
• Reverts Direct link: https://beta.arctic.tf/reverts-singapore
• Full server list: https://beta.arctic.tf/servers
• Steam Group Chat Link: https://steamcommunity.com/chat/invite/ANyLcbYj

For the Singapore Vanilla+ and Reverts server, either server are active every 8PM GMT+8. We also have a Steam group chat to arrange for play sessions. Come help seed the servers so that we can actually play TF2 without being stuck queuing for Casual Mode.

For server features, Vanilla+ offers your typical Vanilla TF2 experience with a 30 minute map timer along with certain weapons like the Bison being fully reverted, !fov plugin, !nohats plugin, etc. The Reverts server uses a plugin that reverts a lot of weapons in the game to their peak states. Feedback is appreciated for these servers. Every weekend, we have custom maps in the rotation.

arctic tf also has SDR (Steam Datagram Relay) Vanilla/Vanilla+/Reverts/MGE servers located in Hong Kong, Mumbai, Tokyo, and Seoul as of the time of this writing. However, SDR servers do not get saved in your Favorites in the server browser, but are good as backup servers in case of problems. These SDR servers are what we usually go to:

• https://beta.arctic.tf/vanilla-plus-singapore-2
• https://beta.arctic.tf/reverts-singapore-2

For context, i have around 60 hours as medic so I am generally new to the game and medic, and i also have about 55 hours as engineer, and less than 20 in other classes (lowest being 10 hours). Here are some stats for some of my games: [a more specific question to add on is i find my support score always being low, even though my healing seems good (I don't know if it actually is or not, but sometimes i find myself with more healing than the other medic/s but much less support and would be grateful for any tips or help). First match was even, second match my team was better in terms of skill then theirs's from what i can tell. [Also this is casual mode]

what exactly is the reason for why backburner crits are sometimes inconsistent? people always regurgitate this like it completely ruins the weapon (it doesn't) but I do sometimes notice not getting crits when I should have or getting crits when i shouldn't have, but I've never had a clear answer on this besides "source spaghetti, flame particles jank" or something vague like that.

Before the 2014 Love & War patch (or maybe the 2013 Two Cities patch), the Tomislav used to have higher pitched sounds for firing and deploying. The sounds changed because the pitch ended up getting controlled by the 20% slower firing speed.

This video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27k3fU-jiKs) demonstrates the incorrect firing sounds, and shows a fixed up version of how the Tomislav is supposed to actually sound like.

If you have ever wondered why the ammo drain doesn't seem to sync up with the firing sound while firing the Tomislav, this is one reason why.

I think the ullapool caber not doing minicrits whit any shields has been a thing since shields existed

MATCH MOVED 22:00 CEST / 16:00 EDT (10 PM CEST / 4 PM EST) same day

https://twitch.tv/EssentialsTF will be the stream

https://www.teamfortress.tv/66660/etf2l-6v6-nc11-gf-england-vs-usa - Match page

Curious to see how G6 stacks against this group of Prem players featuring MANDEM's Fancy & ry4n. If anything it should be their lineup of Matthes/Fancy/ry4n/Domo/flick/Gigi which is an incredibly strong lineup on paper.

Its no secret that a lot of the community REALLY doesn't like sniper with good chunk of the criticism being directed at quickscoping for both negating is close range and tunnel vision weaknesses.

Now i've seen a lot of unhinged solutions for this such as the rifles having extreme reverse fall off at close range or making the delay to quickscope headshot take nearly a full second but i prepose a simpler solution. lower the rifle's base damage from 50 to 45 which in turn would lower quickscope damage to just 135.

Personally I think its fine for sniper to be able to instantly dome light classes. scouts have insane mobility, spy has his cloak, an engie out in the open is dead either way, and sniper duels are so integral that i don't think messing with them in any way is a good idea. but this WOULD prevent you from quickscoping medics who are a key pick for snipers as well as do thinks like quickscope bodyshoting soldiers or just double quickscoping heavy's.

Now obviously damage calculations would need to be tweaked so that fully charged headshots/bodyshots still deal the same damage but in theory this nerf should make sniper less oppressive in the hands of skilled players forcing them to hardscope more without making the class even more polarizing for new players.

MGE.tf x bball.tf cup

Have you been staring at those jordans in your closet and wondering if you'll ever get a chance to relive your glory days? Well now is your chance, bball.tf and mge.tf are pairing up for a bball cup! Dust off those old nikes and renew your life insurance policy because we're gonna be hoopin it up all weekend.

When: September 12-13 7pm-9pm US central both days

Where: MGE.tf discord will be used for communications. Match servers will be provided, including a 'waiting room' pub server running a mge-like queue for anyone to hang out and show off some skills.

Format: Single elimination tournament with three NA divisions. Games will run for 2-3 hours each night with the final four on Sunday.

Game rules: No sitting on the hoop and don't abuse shotgun jumping. First to 25, 20 minute time limit.

Signups are running now until Sept 11. 3 max per team. Single players are also encouraged to sign up as well -- full single player signup list is posted here to find your own teammate or one will be randomly assigned.

Any questions at all message damon on discord damon.albarn or steam

Register Today For RGL Highlander Season 25

Why should I play Highlander?

Highlander is a competitive 9v9 game format in TF2 that features one player for each class. This class limit allows for a relatively easy transition from pubs to Highlander. If you are interested in wetting your toes into the competitive scene, this is one way to do it! There are five divisions in RGL HL: Invite, Advanced, Intermediate, Amateur, and Newcomer (for new competitive players). Admins will review their roster strength, logs, and other factors to determine what division they should be placed into. This is done so teams play against players roughly around their skill levels and help prevent teams from purposefully trying to sandbag in lower divisions.

How do I start?

There are many ways to find a team on RGL Highlander.

We encourage you to make a post on the websites Looking For Team (LFT) section and also post in our Discord #lft channel. You should also contact the leaders of teams who need a player. You can find them listed in the Teams Looking for Players (LFP) section and also the LFP section of our Discord #lfp channel.

Season Details

• Divisions: North America
• New team registration ends: Sept 12th @ 11:59 PM ET
• League Starts: Monday, September 28th
• Season duration: 7 weeks of regular season + 3-4 weeks of playoffs.
• Match days: Once a week, the default day is Monday, but this can be rescheduled to a different day if both teams agree.
• Will there be medals? Yes, there are in-game participant medals for all players who participate and finish the season. You can view more details about the season in this article here. Have a team already? Register now here.

Have a question?

We have a very friendly and responsive admin team, and you can reach out to us on our Discord and use the #support-ticket channel. Whether it's a question about the league itself or some guidance on how to join the league, please feel free to contact us.

In the TF2 Wiki, it mentioned that "two Snipers wielding the Huntsman or Fortified Compound can create an infinite stun loop without killing each other, commonly known as a "Staring Contest"."

However, the Wiki page for the Arrow Stab taunt kill does not mention that this bug has been fixed and has been almost lost to memory, and was a beloved part of the community back in the day as shown by the number of videos about it such as this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7XDbzxpGJM

To perform the Staring Contest bug, two players each from opposing teams equipped with the Huntsman/Fortified Compound must be present. Both players then taunt at around the same time with the bow. After both players are stunned, the taunt key is immediately and repeatedly pressed quickly over and over again until one player eventually tires out from repeatedly pressing the taunt button and loses the Staring Contest.

If you try to do the Staring Contest bug in live TF2, both Snipers do get stunned by each other but the loop does not happen. You can test this with a puppet bot with zero ping and no matter how much you try to mash the taunt key, you are not able to do the Staring Contest bug. It used to be much harder to do at higher pings. You can see a demonstration of the modern behavior with this video: https://youtu.be/9UMqfykEsP4?si=SYwfRnvJOL2yYqdr&t=41

I believe this bug was inadvertently fixed sometime around 2013 (or 2017?) based on patch notes, video comments, and historical videos related to the taunt. I still have yet to confirm when exactly was the bug fixed. What I am sure of is an unrelated change fixed it. If anyone here knows when it got patched, please do tell since that would be useful information and it could be checked by running older builds of TF2.

If you ever wondered why no one seems to do this anymore, here's your answer. It was shadow patched out of nowhere in the mid-2010s when Valve was adding more taunts to the game.

Why are they doing anything, but someting to actually achieve their goal? Like, they mostly getting mad at every given opportunity: you don't state your opinion on quickplay, they get mad, you state you're opinion, but it's doesn't match theirs sentece by sentence, they get mad, you have different opinion on completely unrelated topic (mostly weapon balance), they get mad.

Why they can't coordinate any kind of meaningful online movement, when they have a freaking ZJ and Castaway owner on their side. But no, let's try to cancel Solarlight (who dislike Casual as well) over the most nothingburger drama imaginable.

And if there is, please tell me if theres any youtubers or youtube videos about perma offclasing in sixes.

A fun hypothetical idea ive been thinking about is what would happen to TF2 if the max air velocity you could achieve was changed from its current 3500hu/s to around 16000hu/s. What that means is that even a 14 sticky jump from the scottish resistance wouldnt hit the speed cap from now on.

But as I was experimenting, I've been thinking about what else changes in the base game as well? Obviously people could be a lot faster but would this change affect the game negatively or positively?

I feel like problem with BFB is not the boost drain upon taking damage itself, but the fact how easy certain damage sources can drain it (Afterburn and Minis). I think removing drain from them specifically is all we need.

Like, I don't see why everyone ignore just how fast you can regain boost with just 1-2 good shots.

https://x.com/4G_b4nny/status/2090294174721437854

Powerful.

Strictly talking about 6s & HL, but mainly HL

The sniper balancing discussion is the deadest of horses at this point, but I still wanted to get my thoughts out there.

I don't support banning sniper out right in any format. Even when this was tried with HL a while back, it was pretty uneventful and didn't add much gameplay. Though I think rebalancing the class somewhat, would still be beneficial.

I'm proposing a spawn-delay mechanic when a sniper is killed by anything that isn't an enemy sniper.

Obviously, the SvS is the primary way teams deal with the threat in HL and occasionally in 6s. Still, a large enough portion of a snipers deaths, on most logs, are from other classes. Sac's onto snipers are common if the opportunity comes up, or simply from bad positioning.

TF2 is not a mil-sim by any stretch, but lessons can be learned from that genre. Dying as a sniper in those games often means a lengthy runback to the same position. The risk-reward balance is preserved by eliminating a key position for a long enough time to push advantage meaningfully.

The delayed spawn mechanic would work by having the respawning sniper delayed by 1 full spawn wave only if an enemy sniper is NOT the one who earned the kill. Meaning a player must go through the current spawn wave and then the next before spawning again. Assist kills wouldn't have an impact.

Arguments I've considered against this change:

• Why not include deaths from enemy snipers?
  • To avoid dominate snipers gaining even more advantage
  • Decentralizing the SvS
  • Rewarding other classes similar to dropping/forcing a medic
• Spawn/tele camping would become too effective
  • Yes it would
  • Esscorting your sniper would be even more necessary, but this debatable on if it's beneficial for the game
• The "retry" exploit could be abused
  • It could and will be
  • Moderation should be able to easily handle this
• Sniper would become unfun to play
  • Aggressive/poor positioning should carry more risk as the only long range insta kill class
• The SvS would devolve into wounding the other sniper and calling for another class to finish them off with chip damage (i.e. spy's revolver, bleed or afterburn)
  • It would still incentivize more team work from both sides
• cp_steel and alike, would have a theoretical 40+ second respawn time on defense
  • Creating a specific config that turns off this command/plugin could be used
  • However, this would create more clutter and confusion for sever operators and leagues
• Defense would become too strong. Attacking snipers die more often to other classes than defending snipers, nerfing flank plays on maps like koth_ashville and buffing RED on stopwatch
  • Rarely does dying to other classes as sniper on attack happen during even ubers or downtime, without meaningful consequence for the defending team
  • Even in the chaos of an uber or point transition, an attacking sniper dying still has a quick enough respawn to not be debilitating. However, delaying a cap on KOTH for your sniper will lead to much more gained cap time for the defenders than before
• 6s snipers can still class swap without penalty
  • You still forfeit opportunity cost overall of being on sniper in this format
  • A key pick or med drop can break stalemates or lead to a force a round reset, which is much more healthy for the game as a whole
• Offlcassing sniper in 6s outside of last or forward spawns wont happen anymore
  • Beyond stalemates, sniper is only seen on a handful of maps, not at all the meta on any of them (koth_product, cp_process 2nd, koth_clearcut, etc.)
  • It could be a buff/nerf to hard-defensive pla, but this point whole is highly debatable based on what you value

Thoughts?

Register Today For RGL 6s Season 21!

Why play 6s in RGL?

- Fast-paced and exciting gameplay, with divisions for newcomers to the format all the way to the best in North America!

- Our divisions are separated out by admins after long review processes. This means that high-skilled teams cannot directly register into lower divisions, and teams inside of a division will be competitive with one another.

- Anti-Sandbagging roster transaction rules during the regular season. Roster transactions are subject to review by administrators. Teams cannot roster higher division players mid-season to circumvent sandbagging rules.

- Prize pool for paid divisions and medals for all divisions.

- And much more!

You can play for free!

RGL 6s has both paid AND free divisions. Newer players can register for our Newcomer divisions for no cost.

How do I start?

There are many ways to find a team inside of RGL.

We encourage you to make a post on our websites Looking For Team (LFT) section and also post in our Discord #lft channel.

You should also contact leaders of teams who need a player. You can find them listed in the Teams Looking for Players (LFP) section and also the #lfp section of our Discord. Additionally, feel free to request gameplay mentoring in #mentoring.

Season Details

• Divisions: North America
• New team registration closes: Friday, September 4th
• League Starts: Monday, September 14th
• Season Duration: 8-weeks of regular season + 3-4 weeks depending on division.
• Match Days: Free divisions play matches on Wednesday at 9:30 PM EST, while paid divisions play matches on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 PM EST.
• Will there be medals? Yes, there are in-game participant medals for all players who participate and finish the season.

You can view more details about the season in this article here. Have a team already? Register now @ http://sixes.rgl.gg/Public/Registration.aspx

Have a question?

We have a very friendly and responsive admin team, and you can reach out to us in our Discord and use the #support-ticket channel. Whether it's a question about the league itself or some guidance around how to join the league. Feel free to reach out to us.

As we all know the 4 replay achievements are currently unobtainable the legitimate way, but i was curious if any uncs actually managed to get 100k YT views off a replay before the achievement went defunct.

UPDATE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8SUhAhIbD0am9Q4tRhYiYgt86QjQwVRv here lol

If I make the bots strafe and go back and forth, is tr_walkway a good way to improve aim with sniper?

Current or past?

The article written by Popalofiti can be viewed here.

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Welcome to not one, not two, but THREE cups!

6s Newcomer Cup #2, HL Newcomer Cup #3, and HL Experimental Cup #7!

We are well overdue for some NEWBIE CUPS, so those will be ran for both 6s AND HL! If you are brand new to competitive TF2, this is the perfect place to begin! I am also happy to announce that we are officially collaborating with TF2 Coaching Central for 6s and Highlander Learning Center for HL! They will provide the coaches and training, we will provide the platform for matches! You do not need to have signed up with TF2CC or HLC to participate in this cup, they simply provide coaching and reviews. If you missed a sign up deadline, you can still register a team! Teams must have a minimum of 6 players by Monday, August 31st for 6s to play. For HL, a minimum of 9 players need to be signed up by Monday, September 7th. Teams for each format will be split into two groups if a large enough quantity apply! Here are the links to their Discords, as well as links to their team drives and coaching applications!

Please apply to Highlander Learning Center no later than Sunday, August 16th at 11:59 pm EDT. TF2CC sign ups have already closed, but a link to their discord for more information is provided below!

• TF2 Coaching Central Discord
• Highlander Learning Center Discord
• Highlander Learning Center Player Sign Up
• Highlander Learning Center Coach Sign Up

To be eligible to play in the Newbie Cups, you must meet all criteria to be a Newcomer player following rule [1006.2.4] - Newcomer Division Guidelines, as well as meet any criteria TF2 Coaching Central and Highlander Learning Center require. Groups will be created to help separate players with some experience (2 or more seasons of NC) and players with little to no experience (1 or fewer seasons of NC) if necessary.

—-----------------—-----------------—-----------------—-----------------

6s Newcomer Cup #2

Important Dates

• Tuesday, August 11th - New Team Registration opens
• Friday, August 28th - New Team Registration closes at 11:59 pm EDT
• Monday, August 31st - Teams need 6 players fully registered
• Wednesday, September 2nd - Matches posted in the evening
• Friday, September 4th - 6s Newcomer Cup begins
• Sunday, September 6th - 6s Newcomer Cup ends, all scores due by 11:59 pm EDT.

Registration for the TF2CC signups is closed, but players can still sign up here to enter a waitlist and also be eligible to ring! Team registration on RGL is open until August 28th at 11:59 pm EDT.

Matches will be played September 4th, 5th, and 6th at 7:00 pm EDT and 8:30 pm EDT, with two maps played each day. Maps will be cp_process_f12, cp_snakewater_final1, and koth_bagel_rc13. Teams are expected to show each day for matches, and ringers (other than players that signed up to play in this cup) will not be allowed. 5cp maps will use rgl_6s_5cp_match_pro config, and KotH will use rgl_6s_koth_pro config.

There are no registration fees and no playoffs.

Please use the Cup Support in the RGL Discord for tickets regarding this event.

—-----------------—-----------------—-----------------—-----------------

HL Newcomer Cup #3

Important Dates

• Tuesday, August 11th - New Team Registration opens
• Sunday, August 23rd - Player Registration and Coach Registration for Highlander Learning Center closes 11:59 pm EDT
• Thursday, August 27th - Division Placements and Coach/Team Assignments
• Friday, September 4th - New Team Registration closes at 11:59 pm EDT
• Monday, September 7th - Teams need 9 players fully registered
• Wednesday, September 9th - Matches posted in the evening
• Friday, September 11th - HL Newcomer Cup begins
• Sunday, September 13th - HL Newcomer Cup ends, all scores due by 11:59 pm EDT.

Registration for the HLC signups is open until August 23rd at 11:59 pm EDT (use the links above). Team registration on RGL is open until September 4th at 11:59 pm EDT.

Matches will be played September 11th, 12th, and 13th at 9:30 pm EDT, with one map played each day. Maps will be pl_upward_f12, koth_product_final, and koth_ashville_final2. Teams are expected to show each day for matches, and ringers (other than players that signed up to play in this cup) will not be allowed. Payload and Attack/Defend maps will use rgl_HL_stopwatch config, and KotH will use rgl_HL_koth config.

There are no registration fees and no playoffs.

Please use the Cup Support in the RGL Discord for tickets regarding this event.

—-----------------—-----------------—-----------------—-----------------

HL Experimental Cup #7

Important Dates

• Tuesday, August 11th - New Team Registration opens
• Friday, September 4th - New Team Registration closes at 11:59 pm EDT
• Monday, September 7th - Placements finalized. Teams need 9 players registered on their team.
• Wednesday, September 9th - Matches posted in the evening
• Friday, September 11th - HL Experimental Cup begins
• Sunday, September 13th - HL Experimental Cup ends, all scores due by 11:59 pm EDT.

Are you still reading this and you aren’t a newbie? That’s okay, because we are also testing some maps for HL! These should all look familiar, they are Eruption, Nidal, and Lakeside.

Registering teams will be asked to provide an approximate division for their team upon registration. This will help the admin team sort teams into groups by approximate skill level, but it is not guaranteed your team will be placed in your requested division. We will be keeping teams whose skill levels are closest in the same group. There may be some overlap of skill between groups, but Group A will generally contain the strongest teams, Group B the next strongest, and so on. This does not necessarily mean Group A is only Invite, Group B is only Advanced, etc. We will use as many Groups as necessary to maximize an even playing field within groups and minimize restrictions. Group sizes will be kept as close to 4 as possible, but may vary depending on team skill and amount of teams registered.

Class restrictions may still be required if a player rosters with players of considerably lower average experience and skill, but we will prefer to place teams with peer skills rather than restrict as much as possible.

For this event, there will be no default ringers. All ringers must be approved by the opposing team in match comms before the match. Teams are strongly encouraged to approve reasonable ringers and provide reasons when denying a ringer so that the opposing team can work with them to find a reasonable ringer.

Registration for the HL Experimental Cup will open August 9th and end September 4th at 11:59 pm EDT.

Matches will be played September 11th, 12th, and 13th at 9:30 pm EDT, with one map played each day. Maps will be pl_eruption_b16, cp_nidal_b10, and koth_lakeside_d4f.. Teams are expected to show each day for matches. Payload and Attack/Defend maps will use rgl_HL_stopwatch config, and KotH will use rgl_HL_koth config.

There are no registration fees and no playoffs.

Please use the Highlander Support in the RGL Discord for tickets regarding this event.

—-----------------—-----------------—-----------------—-----------------

Looking to apply to Cup Staff? Feel free to apply here!

—-----------------—-----------------—-----------------—-----------------

What servers should we use?

All Serveme servers should already have the maps uploaded to them; however, it is highly recommended to download from the links above before connecting to reduce connect time, delays, or other issues for those matches. Users of privately rented servers or other hosting services are responsible for ensuring that proper RGL plug-ins, configs, and map files are properly installed and configured.

Everything has been talked about to death with this game, but I have a question that I haven't seen to be answered. It is an already known fact that Pyro's Flamethrowers lack in damage department due to several bugs, but what if those bugs are finally fixed, what is the optimal DPS for Flamethrowers then? We can't have Pyro melting Heavies and Soldiers in milliseconds. What is the optimal DPS for him to have to not overtake Heavy's role and keep his deserved place as a close quarters combat expert?

Scout's official bio says he has seven older brothers (Note: None of them have appeared in any canon TF2 material or even mentioned by name. This bio is the only proof they exist).

That said, one question has been invading my mind:

Is Tom Jones Spy their father as well?