K3D makes a very good point here and I agree with him.

I don't like the idea of anyone feeling discouraged from playing on our servers due to what could be considered to be unwelcoming or cliquey behaviour.

I hope that within the next few weeks (I'm really busy atm) I can write something that will block certain players from being taunted immediately after they have died.

Those players would be one of the following;

• have joined via Quickplay.
• played less than 12 hours on our servers.
• registered on our website and have opted out.

I hope this can be seen as a positive compromise that allows everyone to get pretty much what they want and doesn't force anyone to actively change their behaviour, whilst addressing a potential wider issue that this thread (henchling and K3D) has raised.

That solution seems out of proportion. There is no wider issue. There is henchling and his problem, which is largely solved. I'd wager that for every player who was upset by being taunted, there's another who found it very amusing and stayed on the server because of the colourful characters that we have. Even before I knew Zerged as a person, I thought of it as a friendly gesture if anything. Perhaps that positive effect is minuscule but only as much as the negative.

The vast majority of times any individual is killed will not be followed by a taunt, because there are only 1 or 2 people that actually ever do this. So I'm not seeing why there would be any impression of a clique.

What about voice commands? Will they be restricted as well? Some people say 'thanks' after a kill and that might hurt someone's feelings. Will taunts that serve a gameplay purpose be restricted?

I object that this plug in is implemented because it's plugging a hole that we don't even know is there. There hasn't been expressed a wider issue on this subject. The only thing we can do is suggest that those who taunt after each kill to tone it down.

We have no knowledge whether this is damaging the server, only a hypothesis that, if you are new to the server and see someone taunt after killing you every time, you are less likely to visit the server again. That isn't taking into consideration whether that player joined through quick play or not. And if he did join through quick play, we don't know whether the player has a habit of book marking servers because had a good time. The player might just play TF2 and play on what ever random server quick play brings the player to. There are too many variables in this subject to make a plug-in based on the data available right now.

Maybe it's because I play here pretty much every day (with the occasional gap of a month or three), but it feels like the behaviour has intensified over the past few months, likely due to the increase in numbers of people partaking in the practice.

It's just not something I enjoy. I've never really warmed to the Dazed and Zerged type of humour (they're sort of a weirdo package deal). Add to this the spread of their Green-Haired fun throughout the ranks of HH regulars, and it makes the server experience increasingly less pleasant (for me, and in my mind possibly for others).

I'll admit I react to it at times, and people might get caught in the crossfire. I have no personal issue with the likes of I am terrible and dot, but there's a transference of ill will from the source to them when I see them copying the behaviour I hold in such low regard.

While we're on the topic, if I've ever called you an idiot (a term I've indulged in before, but now attempt to refrain from using - at the time it seemed better than calling you a c*nt), there's likely to be a high correlation between that insult and people who use the Caber, with or without the Sticky Jumper, and soldiers who use the Rocket Jumper in tandem with the Market Gardener - I truly don't see the purpose of these weapons/items being used in regular play beyond being a giant troll.

Apologies all around.

I don't want to inflict my personal opinions on others. To be honest I figured there would be more people that shared my concerns. Evidently not.

If the server becomes too toxic for me, I'll just go elsewhere.

One last thing.

Dazed is having a fun time telling the server I went "mental" today, and that I'm very very angry.

Between his posts earlier in the thread and this, you guys sure picked a winner when you added him to the clan. Very rational and mature.

Sam & iRPAx
So you guys don't think that there is a clique of people doing a particular type of regimented taunting behaviour then?

Sam
Sorry, not clear on what the perceivable negative effect is.


Do you think anyone would think.... "I hate this server because no-one repeatedly taunted each time they killed me!!!!!"

frog, given that they don't really play on the server much. I imagine it would be difficult for them to gauge.

I understand the possible issues it can bring up but to the enforce any policy or plug-in based on pure speculation is taking it out of proportion. We, the members, have been made aware of this possible issue and should begin fishing for data, either through a monthly message encouraging players to get involved in any number of issues they have or make a suggestion plug-in with predetermined answers.


My play time on the server doesn't devalue my opinion. That is just low.

frog, over the past few weeks the only person I can remember doing it consistently is Zerged. I didn't hear other people were doing it until henchling said just now. Perhaps there has been an increase over the past months, but I haven't been playing for very long so I couldn't say. I do know that the vast majority of my deaths are not followed by a taunt and I can't understand why anyone would be upset after playing a map on our server in the evenings, even with Zerged there.



'This server has people that are memorable, friendly and make me laugh. Maybe I'll add it to favourites.'

When I started playing TF2 again a couple weeks ago I was worried that the server would be full of QP randoms, I didn't recognise anyone and I started looking for somewhere else to play. This might sound strange but Zerged taunting made him memorable, and playing with people I recognised was very comforting. A small positive effect that can't be measured, just like people getting mad over taunts and leaving.

henchling, I hope you are not too put off by the comments here that disagree with your position. I apologise for one of my previous posts which was overly harsh, I think Dazed has reacted poorly, and I hope you stay with the HH.



I take issue with this comment though. I played pretty much every evening for about 3 weeks for several hours, in fact I was often helping to fill the servers in the early evenings and trying to figure out how to get QPers in. Only reason I haven't played as much in the last week is that I have suddenly become very busy.

What would be the perceivable negative consequences of such a mod?