TF2 Happenings --- PLEASE READ ----

[Dunno]

Hello everyone!! Most of you do not directly know who I am. I am a Co-Founder of OWS, and an EX-TF2 Junky.. : )

I was one of the very first OWS-TF2 players. TF2 is a near perfect game in my opinion. But hey i am not telling you anything you don't already know am I?

So why am I writing this today and taking your time up from actually playing?


Glad you asked..


The TF2 Division of OWS is experiencing some "Growing Pains". We have members challenging authority on the Forums and in Game, and we have Abusive Admins. The Admin abusive is being dealt with, with extreme prejudice. You have my word on that.

The Member issues however are more complicated. Some people will read a post created by someone, or a phrase in the game servers are RUDE/Disrespectful, while another will see it as F'ing around. How do we deal with this? Pretty Easy really.

It is called a Hybrid Democratic System. This is where the people have a voice through their appointed representatives. Think of your appointed officials as any higher level member than you. This system differs from a simple democratic system because not EVERYTHING is left up to the people.

The reasoning behind not having a 100% Democratic system is also simple. We do not collect taxes, or fees from anyone. Everything here is done on a voluntary basis. You can voluntarily choose to become an applicant of ows, you can voluntarily choose to donate cash or time to help the Community, and you can voluntarily choose to leave if you do not like the decision being made.

The leadership structure of OWs has checks and balances built into it like a democratic system as well. No one leader will ever make a rule that can not be reversed if it is a bad one. Note I said reversed. OWS's upper Management is like any other. The leadership can make rules regarding OWS at will. Our charter dictates that we will discuss it first, but GOOD leadership acts quickly. Sometimes this means a single or couple of leaders will make a new rule. Again, if this rule is counterproductive to "OWS Style" then it will be abolished, again like a Democratic society.

Now as Apps,Recruits,Members you have a responsibility to OWS to bring forth any issues you feel are not in the best interest of OWS. But bear in mind that the ultimate decision is not yours to make. Also bear in mind that the Leadership, much like any other does take offense to those that try to circumvent its decisions/decrees.

We are in the process of fixing attitudes of negativity in the TF2 division. I advise everyone to 100% respect the authority of ANY member of higher rank. You should do as told on the spot then later if you feel that something was amiss you should bring it up privately with the person in question as well as there immediate leadership.

Doing this publicly, can have the effect of you being a Whiner, or a troublemaker, as several people have been tagged lately.

Server Behavior and me..

Catchy title isn't it.. : )

How do i behave/act in the servers? Am I friendly? Am I bossy?

Let me clarify a small bit of the OWS Mission Statement with you. OWS is about having fun with friends. We where never created as a uber-competitive group. We have found that being fun is much more "FUN" than being ultra-competitive.

This means, do not be bossy. If someone wants to shoot at a wall for five minutes, then simply ask them if they need any help. Don't yell at them for being noobs. Who knows that may just be.

Treat your regulars with respect. I can not tell you how many members we have received from this one alone. How many Communities of this size have you as a non-member if that community been welcomed, or even better, been welcomed back?

I would like to see all TF2 Members doing just this. Being very friendly. Take a moment before the next time you feel like you need to correct/criticize someone, would you like it if someone were saying the same things to you?

TF2 is one of the most friendly/fun games out there, lets reflect those same characteristics in OWS.


In the coming days you will see a new TF2 GameServer ruleset, please take the time to read through it..

[Draven_Blade]

And if some of the rules aren't 100% completely understandable to you, please don't hesitate to ask one of your Sr. Leaders/Division Leaders for clarification.

Please do not assume you know what the rule means and act in a way that you see fit to uphold that rule. In other words, we want to make sure all admins are running the servers in the same way, not some think this rule means "this" and others think "that."

We are here to help, so please don't hesitate to ask.

Have fun everyone!

[Nyx]

Very well-said Dunno. I know that it was the friendly and welcoming atmosphere that led me to add the OWS servers to my favorites, come back, and eventually apply and become a member. It would be a shame for a great potential app to be put off because of a bad apple. There are some pubbers out there that I see on our servers quite a bit and they contribute greatly to the overall enjoyment of the game.

I guess I haven't contributed much to the topic at hand aside from agreeing, but speaking from the view of a member-level...er...member of OWS, this sounds completely fair. Yeah it sucks to be overruled when you think you're right, but a dedicated member will bite the bullet and accept that the collective leadership has the community's best interests in mind.

[Lusus]

Currently being clarified are (For TF2):
1. What is Spawn Camping
2. What is Mic Spamming
3. 'Special Rules' when Seeding
4. How to admin (in a friendly, non-abusive way)

If you have requests on any other rule or behavior clarifications, please post or PM me.

[Gregor]

I do have to say, BRAVA!! I'm glad things get done here =)

[Nyx]

Actually, there was an issue that would be nice to have clarified.

I'm not sure how you would draw the official line, but there seems to be a touchy difference between people learning how to play (ok) and people intentionally playing in methods counter-productive to the goal without any kind of consent from the rest of the team, almost to the point of griefing. For example, going melee only when the rest of the server is playing regularly or exploring irrelevant areas of a map to find a glitch or something.

I respect that people have their own playstyles, but it gets somewhat frustrating when one (or more) player is essentially wasting a team slot for their own enjoyment, putting that team at an inherent disadvantage.

[Draven_Blade]

Myself, Taco, Tyrian, Doughboy, all own really well in Melee...so don't be alarmed if you see that happening.

But Taco has been known to be yelled at by pubbers for using his Pryo Axe when ubered:

NEXT TIME USE YOUR FLAMETHROWER NOOB!

I believe that was it....


Then again Nyx, you have to remember, they bought the game too, so yeah it's hurting their team, but is this a competitive league environment? Not so much, it's supposed to be fun and relaxing.

If too many people are doing it and you don't like it, don't throw a fit (not saying you do or calling anyone out there, just saying) just go to another one of our servers. No biggie.

[Nyx]

Yeah, I guess the melee example was a bad one since it's still a viable way to kill another player. If nobody cares then of course that behavior is more than acceptable.

It only concerns me when it is beginning to border on griefing, like when a lot of the players are clearly annoyed by something done intentionally and the player in question continues doing so not out of lack of skill or knowledge. One could argue that standing in spawn is somebody's way of enjoying the game, but what's to distinguish them from someone who is AFK?

In the end, the only person anyone can control is themselves, so in pick-up games especially I aim to play my best because I can't do anything about teammates besides friendly advice here and there. I know it's difficult to make blanket statements, and it may just be a case-by-case basis, but is a player justified in knowingly playing in a way that frustrates/angers a majority of the players (even if it's not an exploit/glitch)?

[Tyrian]

On that note sort of I saw two people getting yelled at the other day for trying to do achievements in one of our public servers. Not farming them, like one letting the other kill him or anything. They were both on the same team, one was a medic, one was a hw, and they were trying to accomplish the hw-punches-two-people-while-ubered achievement. I forget who, but an admin (definitely M or above, though) told them to leave and do it in an achievement server. They did leave. WTF (with capitals. Means I'm yelling it )

I'd like to call shenanigans and say that shouldn't happen ever. Isn't the whole point of the achievements to do them in normal play with friends?

[CatEyes]

Originally Posted by Nyx

but is a player justified in knowingly playing in a way that frustrates/angers a majority of the players (even if it's not an exploit/glitch)?

If the player is annoying you, or another member/members, we urge you to look at the situation responsibly. Please do not get aggravated and voice your annoyance about the situation aloud. (For all you know, that player WANTS to annoy you...if they aren't doing anything wrong, they may be intentionally trying to get on others nerves.) Unless they are doing something wrong, please don't use your admin abilities to 'punish' them.

I believe Dunno said it best...

Originally Posted by Dunno

This means, do not be bossy. If someone wants to shoot at a wall for five minutes, then simply ask them if they need any help. Don't yell at them for being noobs. Who knows that may just be.

Hope that helps. Remember, not everyone plays the game the same way.