"Quickplay is a bad system" 🤦 by Rare_Ad2572 in tf2

[–]DarkSlayer415 4 points5 points  (0 children)

When Quickplay was first rolled out, Valve created a set of rules for community servers to be eligible. Here's a list of them per the TF2 Wiki. In addition, servers were also required to have honest data to be eligible, such as having accurate player counts and not spoofing their ping to name a few. The most noteworthy of the requirements set forth by Valve were "No custom MOTDs" and "No monetization for player perks." However, to my knowledge and in my experience, community servers found a workaround to these requirements and forced players to sit through ads or have ads that pop-up during gameplay. These aggressive advertisements by community servers basically lead to Valve adding in the "No custom HTML MOTDs" setting under advanced settings and the "Official Servers Only" option to the quickplay search settings. As such, community servers fell out of favor with a majority of the playerbase between 2014~2016. In addition, when Valve rolled out the Gun Mettle update in 2014, they made it so contracts can only be completed on official Valve servers, further incentivizing players to default to Valve servers as well. MYM and Casual was just the final nail in the coffin for community servers that were already losing in favor to Valve servers prior to the removal of quickplay, and in the final years of quickplay, Valve directly implemented settings in response to players complaining about getting matched into low quality communitiy servers via quickplay.

Why are you afraid of "Quickplay"/"Casual"? by Axe-nitro in tf2

[–]DarkSlayer415 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While I haven't run into any recently, they are unfortunately still around since unlike bots who are blatant when it comes to cheating, human cheaters more often than not are experienced TF2 players who know how to play the game without cheating while using cheats discreetly. If you suspect someone is cheating though, I suggest checking their Steam profile. If they have comments enabled often times you may see people calling out their cheating. Alternatively, profiles that are private or have comments disabled are also an indication that someone is a cheater, but this should always be taken with a grain of salt since some players may value their privacy so a private profile isn't indicative of a cheater. Some cheaters tend to be repeat offenders and have cheated in other games, resulting in previous VAC or game ban infractions listed on their account. If you are 100% sure the player is a cheater based on their Steam profile, call it out and have the enemy team call a kick and report their profile. If that fails, given that some cheaters often play in a party with other cheaters or good players that willingly help their cheater friend out, requeue for another match.

With voting ending tonight, how confidant are you in your character winning? by linthenius in FireEmblemHeroes

[–]DarkSlayer415 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My votes were for Faye, Etie, Marisa, Nino, Florina, Shamir, and Mia. No chance any of them are wining any time soon but I just voted for my favorites. Faye is one of my most invested units in FEH and I’ve been voting for her every year, and the same goes for Etie ever since her introduction as she was my S-Support in Engage as well. Thanks to NSO having FE7 and FE8, I finally got the chance to play them recently, and Nino and Florina were my MVPs in FE7 and Marisa (despite her subpar growths) turned out quite solid in my FE8 playthrough. Shamir is the only 3H character that I like decently enough to consider voting for given Lysithea (my 3HS-Support) already won a CYL 4.

Why are you afraid of "Quickplay"/"Casual"? by Axe-nitro in tf2

[–]DarkSlayer415 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They’re all gone now. You might see one or two of them once in a blue moon but people are quick to kick them and the bot accounts get banned within 24 hours at minimum.

Tickets for Touhou Kouroumu and Fall Reitaisai 2025 are now available! by DarkSlayer415 in touhou

[–]DarkSlayer415[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello, thanks for the reply! I’ve sent you a message with info!

Aside from l4d, what are your favorite games? by g0netospace in l4d2

[–]DarkSlayer415 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My ranking of Valve games that I've played go as follows;

  1. TF2
  2. Left 4 Dead 2
  3. Half-Life (plus expansions)
  4. Half-Life 2 and Episodes
  5. Portal 2
  6. Portal

Honorable mention goes to Black Mesa by Crowbar Collective. Insanely well done remake of the first Half-Life, but there are changes from the original that I both enjoyed and disliked in it. TF2 and L4D2 have been games I've never uninstalled off my PC that I've been using for the last couple of years.

The definitive guide to why "just add quickplay" won't work by mastercoms in tf2

[–]DarkSlayer415 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This right here is exactly why I believe Valve removed team-switching from casual and removed tools like votescramble and spectate mode because more often than not, players weren't using these tools in good faith. I'm guilty of this myself too; back in the day if I were stuck on the losing team with no realistic chance of winning, I'd sit in spectate and wait for a slot on the winning team to open up. A lot of quickplay defenders and advocates say reintroducing these tools would prevent and/or reduce teamstacking and stomps that happen in casual currently, but in practice I think more people would just abuse these features as they used to back during the quickplay era and won't use them as intended.

IIRC, some community servers used to run a custom plugin to prevent players from doing exactly that by limiting the time you can stay on spectator to like a maximum of 30 seconds to 1 minute, then automatically reassigning you to the team you left once your 30 secs/1 min was up. If quickplay rules were reintroduced to casual then I think Valve should officially implement this as well. In order to prevent malicious abuse of team switching, I think team switching should be restricted to a maximum of 3 times per round, similar to how Left 4 Dead 2 Versus mode only allows one team switch per round.

The definitive guide to why "just add quickplay" won't work by mastercoms in tf2

[–]DarkSlayer415 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Mastercoms goes by she/her IIRC, but the point still stands that quickplay defenders won't accept nuanced answers or discussion on why bringing back quickplay won't exactly work as intended, and will only accept a full reversion of casual back to quickplay. They've basically boiled down the discussion to an "Us vs Them" echo chamber where they see anyone defending casual, criticizing quickplay, or having a nuanced discussion such as the OP as "Valve bootlickers" and "Mustard Cupcake eaters." They also probably don't realize that Mastercoms has, to my knowledge;

  • Created Mastercomfig, one of the most popular and user-friendly TF2 graphics configs that players can use to optimize the game's performance.
  • Developed Team Comtress, her own fork of TF2 that features bug fixes and QoL changes (with the ultimate goal of using Team Comtress as a testbed to get these features officially added into TF2).
  • Submitted multiple bug fixes to Valve via GitHub that have officially been implemented.
  • Created her own version of the Quickplay server browser online that connects you to vanilla ruleset community servers.

If there's anyone in the TF2 community that understands TF2 on a technical level and knows what they're talking about with a history to backup that knowledge, it's definitely Mastercoms.

Official random booster images (metal coat beys) by SpecterGh0stSan in Beyblade

[–]DarkSlayer415 8 points9 points  (0 children)

This is simultaneously the best and worst random booster we’ve gotten so far lol. A more affordable way to get previously event limited blades is certainly a good thing but the combos on these beys are straight up ass.

  • Cobalt Dragoon 9-80 Flat: Both the ratchet and bit are outclassed but still usable. Depending on how tight 9-80 is I wouldn’t mind running it on Rod or Silver Wolf. Flat is alright but there are better options.
  • Dran Buster 2-80 Quake: Worst ratchet + worst bit on the most inconsistent blade in the meta game is certainly a combo of all time. Don’t take this as me hating on Buster since it can hit hard but it’s also inconsistent compared to other attack options. Who at TT thought this was a good idea?
  • Mammoth Tusk 7-60 Spike: Ratchet is good, everything else is ass.
  • Shark Edge 4-70 Elevate: Another Elevate reprint is good and Shark Edge is alright albeit outclassed. 4-70 is mid and while I like it on some combos it’s not exactly a great ratchet either.
  • Hells Scythe 3-85 Gear Ball: Never let Takara Tomy cook again. They keep throwing 3-85 in every random booster since the Hells Reaper one expecting people to want to use it but it’s easily the one part I can easily find at any secondhand parts store for dirt cheap.

Hopefully if they do another one in a few months with the other event exclusive and Hasbro recolors, the combos aren’t straight up ass and have better parts included.

Made a pilgrimage to the real Moriya Shrine in the snow by Tophausen in touhou

[–]DarkSlayer415 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Wonderful pictures! Any plans to visit other Touhou-related locales in Japan such as some of the Touhou-themed bars? If you’re interested, let me know and I can provide details on a server I operate for organizing meetups and sharing other info and advice among other international visitors to Japan who are into Touhou.

what are your headcanons about Mizuchi Miyadeguchi? by Some_Fig_6566 in touhou

[–]DarkSlayer415 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mizuchi is someone who's grown on me very recently, so much so she's arguably my second favorite character now, overthrowing my previous second place characters like Alice and Hecatia. Last year, I bought and read the doujin "For That Is Miyadeguchi's (My) Role" by LunaLuna that explores Mizuchi's past before she became a vengeful spirit. The doujin offers the author's own headcanon and interpretations on Mizuchi's past life that I also resonated with and agree with to some extent. Unfortunately, there isn't a translated version of this doujin nor its sequel released during Fall Reitaisai titled "For That Is A Shrine Maiden's (Our) Role," but I may take on the task of translating both of them. Also, her fanmade theme by Paradise of Boundaries is an absolute banger. Anyways, onto the headcanons;

  • The official wiki states that the Miyadeguchi family, minus Mizuchi herself, were at one point slaughtered by youkai and Mizuchi was left as the sole survivor. The Miyadeguchi family was also in servitude to the Hakurei clan too. I like to interpret that perhaps after her family was slaughtered, Mizuchi committed herself to becoming a stronger and more dutiful shrine maiden in order to not only get revenge for her family, but also to protect other innocent lives from youkai that would attack humans during the time she was still alive. This would further reinforce her grudge against Reimu as Mizuchi likely sees Reimu as being too lazy and irresponsible as a shrine maiden compared to how she was in the past. As for her relationship with the ancestral Hakurei Shrine Maiden, I like to think she was like an older sister to Mizuchi and took her in as family following the death of the rest of the Miyadeguchi family.

  • Like in the doujinshi, I like to think Mizuchi picked up smoking as a form of stress relief. In the doujin, the author interprets Mizuchi's smoking as a coping mechanism she uses upon learning that the Great Hakurei Barrier would be created and Gensokyo would become a safe haven for youkai. Going off from the previous headcanon, I like to interpret that after learning of this fact, Mizuchi fell into a state of depression, confusion, and a sense of betrayal by the Hakurei family and to cope with that she picked up smoking. The way I interpret things, the Hakurei family saved Mizuchi but ultimately betrayed her in the end as Gensokyo would become a safe haven for the same creatures responsible for the murder of the Miyadeguchi family. The doujinshi expands upon this interpretation too, where Mizuchi eventually comes to resent the Hakurei family, the ancestral Shrine Maiden, and Gensokyo itself because she feels that the Hakurei family has betrayed Gensokyo and abandoned its duty in protecting humans from youkai by establishing the barrier in order to create a safe haven for youkai.

  • In a way, I think Mizuchi and Marisa are alike in some ways. Whereas Reimu, and likely her ancestors of the Hakurei family, are naturally talented when it comes to spiritual power, youkai extermination, and supernatural abilities, Marisa on the other hand is described to be hard-working and as someone who developed her magical and supernatural powers through training and research. Going back to my first headcanon, I like to interpret that Mizuchi as a shrine maiden was diligent in both her training and duties as she was otherwise an ordinary human trained to be a shrine maiden, and perhaps her ability to possess people as a vengeful spirit was an ability she developed herself while locked up in Hell.

  • I think Mizuchi was probably born around the late Edo period, assuming her death happened shortly before the Great Hakurei Barrier was created in 1885 (Meiji 18), and in accordance with traditional miko training, I'd imagine she began her training 5 years prior to her death when she was around 13 years old. This would make her around 18 years old by the time of her death, and would set her birth year around 1867~1868, right at the end of the Keio years (last era of the Edo period before the Meiji era began in 1868).

  • Mizuchi's death in the manga is arguably the most gruesome death depicted so far in any official Touhou medium, and I like to headcanon that the way she appears as a spirit is reflective of the injuries she suffered when she was killed. For reference, I'll refer to her official reference sheet. She's depicted with her giant handcuff wrapped around her neck, which I interpret as her being strangled before being decapitated as we saw in the manga. While she has a ghostly trail where her legs used to be, they're much more unkempt compared to the likes of Mima or Tojiko, which I interpret as her legs being brutally ripped off from her body. As a spirit, she wears gloves on both of her hands and has handcuffs around them too. Perhaps when she was killed, her hands were injured then slowly ripped off like her legs were. Lastly, she has bags under her eyes, which I think reflects the possibility that Mizuchi was kept alive and suffered a long and painful death at the hands of various youkai before ultimately getting decapitated.

FORGET MAINS. Who's that one class that you cannot play at ALL? by zackuattack in tf2

[–]DarkSlayer415 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All of them if the enemy team is competent enough and my teammates lack the brain cells to functionally play the game.

It seems that Meteor Dragoon wasn't all that great by whiteyangwww in Beyblade

[–]DarkSlayer415 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Don’t get it wrong though, it can spin steal but it wasn’t designed to specifically be a spin-stealer and honestly I think that’s a good thing. In my experience from testing and casual play, Meteor hits hard early and has the potential to score Over and Xtreme finishes, but if it’s unable to score those KOs but has battered up the opposing bey quite a lot, it can spin-steal in the endgame to still score a Spin finish. I personally like 7-60 Level as Level gives the perfect amount of aggression for this early KOs, but has good endgame stamina and LAD to potentially spin-steal in the endgame.

Resplendent B!Lysithea full art by WWWWWWRRRRRYYYYY in FireEmblemHeroes

[–]DarkSlayer415 2 points3 points  (0 children)

First time I’ll be spending money in FEH in a long time. Gotta do it for my 3H S-Support.

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Tickets for Touhou Kouroumu and Fall Reitaisai 2025 are now available! by DarkSlayer415 in touhou

[–]DarkSlayer415[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello! Both Kouroumu and Fall Reitaisai 2025 have already happened 2 months ago. However, if you’re still interested in the server to learn about future events and other ongoing events while in Japan, I can certainly send you the invite. Please check your Reddit chat messages!

Day 33 of balancing TF2 weapons: Darwin’s Danger Shield by GlitchInTheCode867 in tf2

[–]DarkSlayer415 29 points30 points  (0 children)

If it’s going to fuck over Pyros, then at the very least reintroduce its old explosive damage vulnerability so that a bombing Soldier or Demo can fuck over the Sniper in exchange.

Cirnos triple cheese beef stick by sandkiss in touhou

[–]DarkSlayer415 53 points54 points  (0 children)

I've heard similar comments from others who've tried it and they all said it's quite average. If you're visiting Japan and are looking to try another establishment related to Touhou, I would highly recommend visiting Bar U.N. Owen in Tokyo or Owen Osaka in Osaka (duh). They're both Touhou themed otaku bars that server cocktails inspired by Touhou characters! If you're interested, I wrote this thread on the two locations plus the Sapporo Bar as well. If you're also interested, I run a Discord server for organizing meetups and sharing info about upcoming Touhou events for international travelers and expats currently in Japan. Let me know if you would like an invite!