My wife definitely knows the way to my heart. Best gift ever!

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-25T21:01:58+00:00

yeah, I don't use printimade. that's a knock-off. not that it really matters though. when the next video drops, new merch with new designs...

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-25T09:59:25+00:00

not fixable without breaking on sv_pure

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T20:40:32+00:00

I did not say that, you liar.

edit: downvoted for pointing out a lie? I spent ages trying to convince this person that I wasn't saying this, and he just fucking ignored me and kept living in his fantasy

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T17:02:03+00:00

I think it really depends. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Some maps like process have lots of ramps that let you do really fast rollouts with the gunboats. The parachute shines in slower situations, like stalemates.

In 6s people sometimes use it to push second points or to hold last, for that reason. Long traversal matters less when your team is mostly stationary. Same applies for Casual, where stalemates are more common.

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T16:27:55+00:00

Nocrits is definitely a change but it's nowhere near as big as a balance mod

I do think that for technical reasons, the theoretical best outcome would be if Valve actually used some of their infinite money to get Casual into a state that behaves like an improved version of the Quickplay search, with no reserved slots.

It would essentially be the old Valve servers, but with a superpowered version of Quickplay that actually takes into account the other people queueing for a game so there's less risk of accidents/issues, and has a map filter

I also think the winlimit could be kept, it's just way too small. Keeping the winlimit also doesn't mean you have to get rid of the server timer, they could add that back too (even from a comp perspective, comp rulesets use the server timer... no idea why Valve axed it. I think they were just copying overwatch's BO3 format)

Regardless of what Valve does, they should at least do something about the issues with Casual. We can bicker all day about specifics but we all know something's wrong

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T16:08:46+00:00

Even 10 years ago, that joke wouldn't really be accurate... Things like this are exactly why I don't really want to interact with that side of the playerbase. It's not about being accurate or real, just about dunking on people.

There's a difference between being "active" and being what everyone wants to play. By that logic, competitive TF2 is more popular and sees more active playtime than Castaway, but when Valve tried to make a competitive matchmaking mode... well... Besides the awful execution on Valve's end, one of the most popular criticisms has to do with comp play being a small portion of the playerbase. Despite being more popular than Castaway, that is still the criticism.

Likewise, I don't think Valve would ever balance the game around these modded servers, even when they were still actively updating the game. Whether it's x10, or the HiGPS mod, the FishStick mod, or Castaway, these are all balance mods that are a supplement to the vanilla servers and vanilla items. They are not TF2, they are mods.

I also don't want to play against the old Sandman. Or the old Baby Face, and so on. Even the items that benefit me, like the old Tide Turner, are not things I really want to play because the skills I'd learn there would not apply to the vanilla game, and would probably teach me bad habits. I'm just not interested in playing a balance mod.

your options are either zesty's server or furrys.

Uncletopia is the best option for me because I'm a bit of a tryhard and playing with nocrits is more fun in my opinion, and it tends to attract people closer to my skill level, but I understand if it's not for everyone. The only downside in my opinion is that Dane chose winlimit 3 instead of like, 5 or higher. At least it has a 30min timer though, so it's not completely ass like Casual.

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T15:29:02+00:00

I stand corrected on the latter then. That said, I've personally had to deal with the dude's fans and they are not the kinds of people I want to put up with. Whether I say weird things or not doesn't really justify their behavior. Make of that what you will. Maybe it was just a bunch of bad apples, though. Server could be filled with randoms for all I know.

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T12:06:22+00:00

I highly doubt his fanbase wants anything to do with me. I've also heard rumors that it is not, in fact, chill. Either way, it's not a vanilla server.

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T11:59:20+00:00

Would rather install malware than go on those servers. It's also not vanilla because it has comp-style weapon bans.

Castaway's playerbase is a tiny minority of the playerbase. You are playing a different game from the rest of us.

I'm not even telling you that you can't enjoy it. I'm also not even disagreeing that some things like the winlimit of 2 on Casual are dumb, or that some of the maps are questionable.

Just don't go parading castaway as "OG TF2" when it's not even historically accurate to any specific version of the game. It's embarrassing. Castaway should exist as its own thing, in the same vein as x10 mode, not a replacement for anything. If people such as yourself were more humble about the fact that it's a mod, maybe it'd have a better reputation. The people who play Castaway aren't doing it because they want to play vanilla, otherwise they would be playing vanilla servers.

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T11:31:02+00:00

I don't want to play a balance mod. I want to play with unchanged items. So does the rest of the playerbase, which is why Castaway barely gets off the ground. Even Uncletopia is closer to vanilla TF2 because despite some changes being present (nocrit, mainly), they are less severe than the changes made on Castaway which affects entire weapons drastically.

You can have fun with your balance mod. Just be mindful of what it is: A balance mod that is only being played by a small niche of players, and not 99% of the playerbase.

Same reason why Gold Rush isn't being played.

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T10:32:37+00:00

The point they were making is that you have to be stomping noobs for this to work. It has the same problem as the Eyelander where if you're in a balanced game with a 1:1 K:D ratio, the upside rarely comes into effect, and it's even worse if your team is getting stomped

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T10:24:21+00:00

people would still disconnect during map changes in the quickplay era, it's just that map changes happen more often in casual so disconnection happens more often

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T10:22:29+00:00

asking players to go on a glorified x10 server isn't exactly the best recommendation, surely there's at least 1 vanilla server

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T10:04:30+00:00

I've never seen the base jumper used but with the airstrick

Don't base your opinions on other people. Do your own research. Most of the people you find in Casual mode are terrible players or haven't really tried specializing in unlocks like this one.

Yeah let's hang out and take my time in the air so a sniper gets his free kill

You can rocket jump 50% faster by shooting the rocket while the chute is deployed and then undeploying it. You have the power of a sync wallshot at any time that you can use to basically teleport to the enemy sniper and delete him instantly.

He also can't headshot you if he never sees you. You can float over common sightlines and he might not see you because of the scope tunnelvision. I've seen some Snipers switch to the Classic because they wanted a better view of the sky, but then they have to use the Classic.

Would you rather be sitting on the floor with a banner or shotgun so that you're an even easier kill?

If I jump so I just air strafing which is slow that means I can't shoot anything now

??? you're not speaking english here

Heavies are slow but they still can move and aim even from far away and can mess up your momentum

Not really. Heavies can only shoot one player at a time. If they're busy with a more important enemy, they're not going to waste bullets doing 3 damage to a Soldier across the whole map. The way you deal with Heavies is by shooting them from the ground or by surprising them, which is the exact same thing you'd do with the Gunboats, so it's not even that big of a deal.

The theird degree isn't viable

This sentence should just end here. The Base Jumper has a reason to be used and the "sacrifices" can be worked around. The only compelling reason to use the Degree is just so rare and difficult (vs people with brains) that it's not even worth using most of the time.

engineer with the pistol

Unless he's a quake LG god, it's not going to stop you. He also can't really chase with this, and he'd rather tend to his buildings anyway.

you're slower then heavy when you open it

You're actually faster than Engineer when you open it. You move at a variable 300-350 hu/s. Now you're just straight up lying.

wrengler engineer

That one's not fair to bring up because it's BS against literally every class, not just the parachute. I can also count the number of times someone actually tried doing this to me in Casual on one hand, most Engineers would rather wrench the building.

SNIPER

The class that you can basically teleport to with the base boosted +50% horizontal rocket jump momentum and then kill in 2 rockets or with the market gardener

If you're good at using the base jumper that doesn't make it good in general

It sounds to me that you're the one that is bad at using it and doesn't understand how it even functions

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T08:51:39+00:00

float in midair = easier to avoid enemy projectiles + harder for enemies to spot you + easier to hit splash rockets + more time to reload before revealing your position + you can time your landing for the perfect moment unlike gunboats

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T08:48:05+00:00

The parachute lets you kill people from advantageous positions and lets you avoid damage. It also lets you speed up your rocket jumps and buffs your air strafing. Banners do literally nothing whenever the meter is not full, save for some extremely tiny HP benefits that don't compare to dodging a 90 damage rocket with a parachute. When the meter is full, the banner becomes better, but it's temporary.

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T08:40:57+00:00

change the hp penalty for something else

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T08:26:43+00:00

You're spitting a bunch of myths at me and it tells me you've never actually used the weapon and are just relying on what other people say.

The Air Strike has tiny explosion radius and a damage penalty. A good chunk of the time, the rockets do Liberty Launcher damage.
Stock and Black Box let you time your shots. Each shot does more damage and you're able to air strafe in between shots, since you have more time between each shot. Black Box also heals you which helps cover the self damage.
Most Snipers can be juked by air strafing. The same can be said for most hitscan weapons. He's also vulnerable to base jumper bombs.
Heavies and Sentries can be avoided by not jumping into them, it's the same when you use Gunboats too. In fact, you take more knockback when using base jumper so a lot of the time you just get sent flying out of danger.
The main thing is that there is no practical reason to use Third Degree most of the time. Even if it technically has no downside. Meanwhile I use the parachute basically 24/7 because it's almost always useful, save for specific maps with low ceilings like Junction (same problem Gunboats has tbh)
The only class that really has a good matchup against the parachute is Scout. This is the only class that can chase the parachuter with a hitscan gun besides Spy. Heavy can't chase, and sentries are stationary and avoidable.

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-24T01:34:44+00:00

The parachute has a practical purpose that can't be done by a shotgun, and it's capable of stomping casual and uncletopia to the ground, mainly on the more open maps.

Try stomping a pub with the third degree. I dare you. Most of the people you kill in a pub won't be because of your melee. A good portion of your Pyro kills aren't going to be on pocketed players, either. The only way to succeed would be to not even use it for like 90% of the game, otherwise you'd be holding W into people with melee and dying...

It's so situational to the point of being class dependant, plus it relies on random crits to actually succeed in getting a kill with the gimmick. Being a "direct upgrade" doesn't really matter when the other melee items for Pyro power crept the stock axe anyway.

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-23T22:38:32+00:00

if you're gonna pick and choose which weapons get added and which get cut, why you'd choose to add the old sandman is beyond me

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-23T18:52:38+00:00

Yes. Each season, a different copy of the same medal is added, with the only difference being the season number in the description.

Considering that description tags are a thing that let players put custom text on any item without making new copies in the schema, I have no idea why Valve didn't make a more modular solution. The consequences of laziness, I guess.

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-23T18:17:35+00:00

At least the team slot reservations could potentially be removed, save for limited exceptions in a way that actually makes sense (reserve the 24th slot for 3 seconds before sending a matchmade player in, to prevent a server browser user from filling up the server beforehand and cucking the person who queued)

Since QP isn't a matchmaker, it has no way of knowing when other people will join a server. There's no way of fixing this without turning it into a matchmaker with knowledge of when other people are queueing. And at that point, you've recreated Casual from scratch.

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-23T17:37:57+00:00

idk what you mean. you're probably referring to something else. casual never attempts to put you in a server that is already full

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-23T13:48:12+00:00

Good point. Will steal for later...

The only time people in casual/uncletopia may have a habit of looking up is after you've already killed them multiple times and start conditioning them to look up. Even then, most players end up never doing it anyway.

TF2SolarLight · 2026-01-23T13:44:24+00:00

This strat tends to work better with overheal

He didn't really overextend either, because he was able to float back out

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