IT BEGINS

[Will T.]

I'm really hoping their requisite post-major-update bugfix patch hits soon. Tonight on TV2 I experienced the following new bugs:

-Bots almost seem to have their names assigned at random, rather than according to the class they actually are as they're supposed to. I fought a Spy, Pyro, and HUMAN BLU ENGINEER all named "Heavyweapons." I also fought a Scout named "Sydney Sniper."
-The tank's health bar has virtually no correlation to the tank's actual health. At one point the bar reached ~85% health and stayed there until the tank died, and another time the tank spawned with the bar at 75% and it got down to about 55% before getting stuck.

Although it didn't happen on TV2 tonight, earlier today I saw random loadout scrambling take place. I was a Pyro with the Pugilist's Protector and the Bird-Man of Aberdeen. (I don't currently own the Protector, and no one on the server had one equipped.)


The bots are also in serious need of some tweaking:

-Knockback on the Deflector Heavies is ridiculous and un-fun. You will be pinned to an upper corner of the map in half a second after leaving the spawn room if even one of them is waiting outside. There is virtually no way to counter one unless your entire team swarms it from all sides. And that may work against ONE, but there are HUNDREDS.
-Occasionally a giant bot will spawn-camp. That's right - it walks right up to the spawn doors and fires into them while the human team can't do anything to stop it or prevent the other bots from delivering the bomb. It will never leave until it is removed from the map once the wave is lost.
-The sniper-bots are too deadly accurate with their rifles, and will just flail about mindlessly with their kukris when you get close to them. Extremely vulnerable at close range, extremely OP at long range.

As a purely curious pondering, I would love to know how much internal testing Valve actually did with this. You'd think it would be a lot, given how long this has been in the works; but the fact that these bugs are glaringly obvious the instant you play the new mode for the first time really makes you wonder, doesn't it? I'd love to know how a major content patch gets out the door in this sort of a state.

[Flash]

I'd love to know how a major content patch gets out the door in this sort of a state.

Because they spent all their time making sure the Mann Up servers work flawlessly?

I'm kinda kidding, but since I haven't played on one yet, I wonder if the bugs are only on the community servers and not the official ones.

[Will T.]

I didn't observe any of those issues on Mann Up servers (I did crash to desktop on one though), so maybe they really did put in extra effort to optimize the mode for those? Still, how hard is it for them to host their own non-MvM server for 20 minutes and see just how broken the rest of the game is?


EDIT: I've figured it out. Mann Up servers cost $0.99 per game that ends in victory. Mann Up servers also offer fewer bugs than community-run servers. Valve is secretly and subliminally convincing people to buy their way onto their servers by offering the only available bug-free experience.

Valve, you manipulative business-monsters.

[Flash]

I've figured it out. Mann Up servers cost $0.99 per game that ends in victory. Mann Up servers also offer fewer bugs than community-run servers. Valve is secretly and subliminally convincing people to buy their way onto their servers by offering the only available bug-free experience.

Yep, what I was half joking about... Wouldn't be a bad strategy, force everyone to the pay-to-play servers while interest is still super high. Then go back and fix community server bugs after the initial excitement calms down a little.

[Stevo]

There were some cvars left over that needed to be changed to work with MvM. It's possible that there are other unknown cvars that may be triggering bugs on our servers...

[TTHREAZ]

I just wish I could play it. Once the bots spawn, I get massive lag to the point nothing moves and I'm stuck in a sound loop until the round is over.

[BigBiker05]

I've never got into a game using the in-game queue. Once I got into one of TV servers but there was a 12 year old spamming the mic and playing really bad so I left.

Last night one of the ville servers was locked. I joined with the password 'theville' and then we got 6 villuns together and played the game flawlessly for an hour.

[Bronze Fox]

I was really happy Valve finally did one of their major updates on Wednesday as it gives them two days to bugfix.
And I was right. Tons of bugfixes!!

[THE Flying chihuahua]

I was really happy Valve finally did one of their major updates on Wednesday as it gives them two days to bugfix.
And I was right. Tons of bugfixes!!

[OldMan]

The giant Heavy spawn camp is a regular thing... it happens on the Mann Up servers as well. I've seen it three times now, and each time our team was unable to leave spawn for more than a couple of seconds, leaving the bots free run to deliver the bomb which they did in record time. It's the most blatent bug in the update. The huge scouts do the same thing as well. There is just no counter to that in the time allowed.

[Dog]

TV10 passworded: theville

[Peahats]

TV10 passworded: theville

Will it be a MvM sever only from now on?

[Dog]

@pea: Yep

OK VALVe update was an epic fail on a whole new epic failure level.
It has screwed up the lobby system, players leaving leave a 'ghost' behind meaning that servers report 6/6 when there's really only 3/6.

So I have passworded TV1 and TV10 for now until VALVe fix their crap.

[OldMan]

@pea: Yep

OK VALVe update was an epic fail on a whole new epic failure level.
It has screwed up the lobby system, players leaving leave a 'ghost' behind meaning that servers report 6/6 when there's really only 3/6.

So I have passworded TV1 and TV10 for now until VALVe fix their crap.

Epic fail? Or EPIC WIN!?!?!?!?!?

[Larry]

i know their bots and all, but the rapid fire giant demoman have crazy good aim. like double airshots.