Actually I can’t quite decide if I should make this an editorial or an „I Hate It Here“-rant. Well, I guess I’ll toss a coin after I’m done.
Okay, in a nutshell: Two classes updated and 3 new items released for each of those classes. These new items are no longer unlocked by garnering a certain number of achievements, but based on the newly implemented system of random drops the new items are awarded after a certain amount of time playing.
For more detailed info read the TF2 Blog and/or this article.
Well, as you can see, that was the theory. Problem is, Valve didn’t quite get this new system right and consequently getting new items is currently a bit like playing the lottery. You get a lot of consolation prizes in shape of items you already have (the first two items I got was a Kritzkrieg and an Übersaw before I drew a winning ticket and received the Huntsmen). Based on my own experience the system works (just with an unsatisfying way of prioritizing new items), and at a satisfying rate, since I’ve gotten 3 items in approximately 4 hours of play time.
Rumor has it, though, that it might work less reliably for other people. This might be true. Valve admitted the new system has bugs and needs adjustment. But on the other hand there’s a terrible signal-to-noise ratio in that matter.
Which brings me to the actual point of this editorial:
The almost unbearable amount of whining and quite honestly childish behavior of a large amount of people!
Take a look at the Steam Forums and the insane amount of stupid posts there (and I’m still speechless about this one … at the moment of writing the thread has 1386 posts already and still going on strong).
Of course one could argue that this is the Steam Forums and the amount of stupidity is business as usual over there.
Okay, allow me to direct your view to this article on Ubercharged. UC is usually a good place for some more mature and rational commentary, but sadly this article is well below its standard. On the bright side the comments on the article suggest that at least a healthy portion of the readership has a better grasp on the issue than the author.
People are acting like spoiled brats. Valve promised them new toys and now they are crying and shouting because they can’t get their hands on them fast enough. Please, I can understand the frustration. Valve built a lot of anticipation towards the new items and then one can’t get to it.
I guess this frustration is fueled by the fact that people have no influence on the new system.
Previously, when new items were coupled on achievements players could specifically go after these achievements, either in regular games (which was usually not helping the ongoing game) or on achievements servers.
But with the new system they are helpless like being stunned with a baseball 
Still, stupid waste of time and energy. The system is bugged, it will be fixed, then fine-tuned and in a few days everybody should have the new items. So you will get your precious jar of piss two days later than the other guy on the server. Big deal. But then again I assume this is also penis envy in action.
Sigh. Deep breaths.
Valve mentioned that their future plans with the new system include item trading. My first reaction was WTF? Do we really need something like that? Where will that lead to: Selling rare items on Ebay?
But watching the commotion around me I wonder if Valve isn’t onto something here. You want an item badly? Find somebody who will trade you for it. Right now you might only have items pretty much everybody has, but it’s only a question of time before you might have a second Razorback, or one or two rare hats.
I still find the idea of item trading stupid, but it might be a sound idea to satisfy stupid people.
Somebody suggested that Valve could have used both methods to make new items available: Random drops and Achievements, so players could have some influence on getting the new toys.
True, but frankly I’m happy that new items are now uncoupled from the achievements (at least the recent batch). I’ve always considered achievements a problem since so many of them require a gameplay not really serving the game. Coupling them on items led too many people chasing after achievements and thus affecting games over a period of several weeks after an update.
The new system rewards player just for playing, and it will give the items to people who don’t want to make strange stunts but rather play proper regular games. It will also grant items to new players who might not have (yet) the skill to accomplish most achievements (especially when playing against more experienced players). New items will encourage new players to keep on playing and give them an incentive to try classes they might not have played much before. I guess Valve would call that a positive feedback loop. But the same might be true for long time players as well. You might not play sniper, but when the new system hands you a Huntsman it might prompt you to give it a try.
So basically I embrace the new system of random drops. Once the kinks have been ironed out and the system prioritizes items a player doesn’t already have I think this is really an improvement.
And actually I’m still impressed with Valve putting so much effort in expanding and improving a game when it would be so much easier to concentrate on creating the next big thing. Sure, one aspect behind that is to attract more people and consequently to sell more copies of TF2. But to reduce the ongoing work on TF2 to simple monetary reasons would IMHO be falling short and not do Valve any justice. If money was all Valve would care about it would be so much easier to just fix bugs on existing games and perhaps add a few maps every now and then on games like TF2, and put all efforts into a Portal 2 (which would be a revamped Portal 1) and L4D 2 and so on.
But instead of doing something like that Valve really continues to push the boundaries of existing games. They use (some would say: abuse) existing games to test new ideas or technologies, to increase their understanding of different aspects of gameplay and how players react to certain elements. All of which will eventually find its way into any future game which is probably only as good as it is because of the groundwork done at some other point.
I’m sure a lot of people don’t like the idea of a game like TF2 to act as a testing ground. But if you look closely you will have to admit that the majority of all the new elements have been integrated very carefully and usually in a manner which is in accordance with the spirit and the function of the game.
In some ways I think Robin Walker (along with the rest of the TF2 developers) has gone back to the mindset of the days of the original TF where he and his colleagues tried a lot of ideas to see what worked for the game and what did not.
And IMHO the gameplay of TF2 is richer and more versatile than ever before. It may not be perfect, but it features an incredible range of tactical elements without having serious flaws.
Maybe we are sometimes a bit too close to the subject to appropriately appreciate that.
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BTW: Coin came down Heads up. Regular editorial then. But continue to act like spoiled, immature children and I might go “I Hate It Here” on you after all 
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