Precious

I've seen some more people speak out in defense of this map recently, and while I must admit some of these defenses are legitimate, I also disagree with some of them. I'd like to go over those/debunk them quickly. (nothing personal to anyone I quote, just using them as examples)

19 hours ago, BonfireCentipede said:

there's not only those two ways to counter the snipers, you can just swim in the water and the snipers usually don't see you since they're fixated on the enemy spawn for themselves to not get sniped and there's also the vaccinator which makes it basically impossible to die to the snipers while countering them fully if you play right

and I don't think the map kills population, from what I've noticed every time we've ever went on there not too many people leave, sure some people complain about the map but there's not really a huge amount of people that leave, at least in my experience playing on it

Swimming in the water doesn't save you from the snipers. Most snipers can still see you swimming and snipe you on dry land. They can also get in the water themselves and snipe, and since water gives you even LESS movement, it becomes even harder to use water to get to the snipers unless you're a cloaked spy. Also, the Vaccinator doesn't make the map better, I would say it makes it even more toxic, because then everyone will just get vac meds to pocket them, then it turns into another battle of which team has the better snipers again. This time though, it makes it even less fun because you can't get any insta kills.

I'm sure we all have different experiences, but almost every time I've been on TGH and we go to Delfino Airstrip, either: the server dies quickly after OR we RTV as soon as the option is open. Of course the statistics may not line up with my experience, but that doesn't mean people necessarily enjoy this map. The reputation of this map in the community has always seemed generally disliked.

On 1/7/2019 at 10:43 PM, Bags said:

This map is better than 50% of the maps in TGH's map list so got to -1 it

This is similar to something I've heard a lot of people say about the map. "X isn't as bad as Y and Z, therefore X is good!". Yes, there are probably worse maps on TGH, but that doesn't mean that this one is good. Smoking might not be as dangerous as doing meth, but that doesn't make it healthy either.

But anyway, those are just some of my opinions. I do agree that on a technical standpoint, this map functions much better than some of the other maps that we have and there is nothing actually innately broken about it. I also don't think it's ugly, though the colors may be a bit over-saturated. However, I still stand by my views and believe this map should be removed. You're all free to have your own opinion on the map though. If you truly enjoy it, that''s fine! I'm glad you can enjoy something I can't.  

Also I would like to say 2 things:

1: Please READ the whole thing before voting. I tried to make a fair analysis on why people dislike the map, so even if you do like the map, maybe you can at least listen to my reasoning and understand my points.

2: Please do NOT vote no just because you dislike me. You can dislike me, that's fine, whatever, I don't care. But don't be so childish and petty and vote no purely because you dislike me. 

If you truthfully enjoy this map, then fine, that's great. But don't impulsively choose no because my name is plastered on this thing or you think this map is funny to meme on.

So for a while now, I've been wanting to make polls to remove some maps that have been generally disliked by the community. Today, while on TGH, a decent amount of people were on but for some reason the next map was already chosen to be Delfino Airstrip (the decision was probably made way earlier, as we were just starting to revive the server). We tried to use votemap to stop it since nobody wanted to go to there, but in the end it failed, and we went there anyways. Sure enough, once we got there, a lot of people left and as soon as the ability to RTV was available, we used it to go to a different map immediately. If so many people loathe the map so much, why do we even still have it on rotation?

Now, some of you may be wondering what's wrong with it, and to those who don't know why this map is hated, I'll give you some reasons. First off, the map is quite small. While it appears large at first, the actual battlefield itself is very small. A map being small isn't always a bad thing, smaller compact maps like Delivery can be quite fun to play on at times. However, its size only amplifies the other reasons why people hate this map. One of the biggest reasons this map is hated is because it is almost completely just a flat, wide open plane. And I think we all know what happens when a map is so open and flat: sniper hell. Almost everyone will just go sniper and it'll turn into an all out shitfest. Don't get me wrong, maps that encourage snipers aren't a bad things on their own, maps like Lava Giant manage to make it fun to play sniper and play against them as well due to its layout. But with airstrip's simplistic, flat design, the snipers become unbearable. Now, these two points aren't so bad on their own, but my last point is what really makes this map awful to play on: no spawn rooms. 

Whenever you spawn, it's out in the open, in a boat with barely any cover. The only respawn cabinet is in a hut in the middle of the map, which is usually just camped by one team. Combine this with the sniper hell and flat map layout, and the game quickly degrades into a bunch of tryharding snipers and spies trying to get revenge on said snipers. You get sniped, you respawn, you take two steps forward, you get sniped, rinse and repeat. 

Despite all the hate over delfino airstrip, I've still heard some people defend this map for some reason. I'd like to go over some of the defenses or reasons they give for wanting to keep this map and why they aren't valid. First off, I've heard people say that because this map is "a classic", that means it shouldn't be removed. Well I have news for you: just because something is old or 'classic' doesn't mean it's good. From what I can tell, this map has been despised by many since it's been here. I've also heard people say "lol you just don't know how to counter snipers". To that I say... are you dumb? There are only really two counters to snipers: spies, and other snipers. The distance between each spawn allows the snipers to kill any other class long before they can reach them, making them nonviable. Even spy isn't that good, because sniper has so many counters to deal with spies himself, from jarate to the razorback. So that just leaves sniper. Then it literally just turns into a battle of which team has the better snipers. I've also heard people say "It's just a trade server, not all maps have to be serious". While yes, this may be a trade server, that doesn't mean that it's okay for maps to be poorly designed. Some of TGH's most popular maps such as Clocktown, Bunker, Rogueport, and Aquaticruin still manage to be fun for everyone because they give an equal playing field to both teams and allow multiple classes to flourish and counter one another. I honestly don't know why anyone would defend this map unless they were doing it 'for the memes lul'.

This map is poorly designed, encourages one class to dominate, is too small to do anything on, and has no spawn rooms. People leave every time we go there, almost always killing the server or leading to an instant RTV. I honestly don't see any redeeming qualities in this map, besides that it's from a good game, but even that doesn't excuse its poor design. I've been listening to people complain about this map since I first started coming on xG two years ago, and I think it might be time to remove it from rotation. 

There are LOTS of other maps on TGH that I'd like to see removed, but for now, I'll start here and see how well this goes. What do you guys think? Remove it or keep it?

delfino airstrip, nimbusland, and pretty much any other map that favors one team over the other and encourages sniper hell. I have zero patience for those shitty maps.

Also delivery. That map is not good, those who say otherwise are either people saying for the meme or people with negative iq

I'm getting a bad sense of Déjà Vu here.

Look, I don't wanna sound like an ass, but I believed you could change before and you let me down. You basically became a meme in the community with all the drama that transpired involving you leaving and coming back in such a short period of time. Now, I know we can all have our problems IRL, and it can be hard not to let them affect how we act, but your behavior was still childish and unacceptable. 

This would usually be the part where I act optimistic and say "the past is the past", but even today, you're going around literally begging for downvotes. I don't care if it's 'for the memes lul', considering what it took to get you to that point, I think it's still a slap to the face to those who had faith in you. It almost feels like you've learned nothing. And if you've learned nothing, why should we put our trust in you again?

Ugh, look, I know next to nothing about you besides all of your past drama Neon. I also don't see you much or talk to you on servers, so I don't know what things you must be struggling with. I will say though that I'm sorry things are rough for you, and I hope you get past them. 

You'll always be welcome here at xG as long as you follow the rules, but I suggest that for the best possible experience, you stay true to your word and improve from here on out. Because honestly, I don't see things going much better for you this time if you don't make an effort to do better.

funny me me xd

 people above and below now have quadruple mega ultra beast gay, no reversal, no no u's, no shields, u gay now my guy 

So, it's looking like that time of the year again, the time where it all comes to a magnificent close and we move on to the next chapter. 2018 was packed with all sorts of surprises, some good, some bad. Ended a 3 year long relationship, went from Non-Member to Admin in the span of a month, met a bunch of neeto people who later became my friends, watched a lot of interesting characters come and go in xG, and so on. A lot has happened in the span of a year and I feel like becoming a part of xG has changed me into someone completely different than who I was last year. And while not everything that happened was good, I don't regret a thing. I'm glad things have turned out the way they have for me, and I'm glad to be a part of this community.  

Alright alright, sentimental stuff out of the way, I wanted to ask you all what your New Years Resolutions are, if you have one. What are you gonna change about yourself? What will you improve on? Where do you see yourself this time next year?

My New Years Resolution? Why, I'm so glad you asked! I actually don't have a resolution, because I'm pretty much the best guy I know. B)

...Okay but really, my resolution is to try and step more out of my comfort zone this year, do things I was too afraid to do, and take the initiative. You know, that kind of thing. I often struggle with stepping outside of my comfort zone, and have relied too much on others to do things for me. I need to become more independent and responsible, and I feel like it'll most likely pay off later down the line.

Anyway, whether you have a resolution or not, I wish you all a happy new year, and hope all goes well for xG this year.  

Hello hello everybody, I have returned!

I apologize for my sudden dip in activity, I've been very sick and quite busy of late, with all the holidays and work and whatnot. But now I'm feeling better and my schedule should be all cleaned up, so I think I'm all set to start coming back on. I will be going back to college this winter, but I don't think it should affect my activity too much. Anyway, how was everyone's Christmas (if you celebrate that, that is)? Did you get what you wanted? What are your plans for New Years Eve?

Again, I apologize for my nonexistence recently, I promise I'm here to stay now. Hope to see you all around! :3

-Precious

While I agree this probably isn't our best map, there are MUCH worse maps on tgh, like Delivery and Nimbusland, which still exist for some reason.

Regarding this map though, I do know it causes a lot of issues for some people. While it is widely debated what makes a map bad, I think we can all agree that if a map can't load for multiple people, it's bad. Some maps kill the server because people believe they are boring, but Echidna genuinely kills the server because only like 50% of people can load it correctly. 

I personally don't mind the design of the map [though it can get stale quick especially if the krusty krab is being camped] but I do believe the map has its issues, and needs to be removed until they get fixed.

I don't fuck with anime but I'll play minecraft with you 

don't worry it's not gay just wear socks

So I was going to stay quiet and not get involved with this but it's whatever, I have a say in this stuff too. So let's put aside our pasts and discuss this maturely.

On one side, I don't think you'd be bad for the role. You're pretty active and you seem to know the rules well enough, and that's good. Those are just some of the most important parts of being a good staff member. You also seem to cooperate well with others and staff when they ask something of you, which is also good.

On the other side though, I've also known that you have a short fuse. I mean no offense by this, I can lose my patience very easily as well. However, if you can't keep your cool in serious situations, it can cause you to lash out and do really regrettable shit. I should know, it's gotten me demoted in the past. I'm not saying not saying you have a toxic personality or anything, I think you're actually pretty friendly and funny. But I know at least one time where you lost your cool and it got you in deep trouble. You and I both know what I'm talking about.

HOWEVER, that was just one time. I don't know you very well and haven't known you for very long. But recently, I have seen you act friendlier and more considerate on servers. Even when there were people on that you don't like (like me) or people would confront you about rules, you seem to keep your cool and not let it bother you too much. I think these are noteworthy improvements and I'm not going to lie and act like you haven't changed just because of a dumb feud we had. 

Overall, I do think you've come a way and shaped up. I'm not going to -1 you just because of one bad experience. However, I also believe it's too early for me to +1 this. I want to see you keep being a good boi, then maybe I'll change my mind.

My vote remains neutral... for now. 

Hello hello Semper boi. :3

Semper is super chill, friendly towards most, is very active, and knows/follows the rules well. Honestly I was hoping he would apply, I think he would be a great moderator and a good addition to the staff roster. Plus, who doesn't love red pandas?

+1 from me

submit to the dark side

After seeing the title of this post, I thought it was gonna be another one of those overly dramatic rants about "everything wrong with xG". 

I was pleasantly surprised. 

Aww rip. It's okay bud, we all get caught up in real life stuff, you don't have to apologize for anything. I do hope you stick around, and I wish you the best on whatever you do next. :3 

1 hour ago, Shadower said:

fucking finally the tf2 division is ready to die lol

Do you ever say anything that isn't pessimistic or cynical?

Anyways, gahh this is rough to see Caleb. I remember the first time we really got to meet each other, you were asking people to tell jokes and I told a few and you added me. You've always been such a cool staffy boi and an inspiration for me to do better. While it's sad to see you go, if you believe you're doing the right thing, I respect that. Thanks for always being a good friend cleb, I hope we meet again soon  

I don't believe TF2 is dead but I do believe it is dying. It has been on a steady decline for the past few years, with content updates coming less and less and fewer things being added with each update. Some things feel very out of date or unbalanced, and need to be updated. It's frustrating to see the state of the game now, it's almost as if Valve has completely forgotten it. The game gets very stale very quickly because there's hardly ever any new content, and the content they add is never what the game needs. At times, it almost feels like the only way to still have fun is to make your own fun, by going onto modded community servers full of ideas that could be added to the game, but never will.

I know the game is old but I don't think that means it's a lost cause. I do believe that if all of the original developers came back and Valve put a little more time and money into updating the game with new and fresh content, it would pay off for them. New players and veterans could be lured back and more money could be made, but no. Valve is content to just collect money from TF2 until it runs dry, at which point, they'll probably shut it down.

I don't see TF2 living on for much longer. Maybe a couple more years, but not much longer than that. Small cosmetic crate updates won't cut it, the only thing that could save the game from a slow painful death at this point is to release a major, game changing update, bigger than the Jungle Inferno one. But I don't see that ever happening due to how incompetent Valve is now. TF2's glory days are long gone, and I believe it's only a matter of time before it fades entirely.

Okay okay this is for all the big bois on the servers who have jobs irl. All you jobless kiddies, be G O N E.

So, what's the worst thing your boss or coworkers have ever caught you doing? Did it happen at or outside your workplace? Did it affect your relationship with them? Did you end up getting fired for it? I'll start:

I work for my uncle at a radio station. He's a really cool, chill uncle who's pretty relaxed about everything in and out of work. About a year ago, during a Halloween party, I was getting really into it and decided to take some jello shots. It was a neighborhood party and I knew some of my family was going to be there, though I didn't know my uncle was going. So after I downed 3 jello shots with some friends, I turn and see my boss staring at me with his jaw dropped to the floor.

I was a minor at the time, and here I was taking shots in front of my pure uncle who was also my boss. I thought for sure he was going to fire me, and I started apologizing up and down, trying to explain the situation. But... he didn't really care. He was just surprised to see me doing it and we had a good laugh about it all. We had fun and neither of us spoke a word about any of it to anyone at work. I'm honestly super lucky to have an uncle/boss as cool as him, because any other person probably would have fired me after that. But anyways, that's probably the worst thing I've ever done in front of my boss. Shhh no tell anyone, this is our little secret. >:) 

Fun fact about me? Uhhh well I only have one kidney. Lost my other one when I was really young to cancer, but I'm doing well without it. That's not to say it hasn't caused health problems over the years, but it's whatever, if I survived that shit, I can survive anything yo B)

I'm pretty excited, though I'm not sure what to ask for, or what to buy for my family and cousins. I love the Christmas aesthetic so much, all the snow and color and jolliness is pretty neeto. My favorite holiday next to Valentines Day.

Alcoholic: Hard to say, I'm not into drinking much, though I like some types of Wine. 

Non-Alcoholic: Strawberry Soda. My absolute favorite :3 

my favorite animals are skunks (don't judge me), I think they're adorable and I would cuddle and hug one if it wasn't stinky.

Since skunks can have their odor glands removed, yeah I'd happily own one as a pet, they're like chubby cats with cooler fur patterns. 

I don't have any problem with you, you're pretty friendly and funny and chill. You're also fairly active and you've followed the rules every time I've seen you. I don't think it's fair to judge you for your past, especially when it seems like you've improved quite a bit, so I think you'd make a good member.

A: 8.5

M: 8.5

+1

2 hours ago, Red said:

I knew I was wrong when I changed my name to "suck my dick furfags" which might look like I was trying to loop which wasn't the case I was just fooling around thinking this wouldn't cause any problem nor anyone would be mad about it but apparently not since Precious got offended over it. 

Whenever Precious is on he would have some disgusting binds which I personally would say is unprofessional for one of our staff to say stuff like this.

Precious:

"I'm just givin your dickie dick a lil suckie suck, chill the fuck out bro" 

How come he says shit like this but when I say "suck my dick" once or changed my name to "suck my dick furfags" I get gagged then ban afterwards? It's hypocritical as fuck. 

"slurps on your cocky-wocky and gets all the tasty cummies"

"If your name is Chad you are entitled to a free blowie from me anytime"

"I'm daddy's little fidget spinner. He puts me on his dick, and I spin. Whishhhhhhhh"

"Bunny Boy [xG:A] Krampus : I like riding dildos balls first"
^ Same goes for Krampus, don't be saying stuff like this on the server doesn't matter if majority of the players don't mind it but keep it classy cause once the regulars or new players come on xG servers and see this they'll probably do the same or something far worse.

You shouldn't be saying this on the server period. You should keep it professional and just talk casual instead of just spamming those stupid binds which make me and probably the majority of the server/player base uncomfortable or drive them away. We got children playing on our servers daily I think it's a bad example to be showing them or letting them see or hear this stuff. Keep it in discord or direct messages don't go sprout stuff like this.  Since my 4-5 years being in xG I have never witness this from any staff or higherup. Hopefully our DMs/DLs will talk to them in private and tell them tone it down cause I find this stuff weird and It usually causes bad reactions from players including myself.

I honestly didn't mean for the situation to blow up like it did. I knew I was on my last straw but I didn't think something so light / playful would turn out to bite me the back. x)

I know it's not up to me to be calling out choices but maybe try to consider unban and maybe give me like month gag or something.

You really don't get it do you? Here's one word for you: context. When I use those stupid binds, I'm using them as a dumb joke. But if someone tells me they genuinely dislike those binds, I stop using them, because continuing to say things that I know would tick someone off is harassment. Meanwhile, you said something that could be interpreted as disrespectful towards someone, knowing they probably wouldn't like it. You could tell they wouldn't like it, and they made it clear they didn't enjoy what you were saying to them, yet you kept going. Out of context, yeah, the things we say sound a lot alike. But in context, we are saying them for two completely different reasons. I'm saying it for dumb harmless fun and would stop if it was irritating someone. You on the other hand, knew it would irritate someone yet you still kept going.

I gave you a warning in chat, then you said "suck my dick" in chat afterwards. Now, I heard you say this wasn't aimed at me. Even if that is true, you still continued to harass someone after I deliberately warned you to stop, then I gagged you. Now, if that insult really wasn't aimed at me, you know you could've tried to contact me and let me know, right? Friend me on steam and pm me, pm me on discord, pm Seg and have him talk to me, but no. Instead you changed your name to "suck my dick" to disrespect everyone. This was an absolutely childish and immature way to deal with the situation.

I've heard some people say "why didn't you kick him?' and "this was too strict", I have news for you. In case you didn't already know, Red has been banned before in the past. As Kypari said, after someone has been kicked and then banned once, it's a ban instead of kick every time afterwards, because they should already know the rules and what they've done wrong if they've been banned for it before. I gave Red a warning, he had a chance to stop but didn't, he was punished, he changed his name to disrespect us even further, so I banned. I wasn't strict, I guarantee you any other staff member would have done the same. If you have a problem with that, you should take it up with higher ups on how they think the process of punishment should go. I'm just doing my job, and it just so happens this time your ban is permanent.

Also, just because we're staff doesn't mean we should have to become boring prudes. We take our roles seriously and try to keep things professional in terms of rules and punishment, sure. But literally every staff member on xG has said some dumb raunchy stuff like that, including our DL's like Nutty. It's all harmless fun, and again, context matters. Me talking about daddy's cummies is not the same as saying things you know will start trouble.

*s i g h* Now that I've made that clear, I want to say i'm sorry you're mad at me Red. I swear I have nothing against you or any of your friends. I know next to nothing about you, only the few things I've heard from friends. Besides this situation, I've personally never had a problem with you, and I don't think you're some kind of scum that deserves to be permabanned. Especially because I just found out you've only been banned one other time. I had no idea your next ban would be permanent, and by no means wanted you to be gone permanently. I encourage you to do a challenge to come back, because again, I don't think you're some gigantic threat to xG.

HOWEVER, I don't see how in any way, I abused my power or was too strict. I followed the process of punishment that all other staff members follow, and dealt punishment accordingly. Like I said, I guarantee you any other staff member would have done the same. I just happened to be that staff member. Sorry.