Your ad here, right now:

Archive for the ‘Contest’ Category

Newbs’ News for May 22, 2016

Posted on: May 22nd, 2016 by Obey

Lots going on now! The short version:

  1. TF2Newbs’ 2Fort Contest runs the entire month of June
    • Player with most active playtime for June wins an unusual hat
    • First player to first reach 30,000 and 50,000 points will win 10 keys each
    • Two server-starting players on #04 eligible to win metal or hats each day
    • Three server-starting players on #04 also eligible to win a key each week.
  2. HLStats reset June 1st
  3. LMAOBOX hack users successfully banned by VAC
  4. Plenty of Newbs are playing the Overwatch beta
  5. Terraria patch 1.3.1 is now live
  6. Steam Summer Sale 2016 runs from June 23rd to July 4th

1. TF2Newbs’ 2Fort Contest Starts June 1st

TF2Newbs’ six 24/7 2Fort servers (#01, #04, #05, #09, #19, #21) are hosting a series of contests during the month of June, with monthly, weekly, and daily prizes! See the forum post for questions and more information.

 

Monthly Points Race

TF2Newbs’ six 24/7 2Fort servers (#01, #04, #05, #09, #19, #21) will host a month-long points contest!

scout

The first player to reach a total of 30,000 points will win 10 keys!

The first player to reach a total of 50,000 points will also win 10 keys! (The player who wins the 30k prize is ineligible for the 50k prize.)

Note: These rewards are measured by HLStats’ points system, not the TF2 client points. Follow this link to see how points are awarded.

hats etc.

Longest Playtime Award

The player who has been actively playing for the most time on TF2Newbs’ 24/7 2Fort servers while HLStats is enabled (that is, a minimum of 4 players) for the entire month of June will win an unusual hat! The hat to be won will be announced at a later date.

 

Weekly Achievement Contests

Each week, three additional stats contests will be announced for achievements, such as Headshot Kills, Amputator Kills, or Buildings Destroyed. A little bit like a week-long Contract, the person with the highest number of points scored for that goal during the week will win. One Mann Co. Key will be awarded to each other the three winners (maximum one key per player, per week).

Note that this contest counts all credit across all five TF2Newbs servers for the entire week. “Weeks” in this case start from Mondays at midnight PDT through the next Monday at midnight PDT.

 

#04 Server Starter Awards

Server #04 will feature daily prizes awarded to random players who jump in to the server whenever an “server starting” announcement is made.

Once the server start announcement is made, the next time the server maintains at least 8 vs. 8 players for several minutes (not counting spectators), then admin {N} Wife will note a list of players credit with helping that day. Anyone in Spectate at the time the list is generated will be disqualified from the list of eligible players for this award that day.

soldierdemo

From that list, two random winners will be chosen. The prizes on weekdays are one refined metal, and the prizes on Saturdays on Sundays are a random hat!

Also each week, the three players who earn the most server starting credits for that week will earn a prize of one Mann Co. Key each.

Admins may give away other prizes at their sole discretion. |N| Koans has said that he may give away Steam games to those who start #05 on their own initiative.

 

Eligible Servers for the Contests

Copy-and-paste these commands into your TF2 console to jump straight to the server. Don’t forget to favorite them for later!

connect s1.tf2newbs.com 
connect s4.tf2newbs.com
connect s5.tf2newbs.com
connect s9.tf2newbs.com
connect s19.tf2newbs.com
connect s21.tf2newbs.com

 

2. Stats Reset June 1st

reset stats

The HLStatsX software, which counts server-side points and ranks users, will be reset on all servers on June 1st. Everyone will be reset to the base 1,000 points. This coincides with the latest TF2Newbs contest.

 

3. LMAOBOX Hack Users Banned By VAC

We’re all tired of having servers quickly empty when some jerk enters with an obvious hack: a whirlwindy-stormy audio, headshotting, shooting through walls, and running around indestructibly. The admins of TF2Newbs ban these hackers, a thankless, sometimes time-consuming task. And now, we can rejoice, as one of the worst scourges of the virtual world (especially Valve servers!) is now effectively blocked by Valve’s VAC system.

fry-can-t-tell-meme-generator-can-t-tell-if-bad-at-game-or-fighting-hackers-524037

PC Gamer reports that the LMAOBOX cheat is now detectable by VAC, Valve’s Anti-Cheat system, causing current and recent users to be permanently VAC-banned (meaning they can’t play on any Valve-owned server of any Valve game on that account). Such users are typically unwelcome on TF2Newbs’ servers also. Heck, the cheat has been so pervasive that spamming chat about the use of such a cheat is a bannable offense on Newbs’ servers, Skial, and other TF2 communities.

You should never use this hack, especially since the recently publicized source code has been found to be riddled with malware. Friends don’t let friends use LMAOBOX.

 

4. Got Overwatch?

It comes out Tuesday, May 24th, and it may just be the next coming of Team Fortress 2. We’re discussing it on the forums.

What is Overwatch? It’s a first-person shooter with character classes and short-term objectives, much like Team Fortress 2. Overwatch is by Blizzard, the creators the Diablo, StarCraft, and WarCraft franchises. Overwatch isn’t available on Steam, and is exclusive to Battle.Net, which is Blizzard’s proprietary gaming service. Nor is it free-to-play; the standard retail price of the game is US$59.99.

overwatch_versus_sky_wallpaper___1920_x_1080_by_mac117-d85xg5b

Overwatch is also a creative license, with digital comics and animated shorts–gee, also like TF2! Here’s a YouTube demo of some of the classes.

 

5. Terraria Patch 1.3.1 is Now Live!

Click here for the full patch notes. Gamepedia is very buggy, so here’s a summary of the PC version update:

  • Lots of upgrades to the wiring system, including wiring gates (AND, NOR, XAND, etc.), actuators, tools that can remotely and wirelessly trip actuators, and more.
  • Lots of new statues added, including many of the mobs/monsters in the game, that can be attached to wires to spawn their respective mobs.
  • Controller support for PC version.

Terraria, the 2D Minecraft-like digging and crafting game that just hit its 5th birthday, got its first patch since its mega-patch last August. Since modders continue to experiment with Terraria’s limits, developer ReDigit continues to apply patches that help with specific objectives. In this case, a logic system has been implemented in the wiring system to allow, for instance, a door to open only if two switches are both opened, for traps to be affixed to walls and ceilings, and to have remote controls and projectile-triggered buttons to trip your wired masterpieces. Geeky stuff to be sure, kind of like those mana farmers in the Minecraft modding community.

Terraria is an action game for US$9.99 with cute visuals and a robust crafting system, worth the price even when it’s not on sale…

 

6. Steam Summer Sale 2016 is Soon!

Speaking of sales, numerous reports link a source that seems to confirm that the twice-a-year Steam sale will occur at the end of June [June 23rd to July 4th, to be specific]. This is a good time to buy games, as most games sold by Steam go on sale at some point during the bonanza, often from 33% to 75% off. Terraria for $2.49 (75% off) is common, and any game that is at least a year old is often found for 50% off. Flash sales of perhaps twelve-hour duration feature the best sales, so users check in frequently for the favorite games.

Hail Gaben! (Please note that this is a different video from the old one.)

 

[N] Obey

Win an Unusual!

Posted on: April 16th, 2016 by Obey

See this thread post for more info:

http://www.tf2newbs.com/forum/index.php/topic,14036.msg184889.html#msg184889

 

Has Someone Won the Unusual Yet:

   YES

What kind of hat? It’s an Unusual Combustible Kabuto [scorching flames]!

UnusualThat piece of digital headgear is worth almost 300 keys… and it can be yours, if you win the contest. Click the link at the top!

Congratulations {N} Haley (aka Danger Zone)!!

[N] Obey

 

TF2 Update: 10/16/14 and 10/20/14

Posted on: October 17th, 2014 by Obey

Here’s the scoop:

  1. Limited Late Summer Crates (#86) are now retired.
  2. New convars and voting options have been added to servers:
    • Class limits can now be set for each class (without requiring third-party mods)
      • Voting to allow/disallow class limits can now be enabled, but defaults to “off”
      • Separate convars exist to permit these in MvM games
    • Convar allowing voting to restart a map now defaults to “off”
  3. In case you missed it–servers #13 Harvest and #15 Hightower have merged their stats, and are hosting a (hopefully monthly) contest with keys for prizes!
  4. Until this Sunday afternoong, Steam is hosting a ” ‘Free Weekend’ Weekend” with ten games becoming temporarily free-to-play and having sales of at least 50% off.
  5. [EDIT: 10/20] You can now enable Halloween spells on your server, manage their drop rate, and create spells-enabled maps with new ConVars.
  6. [EDIT: 10/20] Halloween-restricted cosmetic items now always work on the usual Halloween maps, such as koth_viaduct_event.
  7. [EDIT: 10/20] The Spellbook Magazine, which enables spellcasting on servers where Halloween spells are enabled, is now a stock action item that all TF2 accounts now possess.
    • This is both to ensure that all players can access spells-enabled servers at all times, even when the item loadout is unavailable or when the server is set to allow only stock weapons.

 

Full Patch Notes, Patch 1: 10/20/14

  • Fixed another exploit that allowed clients to have an out-of-date, corrupt, or modified version of items_game.txt
  • Fixed clients not downloading *.dx80.vtx, *.dx90.vtx, and *.sw.vtx files from servers running custom content
  • Fixed sv_pure defaulting to -2 instead of 0
  • Fixed font issues for Mac clients
  • Made the Spellbook Magazine a base action slot item for players to equip and use when playing on a server that uses Halloween Spells
  • Fixed not being able to wear Halloween-restricted cosmetic items on Halloween maps outside of the regular Halloween and Fullmoon events
  • Halloween spells can now be enabled and controlled on servers via ConVars tf_spells_enabled and tf_player_spell_drop_on_death_rate
  • Halloween spells can now be enabled by map authors via HolidayEntity by setting the flag HalloweenSetUsingSpells

Patch 2

Fixed a server crash related to gamestats

 

Full Patch Notes: 10/16/14

  • Fixed an exploit related to clients uploading files to servers
  • Fixed a problem that allowed clients to have an out-of-date, corrupt, or modified version of items_game.txt
    • TF2 will not run if a bad items_game.txt file is found
    • If your items_game.txt file is reported as being corrupt, delete any items_game.txt files you have added and verify your TF2 installation
  • Fixed a timing problem with the Rancho Relaxo taunt animation
  • Removed the Limited Late Summer Crate from the crate drop list
  • Limited Late Summer Crates can no longer be opened
  • Removed the Limited Late Summer Crate Key from the Mann Co. Store
  • Limited Late Summer Crate Keys have been converted to Mann Co. Supply Crate Keys
  • Fixed Linux dedicated servers not showing up in the LAN serverbrowser tab when using sv_lan 1
  • Fixed the Duels leaderboard not displaying current counts
  • Added the explosion particles to the list of files that we always enforce consistency on
  • Added ConVar tf_classlimit
  • Updated the model/materials for the Runner’s Warm-Up to fix a lighting issue
  • Updated the equip_regions for the Couvre Corner and the Pocket Heavy
  • Updated rd_asteroid
    • Continued art-pass process
  • Updated the vote system
    • Fixed team-specific vote sounds/notifications playing/showing for the ineligible team
    • sv_vote_issue_restart_game_allowed default changed to off
    • Added sv_vote_issue_restart_game_allowed_mvm (on by default)
    • Added “Enable/Disable Class Limits” vote
      • Controlled by sv_vote_issue_classlimits_allowed (off by default)
        • Limit controlled by sv_vote_issue_classlimits_max (default 4)
      • Controlled by sv_vote_issue_classlimits_allowed_mvm in Mann vs. Machine (off by default)
        • Limit controlled by sv_vote_issue_classlimits_max_mvm in Mann vs. Machine (default 2)

Undocumented changes

  • Added Florida LAN Medal.
  • Updated the description of the Limited Late Summer Crate.
  • Kick Messages are now localized for clients.
  • Vote issue names are now localized in the vote menu.

[N] Obey

Stats Contest #13 + #15 – Win Keys!

Posted on: October 11th, 2014 by The Jib

Hey Hey, Jib here.. With some updates on the latest Newbs Contest

In September we trialed our new stats contest, awarding 5 players with honorz and their choice of prize from my backpack.

Here are the winners for September:

Top Points: Arthur Digby Sellers 
Time Played: Lindorm 
Dominations: The Infamous Mr. A 
Godlikes: Dam dude 
Deaths: [N] BlueArmadillo 

 

Last month we kept the stats on #15 plr_hightower. This month we are combining #13 koth_harvest with #15′s plr_hightower stats for the contest (trial basis).

We’re also upping the prize to a KEY (or equal value) for each winner. (You can only win one category)

How to win this month?

Most Kills
Deaths
Most Kills with Caber (the holy grail)
Time Played
Most Revenges

Stats run from 10/1/14 to 10/31/14. The month is still young, so get out there and kill some mofoz!

Server #13: 216.231.142.227:27015

Server #15:  209.40.104.151:27015

Server #15 September Stats Contest!

Posted on: September 2nd, 2014 by Obey

As you may have read on the forums here and here, admin |N| Jib is hosting a Stats Contest on server #15, which is a fast respawn 24/7 Hightower payload race server! You can win prizes and honorz for being the top ranked player at the end of the month, having the most dominations, and more!

incorrect_statement

This contest will also help push usage of this all-Hightower-all-the-time server.  The following recent changes were also applied:

  1. Engineer sentries are disabled (destroyed when built) when the active player count is less than six players.
  2. Engineer mini-sentries are disabled when the active player count is less than sixteen players. When trying to repopulate a server, playing against sentries without a team tends to cause people to give up and leave the server.
  3. Server #15 is now its own category on our HLStats page.
  4. “Fast respawn” should mean a five-second respawn.
  5. Stats were reset on August 30th.  The contest runs through the end of September.
  6. Prizes! We’ll be giving away prizes for: Most Points – Most Time Played – Dominations – Deaths – Godlikes (12+ killstreaks)

And hey, if you want to be a TF2Newbs admin, this is an opportunity to get involved!

[N] Obey