Thanks 👍

Hello! This is the thirteenth edition of our Mods' Picks Of The Month series! Be sure to check out our wiki page for the past year(!!!) of Mods' Picks!

Myself, /u/MidHoovie, and /u/ChaosCrafter908 have chosen our favorite posts from the period of July 1st to July 31st!

Here are our picks!

Exo's Favorites:

Spy doing that fucking dance I love by u/Clon_245.

Mimi Sentry if she was in the Amazing Digital Fortress by u/MishaSFM.

The reason I don't play Hightower by u/PLConquerorr.

The TF2 mercs if they were abstract by u/sage_kittem_master.

Pony Pyro! by u/Longjumping_Thing422.

MidHoovie's Favorites:

This trolldier falling from Highertower with a little style by u/PLConquerorr.

This render of Medic watching Soldier get absolutely domed by u/CiceroFrymanREAL.

This Scout cosplay by u/VersionRepulsive9515.

Cowboy Sniper by u/Icy_Rhubarb9471.

NO SCOUT, IT'S A TRAP by u/LaCreadora_.

Furo's Favorites:

This trolldier falling from Highertower with a little style by u/PLConquerorr.

Medic has gotten married! by u/LaCreadora_.

Super cool and cute Pyro by u/Longjumping_Thing422.

Spy in space by u/fish_juice_man.

The TF2 gang but drawn by u/nika_anderson.

Thanks for a fantastic year of Mods' Picks! Here's to many more years of incredible posts on the sub from our talented users!

Q. Is it worth it to buy an MVM ticket?

MVM is fun. And there's a chance at getting valuable items. However, that chance is incredibly small. I've gotten three Australiums in somewhere around two hundred tours. And that's considered very good luck. You're not going to make your money back. You're going to lose a lot of money, in fact. So if you're looking to profit, then no, it is not "worth it".

Q. Should I wait to play (class) until I have (x) hours on TF2?

Absolutely not. You don't magically get better at Spy by playing Heavy. You just end up being really good at Heavy and really bad at Spy. Play all the classes. See what you like. You're going to suck. We all did when we started. Keep practicing all the classes as much as you like, and if anyone complains, ignore them.

Q. What weapons should I use as a new player?

This is a very subjective question. My blanket recommendation is to run full stock as every class with a few exceptions. At a base level, you'll benefit from swapping out Heavy's shotgun for a Sandvich or Second Banana. If you really want to switch out from stock, though, here are a few more ideas: Disciplinary Action replacing Soldier's shovel. Homewrecker replacing Pyro's fire axe. Ubersaw replacing Medic's bonesaw. There are a lot of stock weapons you'll never use (because they are objectively bad), but it's good to learn them regardless so that you get some experience with the class as it was originally intended to be played.

Remember, it's not about winning, it's about fun! It's a video game, after all!

Q. Someone asked me to join a tournament/said they reported me to admins/etc.

It's a scam. They are going to steal your items, your money, or your account depending on the scam. If someone you don't know reaches out to you, always assume it's a scam. /r/tf2 has a wiki page that lists common Steam scams. I recommend giving it a read.

Q. What class should I main?

This question has a lot of answers. I'll list all the common ones.

1. Not everyone has a main. Some people main two classes, three classes, or all classes.
2. You don't have to main a class. Maining a class isn't some rite of passage. It's just something people do because they enjoy the class. Players that like healing others will naturally gravitate towards Medic. Players that like playing tanks will be attracted to Heavy (aren't we all?). Players that enjoy flanking and hit-and-run tactics will naturally play more Scout. So on and so forth.
3. This is something to think about much, much later down the line. And even then, you won't think about it. You'll be looking at your playtime on the loading screen one day and realize you play one class three times as much as you play any other class.

Q. Should I be better at the game at (x) hours?

Everyone progresses at a different rate. Some people are very good at the game at 500 hours. Some people are terrible at the game at 5,000 hours. In all likelihood, you're exactly where you should be. The best way to improve is to practice. Play the game. Many folks recommend aim trainers, although I can't personally vouch for their effectiveness.

Q. I'm scared to play against players. / I can't get any kills against players.

Nothing will kill improvement like playing against bots. They're boring, stupid, and do not act remotely like human players. The best advice I can give you is to suck it up. Hop in a Casual or 24/7 2Fort match and die a hundred times until you start getting kills. Soon, you'll be topping the scoreboard on Uncletopia.

TF2 was released in 2007. That's almost twenty years ago. Folks have had a lot of time to get good at the game. You're going to die. Again and again and again. You are going to suck at the game at first. Take breaks. Don't try to win. Try to make progress, as with anything. Source wasn't coded in a day.

---------------- this is a really well made line ----------------

I mostly made this post so I can link to it instead of repeating my answers all the time. It might be updated if something else comes to mind or becomes a common question. Always happy to answer questions. There's a lot of stuff I don't know, like certain mechanics pertaining to classes I don't play or anything having to do with trading.

And in case you're wondering about my qualifications, I've been a TF2 player since 2010 and am nearing 5,000 hours in the game as of posting. (Humble brag.)

Inb4 "'it' is actually spelled I T."

Inb5 "who spells that word as '(Other)' or (Results)'?"

View Poll

Thanks.

Howdy. One of the subs I mod on has had an English-only rule for a long time. Unfortunately, we get a good number of posts and comments in other languages (especially Russian). I mostly just remove these as I see them, but I was wondering if there was an automation or bot or something that could automatically remove them (or even better, filter them to the mod queue).

Thanks!

(The subreddit forces me to list a platform, so I'm saying desktop even though it's entirely irrelevant).

Hello! This is the twelfth edition of our Mods' Picks Of The Month series! Be sure to check out our wiki page for archived editions!

Myself, /u/MidHoovie, and /u/ChaosCrafter908 have chosen our favorite posts from the period of June 1st to June 30th!

Here are our picks!

Exo's Favorites:

How it feels to play pybro!

Demo's grenade launcher, but made out of cardboard!

Spy with the garloid!

I'm still used to the bald version...

Cute image of Scout, Mimi Sentry, and Mini Mimi Sentry!

MidHoovie's Favorites:

This 3D printed and painted Heavy model!

This Gmod movie trailer!

This clothing design of Soldier and Demo!

Bad news for Spy.

A bunch of mercs in the style of 8th Project!

Furo's Favorites:

This 3D printed and painted Heavy model!

Heavy if he was in The Finals.

Spy and Sniper if they were DEVIOUS.

This trophy design for Uberfest!

Engie and Pyro being cool!

Howdy. I've been a YouTube Premium user for years now. I've been on a student discount for most of that time, but for some reason, they can't verify my student status anymore, so I'm going to be stuck without the discount starting with my next billing cycle. I can't sleep without ASMR, and ads and lack of background play would kill it for me, so it's back to a full-price plan for me.

In the interest of tracking bills, I was looking at the current price of non-student Premium, and saw that there's now a "Premium Lite" option that has "Most videos ad-free" and "Background play most videos".

They specify that music is not eligible for these, which is fine, because this account in particular is specifically used for ASMR. The wording is pretty vague, though, even on the "learn more" page. I'd like to know if anyone here has any experience with it as far as ASMR goes so that I'm not stuck with ads and no background play for a month.

Thanks in advance!

Hello all! Exo here.

For a while now, I've been debating adding a few more mods. It's not that we have way too much activity to mod effectively on this sub. In fact, it's pretty quiet here. Enough so that it could easily be solo modded if need be. So, we're not desperate for mods or anything. As such, I want to make it clear that we might not add anyone at all as a mod, regardless of how many applications we get. I'm just kinda testing the waters, seeing if there's interest.

What we're looking for most is folks who can help us expand the sub and improve the user experience! The three of us mods here are big TF2 players, but none of us are really creators in ways that fit this sub. So, it made sense that we should have a few mods who are skilled artists, animators, cosplayers, marbleworkers - creators of all walks of life that are part of the creative TF2 community. People who can say, "Hey, as someone who posts here, it would make more sense/make it better if you changed (x), added (y), and removed (z)."

If you're one of those people, you're in pretty good shape right off the bat! Anyway, here's the housekeeping stuff.

No experience necessary! If you get accepted as a mod, we'll just have you confer with us before taking any actions, at least for a while. This is a volunteer position, and we're not going to ask you to spend any minimum amount of time "patrolling" the sub. You also don't get compensated. Modding is something you do because you care about a community and want to see it safe, stable, and growing, not because you want to be rewarded, ban people, or pin your own posts. I'm pretty lenient on activity. Really, as long as you're taking part in Mods' Picks every month, you're good, and that's only 5-10 minutes!

Everyone's welcome to apply, but if you're not a creator of some kind, your application is less likely to be accepted. Less likely, but not impossible! Other than that, there are a few hard requirements. If you don't meet all of them, your application will be rejected, no exceptions:

- You must speak fluent English. This is an English-only sub, and us mods already on the mod team speak English, so we need to be able to communicate with each other and our users.

- Your application must not be written with AI. Use of AI shows a lack of both effort and interest.

- You need a Discord account. Our mod chat is on our Discord server, and we'll need to be able to talk with one another.

If you meet all those requirements, please send us a modmail (not a comment) answering the following questions:

1. What is your Discord username?
2. Why are you applying for mod here?
3. What, if anything, do you believe needs to be changed on the subreddit?
4. How long have you been a TF2 player? (Hours in game and/or first played date!) This one isn't strictly required, but it's a nice bit of fluff information to include!
5. What kind of content do you create? (Again, not required, but it's nice to know, if you're a creator).

Feel free to show off your favorite TPK release!

Hello! This is the eleventh edition of our Mods' Picks Of The Month series! Nearly up to a full year! Be sure to check out our wiki page for archived editions!

/u/ChaosCrafter908 is still very busy, and couldn't make it this month, so it's just u/MidHoovie and I this month. We've chosen our favorite posts from the period of May 1st to May 31st!

Here are our picks!

Exo's Favorites:

IT'S THE FISH HEAD AGAIN by u/MishaSFM.

TF2 if it was The Finals by u/Confident-Quality-24.

Spy going to see the MJ movie by u/the-meistex.

This absolutely sick frame by u/Zerokazavr.

This animation of live-action Sniper by u/Zloler56.

This really cute art of Femgi as a beaver by u/Mr_Fopcins.

MidHoovie's Favorites:

WEAPONS by u/Confident-Quality-24.

This stylized Heavy art by u/Zloler56.

This Demo art by u/KeyProfessor9599.

This poster of Pauling by u/Ok-Geologist7712.

These plastic Demo figures by u/Svm_Plastix.

Hello! The Paper Kites have finished their tour, and so I've unpinned the previous ticket megathread and I'm making this new one for whenever they do another one! If you've got tickets to buy, sell, or give away, this is the place to do it!

Please note that we mods do not moderate sales, and any purchases you make are at your own risk. We will not accept responsibility if you get scammed.

I feel like this sub is kinda all shitposts at this point. Either it's entirely off the rails crap, or it's blatantly an meme as a whole. Sometimes, there isn't even a fun fact. And that's almost every post I see on my home page. I'm starting to wonder why I'm still here. I've had a few people agree, but also a lot of people disagree, and I'm trying to figure out if I've just gone full schizo or not.

I saw a mod make a post about polls they had posted. Well, I use Reddit more than I'd like to admit, and I never saw a single poll. So I'm hoping they (along with their fellow mods) will allow this, especially since I waited until Saturday to post it as a little cherry on top. Plus, it'll provide good user input.

I wanted to title this poll "is moderation here insufficient?", but I don't want to throw shade at the mods. As far as I can tell from their profiles, they're probably relatively new to modding, and I'm sure they're doing their best, and I don't want to insult them. The goal here isn't to attack the mods, but more so to figure out if people really want this sub to be what it's supposed to be.

View Poll

I don't know if mods allow meta posts here, but Rule 1 specifies that posts can be a poll or a post about polls (this being the latter), and none of the listed rules prohibit metaposting, so there's no legitimate grounds for removal so I'm gonna just post anyway.

A lot of people seem to be oblivious to the fact that there are a lot of (what I have to assume are) AI training bots on this subreddit (and the main poll sub). So I want to help with spotting the most obvious ones.

The easiest way to tell if a poll is a bot post is the wording of the title. They're often brief, exceptionally simple, and in a very specific format: Details, question. An actual example from a post that was made earlier today is "A male adult weighs 47kg, is this normal/abnormal?"

Another okay way to tell if a poll is a bot post is to check OP's profile. If they have a standard Reddit name (adjective-noun-number, i.e. cool-math-1997, a completely hidden history, and an account that's only a few months old or less, there's a good chance they're not a they, but an it! Of course, there's no way to know for sure. This could be someone on an alt or a throwaway, or just someone on a new account. You'll have to use your better judgement for this.

Now, as for what you should do with these posts: First of all, you want to choose the wrong option. Most (if not all) of these questions are going to have objective (right/wrong, not opinion) answers. For example, "The sky is blue. Is this normal/abnormal?" In this case, you want to choose abnormal, because it will skew the results of the AI training. Not only is this a good "screw you" to the people farming our data, but it also discourages them from wanting to train their bots here.

Of course, you also want to report the post. Click the three dots, then select Report -> Spam -> Disruptive use of bots or AI. If you're particularly motivated, you can even report OP's profile via the same method (Report -> Username -> Spam -> Disruptive use of bots or AI).

You should also downvote the post. Some subreddits have restrictions on accounts with low karma. Lowering a bot's karma makes it harder for the account to post or comment. It also makes people less likely to trust it, since we're naturally inclined to trust a post with ten upvotes vs zero.

Finally, if you want to go the extra mile, you can leave a comment warning other users that OP is a bot. This will help prevent them from unknowingly helping train an AI.

That's about it. Doing all of that will take you about a minute, or even less, and will help to ensure a better, human-first future. Thanks to the mods for (hopefully) being okay with this post and to you for reading it👍