2007 2017 2009 2017 2013 2017 [Robin Walker]
A couple of the items we've shipped in the past have been as far away from the TF's artstyle as we want to go... [ThePoliticalGamer]
And those items would be... ? [Robin Walker]
I think the Dangeresque Glasses would probably be out there, I think those are probably one of the most egregious things. [Snippet from Robin Walker, Valve (2011 Interview)] [♫ Bioshock Music ♫] Hey guys! Is the Pyro Update out yet? No? Ok. [♫ outro music plays to make you think you've been bamboozled ♫] I have an announcement to make: I officially quit TF2... trading. I got bored of trading years ago, and I haven't actively done it in a long time. The reason I bring this up is that, over the years, TF2's art style has gotten... uh... we'll call it "developed". TF2's cosmetics have always had some level of absurdity to them, but they've really ramped it up to like 10,000 in recent years. And I'll give you an example: the Counterfeit Billycock is a great hat: it's absurd, but it's not unrealistic, it doesn't look out of place, and it perfectly reflects the character of the class wearing it. This one's just a banana! D: D: Does the spy even like bananas? Does anybody in this game like bananas? Okay, maybe him, but what's your excuse? [a child's voice]
I don't have one. TF2's always had contextually questionable items. I'm pretty sure mechanical arms and boom boxes weren't around before the 70s, but this game has teleporters and magical healing air goop. So I'm willing to suspend my disbelief at least a little bit. However, there's a line where things start to really look out of place. Promotional items are some of the worst contenders for art style breaking. People usually write this off saying that because it's promotional it doesn't count. And yeah, that's a fair point. I mean, I'm sure Valve sees it the exact same way- I think the ones that we would all point to would be the shogun stuff. We're really happy with those items. We think that they visually fit TF's style really nicely. They're made by Rob Laro. ... We love Rob's work, we think he understands TF's style really well. [They] visually fit TF's style really nicely. [repeat ad nauseum]
Visually. Visually. Visually. TF's style. TF's style. TF's style. 1971 by the way, that's the latest time TF2 in-game takes place. Oculus rift was founded in like 2000... 13? A couple years after 1971... I know I keep referencing this interview and videos, even though it's six years old, and it doesn't necessarily reflect Valve today, but I feel like if you worked on the original TF2, you *probably* have a decent say on how the game should be stylized? Whenever an item creator updates their item, Valve generally obliges by implementing the update in the game. Most people only use this to overhaul the item years later, or to give it to another class that it fits on, but interestingly enough, Valve really didn't seem to care how far you pushed the envelope with this. You want to make the Hot Dogger all-class? Yeah, fuck it, go for it. You want to make this knight helmet all-class? You want to make the peak cap all-class? Oh, yeah, let's make a fighter pilot hat- oh, okay well that's not fair. Ever heard of the hazmat head case? As a joke, the creator put in a sniper version, expecting Valve to catch it, but Valve being the triple A company that they are... didn't! It seems like Valve has stopped adding these multi-class updates, which is good because they were getting kind of ridiculous, but the fact that they were allowed through in the first place, to this degree, UUUUGGGGGHHHHH! What happened to item descriptions? You know, these things? They stopped adding them after 2014 for seemingly no reason, and given the current ratio of TF2's developers look something like this *ding* I don't see why they can't knock out a few item descriptions. I know this sounds trivial, but hear me out, item descriptions are pretty important. They taught us that scout is canonically a pedophile, and if that isn't enough reason to bring them back, I don't know what is. Seven years ago, Valve held a hat describing contest, and I don't understand why they haven't done it again. I've emailed about it 3 times over the last 4 years, but the only time they've ever responded to me was when I was looking for a cactus, or when I wanted to scream freely. So I don't expect to hear from them anytime soon. Ooh! Hey! Pause the video. I just got an item drop! That's actually perfect, because it leads to my next point. CASES SUCK! 1. You have to actually collect the case before you can open it, which means you have to earn or buy a chance, to buy a chance, to by a chance, uncrate an ungreat unusual hat. 32 duplicates, zero unusuals and I didn't even get every fucking item in the case! There's less than twenty items! 2. Class distribution is always uneven. Wow, look at all these scout cosmetics. Wow, look at all these engineer cosmetics.. Wow, look at all these scout cosmetics... Wow, look at all those heavy cosmetics.... 3. Sets are arbitrarily broken up. Like this one. Or this one. Or this one.. Or this one... Or this one.... Or this one..... 4. Valve applies tiers to every case cosmetic, which leads to artificial rarity, and therefore price inflation. The highest tiered slot becoming an excuse to add a gaudy cosmetic (nobody will buy keys otherwise). Item border confusion because they couldn't fucking think to use something that isn't purple! *Tom Jones's 1964 hit "It's Not Unusual" plays in the background* [Excitedly unboxes a cosmetic thinking it is an unusual]
HEYUGH! GODDAMMIT! The Workshop has become extremely unfavorable to community contributors (Cosmetic cases are rarely added) Items are no longer purchasable through the store, and revenue is so diluted through key sales that most successful item makers won't be deriving much profit if any after the crate series ends. I know you probably understood zero of anything I just said but trust me it's important. I apologize if you find my language a little UNUSUALS- have always been gaudy, but every generation has become more gaudy than the last. Gen. one had some fire, and some nuts, and some green lights. Now we have demons vomiting bones, skeletons dancing under a disco ball, a portal to hell opening under your feet, (are you sure this game's not Satanic?), an orbiting ash-covered smoldering rubber duck, an orbiting ash-covered scorching live bat.. This one is just boxes! I'm almost convinced this one was made on accident! To be honest, unusuals have always kind of been ugly, but they definitely gotten worse over the years. [♪ cowbell ringing ♪]
Oh! Oh- That's the cowbell, [♪ cowbell ringing ♪]
you guys know the cowbell stands for! [♪ cowbell ringing ♪]
It's time for a lightning round! Pink and lime are oversaturated, and look bad on most things that aren't a hat. Black and white are too saturated, and don't have any toned down alternatives. Paints have existed for seven years, and there still isn't a dark-brown. Cosmetics are prone to noticeable lighting errors. Beard flexes are completely inverted client-side. Cosmetics are constantly clipping. Equip regions are flawed, and prevent a lot of ordinary combos. TEAM RECOGNITION!!! Imagine you just installed the game. What team is this? What team is this? What team is THIS? Okay, well that one doesn't really count, I did it a couple years ago using a bug, but it's still a problem. And this doesn't really mean anything, but the Screaming Eagle added during the End of the Line update, never actually in End of the Line! Valve forgot to remove it from the crate before they released it. They also forgot to add the Cold Snap Coat, and had to add it later, so you know good job! I know this whole video really makes me come off as a hard-ass, but I don't care that much about them pushing the art style. You know the buds are pretty minimalistic, and Pyro wearing a boot on its head isn't really going to hurt anybody. But there's a pretty thick line between contextually comical, and just fucking stupid. *honk* *honk* [Spy]
What a disaster! ♪ Outro music in the description ♪
In my opinion, what valve should do (but probably won't) is remake the models for the really awful cosmetics (or ask the community to). Obviously they can't go back and remove those hats, but they could at least update them with more lore/artstyle-friendly models. For instance, the potassium bonnett would be more acceptable if it was remodeled to look like a cheap fabric novelty hat, instead of a lump of banana-shaped plastic. Make it a bit crumpled like it's falling apart, give it a fuzzier texture, add some holes to the seams, and it wouldn't look so stupid.
They could also soften the pink and lime paint to milder, non-eye-burning shades.
Reminds me of this good ol' classic: http://i.imgur.com/EjRUCos.jpg (He's Red)
Robin Walker would be either laughing or crying at this point tbh
and also I feel like you forgot to mention MS PAINT LIGHTNING.JPG WEAPON SKINS
I don't mind the art change, but the tiered cosmetics eat ass.
sometimes I feel u/FUNKePills is way to intelligent and creative in his videos for 90% of youtube's tf2 community of '''lele donk memes''
he makes solid points about the tiered cases and keeps the balance between entertaining and informative
makes you wonder why they bothered with space and retro-futuristic style weapons and cosmetics just to comeback and include more modern "promotional" items like the iPod earplugs, SMNC futuristic head cosmetics among other stuff, really kills the tone of the game when you stop and think about it
The Private Eye is a hat that still to this day pisses me off. The shade and the texture look too real for TF2's flat colored art style. It's like reverse Good Dinosaur, where the environments and the character design look like they could not be any more incompatible.
Interesting video, never really thought about the tier stuff except ofcourse the prices. But ye, it would really nice to see some classic styled cosmetics again
As a Pyro main who runs Axtinguisher (yes, still; fite me), Burning Flames shouldn't get a pass. One of the only cosmetic effects that semi-regularly causes me to screw up in-game.