The ETF2L Highlander Community Challenge
March 25, 2010
FAQ
Hello visitors from the Valve blog. Welcome to the European Team Fortress 2 League. Read this FAQ if you’re interested in the new to competitive play Highlander tournament.
How do I sign up?
You cannot currently sign up. Sign ups will open in 3 or 4 weeks time. There will be a promotional video posted on the Valve blog that will signal the official opening of the tournament. In the meantime, put together a team or two, and tell your friends about the upcoming tourney.
Are non-European teams welcome?
Yes, as long as you are fine with playing on European servers and in European timezones.
Can you tell me more about the in-game medal?
The in-game medal will be like a hat. Everyone can see it.
You will win a medal when you A) Win the tournament (winners medal), B) Finish 2nd in the tournament (runner up medal) or C) Are eliminated from the tournament (participation medal). You do not get a medal for just signing up.
Can I help make the model?
If you have previous TF2 modelling experience, yes. Remember to follow the TF2 style guidelines. Download this file and use it for size reference: http://www.filefront.com/16066897/badge_size.obj
When you have completed a concept of your medal, get in touch with an ETF2L admin. We will look at all the submissions and pick one before we ask the designer to make a finished version of it.
How many people can be in one team?
14 people can be registered to each team. Make another team if you have more players (eg Community Team A, Community Team B, etc.) You cannot play in more than one team.
It’s (almost) business time
I don’t think ETF2L has any formal written-down kind of mission statement, but if it did, it’d no doubt be about growing our league as a great place for you to play, but it’d also include something vague about nurturing competitive TF2 as a whole.
We’ve already made efforts in that area to improve TF2’s reputation as an esports title with members of our staff volunteering to write for Cadred or admin Esports Heaven, for example, but we’ve never taken on a really huge project. But we’re about to. And we need your help.
So, before the official public announcement, we’re very proud to announce to you, the competitive TF2 community, The ETF2L Highlander Community Challenge. The objective of this project is simple: give the non-competitive TF2 player the opportunity to play competitively and make their experience the best one possible.
Think of it like a Nations Cup, but rather than country vs country, it’ll be public community vs public community. We’re looking to officially announce the tournament this time next month and start taking sign-ups for a May/June start.
We want to show all the TF2 players around Europe just how great competitive play can be. We want to show them what a great community we have, and, if they decide to enter a team, we want them to stick around after the Highlander stuff is over. It may seem weird to you, but the feedback we get from people trying to make the leap from public community servers to 6v6 often boils down to the competitive ruleset being too alien compared to what they’re familiar with. We hope that this Highlander tournament will serve as a stepping stone for people who are curious about competitive TF2.
A quick note
Just to be clear: this is for people who are new to competitive play. The teams will come from public community servers. That said, we understand that many Division 6 teams are community teams, so they will be eligible to take part.
If you’re not a Division 6 player, though, there’s still plenty you can help out with. And we’re planning to host a regular Highlander tournament after this one is finished.
where you can help
We’re in the midst of writing and producing a short promotional video for the tournament which will be embedded on Valve’s TF2 blog, hosted on a special ETF2L landing page and posted on community message boards, but we still need some major help on reaching some important parts of the European TF2 scene.
- We’re looking for native
Russian,German,French,Spanish,Finnish,ItalianandHungarianspeakers with great English skills who will be able to translate a script, record a quality voice-over and deliver work to tight deadlines. If you’re over 18 and confident in your ability to meet those requirements, please contact me on Steam as soon as possible.
Do you have experience creating custom content for TF2? Do you know anyone who is really good at it? If so, we’re in a huge rush to get in-game medals produced to give out as prizes.
- We’re looking for three separate medals to be built: participation, runner-up and winner.
- The medals must adhere to the TF2 style guidelines.
- We need (at least) concept art of these as soon as possible for the promotional video. Get in touch with me via Steam if you can make these models to the required standard. If you have an online portfolio with any related work, please link to it when you contact me.
You can help us with advertising too.
- Do you run a TF2/gaming news website? We’d love it if you announced the tournament to your readership – but only when the promotional video is ready and the news has been broken on the Valve TF2 blog.
- If you have any links to people behind TF2/gaming podcasts, please let them know what we’re doing and hook us up with them.
- If you’re a creative type with ideas for promoting the tournament – be it propaganda posters, a competitive play survival guide for new teams, etc – feel free to contribute.
Finally, if you’re an easy-going person who cares about helping the TF2 scene, we’d like to invite you to become an ETF2L buddy!
- Buddies will be the representatives between ETF2L and the community teams. You’ll join their roster, be responsible for answering their questions, making sure they schedule their matches properly, and depending on how good a buddy you are, organising and helping them out with practising and tactics. (Note: All teams will be automatically added to a Highlander ladder where they can arrange non-tournament games.)
- Buddies will also be eligible to play in the Highlander games themselves. But you can only play heavy, engineer, spy or pyro!
- Buddies will be assigned to teams on depending what language they speak. If you have a link to a particular community, you can request to be their buddy.
- Buddies will also be awarded with a medal like the rest of their team.
- You can put yourself forward to become a buddy simply by joining the new ETF2L Community Challenge Steam Group. Please make sure that your Steam page has the correct country information posted on it.
In conclusion
I think that’s everything. If you have any ideas or questions, post them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them.
It’s projects like these that will hopefully keep our scene healthy for the months and years to come, so let’s do our best to make it a great tournament and show the world of TF2 what ETF2L has to offer as a place to play the game we all love.
Posted by JimmyBreeze in League
content rss
This will be exciting!
Sounds awesome, but I want in-game medals too!
Awsome i ll buddy =D
btw how will we/the community teams find eachother?
Will we be assigned to diffrent teams?
Sounds great, happy to buddy!
time to buy a new steam account
<3 JB
Just to clarify, guys:
The medals will not be like custom skins that only the owner can see, they will be actual in-game items.
No, you cannot see a preview of the video, and we’re only in pre-production. The video is being written by me and a friend called American Joe, and will be made by Torden.
buddy’d
AMERI……AMERICAN JOE!??! OH SHI-
how long until div1’ers get medals? ¬_¬
im definetely up for a buddy spot!
Would you like some coverage?
Wow! Really impressive stuff.
Gonna be good! ❤__❤
I thought “we” get a highlander tournee not the “noobs”
I’m therefore disappointed
^ evil
nice, looking forward to see how this turns out :)
“me and a friend called American Joe”
PLease no!
Yey for being in div6 :D
what if you used to be in div 6? can you still play then?
so once the promo video is out we can link ppl in pubs we go to and go about advertising?
Sounds like a massive project you’ve got on your hands :)! gl!
Bit sad that only division 6 players will be eligable for cool in-game official items, that kind of alienates a good portion of the community :(?
@ Bury, I think this gives the new guys a chance at actually winning, if this was a highlander tournament that was open to everyone at etf2l and trying to get the community in it will be huge first of all and also what chance will the pubbers get at even winning?
As said there’s an open one after this event for everyone so it’s not that bad.
I’ll sign up/be a buddy! :D
Hope this turns out great as it sounds, gl.
Sounds awesome, gl :D
sick. buddy’d
MY BRO
AMERICAN JOE
Fuck yeah for being a div 6 scrub, looking forward to this
This will be very interesting. Can’t wait to see how it will all roll out.
I play publics all the time. :(
Great step forward ! I also think highlander is a big way to improve the competitive community, a lot of pub players get tired of the game actually. Will advert some guys i know oh that event when it will be launched.
By the way is there a “pro” highlander event in the pipe ?
Yes, Keyro, as I wrote in the news post: “And we’re planning to host a regular Highlander tournament after this one is finished.” :)
Div6 highlander and American joe. Take that, 6v6 shitnerds!! ahahah
Doing some advertising and trying to put together a pub team, fun initiative though I’ll be crying myself to sleep for not getting to play a “proper” highlandercup as it’s the game mode ever.
GIVE MEDALS FOR THE ETF2L CUP I WANT MEDALS
MEDALS
MEDALS
Good idea, hope it works well.
that is awesome!
i’ll be a etf2l buddy =)
if i can help with anything, i’ll do it !
It says: “but only when the promotional video is ready and the news has been broken on the Valve TF2 blog.”
But wouldn’t it be good to start the hype before that? I am dying to write something about it on Onlinegamer.se.
When’s cookye getting banned?
would like to know too
Updated the post:
– Buddies will be awarded the same in-game medals that the team earns (as long as you’ve been a good buddy and your team hasn’t default lost their way out of the tourney)
– Also looking for native Hungarian language speakers to translate a script from English into Hungarian and record a voice-over.
MaxC:
You can post about the tournament if you really want to. Just please make it clear that the tournament isn’t due to start for another month, and also make sure to post again when the sign-ups open.
Sounds cool! Good luck with the project. When the promo video is done, I’ll put a newspost up on eSports.ie.
(wonder if we could find interested parties to form a bunch of misfits team)
Just want someone to clarify something. Who is actually eligible to play in the Highlander competition other than the buddies? Div6 players and players who haven’t registered on ETF2L? Or players with no teams on ETF2L? How is their skills gonna be gauged and are the teams going to be seeded?
[…] Läs mer på ETF2L.org. Det här kan bli intressant. […]
Really looking forward to this, Jimmy, and thanks to everyone involved in getting this whole thing realized and as prevalent as it is. Highlander is a great game mode that really bridges the gap between casual and organized play, and I’m excited about following all the happenings in this cup and beyond.
can i make a “recruit”?
if so, (im currently in a div 6 team) im looking for a highlander team for the event and i am willing to play as heavy =)
add me via steam – teamfortress144
Div6 players and players who haven’t registered on ETF2L?
They will be eligible to play in the tournament as “new to competitive play” players. Same goes for unteamed players on ETF2L. If you have a team history that involves div 5 or above, you won’t be allowed to play.
How is their skills gonna be gauged and are the teams going to be seeded?
I think we’re just going to assume that all the teams, as new to comp play, will be starting at about the same level and seed the cup randomly. It’d be impossible to gauge their skills/seeds without doing group phases, really. Hopefully if we can make the tournament double elimination we will make it a bit fairer.
@ jimmy “If you have a team history that involves div 5 or above, you won’t be allowed to play.”
take, say, me as an example. I have been in two clans, the current div 6 one and the previous div 4 one. Does that exclude me? Or would I also have to point out how few officials I was in? Or is it just a strict no?
Does this mean im not aloud to play for -=Crazy=- even though were getting face rolled this season :(
I won div 5 with dless a few seasons back but since then have managed to get thrashed in div 6 for a couple of seasons.
Could i still play for -=Crazy=- as a buddy and play heavy? Or is it im not aloud to take part but the rest fo crazy can :(
Black_Bob: There’s nothing stopping you from being a buddy, but it would be up to the admins to decide if you can play with your current clan. I don’t think you’re going to be allowed to choose the team you mentor — I’m guessing the assignment is going to be random by spoken-language.
Still — worth asking at least. I’m guessing that anyone with a division 5+ history will be banned from playing, regardless of how poorly they did — otherwise, where do you draw the line?
Here’s confirmation of what you’ve asked from the news post above.
Buddies will be assigned to teams on depending what language they speak. If you have a link to a particular community, you can request to be their buddy.
So it looks like you will be able to request a spot in Clan Crazy.
How many buddies per team are allowed ?
Good question.
And another-one:
Fun-Clans who allready played etf2l but dont do it anymore. are they allowed to play in this tournament?
Jimmy, I’d be interested in becoming an ETF2L Buddy for a team. I speak English and French and would like to help organise matches for any community in particular so if anybody needs anyone, please ask them to get in touch. Cheers!
[…] Hier nochmal der Link zu dem Ganzen (Achtung, komplett in Englisch): Highlander Community Challenge […]
[…] Tourney Information: http://etf2l.org/2010/03/25/the-etf2l-highlander-community-challenge/#comments Friendly Fire, […]
Sounds awesome, I’d love to be a buddy :D
Any German team still looking for a buddy? i’d really like to participate :) hope it’s not too late!
hello i have a question.Lets say that there is already a team organized and ready to play some highlander , how is that team going to get in touch with a different team?
I’d like to participate in the actual event, but I’m not sure I understand the qualifications…
This tournament is for “new-to-competitive” players, but only division 6 teams are allowed to enter? Also, must the community be European-based in order to be eligible? How many teams will be permitted as a maximum? What are the qualifications for the community?
These are important questions; I hope that with an update of these notes, all of the specifics will become more clarified.
how do i sign up? i dont have a team
[…] interested? I woudl be down The ETF2L Highlander Community Challenge | ETF2L __________________ "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all" […]
Well, I have always wanted the medal I missed, now is the chance! :D
Will the matches be played on weekends or weekdays?
Thank god for being a dirty Yank and not being in a div!
[…] готовится к проведению Highlander Community Challenge. Это забавный чемпионат, направленный на привлечение […]
The usual way of finding wars is trough IRC (quakenet) @ #tf2.wars.
Hi, i’ve got a qusetion: Is there any way to get assigned to a team, cause i have problems mustering enough friends to form a team…
PS: Is the dirct hit for the Soldier allowed for the competition?
[…] mai multe detalii, puteţi accesa articolul original de pe ETF2L.org. Niciun comentariu » aprilie 9th, […]
Can we use unlockables in the tournament ?(flare gun , direct hit , equalizer, sandvich etc?)
[…] is gearing up for their Highlander Community Challenge. It’s a fun tournament aimed at getting lots of people into some fun competitive matches. If […]
[…] join your team.. I honestly don't care if we get rolled on the very first match lol medal is medal. ETF2L Highlander TF2 Hatz Pack Reply With Quote […]
One year ago I played a little in a div 5 team, a few games, and that’s all of my real competitive experience. Am I still allowed to be a normal player in my community’s team, or will I have to become a buddy for them?
What sort of maps will be used?
Also, how long will the season take?
I have just opened a recruitment forum section for that purpose, be sure to check it out: http://etf2l.org/forum/highrec/?recent=165012
It will probably use the normal ETF2L rules, for highlander this will mean all unlockables are allowed except those who can only be acquired by random drops (gunboats, paintrain etc.).
It’s probably best if you take the buddy slot. If you are confident you can schedule your games and handle uploading results you won’t need an outside buddy anyway.
No definite things have been set regarding the map pools. It will ofcourse include classics like pl_badwater. Feel free to make a thread in the highlander forum if you have suggestions like good customs or other maps that work great for highlander.
It will be in cup form so it will depend on how far you get.
Sounds very intresting.
But is there a bit more info about this highlander tournament??
Like what game type ( payload or cp) it is?
We almost never played matches but would like to give it a try.
Already been answered Sting… Payload maps.
All the info is there.
will the medal be wearable by all classes? (all class misc item?)
The squad if 14 right? If a person doesn’t participate in the actual playing of the game, but is in the squad, does HE get a medal?
^^ I had the same question, er have. I mean, if say the backups all play in atleast one match, they’d get a medal right? :V
Im continuing from Valkyer’s comment: if the medal was a one class item, then which class would it be? It would be appropriate to have on the class you played, but say you had the soldier and already had the Gentle Mannes one (not that i do), which would you wear?
I feel that it would be better to have it as an all class Misc item, or, better still, an all class Medal slot item.
My idea is, people could wear misc items and their medals at the same time, so people could have the gentle mannes one, or the camera beard, or the procedure mask, at the same time.
What are peoples thoughts on my idea?
[…] chaps over at ETF2L have teamed up with Valve to create a Highlander league which will be starting over the next couple of months. In TF2 the term ‘highlander’ […]
deadly woodlouse you have a great idea!I think it should be an all-class item that goes in a new Medal Slot section.
i would like to put myself forward as a buddy for the hampshire heavies community team
Everyone talks about where to put, how to use, who should get, and so on considering medals….
but does anyone gone in any way to create one? I ask about that because there is no status about creation progress. Yes yes one should contact Jimmy via Steam in that case, but he has private account so this is a bit… complicated… maybe there should be organized one email account for that purposes, or something else user friendly?
I would make a medal, but i have absolutely no experience in modelling, so thats why Konras.
Im sure someone will make a medal, for example, someone who has contributed to the TF2 website.
I agree though, that there should be an email account of some sort for sending in models
if you play as a backup team, will you get a medal?
I NEED to know what will sv_pure be set too???
will we be able to use custom scopes on the server. I am SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH better without that stupid dot. and I want to be able to play 110%
[…] På söndag den 9/5 16.00 möter de norsk/svenska superhjältarna i Broder ett highlanderlag med pubheroes från lokalen, laget som kallar sig colony ska anmäla sig till ETF2L:s Community Highlander Challenge. […]
[…] Fortress 2 – I’m part of a group that has entered the Highlander Challenge. We’re aiming for “not being last”, but we’re also taking the odd sideways […]
Is that date right for the beginning (May/June)? Just that a lot of younger players, from 15 to 18, have exams during that period and that will severely limit the amount of players you get signing up. I know it would cut my team by a good few, and I imagine other teams would suffer too.
any news about this? :)
[…] Schlachtfestchen-Community sucht zwecks Teilnahme an der ETF2L-Highlander-Community-Challenge für ihr zweites Team, Team Fight, noch einige Spieler, sowie einen […]
when is this taking place?
Hello i was wondering if it is too late to join the tournament?
Ronse, you are most assuredly not too late for the tournament. Nnothing seems to have happened, so we’ll just have to wait.
and wait.
and wait.
[…] partecipare, cerco quindi gente per formare un Team da iscrivere al torneo appena sarà in funzione l’evento. Vorrei iniziare a "preparare" la nostra futura squadra con 3 semplici […]
This is going to be exiting, but i have one question: how do i join a team?