Unlock rules are always expected to be the spice of a season. Compared to last season a few small things will change, largely keeping the flavour of last seasons intact. The ruleset should provide a more structured framework that will allow a sustainable way of keeping the primary gameplay as focus, with possibilities of future additions if metagame changes would request so. Hopefully this will provide a good taste for both people looking to spice things up as well as those looking for a milder experience.

Season 9 Unlock Ingredients:

• Main combat classes (scout, soldier, demoman, heavy): Bonk, Equalizer, Sandvich and Pain train allowed.
• Support classes: All allowed, except Wrangler, Vita-Saw and Amputator which are banned.
• Set hats banned (where possible)
• Weapon (re)skins, hats and other visuals are enabled by default, but can be disabled if teams wish so.

What this means.

Combat classes will retain a mostly pure form of combat with a few established unlocks allowed.  Support classes have a different role and are therefore allowed a wider variety of unlocks. The Medic’s Crossbow will arguably be the biggest addition providing an interesting skill mechanic for medics. The (only) other unlock from the Christmas update is the pyro’s rake, although the Degreaser should be the most interesting addition for the skilled pyro players. Other support class unlocks are known from last season or should provide some fine-tuning for the more dedicated users of a class.

Whitelist & Config

Season 9 will provide a item whitelist and a new ETF2L config. The new config will include a new CTF command that should handle rounds of 5 for Turbine. The config will also execute and handle the whitelists. The ETF2L whitelist should make sure no accidental mistakes with unlocks can be made. In addition to the default whitelist, teams can choose to use a whitelist that disables pure visual items like skins and hats. To do so, set the correct line in the config or  enter mp_tournament_whitelist “cfg/etf2l_whitelist_nohat.txt” and mp_tournament_restart. To disable the whitelist entirely for practise or fun games, use mp_tournament_whitelist “off” and mp_tournament_restart.

You can find the download link below, place the whitelist files in the cfg folder on your server along with the updated etf2l config.

>> Download ETF2L config + whitelist <<

Other rule info

• Next season will use Heavy limit 1. Obviously this means that in a game, a team can only use 1 heavy at a time.
• The premier division playoff structure will be changed a bit to make better use of the results of the season. First, the team that placed 4th in the season will play versus the 3rd placed team. The winner of that match will play against the 2nd placed for a spot in the Grand Final versus the team that ranked 1st.
• Matches played in premier division will have to upload STV demos of matches in addition to the (status) screenshots. POV demos are only required upon request.
• Please note that warnings will be given out this season if a match has not been played after the match deadline, unless an admin has been consulted and an extension of the match deadline has been granted.
• As a general reminder we like to note that match comments should be used to record any agreements between two teams regarding the use of mercs, servers or other issues. This way you can ensure easy processing of results, as well as avoiding problems when a dispute arises.

That’s all for this post. Be sure to check the previous post for the new fixed version of Turbine and the updated map list. Stay tuned for more info and details on some upcoming events!

You’ve waited for a while, but now it is finally here: The 9th Main Season in ETF2L’s history! Today, we will reveal the signup schedule as well as the full map schedule. There are plenty of interesting additions this season, so be sure to read on!

Initially the plan was to run 2 full seasons before summer, but that plan was scrapped after some re-thinking and requests. With Season 9 starting in March there should be a smaller gap in summer, and plenty of room for other popular events, maybe even the most famous event of all…

But first, it’s time for the new main season. There will be a fresh wind of maps and rulesets that will hopefully bring a great season for everyone. So gather some friends, find a team, go practise and get ready!

Season 9  Signup Schedule:

• Signups open: Friday March 4th
• Signups close: Friday March 11th
• Seedings published: Tuesday March 15th
• Week 1 start:  Monday March 21st

The Maps

Besides classic old maps like Badlands, Granary, Gravelpit and Gullywash returning to the map pool, there are some new maps, some of which will be quite familiar to ETF2L veterans. With a map schedule that allows for easy preparation and training, the new additions will surely prove interesting. Update: Due to some disclarity, and requests on the size of the map pool, we will be switching Obscure out for another Gullywash and Badlands. Get training!

Warmfront:
Coldfront. Some loved it, some hated it. For both groups the sun will shine happily! Warmfront is an updated version of Coldfront that implements a more natural theme but primarily brings some gameplay changes and improvements that should hopefully make the non-believers see light.

Download: cp_warmfront

Bazillion:
A new and very intriguing map from Gullywash creator, Arnold. Like Gullywash, Bazillion has seen countless of iterations and betas, hopefully leading to a map that can rival its predecessor. As one of the more exotic maps in the pool it will certainly be interesting to see how it will fare. Be sure to check it out!

Download: cp_bazillion_rc2

Turbine_pro:
An old-time favourite of the map pool has returned with a few twists and changes. First of all, a “pro” version of Turbine was released, which should make the map more dynamic and less confined as well as add some long awaited changes, like the ammo packs on middle. In addition to that, CTF gameplay using multiple rounds has grown in favour recently. Therefore, the new Turbine version will use the following rules:

Turbine rules (it really does)

Turbine will be played with a 30 minute map timer in a round based format. The first team to reach 5 flag captures will win a round. Like Gravelpit, the first team to win 2 rounds will be the winner of the map. If after 30 minutes the teams have won an equal number of rounds, the team leading in captures is the winner. If captures are also equal, a new game with first to 3 captures should be played to decide the winner.

You will not need to change server settings or restart the config between rounds, though you can set mp_winlimit 2 for convenience. The upcoming ETF2L config will handle the other settings by default (tf_flag_caps_per_round 5). With a new rule set and several improvements to the map this will surely be great fun!

Download: ctf_turbine_pro_rc1

Gullywash Update:
One of the most popular custom maps recently received an update. It features some bug-fixes as well as some improvements to CP1.  In spite of – or thanks to – the loss of the iconic water section, CP1 should be harder to turtle now. This updated version grants some great changes and will be used in season 9, so be sure to download it and use it in your future matches!

Download: cp_gullywash pro

Full Map Schedule:

• Week 1: Badlands / Warmfront
• Week 2: Gravelpit / Warmfront
• Week 3: Gravelpit / Granary
• Week 4: Turbine_pro / Granary
• Week 5: Turbine_pro / Gullywash
• Week 6: Badlands / Gullywash
• Week 7: Bazillion / Gullywash
• Week 8: Bazillion / Badlands
• Week 9: Granary / Badlands

Stay tuned for more info on rules and prizes!

Last Monday the servers for the Experimental Ordnance cup encountered some problems with installing and updating. Luckily we now have a full set of Multiplay tf2 Beta servers running and available so we can make sure the cup will see light. The new date for the Experimental Ordnance Cup #4 is Tuesday the 1st.  Be sure to have a look at some of the balance changes in the beta here or head over to the ETF2L forum section.

>>> Sign up now! <<<

Unlock Rules

This cup will use the ETF2L rules with a few small changes.  All available unlocks are allowed, except the GRU and Fists of Steel, which will be banned to make sure the testing focus is on the Quick-fix and usual 6v6 gameplay. To encourage creativity, we will require all participants to run at least one of the following: the Loch-n-Load, the Quick-fix or a Pyro.

Map List and Seedings

In total there will be 16 slots with high and low cups running together. When signing up, you will be placed on the waiting list at first and seeded into the correct group afterwards.

• First Round – cp_badlands
• Semis – cp_granary
• Final – cp_badlands

Special Merc Rule

Up to a maximum of three mercs may be used without permission from your opponent, providing they are from the same division or lower as the main team. This is because we recognize that not all teams will have a full roster willing to participate in this competition, but we still want to get as much feedback as possible, particularly from the higher divisions.

Signups and Cup Schedule

The bracket draw will be held at Tuesday 18:30 CET in #etf2l and the cup will start at 20:00 CET on Tuesday evening. The second round will commence at 20:45 CET and the final will be held at 21:30 CET.

Sign up now!

The TF2Beta project recently received 2 updates with some great changes and some interesting additions. You can find the full changelog here or check out the ETF2L forum section.  Naturally, we’d love to see some competitive feedback, and therefore we are happy to be able to host The Experimental Ordnance Cup #4 on Monday the 21st, to give these changes a good try. For this cup, we plan on using ETF2L beta servers from Multiplay, so a huge shout-out to them for making this possible.

Unlock Rules

This cup will use the ETF2L rules with a few small changes.  All available unlocks are allowed, except the GRU and Fists of Steel, which will be banned to make sure the testing focus is on the Quick-fix and usual 6v6 gameplay. To encourage creativity, we will require all participants to run at least one of the following: the Loch-n-Load, the Quick-fix or a Pyro.

Map List and Seedings

Depending on the skill levels of the signups, we will either run one cup with 16 slots or have two 8 slots high and low cups running together. When signing up, you will be placed on the waiting list at first and seeded into the correct group afterwards.

• First Round – cp_granary (skipped if there are two groups of 8)
• Second Round – cp_badlands
• Semis – cp_granary
• Final – cp_badlands

Special Merc Rule

Up to a maximum of three mercs may be used without permission from your opponent, providing they are from the same division or lower as the main team. This is because we recognize that not all teams will have a full roster willing to participate in this competition, but we still want to get as much feedback as possible, particularly from the higher divisions.

Signups and Cup Schedule

Signups will open on Sunday evening at 18:00 CET. The bracket draw will be held at Monday 18:30 CET in #etf2l and the cup will start at 20:00 CET on Monday evening.

The second round of ETF2L’s Highlander Cup Challenge quarter finals takes place tonight with four teams battling it out for a place in the semifinals.

Already through to the semifinals are:

colony :E
SNSD

Semi-final
map elimination, using: badwater, upward, steel, gravelpit, goldrush, viaduct, dustbowl
Schedule deadline: 20/02/2011
Match deadline: 27/02/2011

Final
map elimination, using: badwater, upward, steel, gravelpit, goldrush, viaduct, dustbowl
Schedule deadline: 06/03/2011
Match deadline: 13/03/2011

Match #1

20:00 CET Badmen Enterprise (feat. Shintaz) vs. May Contain Nuts (feat. ZyZo)

Badmen Enterprise took the American team SUPER SAIYAN SWAGGER out in the 5th round alongside recently picking up ‘sponsorship’ from MONSTERFRAGGEN.de. Whereas, May Contain Nuts took out the solid looking Comunidade Portuguesa TF2 led by (ex)TCMs strat man Haunter.

This match will be casted by the guys over at TF2TV

STV for this game is: fakkelbrigade.eu:27100

Match #2

21:00 TPlay.CircleJerk (feat. nVc) vs. Lokalen Alpha. (feat. tramsig)

TPlay, full of ‘well-known’ players from the community, took what looked like an easy win over  American team Stoic Defenders of the Igloo in the 5th round. They’ll face off against the all-Swedish team Lokalen Alpha who narrowly took victory over the Germans fancy! und .stefan with that game going to a deciding map.

STV for this game is: fakkelbrigade.eu:27101

Note: Teams still participating should be aware of an addition to the rules.

To prevent exploiting disguises having no particle effects the following rule will be added: “No players are to have an unusual hat equipped. The opposing team has a right to pause and request that the unusual is unequipped. If the player does not comply, an admin can be consulted.”