I've made two videos on this topic, but I also want to leave a record of it here.
I love Team Fortress 2. It's a game I was introduced to back in 2012 by a classmate who invited me over to his house to try this new game he was addicted to, thinking I'd love it.
Fast forward 12 years later - TF2 is still a game I hold near & dear. It's just a fun, cozy, goofy game that felt like a safe haven to unwind, relax & either goof off for a few hours with silly strats or conga'ing with the rest of the server, or to try my best to improve at the game & get good at it.
Yet now, in 2024, TF2 is completely unplayable. I'm sure you've heard, but if you haven't - Team Fortress 2 is facing a massive botting issue. And the botting issue goes far beyond what you've been hearing on the internet about. Far beyond the racist, cheating bots that dox people's personal information.
TF2's botting issue extends to anywhere from 70% to 90% of the player count reported on by Steam being completely fake, as most "players" are really just bots idling for item drops to take advantage of the free economy that TF2 offers.
I'll leave a link to a few videos by Zesty Jesus down below for you to watch. Please watch these, they are very important.
I love Team Fortress 2. It's a game I was introduced to back in 2012 by a classmate who invited me over to his house to try this new game he was addicted to, thinking I'd love it.
Fast forward 12 years later - TF2 is still a game I hold near & dear. It's just a fun, cozy, goofy game that felt like a safe haven to unwind, relax & either goof off for a few hours with silly strats or conga'ing with the rest of the server, or to try my best to improve at the game & get good at it.
Yet now, in 2024, TF2 is completely unplayable. I'm sure you've heard, but if you haven't - Team Fortress 2 is facing a massive botting issue. And the botting issue goes far beyond what you've been hearing on the internet about. Far beyond the racist, cheating bots that dox people's personal information.
TF2's botting issue extends to anywhere from 70% to 90% of the player count reported on by Steam being completely fake, as most "players" are really just bots idling for item drops to take advantage of the free economy that TF2 offers.
I'll leave a link to a few videos by Zesty Jesus down below for you to watch. Please watch these, they are very important.
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As for how deep the cheating bot rabbit hole goes, there are many, many videos on this topic, including 2 of my own. But down below, I will link a great exposé done by TheWhat Show on how truly demented they are, as well as my own video on what Valve could possibly do.
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The whole reason I'm writing this on my personal website is simple. I am asking for your help with this. I am asking you to aid the Team Fortress 2 community in its dire time of need.
So...what can you do? I'll list a couple of things you can do.
Community figureheads have started hosting a website where you can sign a petition to Valve, which will be printed out & delivered to Valve physically to their offices. It doesn't matter if you play TF2 or not - any & all signatures are much appreciated. Simply head on over to save.tf and sign. This is the easiest method thus far that you can use to help the TF2 community.
Currently, much like the Helldivers 2 fiasco that happened, TF2 is being review-bombed by the community to get Valve's attention. I would like to encourage you to do the same to help spread awareness & get Valve's attention directly on their home turf, being Steam. Leave a negative review on TF2, mention the botting & cheating issues that the game is facing.
Using your favorite social media of choice, whether that's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Bluesky, Reddit - whatever it is that you use - make images, art, memes, post videos, gather clips of the bots, ANYTHING. Spread awareness of this problem as far & wide as you could possibly spread it. Accompany every post with either the tags #FixTF2 or #SaveTF2, or both.
Valve, we are not asking for major updates. We are not asking for weapon rebalances. We are not asking for more maps or more hats, or whatever.
We are asking that you fix the game, take responsibility & get rid of the bots and cheaters that have been plaguing this game for more than 7 years at this point.
That's all we want. I love Team Fortress 2. And I hate to see it the way it has turned out.
And please remember - don't stop this until Valve actually does something. A simple tweet on the matter is not enough. We want actions. Not words or empty platitudes like Valve gave us back in May 2022.
#FixTF2
- huu
So...what can you do? I'll list a couple of things you can do.
- Sign the petition
Community figureheads have started hosting a website where you can sign a petition to Valve, which will be printed out & delivered to Valve physically to their offices. It doesn't matter if you play TF2 or not - any & all signatures are much appreciated. Simply head on over to save.tf and sign. This is the easiest method thus far that you can use to help the TF2 community.
- Review TF2 on Steam
Currently, much like the Helldivers 2 fiasco that happened, TF2 is being review-bombed by the community to get Valve's attention. I would like to encourage you to do the same to help spread awareness & get Valve's attention directly on their home turf, being Steam. Leave a negative review on TF2, mention the botting & cheating issues that the game is facing.
- Spread awareness
Using your favorite social media of choice, whether that's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Bluesky, Reddit - whatever it is that you use - make images, art, memes, post videos, gather clips of the bots, ANYTHING. Spread awareness of this problem as far & wide as you could possibly spread it. Accompany every post with either the tags #FixTF2 or #SaveTF2, or both.
Valve, we are not asking for major updates. We are not asking for weapon rebalances. We are not asking for more maps or more hats, or whatever.
We are asking that you fix the game, take responsibility & get rid of the bots and cheaters that have been plaguing this game for more than 7 years at this point.
That's all we want. I love Team Fortress 2. And I hate to see it the way it has turned out.
And please remember - don't stop this until Valve actually does something. A simple tweet on the matter is not enough. We want actions. Not words or empty platitudes like Valve gave us back in May 2022.
#FixTF2
- huu
