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TF2 Competitive Mode requires a Premium account (link a phone number or buy a pass)
- Thread starter Ludens
- Start date
Hello? This is Hailun!
Member
Im okay with this.
Glitchesarecool
Member
That's really weird.
this guy are sick
Member
Coming soon! (Presumably)
Visualante2
Member
.
Xamtheking
Member
Yall should already be using your phone for two factor anyway
Shadow Broker
Banned
What's TF2?
Titan Fall 2?
Titan Fall 2?
Hamster Plugin
Member
The term "Premium" when talking about TF2 does not mean linking a phone number, that's just an additional step needed to access the competitive mode. Premium account means that you have bought something (any item, so minimum 50 cents) from the TF2 store.
So you need both a premium account AND a phone number linked. Buying the pass automatically makes you premium anyway because you're spending money.
So you need both a premium account AND a phone number linked. Buying the pass automatically makes you premium anyway because you're spending money.
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
So when you cheat, do you get a call from Lord GabeN himself?
Maybe you get a call from the SWAT team lol.
Maybe you get a call from the SWAT team lol.
dave is ok
aztek is ok
Already has a special ranked mode available only to battle pass users, no?
Team Fortress 2
LordRaptor
Member
As I understand it CS:GO is fairly cheat heavy because its current price isn't a big enough deterrent - I wonder if the "competitive access pass" will be priced accordingly.
I can see there's a price tension between not punishing legitimate players who do not have a phone account, and persistent cheaters who don't consider game sticker price enough of a disincentive
I can see there's a price tension between not punishing legitimate players who do not have a phone account, and persistent cheaters who don't consider game sticker price enough of a disincentive
I'm okay with this.
You need around 75 wins in normal matches to unlock ranked play in Dota 2 and even then people can still buy other people's Steam accounts wholesale. Dota also has less of a cheating problem than FPSes.
You need around 75 wins in normal matches to unlock ranked play in Dota 2 and even then people can still buy other people's Steam accounts wholesale. Dota also has less of a cheating problem than FPSes.
WaterAstro
Member
Wait a TF2 specific pass? How come they couldn't just use Steam Full account to prevent this?
So much for free to play.
So much for free to play.
Visualante2
Member
.
Shadow Broker
Banned
Kai Dracon
Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
A long time ago I bought TF2 outright before it went F2P. I wonder if this means I have a "premium" account.
Xamtheking
Member
You do.
balladofwindfishes
Member
You do
BlindJesus
Member
I was thinking the same. I wonder what percentage of the current TF2 playerbase were playing before it went F2P.
WhateverItTakes
Banned
That's interesting. Though pay as you go SIM cards are so easy to come by why wouldn't you pay 10 bucks?
LordRaptor
Member
There has traditionally always been friction between free to play games and competitively ranked play within them, as the risk for being caught cheating is effectively just sign up a new account.
It's why often there is a big time grind prerequisite of some sort before you are eligible for 'ranked' matches.
Theanine3D
Member
I don't see what the problem is with this. Seems like the least intrusive way to deter unwantables.
In all the years I spent playing TF2, the people who didn't already have premium accounts were a tiny minority. Most people I knew eventually caved and bought a hat or crate key from the store. The thirst is too fucking strong.
In all the years I spent playing TF2, the people who didn't already have premium accounts were a tiny minority. Most people I knew eventually caved and bought a hat or crate key from the store. The thirst is too fucking strong.
Why it should be ?
balladofwindfishes
Member
To prevent smurfs and hackers.
It curbs cheating. As it stands its way too easy to just make a new account and get around bans. This would make competitive a shitshow.
Shadowplay1979
Member
Don't really play TF2 but being screwed over for lack of phone is getting annoying with this two system authorization. I already got boned sellings ummer cards because of this ( 4 bucks down the drain as i melted them into worthless gems).
Valve could easily implement a bar code system for non phone users, my tablet has an authorization app. I also have a paid skype number for work, but voip does not deliver sms, valve could easily make an automated call system.
Anyway, purchased the orange box years ago, i am guessing this puts me in teh tf2 premium user category.
Valve could easily implement a bar code system for non phone users, my tablet has an authorization app. I also have a paid skype number for work, but voip does not deliver sms, valve could easily make an automated call system.
Anyway, purchased the orange box years ago, i am guessing this puts me in teh tf2 premium user category.
SoundPulse
Banned
If you don't have a premium account, you can just buy literally anything off the Mann Co. Store and you'll get upgraded. You'll also get more space for crates you'll never open and full access to trading and crafting, if that's your thing. If you bought the game before June 2011, you're already good to go.
The phone number stipulation was to be expected after CS:GO and all the pushing for the market, I guess.
The phone number stipulation was to be expected after CS:GO and all the pushing for the market, I guess.
People buy CSGO repetitively to cheat on multiple accounts after getting banned. The idea of putting a $10 entry fee for those who don't want to put a phone number in effectively nullifies the effect of the mobile number check. People will just repetitively do it and mess up the competitive mode. I don't understand the logic other than digging more money from those people, other than maybe having a more easy line of seeing a group of people that might be more likely to cheat
LordRaptor
Member
It says its an 'introductory' price, so the real question is where it ends up at, and if that number isn't sufficient, what would be.
BlindJesus
Member
From the FAQ:
"A: To gain access to Competitive Mode, you must have a Premium TF2 Account and a qualifying telephone number on Steam."
It seems you need both, not either or.
SomeOneInaHat
Member
If you have a phone number you have a premium account
ThreePiMatt
Member
I mean, if you can't 100% kill off cheaters you might as well make money off of them.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
It's true that they could implement a VOIP system, but if they did that it would be vulnerable to the same degree of scamming because you'd be able to make a burner VOIP number for almost nothing and re-reg repeatedly. It's also true that they could do a tablet code, but that would be subject to the same issue--Apple does not allow permanent unique identifiers attached to hardware, only the UUID which can be reset with a button push.
The objective of this is to make it costly and time consuming to cheat the system. You might say that that isn't an objective worth pursuing, of course, but given that that's the objective Valve IS pursuing, your proposed alternative needs to do that.
It's not like with the 2FA account security / marketplace stuff where those limitations hurt their own objective.
LordRaptor
Member
I mean, longterm (and not even that longterm) your mobile phone number is going to be your de facto global ID number, and all your accounts will be 2 factor authenticated through it, but we're certainly not there yet
Hamster Plugin
Member
No, you don't. You get a premium account in TF2 by buying anything from the store. This includes 50 cent items, but the minimum funding for Steam wallet is 5 bucks so it'll cost you that much if you don't have cards to sell.
Testing the waters with their least popular multiplayer game fast.
I'm not sure that that's how this is going to work going forward, given that the lifetime competitive pass is available at a DISCOUNT at 9.99 according to the op. On the one hand, this is a F2P game, it makes sense to charge something to deter cheating. On the other hand, 10 dollars is not that amount.
They did this with CS:GO first.
balladofwindfishes
Member
CS:GO did this first
Hamster Plugin
Member
It says it right there: the competitive pass bypasses the phone number requirement. Whether it makes sense or not, that's what they decided to do.
If you don't want to buy the pass, you need a premium account and a phone number. Premium has always been "buy any item from the store", and that isn't changing.
Ah gotcha. Ridiculous, I have no desire to give them my phone number OR pay for more access when I already bought the damn game years ago. Good thing TF2 hasn't been installed for a year.
If you bought the game you already have a premium account