Why 6s was the Better Choice: A Review and Analysis

[Selve]

EDIT: IF YOU WANT TO OFFER CRITICISM, ACTUALLY READ THE WHOLE THING FIRST!!!! There are people who just put stuff down in the comments that they assume are said in this post but are not.

To begin with, I would like to let it be known that I am in no way affiliated with VALVe. These are simply my thoughts on the issue at hand. I would also like for it to be known that I was a former Highlander supporter. In fact, I actually signed HungryBanker's petition but I have since removed my signature after I thought things over and I will present my thoughts in this post today. With that in mind, let's get started!

Background

Since the release of matchmaking, and since the announcement of it being centralized around 6s, there has been a lot of controversy particularly among players who do not main any of the 6s "cookie-cutter" classes (Scout, Soldier, Demoman, and Medic and for certain cases, Sniper). And this controversy is completely understandable because our Pyro mains and Engineer mains do deserve a place in matchmaking. And so without a place in matchmaking, these players lobby for the other option: Highlander. The main, if not only, support they mount for this is that Highlander is more diverse and allows for more class options. But does it really? And this is the question that we will explore in the next section.

The Issue of Diversity

The issue of diversity is one that comes up a lot in debating the supremacy of the two main competitive game modes and supporters of Highlander claim that it is more diverse. However, is it really? Let's look at the class limits for each game mode (Source: UGC)

Highlander:
• 1x Scout
  
• 1x Soldier
  
• 1x Pyro
  
• 1x Demoman
  
• 1x Heavy Weapons Guy (Heavy)
  
• 1x Engineer
  
• 1x Medic
  
• 1x Sniper
  
• 1x Spy

6v6
• 2x Scout
  
• 2x Soldier
  
• 2x Pyro
  
• 1x Demoman
  
• 1x Heavy Weapons Guy (Heavy)
  
• 1x Engineer
  
• 1x Medic
  
• 2x Sniper
  
• 2x Spy

What we can observe from here is that 6s is actually more diverse than Highlander! In theory. In practice however, we see the same thing again and again and again: Team A plays Team B on Control Points map. Both teams use cookie-cutter lineup. Team A wins mid-fight. With all of Team B dead, Team A captures Spire. Then, a Scout from Team A offclasses to Sniper, gets a pick or two, then Team A pushes last with Uber and wins. And we must ask why does this happen? And this question will be answered in the next section.

In Practice

So previously, we saw that 6s is in fact more diverse than Highlander but only in theory. But the fact that it is more diverse means that it already I'd a better choice for matchmaking. And it is just a matter of putting it into practice. And to work this out we must open the TF2 Bible.
In the beginning, Gaben created unbalanced classes. But Gaben didn't exactly see the potential problem with this so Gaben saw that the unbalanced classes were good so He let them do their sh1t. Then when Prince b4nny and Prince clockwork and Prince Shadowburn got bored out pubs, competitive TF2 came along, in a 6v6 format that was used by most other games. But because Gaben created unbalanced classes, over time, people realised that the "best" class lineup was 2 Scouts, 2 Soldiers, 1 Demoman, and 1 Medic. And from then on, that was the only lineup used in 6s. But then the Pyro mains and Engineer mains no longer had a place in competitive TF2 so then the Gods that it may concern created Highlander and...
And seeing that that is the relevant history, we'll stop there. So what we can see is that the sole purpose behind the creation of Highlander was that the cookie-cutter 6v6 lineup didn't accommodate all of the classes and the reason of the cookie-cutter lineup's existence was due to unbalanced classes. And here, we arrive at our answer: if 6v6 has more potential diversity than Highlander and if the thing that prevents this diversity from existing in practice is unbalanced classes, then what VALVe should do is not implement Highlander but rather use a matchmaking system of 6v6 to discover these imbalances and fix them. And that is why 6v6 was the better choice.

Conclusion

So in the end, we can see that 6s was the better choice because it has more potential diversity than Highlander and that this diversity can exist in practice if VALVe implements 6s and only 6s (because the nature of Highlander [the fact that in its current state, it already encompasses all 9 classes] prevents imbalances from being detected). And we can also see that if VALVe chose to implement Highlander instead, all it would do is cover up (rather imperfectly) and delay the problem of unbalanced classes. And so by implementing 6v6, VALVe is allowing itself to balance classes and allow classes like Engineer and Pyro back into the world of 6s.

But what about Highlander?

In saying all of this, I never addressed Highlander too much. So here, I will. I want to clarify: when I say 6s is the better choice, I mean that it is better for the purposes of matchmaking. Highlander is still a very good game mode. The nine-person team gives certain maps (particularly Payload maps) a level of playability that cannot be matched in 6s. Eventually, I hope that both modes will be implemented into matchmaking. However, I maintain that 6s should be the priority.

Endnotes

Thank you for reading this very long post! If you have any questions that you need to be answered, drop it on my profile. If you want to leave feedback or you disagree, drop your idea right here! Once again, thank you a ton for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

[Flupert]

Conclusion

So in the end, we can see that 6s was the better choice

m8, nice essay and all, but u do realise there is literally a button for 9v9, it just isnt playable yet in the early stages of the beta...

[Flytrap]

No. Fuck you. You are people like you are the exact reason why 6v6 is so retarded. The only thing you care about is doing things the most efficently, if you are having fun in that thats okay, but trashtalking everyone else who prefers highlander like the shitbags most 6v6 players are. If you prefer 6v6 thats okay, but did you know that we are supposed to play a game to have fun? No, you didn't. Obvously. Anyone who's having fun in highlander is a moron by most 6's players. Oddly enoguh highlander players aren't tryhard motherfuckers. Of course motherfucker highlander players exist, but thats less that 10% while the scumbag 6v6 players are more than half of the 6v6 community. What is the point of having 9 classes if you are just going to shit on them? because "they didn't make the cut". You aren't using classes just cause there is another class that can do that but better. 6v6 is basically tryharding taken WAY too far. Highlander exists to keep the feeling of the game. You and your 6's are just ruining the spirit on the game, spiting on it. Just because you want to do everything the most efficently.

[Selve]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Magyarharcos:

No. Fuck you. You are people like you are the exact reason why 6v6 is so retarded. The only thing you care about is doing things the most efficently, if you are having fun in that thats okay, but trashtalking everyone else who prefers highlander like the shitbags most 6v6 players are. If you prefer 6v6 thats okay, but did you know that we are supposed to play a game to have fun? No, you didn't. Obvously. Anyone who's having fun in highlander is a moron by most 6's players. Oddly enoguh highlander players aren't tryhard motherfuckers. Of course motherfucker highlander players exist, but thats less that 10% while the scumbag 6v6 players are more than half of the 6v6 community. What is the point of having 9 classes if you are just going to shit on them? because "they didn't make the cut". You aren't using classes just cause there is another class that can do that but better. 6v6 is basically tryharding taken WAY too far. Highlander exists to keep the feeling of the game. You and your 6's are just ruining the spirit on the game, spiting on it. Just because you want to do everything the most efficently.

I'm not trash talking. I'm not putting down Highlander. I'm just saying why 6s is a better start to matchmaking. Did you even read the post?

[Vlad the Impala]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Magyarharcos:

No. Fuck you. You are people like you are the exact reason why 6v6 is so retarded. The only thing you care about is doing things the most efficently, if you are having fun in that thats okay, but trashtalking everyone else who prefers highlander like the shitbags most 6v6 players are. If you prefer 6v6 thats okay, but did you know that we are supposed to play a game to have fun? No, you didn't. Obvously. Anyone who's having fun in highlander is a moron by most 6's players. Oddly enoguh highlander players aren't tryhard motherfuckers. Of course motherfucker highlander players exist, but thats less that 10% while the scumbag 6v6 players are more than half of the 6v6 community. What is the point of having 9 classes if you are just going to shit on them? because "they didn't make the cut". You aren't using classes just cause there is another class that can do that but better. 6v6 is basically tryharding taken WAY too far. Highlander exists to keep the feeling of the game. You and your 6's are just ruining the spirit on the game, spiting on it. Just because you want to do everything the most efficently.

In case you haven't noticed, matchmaking has no class limits and is going to be the lowest form of competitive. That means you can run full-time spy or rocket jumper soldier as much as you want to, regardless of how effective it is.

But go on, call people scumbags while acting like a scumbag yourself. Or does calling you out as a scumbag = elitist as well?

[Selve]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Lookkill:

Maybe that's not the ideal one but it's funny and allows every class to be useful. I personnally prefer HL to 6s' and I don't understand why Valve should choose between both... They put these mods and you pick the one you want to play.

Lol I tried to illustrate that in the 3rd section. But thanks for not saying something like "OMG. HIGHLANDER H8ER. YOU TRASH TALK!

[BreezeDanish]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGfgCE1GXcw

the TL;DR version, as the video is kind of long:

6s developed early on and they tried various combinations of class mashed together. Early on, Demo and Medic were identified as being incredibly powerful when two were on the same team, so each was limited to 1 per team. Heavy (pre-GRU/whip) was found to be INCREDIBLY powerful on defending the last point but generally too slow to keep up normally with the more mobile classes, so he was limited to 1 per team as 2 were difficult to push into. This bit about last point is important, because defending last gives the defending team the spawn advantage, that being that they can go back and switch classes quickly, as well as hitting the resupply. Engineer later followed for similar reasons. Double Snipers were later banned because of Snipers ability on some maps to sit in both spawn doors and watch all the entrances to last (Process, I believe?). Essentially, early on the 6s community was very experimental and found that 2 scouts, 2 soldiers, a med and a demo, with occasional offclassing when the situation called for it (particularly defending last).

HOWEVER, the part of the narrative most people don't address and Sideshow does here is how, after weapon unlocks such as the GRU were released, the 6s community began banning such weapons to maintain the game they had come to enjoy. Was this bad?Maybe, but it appeared to be fine as most people that played 6s appreciated it (they didn't like Heavy too much). Weapon bans weren't inherently bad either, as some of these weapons (such as the reserve shooter or the current crit-o-cola) were actually overpowered and needed adjustment. The unlocks that were allowed to be whitelisted generally supported the current style of 6s gameplay.

On highlander, he admits to not be too fond of it as an "alternative" to 6s. Like many people say, playing one of each class is actually restrictive because you already know exactly what classes you're going to fight, whereas in 6s, you can mix it up when the situation calls for it.

TL;DR my TL;DR:

6s has in a way, been stale for a while, in part because Valve rarely re-tools their unlocks after release and you can't play a competitive game with broken weapons, but also in part due to the 6s community. Essentially, don't put it all on the community.

Anyway, I still advise everyone watch this video. It doesn't pander to the 6s community and kind of explains how the 6s meta became what it is now.

EDIT: 15:01 is when he explains why the current meta isn't the best.

EDIT2: iirc, someone said that Valve picked 6s first was because it would be easier to make a system that que's 12 people instead of 18. Running 6s is just simpler.

[Hyper G-man]

I am personally a pyro main, and i think there should be NO 1 CLASS LIMITS. There should be only 2 PLAYERS PER CLASS, NOT 1. Having 2 medics can be effective and having 2 of any class other than medic or engi hurts the gameplay. Here's my ideal 6v6 team: 1 pyro, 1 engi, 1 demo, 1 heavy, 1 scout, 1 soldier. From what I've played, having 1 of every class makes your team better alltogether.

[Selve]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von hyperGMAN:

I am personally a pyro main, and i think there should be NO 1 CLASS LIMITS. There should be only 2 PLAYERS PER CLASS, NOT 1. Having 2 medics can be effective and having 2 of any class other than medic or engi hurts the gameplay. Here's my ideal 6v6 team: 1 pyro, 1 engi, 1 demo, 1 heavy, 1 scout, 1 soldier. From what I've played, having 1 of every class makes your team better alltogether.

No but having 2 medics or 2 Heavies makes it way too hard to push against. That's what UGC learned over time and that's why there are class limits.

[Vlad the Impala]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von hyperGMAN:

I am personally a pyro main, and i think there should be NO 1 CLASS LIMITS. There should be only 2 PLAYERS PER CLASS, NOT 1. Having 2 medics can be effective and having 2 of any class other than medic or engi hurts the gameplay. Here's my ideal 6v6 team: 1 pyro, 1 engi, 1 demo, 1 heavy, 1 scout, 1 soldier. From what I've played, having 1 of every class makes your team better alltogether.

That team will never be able to push since your team has no decent way of healing or getting overheals. A team with a medic or two will simply outlast you. Throw a sniper in and you are in the awkward position of not being able to push and being picked off at extreme range.

[LuigiFan45]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Magyarharcos:

No. Fuck you. You are people like you are the exact reason why 6v6 is so retarded. The only thing you care about is doing things the most efficently, if you are having fun in that thats okay, but trashtalking everyone else who prefers highlander like the shitbags most 6v6 players are. If you prefer 6v6 thats okay, but did you know that we are supposed to play a game to have fun? No, you didn't. Obvously. Anyone who's having fun in highlander is a moron by most 6's players. Oddly enoguh highlander players aren't tryhard motherfuckers. Of course motherfucker highlander players exist, but thats less that 10% while the scumbag 6v6 players are more than half of the 6v6 community. What is the point of having 9 classes if you are just going to shit on them? because "they didn't make the cut". You aren't using classes just cause there is another class that can do that but better. 6v6 is basically tryharding taken WAY too far. Highlander exists to keep the feeling of the game. You and your 6's are just ruining the spirit on the game, spiting on it. Just because you want to do everything the most efficently.

stop

I don't like 6s either but I can see why it's a better choice.

[ϟTheoϟ Buying Backpacks + Keys]

I think that what needs to be understood is that, as you said, competitive 6s will also be a cookie-cutter class, with 2 scouts, 2 soldiers, 1 demo, and 1 medic. Implementing a "less formal" version of competitive tf2 won't change that in my opinion. The reason for playing competitive is trying to win, so in order to win everyone is going to play the cookie-cutter classes. Furthermore, if someone on a 6's team goes pyro or engineer permanently for the match, they are going to get shit on by everyone else on their teams, which means that playing pyro/engineer won't be fun at all. That is why I think that both systems need to exist, so that pyro/engineer mains can play competitively but also in a friendly environment.

[LipLya]

Saying that you should nerf 6s classes and buff non-6s classes (like engineer and pyro) is crazy. 6s classes have high skill ceilings and are MUCH harder to master than engineer or pyro; therefore, you get rewarded more for playing 6s classes (with like 3000 hrs into the game) than playing pyro or engineer. In conclusion, pyro and engineer are only "weak" because they have low skill ceilings.

Analogy in CS:GO - Nerfing the AK-47 and Buffing the Negev

[Selve]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von ϟTheoϟ:

I think that what needs to be understood is that, as you said, competitive 6s will also be a cookie-cutter class, with 2 scouts, 2 soldiers, 1 demo, and 1 medic. Implementing a "less formal" version of competitive tf2 won't change that in my opinion. The reason for playing competitive is trying to win, so in order to win everyone is going to play the cookie-cutter classes. Furthermore, if someone on a 6's team goes pyro or engineer permanently for the match, they are going to get shit on by everyone else on their teams, which means that playing pyro/engineer won't be fun at all. That is why I think that both systems need to exist, so that pyro/engineer mains can play competitively but also in a friendly environment.

Hmm makes sense.

[Selve]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Space Bar:

Saying that you should nerf 6s classes and buff non-6s classes (like engineer and pyro) is crazy. 6s classes have high skill ceilings and are MUCH harder to master than engineer or pyro; therefore, you get rewarded more for playing 6s classes (with like 3000 hrs into the game) than playing pyro or engineer. In conclusion, pyro and engineer are only "weak" because they have low skill ceilings.

Analogy in CS:GO - Nerfing the AK-47 and Buffing the Negev

Cool! Also, thanks for actually reading! :-)

[Deadlycow]

6v6 is fast paced and fun to watch, no doubt about it. But it's a gamemode that was made to fit other competitive scenes like cs:go. But tf2 is nothing like it. Tf2 was not designed to be a competitive game, so trying to make it into one is hard. I've never played either, but I feel insanely more drawn towards highlander for the simple fact that it looks like tf2 everyone's used to. 6s doesn't.

Also, saying that 6v6 is more diverse than highlander because it's less restrictive as to how many players can play each class, is straight up retarded. Go spy an entire game of 6s and you'll be called a fag the whole game. Spy isn't a full time viable in 6v6. In highlander that gamemode and it's restrictions MAKE you play tf2 and use everything in the game's arsenal.

I don't think anyone supporting highlander here is trying to make the case that all the classes take equal skill and that all classes are equal in strength. The case I think people are trying to make is that it is insanely closer to what tf2 is. A bunch of wildly different classes trying to reach a common goal.

So that's my two cents