Here are some quick facts about Halloween, quickplay, and server reputation:
* Please read this FAQ, which answers most quickplay and server registration questions:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=2825-AFGJ-3513
* Having players join and stay on your server is currently the only thing that matters for server reputation. Passwords, crit changes, damage spread, mods, maps, etc, does not affect your reputation except to the extent that it affects client's behaviour. If you have an audience that is having fun, your reputation should be OK. There is no need to ask if doing XYZ will negatively affect your reputation, merely because we haven't specifically said, "XYZ is OK." Should this policy change in the future, we will let you know.
* Certain actions (those described in the FAQ) will make your server ineligible for quickplay. However, those criteria are only examined at the moment a client does a quickplay search. They have no lasting effect on your server (except, of course, to the extent that the loss of the extra players could negatively affect your reputation) and can be toggled at any time. Temporarily engaging in some activity that makes you ineligible for quickplay does not have any lasting penalty on your server or reputation.
* In general, positive reputation data is associated with your game server account, not your IP. You can move to a different IP with no problems.
* Valve *MAY* associate negative reputation data (bans, blacklists, records of abuse or cheating, etc) not just to the game server account, but also to the IP address or owning steam account. (*Not* just a specific IP : Port combination!) We understand that not everyone has control over all the ports on their IP. Hopefully the reasons why these sorts of policies are necessary are obvious. Bottom line: protect the reputation of any servers running on your IP.
* There will be a special Halloween quickmatch option on the client. We will provide further details for how to receive the traffic later.
* We highly encourage people to register their servers. There is zero downside to doing so, whatsoever, and it takes 5 seconds. The Halloween gift drops are the first of hopefully many more benefits to come from registering your server.
* We will be watching for servers who are exploiting the gift and drop system, and reserve the right to take action against the account, game server, IP, and steam account that owns the game server. We are not going to provide an exact definition of exactly what is OK and what is not. However, here are two examples of abusive activity: 1.) Giving certain plays on your server special powers or preferential treatment with regard to gifts. 2.) Using automated methods to collect gifts into lots of free accounts, causing them to be devalued in the TF economy.
Thank you for helping to provide our customers a place to play our game.
Your humble servant,
Fletch
anyways, should I post a map of the gift spawns?
