Anyone besides me use alternate skins?

[HibiscusKazeneko]

I know I risk a ban by posting this, but here goes:
For a while I've been using AyesDyef's female scout skin in TF2 and it works even in the Slayboxes (which according to Benny have sv_pure 1 enabled). I recently downloaded the female Pyro skin and was going to give it a shot but then I had a thought: does anybody else do this? Is it grounds for a VAC ban, even if it doesn't alter the gameplay experience? I want to know more. Fire away, gentlemen.

[Nikki Wolf]

No, it doesn't risk being banned. I use Tron skins all the time. I doubt Valve bans people for using custom skins, as customization has always existed in their games since the first Half-Life.

[HibiscusKazeneko]

No, it doesn't risk being banned. I use Tron skins all the time. I doubt Valve bans people for using custom skins, as customization has always existed in their games since the first Half-Life.

The reason I asked is because I was reading through the Terms of Service for RIFT, and it had a clause explicitly outlawing use of custom skins.

[Nikki Wolf]

Rift is an MMO owned by another company. They have their own rules for their game that are different from what Valve has on TF2.

[Vivi Hill]

I'm almost positive VAC bans only apply to binaries (dll or bin files). So if you use a hack that modifies server.dll or other dlls in your install there is a chance that it's been flagged for a VAC ban. Modifying other files like textures and sounds is not grounds for a ban, though.

Heck, Sourcemod isn't a bannable program and it loads binaries.

Anyway this is the reason we run with sv_pure 1--texture hacks like wallhacks and particle hacks aren't VAC secured, so anyone is free to use them on sv_pure 0 servers without risk of getting VAC banned.

[Argent]

This is the only custom skin I use. I don't like change, and get used to vanilla skins. I do periodically look for new skins, but nothing impresses me enough to spend time implementing them though.

[HibiscusKazeneko]

Anyway this is the reason we run with sv_pure 1--texture hacks like wallhacks and particle hacks aren't VAC secured, so anyone is free to use them on sv_pure 0 servers without risk of getting VAC banned.

Even so, the girl Scout works in the Slayboxes, but the Thor bat and female Pyro don't.
How do I determine which servers have sv_pure 1 or 0?

[Vivi Hill]

If you look at the console sometimes it will brag about sv_pure. Or try typing sv_pure in the console. Not sure if it uses your local settings for that though so it might not be accurate.

If you get kicked from the server or your textures don't work chances are sv_pure is on.

[doppelganger]

Yeah I tried some custom models recently for the spy revolvers, they didn't show up on sb. But I use the beta spy skin and that's about it. And.... where did you get that skin Argent? It makes me lulz.

[LegendarySurgeon]

I also use AyesDef's female scout as well as Chemical Alia's spy skin. For a very short period of time I played around with a skin that made the heavy a polar bear but it was too disconcerting =P

[HibiscusKazeneko]

I also use AyesDef's female scout as well as Chemical Alia's spy skin. For a very short period of time I played around with a skin that made the heavy a polar bear but it was too disconcerting =P

I just installed those as well as the female Heavy and Medic skins.
I looked into the girl Engineer, but Gamebanana warns it doesn't work properly.

[Nikki Wolf]

Yeah I tried some custom models recently for the spy revolvers, they didn't show up on sb. But I use the beta spy skin and that's about it. And.... where did you get that skin Argent? It makes me lulz.

Custom weapon skins/models won't show up on Pure servers.

[Mangachu]

http://www.extelevision.com/skins/
cause i'm a comp fanboy

[Argent]

Yeah I tried some custom models recently for the spy revolvers, they didn't show up on sb. But I use the beta spy skin and that's about it. And.... where did you get that skin Argent? It makes me lulz.

http://www.gamebanana.com/skins/66858

I love gamebanana.

[Jake]

Anyway this is the reason we run with sv_pure 1--texture hacks like wallhacks and particle hacks aren't VAC secured, so anyone is free to use them on sv_pure 0 servers without risk of getting VAC banned.

Mathacks function 100% on all of your servers.

edited: grammarrrr

[Vivi Hill]

Well I didn't expect our servers to be foolproof at all. If we wanted foolproof we'd enabled pure 2, but that takes away sprays. If someone has a suggestion for our whitelist please feel free to post it.

[Jake]

Moved to pm. Sorry about the hijack op.

[mattdamon]

I use a golden ambassador skin
but i don't play spy anymore

[LegendarySurgeon]

I was looking at this today. I don't know which of these healing beam textures is the most awesome. Wonder if they'll work on CSn or not, considering custom weapon textures apparently don't?

[rawkies]

I was looking at this today. I don't know which of these healing beam textures is the most awesome. Wonder if they'll work on CSn or not, considering custom weapon textures apparently don't?

Should work. I was sifting through a few and one of them (http://www.gamebanana.com/sprites/2296) says, "It works even in pure servers!!!"

[HibiscusKazeneko]

Benny, I know you're going to go "I told you so" at this, but I'll post it anyway:
I am now having problems with TF2 crashing. I have mp_usehwmmodels 1 equipped, but it's not enough. Do I need to use quotation marks with it, or is the translation just too much for my computer to take? I hate to have to give up all these fine skins...

[Argent]

I also use AyesDef's female scout as well as Chemical Alia's spy skin. For a very short period of time I played around with a skin that made the heavy a polar bear but it was too disconcerting =P

Hah! I've seen the polar bear one. It's really well done. Just wait 'til Furry Fortress 2 goes live.

[Vivi Hill]

Quotation marks are optional for all convars unless the value has spaces in it. I'm not sure what would be causing the crashes. I haven't fooled around with much custom content myself.

[HibiscusKazeneko]

Quotation marks are optional for all convars unless the value has spaces in it. I'm not sure what would be causing the crashes. I haven't fooled around with much custom content myself.

So it has to be written like this?

Code: Select all

"mp_usehwmmodels 1"

Also I thought the skins were causing the crashes because some of the comments on Gamebanana warned it might happen.

[Vivi Hill]

Quotation marks are optional for all convars unless the value has spaces in it. I'm not sure what would be causing the crashes. I haven't fooled around with much custom content myself.

So it has to be written like this?

Code: Select all

"mp_usehwmmodels 1"

Also I thought the skins were causing the crashes because some of the comments on Gamebanana warned it might happen.

No, the convar name doesn't have quotations.

Code: Select all

mp_usehwmmodels 1
mp_usehwmmodels "1"

Are the two ways it would work. What I meant was for things that require spaces in the value, like hostname, you need a quotation mark:

Code: Select all

hostname critsandvich.com Slaybox I bla bla

would NOT work without quotes around the name:

Code: Select all

hostname "critsandvich.com Slaybox I bla bla"

[critspam]

the TR0N skins i want to use dont have enough software to run so i dont really know if that counts as using skins or not.

[Nikki Wolf]

the TR0N skins i want to use dont have enough software to run so i dont really know if that counts as using skins or not.

Software? Don't you mean HDD space? (there is a difference) And yes, using Tron skins does count as using skins.

[critspam]

no i dont mean HDD space cause the message i get trying to play the TR0N skin files is "you do not have enough software to use this file. please get the software before attempting to use this file."

[HibiscusKazeneko]

no i dont mean HDD space cause the message i get trying to play the TR0N skin files is "you do not have enough software to use this file. please get the software before attempting to use this file."

I used to get that error message, but only when I tried to import a new spray (which I am in desperate need of).
How are you implementing this skin? When I installed mine, I just copied the required files into the required folders and the game application did the rest.

[Toaster]

I played WoW with no underwear skins, no big deal.

[HibiscusKazeneko]

I played WoW with no underwear skins, no big deal.

Underwear skins?

[lefty97]

I used to but I disabled them all since well, I hardly ever get to see them anyway since critsandvich servers are for the most part, the only servers I go to.

[GoDM1N]

I played WoW with no underwear skins, no big deal.

Toaster likes cyberz

[TheHunter]

I use the Black Spy reskin(which was probably not a good idea), a few weapon skins, and tried to use Fem!scout but failed after a while ;~;

[Rustic Apple]

I went on a skin downloading binge this past week, my favorite one being a Shaft moustache/side burns combo for the Demo.

/random question. Does anyone else seem to get inspired to and/or actually play better when they download a skin for class/weapons they never use?

[HibiscusKazeneko]

I went on a skin downloading binge this past week, my favorite one being a Shaft moustache/side burns combo for the Demo.

/random question. Does anyone else seem to get inspired to and/or actually play better when they download a skin for class/weapons they never use?

I was tempted to play Scout and Spy more than usual when I had the rule 63 skins for them, if that counts.
I wasn't really able to deliver much, though, as I had to get rid of all my skins due to them causing the game to crash. (Benny and I have still not figured out how to remedy this. There is supposed to be a dodge to temporarily disable the skins on sv_pure 1 servers, but it doesn't seem to work.)

[rawkies]

. . . I had to get rid of all my skins due to them causing the game to crash. (Benny and I have still not figured out how to remedy this. There is supposed to be a dodge to temporarily disable the skins on sv_pure 1 servers, but it doesn't seem to work.)

First, delete the "...\steamapps\<username>team fortress 2\tf" folder.

Now try placing all the custom files where you would place them in the "...\steamapps\<username>\team fortress 2\" folder (think of a skeleton of data around which the .gcf writes the rest of the game content files). Press the button that starts TF2 and wait for the program to write all the needed game files. Once finished writing, it will automatically start up, load the stock maps, and present you with the main menu.

Continue as normal.

[GoDM1N]