My email to the TF team.

TFTrue (a server plugin for a lot of competitive TF2 servers) has been updated with these release notes:

Update released (4.53):
- Fixed incorrect damage (crits, …) and incorrect weapon log names for accuracy stats
- Added tftrue_sticky_fulldamage which removes the 2 second delay before getting a full damage sticky if enabled

The comp community is shifting the game back to what it has been for the past seven years. (Who can blame them?) Demos in comp games are now bottom damaging, with every other class on their team in 6v6 out damaging them in DPM (damage per minute) and total damage. The meta for both 6v6 and Highlander 9v9 has been well established and revolves around the Demo and his massive damage output.

The sticky nerf was clearly an attempt at reverting the Demo to your initial vision of him, a defense class. That is utterly stupid. Pyro is also listed as an offence class... go watch a high level Highlander 9v9 game. Watch the Pyros. They aren't exactly rushing forwards are they? No. They're playing as a key combo class. A "defense" class.

You tried to change a formula that has been working fine for seven years without even testing it in some kind of beta stage. TF2 veterans hate it so much as it destroys the main focus of 6v6 and Highlander 9v9 teams.

Now the competitive community is taking matters into their own hands and is changing sticks with what is effectively a "promod" (a promod is generally seen as a modded version of the game where the balancing is different and is done by the competitive community only for competitive games).

This promod will kill the game.

As the comp veterans leave (due to simple retirement, not due to this update), newer comp players replace them. That's how it's been for ages. Now that comp is becoming different to stock TF2 in terms of stats, it's less inviting to non comp players, meaning that the competitive TF2 community will die out. After that, the pub community will follow suit.

You were so proud of us in the comp scene raising money for Tip of the Hats. ToTH was started by us, and brought a lot of publicity to the game. We do a lot for this game. Now we feel we need to change it to make it balanced. This is something that we know and apparently you don't. TF2 has evolved so much that it's become a more complex game than you can imagine. The high level comp players know far far more about this game and the way it plays than you at the TF team will ever know... You should have consulted the top comp Veterans first as they could have given you a mass of counter arguments and even suggestions on ways to nerf sticks without destroying the Demoman and his role (as dictated by a seven-year-establised meta).

The mechanics you've introduced to the Stickybomb Launcher and the Minigun are interesting, but they're the kind of convoluted gimmicky mechanics I'd expect on a new weapon. Not to stock weapons that have been relied on and accepted for years.

Please revert these changes to the stock weapons, and in doing so I'd expect you to revert the Axtinguisher nerf seeing as the Minigun will be as strong as it was, meaning Pyros will need that 195 damage to kill him.

The TF2 community is in my opinion the greatest of all gaming communities and sub-communities. You would have had a wealth of knowledge and opinions on possible changes given to you freely by top TF2 veterans if you simply asked. Don't kill the comp scene, don't risk the whole of TF2 over this.

Please consider what I've wrote to you. I love this game to pieces and it's become a huge part of my life. I've met so many friends here that I meet up with in real life. The community is staggeringly beautiful, please work with us... don't rule over us.

Thank you for reading, best regards.
-Spannzer