Matt's thoughts.

I think it's fair to say on this thread everyone needs to know what is actually being agrued, we're talking about feelings rather than structuring thought correctly, at this point it's just for sport, arguing just for the sake of argument itself, creating an indefinite list of opinions without finding or adressing the (light) of the matter. Instead trying to find what one is looking for rather than what something actually is, you must put aside your selfish ambitions first, one can't see the entire forest while he's within it.

There was a dog who lived in a scrapyard that I would pass by frequently as a child, one day out of curiosity I wanted to know more about him, due to its hollow and deep bark I assumed it was a large dog, so I wanted to see what type of dog it was. Thinking maybe if it was friendly or not, or maybe I could interact with it for fun. Perhaps out of sheer boredom I walked into the yard to see the dog and understand it more, it was a pitbull resting on a bed, it stared me down and didn't move at all when I first entered the yard, slowly and safely I approached it, one step at a time, testing its mental status whether it be friend or foe. As I got closer and closer I noticed it still wasn't moving at all, it just stared at me almost as though it was lifeless. I then came close within 15-20 yards of the pitbull, it then showed signs of what I thought was aggression, it then started charging directly at me, I ran and I jumped back, keeping my eyes on the dog itself I noticed it reclined and was again settled on its dampered and worn out bed. I approached a second time to see if maybe now it'd let me have another chance for getting to know it, and perhaps even befriend it. And again it (reacted) the same way, after which came a stray dog darting out of what seemed to be nowhere, getting close and looking to play with the pitbull. Again the Pitbull observed the dog just like it did to me, until the stray dog got close, then the pitbull got up and visciously attacked the stray dog and within no time at all the stray was wounded and retreated away through where it had come. I then said to myself, I'll never be as irrational as this dog, for he is loyal only to himself, never caring for anything else but his own end and possessions.

Now let us define Acemod as a product, if we do this we can now understand why so many people now PUG. Obviously we can first acredit this popularity to Kissme's bleedout tournament. But what makes players not want to invest their time into teams for L4D2? Even with a prize pool there's still very few actual teams. It is nothing short of the fact what Acemod has brought about in the idea to what skill is, as a matter of fact, If I hadn't stopped playing roughly a year ago I'd probably be all for this CFG. But as time moves on the CFGs aim towards what the individual players define as skill. So lets not be illiterate but literate to define what the word is we're using thus being (skill) - late 12c., "power of discernment," from Old Norse skil "distinction, ability to make out, discernment, adjustment," related to skilja (v.) "to separate; discern, understand." Now obviously each CFG has a different touch to it, which then people turn it into practical application.

 I used to assess that the confogl players were awful because they had HR and medkits and molitovs, now I find myself as stated “washed up player” for which I frankly have no means or intentions to even re-adjust or continue or be part of a team in L4D2. It's a fact I reap what I sew, I found myself acting just as that (“junkyard dog”) having some old players being shown on promod at the time I attacked them. It was as though I was confined in a comfortable environment running on a treadmill thinking that I was going somewhere never acknowledging that the environment around me is what was changing. Then I saw clearly how it's defined, I was dealing with a microcosm of life itself and I was just being ignorant and selfish. I then was thinking rationally again. Some of us have trouble adapting or maintaining skill, with meta comes new playstyles, so lets define what the changes are and if we've gone forward or backward. Obviously it's hard to determine if your on a treadmill, you never get outside to see the environment like you would if you were running in the park, we now begin to understand (reality) and it brings clarity.

Acemod offers a system of values pertaining to damages bonus, this is defined by red or green each individual is required not to take damage at all, less they take away from the collective whole. This scoring system by thought obviously draws attention to the statement or mindest (if I take damage my team will suffer so I must make sure my focus is on msyelf unless I take away from the collective score.)
Once again this system is truly on point for individual skill, especially when you observe gameplay of spectacular players who've been playing for 4 years or are relatively new and can keep up, some are more talented than others when it comes to FPS.  Acemod is a great advocate of individual gameplay, it requires everyone on that team to focus on themselves thus raising the bar and demanding each player for that team be very skilled in shutting down SI less they take away from the overall score.

The infected and survivors are equally matched by the skill of individuals apt to fend for themselves
setting a controlled environment made up of surgical decisions with predictable outcomes, giving a sterile environment in which learned and experienced players can maintain and control, each spit charge equating to 18-45 damage over short spawn timers of 14 seconds and without deadstops active against hunters making it even more thrilling and challenging not to be capped, the timers and reduced spitter damage equate to a very professional and controlled environment in which neither knowledgable team can outsmart the other, it offers all “fair” play and a level playing field challenging the individuals reflexes, fighting off consistant attacks reduced in damage to that in promod. Acemod offers consistent damage rather than Promod being that one attack by chance to determine the round, this has been substituted with slow periodic attacks which the survivors choose to control and fend for themselves, depending on each individual player to be keen with hand eye cordination to determine the effective balanced outcome.

Promod offers a system of values pertaining to health bonus, this is defined by if you have red HP, you now serve to protect the others who haven't made that mistake, you can throw yourself at the other SI for the sake of keeping the rest of your team having green HP safe. In a sense this system is forced altruism to keep your teamates from taking damage, less they fall victim to the same mistakes you make. Promod 4.0.4 specifically used to offer an insane ammount of horde, 30 CI per boomed survivor. On that particular config it was mixed with a spitter charger combo that guaranteed an incap, mix that with tanks that can dive on you with a jumprock, the majority of teams wiped back and forth. It was rare that a survivor could make saferoom, truly that's chaotic but challenging, it makes the outcome less controlled and unpredictable unlike Acemod. Promod scoring is a self adapting system in which a team forms unique structure as time moves on, this places thought into the minds to protect eachother and promotes more selfless thought for teamates less they lose.

Promod 4.0.4 as an example, not the newer Promods, because of the chaos perhaps some of the awful players and acknowledgingly slower such as I, players could compete against other teams who were made up of individualy talented FPS players, I had the capability of maintaining a team of nobodies against great individual players because of these mechanics. It was mostly about structuring the team against a group of individuals who were really good. Apollyon as an example, it was never made up of great players. We were just actual teamates, the CFG allowed us to act as a team and because of high damage spit charges adding a touch of luck, "skill", and by chance itself of that OP boomer landing on survivors or spitter charger is what made us able to compete against terrifyingly skilled FPS players.

Acemod is great in PUGs because of its design, it's just like any other product. If someone likes it they try it again, Promod will actively kill the game if you bring it back to that insane luck and chance like extreme.

If you continue with Acemod you'll lose teams, if you roll back to insane versions of Promod you'll lose PUG players, Acemod puts everyone in control and who doesn't like control? But Promod brings out the unknown outcome and results of chance.

Solution or best option would be,  go to the top of this article that embarrassingly took me 40 mins to write, I need to find something better to do with my free time.  Don't be like that junkyard dog. We forget where we started and expect others to keep up, it's a fact that we're being influenced by external means and political influence then applying them to a microcosmic safe spot in our imaginations, it's beyond foolish to assume one can ever combat evil with evil, or pride against pride. You're not seeing eye to eye because that requires honesty of self, we should use our God given intellect to the best, not by deep thought but just plain clear thought, not abusing it by clever means of self disguise. Think about it...