FFTF: Idling Initiative!

[Kazoo]

The Fast Fill Task Force is best known for swarming a server to kickstart it. However, we can use a little help from idling.

What is idling? Idling is running the TF2 game but not actively playing. Rather, you leave your game to run so that you can seed the server.

How does this help? People are more drawn to an non-empty server than an empty one. If you have an idler or two in one server, when a small group of people join, it looks like there are more people. However, too many idlers in one server can turn people away from staying and playing the game!

At any given time, we should have at most two idlers in each of our top four servers and three idlers in each of our bottom three servers. So if you sign up to be an idler on Hightower, but there is already two people idling in there, hop into another server. Look before you [strike]leap[/strike] idle!

To be effective, idling must take place in the morning. The earlier, the better!

So how do you idle? A simple way would be to just launch TF2, join a server, and leave it be. However, for those of you who would like to run this game with less resources, use the idling tool.

This idling tool launches your game with the appropriate launch options, so that it runs in text mode with no sound and connects to the server you pick from the list. If you would rather enter the launch options yourself, feel free to follow the instructions of the Advanced Version section.
Tip: If you need to change servers while in text mode, open your Steam browser's Favorite window and connect to a new server.

So if you are able to leave your computer running in the morning, please consider helping us out! Every little bit help!

To sign up, please reply here with the server you'd like to idle on and what days you can idle! We want to distribute our manpower among our servers, so please keep in mind what other people are choosing!

Template:

Server: (Hightower, Dustbowl, Harvest, 2fort, Egypt, Foundry, SnowPlow)
Days: (Weekdays, Weekend, MWF, TR, etc.)

List of Idlers
2Fort

1. Gypsy

Dustbowl

1. fun377
2. Angoron

[strike]Egypt[/strike]

1. Razberri
2. Tomain

Foundry

1. Nether
2. Insomnia Princess

Harvest

1. VP :3
2. Maserati

Hightower

1. MIA
2. Mister36

Wherever Needed

1. Rawburt
2. Jonny!
3. Hazel
4. Sharknado

 

[VP :3]

Server: Harvest
Days: Weekdays

 

[Nether]

Server: Foundry
Days: Weekdays

 

[Insomnia Princess]

Any server on weekdays. Use me as a filler after everyone else has chosen their server preferences, since I am not particular.

 

[Angoron]

Server: Any I see Empty
Days: Weekdays

 

[Jonny!]

Server : Hightower
Days: weekdays/weekend

 

[CrashRIT]

*Idoling

 

[Maserati]

Server: any I see dead
Days: (Anytime)

Also if anyone has teamviewer and a smartphone /ipad you can control remotely if your not home...sadly I get lazy.

 

[MIA]

Any server needed, pretty much anytime!

 

[Silligan]

I'm up to Idol whenever I can! I'll start off with Hightower but go to other servers if needed, no real preference.

 

[Kazoo]

If those of you who say "any server" can pick one home server, that'd be a good start, please do!

I know you guys are up for any server, and you can switch servers as you see fit. But if you can regularly start off in one server, so we can for sure have 1 in each server, that'd be great. Or you can check for yourselves.

We have 8 volunteers, but two servers without any idlers. Let's even that out.

By the way Maserati, TeamViewer is awesome. I've use that to idle for years. Although I did get lazy, but I'm using it again.

 

[Rawburt]

Servers: Egypt, Foundry
Times: weekdays when I'm not playing/filling (6AM-4PM EST)

 

[AndyGuy]

I'll go on whatever servers I'm needed on during the morning though I can't guarantee that I'll be there the whole time due to having a bad internet connection during weekdays and my computer crashing.

 

[Gypsy]

Is this only for TF2 division members? If not, I can pull up 2Fort and idle on weekdays while the kids are at school, if you need an extra body.

 

[Fun377]

Servers: Dustbowl, Harvest, etc.
Times: ~16:30-21:30 EST during weekdays, 15:00-22:30 during the weekends (if I'm not playing TF2 in the first place)

I'll take a look at TeamViewer. Don't really feel like faking hours into my TF2 log.

 

[Nether]

Seems like I need to find a different way to idle as the program doesn't work and the text mode command doesn't work either.

 

[Kazoo]

Is this only for TF2 division members? If not, I can pull up 2Fort and idle on weekdays while the kids are at school, if you need an extra body.

No no, this is for anyone willing to seed our servers.

Servers: Dustbowl, Harvest, etc.
Times: ~16:30-21:30 EST during weekdays, 15:00-22:30 during the weekends (if I'm not playing TF2 in the first place)

I'll take a look at TeamViewer. Don't really feel like faking hours into my TF2 log.

Fun, TeamViewer is a program for remote controlling your computer using another computer, smartphone, or tablet. Your hours will still be "faked".

If anyone is concerned about their TF2 stats, this may not be the best thing for you to do. Your time in the server will be counted toward your stats. (Which is why I have like 6000+ hours in TF2, but only half of that is really playtime.)

 

[MIA]

ok, make my primary hightower, but I'll hop a bit if it looks like it will help another server out!

 

[Puliping]

Server: I would prefer Foundry.
Days: Weekdays (almost all the time), at the moment.

Sadly, I wouldn't be able to change the server I'm in, because I'd be at school...

 

[Kazoo]

We didn't have many idlers these past few days, including myself. (I forgot to leave my computer on before leaving to work!) So try to remember today and tomorrow to turn on the idler and seed a server!