Poke poke poke poke poke poke poke!

This is just something for those of you who are new to TF2. I know a lot of you probably are, since it hasn't been that long since the game became free to play and you weren't able to afford the game before it gained its permanent free to play status. Being new is tough. I'm not gonna lie. People might kick you or troll you if they find out you're new to the game. Since I care about you guys and don't want you to have any bad experiences when playing TF2, I thought it would be a good idea to fill you in on some things.

First of all, be sure to familiarize yourself with the controls. You access them by going into options on your menu screen. There, you will find the names of the commands next to the buttons that they're controlled by. On the top of the menu, you'll find tabs for the different kinds of option menus, such as video, audio, mouse, etc. Familiarize yourself with them and adjust them to fit your preferences if needed, so you know which button does what. If you ask someone how to do a command, you'll end up revealing yourself as being new, because only new people don't know how to work the controls of the game. If that happens, no one will want you on their team or in their servers.

Secondly, utilize training or visit servers with bots as much as possible to practice using your controls for the class of your choice before entering a server. It's harder when first starting out when the targets move. You could also ask someone in a server to be your coach, but only do it if they really want to. If they say no, don't ask again. If they were really helpful when coaching you, then rank them. They'll get the Professor's Specs in return, and they'll greatly appreciate it. I'm gonna see if I can start us our own server and give lessons with the help of some of our more TF2 savvy friends to help you, but until then, make sure you know as much about how to play your favorite classes as you possibly can.

Thirdly, for those of you who don't know (I didn't either at first when I was starting out), there are special items in the game. You can get them through achievements, random drops, crafting, trading, or buying them from the store. They're not hacks. They belong in the game, and can help improve your gameplay if used wisely. If you get into trading, familiarize yourself with how much metal or how many items each one costs. Also, learn how to recognize a scammer when you see one. I myself don't take part in trading. I usually just give the items I find to people for free. I prefer to buy my items, so I'm not tempted to craft them or trade them away...but to each their own.

Fourthly, people can play music over their mic. They do this through programs like HLDJ or HLSS. If you don't like what a person is playing, kindly and quietly find the mute button and mute them. It's located in the main menu and looks like an ear. Never announce that you're muting someone, because it'll make you look like a ♥♥♥♥ and no one will like you. I get too many of those on the server I moderate for, and it's annoying.

Fifthly, don't visit clan servers if you can avoid it. People in clan servers might tend to be ♥♥♥♥♥, especially to new players. Only go to clan servers if they say that they're nice to n00bs in the title. The HKC servers are an excellent place to start playing. In fact, that's where I first started playing when I was new. Get to know the admins there, make some friends, and you'll have a great time...mostly. You should also know that all servers are srs bsns unless otherwise stated. Try your best, but play seriously or else you'll end up being kicked or banned.

Finally, if you want to get your achievements out of the way, visit achievement servers. Most of the time, people will be there to help you get them. Make sure to help them get their achievements in return as a thankyou. Achievement servers are also great for practice or derping, as long as it doesn't get in the way of others. I'll also be happy to help if you need it. Just ask me :)

And that's it. Have fun!