Hey Blackstab a.k.a @lolWUTkk,
Finally, some logical & valid arguments against editing textures. Thank you! I think you have a pretty good point here but when we put all the other elements which give us advantage & disadvantage in-game (Like ping, FPS 125/250/333, graphic quality etc...) I'm not sure I would be as strict as you about this. From my point of view this is not a competitive game, mod or scene. We're bunch of people who playing a almost 10 years old game just for fun. Editing textures, all the cvars about lightening should be allowed to change at this stage.
You can't touch 15 to 27 texture files. (I'm not sure exact number right now, need to check but lets say 30 top.) I edited all others. Which is around 6500. I started this little project years ago as a hobby but stopped working on it when I quit playing. I don't like to hear unnecessary things (Because I like to listen music while I play.), so I deleted all the unnecessary sounds. Now I only hear effects like gun shots, foot steps. I don't hear unnecessary things like: Bad guys captured C or lets go comrades etc... I don't like weather and all the other ambiance effects. So, I deleted them too. (Another point to argue about probably.) All the other stuff separated to the groups like icons, guns, crosshair etc. and resized, created mipmaps for better performance. And some of them like player skins changed. So, this texture edits of mine not based on "lemme give players shiny colors for advantage" thing. But doesn't matter what my intention are. You allow on your server or not. Simple is that. By the way, I know they look ugly as hell. I'm not happy about that one color thing eighter. When I finish, (If I ever managed to finish.) probably they look like more colorful, elegant and camouflagic. But first, I need to re-categorize all the 6500+ textures again. Because my old+new mix has lots of miss-categorized stuff. Untouched files in "main" folder more than 3GB, my edited files less than 420Mb. So, I guess you have a more less an idea what I am using now.
Really!? Okay kids, allow me to explain to you what you just said:
You said gun skins fine. I will make all the guns pink.
You said sky and roads skins fine. I will make all the skys black, all the roads light gray stone.
You said building skins fine. I will make all the buildings soft light red bricks.
After all of these allowed changes, do you really think your untouched player skins still give you any kind of camouflage effect? No! Because after all of these changes you will be the Bengal tiger in the Siberia. So, what is the big difference between changing only player textures or keeping vanilla player textures and changing all the other textures again? Pretty much nothing, right. So, why did you said something like these ones okay to edit? One of the reasons why I waited almost one week before write again. To see, if everyone agree on that nonsense. One week later, I guess safe to say all of you agree what @Kenai said and @IceOps Wolfman approved with "what he said" comment.
This "one color" example of mine too much for you? You think only sophisticated edits must be allowed not one colors now? Fine for me. Then, I have a new proposition for you. I'm not editing any of these. I will use vanilla textures and next time when you get a screen shot, you will see exactly same textures. I will just edit bumpmap and lightmap files. Which makes only player skins and weapons shiny as hell and all the other stuff soft as gets. Or exact opposite. But eighter way players will be so easy to detect with vanilla/untouched skins. Now, do you think this is fair, too different than changing player skins or not give any advantage?
Please don't bother to answer any of these questions. I know why wrote what you wrote. You talk/write like most of people. Without thinking enough on it. Sad, but we know its true. (By the way I strongly suggest to take this. Because if you reject this; you will be the guy who thinks deeply on it but still say things doesn't make any sense.)
Like I said, Blackstab has a valid point. If you think, that point gives more advantage than given by fps+ping+graphic qualitys total advantage; I think you should ban all the texture changes and avoid external texture use with server settings. (I'm sure server admin(s) knows how to do it.) Because, even if I only change to the weapon skins; I can spot you more easily.
Plus, you should disable using film tweaks too. If you are banning r_fullbright; you should disable film tweaks too right? Because only difference between them is one of them provide fancy way of lighting and other one provide basic way of lighting. But both of them changes lighting. So, both of them should be allowed or disabled. This is make sense. Current settings/rules unfortunately not. Also, please don't forget everyone can create multiple shortcuts via their graphic card software and pressing like ALT+C, CTRL+Z etc... can change map colors and expose all of your safe, dark, camouflagic camp spots drastically
without even touching game files or configs. So, if you gonna write something like "if we allow these camping will die." please, don't even start.
Like I said my first message: Your servers, your rules. Doesn't have to be make sense I guess. I hope you take what I wrote as a gift. I didn't spend my time to be smart-ass or be the "right guy". I just enjoyed my time on FTAG, wanted to give something back useful. (My knowledge and perspective.) You like or agree or use in the future; up to you. I don't have anything more to say. Good bye.
