As I write this, there's a shitstorm passing over all the Internets. Specifically, the parts that contain TF2 loyalists. It all started yesterday, with the cryptic text in Valve's TF2 update notes:

-Added support for client explanations of backend inventory manipulation

Now, I'm no hardcore TF2 player, but as someone who has played it now and then since I picked up The Orange Box two Christmases ago, here are things as I understand them, in chronological order, or as best as I can put it.

- Valve announces a new item drop system for TF2, and soon implements it. People are confused and aggrivated.

- Players realize that the system is based on a random check made every second which determines if you get an item. The chances of getting one are fairly low, and even lower still to get hats for each class; cosmetic items that if anything, say that you spend way too much time playing TF2.

- Competetive players begin to use hats to measure which classes players have spent a lot of time with. Around this time, players begin to start idle servers, where one can sit and idle, and obtain items and hats. Valve says nothing about this practise. The system is now more well liked.

- A TF2 player develops an external program, called an "idler" to allow players to trick Valve's servers into thinking they're logged in and playing on a server, when in fact they are doing something else, not even requiring the game to be open. Someone at Valve is rumored to say that the use of the idler is not really a concern of theirs.

- On September 2nd, 2009, an update is posted with the above update note in it. Soon after, anyone who has used the idler program has had all items suspected of being gained using this method unceremoniously removed. It is revealed that players who did not use the idler recieve an exclusive cosmetic hat, a halo.

And after this, huge forum wars erupt between the users of the idler program, and the players running around to cries of "OMG CHEATERZZ!!"

And then there is me, who finds the situation absolutely hilarious. Are Valve developers trolling? I think so. They've pulled stunts similar to this in the past. I remember one instance, before the items patch, where people on the forums had been complaining that items with stats made the game too much like an MMORPG. TF2 developers, knowing that players are wont to hack patch files to view new changes all at once, mocked up code that pointed to things like "Mob=Boar", and hinting that there would be quest content once the new update hit.

Completely untrue of course. But I must say Valve; you've really outdone yourselves this time. Good show.

And now, I leave you with a completely awesome picture summary of the whole event: