If you leave a game of Team Fortress 2, even to save a kittens life, you will incur the wrath of Saxton Hal.
Saxton Hale, President and CEO of Mann Co has had enough of people quitting during matches of Mann v Machine.
He was so angry he saw fit to write a somewhat angry letter to Team Fortress 2 players.
In his letter to players he writes:
”
There are some words that, if I have to use them to describe a man, mean that man is dead to me. Also to everybody else. Because I will kill that man. One of those words is “hatless”. The other is “coward”.
I gave you mercs one simple thing to do: Defend Mann Co. from an unstoppable robot horde. Now Bidwell’s telling me some of you are abandoning the fight in the middle of attacks. Firstly: What am I even paying you in found money that falls out of robots for?
Secondly — actually, put this first, it’s more important — I am coming for you.
But thirdly, Bidwell’s drummed up some penalties for any coward he catches running away from the frontlines. If any of you cowards out there find these penalties too harsh, don’t worry about it, because see Point #1 (I am coming for you). Whatever penalties you get will seem like a day at the Being Afraid store (or wherever it is cowards like to shop) when I get my big angry hands on your beady little heads.”
Wow. For a fictional video game character, he carries some heavy words.
The punishment? If you’re caught leaving a game early you will be placed into a pool of players with low-priority status, meaning longer matchmaking times. It’s only temporary and you soon return to normal status, so don’t worry about never being able to find a game.
Is it fair? Maybe not completely, but it does encourage players to see the game through to the end.