[Cpt.Haxray]

1. ALWAYS have a custom model and sounds.
This is the biggest thing to make sure your boss has. Chances are, even if its missing every thing else on this list, people will download your boss solely due to the model. Be it someone iconic, freak or otherwise, having a model and sounds instantly ups your chances of actually having someone download your boss. Remember, at the end of the day, literally anyone can make a boss that uses pre-made abilities in the same way as you, without much trouble. What they can't do nearly as easily is get a model and sounds.

That being said, if your model is purely some random class with miscs tossed onto it, with no real custom sounds, you're going to need to support it with something else, since no one wants your 'RANDOM OC DONUT STEEL' tf2 freak, 90% of the time. This is not an insult, this is a fact.

2. Custom Subplugins DEF help. A lot.

The second most helpful, but optional, thing to have on your boss in order to get noticed is a custom subplugin. This gives an incentive to download the boss, other than for just the model. Because there's now a chance its something special, and not just a rehash of existing abilities. I am well aware that most people who have been posting bosses recently don't know how to code enough in order to make a custom ability. Thats fine, neither do I. But its important to note that if you lack a custom subplugin, the main draw will be, again, the model and sounds.

Note that despite how much of a boost having a custom subplugin will do to your boss, please note that if your boss is still just a class with random miscs and not some iconic freak or video game character, that it might be worth it to simply advertise your thread as the sub-plugin instead, and include the boss as a 'bonus', instead of the other way around.

Also note that if your custom ability is something really boring or it already exists in some form, then it won't help you much. No one is going to download a custom sub-plugin that lets you turn the boss and others into a ghost, you can already do that with the tfconditions sub-plugin, for example. SO keep in mind how practical it actually is to make a custom plugin, and if you can already do the ability in another way using another plugin.

3. Make sure it is functionable! For the love of god, TEST IT FIRST.

If you really need me to clarify on the title, you're prob a lost case already, but please, make sure your boss actually works first. If your boss isn't functionable, after the first downloads people will just bring it up on the thread and no one else will download it. Please, if you cannot check a boss on a server for some reason, you might as well not upload this. Don't make this mistake, I have done it in the past, and others have also done it. Don't be another foolish mistake.

This is listed under the first 2 purely because you're still more likely to get more downloads on a broken boss with a custom subplugin and awesome model and sounds than a functionable blue sniper wearing a fedora who stuns everyone on rage. But really, if you cannot even be bothered to check if it works properly, DON'T even bother releasing it.

4. Include a screenshot.

Very important, unless you want your file confused for a virus. Make damn sure that somewhere on the thread theres a screenshot to the boss. Ingame of course would be the best, but a model viewer screenshot works too. Hell, if you have to, even a non-ingame screenshot of the model/boss would work, if its close enough to the ingame thing, but is not advised. Link it, attatch it, whatever. Just make sure theres a screenshot somewhere.

5. Include .bzip files.

This one is much less important, but is still a nice thing to do and will lead to more downloads, if not much. Most server FastDL systems download files using them compressed into .bzip files. If possible, do them a favor and make a folder containing all of the other files(models, materials, sounds) pre-setup for fastDl use. This will save everyone who downloads your boss a lot of time, and might even be the deciding factor of it being added or not.(Not every host wants to waste time doing a compile the creator couldn't be bothered to do).

6. Be original
Having a good custom model, sounds, bzip file, and subplugin means nothing if all the boss does is stun rage like Saxton Hale. Try something different for your boss, if you truly want to get downloads. That being said, people are likely to pick your boss over the model way before they worry about its stats, even more so that they can change it themselves if they want to.

7. If possible, try to balance the boss

This is the lowest on the list for a reason. People are going to download your boss for everything above this way before they go for balance. Very close to creativity, but people are even more willing to make small tweaks to fix balance issues than to make your boss more original. Of course, theres no reason NOT to try to balance your boss, and people will thank you for not having to fix up your boss, but really, people can do it themselves if they really wanted to, and if you're lacking a model, sounds, custom subplugin, and creativity, no manner of balance will save your boss from being ignored.

8.Don't Plagiarize(thanks to Nope.AVi for pointing this out):

Important. If you use a model and its not originally yours, make sure you give credit to the original creator. Don't just steal an existing model and slap some generic stats on it to claim as your own, even if you DID get permission/gave credit. No one wants that. If you must use a pre-existing model, give credit, try to get permission, and make damned sure that you did a good job with everything else.

(Yes. I am aware i made a similar thread in the past. However, that one was much more biased, and on my old account. This thread is trying to simply lay out facts, instead of biased opinions).