Ragnarok Rose

Part of the discontent with this is, I think, the seperation of skill level. Competition play doesn't include critical hits because the fanbase's meta believe that the mechanic doesn't accurately reflect the player's skill. In public gameplay, there's other stuff going on- different skill levels mean that the field of play can be leveled a little bit by intervention. Another important point to consider is that the scaling damage mechanic increases survivability of the weaker classes. A sniper can deal a massive amount of damage at range, only for a spy or a pyro- someone with a class advantage in close quarters- to close into melee range. The sniper's performance - i.e. skill - will allow them to fight that threat. Same goes for Engineers or Medics- if someone closes with you, you're screwed, right? An engie's sentry gun cranks out a ton of damage, which counts for crit chance. Medics go by assist damage, which counts for crit chance. If you've been doing well as a support class, you might not be out of luck- luck actually bends for your favor. The scaling damage of the crit mechanic encourages people to play support.

There are still people playing Quake. Now, there aren't many people, but it's been 20 years- how many other games boast that? IMO, TF2 is on Quake's level, and it's gonna depend on what you mean by "dead". If Valve moves on from TF2 and develops TF3 or something, the playerbase will die off, but I imagine there will be a core group of dedicated players maintaining the abandoned game for many years after that deadline.

I've snagged things from it a few times. You've just gotta be fast on the trigger.

Yeah, but pub isn't comp, and pub isn't balanced. It is for fun. You have the option of seeking out non-pub servers where your needs are catered to. Crits are an intended part of the game's design, and I wouldn't put odds on them going anywhere anytime soon.