Introduction:
Hey all, recently I have seen that some people don't know how to retrieve the Steam account/ID of someone that has already left the server before they could grab it. This poses a problem, as it makes the punishment process for us staff harder if all we get given in a report is a username. To help prevent this, this guide aims to teach you the many different methods that you can implement to be able to get the Steam ID of an account that has already left to make reporting them easier!Method 1:
The first method listed here is one of the most easiest and preferred method that we staff at Blackwonder wish for you to implement. This is recording a demo file. If you don't know what a demo file is and how to record one, please consult the guide linked here before continuing to read this method, otherwise it won't make sense. Essentially, if you typed 'status' in the console while recording the demo, if the rule breaker was in the server at the time, their Steam ID would have been saved in the demo. This will allow either you or a staff member to watch the demo and grab the Steam ID that was output into console. This is one of the reasons why demo files are the most preferred type of evidence here at Blackwonder.If you weren't recording a demo or the Steam ID of the user wasn't saved to the demo for whatever reason, do not fret. There are still a few more methods that you can partake in that will allow you to find the required Steam ID of the user who left.
Method 2:
This second method, while at times it can be heavily inconsistent, is another way that you can easily find the Steam account of a user who has left the server, which can easily lead to you retrieving their Steam ID. This method utilises Steam's "Recently Played With" feature. From your Steam homepage, hover your mouse over your username and click the "Friends" tab in the dropdown menu that pops up.When you are on the "Friends" page, you should be able to see a menu on the left of the screen with different options you can click on. From here, you need to click the option that states "Recently Played With".
Once you are on this page, you should now be able to see the accounts of people you have played with in past games. Hopefully, the session that you were just in is saved here, along with the Steam account of the user you are trying to find. If it is there, all you need to do now is retrieve the Steam ID of the user and you are set for the report!
Unfortunately, this particular method has one huge drawback. Steam's "Recently Played With" feature is heavily inconsistent and only saves the sessions you are in about 40% of the time. Due to this, there is a high chance that once you are on the page, you will not be able to find any information that will be able to help you. Luckily, there are still other ways where you can retrieve the user's Steam ID that doesn't rely on this method.
Method 3:
The third method being covered here utilises TFStats's logging features. Essentially, TFStat's doesn't only save player data on Blackwonder, but it also logs server data INCLUDING chat logs for the entire server. This feature can be of great use for you, as if the user you are trying to find sent messages through chat, they can easily be found here. First off, you need to head to https://tfstats.tf/servers. Once you are here, you need to go to the search bar and search for the server, either by the IP or by the server name. If searching by server name, MAKE SURE YOU SELECT THE SERVER IN THE CORRECT REGION. Once you find the server you are looking for, click on it to enter its page. If you followed these steps correctly, you should see a page similar to this:Now, most of the information on this page we don't care about. What we want is the chat logs that you can find right at the bottom of the page. Once you find the chatlogs, you should be able to see that each message logged has a name and Steam ID attached to it. All you got to do now is find a message that the user sent ingame and there you have it! You have found the Steam ID of the user who left before you could retrieve it.
Do note that this method will not work if the user didn't send any messages in the server while they were on. If this is the case, sadly you are out of luck and this method will not work for you.
Conclusion:
This guide was made to help you to find the Steam ID/account of a user who disconnected before you could grab it. While there were three main methods listed here, I am sure that there are many more methods that you may find to work yourself. These three methods were just listed here as they are probably one of the more easier ways to go about this. Technically you could attempt to find them by searching for their nickname on Steam, but I would HIGHLY advise against this, as there may be more than one user with the same name and you could potentially get the wrong person. If there are any other notable methods that have not been listed here, I may decide to update this guide. Hopefully this guide has served you well, and has allowed you to find the user who you wish to report.Good luck and have fun!
