Been there, done that.
I loved the game when it was first released and now I seriously dislike the 'we don't allow mods, because we milk you with 5€ DLCs by the dozen' attitude :(

I suppose I could understand my team-mates' disposition, then. They're running around, setting up strategies trying to win and here I am, the random dipshit who keeps dying and screwing their plans up. On top of that, I'm sure a lot of these guys have been playing for years and when somebody new shows up, it puts a kink in their whole plan as they have to train the new guy. On a separate note, I'd like to throw out there that, on a whim, I decided to fire up CounterStrike again today because, what the hell, why not? And maybe it was just horrible luck before that put me into the various servers I happened upon, but this one server I was playing today was, well, fun. A lot of fun. Everyone was about my skill level and everybody was just playing for enjoyment. So I'd like to revise my previous opinions about there not being any servers available for newbies. That said, I still, at least from my experiences as a whole, wouldn't recommend CS to somebody who isn't confident in their skills with the game or genre.

I'd like to second this, as well. I've been playing this a lot lately, and it's good fun.

I think part of my problem is that I don't really practice enough with any of the classes. I switch back and forth constantly just to see if there's one that I can do a bit above mediocre with. I'm finding lately, though, that I keep coming back to the heavy or the scout.

I got this impression a lot from the game. Most people are just playing for the hell of it. All in all, it was a fun mostly because it came off that the people playing didn't care who won or lost.

I have Day of Defeat - Source, but haven't dared to try it out yet. It's been sitting in my library like a year or so, untouched :D

source is almost the same game but, of course, with better graphics and some improved mechanics.

You may try this one. Of course, you may die a lot on early hours, but you won't be laughed or kicked out becouse of that.

But remember, the game goal is not to kill as many as you can, but to take territory. If someone from your team is taking over a flag, help him, provide covering fire etc etc.

I actually dedided to try the free-to-play mmorpg, Forsaken World (found it while fiddling through steam's free games). But the damn thing won't work :D

It won't start after, just enters to the processed and stays there :D

So not a good first impression with those free online games :)

got to agree with most people
tf2 is good because
a) the community is (noob) friendly
b) K/D iis not displayed, only points
c) because everyone has a lot of HP (the weakest class 125), the "i turn around corner and get torn apart in 1 second" effect is weaker

day of defeat is a bit more difficult to play, but again the community is nice.
if you have a accidental grenade teamkill the reactions are more likely to be "what? / damn didn't see it" than they are going to be:
"you %#@*!£ idiot! you are ******* noob!!! uninstall the game NOW!!!!!!"

Maybe I'll try Day of Defeat, since I absolutely love playing Operation Flashpoint with my friends in LAN :)

I'm in almost the same situation as the OP, and I'm also searching for a cool game to play with a bunch of friends. So far I've tried Team Fortress 2, which is now free to play, and I've enjoyed it a lot. Some classes require some serious skill, but others are enjoyable even for a beginner. I've actually finished 3rd out of 10 players on my team for my first match, playing as a heavy (good class for a beginner).

I'd also suggest World of Tanks. It's basically Counter Strike with tanks, in matches of 10vs10. The pace is pretty slow, nothing like an FPS, so the knowledge of maps and tactics is more useful than raw skill. Plus you can play comfortably with a ping of ~200ms, if like me you have a semi-crappy connection. And you actually have to level up to unlock new tanks, so when you start playing you are matched up against other noobs, and have to work your way up the ladder. It's a good game and it's free to play (but you'll probably need a paid-for premium account if you intend to unlock the best tanks in a reasonable time), so I suggest giving it a try.

To be honest, I simply wouldn't recommend the game because as a result of being out for so long, there can be a huge skill discrepancy. I'm playing actively since late 2000 so I am very good in fact (used to be semi pro). I never hate on noobies because they are bad but I hate on the noobies who are constantly calling me a cheater. Kids don't have a fucking clue about the game but think they know it all. Also, what can be pretty frustrating is when people don't understand that CS is an objectives based game. Go and play the bomb. Don't sit in the corner waiting for some CT to run there. CTs can never camp, they are supposed to be defending. Don't run first with the bomb, die and lose the round for your team as a result. Don't go alone with the bomb, if you want to, drop it first. Etc, etc.

I can admit that CS can be tough because it's just so different from other shooters and unless you have good friends who can teach you the game, you might not realise the number of things that you're doing wrong. If you're interested though, I can always drop you some tips, or maybe go and hltv.org - it's a decent CS community.

Already redeemed. What else did I expect... :p
I wish people would at least take the time to say thank you :/

I'll say thank you regardless ;)

Well you we're not far off, since the code sat there like an hour or so. Must be a record of some sort :)

Thank you!! I kinda snatched that when i saw it was over an hour old and not yet redeemed. I think Fujek missed it by seconds then i remembered i had food in the oven that was burning, but anyway I'm trying to think of newbie friendly games that haven't already been mentioned but i think it comes down to how mature/tolerable the server/community is towards new players and how competitive the game is what makes them the most newbie friendly. That being said the more constructive games like Garrys mod or Minecraft the gameplay is simple so you can't go wrong to get shouted at!