f13.net

Team Fortress 2

* Added the Mann-conomy.
o Added 65 new items (hats, weapons, tools, minigames, gifts, crates).
o Added the Mann Co. Store & Catalog.
o Added Trading.
o Added Item customization.
* Additional TF2 features
o Added new auto-team-scramble system:
+ Set mp_scrambleteams_auto to 1 (default) to automatically scramble the teams if the criteria is met
+ Set mp_scrambleteams_auto_windifference to set the number of round wins a team must lead by in order to trigger an auto scramble (default is 2)
o Updated how Spy disguise targets are selected to more randomly distribute the selections
o Fixed the FreezePanel background not using the correct color if you were killed by a player or building on your own team
o Server browser tweaks
+ It will now encourage you to add servers to Favorites or Blacklists after you have a good/bad experience on them.
+ The Server Browser now automatically closes after successfully connecting to a server (opt-out via the Options-Multiplayer->Advanced dialog)
* Achievement tuning
o Demoman achievement "The Stickening" changed to 3 from 5.
o Heavy achievement "Krazy Ivan" changed to 50 from 100.
o Medic achievement "Consultation" changed to 3 from 5.
o Medic achievement "Peer Review" changed to 10 from 50.
o Medic achievement "Placebo Effect" changed to 2 from from 5.
o Medic achievement "FYI I am A Medic" changed to 1 from 5.
o Medic achievement "Family Practice" changed to 5 from 10.
o Soldier achievement "Geneva Contravention" changed to 3 from 5.
o Scout achievement "Strike Zone" now counts assists.
o Scout achievements "Fall Classic" and "Foul Territory" are fixed.

Q: Are store items priced in points, or some other weird currency?
A: No, the Steam Wallet uses the same real-world currency Steam currently supports (USD/GBP/Euros).

ABOUT THE STORE
Q: What's a Mann Co. Store?
A: Accessible from inside TF2, the Mann Co. Store will now let players buy, trade and customize the largest addition of inventory items in the game's history, using their Steam Wallets.

Q: What's a Steam Wallet?
A: Steam now has a feature called the Steam Wallet. It allows you to put money into it, which can then be spent either on in-game items, such as the ones offered in TF2’s Mann Co. Store, or on full products like games in the Steam store.

Q: Are store items priced in points, or some other weird currency?
A: No, the Steam Wallet uses the same real-world currency Steam currently supports (USD/GBP/Euros).

Q: Can I put whatever amount I want into my wallet?
A: Yes. We won't force you to buy “bundles” of currency. You can put the exact amount you need to buy the specific items you're interested in. However, each time you fund your wallet, the minimum amount of funds that you can put in your Steam Wallet is $5 / £4 / 5€ to keep transactions and payment service provider fees to a minimum.

Q: Can I trade or craft items I've purchased?
A: In the short term, no. You can only trade or craft items you have earned or found through gameplay (see Trading & Customization below). We have adopted this policy for the time being, until we can see what effect trading purchased items may have on the Mann-conomy.

Q: Is my “TF2” money good elsewhere in Steam?
A: Yes. The money in your Steam Wallet can be used to purchase anything on Steam.

Q: Will you only sell Valve-crafted items? What about community-made items?
A: The Store will sell both. Additionally, community contributors will receive a percentage of sales on items they've created! We’ll be releasing more information soon about exactly how this will work.

Q: I'm a community member who contributed an item that's been put in the game. Why isn't it in the Mann Co. Store?
A: Initially, we will only be selling the Polycount Pack community items, as this will let us work out the kinks with a small number of contributors. Once we've mastered contributor payments, we'll be expanding the store to include all the community contributions. We plan to do this as soon as possible.

WHAT WILL CHANGE? (AND WHAT WILL STAY THE SAME?)
Q: Does this mean the updates are over? Are you going to stop releasing free content now?
A: No. Our plan is to continue updating TF2 just like we always have, adding free maps, game modes, new features, and more. The Mann Co. Store is simply an alternative way of obtaining items that other players can earn during gameplay.

Q: Are you going to start charging for other kinds of content, like maps?
A: No, we have no plans to do this. Segregating players into groups that can't play together, based on who bought what, is something we'd like to avoid.

Q: Will I have to spend money to remain competitive?
A: No. Any items affecting gameplay, and even most purely cosmetic items, will still be obtainable simply by playing the game.

Q: Did you adjust the drop rates for existing items?
A: No. We haven't made it any harder to obtain existing items through gameplay.

Q: Why have all my items switched to "Vintage" items?
A: Some items that used to be rare will become more common when they are available for purchase. We wanted to give players this option, but still recognize people who obtained those items “the old-fashioned way” in the past. So we decided to perform a one-time conversion of all the old items into "Vintage" versions, which will never be attainable in the future. This way, those older rare items remain rare (in fact, they're even rarer, because they're limited editions now).

Q: What about items I earn in the future? How will others tell them apart from purchased items?
A: There are not currently any plans to make this distinction visible to other players. However, purchased items are not currently tradeable or craftable, so there's still a benefit to earning your items "the old fashioned way".

TRADING & CUSTOMIZATION
Q: Will I be able to trade items?
A: Yes. We've added the long-requested Trading feature, so you can swap items with friends.

Q: Are all items tradeable?
A: No, not all items are tradeable. Some limited-availability items are not tradeable. Purchased items are also not tradeable at the moment (see About the Store).

Q: Can I customize my items?
A: Yes. In addition to our existing item customization, we have created new kinds of items that will enable a greater amount of customization than we've had in the past, like the ability to name items and even change their color scheme. The Mann Co. Catalog will let you find out which items are customizable and how you can customize them. We've also doubled the amount of backpack space available to you, so that you’ll have room to store all this new stuff.

Q: Can I just give items to someone? Or do they have to give me something back?
A: Yes, you can "gift" items to others. They do not have to give you anything back.

Q: Can I craft the Polycount weapons? Do they have recipes like the other community items?
A: Yes, they're craftable. They have the same recipe style (combine two weapons) as the other community-contributed items.

When I saw this I thought "hey, it's like they added a tax for people like Malakili who can't ever wait to get the new shit.  :drill:"

I don't see myself spending any money in the TF2 store, but I have no problem with Valve milking a bit of revenue from people who like buying useless things.

The set bonuses need to go, other than that I have no issues with it. I mean, really; It would have been nice if the cash shop was purely for cosmetic items and the "Give the entire server a drop" gift item, but oh well.

What's wrong with the set bonuses? They are non-game breaking trade-offs allowing a variance of play-style.

Plus Valve have provided significant free support for TF2 for years. The game has far better support now than most FPS games do at launch.

If they want to tax over-serious clan players a little, I'm cool with that.

Its the same problem as having unlockables/findables in the first place.  The problem is amplified though, because instead of just getting a bonus from any one weapon (which people will generally get eventually), now you are stacking a bonus on a person having all 3 weapons. Now, toss in the fact that you can pay real currency to get the bonus more quickly, and...well...it just feels sketchy to me.

I don't know, I still shoot people in the face just fine.  :grin:

Unless they have the new can't be head shot item, am i rite?  Seriously though, there is WAY too much emphasis on gear now.  What items you are using matters way too much.  I'll just be going back to Quake Live.

Uninstalled.  The game balance is utterly destroyed by a lot of the new additions.  Has nothing to do with cash shop.  Valve has basically just admitted the game is pure 100% shenanigans at this point.  I guess that is what most people want out of TF2, but I'm just not going to waste my time with it.

Unless they have the new can't be head shot item, am i rite?  Seriously though, there is WAY too much emphasis on gear now.  What items you are using matters way too much.  I'll just be going back to Quake Live.

Some of the items are a bit over priced (hats mostly, such all the new ones being ~$17.50) but overall it's pretty decent. The weapons are $.50-$5 or something like that, so those are nicely priced (like the new gloves for the heavy - Gloves of Burning Urgency - +30% run speed, -50% damage, -6hp/sec ). You can get all of the new set items in a bundle for $49.99 right now, and that's ~60% off or so.

There is no gear dependency. A Vanilla scout who knows what he's doing is going to take a crap out an equal scout who decided to grab the polycount pack.

There are upsides and downsides to each of the new sets, they are either downgrades, gimmicks, or sidegrades.

The new scout pistol is a fun little toy, but difficult to aim, and does far less damage.

The mad milk is a fun tool. I used it to help a heavy survive being focused.

The fish is just a cosmetic item.

The hat ads 25 hp, not going to make or break an encounter with a vanilla scout. If by some chance you face another scout one on one with the new item set and you don't have the hat; well - they're addressing this discrepancy apparently.


The weapons themselves are craftable and give no advantage whatsoever over people just playing without them. Infact, I dare say some classes are at a disadvantage in a lot of situations when using the polycount weapons.

The soldier gives up a rocket and his shotgun / buff banner to have some resistance to sentry gun damage. It's a utility for pushing that people got by with before the update, and will grant no big advantage over a team or player not using the cash shop.

When you look at the big pictures, you'll find that a lot of the items won't even be used as a full set. If they just remove the hat being necessary to reap the bonuses, it'll be perfect; but even before that - the changes in game now are hardly game breaking.

I eagerly await next week's announcement that you've reinstalled but you're trying to pace yourself.

I bought the new rifle, and crafted the new machete...it's fun, but sometimes I'd like headshots.

The fish is the best cosmetic item ever, that makes people feel embarassed that they were bitch-slapped by a fish.

It isn't that any one class is OP because of the new weapons, its that the game has too much diversity now.

 :oh_i_see:

*shrugs* More isn't always =  better.

I'm not sure why you're letting other folks' playstyles dictate yours. I snipe on pretty much every map (unless the numbers are whacked), almost regardless of what other folks are doing. I don't see this changing due to the new gear.

Personally I agree that the game was at its best immediately after launch, with no gear and only a few maps.

I problem is I'd have no interest in logging in again ever if it was still exactly the same the game I played three years ago.

I still think you're way over-analyzing this. For the most part, the classes still play the same, and this should not change your approach. I suppose some of the largest deviations would be demoknights (just shoot them, assume stickies) and battle engineers (just shoot them, then shoot their gun...or reverse as needed). The classes are by and large still the same (though not identical) as they were at launch.

Personally I agree that the game was at its best immediately after launch, with no gear and only a few maps.

I problem is I'd have no interest in logging in again ever if it was still exactly the same the game I played three years ago.

I don't know... Im not sure if I miss demomen low spamming grenades that exploded on impact in any circumstance.

To be fair, I'm not even sure if that made it out of beta, if it did it was squashed within a couple weeks of launch.  Realistically I think he was referring to the game prior to the medic update.

Know what else I miss? Pyros being almost completely useless instead of just marginally useless. Those were the days.

Team Fortress 2
General Fixes
   * Fixed an issue that caused some old demos to crash.
   * The server browser now sorts by ping by default.
   * The Trading dialog now starts with the chat window having focus.
   * Fixed a bug that caused overheal to not work properly.
   * Fixed the Sandvich cooldown not occurring when the Heavy is hurt.
   * Fixed the Heavy's hands being invisible.
   * Soldiers no longer maintain their rage level when changing loadout.
   * Alerts now sort on top of achievement status.
   * Prevented a bad state occurring when someone tried to trade with themselves.
   * Fixed a dueling related crash caused by custom scoreboard UIs.
   * Fixed players not being able to set their default FOV correctly.
   * Fixed being unable to equip customized shotguns & pistols on some classes.
   * Improved the explanation of the item set bonus in set item descriptions.
   * Fixed a bug where items with particle systems would show up at the player's feet or pelvis.
   * Fixed the wrench number for the Golden Wrench not displaying properly.
   * Fixed the medal number for the Gentle Manne's Service Medal not displaying properly.
   * Fixed client seeing incorrect message when changing team while participating in a duel.

Economy Changes
   * Added Remove Name and Remove Paint features.
   * Achievement items and store promotion items are now usable in crafting.
   * Gifted items are now craftable and tradable.
   * Attempting to craft a non tradable item will result in a warning that the items produced by the craft will also be marked as non tradable.
   * Community, Self-Made, and Valve items are not tradable or usable in crafting.
   * Changed "Not Craftable" description to "Not Usable in Crafting" to increase clarity.

Item Changes
   * The TF badge on the Glengarry Bonnet is no longer team colored.
   * Restored the missing PDA2 Slot Token.
   * Restored the appearance of the Tippler's Tricorne to the version prior to the Mannconomy Update. This item is now paintable.
   * Added a new paintable hat, the 'Rimmed Raincatcher' that has a new Tricorne style appearance.
   * The Earbuds are now nameable.
   * Duel fixes:
   * Fixed Dueling badges using the wrong texture.
   * Fixed an issue where dueling stats did not show up on dueling badges above Bronze.
   * During a duel, the Dueling mini-game item used to initiate the duel cannot be deleted, traded or crafted.
      * The following hats now allow the paint to affect their color more (colors should not be washed out):
      * The Pugilist's Protector, The Hard Counter, The Bombing Run, Football Helmet, Fancy Fedora, Cowboy Hat, Engineer's Cap, Viking Helm, Respectless Rubber Glove, Batter's Helmet, Brigade Helm, Master's Yellow Belt, Killer's Kabuto, Backbiter's Billycock
   * Dueling Mini-Game now drops with 5 uses.

Weapon Changes
   * The Battalion's Backup no longer gives rage for falling damage.
   * The Shortstop is now affected by tf_use_fixed_weaponspreads.
   * The Gloves of Running Urgently now using the boxing taunt and boxing glove weapons are now of the type "Boxing Gloves" instead of "Fists."
   * Your Eternal Reward no longer disguises the Spy if the victim survives the backstabbing attempt (because of Ubercharge, The Razorback, etc)
   * Your Eternal Reward no longer disguises the Spy if they are carrying the flag.
   * The Holy Mackerel no longer displays a fish hit message when a Spy disguised as the attacker's team is hit.
   * The Holy Mackerel no longer triggers other death events (like achievements or stats mods) improperly.
   * The Sydney Sleeper no longer penetrates targets.
   * The Sydney Sleeper no longer randomly crits.
   * Milk will no longer spray from the barrels of other Scout weapons when switching from the Mad Milk.

Eh, ok I know this is going to seem super dumb but can anyone link me or briefly describe "what is up" with items and shit in TF2?  I got the game as part of Orange Box a long time ago and rarely log in. I like the gameplay, it's crisp, but team based FPS without storylines or friends to play with aren't "sticky" for me. 

So, like, if you kill a dude do you have a chance of getting an item or what?

I'm finally starting to play with the new toys. The new pyro flamethrower is underwhelming, but I'm enjoying the new hammer. The new rocket launcher is pretty damned awesome as well. It's really nice to be able to spam a chokepoint with three rockets to get your health up quickly.

Are you sure about the only afterburn part? I swear I sat roasting a scout forever.