F2P News: Team Fortress 2

Well, it was announced the other day that Team Fortress 2 will now go free to play.  If Valve handles this the right way, this could be great for the game and it's current community.  I have been an avid TF2 player in the past.  And while I enjoyed playing through the extra content that has been included in the last year or so with updates to the individual classes.  The TF2 Fan deep inside of me is concerned about the F2P model for this type of game.  I think I speak for everyone who enjoys online games, in that the last thing we need to fill our game servers with are the flamers who try to spoil the fun for everybody else, either by interfering with the flow of a match, or by a poor attitude.

Certainly you have bumped into someone like this if you have ever played a FPS game online.  And with a F2P model it is much more likely this caliber of player will start to crowd the games.  I hope I am terribly wrong about this, because TF2 is an awesome game.  And with a title such as Team Fortress 2 being steered towards this route, it will be interesting to see what other titles may have to adapt to survive in the ever changing online game scene.

It seems almost as though every other month or so we hear word of another MMO going towards F2P.  And I must admit, I have found a lot of fun can be had with a solid F2P title.  So, we'll continue to watch these developments and see how things shape up for Valve.

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Create Team Fortress 2 Weapons and Hats!

I heard about this on a podcast a couple of weeks ago (I think it was the PC Gamer Podcast, but don't quote me on that).  And I was blown away.  The guys at Valve have done it again.  They are constantly doing things to Team Fortress 2 to spice it up.  On top of the Steam Achievements, they have added all of those random weapon drops to the game.  Which include better weapons for about every class in the game.  Then they started giving us hats to replace the original headwear on the game models.  So, what next?

How about letting us design our own weapons, hats, and avatars.  Valve said 'Sure'.  So check it out: http://www.teamfortress.com/contribute/.  That's right, pretty cool.  According to their site, the submitted weapons will be for the model only. The game's devs will then work the model into the game in way 'that makes sense' to help keep the game balanced.  They also have posted the requirements for submitting an item to the for approval. 

Keep up the great work Valve!

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Team Fortress 2 Fun!

Hi,
Just a quick note, this afternoon I was playing a little Team Fortress 2.  Usually I stick to the stock maps (2Fort, Turbine, SawMill, etc.).  I usually don't deviate too much into community made maps (of course I haven't played TF2 in a while anyways).  But this afternoon I figured I'd give another map a try.  When I loaded up the game (PC Version) I clicked on 'Find Servers' and scrolled down to the bottom of the list and I found a handful of people playing a map called '2Fort-2012'.  This picked my curiousity.

After jumping into the map, I immediately loved it.  I'm a big fan of the original 2Fort map, and I must be honest.  I haven't played any of the custom 2Fort maps.  But this one was fun.  As you can see from the pic above the maker(s) of the map did quite a bit to change it up.  The signature covered bridge from the original 2Fort has been twisted sideways.  But that's not all.  They also killed the lights on much of the map making it a lot fun to play as a Spy.  The usual load of Snipers and Scouts are still present because the map is in fact identical to the layout of the original 2Fort map.

The Hayroom has a Spy lodged in the floor from where a cross beam from the ceiling has fallen on him.  There are also casualties of the '2012' disaster all over the map.  From dead medics and engineers outside the Intelligence rooms on each side, but also a Medic impaled on a telephone pole as well.  There are also scenes of destruction from within the hallways of each base.  There is now debris littered about the area and a couple nooks and hiding places that have been blown away during the disaster.

While playing this map, I heard a lot of people in the game complaining about the level's darkness and the debris causing issues with moving around the map.  Personally, I didn't experience any of that.  The map is dark for a reason (to set the mood) and the overall redesign was a much needed change from the same-old-same-old.  If you play TF2, check it out sometime!

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