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Valve Source Filmmaker makes a movie out of any Source game, now you're directing with Portals (video)
Creating machinima with a video game engine usually requires accepting one of two truths: either that it will require a lot of fudging or that it will have all the sophistication of playing with action figures. Valve Software isn't very happy with that dichotomy, which is why it's posting its very own movie-making tool, Source Filmmaker, as a public beta. Any game that runs on the Source engine, whether it's Left 4 Dead 2, Portal 2 or another in the family, can have gameplay run-throughs edited and dissected right down to custom facial expressions. As Valve expounds in the video after the break, throwing a gaming-grade PC at the task gives directors the advantage of seeing exactly how any changes will look in the final scene; there's no rough wireframes or pre-rendering here. Budding Francis Ford Coppolas can sign up for an invitation to the Filmmaker beta at the project page. If you'd just like to see how far someone can go with the end results, we've also included the latest Team Fortress 2 character profile video, Meet the Pyro, after the jump.
Valve has no idea why almost 30 percent of TF2 players spend cash in the game
"We don't understand what's going on," said Valve co-founder Gabe Newell, during last week's WTIA TechNW panel in Seattle. According to Newell, 20 to 30 percent of the people who play Team Fortress 2 end up spending money on the title's various microtransactions, far beyond the average two to three percent "conversion" Valve's partners are reporting. "There seems to be something about the content that significantly changes how your monetization occurs, with apparently much broader participation than you would see out of something like FarmVille." When Team Fortress 2 relaunched as a free-to-play title back in June, the title's user base increased by "a factor of 5," which Newell attributes to TF2's designation as "free-to-play" rather than simply free: "You have to start thinking about how value creation actually occurs, and what it is that people are valuing, and what the statement that something is free-to-play implies about the future value of the experience that they're going to have." Hey Valve, wanna know the secret? It's the hats. People love hats.
Valve makes Team Fortress 2 free-to-play
In case you missed it last night, Valve has turned its excellent team-based shooter Team Fortress 2 into an entirely free-to-play experience, so even if you haven't picked up the game yet, you can head over to Steam right now and download and play it completely free, forever. The game was one of the biggest titles Valve brought over when Steam was made compatible with the Mac, so it's 100% OS X seaworthy -- just install Steam and you're good to get the game. Valve says it will be monetizing the title through the purchase of in-game items, but they're all cosmetic or conveniences at this point, so you only need to pay if you want to wear a fancy hat or don't want to wait to build up an item. In short, Team Fortress 2 is a great game that now anyone can download and play for free. That's reason to celebrate this weekend, so jump on in, and I'll be the Medic right behind you.
Valve relaunching Team Fortress 2 as free-to-play title
Develop has posted an interview with Team Fortress 2 developer Robin Walker in which he says that the company has decided to make the popular class-based shooter completely free-to-play, supported only by microtransactions. Walker says the game has experimented with multiple price points over its long history (including allowing players to play for free during temporary periods) and that making this transition now "feels like a fairly straightforward next step along the 'Games as Services' path we've been walking down for a while now." Walker also says that this is a model that specifically fits the multiplayer game at this moment in the product's life, when Valve is trying to reach as many players as it possibly can. The permanent price drop won't affect development on the game at all, but monetization will only go through the game's item shop. You can read more in the interview, live now over at Develop. There's no official word on any of this from Valve yet, on either the Steam blog or the official Team Fortress 2 site. We are scheduled to hear about the next update today (and even see a "Meet the Medic" video) and the game was set to go free for just a week, but this is obviously a more permanent direction. We've contacted Valve and will post more here when we get it. Update: Valve's Doug Lombardi has responded to us with a simple confirmation: "Yep." Enjoy your free TF2, kids! Update: The site has been updated as well. The game's completely free to play, forever!
Team Fortress 2 + Portal gun = Team Portress
Not since we've seen a DeLorean in Crysis have we been so in love with a mod. Team Portress, a 3 Point Games Community mod for Team Fortress 2, adds the iconic gun from Portal into the mix. As you'll see in the multiple videos past the break, nothing stops a Scout dead in his tracks like a nice portal trap. Some necessary changes had to be made from how the portals usually operate. For example, there's a timer for each portal, instituted in order to keep players from being stuck in perpetual loops. Also, by reloading, you can manually kill any active portals in the game world. Peer past the break to check out a bunch of videos showcasing the mod, courtesy of 3 Point Games and Pixelated Geek. [Via Pixelated Geek; thanks, Jessica]
Steam arrives for the Mac with 57 games in tow, all your PC using friends are really happy for you
Thanks to Valve, Mac users can finally claim to own a "gaming rig" without resorting to Boot Camp or causing PC gamers to burst into laughter. Sure, you're still going to be better off cost-for-pixel-crunching with a mid-range PC desktop than anything Apple offers, but for a MacBook Pro user looking to get in a few frags during lunch, the arrival of Steam for Mac is probably the best news they've heard this year -- and luckily that Source engine isn't too hard on older hardware. Mostly the same crop of games that were available to beta testers are available in the final product, with Portal and Team Fortress 2 standing atop the heap (Portal's even free for a limited time!), while Half-Life and Left 4 Dead remain notably absent. Check out Joystiq if you want a full breakdown of the games, including a few of the highlights, we have... um, some stuff to do. You know, boring work stuff. You probably wouldn't be interested. Hit that source link for the download. Update: We're not seeing Team Fortress 2, and we're not getting an option for picking up the Mac version of Civ IV, even though it's a "Steam Play" title. The free Portal download isn't working either, but at least we're relatively certain that it will at some point.
Gaming Heads to create lineup of collectibles based on Valve properties
It's as if millions of wallets cried out and were suddenly silenced, stripped of their precious cash money and left hollowed out and dead. We imagine that ringing in our ears has something to do with Valve and Gaming Heads, who just inked a deal to produce a line-up of collectibles based on hit Valve franchises. Pictured above is The Heavy, which will be the first in its Team Fortress 2 series -- available in Red and Blue varieties, of course. Gaming Heads will also produce statues based on other popular Valve properties, such as Half-Life 2 and Left 4 Dead 2. And if some decorative shelf or desk items aren't really your thing, there's the promise of "life-sized props," meaning there's a possibility you could actually own a Portal gun without having to make it yourself sometime in the future. Just imagine: you'll be the hit of the Halloween party! The Heavy will be available for pre-order on Monday, May 3. [Via Team Fortress 2 Blog]
A fan-made Team Fortress 2 trailer to rule them all
We like us some Team Fortress 2 videos around these parts. We love the official Valve "Meet the" videos and we also dig fan-made awesomeness. This particular video falls in the second category and it could make you reconsider putting your own video on the internet for all to see. You see, it just might have trouble competing. Without spoiling the magic, we can tell you two things about the video embedded after the break. The video is based on the recent suspense flick Law Abiding Citizen. The video is called "Law Abiding Engineer." Now watch it.
Valve teases a Mac release of Half-Life, Portal, Team Fortress 2
Even I was dubious about the rumor the other day of Steam coming to the Mac, but now here's something straight from Valve hinting that it might actually happen. MacRumors got an image of Half-Life's Gordon Freeman via email... with an Apple logo on his chest. MacNN got another picture, this one showing turrets from Portal and Team Fortress 2 parodying the "I'm a Mac" ads. And Shacknews got a third, with the Heavy from TF2 eating a sandwich shaped like an Apple logo in a parody of the iPod dancing ads. Oh Lordy. Looks like Valve is planning to make a Mac announcement, and while it might not be quite as far-reaching as bringing the whole platform over, they might as well start with all of their blockbuster games. It's also possible that this is related to the secret message hunt going on the PC version of Portal, which itself seemed to be hinting at an announcement of Portal 2 or even the long-awaited Half-Life 3. Whatever the announcement, it looks like Valve will have something to tell us at GDC next week. I'll be there with ears open -- if we hear that Valve is bringing some or all of their catalog to our platform, you'll be the first to know. Update: Our game-obsessed friends at Joystiq have gotten copies of five of the images (there appear to be six total, according to the dots on the image above), and you can see them all in the gallery below. The rest of the images show the Steam platform itself, and Francis from Left 4 Dead. Awesome. Update 2: Looks like Macworld got the last image. You hurt us, Valve. But we still love you anyway -- how can we not after seeing that "rest of us" ad parody for Steam below? Gallery: Valve Mac faux ads
Valve looking for user-created items in Team Fortress 2
There once was a time when your only option for exercising creativity in Team Fortress 2 was to come up with clever ways to grief your fellow players. Today, Valve announced that players would soon have a less annoying way to stretch their imagination muscles -- by designing their own items and avatars which could possibly show up in-game. Of course, you can't simply break one of the classes by creating a mini-nuke launcher for them -- there's a number of restrictions to what's appropriate for the game. Check out Valve's handy "Tips and Tricks" page to find out how to ensure your homebrewed creations are TF2-acceptable. For instance, a new fedora for the Sniper? Absolutely. A gun shaped like genitalia for the Heavy? Absolutely not.
Virtuous Team Fortress 2 players earn halos
Valve has instituted a policy against cheating in Team Fortress 2 on PC, and the consequences will be dealt out in the next few days. If players are found to have used an "idling" application to make the game think they've been in a server, in order to increase the occurrence of randomly-generated items, Valve will take away all their items. "Going forward, if we find users using external applications, we'll remove all of their items," Valve's Erik Johnson said. "If you're interested, only about 4.5 percent of the players in TF2's community will be affected by this cleansing process."If you aren't found cheating, you'll get -- a free hat! Specifically, a halo. The rate of appearance of all hats has also been increased. And now we wait for the news of Halo players being given free fortresses.[Thanks, Amun]
The evolution of a Team Fortress 2 map explained
Ever wondered about how Team Fortress 2's oft-visited battlegrounds are created? We assure you, it's not as simple as "insert spawn point, insert spawn point, insert weapons, publish." In fact, in a recent TF2 blog post, Valve explains that the game's mapmaking process is extremely exhaustive, involving countless hours of playtesting, revisions, and special care to ensure no map favors one class over another (except for the Mecha-Heavy, who's pretty much unstoppable on every map).If you're interested in the fine craftsmanship, check out Valve's blog post. They've got a couple of neat time-lapse videos showing off the mapmaking process, as well as some info pertaining to a completely free King of the Hill community map pack! (That is to say, the King of the Hill gametype, and not the hee-larious Mike Judge cartoon.)
TF2 Scout's new shotgun: The Force-a-Nature
Valve has officially revealed the second new Scout weapon included in the upcoming Team Fortress 2 update. Called the Force-a-Nature, the double-barreled shotgun packs a wallop so big it will knock back any enemy it hits, even the Heavies. If fired in the air, it will also knock back the Scout himself, essentially giving him a third jump.Don't get too worked up though, like most other unlockable weapons in the game, the gun comes with a caveat. The Force-a-Nature only has two shots -- makes sense, given it's a double-barreled shotgun and all -- and it reloads slowly.Additionally, Valve has posted a poll asking players to choose which Scout update item should be released first: The Bonk energy drink, the Sandman bat or the Force-a-Nature? Cast your vote here. You'd better do it quickly because the update is expected to drop sometime today![Via Big Download]
Reminder: TF2 Pyro update now available, free to play this weekend
A new update Team Fortress 2 is now available via Steam and includes major updates to the Pyro class. The basic flamethrower has alternate fire compression blast, the hadouken taunt now kills people and, most importantly, three new weapons have been added, to be unlocked by conquering the 35 new Pyro achievements.The update also adds two community maps (cp_fastlane and ctf_turbine). Don't forget, Team Fortress 2 is free to play all weekend starting tomorrow. You can pre-load the game now.
Boom, headshot! Meet the Team Fortress 2 Sniper
The game may be ancient by our warped internet standards of time, but we're more than happy to make a mini-tub of popcorn and watch another one of Valve's Team Fortress 2 vignettes. Although Pyro is getting an upgrade this Thursday in the game, it's the Sniper who gets the mini-film treatment above. Now we just need Pyro, Spy and Medic to get their episodes and this whole affair can come to an end ... although we wouldn't mind future clips featuring the whole cast in hilariously psychotic situations. Just saying, Valve, we really wouldn't mind.
Readers pick best webcomic: Team Fortress Pooh
This week's webcomic wrapup was over before it started. There's something ever-so beautiful about Christopher Robin's fantasy being played out through our fantasy of capturing intelligence, building sentry guns, and using a flamethrower in a virtual, carefree environment. Our hats are officially off to you, Fanboys-Online.Second and third place go to 2P Start and Penny Arcade, respectively. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-realted webcomics you stumble upon this week!
Team Fortress 2 DLC coming to Xbox 360, maybe not PS3
While PC owners have been gushing over the new Medic achievements and weapons upgrades in Team Fortress 2, patrons of the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 Orange Box have gone without any non-technical updates. Valve Software marketing director Doug Lombardi told Shacknews that information on the downloadable content for Xbox 360 is forthcoming."How and when is still sort of being determined, on pricing and that kind of stuff. On the PC it's sort of wide open, you can release stuff whenever you want. On the console there's a little bit more of a pathway," he said, later adding, "Unfortunately I don't know that any of that will make it to the PS3." Valve did not port Orange Box to the PS3 in-house, instead giving it to EA UK – trust us, that's a good story to read up on.%Gallery-20705%
Valve releases Team Fortress 2 Gold Rush update, new Medic weapons [update]
The Team Fortress 2 Gold Rush update is now available for free download via Steam. The update includes the Gold Rush map with its own gameplay style dubbed Payload. Perhaps more important than the map, this update marks the first set of new achievements and unlockable weapons. The first class to receive the update is the Medic, who can earn three new weapons -- Blutsauger, Kritzkrieg and Ubersaw -- obtained by earning 12, 24 or all 36 new medic achievements, respectively. All the new achievements, including a complete Medic icon set (PNG files) can be found at the Gold Rush site.Update: It's also worth noting that this weekend, May 2 - 4, Steam users can play Team Fortress 2 for free. That includes the Gold Rush update. You can pre-load the game now.%Gallery-20705%
Team Fortress 2 for Xbox 360 patched, no class changes
An update for Team Fortress 2 has come to the Xbox Live. Unlike the PC patch from over the weekend, there are no balance changes to the classes themselves. Instead, a number of glitches have been fixed, as well as the inclusion of rumble for weapons and the addition of 10- and 14-player team sizes. No indication of a PlayStation 3 patch, so if you've gotten an update, let us know in the comments below. Full details (via Steam forums) after the break.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
The DS Life: First-person gaming
The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handhelds and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.We're breaking away from our usual routine this week -- instead of fawning over touching scenes of handheld gamers, we'll look through ten pictures taken from the gamers's point of view. These photographs can reveal a lot about the shutterbugs who took them! You know, besides what game they were playing at the time.
