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Valve's two talks at GDC 2013: VR is hard, Team Fortress 2 in your head
Valve will be giving two talks at GDC 2013, one to discuss porting Team Fortress 2 to virtual reality goggles, and the other focused on hurdles in developing for virtual and augmented reality.Valve programmer Joe Ludwig will lead the TF2 talk, titled "What We Learned Porting Team Fortress 2 to Virtual Reality," and Valve research and development man Michael Abrash leads the second talk, called "Why Virtual Reality is Hard (And Where it Might be Going)." Abrash will focus on head-mounted displays. Not "displaying mounted heads" – that's at the Big-Game Developers Conference.GDC 2013 is at San Francisco's Moscone Center from March 25 - 29. Other notable talks include a postmortem on FTL: Faster than Light, a talk from Capy on paid apps, one on The Walking Dead's art, and talks on mainstream games such as XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Assassin's Creed 3, Spec Ops: The Line, Hitman: Absolution, Mass Effect 3 and more. Peruse the list here.
Team Fortress 2 greets the season with the 'Mecha Update'
Even though December's quota for robot slaughter isn't any lower than the other 11 months out of the year, Team Fortress 2 still encourages us all to pause and reflect on the importance of the season. The Mecha Update is designed to foster introspection during spirited rounds of Mann vs Machine in Team Fortress 2 – oh, and to provide a new robot to destroy. Because robots have to be destroyed.The new robot in question is the Mecha-Engineer, pictured above – he's able to teleport ahead in the map and even bring other robots with him. On top of dealing with a new robot class, players will enter a place they've never been: Big Rock. The map is one long path leading to a Mann Co. base where players must defend.The festive Naughty and Nice crates return this year in Team Fortress 2, until January 3, 2013. The Naughty crates will include limited edition weapons introduced in the Mecha Update, while the Nice crates will drop winter apparel designed by the community.
Team Fortress 2 gets some Adult Swim costumes (where's our Space Ghost?)
Adult Swim-themed Team Fortress 2 skins are now available for purchase. You can make your Heavy look like Aqua Teen Hunger Force's Carl or The Venture Bros' Brock, or dress your Pyro up like a Metalocalypse's Dr. Rockzo.There's no sign of Sealab 2021, Home Movies, or even some Space Ghost. Still, you can purchase any or all of these new items in the Team Fortress 2 Mann Co. store now.
Team Fortress 2 14-inch Sniper statue sure is a 'beaut
The fourth mega TF2 statue from Gaming Heads is the BLU Sniper Exclusive, and boy is she pretty. The BLU Sniper Exclusive is 14 inches from the base to the top of its arrows, and since it's the exclusive version, it comes with the Razorback battery-powered tribal shield. There are only 350 of these bad boys, and they cost $235 each. They'll be available in Q3 2013, though pre-orders start today.Gaming Heads also has the Medic, Soldier and Heavy in standard and exclusive versions. If you haven't already started saving up, maybe do that now.
Steam Community Market enables buying and selling with Steam Wallet
The Steam Community Market, currently in beta with Team Fortress 2, is designed to allow members to buy and sell items using their Steam Wallet funds. This is an expansion of Steam's previous trading policy and its surprisingly complex TF2 economy. The beta is only available for TF2 at the moment, but more games will be added in the new year."With over a half million trades made every week, the trading system has been very successful," Valve's Tony Paloma says. "Extending game economies beyond trades and giving players a way to turn gameplay into funds for new items and games is a key component for moving that success forward."All consumable TF2 goods and tools are up for selling and purchasing, including paints, keys and crates; all compatible items are now labeled as "Marketable" in Steam inventories. During the beta, Steam takes 5 percent of each transaction amount to cover the cost of development and to prevent fraud. for more in-depth questions, consult the Steam Community Market FAQ or the discussion group.But before you go asking, yes, this does mean that playing TF2 is a more legitimate career move than ever before.
Binding of Isaac in a 3D, first-person Team Fortress 2 mod
This is a busy season for video games. Not for the developers, necessarily, but for the players. All the big, end-of-the-year games are out, we're marathoning AAA titles and indie darlings alike, and our backlogs are on the verge of becoming sentient. It's about time you take a break, while simultaneously knocking out two games at once: Team Fortress 2 and The Binding of Isaac.If you haven't spotted this mod that creates a 3D, first-person Binding of Isaac world within Team Fortress 2, give it a look now in the video above. It's even Edmund McMillen-approved.The mod comes from YouTube user lampenpam, and while it isn't complete, US players can log into the Super Zombie Fortress server, where the Isaac map is in rotation. The server is run by Jonas "Mecha the Slag" Kærlev, the creator of Wind Waker-inspired indie game A Hat in Time.Technically, with that final link, we've just given you three games to observe while letting your batteries recharge. Literally, we assume – the convenience of those wireless controllers can be such a pain.
Robot Chicken introduces the 'Nerd' class in Team Fortress 2
Sure, his resolve in battle may not be the best, but the Nerd in Team Fortress 2 has to have one of the most calculating minds we've ever seen.
Steam Linux closed beta begins today, boot up that Ubuntu, baby
The Steam Linux closed beta, which called for applications late last month, is now live. The Linux beta is available for installation on Ubuntu 12.04, since an "overwhelming majority" of experienced Linux applicants use Ubuntu, Steam says.The Steam for Linux beta supports Team Fortress 2, though Steam has 25 games in total that run on Linux. Despite reports to the contrary in September, the beta includes Steam's controller-friendly Big Picture mode, which is also still in beta."This is a huge milestone in the development of PC gaming," Valve president Gabe Newell says. "Steam users have been asking us to support gaming on Linux. We're happy to bring rich forms of entertainment and our community of users to this open, customer-friendly platform."Valve received more than 60,000 applications for the beta, and all beta rounds will come from this pool.
Team Fortress 2 becomes 'Scream Fortress' once again, adds zombies and potions
Team Fortress 2's fourth-annual "Scream Fortress" festivities have begun, bringing with them the usual blend of spooky items and ghastly baddies. This year's event, which runs until November 8, is also accompanied by a now-customary comic book, which explains how such terrifying circumstances came to be.Said circumstances include haunted King of the Hill matches, during which players must battle the powerful ghost/wizard Merasmus and his book of bomb magic, the Bombinomicon. Additionally, control points have been booby trapped and now trigger the "Wheel of Fate" with each change in power, which has as much potential to harm as it does to help.Item-wise, the ghoulish update adds magic spells in the form of potion bottles that can be applied to other inventory items; changing their colors, summoning ghosts or performing any number of other possible magical happenings. "One of the spells might even give you Glenn Danzig's eldritch phone number," Valve's announcement reads.Mann vs Machine isn't left out of the fun either, gaining a brand-new mission called "Wave 666," which replaces the usual robotic enemies with those of an undead variety.
Team Fortress 2's '2nd Annual Manniversary' sale begins
Today marks the second anniversary of Valve's introduction of the Team Fortress 2 Mann Co. Store into the hearts and minds of Steam users everywhere. To celebrate the occasion, Valve is doing what it does best: hold a massive sale.While not all encompassing, the sale does drop discount bombs on a large portion of Team Fortress 2's microtransaction-based hat/weapon/sundry shop ecosystem, reducing prices on fan-designed fedoras and other miscellany by 25 to 75 percent. Let's be honest, this is probably the best deal you're going to see on pretend hats for a while. Also, we know a guy that can get you an incredible deal on a bridge, if you'd be interested.
Mann vs Machine update adds new difficulty settings and matchmaking options
Valve has released a big update to Team Fortress 2's 'Mann vs. Machine' game mode this week, which of course pits human players against an army of invading robots. The update adds two new difficulty settings called tours, one tougher and one easier than the current mode, along with some new loot found throughout the two tours.Players will also be able to search for multiple missions or tours at a time. Matchmaking updates should make it easier to find and keep groups while playing: once you find a team and defeat a mission, teams will stay together. Good thing, too – those robot hordes aren't going to destroy themselves.
Team Fortress 2 helped Valve survive without an MMO
Gamasutra is running an interesting interview with Team Fortress 2 lead designer Robin Walker. While the whimsical shooter offers plenty of engaging gameplay, it's most notable accomplishment may be that it serves as a testbed for Valve's future livelihood. "[When TF2 shipped], MMOs were the dominant story in the industry, and one concern we had was that we might not be able to survive if we didn't build one," Walker told the website. "We didn't think we were ready to undertake that, but we did think that we might be able to build some pieces of one, learning enough so that if or when we did need to build one, we had less risk on the table. We decided that persistent item design and storage seemed like a reasonable amount of risk for us to bite off, and could be made to fit into TF2's gameplay," Walker explained.
Team Fortress 2 needs your spooky Halloween designs
Valve has issued a call to arms for all amateur Team Fortress 2 item designers, charging them with the responsibility of filling the game's Steam Workshop with as many spooky, gross or otherwise Halloween-y items as possible before the scaring season officially begins on October 1.Incidentally, this means that there are already a whole bunch of adorable/icky new items floating around the Workshop, such as this cute lil owl or the Cortex Command exposed-brain Pyro mask seen above. We're especially fond of Sir Spooky, a rather fancy ghost who actually seems quite friendly, rather than terrifyingly macabre. He reminds us of another "friendly ghost," in fact.Yes, you know who we're talking about – The Ghost of King Hamlet.
Valve invites 50,000 into Steam Community update beta
Valve has been gradually introducing new features coming in the big Steam Community update, including Game Hubs and Groups. Today, a beta version of the update launched, and the first game to show off its new game page is Team Fortress 2.In order to gain access to the beta of Steam Community, interested parties will need to have unlocked the 'Pillar of the Steam Community' badge. The first 50,000 to do so will gain entry and another invite to share with a friend. Valve says beta access "will increase incrementally until the public launch."
Team Fortress 2 update adds new 'Coal Town' map, upgrades
The battle between Mann and Machine continues with the launch of 'Coal Town,' a museum-themed map for Team Fortress 2. Featuring "many informative placards about the fascinating details of life in a turn-of-the-century mining community," Coal Town is the second piece of content added as part of TF2's new co-op mode.The recent update also includes upgrade stations, allowing players who collect money from downed robots to boost stats and skills of weapons, items, and abilities.Each class in the free-to-play shooter has their own upgrades available, such as the Soldier's ability to empower his entire team. More details on the upgrades are available on the official TF2 blog.
Team Fortress 2 pits Mann vs. Machine on August 15
It seems Red and Blu finally got over their differences and decided to unite against a common enemy: the machines. Team Fortress 2 is getting a new co-op mode on August 15 called Mann vs. Machine, pitting six players against waves of robotic dopplegangers.The players must defend Mann Co. as the robots attempt to plant a bomb, their only respite during the onslaught the "opportunity to upgrade abilities and weapons" as the waves progress. If the players do make it to the end, they can look forward to unlocking new achievements and earning "incredible loot."This Horde mode variant will include new maps and content, bit by bit of which will be showcased daily leading up to Mann vs. Machine's launch on August 15.
'Kong King' map added to Team Fortress 2, inspired by Sleeping Dogs
Have dreams of a promotional Team Fortress 2 'King of the Hill' map set in a Chinese cityscape been keeping you up nights since the free-to-play shooter's launch in 2007? "Well, your oddly specific and scarily prescient dreams have come true," the official TF2 blog has revealed.Dubbed 'Kong King,' the new map brings Team Fortress 2 into the urban environment created in collaboration with "Sleeping Dogs and community member Valentin Levillain," the blog added.This is the second cross-promotional effort between Valve's Team Fortress 2 and the upcoming United Front Games open-world undercover drama Sleeping Dogs, with pre-order customers of the game getting special Triad-inspired items in TF2.For more on Sleeping Dogs, check out the replay of our recent live stream of the game with senior producer Jeff O'Connell, and don't forget to giggle at my terrible mouse/keyboard driving skills.
Hero Academy's Team Fortress 2 team sounds pretty powerful
After announcing that Hero Academy would soon be making its way to Steam, developer Robot Entertainment has now revealed details surrounding the PC version's special Team Fortress 2 team. One thing Hero Academy players will notice right away is that there are a lot of different units. The Team Fortress 2 team has a whopping 9 units, as compared to every other team's 5.All the Team Fortress 2 classes are represented, each with different special abilities. The Spy, for example, is a cloaked unit that can't be targeted at range. Meanwhile the Engineer can upgrade other units' weapons, the Demoman lobs area-of-effect grenades and the Sniper can target any unit in the same row. As if all that weren't enough, the team's bonus allows them to gain an extra action point every time they stomp an enemy unit (remove it from the board).Honestly, it sounds like the team will be pretty powerful, although, in fairness, Robot hasn't announced how many of each unit will be available and the team description makes no mention of consumable items.In other news, the PC version of Hero Academy will include a map based on "Well" from Team Fortress 2. Oh, and of course purchasing other heroic teams will unlock cosmetic items in Team Fortress 2. See some new screens in the gallery below and check out the full team description after the break.%Gallery-160616%
Breathe life into Team Fortress 2's Balloonicorn
Having shared the Pyro's saccharine worldview with us, Valve has now plucked a cute inhabitant from the firebug's demented mind to render (for legal tender) in reality. The pleasantly portmanteau'd Balloonicorn comes with a Team Fortress 2 item code, a 3-foot stature, plenty of poise and – once inflated – a light counterpart to the $30 price tag.Note: The Balloonicorn is sustained by human exhalation, and has no respiratory system / internal organs of its own.
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.
