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Valve celebrates one year of Mann Co. with 'Manniversary' sale, new features
Little over a year ago, Valve introduced a store into Team Fortress 2 that allowed players to purchase in-game goods with real-world cash -- heck, even the more creative can prosper from this storefront by selling their own goods. Or players could simply engage in bartering through item trades. But it's those item creators that are the focus of the latest update for the game. Today, Valve has announced that in celebration of a year of capitalism and these creators who have taken advantage of it, collectively earning a total of $2 million over the last year, some new features will be added in a "Manniversary Update." Steam Workshop is one key new feature, which sports "an improved item submission system that allows community item-creators to test, share and track the status of their creations." The community can even browse submitted creations now and even rate and offer feedback. 30 new hats and other cosmetic items will also be added, plus an item decal system, a "try before you buy" item tryout feature spanning a week, loadout presets, miscellaneous item slots, and some gameplay tweaks. There's also a new taunt, if you're one of those types of people who enjoy humiliating your fellow man. Hey, no judgment here! Finally, in addition to all of that, everything in the Mann Co. store will be on sale until Monday, October 17.
Team Fortress 2 running via web browser, world's fate in question
When future civilizations dig up the remnants of our civilzation, they will learn that our fall was predicated by a single event. Namely, Brandon Jones' porting of Team Fortress 2 to WebGL (i.e. web browsers). Thankfully, it's merely a demonstration and isn't actually playable – yet. Frankly, if someone manages to make Team Fortress 2 even more accessible, we're not sure humanity will have the mental fortitude to withstand it. You can learn more about the technical aspects of the demo (or even download the source code) over at Jones' website, TojiCode.
Pre-order Dungeon Defenders on Steam, get a Portal gun and tiny TF2 guys
Valve loves itself so much that it puts its own games into other studios' work on Steam -- we don't want to call it incestuous, but, well. It's kind of incestuous. Dungeon Defenders is the latest victim game to have a healthy Valve infusion, with pre-orders getting The Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device for the Huntress class and four Team Fortress 2 familiars, Heavy, Medic, Engineer and Pyro. Check out how these goodies work above and pre-order Dungeon Defenders on Steam, if you're into that sort of thing.
Eric Ruth's Team Fortress Arcade available now
Itching to get your hands on the Team Fortress beat-em-up demake from Eric Ruth? Well, itch no more, as Team Fortress Arcade is now available as a free PC download. Team Fortress Arcade takes Valve's popular shooter and turns it into an old-school, four-player arcade romp, complete with player abilities based on each class' weaponry (everything from turrets to sticky bombs). You can grab it now from Piki Geek (again, it's free).
Watch some people who are better than you play TF2 and Counter-Strike today
Another lazy Saturday, another attempt at browsing Netflix (or waiting for your Qwikster DVDs, you neanderthal), more multicolored bowls of Fruity Pebbles. If you want something more exciting than Ip Man and a sugar rush this weekend, check out the Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike ESEA Season 9 LAN Finals right here, live from Dallas, Texas. The Finals will crown a champion tomorrow, where all winning teams will get a split of the $67,000 pot. Not too shabby for a well-timed frag.
Fan-made trailer pays tribute to Skyrim using Team Fortress 2
If you thought footage of Skyrim up until now has been epic, then you should check out this fan-made homage made with Team Fortress 2. The only thing it's missing is an infinite number of dragons!
Steam Trading steams out of beta in a cloud of, er, water vapor
Steam Trading's emerged from the hot wet clouds of beta after more than a million in-game items were swapped in the first month of testing. Purchased in-game objects can now be bartered between all players of Team Fortress 2, Portal 2 or Spiral Knights and more games will be supported soon. The bigger news is that you can also exchange Steam gifts and extra copies of games you've got -- such as that spare edition of Half-Life 2 that you downloaded with the Orange Box bundle -- as long as they're unplayed. Hey, cash it in and go buy your avatar something nice.
PSA: Steam Trading leaves beta, now official
Valve has announced that its Steam Trading beta program has ended and that the service is now available to all Steam users. Steam Trading allows users to trade in-game items with one another. At the moment, the only games to support the new service are Team Fortress 2, Portal 2 and Spiral Knights. Valve notes, however, that it is "working with other developers to incorporate Trading and Inventories into their games, so keep an eye out for future announcements in the coming months." Perhaps more interesting than the ability to trade in-game items, however, is the ability to trade Steam gifts. Any game that was purchased as a gift (or as an extra copy as part of a bundle) can be traded for items or other Steam gifts. Naturally, there are some restrictions, most notably that any such game must never have been played. Once a Steam gift has been opened, it can no longer be traded. As part of the service, all Steam users now have an inventory that can be viewed by other users (so long as your profile is public). Check out the full Steam Trading FAQ here.
Deus Ex items grafted onto Team Fortress 2
The following is a paid advertisement from the Advocates for Human Purity. Friends, you've seen them at the docks, using their robotic limbs to put our organic brothers out of work. You've seen them at the bars, throwing their cyber-hootenannies, what with all the oil-drinking contests and their literal Electric Slide. That's right, we're talking about cyborgs -- and they've just gone too far. Because now, they've injected their influence into a first-person shooter, Team Fortress 2. This otherwise innocuous game, full of hardworking organics, is being sullied with cybernetic arms, futuristic weapons like the "Machina" rifle and electric sunglasses. Sure, they say it's all a harmless nod to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, but you know the truth: They've taken over your life, and now they're targeting your children (and your 20-something son who moved back in while he waits for his photography career to take off). Friends, you were stone cold silent when they got their hands on Steve Austin, you were beary quiet when Teddy Ruxpin growled at your toddlers. Isn't it time you spoke up? [Thanks, Micah]
Steam Trading beta lets you exchange in-game items for games
It may still be known officially as "Steam," but after this week's announcement of the Steam Trading beta, we're referring to the service's virtual world as "Bartertown." As of today, Steam users can opt-in to the "Steam Trading" beta program, giving them the opportunity to trade Team Fortress 2 items and Steam gifts with other Steam users. For now, the only game that supports the trading of items is Team Fortress 2, but Valve says support for Portal 2 will arrive "reasonably soon," and that it plans on offering support for "several third-party games in the next few months." Interested parties can participate by simply heading into the Steam client settings and selecting the option to opt-in to the Steam Trading beta. As participants ourselves, for the next 12 hours we'll be accepting any and all copies of full games for a very special, one-of-a-kind Team Fortress 2 hat, hand-selected by the Joystiq staff member of your choice*. *Choice is limited to Joystiq staff members available at time of trade. Joystiq reserves the right to refuse choice based on a variety of factors, but mostly whim.
Team Fortress 2: Sentry Sabotage! short would make an excellent TV show
After watching this short, we're not only convinced that a live-action Team Fortress 2 can be done well, we also adamantly want it to happen. Like, bad. Hey AMC, you're taking a lot of risks these days, how 'bout adding another original series to the pile? [Thanks, Micah!]
Team Fortress 2 gets to play with classic QuakeCon weapons
Team Fortress 2 just had a futuristic weapons update with Dr. Grordbort's Infallible Aether Oscillators, and now Valve is going old-school. To celebrate QuakeCon 2011, which kicked off yesterday in Dallas, TF2 is getting a bevy of Bethesda and id Software gear as part of the QuakeCon Steam Sale (a different deal each day!). The following items correspond with different daily deals, but are all available through 10 a.m. EDT August 8: "The Original" Quake rocket launcher (Soldier), free with Quake IV purchase The Wingstick, based on a RAGE weapon (Engineer), free with RAGE pre-order The Dragonborn helmet from Skyrim (Heavy), free with Skyrim pre-order The Anger hood from Brink (Sniper), free with Brink purchase/ownership A Fallout Pip-Boy (Engineer), free with Fallout: New Vegas purchase/ownership
From Dust PC gets Ubisoft DRM, Steam pre-purchase bonus
For being such wildly different games, From Dust and Driver: San Francisco sure have a lot in common. They were both recently delayed, for example, and now news has hit that From Dust will follow Driver's lead by making use of Ubisoft's ubiquitous "Ubisoft Online Service" digital rights management platform. Unlike Driver, however, no announcement was made regarding From Dust's DRMyness; Steam's now-live pre-purchase page unceremoniously broke the news to the PC gaming community. The controversial DRM platform requires a permanent internet connection in order to play any game it governs, and while the company has loosened restrictions on high-profile games in the past, it's unclear whether or not history will repeat itself. For now, take solace in knowing that your pre-purchase will net you a "Mask of the Shaman" item for Team Fortress 2.
WETA Workshop takes time off from The Hobbit to design for TF2
In case you missed it buried behind the Soldier's glorious mutton chops, Team Fortress 2's new weapons from Dr. Grordbort's Infallible Aether Oscillators were created in conjunction with WETA Workshop, the makers of Orcs, Na'vi and Prawns for most of the blockbuster movies of this generation. WETA's Greg Broadmore designed Dr. Grordbort's Infallible Aether Oscillators, which include the Righteous Bison and Cow Mangler 5000, two new weapons in the Victory Pack. To better acquaint players with these stellar WETA weapons, Valve has posted a comic featuring the Soldier and WETA promises special promo coupons at its booth at San Diego Comic-Con. Just watch out for the cow pies.
Team Fortress 2 demade into a 2D beat-em-up
One-man development house Eric Ruth Games has revealed its next project, Team Fortress Arcade, this time turning the first-person antics of Team Fortress 2 into an old-school, side-scrolling beat-em-up. Each character has weapons and abilities consistent with its class in Team Fortress 2. The Demoman, for example, can blast out sticky bombs that explode whenever he jumps, and the Engineer builds turrets that can be upgraded with a few quick whacks of the wrench. Piki Geek landed a hands-on session with the game along with an interview with Ruth himself, which you can see in the video above. Team Fortress Arcade is planned to be released as a free download on the Eric Ruth Games website later this summer.
Behind the scenes on TF2's 'Meet the Medic'
It's fun to imagine that the Team Fortress 2 "Meet the ___" videos all spring magically from some Valve team giggle-fest. In reality, however, they require some real thought and work. The Team Fortress blog has posted the story behind the recently released "Meet the Medic" video, and it went through more iterations than you might think. Ideas ranged from a Medic vacation to the origin of the Medigun, and a few made it into the final product. The article includes a few outtakes from early work on the short. You can see one of them above, which played on clichéd "don't you die on me" moments often seen in film and television. Head over to the Team Fortress blog for the full story and more outtakes.
Dark Horse compiles Valve comics
Dark Horse Comics has revealed Valve Presents: The Sacrifice and Other Steam-Powered Stories. According to the listing on Comic Book Resources, the 304-page book contains Left 4 Dead's The Sacrifice comic, along with stories from the worlds of Team Fortress 2 and Portal. The comic book compilation will launch on November 16 for $29.99. Although there are no further details regarding the Portal and TF2 comics, we'd guess they are Valve's online comics in physical form.
Team Fortress 2 Free2BeKicked mod creator speaks on F2P transition
Turns out the guy who created the "Free2BeKicked" mod for Team Fortress 2 (that kicks players who joined after the free-to-play changeover off of private servers completely) doesn't have the courage of his convictions. His name is Asher Baker, and Giant Bomb held a quick interview with him, in which he says he's not in favor of banning new players just because they wanted to check out a free game. He does, however, say that "a community needs a barrier to entry," and "if there is no barrier to entry -- and no recourse against those people [who take advantage] -- it could be bad." Users are unhappy about the mod, though Valve hasn't made a ruling on it just yet (and while Baker says the company probably wouldn't be happy with it, it is running on private servers, presumably out of Valve's reach). Baker says he's even received death threats about the mod, but given that this is a game about shooting, stabbing and generally blowing other players up, who knows how serious those are. In the end, Baker says free-to-play could go either way for the game's community. "It's brought in lots of new players, but I'm not sure it's worth the long-term cost," he says. "I think that once the droves of inexperienced players dies down, we're going to be left with a (slow) steady stream of new players, but primarily just cheaters and people evading server bans."
Team Fortress 2 players segregate F2P users with insta-ban
Since Team Fortress 2 went free-to-play, the game has gotten a little less "team" and a lot more "fortress," while the "2" has been rudely ignored. Angry paid-account players are now using a mod called "Free2BeKicked" to ban all users with a free version of TF2 from their sacred, private servers, in what may soon come to be called Frontier Justice: Apartheid Edition. Free-game players are demanding Valve ban the mod, but as it is used on private servers, Valve's hands are tied. The mod isn't all-exclusive -- anyone who buys an item from the Valve store can bypass its check and be considered a paying player, although according to Botchweed, it would be possible to create a mod to accept only full-game purchasers. Any player can still join an official server without discrimination, but we'd avoid any servers titled "Keeping the Kore Kapable: n00bs Welcome!"
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.
