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Valve is still letting bots invade one of its longest-running games
'Team Fortress 2' has been nearly unplayable for over nine months.
Valve is allowing racist bots to invade ‘Team Fortress 2’
For the past two months, Team Fortress 2 has been under attack by a horde of racist, homophobic, sexist robots. Valve hasn't done anything about them.
Valve: no reason for alarm over 'CS:GO' source code leak
Someone posted some old source code for 'Counter-Strike: Global Offensive,' but according to Valve players shouldn't be alarmed.
Valve is preparing 'Team Fortress 2' for eSports
Valve plans to kick off the first round of beta testing for Team Fortress 2's competitive matchmaking mode within the next week or so, the company writes in an update on the game's Competitive Beta Steam Group. In the coming weeks, Valve promises to open up the new mode to select members of that group. Plus, it'll host limited-time stress tests with larger numbers of members. "We know you'd all like to start testing now, and eventually we hope all of you will get a chance to play and share your thoughts," Valve writes. "But remember that all testing happens in stages and right now we're at stage one."
Source Filmmaker strikes again with fan-created Futurama fun times
Stop us if you've seen this one before. YouTuber MisterMulluc took the song from "Hell is Other Robots," the ninth episode ever of Futurama, and gave it a Source Filmmaker twist. Mr. MisterMulluc has some serious skills, even one week after the video was posted.
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.
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.
Scream Fortress 2 returns with new comic, costumes and at least one haunted eyeball
If you've ever wondered why fanatical Valve devotees are so fanatically devoted, this is exactly why. The company's titles have an excellent sense of humor, sure, but its fun, intelligent stuff like this that endears the development studio to the hearts of gamers everywhere. In celebration of everyone's favorite cosplay justification, Valve has released a free update for their free-to-play free-for-all Team Fortress 2, which promises an "ENORMOUS HAUNTED EYEBALL," as well as fresh 'chievos and costumes for each class. There's even a comic to provide a little backstory, which is worth checking out strictly for its artistic merit, even if TF2 isn't your jam.
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!]
RIFT pre-orders rewarded with exclusive Team Fortress 2 unlocks
Through regular closed beta events and frequent information reveals, Trion Worlds has really been pushing the word out on its upcoming fantasy MMO RIFT. The game's marketing campaign has taken a bit of an unexpected turn today with the announcement of a promotional partnership between the upcoming MMO and Valve's Team Fortress 2. Steam users who pre-order RIFT during the month of February or who have already purchased the game through Steam, will be given two limited-edition weapons in Team Fortress 2. The "Sharpened Volcano Fragment" and "Sun-on-a-stick" are exclusive melee weapons available only to RIFT pre-order customers. In return, Valve is adding a new achievement to Team Fortress 2 that unlocks an exclusive item in RIFT. The Riftwalker achievement will grant TF2 players a code, which can be redeemed through the RIFT account management page. An exclusive headcrab-based headpiece, the "Well Spun Hat," will then be delivered in-game during RIFT's headstart period for pre-order customers on February 24th. This unusual promotion has left many of us here at Massively scratching our heads in confusion, but with the popularity of Valve's Team Fortress 2, it could prove to be a very successful move.
Weta Workshop builds real-life TF2 sentry gun, minus the screaming and blood (video)
Weta Workshop is filled with engineers, and that means they solve problems. Practical problems. For instance, how Valve Software is going to keep its throng of Team Fortress 2 players in awe. The answer? Use a gun. Like this heavy-caliber, tripod-mounted, fastidiously crafted life-size reproduction of The Engineer's level 1 Sentry Gun, which features a bona fide motion sensor for tracking whosoever is fool enough to venture into Valve's geektastic lobby in Bellevue, Washington and touch the darn thing. We're ready to volunteer. Video after the break.
Team Fortress 2 update lets players buy items, prices range from $0.49 to $4.99
You may want to sit down for this one, innocent, doe-eyed gamer. Valve – the gaming company that no matter how rich they may or may not be always has your best interests in mind – has just released an update to the oft-updated Team Fortress 2 that is going to radically alter your worldview. You see, in-game items are no longer things you earn through sheer digi-work and e-sweat; the so-called "Mann-conomy Update" will allow players to use actual Earth bucks to purchase items. How many items? Valve's Robin Walker tells PC Gamer, "It's roughly the equivalent of 60% of the items we have released in the 120+ prior updates." So, a lot. Item cost will range from $0.49 to $4.99 and "community item contributors will get paid based on the sales of their items." Instead of using an in-game wallet, Team Fortress 2's Mann Co. Store will use the Steam Wallet service which is available for in-game purchases in any Steam game. In addition to making items available for sale, the update also adds item trading, item customization, a dueling minigame, mystery item crates, and item sets. It's a lot of stuff, is what we're saying. Read the source links below for all the gory (or exciting, depending on your perspective) details.
Steam on Mac preview roundup: all but identical to PC
With that hotly-anticipated May 12th release date just around the corner, you might be wondering how Steam on Mac will perform. You're in luck, because some of our favorite Mac news sites have just finished testing the software's closed beta. The verdict? It's practically the exact same as the Windows version, except there's almost nothing to buy. Save for the Growl-like notifications at the top of the screen, the UI is all but indistinguishable, and as promised,data and purchases (if playable) automatically carry over in their entirety from your Windows Steam account. Team Fortress 2 even has cross-platform capability, allowing Mac users to play online with their Windows counterparts, though several journalists noted you might want to invest in a two-button wheel mouse if you don't want to be found out. Source Engine performance on Mac wasn't quite as good as on Windows in tests using the exact same hardware (thanks, Boot Camp), but admirably comes close nonetheless; Electronista was able to maintain a similar framerate in Portal just by disabling two levels of anti-aliasing. Not all Mac users will be able to partake in these games, however; though a MacBook Pro with a discrete 512MB GeForce 8600M card could run them well and a GeForce 9400M laptop managed on low settings, those with only integrated Intel graphics chips might find themselves in for a painful surprise. Read - Electronista Read - MacRumors Read - MacWorld Read - AppleInsider
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite non-MMO genre?
Long before we had the soaring crafts and grand interstellar vistas of EVE Online, most games that involved spaceships were of a very set type. They usually involved one small ship, a horde of other ships, bullets flying everywhere, and a number of lives that were expressly designed to eat up as many quarters as possible. The gaming field has changed quite a bit since then, but scrolling shooters in the vein of Darius or R-Type can still eat up hours on end... much like most MMOs, although without as much emphasis on virtual worlds. And there's little denying that for fans of the genre, they're as effective at reducing stress. Today, we ask our readers: what's your favorite game type that doesn't fall under our header? Do you prefer traditional console RPGs? Do you veer more toward fighting games, or strategy titles, or is it a mishmash of different things that appeal to you? You could argue the elements of Team Fortress 2 or Borderlands, but they generally fall under a different aegis than Champions Online or EverQuest II for most players... so what about you? What do you like to kick back with when you aren't on your MMO of choice?
Team Fortress 2 knocked to $2.49 ... for the next two hours [update: it's over]
Update: The sale is over. We hope you managed to grab TF2 -- for yourself or a friend -- while the getting was good. Original: Actually, it's less than two hours now, so what are you waiting for? It's two dollars and fifty cents! It's usually twenty whole dollars. Go buy it. Now. Go! If you grab it now (or if you already have it), you can enjoy the first annual Team Fortress Haunted Halloween Special, which will bring new haunted maps, exploding pumpkins and update-specific Steam Achievements. We'd write more, but that would only waste more time. Time you could spend buying Team Fortress 2. [Via TF2 Official Blog]
The Digital Continuum: Summertime MMO alternatives
You, much like myself, may have had summer MMO plans a month or so ago. But like many things in life, circumstances changed and both Champions Online and Jumpgate Evolution were met with delays in their schedules -- making any plans to play them over the summer null.It's a bummer, but not all is lost. Another thing I'm certain we all share is our love of gaming in general. I've been thinking of a list of games I plan to play through this summer in lieu of shiny new MMOs to delve into, with an emphasis on filling the void left by a lack Cryptic's and NetDevil's still forthcoming titles. I'm sure I'll play more than just three, but these are the ones I'll definitely play the most of overall.
WRUP: Anybody home?
Guys? Hello? Is anyone home? I was thinking about getting together a group for Moria. Guys? Anybody home? Why are you all flagged away on IM? What MMO has this "spy" class you're all talking about? Guys? Brendan Drain: My final university exam is this weekend, then it's time to relax with some Team Fortress 2 and some PvP in EVE Online. Once the exam is over, I'll also finally have time to step up my writing and get some new articles done that I've been putting off for weeks. Colin Brennan: Trying out hanging with a roleplaying group I found in Second Life who seem to be pretty active and silly, and also doing some Star Wars tabletop roleplaying this weekend. I get to be a sith apprentice! Wooo hooo! I'm sprinting to the dark side! Dan O'Halloran: Will be getting in some time in LotRO's Mines of Moria Friday night before heading out of town for the weekend. Just fought my way to Orc Watch for the horsepoint, but want to tackle the quests north of the 21st Hall before I venture deeper into the mines. I am continually impressed with the use of vertical space in the Moria expansion. You go down so deep to get to Orc Watch only to discover it's on the ledge of an even deeper, larger cavern. Great stuff! James Egan: I'll be playing two games this weekend, which are my usual two -- EVE Online and Team Fortress 2. As to the latter, I'm loving The Ambassador pistol for the Spy, which came out with the class update. I was having so much fun I just refused to stop, and ended up playing all night. I'm not sure if I should feel guilty about this or what, but I don't. Not in the least. :D Krystalle Voecks: I expect I'll spend some time reading the copy of Pride & Prejudice & Zombies I got for my birthday the other day, getting last-minute details nailed down for E3, and playing some EVE. If I can manage to get all the work taken care of, I'll probably head out to my favorite club and get my dance on. 00ntz 00ntz! Kyle Horner: It's all about the Sniper/Spy action this weekend in Team Fortress 2. Yeah, it's like a disease. Lemuel Pew: Team Fortress 2, Sniper/Spy update. That's pretty much it. William Dobson: I'll be continuing my re-rolled character from last week in Warhammer Online. I'm on one of the more populated servers, but there are still large chunks of the day where RvR and Scenarios are completely dead, which is disheartening. I expect that this will be less so in Tier 4, but getting through Tier 3 could be painful. So, dear readers, now tell us -- what are you playing this weekend?
Spy kills Sniper, everyone gets free Team Fortress 2 weekend
In memorial of Team Fortress 2's ill-fated Sniper -- and Thursday's impending Spy and Sniper class updates -- Valve is holding a free-play Memorial Day weekend for the game via Steam. This time it's a long one; the game will be open to all from tomorrow, May 21 through Monday, May 25.According to Valve, those few gamers who don't already have the multiplayer classic installed on their PCs can begin pre-loading the game files now via the Steam client. Then, come Tuesday morning, the game will politely ask if they'd like to pony up the cash to feed the addiction keep playing. Until tomorrow, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the one character most likely to stab you in the back. We bet the Sniper wished he had.
'It was obvious!' ... Meet Team Fortress 2's Spy
We thought Valve had given up introducing us to its Team Fortress 2 cast (considering The Orange Box launched in 2007), but a new video has shown us to be a little too hasty. This time, players get a glimpse into the world of the Spy. Devious, brutal and womanizing ... the Spy is a force to be reckoned with. We've loved the short introduction vignettes Valve has developed to promote the game's classes so far, but the Spy's video is definitely our favorite of the bunch. Enjoy.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]
