<img src="http://www.teamfortress.com/images/posts/halloween_11.jpg" width="420" height="225" border="0">

Halloween is almost upon us, and for those of you who don't have an irrational fear of Presidents' Day, it's the scariest time of the year. This morning, we were reviewing this year's Third Annual Scream Fortress Halloween Update, and we realized that it is probably too scary. Scratch that - it's <i>definitely</i> too scary. This much concentrated terror would be like throwing you into the deep end of a pool... <i>With no lifeguard on duty!</i> [sound of lightning hitting a bat] But then, oh thank God, here comes a lifeguard. Sayyyy, he looks familiar. <i>OH MY GOD</i> it's Dracula! No wait, it's even worse! It's legendary Hollywood triple threat, Ethan Hawke! Acting! Directing! Writing! But not swimming! <i>Everyone</i> knows he can't swim! What monster would hire Ethan Hawke to be a lifeguard? Does this cursed rec center not have ANY lifeguard hiring oversight committee? <i>IT DOES NOT!</i> AWOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The point is, if we don't let all of TF's new players dip their trembling pinky toes into the shallow end of the blood pool before we unleash next week's scare-credible Third Annual Scream Fortress Halloween Update, they would drown in their body's own terror juices. So, for the next few days, revisit stately <a href="http://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Mann_Manor">Mann Manor</a>. Listen closely! What's that you hear? Is it the clip clop of haunted hoofs? Nope. It's the terrifying, completely foot-generated clomping of the Horseless Headless Horseman! He's come to steal your soul! And, if you have one, your horse! Brace yourselves to see the new update next week. Of course, we won't be seeing anything... Because WE JUST ATE OUR OWN EYEBALLS! TWIST BLOG POST ENDING!

Halloween is almost upon us, and for those of you who don't have an irrational fear of Presidents' Day, it's the scariest time of the year. This morning, we were reviewing this year's Third Annual Scream Fortress Halloween Update, and we realized that it is probably too scary. Scratch that - it's definitely too scary. This much concentrated terror would be like throwing you into the deep end of a pool... With no lifeguard on duty! [sound of lightning hitting a bat] But then, oh thank God, here comes a lifeguard. Sayyyy, he looks familiar. OH MY GOD it's Dracula! No wait, it's even worse! It's legendary Hollywood triple threat, Ethan Hawke! Acting! Directing! Writing! But not swimming! Everyone knows he can't swim! What monster would hire Ethan Hawke to be a lifeguard? Does this cursed rec center not have ANY lifeguard hiring oversight committee? IT DOES NOT! AWOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The point is, if we don't let all of TF's new players dip their trembling pinky toes into the shallow end of the blood pool before we unleash next week's scare-credible Third Annual Scream Fortress Halloween Update, they would drown in their body's own terror juices. So, for the next few days, revisit stately Mann Manor. Listen closely! What's that you hear? Is it the clip clop of haunted hoofs? Nope. It's the terrifying, completely foot-generated clomping of the Horseless Headless Horseman! He's come to steal your soul! And, if you have one, your horse! Brace yourselves to see the new update next week. Of course, we won't be seeing anything... Because WE JUST ATE OUR OWN EYEBALLS! TWIST BLOG POST ENDING!

<a href="http://www.teamfortress.com/manniversary"><img src="http://www.teamfortress.com/images/posts/lil_saxton.jpg" width="420" height="231" border="0"></a>

A couple days ago we mentioned a "major project" we were working on that we promised to keep you updated on in the weeks and months ahead. Well, here's an update: It's done! Suck it, <a href="http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Valve_Time">Valve Time</a>.

That's right, folks. The <a href="http://www.steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse">Steam Workshop</a> is live! What is it? An improved submission hub for community-created content that makes it easy for you to upload entries, check on their status and get feedback from us at Valve. Also, the TF community will be able to look at, comment on, and rate all item submissions in a single place.

But that's not all. The in-game Mann Co. Store turned a year old today. In just 365 days, item-creators have made more than $2,000,000 in profit from their creations. In celebration, we're releasing the massive <a href="http://www.teamfortress.com/manniversary">Manniversary Update and Sale</a>! What's included in it? Holy crap, try to think of something that’s <i>not</i> included in it. Check out all the new features, items and improvements.

Almost everything is on sale between now and Monday, October 17th, so limber up your buying finger, and don't forget that any store purchase automatically upgrades a Free account to a Premium.

Happy Manniversary, everybody!

A couple days ago we mentioned a "major project" we were working on that we promised to keep you updated on in the weeks and months ahead. Well, here's an update: It's done! Suck it, Valve Time.

That's right, folks. The Steam Workshop is live! What is it? An improved submission hub for community-created content that makes it easy for you to upload entries, check on their status and get feedback from us at Valve. Also, the TF community will be able to look at, comment on, and rate all item submissions in a single place.

But that's not all. The in-game Mann Co. Store turned a year old today. In just 365 days, item-creators have made more than $2,000,000 in profit from their creations. In celebration, we're releasing the massive Manniversary Update and Sale! What's included in it? Holy crap, try to think of something that’s not included in it. Check out all the new features, items and improvements.

Almost everything is on sale between now and Monday, October 17th, so limber up your buying finger, and don't forget that any store purchase automatically upgrades a Free account to a Premium.

Happy Manniversary, everybody!

If you played the "Halloween Manor" event last year, you may recognize this spine-chilling skull hat. What you probably don't recognize is the terrifying secret process I used to create it. Well, brace yourselves for a Halloween-themed learning nightmare, because this step-by-silent-Dracula-step guide is about to reveal all the gory details of hat making.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/tf2/workshop/hatmaking/image_a.jpg" width="420" height="219" border="0">

<a href="http://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=6483">Read the blog post here</a>

If you played the "Halloween Manor" event last year, you may recognize this spine-chilling skull hat. What you probably don't recognize is the terrifying secret process I used to create it. Well, brace yourselves for a Halloween-themed learning nightmare, because this step-by-silent-Dracula-step guide is about to reveal all the gory details of hat making.



Read the blog post here

<img src="http://www.teamfortress.com/images/posts/trading_live.jpg" height="242" width="420" border="0">

It seems like just yesterday that we announced the <a href="http://teamfortress.com/post.php?id=6040">Steam Trading Beta</a> on the Team Fortress blog. That's when we looked it up and discovered we actually announced that four weeks ago, and over one million items and game gifts have been traded by beta testers since then. And that's pretty inspiring. Also, frankly, terrifying. Because when we say it felt like yesterday when we announced that, we mean we literally have no memory of anything from that blog post up until the entire TF2 team woke up in a tub filled with ice cubes this morning. We can't pinpoint specifically which organs we're missing, so we figure our best bet is just to play out the day and see if anything jumps out as different (no heartbeat, inability to go to the bathroom, missing circulatory system, etc.).

At any rate, as of today Steam Trading is officially out of beta, in the Steamworks SDK, and available to everyone. Two new games will now have tradable in-game items: Spiral Knights, the cooperative adventure from Three Rings and Sega, and our own Portal 2. And remember, this is just the beginning. We can't wait to see what our fellow gamers and developers are going to come up with to move Steam Trading forward.

To celebrate, items are on sale in the Team Fortress 2, Portal 2, and Spiral Knights in-game stores.

If you've gotten this far into this blog post and still have no idea what we're talking about, don't sweat it: There's an entire <a href="https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=6748-ETSG-5417">Steam Trading FAQ</a> online to answer any questions you might have.

If, however, you've gotten this far into this blog post and have no idea what we're talking about because you woke up in an ice-filled tub this morning, and are wondering whether that queasy feeling you're having means you "have an upset stomach" or "are liverless", please get in touch with us, because we'd like to compare notes.

It seems like just yesterday that we announced the Steam Trading Beta on the Team Fortress blog. That's when we looked it up and discovered we actually announced that four weeks ago, and over one million items and game gifts have been traded by beta testers since then. And that's pretty inspiring. Also, frankly, terrifying. Because when we say it felt like yesterday when we announced that, we mean we literally have no memory of anything from that blog post up until the entire TF2 team woke up in a tub filled with ice cubes this morning. We can't pinpoint specifically which organs we're missing, so we figure our best bet is just to play out the day and see if anything jumps out as different (no heartbeat, inability to go to the bathroom, missing circulatory system, etc.).

At any rate, as of today Steam Trading is officially out of beta, in the Steamworks SDK, and available to everyone. Two new games will now have tradable in-game items: Spiral Knights, the cooperative adventure from Three Rings and Sega, and our own Portal 2. And remember, this is just the beginning. We can't wait to see what our fellow gamers and developers are going to come up with to move Steam Trading forward.

To celebrate, items are on sale in the Team Fortress 2, Portal 2, and Spiral Knights in-game stores.

If you've gotten this far into this blog post and still have no idea what we're talking about, don't sweat it: There's an entire Steam Trading FAQ online to answer any questions you might have.

If, however, you've gotten this far into this blog post and have no idea what we're talking about because you woke up in an ice-filled tub this morning, and are wondering whether that queasy feeling you're having means you "have an upset stomach" or "are liverless", please get in touch with us, because we'd like to compare notes.

<a href="http://www.teamfortress.com/deus-ex/"><img src="http://www.teamfortress.com/images/posts/deus-ex.jpg" height="184" width="420" border="0"></a>

Younger TF2 fans might not understand the significance of the upcoming game Deus Ex: Human Revolution. For those of you who weren't around during gaming's golden age, it's the long-awaited sequel to the cult classic dystopian shooter Revolution X, starring and programmed by Aerosmith. You'll once again play as Brad "The Deuce" Whitford. Part human Aerosmith bass player. Part robot. ALL trouble.

"Wow! Can you let me play it now?" you ask. Dream On, Aerosmith fan. The game's not due for a week. (Joe Perry's still coding some shaders.)

"Well, is there anything I <i>can</i> get now?" Yes. As of right now, you can Walk This Way if you Don't Wanna Miss a Thing, because Janie (i.e. you) Has Got (i.e. can obtain) a Gun (i.e. <a href="http://www.teamfortress.com/deus-ex/">eight new Deus Ex-themed TF2 items</a>, FREE, by pre-ordering the Aerosmith game). The items are also available separately in the Mann Co. Store and through items drops and crafting.

Head to <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/28050/">Deus Ex: Human Revolution's Steam page</a> and pre-order now. Then, as long as you’re Living on the Edge, flash your parents the Devil sign and rock over to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/aerosmith">Aerosmith's official Facebook page</a>. Don't let the cops catch you! It's dangerous!

Younger TF2 fans might not understand the significance of the upcoming game Deus Ex: Human Revolution. For those of you who weren't around during gaming's golden age, it's the long-awaited sequel to the cult classic dystopian shooter Revolution X, starring and programmed by Aerosmith. You'll once again play as Brad "The Deuce" Whitford. Part human Aerosmith bass player. Part robot. ALL trouble.

"Wow! Can you let me play it now?" you ask. Dream On, Aerosmith fan. The game's not due for a week. (Joe Perry's still coding some shaders.)

"Well, is there anything I can get now?" Yes. As of right now, you can Walk This Way if you Don't Wanna Miss a Thing, because Janie (i.e. you) Has Got (i.e. can obtain) a Gun (i.e. eight new Deus Ex-themed TF2 items, FREE, by pre-ordering the Aerosmith game). The items are also available separately in the Mann Co. Store and through items drops and crafting.

Head to Deus Ex: Human Revolution's Steam page and pre-order now. Then, as long as you’re Living on the Edge, flash your parents the Devil sign and rock over to Aerosmith's official Facebook page. Don't let the cops catch you! It's dangerous!