The word "hero" gets thrown around a lot these days. Mostly by cowards who've never killed a man for no reason. But if you're a distinguished war veteran like me, you know that only three types of people deserve to be called "hero": men who dive on top of live grenades, men with the cahones to throw a live grenade, and the hard working men and women on the assembly line building live grenades.

That is it. End of story. No exceptions.

Having said that, if you're a distinguished war veteran like me, you also know how the chain of command works. So when some pencilneck down at TF2 HQ tells you to write a blog post adding someone to the Hero List, you do it! So listen up, because the hundreds of 3D modelers, texture artists, concept artists and other creative types who submit to the Workshop each and every day are the greatest generation of heroes, and Kritzkast is honoring them. These are just some of the many people who've made Team Fortress 2 what it is today, and by God, they deserve your respect until we are told otherwise.

Donations are now open for Tip of the Hats, an annual charity livestream event benefiting One Step Camp and hosted by the competitive Team Fortress 2 gaming community. The event will start streaming live at twitch.tv March 29th at 12:00 PM EST. Last year's inaugural event lasted 36 hours and raised over $35,000 towards camp experiences and other educational and excursion programs for children with cancer. Players from around the world participated in the livestream and helped to make it one of the biggest events in Team Fortress 2 history, with more than 65,000 people tuning in.

• Fixed an infinite healing exploit related to loadout presets
• Fixed a bug where Medics would be unable to deploy their berCharge
• Fixed an exploit in Mann vs. Machine mode related to purchasing upgrades for free
• Fixed workshop contributors not being able to view all of their submitted items using the in-game menus
• Fixed Strange versions of The Southern Hospitality not tracking sentry kills
• Fixed The Fortified Compound not triggering the same taunts and voice lines as The Huntsman
• Fixed not hearing the taunt sounds for The Boston Boom-Bringer and The Infernal Orchestrina on Mann vs. Machine maps
• Fixed Natascha using the wrong material for the viewmodel
• Fixed Killstreak sheen effects for the Flying Guillotine (style), The Bat Outta Hell (style), The Unarmed Combat, The Wrap Assassin, The Chargin Targe, and The Splendid Screen
• Updated the equip_regions for The Sangu Sleeves, The Huntsman's Essentials, The Lucky Shot, and The Soldier's Stash
• Updated The Crusader's Crossbow and The Festive Crusader's Crossbow to use the same crosshair as The Huntsman
• Updated cp_dustbowl
  • Fixed Red team's stage 1 spawn door pushing players in the air
  • Fixed collision on windows, props, and rooflines
  • Fixed floating props
  • Fixed players building inside the alternate exit from the Red spawn in stage 3
• Updated cp_mountainlab
  • Fixed exploit on rafters near control point 2
• Updated ctf_2fort
  • Fixed collision on train-wheels prop outside Blu base
  • Fixed clipping on window ledges
  • Fixed collision on pipes in flag rooms
  • Fixed texture alignment on world map textures
  • Fixed clipping issue in the middle where Blu could stand in the sky
• Updated pl_goldrush
  • Added nobuild area under the train tracks to prevent teleport trap near Blu spawn in stage 1
• Community request:
  • Added convar hud_combattext_batching_window to be used with hud_combattext_batching
    • maximum delay between damage events in order to batch numbers
    • min 0.1, max 2.0, default 0.2

• Fixed trade invites not working in-game

• Added new promo items
• Fixed a client crash caused by trying to load an invalid URL
• Fixed Medigun particle beams not always appearing while healing players in DirectX 8
• Fixed a case where clients would hear/see crit effects when their attack was not a crit
• Fixed the Carbonado Botkiller Minigun using the incorrect material for the Minigun
• Fixed a Mann vs. Machine bug related to upgrades after a retry/reconnect
• Updated the Unarmed Combat to add the item_type description
• Updated sv_pure so client will detect corrupt or modified VPK files
  • Use Steam to verify local cache to fix corrupt files
  • Use the custom folder to customize the game
• Item server stability:
  • Improved performance when manipulating multiple items at the same time (claiming multiple item drops, etc.)
  • Improved performance fetching persona names for item descriptions (gifted by, etc.)
  • Improved performance generating Steam Community Market data for item tooltips

• Fixed an infinite berCharge exploit related to loadout presets
• Fixed a case where players that are the target of a vote kick would not be banned from the server
• Fixed a Quickplay crash for Linux clients
• Fixed Linux servers getting disconnected from Steam when multiple servers are run from the same IP
• Fixed taunts not previewing in the character loadout screen after being equipped
• Fixed the High-Five! taunt not hiding the Engineer's weapon
• Fixed some missing knobs on the level 2 dispenser
• Fixed being able to jarate invulnerable targets with the Sydney Sleeper
• Lugermorph Killstreakifier can now be applied to all Lugermorph guns
• Updated several cosmetic items that were missing an item_type description
• Updated several cosmetic items to count as assisters in Pyrovision
• Updated the Medi-Mask to use equip_region beard instead of face
• Quickplay: Added option to search for "nodmgspread" servers
• Quickplay: Removed disabling of non-vanilla option radio buttons when official servers are selected

• Fixed a client crash related to the Quickplay menu
• Fixed the Crafting menu not showing the inputs/outputs correctly
• Fixed the Backpack not drawing paint splotches for items that have been painted
• Fixed the Engineer s belt and pocket equip_regions conflicting for some items
• Reverted the changes to The Half-Zatoichi until the effects on the Soldier can be investigated

• Fixed the MvM upgrade menu closing when a Strange item has its counter increment

• The Shortstop
  • Reduced extra knockback penalty from 80% to 40%
• The Short Circuit
  • Added Penalty - No longer gain metal from dispensers when active
• The Cleaner's Carbine
  • Changed OnKill effect from gain crits for 3 seconds to gain mini-crits for 8 seconds
• Natascha
  • Added Positive Attribute +50% extra ammo
• The Reserve Shooter
  • Increased clip size from 3 to 4
  • Time to mini-crit airborne targets changed from 3 to 5
• The Beggar's Bazooka
  • Changed penalty No primary ammo from dispensers to no primary ammo from dispensers when active
• The Quick Fix
  • Fixed the Medic not gaining the proper speed boost when a Demoman uses the Chargin' Targe or Splendid Screen

• Fixed deflected projectiles not affecting Strange and Killstreak counts
• Fixed the Mini-Sentry range-sphere not accurately displaying the range for the sentry when it is being placed
• Fixed the Spy's revolver using the incorrect reload sound
• Fixed third-person Medi Gun beams appearing jittery
• Fixed the Heavy not playing his response rules lines after eating a Sandvich, Buffalo Steak Sandvich, etc.
• Fixed The Half-Zatoichi using the wrong animations for the Loadout screen and the HUD 3D Character

• Added the Strongbox Key to the Mann Co. Store
• Added 43 community-contributed items to the Strongbox Crate
• Added the Tumblr Vs Reddit Participation Medal

• Added Killstreak Fabricators for the following weapons to the Two Cities Tour reward list:
  • The Lugermorph, The Big Kill, The Iron Curtain, The Frying Pan, The Black Rose, The AWPer Hand, Chargin' Targe, Splendid Screen, and The Mantreads
• Fixed an exploit that allowed players to purchase/sell the Canteen Specialist upgrade to get more money than they originally spent
• Fixed an exploit where players could stand on a robot's head to block their movement for an easy kill
• Fixed players not being able to earn the Frags to Riches achievement if there is money in the world when the mission is completed
• Fixed a bug that caused players to not receive an Upgrade Refund Credit when they should have
• Fixed the UI not updating properly if an Upgrade Refund Credit is earned after the wave has ended

• Added advanced options page, which allows you to search for a few commonly-requested non-vanilla options: 32-player servers, nocrits, and instant/modified respawn times
• Added "Show Servers" button to quickplay. This will run the normal quickplay search, but instead of joining the "best" server, it will present a list of about 20 servers and let you pick.

• Improved loading of item information panels to prevent hitches when cycling through backpack pages
  • Use the convar tf_time_loading_item_panels to control how much time is spent per frame loading item panel data.
• Fixed Australium items not using the correct images in the Steam Community Market
• Added missing payload audio for the Medic, Soldier, Demoman, and Spy
• Added the server command "sv_setsteamaccount" for logging in with a persistent game server account using a login token. Login tokens may be acquired via the IGameServersService/CreateAccount web API. Using a login token is not required to run a game server, but allows Steam users to continue to access your game server from their favorites list if your game server changes IP in the future.
• Added the game server's SteamID to the output of the status command
• Fixed the Killstreak counts not being accurately portrayed in the scoreboard
• Fixed seeing the incorrect LOD settings for models when they are being previewed during submission to the Steam Workshop
• Fixed a UV/skinning problem on the level 1 sentry
• Fixed a problem where "activate virtual reality" doesn't work if you have 2 monitors + headset
• Fixed a client crash caused by trying to load an invalid URL
• Fixed achievements getting stuck in a completed state and not being awarded to the player
• Fixed not hearing hit sounds after a level change when using tf_dingalingaling_repeat_delay
• Fixed the "equipped" label being displayed on incorrect backpack panels when equipping items
• Fixed the upper-left backpack panel always being highlighted when equipping items
• Fixed player names being clipped by item images in the Freeze Cam and Inspect panels
• Updated the equip_region for The Extra Layer
• Updated the Blue team material for the Ambassador to be less red
• Updated ctf_2fort
  • Fixed a rendering bug on a silo prop in the skybox area for the Blue base

• Add quickplay option to only connect to official Valve servers
• Prevent game servers from redirecting players to alternate servers when players connect through quickplay
• Fixed the show_htmlpage command bypassing the cl_disablehtmlmotd convar on the client
• Fixed the loading screen not rendering correctly for Mac clients
• Fixed Asian fonts not rendering correctly for Linux clients
• Fixed a client crash related to Killstreak effects
• Fixed a client crash caused by trying to load an invalid URL in the MOTD
• Fixed a server crash related to screen fades
• Fixed color correction being based off the wrong player's origin in multiplayer games
• Fixed the Heavy's fists not showing the Killstreak effects
• Fixed The War on Smissmas Battle Socks hiding the Soldier's grenades
• Fixed the Meet the Medic taunt not releasing doves during the taunt
• Fixed HUD elements not drawing correctly after beginning to record a demo
• Fixed the Short Circuit particles not always being removed on player death
• Fixed an exploit where players could run the MVM_Revive_Response, MVM_Respec, and use_action_slot_item commands on behalf of other players
• Updated the Unidentified Following Object, Carrion Companion, and Chucklenuts so they can get assists in Pyrovision
• Updated the Festive Gloves of Running Urgently to include a blue material when equipped by the Blue team
• Updated The Brainiac Hairpiece so it can be equipped with items like The Grizzled Growth and added a "no helmet" style
• Updated The Map Maker's Medallion so name/description tags can be applied to it
• Updated the Short Circuit to use the Engineer's melee taunt
• Updated The Scotsman's Skullcutter to use the Demoman's secondary taunt
• Updated The TF2VRH and The Virtual Viewfinder so they can be equipped with hats
• Added UGC Highlander Season 11 and 6vs6 Season 13 medals
• Updated the localization files
• Updated pl_upward
  • Fixed being able to construct buildings in the skybox
• Updated Mann vs. Machine
  • Fixed the bots not being able to equip multiple cosmetic items
  • Fixed Scout bots not playing the correct animation when stunned with the Sandman
  • Fixed not being able to reset the countdown timer if a player disconnects while Ready
  • Updated the countdown logic to un-Ready a team if someone quits during the final 10 seconds or disconnects while everyone else is Ready
  • Updated mvm_rottenburg
    • Improved collision near barricade to reduce players getting stuck
    • Fixed credits not always being collected when they fall into the barricade
  • Updated mvm_mannhattan
    • Fixed being able to construct buildings inside the respawn room
    • Fixed a material problem near the hatch