Release Notes for 12/24/2012

[ MISC ]
* Added the ability to commend and report players from the player details view that can be accessed in the scoreboard.
* Number of competitive wins, and unique commendations are now shown in the main menu along with skill group.
* Competitive scoreboard will show number of competitive wins needed to display your skill group if you have not displayed it yet.
* Fixed movement on ladders ignoring the walk button. Now climbing ladders while holding walk is slow and silent, which fixes previous exploit of being able to climb ladders at fullspeed without making sound.
* Fixed failure to fire after weapon switching away from a reload and back (fake-reloading).
* Whitelisted tv_password convar to set GOTV password.
* Reduced fps in main menu when not connected to a server from 300 fps to 120 fps to help with laptops and desktop video cards doing excessive work. Exposed fps_max_menu convar to control fps in main menu.
* Added one more minute of grace period for players to reconnect to their competitive match before a cooldown for failing to reconnect is assigned. Cooldown for failing to reconnect is now assigned after player has remained disconnected for at least 4 minutes, not counting the round of disconnection and not counting the round in which 4 minutes grace period elapses.
* Fixed Hammer crash on exit.
* Added some holiday cheer.

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:

• Added "Benign infiltration" to the Mann Vs. Machine mission-cycle file for servers
  
• Fixed a Dead Ringer Spy exploit in Mann Vs. Machine mode
  
• Fixed a regression with mini-crit damage calculation
  
• Fixed a client crash in the Medi Gun charge meter when using a custom HUD
  
• Fixed Festive Huntsman arrows and Rescue Ranger bolts using incorrect hit boxes
  
• Fixed Tough Stuff Muffs not using the correct model for the Engineer
  
• Fixed a clipping problem with the Hunger Force
  
• Fixed Strange Festive Sandviches leveling up multiple times in a single use
  
• Fixed a lighting issue in mvm_bigrock
  
• Updated the backpack icon for the Festive Ambassador
  

Updates to Team Fortress 2, Day of Defeat: Source and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:


Source Engine Changes (TF2, DoD:S, HL2:DM)

• Updated some Big Picture features
  
• Additional improvements for client stability
  

Team Fortress 2

• Australian Christmas has begun!
  • Added community-contributed winter event items
    
  • Added three new community weapons
    • The Vaccinator
      
    • The Loose Cannon
      
    • The Rescue Ranger
  • Added Naughty and Nice winter keys to the Mann Co. Store
• Mann Vs. Machine
  • Added a new tour of duty with unique loot:
    • Operation Mecha Engine, with 3 new advanced skill missions
      
    • New map mvm_bigrock
      
    • New Engineer Botkiller items
  • Added new Engineer robot
• Added new Strange Filter items to the Mann Co. Store to support community map makers
  
• Added new checkout dialogs and taunt-activated effect to raise awareness for Community Map Stamps
  
• Added +context_action command (defaults to X for controllers). This will use the action slot if your Canteen contains a charge and will taunt otherwise3
  
• Added +attack3 command (defaults to middle-mouse button)
  
• Added Adult Swim items to the Mann Co. Store
  
• Fixed an exploit that allowed players to be permanently invulnerable
  
• Fixed the Pyro’s airblast not working correctly when facing downhill
  
• Made Force-A-Nature pushback more consistent
  
• Updated pl_barnblitz
  • Fixed various map exploits
• Updated sd_doomsday
  • Fixed various map exploits
• Updated the localization files
  

- Naked Greevils now get a random ultimate too.
- Auras from heroes no longer apply when in Greevil mode.
- Rebalanced the essence stat bonuses slightly. This should make seraphic greevils slightly weaker overall and colored greevils should be the best at whatever their essence gives innately.
- The items heroes receive from presents are now significantly better.
- Fixed a bug that would sometimes caused non-naked greevils to get incorrect/random abilities.
- Fixed a few greevil ability tooltips that were crediting abilities to the wrong essence/egg colors.
- Fixed Greeviling game summary gifts somtimes displaying incorrectly.

- Fixed greevil wall-related server crash.
- Death Pact only gives half its bonus if used on greevils.
- Juggernaut can no longer instantly kill greevils with his ultimate.
- Fixed missing chat messages when items drop.

- Frostivus arrives...and is cancelled by the Greeviling!
- Added Polycount Contest Winner Items (11 new hero sets)
- 6.77 gameplay parity update



BUGS

- Alchemist: Fixed Unstable Concoction charge time counting when it was released rather than impacted
- Alchemist: Fixed Unstable Concoction being dodgeable
- Bane: Fixed base damage being too low
- Centaur: Fixed Centaur's Return instantly killing Zombies
- Luna: Fixed Lunar Blessing affecting some non-hero units like Familiars and Spirit Bear
- Spectre: Fixed Desolate not dealing damage to enemy heroes if they are near neutrals
- Timbersaw: Timberchain sometimes missing trees at max range
- Timbersaw: Fixed different elevations causing an invisible Chakram
- Timbersaw: Adjusted hitbox
- Timbersaw: Fixed Return Chakram proccing Magic Stick
- Warlock: Fixed Golem's Flaming Fists not dealing damage to the primary attack target



GENERAL

- Added a toggle option for Chat Message sound
- Fixed day night images being incorrectly rotated
- Updated Timbersaw's recommended items
- Fixed lifetime timer alignment
- Adjusted Chat Message sound level


PARITY UPDATE

Ancient Apparition
- Chilling Touch manacost rescaled from 140 to 110/120/130/140

Batrider
- Batrider can no longer attack while using Flaming Lasso

Bounty Hunter
- Track no longer reduces armor

Centaur Warrunner
- Movement speed decreased from 305 to 300
- Double Edge no longer interrupts channeling
- Stampede now applies a 100% slow instead of a stun (as always, units cannot be slowed below 100 movement speed)

Clockwerk
- Agility growth increased from 1.2 to 2.3

Dazzle
- Shallow Grave cast range rescaled from 400/600/800/1000 to 550/700/850/1000

Doom Bringer
- Scorched Earth now also affects other units you control
- Doom now has too much armor! (+1)

Drow Ranger
- Trueshot Aura now only affects non-hero units within 900 range of Drow

Earthshaker
- Aftershock stun duration rescaled from 0.3/0.7/1.2/1.5 to 0.6/0.9/1.2/1.5
- Aftershock damage increased from 25/45/75/115 to 50/75/100/125
- Enchant Totem cooldown decreased from 6 to 5

Enchantress
- Untouchable AS reduction increased from 20/40/60/80 to 20/50/80/110

Jakiro
- Ice Path damage from 100 to 25/50/75/100

Lycanthrope
- Base Int increased from 15 to 17
- Spirit Wolves armor increased by 1

Magnus
- Skewer no longer affects magic immune units
- Skewer cast range rescaled from 1200 to 600/800/1000/1200
- Reverse Polarity duration decreased from 2.5/3.25/4 to 2.25/3/3.75

Mirana
- Moonlight Shadow duration increased from 11 to 15 seconds

Morphling
- Cast animation time decreased from 0.4 to 0.25

Necrolyte
- Reaper's Scythe stun/delay increased from 1 to 1.5 seconds

Omniknight
- Purification cast range rescaled from 400/500/600/700 to 700

Puck
- Illusory Orb cooldown decreased from 13 to 12

Pugna
- Decrepify cooldown decreased from 13/11/9/7 to 12/10/8/6

Shadow Demon
- Shadow Poison cooldown decreased from 3 to 2.75

Slark
- Base agility increased by 6

Spectre
- Haunt no longer ends when you use reality (the targeted illusion is still replaced by you though)

Sven
- Great Cleave damage decreased from 25/40/55/70 to 20/35/50/65
- Warcry duration decreased from 8 to 7 seconds

Templar Assassin
- Refraction manacost increased from 75 to 100

Treant Protector
- Damage increased by 10
- Leech Seed cooldown decreased from 18/16/14/12 to 16/14/12/10
- Overgrowth cooldown decreased from 80 to 70
- Living Armor damage instances increased from 6 to 7
- Living Armor can be cast through the minimap (only considers heroes and towers/rax in this mode)

Undying
- Decay damage reduced from 40/80/120/160 to 20/60/100/140

Vengeful Spirit
- Wave of Terror damage increased from 18.75/37.5/56.25/75 to 30/50/70/90

Viper
- Base strength increased by 3

Warlock
- Shadow Word cooldown decreased from 20 to 16

Weaver
- Shukuchi damage increased from 90/100/110/120 to 90/110/130/150

Zeus
- Strength growth increased from 1.8 to 2.3

Daedalus
- Crit multiplier decreased from 2.7 to 2.4
- Recipe cost decreased from 1200 to 1000

Crystalys
- Damage decreased from 35 to 30

Eye of Skadi
- HP bonus increased from 200 to 250
- MP bonus increase from 150 to 250

Shiva's Guard
- Freezing Aura's attack speed reduction increased from 25 to 30

Neutral Harpy Storm
- Chain Lightning manacost reduced from 90 to 50

Added Timbersaw!

GAMEPLAY
- Ancient Apparition: Fixed status effect ignoring magic immune units (HP Freeze and Shatter).
- Outworld Destroyer: Fixed some items not proccing Essence Aura properly.
- Silencer: Fixed Last Word not being triggered by Invoke.
- Slark: Fixed Pounce leashing illusions.
- Undying: Fixed Decay providing too much healing to Undying.
- Fixed Shadow Blade interaction with Critical Strike.
- Fixed Cycloning yourself causing you to take damage from Orchid.

MATCHMAKING
- Players who dodge a game will get a small matchmaking timeout
- High ranked players will should enjoy faster queue times during less active times

Release Notes for 12/12/2012

[ GAMEPLAY ]
 -Merged elements of Volcano's DE_NUKE_VE map into standard DE_NUKE.
 -In the main menus, replaced mapgroup carousel with a map picker. Players can now select which maps they want to match-make into.
 -Maps in map picker show expected wait time.

[ MISC ]
 -Improved performance in CPU-bound cases.
 -Fixed missing ladder sound when moving at full speed on ladders.
 -Added support for muting microphone in play with friends lobby.
 -Fixed cases where spectator UI wouldn't appear during GOTV demo playback.
 -Fix for crash caused by extinguished fire.
 -ESC key now closes Server Browser dialog.
 -Made CHudMenu have input priority over Scaleform.
 -Reduced default vgui font size for resolutions >1600.
 -Whitelisted mp_match_restart_delay.
 -Limiting physics timestep to 64 to eliminate high tickrate physics bugs, such as bouncing guns.
 -Server no longer creates physics objects for players to reduce server cpu load. To re-enable, set cs_enable_player_physics_box to '1'.

Updates to Team Fortress 2, Day of Defeat: Source and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:


Source Engine Changes (TF2, DoD:S, HL2:DM)

• Fixed a hang on start-up with non-scalable bitmap fonts
  
• Fixed crash on start-up when joysticks are attached
  

Team Fortress 2

• Added a prompt to turn on controller mode when using Big Picture
  
• Increased console font size for the Linux version
  
• Fixed some problems caused by disabling controller mode
  
• Fixed missing HUD sounds for Engineer building status panel
  
• Fixed the Spy version of the tf_zombie entity not using the correct skin
  
• Fixed international keyboard chat and console input for the Linux version
  

- Updated menu navigation for Big Picture Mode so the joystick doesn't always have to be active