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 Collection Trade-Ups!
  • Check out the blog post for more information
• Added Map Stamps and Strange Filters for the featured maps in the Gun Mettle Campaign
• Added the Gun Mettle Cosmetic Case which contains new community cosmetic items
  • Gun Mettle Cosmetic Case can only be found by players with a campaign coin
  • Cosmetics in a collection can be listed on the Steam Community Market
• All Strange items now have a visible icon in backpack panels
• Added an option button to display paints and/or styles options for items in the Mann Co. Store preview page and the Steam Workshop item import tool
• Added the OWL 14 tournament medals
• Added a Steam Community Profile option to the player right-click context menu in the scoreboard
• Fixed a buffer overflow exploit (thanks to Didrole for this report)
• Fixed a Mann vs. Machine exploit related to purchasing upgrades while not at an upgrade station
• Fixed a Mann vs. Machine exploit related to the Medigun shield
• Fixed the Gun Mettle Coin not displaying its proper level in the Steam Community view
• Fixed the Enforcer getting a damage bonus as the Spy was disguising and not fully disguised
• Fixed the cvarlist command truncating some cvar/command descriptions
• Fixed hitting 'Enter' while in the backpack menu triggering buttons in the main menu
• Fixed invalid map names in nextlevel convar or the map cycle causing the server to fail to change level after displaying the score panel
• Fixed the Engineer losing revenge crits and picked-up weapons after using The Eureka Effect to teleport back to base
• The Dalokohs Bar can now accept Ally Healing Done strange parts
• Updated several HUD elements to include the name of the weapon's owner when a player is carrying a weapon they picked-up
• Updated the materials for the Stickybomb Launcher
• Updated Mann Co. Store prices for foreign currencies to current USD equivalents
• Updated the localization files
• PASS Time update
  • Fixed scoring in your own goal if you change teams while the jack is in flight
  • Fixed disguised and cloaked enemy Spies having a shield drawn for them in the HUD
  • Fixed players sometimes not being able to throw the jack
  • Fixed another case where players could teleport the jack with The Eureka Effect
  • Fixed The Dead Ringer making it impossible to throw the jack or deactivate the Dead Ringer
  • All global special abilities that are activated with alt-fire are now available while carrying the jack, unless you're actively aiming the jack
  • Unlocked console variables for community servers to experiment with without requiring sv_cheats
  • Fixed Scouts being able to pick up the jack while drinking
  • Fixed disguised Spies being able to carry the jack in some situations
  • Made weapon switch faster after throwing the jack
  • Fixed not getting a speed boost if you score and then get the jack after it respawns
  • Fixed a crash if mp_tournament was enabled and someone scored during pre-game
  • Improved the way blocking works
  • Fixed being able to cancel enemy taunts by hitting them with the ball
  • Fixed seeing a phantom jack in your hand if you threw the jack and couldn't switch back to your previous weapon (jars, cleavers, etc.)
  • Updated pass_warehouse
    • Fixed issue with jack getting stuck behind props
    • Fixed exploit of jack getting stuck in dropper
    • Fixed issue with unbalanced ammo and health kits
    • Moved resupply closets further from the doors
    • Added plank walkway to central warehouses on top of the containers
• Server Browser
  • Fixed the history tab of the server browser failing to record servers
  • Fixed the spectate tab of the server browser not working at all
  • Fixed the game info dialog for SourceTV master servers improperly showing the server as not responding
  • Fixed connecting to SourceTV servers via the Favorites tab in the server browser
  • Fixed SourceTV relay servers not properly registering on the server list in some situations
  • Fixed the game info dialog for SourceTV relay servers not allowing connection despite open slots
  • Fixed SourceTV relay servers appearing to have negative max players
• Maps Workshop Beta
  • Fixed map cycle files specified before the initial map load not properly tracking workshop maps
  • Fixed game servers using registered accounts via sv_setsteamaccount being unable to access workshop content
  • Fixed servers getting stuck in a loop when the nextlevel convar contains a un-loadable workshop map

If you haven't already bought a pass to the Gun Mettle campaign, it's not too late! But it will be in a week, because we're going to stop selling them. So this is your last chance to get a Gun Mettle Campaign Pass. If you're thinking, "The Campaign's almost over, why buy one now?", the answer is that you'll still get access to all past contracts up until now, in addition to all of the contracts for the remainder of the campaign. There's still five weeks until Gun Mettle's over, soo that's a heck of a lot of chances to snag yourself some one-of-a-kind campaign-exclusive weapons.

Speaking of those: If you've got ten campaign-exclusive items just sitting around, we've got good news for you. Now you can trade them in for a higher-tier item! Simply click on any Gun Mettle item in your inventory and choose "Mann Co. Trade-Up" from the drop-down menu to give it a shot!

We're also shipping the Gun Mettle Cosmetic Case, an exclusive community cosmetic item collection now available as a weekly random drop for folks who own a Gun Mettle Campaign Coin. Just like the weapons, all of these 16 cosmetics have a chance to contain Strange capability, and the nine hats in the collection have a chance at being Unusual.

Let's see, what else? We've made it so you can now preview Gun Mettle cosmetic items in your inventory the same way you can preview Gun Mettle weapons. We've also added map stamps and strange filters for all of the community-created Gun Mettle Campaign maps. (Don't forget to submit your maps to the Maps Workshop Beta, mapmakers!)

The Multiplay Insomnia Gaming Festival is one of the biggest annual tournaments, not to mention one of the highest profile TF2 competitions in the world. The Team Fortress 2 Cup goes down live this weekend at Insomnia55 at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, England. The top two American teams, Ascent and froyotech, will be in attendance thanks to successful crowdfunding campaigns.

The full event is being streamed on twitch.tv, so if you can't make it to Coventry in person, be sure to tune in and catch the fun!

It's our favorite time of year again! It's time to announce this year's Saxxy Awards, and lay out the rules and deadlines for submissions. We're especially excited to find out how the mix of universes for entries this year is affected by both the release of the SFM within the Dota 2 Reborn Beta and the Dota 2 Short Film Contest.

We're mixing up the categories again this year, to encourage more of you to submit entries. (and encourage the overachievers among you to submit more entries!) The Action, Comedy and Drama categories are all changing to have a 3 minute limit, and there will be a new Extended category that has the 5 minute limit from prior years. We believe that there are a great many stories to be told in the new 3 minute format, and we hope to see more of them by adding categories in the gap that existed between 1 and 5 minutes.

On a more technical note, we're also changing the way that submissions are uploaded, so you upload your entries directly to YouTube, and add them to your Steam profile, instead of uploading through the SFM. The submission deadline is November 11th, but once again, we'd like to remind you that you can upload non-final versions up to a week in advance of the final deadline, to guard against last-minute computer failures, internet outages, YouTube login problems, etc. Check the guidelines for details on the rules and deadlines, and get your entries ready!

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:

• Fixed an issue with the Festive Revolver not drawing correctly
• Updated the materials for the Australium Minigun
• PASS Time update
  • Fixed disguised Spies not having a shield drawn for them in the HUD
  • Fixed players being able to carry the jack while taunting (fixes an exploit with The Eureka Effect)
  • Fixed being able to 'inspect' the jack while players are carrying it
  • Fixed capturing the jack not incrementing Scout contract points
  • Updated pass_warehouse
    • Fixed a hole near the RED goal
    • Fixed some props where the jack could get stuck
    • Changed some small health kits to medium

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:

• Fixed a PASS Time sound bug related to carrying the Jack

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:

• Updated LODs for the revolver
• PASS Time update
  • Fixed a client crash related to the HUD
  • Fixed the Short Circuit being used to remove the Jack from the game
  • Fixed players being able to pick-up the Jack while they have weapons deployed that cannot be holstered
  • Updated pass_warehouse
    • Fixed players getting into enemy spawn rooms
    • Fixed the Jack being thrown into spawn rooms
    • Fixed being able to build in the goals

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 new game mode 'PASS Time' to the TF2 Beta
  • Check out the blog post for more information
• Fixed a crash caused by a client sending malformed network data to the server (thanks to Nathaniel Theis for this report and test case)
• Added a new hat 'The Finder's Fee'
  • Will be awarded going forward on a case-by-case basis to those who report major economy-breaking bugs or remote-code-execution bugs, and provide detailed information and steps to reproduce
  • Well deserved congratulations to the first recipient, Nathaniel Theis
• Fixed visual bugs caused by picking up weapons with special attributes
• Fixed the Mann vs. Machine Medigun shield not being re-created after switching away from the Medigun and back while the charge is draining
• Fixed some alignment issues in the HUD meters for the Mann vs. Machine rage knockback and Medigun shield
• Fixed left-hand view models not displaying Stat Clocks correctly
• Fixed being able to use the tournament_readystate client command when using per-player ready status mode
• Fixed seeing a HUD mp_timelimit timer for maps that don't end the round when the map timelimit runs out
• Fixed some missing VO sounds for the Demoman when laughing
• Fixed being able to use the Restore action on Killstreak Kits
• Fixed character loadout menus so they display the particle effects for all equipped Unusual items
• The Huo-Long Heater can now accept Posthumous Kills strange parts
• Updated the Australium Grenade Launcher to fix the wood material being shiny
• Updated the backpack images for the Gun Mettle Campaign Coin
• Updated LODs for several weapons and the sentry gun
• Updated Mann Co. Store prices for foreign currencies to current USD equivalents
• Updated the localization files
• Updated Koth_Suijin with the latest changes from the authors
  • Added cover around the point preventing cross-point sight line
  • Opened second window in point building
  • Tweaked pickup amounts and positions
  • Widened space between stairs to point and bridge railing to allow easier movement
  • Clipping improvements
  • Improved lighting in dark areas
  • Fixed an issue where engineers could build on outlying islands
  • Fixed an issue where engineers could trap teammates by building teleporters in spaces with restricted movement
  • Fixed an issue where the spawn room doors could be held open by an opposing team member
  • Optimization improvements
• Maps Workshop Beta
  • Fixed a common crash when loading some compressed maps
  • Fixed various issues running workshop maps on listen servers
    • Listen servers no longer unnecessarily fetch a second copy of the map
    • Listen servers no longer cause the client to crash upon the second load of the same workshop map
  • Added -ugcpath parameter for dedicated servers to control location of downloaded workshop content
    • Defaults to steamapps/workshop
    • Multiple servers sharing the same UGC directory is currently not supported, and will not go well
  • Added server command tf_workshop_map_status to view currently tracked maps and their status
  • Enhanced handling of updated maps to ensure the newest available version of the map is always used on level change
  • Improved handling of workshop maps in a server's map cycle
    • Workshop maps in the map cycle will be automatically fetched and updated in the background
    • Workshop maps in the map cycle will have their names updated to the canonical name once known
  • Map votes now work with workshop maps
    • A known issue is that the full workshop map name is currently shown instead of the friendly name
  • Community request: Updated the FindMap and CanProvideLevel API for server-side mods. These functions now always expose the full workshop names for maps when known, even if not the map is not yet installed

A while back we ran into some of the guys at Bad Robot. We liked the stuff they were making, they liked the stuff we were up to, and we hit it off almost instantly.

After we'd given them a tour, one of the things they found the most fascinating was TF2's ongoing update schedule. Traditionally a film and TV studio, they typically don't get to show their community anything until it's already finished. So the idea of shipping a beta version of something, then working with a community of gamers to make it better over time, was a wholly new and exciting concept to them.

"Man, we wish we could do something like that," they said. To which our logical response was: "Why don't you?" (There might have even been some buck-buck chicken noises.)

Flash forward a bit, and here we are: The TF team is incredibly happy to announce PASS Time, a new game mode for Team Fortress 2 dreamed up by Bad Robot and co-developed with the talented folks at Escalation Studios, available now in-game as a beta release. PASS Time combines TF2's usual fast-paced bloodsport with the actual fast-paced sports of soccer, hockey and basketball.

This is where you come in. PASS Time marks Bad Robot's first foray into rapidly iterative content, and they're really excited to get feedback on their beta so they can work with the TF community to evolve the game. This is a new way of doing things for them, and they're looking forward to working with you to see how it grows over time.

Keep reading for more information about the new game mode or just boot up TF2 and play it for yourself. Take it away, Bad Robot!

Thanks, guys. And hello to the TF2 community! As massive fans of all things Valve and TF2, we've been thrilled to work with them, and the deft developers at Escalation Studios, to present this super early look at PASS Time. And now we're extremely excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with you, the players! Your feedback will be critical to making this mode, at very least, worthy of the game we all love. So, many thanks for hitting us up at passtime@valvesoftware.com with any and all thoughts. Here's hoping that, together, we can create something special that the community will enjoy as much as we've enjoyed just getting to this point!

RED and BLU face off in an epic battle to score more goals than their opponents. Coordinated passing, aerial shots, interceptions, team-based formations and plays, defensive lines and the like make for strategically chaotic play.

The "jack" is a ball that, when carried, replaces your weapons. Teamwork is key in protecting the jack-carrier. Pass and shoot with your primary fire. Pick up and intercept by simply touching the jack. Melee an opponent carrier to steal. Carrying the jack also gives that player the following boosts:

• Health: regeneration
• Invulnerability: temporary when you steal (with melee) or intercept the jack
• Speed: temporary increase when you first gain possession
• Vision: see both teammates AND opponents on the map

• Passing
  A critical aspect of PASS Time play. Team-based passing is a surefire way to get the ball away from your goal, and into your opponents', as quickly as possible.
• Coordinated Team Play
  In PASS Time, it s vital to play as a team. Lone wolf runs don t stand a chance against a united front.
• High-Flying Action
  PASS Time introduces speed boosts and jump-pads. Nothing beats the rush of a mid-air shot-on-goal or interception.
• Defense!
  A balance of offensive and defensive strategy is key. Goalies can be the difference-makers in PASS Time.
• Sudden Death
  As with most sports, try not to die. Especially if the match ends in a tie 'cause that s when true Sudden Death kicks in.

The good folks at teamfortress.tv, in partnership with the also-good folks at SweetStakes.tf and ZOWIE, are running Gimmicks, Guts and Glory, a two-day invite-only tournament this weekend!

The best teams in Europe Reason Gaming, The Last Resort and nerdRage.tf2 are lining up to take on froyotech, the current world champions. Four other LAN hopefuls have been thrown in with these lions to fight tooth and nail one last time before they enter into the LAN arena a month from now at one of TF2's biggest intercontinental tournaments, Insomnia55.

Start Times

• 7AM PDT / 16:00 CEST - Saturday August 15th (Groups)
• 8AM PDT / 17:00 CEST - Sunday August 16th (Bracket and Finals)

A more detailed schedule can be found here.