Oct 20, 2014
Team Fortress 2 Update Released
Team Fortress 2 - Valve
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  • Fixed another exploit that allowed clients to have an out-of-date, corrupt, or modified version of items_game.txt
  • Fixed clients not downloading *.dx80.vtx, *.dx90.vtx, and *.sw.vtx files from servers running custom content
  • Fixed sv_pure defaulting to -2 instead of 0
  • Fixed font issues for Mac clients
  • Made the Spellbook Magazine a base action slot item for players to equip and use when playing on a server that uses Halloween Spells
  • Fixed not being able to wear Halloween-restricted cosmetic items on Halloween maps outside of the regular Halloween and Fullmoon events
  • Halloween spells can now be enabled and controlled on servers via ConVars tf_spells_enabled and tf_player_spell_drop_on_death_rate
  • Halloween spells can now be enabled by map authors via HolidayEntity by setting the flag HalloweenSetUsingSpells
Oct 20, 2014
Team Fortress 2 Update Released
Team Fortress 2
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  • Fixed another exploit that allowed clients to have an out-of-date, corrupt, or modified version of items_game.txt
  • Fixed clients not downloading *.dx80.vtx, *.dx90.vtx, and *.sw.vtx files from servers running custom content
  • Fixed sv_pure defaulting to -2 instead of 0
  • Fixed font issues for Mac clients
  • Made the Spellbook Magazine a base action slot item for players to equip and use when playing on a server that uses Halloween Spells
  • Fixed not being able to wear Halloween-restricted cosmetic items on Halloween maps outside of the regular Halloween and Fullmoon events
  • Halloween spells can now be enabled and controlled on servers via ConVars tf_spells_enabled and tf_player_spell_drop_on_death_rate
  • Halloween spells can now be enabled by map authors via HolidayEntity by setting the flag HalloweenSetUsingSpells
Oct 15, 2014
Team Fortress 2 Update Released
Team Fortress 2 - Valve
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 exploit related to clients uploading files to servers
  • Fixed a problem that allowed clients to have an out-of-date, corrupt, or modified version of items_game.txt

    • TF2 will not run if a bad items_game.txt file is found
    • If your items_game.txt file is reported as being corrupt, delete any items_game.txt files you have added and verify your TF2 installation
  • Updated Mann Co. Store prices for foreign currencies to current USD equivalents
  • Fixed a timing problem with the Rancho Relaxo taunt animation
  • Removed the Limited Late Summer Crate from the crate drop list
  • Limited Late Summer Crates can no longer be opened
  • Removed the Limited Late Summer Crate Key from the Mann Co. Store
  • Limited Late Summer Crate Keys have been converted to Mann Co. Supply Crate Keys
  • Fixed Linux dedicated servers not showing up in the LAN serverbrowser tab when using sv_lan 1
  • Fixed the Duels leaderboard not displaying current counts
  • Added the explosion particles to the list of files that we always enforce consistency on
  • Added ConVar tf_classlimit
    • When set, limit each class to the specified value
    • Works in any game mode, but overridden in Tournament mode and Highlander mode
  • Updated the model/materials for the Runner's Warm-Up to fix a lighting issue
  • Updated the equip_regions for the Couvre Corner and the Pocket Heavy
  • Updated rd_asteroid

    • Continued art-pass process

  • Updated the vote system

    • Fixed team-specific vote sounds/notifications playing/showing for the ineligible team
    • sv_vote_issue_restart_game_allowed default changed to off
    • Added sv_vote_issue_restart_game_allowed_mvm (on by default)
    • Added "Enable/Disable Class Limits" vote

      • Controlled by sv_vote_issue_classlimits_allowed (off by default)

        • Limit controlled by sv_vote_issue_classlimits_max (default 4)

      • Controlled by sv_vote_issue_classlimits_allowed_mvm in Mann vs. Machine (off by default)
        • Limit controlled by sv_vote_issue_classlimits_max_mvm in Mann vs. Machine (default 2)
Oct 15, 2014
Team Fortress 2 Update Released
Team Fortress 2
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 exploit related to clients uploading files to servers
  • Fixed a problem that allowed clients to have an out-of-date, corrupt, or modified version of items_game.txt
    • TF2 will not run if a bad items_game.txt file is found
    • If your items_game.txt file is reported as being corrupt, delete any items_game.txt files you have added and verify your TF2 installation
  • Updated Mann Co. Store prices for foreign currencies to current USD equivalents
  • Fixed a timing problem with the Rancho Relaxo taunt animation
  • Removed the Limited Late Summer Crate from the crate drop list
  • Limited Late Summer Crates can no longer be opened
  • Removed the Limited Late Summer Crate Key from the Mann Co. Store
  • Limited Late Summer Crate Keys have been converted to Mann Co. Supply Crate Keys
  • Fixed Linux dedicated servers not showing up in the LAN serverbrowser tab when using sv_lan 1
  • Fixed the Duels leaderboard not displaying current counts
  • Added the explosion particles to the list of files that we always enforce consistency on
  • Added ConVar tf_classlimit
    • When set, limit each class to the specified value
    • Works in any game mode, but overridden in Tournament mode and Highlander mode
  • Updated the model/materials for the Runner's Warm-Up to fix a lighting issue
  • Updated the equip_regions for the Couvre Corner and the Pocket Heavy
  • Updated rd_asteroid
    • Continued art-pass process
  • Updated the vote system
    • Fixed team-specific vote sounds/notifications playing/showing for the ineligible team
    • sv_vote_issue_restart_game_allowed default changed to off
    • Added sv_vote_issue_restart_game_allowed_mvm (on by default)
    • Added "Enable/Disable Class Limits" vote
      • Controlled by sv_vote_issue_classlimits_allowed (off by default)
        • Limit controlled by sv_vote_issue_classlimits_max (default 4)
      • Controlled by sv_vote_issue_classlimits_allowed_mvm in Mann vs. Machine (off by default)
        • Limit controlled by sv_vote_issue_classlimits_max_mvm in Mann vs. Machine (default 2)
Oct 15, 2014
Latest Team Fortress 2 Comic Tells Origins Of Sniper
Team Fortress 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Graham Smith)

“Hey, remember Team Fortress 2?” I think to myself, sometimes. I played that game every day for months, squeezing rounds into lunch breaks and evenings till eventually I lost interest. “The big updates slowed,” I explain to myself. “The steady stream of community content made each release feel like less of an event, and eventually time moved on and everyone’s focus moved elsewhere, right?” Right.

What definitely didn’t happen is that the game continued to grow in popularity indefinitely. It certainly didn’t become the third most played game on Steam, with tens of thousands playing it at any moment. Absolutely there is not a regular and regularly excellent series of free comics about it, with a fourth part that went online earlier this month. That’d be mad.

… [visit site to read more]

Oct 3, 2014
Machinamazing: Saxxy Awards Winners Declared
Team Fortress 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Alice O'Connor)

Mine.

Whoa. Hey there. Sorry, I’m just coming round following the Saxxy Awards on Wednesday. I don’t even remember Thursday. There I was, seated between Morrissey and Prince, then I have a vague memory of Mozzer whipping out a hip flask that smelt like paint stripper and… nothing. It’s a blank. I don’t even know who won. I awoke in a cemetery this morning.

The Saxxies, of course, are the annual fan-voted awards for short films made in Valve’s Source Filmmaker. They’re short flicks about TF2, Portal 2, and Dota 2, but with the care Valve puts into developing characters and recording odd edge-case lines of dialogue, folks can be jolly creative.

… [visit site to read more]

Oct 3, 2014
Machinamazing: Saxxy Awards Winners Declared
Team Fortress 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Alice O'Connor)

Mine.

Whoa. Hey there. Sorry, I’m just coming round following the Saxxy Awards on Wednesday. I don’t even remember Thursday. There I was, seated between Morrissey and Prince, then I have a vague memory of Mozzer whipping out a hip flask that smelt like paint stripper and… nothing. It’s a blank. I don’t even know who won. I awoke in a cemetery this morning.

The Saxxies, of course, are the annual fan-voted awards for short films made in Valve’s Source Filmmaker. They’re short flicks about TF2, Portal 2, and Dota 2, but with the care Valve puts into developing characters and recording odd edge-case lines of dialogue, folks can be jolly creative.

… [visit site to read more]

Oct 2, 2014
Issue #4 of Team Fortress Comics!
Team Fortress 2


Good news, everybody! We've decided to release the latest issue of our annual comic book six months early!


And what an issue it is! This double-sized monster has got it all, folks! All the action! All the words we know! 113 pulse-crushing, revelation-choked pages! It took us years to write but thanks to modern reading techniques, it will only take you minutes to read!


That said, we hope you're not scared of skeletons, because yours is about to fall out of your gaping mouth when you get a load of the shocking plot twists inside this issue.


Read on for Part Four of Team Fortress Comics: Blood in the Water!


Oct 2, 2014
The 2014 Saxxy Award winners announced
Team Fortress 2

The Valve community hive-mind has spoken—well, pulsated—and the best Source Filmmaker films have been chosen. Unless they were wrong, which would fundamentally undermine Valve's entire business strategy for the last few years. Probably.

Here, then, are the official winners of the Saxxy Awards 2014:

Best Short

Best Comedy

Best Action

Best Drama

Overall Winner

A strong selection, I'd say. Rivalry Rush is a particular highlight of mine, with the winner, Animation vs. Animator, also providing a healthy amount of laughs. Still, it's a surprise to see that the winners are all TF2-based. Valve opened up a few different games for this year's competition, and there were some great entries for a few of their other games. I wonder if the community is just too heavily entrenched in the game, or if film makers are just more comfortable playing with TF2's cartoon-oriented antics.

If you've got a favourite that didn't make it into the winners list, post it in the comments for others to enjoy. You can see the full list of nominations here.

Oct 1, 2014
Team Fortress 2 Update Released
Team Fortress 2 - Valve
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:

  • Improved memory usage for Mac clients
  • Fixed an exploit that allowed item nametags to go beyond the 40 character limit
  • Fixed a bug where reflected rocket explosions from non-stock flamethrowers would cause the flame sound to loop
  • tf_teamtalk is now on by default - the dead can talk to the living
  • When you mute a player, the mute settings now apply to text chat as well as voice chat. If you want the previous behavior, change convar cl_mute_all_comms to 0.
  • More weapon models are now loaded on demand to reduce overall memory usage
  • Added "Enable/Disable Auto TeamBalance" votes
    • Successful votes will enable/disable team player count balancing
    • Use sv_vote_issue_autobalance_allowed to control if this vote is enabled on the server
    • Votes not allowed in Mann vs. Machine, Medieval mode, Arena mode, Tournament Mode, or Training
  • Updated rd_asteroid
    • Increased overtime to 45 seconds
    • Added more sound cues when overtime starts
    • Dropped reactor cores now blink on the HUD when they are about to return
    • Added latest art assets to blue base exterior
...