Sep 30, 2010

Steam Wallet and in-game transactions are here!

Steam Blog - Valve

The Steam Wallet has officially been released along with the Team Fortress 2 Mann Co. Store, where players can now purchase items right within TF2.

With Steam Wallet, you can add value to your Steam account using any of the payment methods supported by Steam. Funds in your Steam Wallet may then be used to buy any item available in the Steam store on an in-game store. You can load up your Steam Wallet ahead of time, or wait until checkout. Also, different payment methods can be combined to make a single purchase.

Once you've added funds to your wallet, that money will be used by default for subsequent Steam store purchases. But if you'd prefer to reserve your wallet balance for in-game purchases of Mad Milk, Holy Mackerel and Bushwackas, no problem -- simply select another payment method during checkout. Your wallet funds will be there the next time you're ready to shop at Mann Co., or any other in-game store.

TF2's Mann Co. Store is the first of many upcoming Steamworks in-game stores where Steam Wallet funds can be spent. See the TF2 Mannconomy FAQ for any questions specific to that game. Otherwise, feel free to give the wallet a try for your next Steam purchase, and please let us know what you think.

Sep 30, 2010

Team Fortress 2 Update Released

Counter-Strike: Source - Valve

Updates to Team Fortress 2 have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:

Team Fortress 2

Added the Mann-conomy.
- Added 65 new items (hats, weapons, tools, minigames, gifts, crates).
- Added the Mann Co. Store & Catalog.
- Added Trading.
- Added Item customization.
Additional TF2 features
- Added new auto-team-scramble system:
  - Set mp_scrambleteams_auto to 1 (default) to automatically scramble the teams if the criteria is met
  - Set mp_scrambleteams_auto_windifference to set the number of round wins a team must lead by in order to trigger an auto scramble (default is 2)
- Updated how Spy disguise targets are selected to more randomly distribute the selections
- Fixed the FreezePanel background not using the correct color if you were killed by a player or building on your own team
- Server browser tweaks
  - It will now encourage you to add servers to Favorites or Blacklists after you have a good/bad experience on them.
  - The Server Browser now automatically closes after successfully connecting to a server (opt-out via the Options-Multiplayer->Advanced dialog)
Achievement tuning
- Demoman achievement "The Stickening" changed to 3 from 5.
- Heavy achievement "Krazy Ivan" changed to 50 from 100.
- Medic achievement "Consultation" changed to 3 from 5.
- Medic achievement "Peer Review" changed to 10 from 50.
- Medic achievement "Placebo Effect" changed to 2 from from 5.
- Medic achievement "FYI I am A Medic" changed to 1 from 5.
- Medic achievement "Family Practice" changed to 5 from 10.
- Soldier achievement "Geneva Contravention" changed to 3 from 5.
- Scout achievement "Strike Zone" now counts assists.
- Scout achievements "Fall Classic" and "Foul Territory" are fixed.

Engine (CS:S, DoD:S, TF2, HL2:DM)

Added sv_alltalk to the list of convars that are checked for the sv_tags list.
Fixed a model instance crash.
Removed engine ConVar "r_ForceRestore"

Other Games

Half-Life 2: Deathmatch
- Updated to run on the Orange Box engine with CS:S, DoD:S, and TF2

Sep 30, 2010

The Settlers 7 Update Released

The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom - Valve

Updates to The Settlers 7 have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:

Version 1.10

Improvements

Players will now be informed if a player is lagging behind when loading a multiplayer session
Players who are not responding for more that 45 seconds can now be kicked by vote

Bug Fixes

Fixed a rare freeze when conquering a sector owned by another player or AI
Fixed a non upgradeable tower on “Battle for Tanholm”
Fixed a bug with a non reachable sector on “Grassland Mesa”
Fixed a savegame issue on the 1st campaign map
Fixed a bug with the game´s connection to Facebook
Fixed a rare bug where the new victory points “Pacifist” and “Ascetic” were not awarded correctly
Fixed a rare crash with corrupt savegames

Sep 28, 2010

Borderlands Update Released

Borderlands Game of the Year - Valve

Updates to Borderlands have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:

Adds DLC Support: Ensure Cross Compatibility between owners of ClapTrap’s New Robot Revolution content with those who do not own the New Revolution content.
Stops removing valid weapons and items: Some legitimately-obtained items and weapons were being inaccurately tagged as invalid or hacked, and were being deleted from players’ inventory. The patch ensures that only invalid weapons & items are deleted.

Sep 28, 2010

New Release - Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light - Valve

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is now available on Steam.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is an action/adventure game featuring Lara Croft. This brand extension combines the hallmarks of the Tomb Raider franchise including exploration & discovery, platforming, and puzzle solving combined with character progression, fun fast-paced combat, and elements of human cooperation and competition.

Sep 28, 2010

New Release - Supreme Comander 2: Infinite War Battle Pack DLC

Supreme Commander 2: Infinite War Battle Pack - Valve

Get ready for some awesome new features and upgrades developed by Chris Taylor and the team at Gas Powered Games. The Infinite War Battle Pack DLC for SUPREME COMMANDER® 2 is now available on Steam, featuring a whole host of new maps, units, experimentals, tech tree upgrades, and boosts for PC!