- Feb 25, 2019
- 359
- 287
Introduction
Hi there, lately I’ve been thinking in the amount of gamemodes TF2 has, and how many of them are pretty forgotten, I feel like lately the only gamemodes that get something new are King of the Hill, Player Destruction and Payload, just check the last maps added to the game. So I wanted to do a thread about the forgotten gamemodes, ones that doesn’t get the attention they deserve from Valve, and even the community, so let’s get started.Keep in mind I’ll only talk about gamemodes you can play in a normal way, so I’m not gonna cover weird maps like Cloak, Itemtest... or Training Mode.
PASS Time
Total Maps: 3 / Last Update: 2016
Total Maps: 3 / Last Update: 2016
This is latest gamemode added to TF2, and also it’s the only gamemode developed by a third party company, which is something weird. There are 3 maps in this gamemode; Brickyard, District, and Timbertown.
It’s very different from anything in the game, and the maps are very big, they even have jump pads, you can’t go wrong with jump pads.
So why we haven’t got any PASS Time yet? Well, as I said before, this gamemode was created by a third party, and apparently because of that, Valve can’t add community maps, so I guess we can only get a new map for this gamemode if Valve, Bad Robot, and Escalation Studios feel like it, which is very unlikely...
Capture the Flag (Mannpower)
Total Maps: 4 (but only 1 original) / Last Update: 2015
Total Maps: 4 (but only 1 original) / Last Update: 2015
This gamemode didn’t start very well to begin with. It has 4 maps and only 1 of them is completely original, Hellfire, the other 3 are just edited versions of other maps; Foundry, Gorge, and Thunder Mountain.
The gamemode is just CTF, but with Grappling Hooks, Powerups and oversized maps. I’m gonna be honest, I’m not a huge fan of this gamemode, but I kind of like the powerups.
To me the main problem with this gamemode is that there is only 1 original map for it, and it’s not very good, and the other ones doesn’t feel good as CTFs maps, I mean one of them is a payload map, but now is a symmetric CTF map, that’s not a good sign.
Arena (2CP)
Total Maps: 1 / Last Update: 2015
Total Maps: 1 / Last Update: 2015
Oh Arena, what ever happend to you? Let alone, a 2CP Arena, there is only 1 map with this gamemode, Byre. Arena it’s a gamemode that despite having a few community maps out there, Valve doesn’t seem to like it, it’s the only gamemode you can’t play in Casual. It would have been the last arena map added if it wasn’t for Graveyard.
So anyways, what is 2CP Arena? Well, it’s like Arena, but instead of 1CP, there is 2, that’s pretty much it, I do kind of like the idea cause you don’t have to wait to the control point to open, it feels faster, at least for me. And also I made a map with this gamemode, in case you wanna check it out.
Control Point (3CP)
Total Maps: 1 / Last Update: 2015
Total Maps: 1 / Last Update: 2015
To be honest, this map, and gamemode, should be even lower on the list, since it actually started in 2007, but it was in hiatus until 2015. So that means that carries the same issue as early TF2 maps.
The gamemode is exactly as 5CP but only with 3 Control Points, and I find it interesting, 5CP maps are quite popular, so this one should be too, but unfortunately it’s not. Since there is only 1 official map, and it’s actually from 2007, it’s hasn’t aged too well, matches usually ends in stalemate, and that’s why most people hate this map.
I find funny that people hate this gamemode and Territorial Control, since both are gamemodes from 2007, each one has only 1 official map, and both has the same setting, and that’s a shame cause I really like the setting of these maps.
On October 10, 2024, we got a new 3CP map, with a money mechanic like MvM!
Special Delivery
Total Maps: 2 (1 is a reskin version of the other) / Last Update: 2014
Total Maps: 2 (1 is a reskin version of the other) / Last Update: 2014
This gamemode has a lot of nostalgia value for me, because it was the first map and gamemode they added after I started playing TF2, so when they added it I played it a lot back in the day, nowadays I barely play it, but it has a special charm for me. This gamemode only has 1 map really, the other map is just a halloween version.
I’m not sure what people think about this gamemode, I like it, but it gets boring very fast, mainly because there is still only 1 map for it, and I haven’t seen many out there, but I dont think it’s very hard to make one, at least for a design perspective, it’s kinda like Standing, and now that I think about it, Standin could workout as an SD map, lol.
I guess one reason why people would not like this gamemode is that matches can go on forever, it’s really hard to cap on that elevator, but if it wasn’t there then it would be too easy.
Robot Destruction
Total Maps: 1 / Last Update: 2014
Total Maps: 1 / Last Update: 2014
I’m not sure if this one should count, I mean, it’s an official gamemode, but the only official map is not finished yet, and you can’t play it in Casual, but surprisingly it has his own section in the TF2 Workshop. This gamemode, only has 1 map, Asteroid, a very unique map not only for the gamemode, but also for the environment.
The gamemode is a bit odd, is kinda like CTF, but with robots you have to destroy to get “Power Cores”, and once you reach a certain amount you win.I think the main reason this gamemode has not been released yet is because Player Destruction made it obsolete, it’s very similar but instead of destroying robots you destroy players, so it’s more self-explanatory than the other one.
I think Valve will eventually release the map, but I don’t think they’ll do a lot with it, seeing that Player Destruction is more popular, they have been adding at least 1 PD map for halloween these last few years, so I can understand why this gamemode it’s so forgotten.
Mann vs. Machine
Total Maps: 7 (8 if you count the example map) / Last Update: 2013
Total Maps: 7 (8 if you count the example map) / Last Update: 2013
This is the gamemode with the most maps in this list, but I feel like including it because it’s been almost 10 years since we got any MvM map. There is a total of 8 maps, 6 normal maps, 1 halloween map, and 1 test map.
MvM it’s the most different gamemode in the whole game, and that’s probably why I like it so much, it’s the gamemode I go if I get tired of playing in casual, and for a long time I just booted up the game to just play MvM.
Unfortunately it seems like a forgotten gamemode, at least for Valve. There is plenty of maps for this gamemode out there, some of them are even better than the ones we have in the game, so I don’t see any reason to not add community maps for this gamemode. This is what I call, a Valve Gamemode, a gamemode only with valve maps.
Control Point (Domination)
Total Maps: 1 / Last Update: 2013
Total Maps: 1 / Last Update: 2013
Another gamemode I’m surprised there is only 1 map, Standin.
The gamemode is pretty simple, there is 3 Control Points and one team must capture all of them to win. I really like this gamemode, it offers variate between the Control Points, and each team has to attack and defend, kinda like 5CP, but faster.
Seriously, why there aren’t more maps like this out there? I haven’t found a lot out there, right now in the website there is 43 maps in this gamemode, which is very low compared to the other CP map in the website.
Payload Race (Multi-Stage)
Total Maps: 2 / Last Update: 2011
Total Maps: 2 / Last Update: 2011
I was gonna add Linear-Stage PLR too, but that one has more custom maps out there, and also it has Hightower, one of the most popular maps in the entire game, so I’ll just talk about this one. So far there is only 2 maps with this gamemode, Nightfall and Pipeline.
This gamemode is just PLR, but instead of one big stage, there is 3 smaller stages, if a team wins one stage they get a little advantage in the next one, and interesting idea, in fact, I wanted to do a custom CP like that, but TF2 crashes when I tried, if you want to try it go ahead.
To be honest, I don’t have a lot to say about this, I think the main reason there is not a lot of them in the game and by the community is because people don’t like too much multi-stage maps, I mean, right now there is 24 Payload Maps in the game, 19 are Single-stage and 5 are multi-stage. But I think it’s still an interesting idea, I like Nightfall a lot, for some reason it reminds me simpler times for TF2.
Control Point (Medieval-Style)
Total Maps: 1 / Last Update: 2010
Total Maps: 1 / Last Update: 2010
The medieval gamemode, this is probably one of the most popular map and gamemode on the list.
So far there is only 1 map in this gamemode, DeGroot Keep.
It’s pretty unique, since it’s the only gamemode where you have to play only with melee weapons, and also it’s a pretty fast map, you can end a match in less than 1 minute, which is nice if you want something fast.
I think that of all the gamemodes in the game, this is probably the one with most reasons to not comeback. I mean, I like it, but can get old really fast. I think it would be interesting if they did the same with more gamemodes, but I’m not quite sure which gamemode would fit only melee weapons.
On October 10, 2023, a Halloween version of Degroot Keep (Sandcaslte), was added to the game. So we got a new map on this gamemode, but it's just a skin version of the only medieval map.
On July 18, 2024, we got a new medieval map, Burghausen and this one is multi-stage!
Control Point (Pyramid-Style)
Total Maps: 3 (1 is a reskin version) / Last Update: 2009 (2022*)
Total Maps: 3 (1 is a reskin version) / Last Update: 2009 (2022*)
This gamemode actually was one of the first ones created for the game, and so far there is only 2 maps, Gravel Pit, and Junction. The funny thing is that these 2 maps are almost the opposite from each other, one is big and open, while the other is small and very closed.
This gamemode is pretty simple, BLU must capture both A and B to being able to cap C and win the match, while RED defend. Basically it’s like Attack/Defense CP, but being able to cap both A and B from the start.
I don’t have a lot to say about this one, it’s a neat idea, and I wish it had more maps but it’s a gamemode I haven’t played a lot tbh.
On December 5, 2022, a Smissmas version of Gravel Pit (Coal Pit), was added to the game. So we got a new map on this gamemode, but it's just a skin version of other map.
On October 10, 2023, we got the Halloween version of Gravel Pit (Lava Pit), less than a year since the Smissmas version. But again, just a skin version of other map...
Control Point (Centralized-Style)
Total Maps: 1 / Last Update: 2008
Total Maps: 1 / Last Update: 2008
This one is special because it was the third community map added to TF2, and also the first gamemode created by the community. So far, there is only 1 map with this gamemode, Steel.
So, how can an old gamemode like this hasn’t got any new maps in almost 15 years? Well,I dont know, it might be because it can be very confusing for new players and also creating one is not easy, you have to make 5 different CP areas in one single map.
I played a few maps out there with this gamemode, and still was confusing to play, but also it was very fun, I think that nowadays people can improve this gamemode easily with a better map design, but that’s not an easy task.
On July 12, 2023, a new map was added with this gamemode (Sulfur), tho it's a bit different, it's like Steel but mixed with Koth.
On July 18, 2024, a new map was added with this gamemode (Hadal), could this be a comeback of this mode?
Territorial Control
Total Maps: 1 / Last Update: 2007
Total Maps: 1 / Last Update: 2007
You knew this was going to happen, the most forgotten gamemode of all, Territorial Control. I don’t think I have to explain anything, but I’ll try it anyways. This is the oldest gamemode in the game that hasn’t got any new maps, and mostly because it’s confusing, too big, and too slow.
Making maps for this gamemode is not easy, there is not a lot of custom TC maps out there, in fact right now there is only 15 TC maps in this website, and only 1 of them is finished, the others are in alpha, I think that sums up the whole thing. There is not even a section for TC in the TF2 Workshop (but to be fair, Player Destruction doesn’t have one neither).
In my opinion I think it’s a gamemode that has potential, but unfortunately people doesn’t have interest on it enough to make more maps, and probably we’ll never get another one...
Conclusion
So, what’s the point of this whole thread? Well, just to give people my not asked opinion of these gamemodes, and also cause I like weird gamemodes, I want to remind people that they exist, and hopefully someone wants to try out one of the gamemodes I mentioned, instead of another KOTH map (we already have over 2.000 KOTH maps, pls no more).Anyways, thanks for reading all this bunch of words together!
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