My TF2 mod idea simply called "Fortress"

[Mystic Monkey]

I just woke up with the idea, though inspired by Team Fortress 2 Classic, especially the idea of Mercenaries being the common enemies in some of the stories.

Fortress is a stand alone mod game idea based on the lore of Team Fortress 2, like how such games as Half-Life: Before or Portal Stories: Mel are mods of Half-Life and Portal but seperate.

Unlike TF2 and TF2C, the game is a single player game and like Half-Life and Portal, concentrates on the world of Team Fortress. This is why I believe it's better off as a stand alone game and not simply a mod gamemode for Team Fortress 2 or TF2Classic, because these games are online multiplaying games as expected.

For example instead of choosing RED or BLU, you choose one of the nine mercenaries, or maybe a list of stories about the nine mercenaries or additional characters that you could perhaps play as, such as Ms. Pauling, Saxton Hale or the TFClassic mercenaries. Each character has a list of stories to choose from which consist of a series of maps that are played through like Half-Life and Portal. Some maps may still have TF2 like objectives but purely for the sake of stories. For example when you reach the end point of one map it will insteantly load the other as smoothly as it can to give the impression of transition and travel.

So far stories I have in mind are:

• Before Mikhail was Heavy Weapons Guy, how he escaped from the Gulug with his family.
• Ms. Pauling assigning certain BLU mercs rescue missions, such as saving kidnapped tream mates.
• After being rejected by the military, the Soldiers own "Call of Duty" through Europe before being told the war ended in 1949.
  
• TF2 game modes from a story perspective. Such as intelligence retrieving and cap defending.
  
• Ms. Pauling herself doing jobs for the administrator.
  
• Why Scout chose to quit being some juvenile deliquint and joined RED/BLU
• Why TFClassic mercs left and how Team Red and Team Blue evolved into RED and BLU.
  
• The ancestor of Demoman, a knight who learned the alchemy of explosives from a wizard.
• Team Fortress 2 comics made into stories. Such as Shadow Boxers and the main comic series. (The same story can perhaps be played with a different mercenary from their perspective.)

Theres no cosmetics or choice of hats and weapons since each story may provide all that for you as well as alternate skins depending on what the story is about.

Also for the map making and modding community, of course be possible to make your own stories to add to it. Maybe certain fanfictions out there would be ideal for Fortress. Some stories may permit online campaign, but being a single player game can be played offline.

I know Team Fortress 2 isn't all that good with NPCs (as far as bots go) which is why some NPC coding may need to be ported over from Half-Life 2, if it can be made to control Team Fortress based characters. I can imagine escourting Ms. Pauling like how Freeman escourts Alyx.

So, good idea? I know breaks some traditions with Team Fortress, such as the big elephant of concentrating on individuality over team. If Fortress can't work as a stand alone mod, then if Team Fortress 2 gameplay is possible on GMod maybe better of there? I never seen TF2 gameplay on GMod so dunno if it's possible.

 

[Davekillerish]

Tell valve!

 

[SnickerPuffs]

Sound alright. Just get a modding guy/group behind you, and you're golden.

 

[ExtraCheesyPie]

I've been thinking of making singleplayer campaigns in tf2. You would need to customise a navmesh, but you could have a Spy singleplayer campaign where you need to avoid patrolling pyros, destroy the strategy placed sentries and kill the engies near the intel, and finally make your way ba to the start point, which could be like a truck or something waiting outside. It seems like it would be possible, and you could tie in a new ctf map or something

Realistically, it would need non-respawning enemies (and indeed, you can't respawn either). There will either have to be no health kits, or if there is, they will have to be non-respawng as well, to prevent cheesing by staying at the same spot after every tiyou take damage. Ammo kits can respawn as usual.

 

[ExtraCheesyPie]

I mean, its pretty possible. Scout could have a training obstacle course for level 1, then a mission like capping a bunch of stuff before the timer runs out.

Soldier could have a limited ammount of ammo, and have to stop the advancing fist heavy robots before they break down the door to a Mann Co factory, and a jumper course.

Pyro could have a training mission where it has to jump a gap by blasting a rocket towards the ground, and then a gameplay application where tons of dumb bots try to push the cart through on the final cap of upward (mostly projectile weps) and the pyro has to stop people from capping the cart with fire and cliff airblasts, as well as saving teammates by deflecting projectiles.

Sniper could have a shooting gallery with various weaponry, then be use it to stop enemies from getting over the hill. He'll have to frequently be aware of spies, other snipers, and fast enemies, heavies, medics, etc.

No idea what to do for other classes

 

[Mystic Monkey]

I mean, its pretty possible. Scout could have a training obstacle course for level 1, then a mission like capping a bunch of stuff before the timer runs out.

Soldier could have a limited ammount of ammo, and have to stop the advancing fist heavy robots before they break down the door to a Mann Co factory, and a jumper course.

Pyro could have a training mission where it has to jump a gap by blasting a rocket towards the ground, and then a gameplay application where tons of dumb bots try to push the cart through on the final cap of upward (mostly projectile weps) and the pyro has to stop people from capping the cart with fire and cliff airblasts, as well as saving teammates by deflecting projectiles.

Sniper could have a shooting gallery with various weaponry, then be use it to stop enemies from getting over the hill. He'll have to frequently be aware of spies, other snipers, and fast enemies, heavies, medics, etc.

No idea what to do for other classes

Some stories could be of missions assigned by the Admisitrator, others could shine some light on backstories or be set during or around Team Fortress 2.

For example I can imagine the Heavy Weapons Guy with unique game skin and cosmetics. His campaign starts in one of the prisons of the Gulag and your mission is to escourt your family (three sisters and mother) out during a jail break. A scene in mind is him raiding the armoury and finding Sasha for the first time. Though judging from Heavy's memories inA Cold Day in Hell, he may have got his Minigun later on in life.

A story for the Scout I figured recently is on the outter streets of Mannhaten, he was a thug and got detained. His mother was dissapointed in him as she collects him from juvie and he gets an ear full from her. As punishment was sent to clean the apartment and in the attic found either the TFClassic's t-shirt or jacket. Scout's ma was suprised to see him in it and to his suprise discovered his long gone dad was a mercenary. Scout decides to become a mercenary also because to him it sounds like the perfect excuse to beat up people and make an honest living out of it.
Problem with this story in mind though is that I don't think the story would do best with Scout's natual abilities of speed and capping.

 

[ExtraCheesyPie]

Scout was never a thug, he's too wimpy

 

[Davekillerish]

Scout was never a thug, he's too wimpy

*couph* The youngest of eight boys from the south side of Boston, the Scout learned early how to problem solve with his fists. *couph*

 

[ExtraCheesyPie]

Yes, he used his fists to forge paperwork to get him adopted to a nice family in the suburbs

 

[Mystic Monkey]

Well just a story idea. Fortress is just a mod idea.
I do not know how to make mods myself let alone know anyone who would want to make it for me.

I did however noticed Dr.LilRobot has made a video experimenting with an idea similar to mine,

I think his is just a server/map mod though. I'm thinking a full on mod that would allow him to polish off his idea more efficiently.

For example say Fortress was done and map makers on TF2Maps.net want to contribute. What would be wonderful is that if they wanted to they can make and use more than one map to tell their story if they wanted, just like how Half-Life 2 or a campaign in Left 4 Dead consist of more than one map.
They would be able to set the NPCs as actors, have timed or proximity events and things like that all to tel their own stories.

Instead of online servers, it be nice just to have a sort of personal workshop or open database to allow the maps to be freely downloaded, given these maps will not require online access to play them.

It would be nice if Fortress was more of a side-mod to Team Fortress 2 Classic because seeing the Special Classes they'll be adding, it be brilliant to see stories with such characters as Civilian, Agnet, Henchman and Mercenaries in them. (I imagine Mercenary, Guard and maybe Soldier could be used as generic enemies.)

 

[Davekillerish]

I would be down for mapping for this idea, it sounds amazing. Also if you want any help writing plots or adventures, I am a very skilled writer.
Edit:
I think a cool name for this mod would be:
Before the Fortress

 

[CriminalBunny]

After being rejected by the military, the Soldiers own "Call of Duty" through Europe before being told the war ended in 1949.

I can imagine Soldier with his cardboard-cutout friends awarding himself medals. It can also tell how he met Merasmus!
I'd love to contribute if this project becomes real some day