TF2 Blog - "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

[Nineaxis]

http://tf2.com/post.php?id=2193

We're just about done with the Scout pack, and our design and coding has already moved on to the next pack. The weapons and achievements are all nailed down, and we just have to finish up the final artwork on them. We like to do the final art as late as possible to ensure that we don't waste any work, which turned out to be a good decision this time around due to the large number of unlockables we tried out as alternatives to the Scattergun. Balancing his replacement weapon has been very tricky due to large threat difference of the Scout between skilled and non-skilled hands. More on that soon.

In the meantime, here's a few answers to some questions we get regularly:

"When's the next update going to be out?"

We've got an update that should be out tomorrow with a bunch of bug & exploit fixes. Later this week we hope to have another update out that changes the way we store your unlockable items. You shouldn't notice much difference, other than if you play on multiple computers we'll now propagate your item choices. You can think of that update as the one that moves your inventory into the Steam Cloud. Once that's out of the way, we'll be able to ship the Scout pack.

"Why did you change the minigun's muzzle flash away from the original one shown in Meet the Heavy?"

That muzzle flash was one of the earliest effects that we put in the game and it was done before our new particle system was in place. As we moved forward with the effects we decided that such a cartoony hard-edged look to the effects didn't help the readability of the overall game. If the muzzle flashes and all the effects had well defined edges, they would visually compete with the rest of the TF2 world and the players. So it was decided that the effects should be much softer than the rest of the game so as to not overwhelm an already visually dense game.

"Why should I use Natascha? And doesn't she only do 66% damage, not 75%?"

You're correct, there was a bug that caused her to lose 0.75 damage off each individual bullet she fired. She spits out so many bullets that a tiny amount like that added up to a significant difference. Tomorrow's update will fix that, and also includes a slight boost to the amount of slowdown she delivers. Our internal playtesters have been finding her much more useful, especially on the large number of Scouts running around with new toys.

"Why is the Sniper such a fake Australian? Aren't several members of the TF2 team Australian?"

Yes, it's true, the Sniper is a fairly unconvincing Australian. Most of his lines make him sound more English than Australian, and the voice actor is clearly an English actor faking an Australian accent. As for why we didn't fight to make him more authentic, we though it was appropriate that he was about as convincing an Australian as the Demoman is a Scotsman, or the Medic a German.

 

[A Boojum Snark]

I've wondered about the muzzleflash myself, I loved the old one. This doesn't satisfy me though... if it's asked about enough for it to go into this "FAQ" blogpost, clearly people like it, and they need to return it as a default-off option.

 

[Icarus]

They also added a cool Movies page.

Team Fortress 2

Hey You! Yeah you — Action fan! Buckle up and hunker down as Valve launches an A-tomic jet fueled knuckle sandwich right into the doughy bread baskets of the world's battle game blowhards! Those other feeble fight games (and the old maids that play'em and the momma's boys that make'em!) better head for the fainting couch, because this one's the gut-grabbinest, gut-rippenest, strangle-you-with-your-own-grabbed-gutsiest battle thriller ever seared onto your monitor — with pixels that are 5% human blood!

Nine mercenaries have come together for a job. It's the middle-ish part of a century a lot like the one we just had. A simpler time. There are three TV stations, one phone company, and two holding corporations that secretly control every government on the planet. Each corporation administers its half of the world with a multi-disciplined army of paper pushers. For any problem lacking an obvious bureaucratic solution, mercenaries like these are contracted to address the situation through a massive application of force. Now's your chance to Meet the Team.

http://tf2.com/movies.htm

 

[TMP]

Eee natasha buff :d

 

[AWESOME-O]

wow, thats pretty lame that natascha bug, because i always used natascha on defense.

 

[YM]

Eee natasha buff :d

a fix isnt a buff. Its made me a little happier since I've started trying out heavy again these last few days.
And ths scout pack is at least a week away... as I suspected. These things always seem to be "more than a week away" even when they're set for tomorrow!

 

[Keirebu]

Seems like it time for me to warm up my Pyro skill's with the unstoppable future influx in scouts for the next month.

 

[Nineaxis]

I can't seem to light scouts on fire recently.

And, OH NOES, official backstory!

 

[Ida]

I am NOT looking forward to the Scout update. That is unless they give us some kind of awesome new map or a new Meet The Team video.

 

[eerieone]

I´m not that excited about the scout update, but hey, we´ll see, maybe the new weapons get me to play him more. I hate not being able to help against sentries on goldrush or badwater and having to lay back until the big guys clear the area. he´s great on well-ish map though
the new map is the thing i´m most happy about, one thing more youme can analyze

 

[HeaH]

I'm excited about the Scout update.

 

[Ida]

I´m not that excited about the scout update, but hey, we´ll see, maybe the new weapons get me to play him more. I hate not being able to help against sentries on goldrush or badwater and having to lay back until the big guys clear the area. he´s great on well-ish map though
the new map is the thing i´m most happy about, one thing more youme can analyze

Have they ever talked about releasing a new map with the new update, though? Of course I'm hoping they do, and it's entirely realistic, bit I haven't heard a word about it. :/

I bet they'll have an update site out on Monday, à la the Heavy update, and then slowly reveal stuff and release the update next Friday.

 

[HeaH]

Have they ever talked about releasing a new map with the new update, though? Of course I'm hoping they do, and it's entirely realistic, bit I haven't heard a word about it. :/

Theres that Escapist interview. No, they didn't say "for the scout update" but I guess we'll get one

 

[Randdalf]

They won't release on Friday, a server admin pointed out that traffic is at its highest at the weekend (inc. friday), meaning the updtae would take longer to download and also stress out the steam servers.

 

[YM]

I highly suspect that we'll get several new maps with the update(they've mentioned at least one new payload map as well as a new gamemode, and then there is the new custom maps they've promised for every update), as well as a meet the... video. Its just been so long since any real new content they can't have nothing but scout stuff for us...

They did actually promise new community maps and (I think) new maps from them to "keep everyone happy" with each update so I'm sure it wont be all that bad.

 

[HeaH]

So, who knows what community map it'll be? Because this is the mapping community, someone must know something

 

[Icarus]

I'm pretty sure part of the agreement is not to leak any information if you are the author of the community map.

Look at fishbus, for the longest time cp_steel remained 'unfinished' and he had to keep quiet about it. Probably why he used the excuse "Bored of steel. Went to make Freight."

 

[Zeewier]

That is why youme knows there will be a new community map

 

[YM]

That is why youme knows there will be a new community map

I may be getting emails from one of the valve mappers on a semi-regular basis but he hasn't divulged any information on upcoming custom maps. I think their new maps is a far more exciting idea, since we've probably played any custom map they're likely to pick (being a group of people interested in custom content an alll) and we've not yet played their one.

 

[Ceiling Man]

Thanks for the heads-up. :thumbup:

I can't wait for the Scout update, I wonder who's next? (Betting on Engineer)