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Back to the drawing board, genius!

January 3, 2011 - TF2 Team

One of the requests we've gotten from community item contributors has been for an easier way to test their creations. We're pleased to announce that last friday's update included a beta version of our new item testing system. Some folks over at the Official TF2 Wiki have already found it and started documenting the system, but we wanted to provide some more information on what's there, and where we're going with it.

There are two main steps to making items that we think need addressing:

• Building the MDL file.
• Testing the item in-game.

The item testing system covered in this post is focused on the latter, but we're working on another tool that'll make the first step much easier too, and we'll talk about that when it's closer to release.

So, once you've got your MDL compiled, and placed it in the correct directory under TF (see below), start up TF2.

• At the main menu, bring down the console (if you haven't done it already, you'll need to enable the Developer Console) and bind a key to "testitem". Then, load the item_test map by entering this console command: "map item_test". Once the map has finished loading, pick a team & class, and you'll find yourself in the item testing room.
• While in the item testing map, you can hit your testitem key to bring up the item testing dialog.

• The dialog allows you to test up to four items at once. Specify which classes you want to be able to wear the item(s) you're testing. Note that if you pick a weapon, you'll be asked to select an existing weapon to test with, and you'll be restricted to what classes are able to use that weapon (for instance, shotguns can only be used by Solder, Heavy, Pyro, and Engineer, so you can't test a shotgun replacement with all classes. Most weapons are only usable by a single class.)
• Click the "Add" buttons in the item slots to bring up the "Add Item" dialog.

• Here, you can select your MDL file. The directory the File Open dialog opens to is the directory in which your MDL should be placed. For instance, if it's an Engineer item, it should be in the 'tf\models\player\items\engineer' directory. If it's an all-class item, it should be in tf\models\player\items\all_class' directory.
• Other options are available here, and the explanation text should hopefully handle it. You can select a paint to see how your hat looks in the various paint colors. If your item is an all-class item, and needs to be positioned differently for each class, select the 'Set Sequence to match player class' option, and follow the instructions to the right of the checkbox.

Once you're ready to see your items, hit the Apply Test Items button. If you've left the 'Automatically add testing bots' checkbox checked, the game will automatically spawn the right bots for the items you're testing, and equip them with the items. If you're testing a weapon, it'll also give you that weapon so that you can see it in the viewmodel (note that you'll have to change to one of your testing player classes to see it).

Other tips:

• If you want to see the player in various animation states while wearing your items, you can use the Bot Controls section on the right. If you want to make changes to the Bot Controls while looking at a bot, you can bind a key to "testitem_botcontrols", which will bring up a smaller dialog with just the Bot Controls section.
• You can use the Save & Load Test Setup buttons to quickly save & load a set of items that you're testing while you work on them. The Load Most Recent button will load the last test setup you saved.
• You can test your submissions alongside existing TF2 items by adding the existing item's models to your test setup. We'll be adding functionality to make this easier in the next update to this testing system.

This is an early release of this system, and we have plans to improve upon it in significant ways. We released it now because it's still a significant step above the existing hacks that contributors had to use, and we're hoping that this early glimpse will allow contributors to give us some feedback on it. So, if you're working on item contributions, please take a shot at using it, and let us know what you think.

Additional time has been awarded

December 22, 2010 - The Administrator

How I do love the holiday season. A time of year that makes the sweet things in life seem so much the sweeter. A time when ignoring the mournful cries of a litter of famished puppies provides the deep satisfaction of labored accomplishment. A time when delivering a sharp kick to the exposed shin of a desperate beggar takes on a certain character of charity. A time when sending one's witless minions repeatedly to their deaths at the hands of their equally witless enemies provides an unrivaled and noble joy.

So it is that in a fit of holiday induced discomposure I requested that Mr. Hale increase his shipments of weapons and equipment for exactly one week. Do not, my dear reader, interpret this as a sign of approval. Do not mistake me for thinking you worthy of this gift. I am merely attempting to ensure that you are properly equipped for the duties that you are required to fulfill as detailed in the contract that each of you signed. There are control points that need capturing, intelligence that needs recovering, and hats to be secured.

For those of you with more beard on your necks than sense in your heads -- those of you who feel compelled to analyze my every word with the exacting scrutiny of the socially disenfranchised -- I will provide the tedious technical details. From December 23rd to December 30th, a period of exactly one week, the rate at which items drop will be doubled. You might call this a "Double Drop Rate Week," but I call it an act of mercy. After all, we can't very well send you charging into battle without a proper gun now can we?

- The Administrator

P.S.: Miss Pauling has stated her desire to gift each of you with a "stocking stuffer." I have decided to allow her this unbecoming demonstration of affection. Perhaps when she is exposed to the full force of your indifference Miss Pauling's misplaced sense of devotion will wither and die much like my interest in continuing this correspondence.

Aye! Me bottle o'scrumpy! Anon!

December 17, 2010 - TF2 Team

You demanded a Holiday update, and by gad, you're going to get it and like it, pal. We've cooked up a fine feast of new weapons, garnished it with more headgear than you have heads, and left it simmering overnight in a new game mode. What are you waiting for?! Get over to the Update Page and chow down!

To celebrate we're running a big sale in the Mann Co. Store THIS WEEKEND ONLY!



Note: Because so many of you have asked for it, here's a link to the hi-res version of the Ol' Nick image you can use for a desktop wallpaper.

Need a Sentry Here!

December 10, 2010 - TF2 Team

A few months ago we got a chance to visit Weta Workshop and were blown away by all the amazing things that they had made. Remembering how lonely our new offices were and how we've been meaning to spruce them up, we asked them if they could make something for us. They agreed, large sums of cash and top secret blue prints of a sentry gun were exchanged, and they got to work. Throughout the entire process, Weta Workshop teased us with gorgeous high resolution pictures and videos of their progress.



Finally, last week we took delivery of the full-scale level 1 sentry gun, complete with a motion sensor and audio. It's an incredible piece of craftsmanship that we just had to share with the TF2 community and any visitors brave enough to enter our lobby.







Also we wanted to mention we now have an official Twitter account in addition to our Facebook page. Tweeting is still fairly new to us, but stop on by and 'Follow' us if you're into that kind of stuff. Any other TF2-related Twitter accounts aren't us.

Prepare for your examination!

December 2, 2010 - TF2 Team

As you've probably seen by now, we like to change things in Team Fortress 2. A lot. And while we're perfect most of the time, we occasionally get something wrong. One reason for this is we just don't get enough data from internal play testing, and another is that we spend too much time watching Tom Bui serenades on Youtube (Hint: Search for "Tom Bui" on Youtube) (Another Hint: Click here). So to help us change TF2 even more frequently, we're pleased to announce the Team Fortress 2 (public) Beta.



What sorts of things will we use the beta for, you ask?

• Testing and tuning various class, item, and weapon changes
• Testing map changes and variants
• Running higher level, game-wide experiments (like doubling player health)
• Testing new technologies without the risk of breaking the game

The beta is available to anyone that owns a copy of TF2. To install, launch Steam, open the Library and install "Team Fortress 2 Beta" from your games list.

What's in the initial release?

Three Natascha variants:

• -40% damage
• -25% damage, -25% health
• Spin-up/down time increased, slowdown-on-hit effect falls off over distance.

Map changes:

• cp_granary: new entrance added into the RED and BLU mid ramp room.
• cp_5gorge: 5 CP version of cp_gorge.

Misc balance changes:

• Players being healed by a medic are immune to movement-impairing effects generated by hit-scan weapons.

FAQ:

Are there items in the Beta?

• On signing into the beta, you'll be automatically granted all the achievement based unlockables. As we add new items for testing purposes, these will automatically be added to your backpack. Random items drop are turned off, and the store will not be available.

Will Beta items be changed or removed?

• In response to the feedback on them, items in the Beta may change, or be removed at any time. Don't get too attached to them.

Are there Beta servers? Can we host our own?

• We're running a set of official Valve Beta servers, and it'd be great if other server administrators want to chip in. Details are here. (Use "-game tf_beta" with HLDSUpdateTool to install the server files for the Beta).

How do we give feedback?

• Visit the official TF2 Public Beta forum

Also, while we're here, a couple more quick community notes:

• UGC is about to start their TF2 Highlander League, with signups opening up on the 5th of December.
• The Ozfortress chaps told us to check out Son of Dad's TF2 State of Origin Promo Video. State of Origin matches in Australia are competitions where each Australian state fields an official team. Not surprisingly, the Victorian team won. Here's a comprehensive Australian primer for you non-aussies: Australia has six states and two territories (things that wish they were states). Objectively speaking, Victoria is the best state. The end.