"Welcome to Team Fortress 2. After nine years in development, hopefully it will have been worth the wait."(Notice: The text is copied from TF2Wiki and TF2's Wikipedia page)
Team Fortress 2 is a team-based first-person shooter multiplayer video game developed by Valve Corporation. A sequel to Valve's previous Team Fortress Classic, it was first released as part of the video game compilation The Orange Box on October 10, 2007 for Windows and the Xbox 360. A PlayStation 3 version then followed on November 22, 2007. The game was later released as a standalone package for Windows on April 9, 2008. Team Fortress 2 is distributed online through the Steam system, while retail distribution was handled by Electronic Arts. The development of Team Fortress 2 is led by John Cook and Robin Walker, the designers who originally created the Team Fortress modification for Quake in 1996.
The game was announced in 1998, powered by Valve's GoldSrc engine, but has since been through various concepts and designs. In 1999, the game appeared to be deviating from its predecessors by pursuing a more realistic and militaristic style of gameplay, but the design metamorphosed over its nine-year development period. The final rendition sports cartoon style visuals influenced by the art of J. C. Leyendecker, Dean Cornwell and Norman Rockwell and is powered by the Source engine. The game itself revolves around two teams, each with access to nine distinct characters, battling in a variety of game modes set in evil genius environments.
The lack of information or apparent progress for six years of the game's original development caused it to be labeled as vaporware, and it was regularly featured in Wired News' annual vaporware list among other ignominies. Upon its release, the game received critical acclaim and several awards, being praised for its graphical style, balanced gameplay, comedic value and for its use of full character personalities in a dedicated multiplayer game.
Linkshttp://store.steampowered.com/app/440 - Download Team Fortress 2 (requires
Steam)
http://www.teamfortress.com/ - Team Fortress 2 blog
http://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Main_Page - Team Fortress 2 Wiki
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=80 - Team Fortress 2 on the
Steam Powered User's ForumsGamemodesCapture the Flag (ctf_xxx)
Capture the Flag features both RED and BLU with their own Intelligence briefcase (known as the flag). The goal for both teams is to capture their enemy's Intelligence continuously until they have reached the game's capture limit (default limit is 3) whilst preventing their enemy from achieving the same.
Both team's Intelligence are typically located deep within their territory, usually in a symmetrical location from each other, in an area known as the 'Intelligence room'. when the intelligence is taken the carrier will have a trail of droped paper falling out of the breifcase this may help an enemy find the carrier. To take the Intelligence the player must touch their enemy's Intelligence. Whilst holding the enemy's Intelligence, the player must bring it to the location of their Intelligence where they must enter their 'capture zone' (indicated by the yellow and black lines) in order to make a successful capture. After each successful capture, your team will be rewarded with ten seconds of Crit boost.
If the Intelligence carrier is killed or the Intelligence is intentionally dropped, the Briefcase will remain stationary for 60 seconds, with a timer shown above the Intelligence indicating how much time is left before it is returned to the Intelligence room. During that time the Intelligence can be re-captured by walking over it in the same fashion of capturing it at its starting location. Each time the Intelligence is dropped, the timer is reset. The enemy cannot move or reset the intelligence themselves. The intelligence cannot be carried by players with an invulnerability buff (i.e. ÜberCharged players, Scouts under the effects of Bonk! Atomic Punch) and intelligence carriers cannot receive an invulnerability buff.
If the intelligence carrier dies in a normally inaccessible part of the map (i.e. falling into a pit) the Intelligence is immediately returned to its starting location in the Intelligence room. If no team completes the capture limit before time runs out, the match will enter Sudden death mode.
Unlike variants of Capture the Flag in other games, you can make a capture without actually having your Intelligence at your base.
Control Point (cp_xxx)
Control point maps have two main types of game modes.
Control points are circular platforms with a team-colored light in the center (neutral points will have a white light). To capture a point owned by the enemy team, the player simply stands on the point until the capture meter fills with your team color. The more people of the same team on a point, the faster it will capture, though only to a limited extent. Scouts and those wielding a Pain Train count as 2 players when capturing points. No capture progress will be made when players of both teams are on the point. If all the capturing players are killed or driven off before the capture is completed, the capture progress will not reset immediately but instead will slowly fade away.
Territorial Control (tc_xxx)
In Territorial control, the objective is to take over the entire map by capturing 'territories'. A Territorial Control map is split into several different territories, each possessing a Control Point. One territory on each end of the map represents one of the team's bases; the others are split equally between the teams. Each round in a Territorial Control match consists of a point-versus-point skirmish between adjacent territories. The configuration to be played is chosen randomly each round, with the condition that each team be in control of one of the points. Once the round begins, each team tries to seize the opposing point while preventing the enemy from doing the same to theirs. When a team seizes the enemy's Control Point, they win the round and seize the territory. The match then continues with another configuration based on the new territorial controls. If a team is down to their base point, the next round will pit the base against an adjacent territory. The offending team must now capture the enemy team's base while the other defends it. If the attacking team seizes the base, that team wins the game, and a new game will begin with the territories reset.
Rounds always last for eight minutes. Normally, Standard Control Point rules apply, meaning if time expires with neither point seized, Sudden death will ensue. When a base is being attacked, Attack/Defend rules apply instead; the defending team will automatically re-seize the attacking team's point if time expires before the enemy can seize the base. Overtime is also in effect and will activate when time expires with a control point capture in progress.
Payload (pl_xxx)
In Payload maps, BLU team must escort a cart full of explosives through a series of checkpoints and into RED's base within a certain amount of time. BLU team members move or 'push' the cart by standing next to it - the more people nearby the cart, the faster it moves. Any RED team member standing near the cart will stop it from venturing further. If no BLU player pushes the cart after 30 seconds have passed, the cart will start moving backwards slowly until it reaches a checkpoint/BLU spawn or a BLU player stands next to it again. The cart works as a level 1 Dispenser for BLU team (and disguised enemy Spies) to restore health and ammunition to those pushing it.
Payload maps may or may not be split into multiple rounds. Some maps traditionally have one-way routes from the BLU side, sometimes closed off until a specific point is taken.
Some maps such as Gold Rush, Hoodoo and Thunder Mountain are split in three stages that BLU must advance through and win. Stages one and two have 2 checkpoints and stage three has 3 checkpoints (2 for Hoodoo) , counting the final point as such. Badwater Basin and Upward maps have a single round with 4 checkpoints, counting the final point as such. Advancing the cart to the next checkpoint gives the BLU team extra time. Advancing it to the final point moves the map onto the next stage. When the cart reaches the final point on the final stage, the Payload explodes and destroys RED base, symbolizing BLU's victory.
Arena (arena_xxx)
Arena maps are designed to keep the class diversity of Team Fortress 2 while focusing goals around combat between two teams. Whereas other game modes lean towards a broad, overall strategy for the team, Arena concentrates on the specific tactical choices the teams make in a single fight. Arena maps carry the arena_prefix.
Arena features smaller maps that play out for shorter periods of time. The round ends once one team has no players left in the arena, or when the central capture point has unlocked and been captured. The central capture point unlocks after one minute has passed in the current round. Rounds tend to be very fast and highly competitive, with an emphasis on your team's class makeup and your plan to counter the opposing team's class choices. Arena mode is suitable for smaller matches of three vs. three players, while still comfortably supporting huge knockdown twelve-on-twelve brawls. Arena works much like Sudden Death - respawning is disabled and there are no resupply lockers. There are usually very few health kits available, often located far from the main action and/or near high-risk hazards. This forces teams to rely more on Dispensers and Medics.
Players may have to sit out to balance keep team numbers equal if they were on the losing team, but players on the winning team never have to sit out the next round.
The First Blood Critical buff is unique to the Arena game mode.
Payload Race (plr_xxx)
Unlike Standard Payload maps, Payload Race maps feature both the RED and BLU teams issued with a cart, therefore teams are not defined to an attacking or defending role. To win, each team must simultaneously push their cart through enemy territory to reach the finishing point while preventing the enemy team from doing the same. As with Payload maps, team members push the cart by standing next to it, with more members increasing the speed of the cart and any opposing team member standing near the cart stopping it. Also like Payload, each cart works as a Level 1 Dispenser for their team (and disguised enemy Spies), restoring health and ammunition to those pushing the cart.
Unlike Payload maps, the cart will not move backwards after any duration of time and there is no time limit; the map will only end when one team successfully pushes their cart to the finish point. Parts of the track may feature slopes or other obstacles on which the cart will quickly roll back down to the bottom unless being constantly pushed. Sections of the track that can do this will have chevrons on the progress bar to help show how far the cart must be pushed to overcome them.
Payload Race maps are either single- or multi-stage. Pipeline and Nightfall are split into three stages, whereas Hightower consists of only one stage. Winning in each of the first two stages will give an advantage to the winning team in the next stage (the cart is pushed slightly forward from the starting point).
King of the Hill (koth_xxx)
King of the Hill is similar to Arena. King of the Hill focuses on a single control point at the center of the map, which is unowned and locked at the beginning of the round. Teams must make their way to the Control Point and capture it when it becomes available. Once the point is captured by a team, their team clock will start a three minute countdown. If the enemy team manages to capture the point back, their clock will start counting down while the other team’s clock freezes at the time the point was recaptured. A team wins once they own the point and their three minutes is expired.
ClassesOffensiveScoutSoldierPyroDefensiveDemomanHeavyEngineerSupportMedicSniperSpy(Post is continued in next post)
(Masterlegodude is credit to team! Thanks for the great OP!)
r.i.p coolio 2010-2012 -coolio
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