Valve Teases, Releases 'Meaningful' Team Fortress 2 Friend and Mercenaries Patch (Updated)

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Update: The Team Fortress 2 blog has now been updated with the phrase "Friendship ends in one day," with an accompanying comic suggesting that whatever this brings, it involves the Red Demoman and Blu Soldier.

"We've got something coming, but it's not a new game mode," Valve's Robin Walker further teased Kotaku. "The key to understanding the new sound files is to figure out who's hearing them in-game, and who isn't."

Original: Following reports that the latest update to Team Fortress 2 PC brought with new Announcer quips mentioning friends, mercenaries and betrayal, developer Valve tells Shacknews they are already being used in-game for something "meaningful."

"So far, we haven't seen anyone on the various forums out there who's figured it out," Valve's Robin Walker told us, noting "there's something about the way they're used in-game that's meaningful."

Whatever the new functionality is, it's already in the game, as Walker added that "user reports of hearing [the new sound bites] in-game are also legit."

Some of the new quips, as made popular by YouTube's dudeguy707.

Those quips include: "Friendship ends in 10 seconds," "Betrayal will not be tolerated," "You can not hide anything from us, mercenaries," "It's me or him and I pay your salary, so make your choice," "Friendships are in direct contravention of mercenary conduct as delineated in your contracts, and on a personal note, I am very, very disappointed."

As for what else the latest update delivered, the patch notes are below:

Engine
  • Added checks to prevent transferring .smx, .gcf, and .sys files between client/server
  • Fixed upload/download exploits with spaces in the file extension or a path separator at the beginning of the requested file (as reported on the HLDS mailing lists)
Team Fortress 2
  • Fixed custom particle systems inside maps causing particles to break in successive maps
  • Fixed a rare vphysics crash
  • Fixed background highlight for KOTH timers not being aligned properly in minmode
  • Fixed the Heavy's fists being hidden while taunting
  • Fixed cloaked Spies having the critboost effect on their weapon
  • Fixed banned clients being able to spamming a server with the "joined" chat text
  • Fixed seeing the wrong class counts if the game swapped teams while the class menu was open
  • Fixed Spies being able to disguise while performing a taunt
  • Fixed having to press the voice menu key twice if the menu timed out and closed itself last time it was open
  • Fixed the "Confirm Delete" dialog in the Items menu not handling the key correctly
  • Fixed dispenser not healing players at the correct rate if it's upgraded while the players are already touching the dispenser
  • Fixed exec'ing the .cfg file for a class change before the player has actually changed class
Thanks to everyone, especially Big D, for the heads up.

Chris Faylor was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    December 8, 2009 10:27 AM

    Team Fortress 2 is hands down one of the few best supported games available. Probably THE BEST first person shooter supported.

    • reply
      December 8, 2009 10:32 AM

      I just wish they'd do something FOR the Soldier, rather than just taking stuff away. But yeah, they are being extremely cool about continuous free support.
      Tripwire has been really generous with free Killing Floor updates as well (2 packs with like 9 weapons, a new monster and a new class).

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 10:43 AM

        Ah, yes, how could I forget - Killing Floor is another great example. I too am surprised with Tripwire's dedication and continued development. All virtually for "free".

    • reply
      December 8, 2009 10:35 AM

      I have been playing the PC version of TF2 for about 2 years now, and honestly, it started getting boring after the hats came out, because TF2 became a constant waiting game chalk full of very few surprises and lots of jealousy aimed at people that actually have a hat.

      Then I went back and played the 360 version on my friends 360 just awhile ago, and wow.........it was shockingly a blast, even if it did only have 16 people, it was so care-free! No worrying about hats, no worrying about unlocking weapons, no jealousy due to hats, it was just.......great.

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 10:46 AM

        wtf? who cares about hats?

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 10:51 AM

        [deleted]

        • reply
          December 8, 2009 5:24 PM

          The ones that do probably stopped playing because THEY NEVER GET A GOD DAMN HAT FUUUUUUUCK

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 10:56 AM

        what?

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 11:04 AM

        Who did you play with on the PC?

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 11:07 AM

        So...you prefer the unsupported, 2 year old version b/c of...hats?

        do you have epeen envy?

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 11:08 AM

        What kind of OCD nerds are you playing with?

      • Zek legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
        reply
        December 8, 2009 11:28 AM

        You sure it wasn't just you with the jealousy? I also think hats are retarded but claiming they make the game worse is pretty stupid. There is a plugin that gives everybody access to all the hats though.

        • reply
          December 8, 2009 11:38 AM

          I have shit tons of hours in TF2, and I am good friends with quite a lot of people that used to regularly play TF2 constantly and almost every day. And when the hat update came out, ALL OF US got sick of the game within a week. Now out of 150 people on my friends list, about 3 still regularly play TF2. The game has lost all hype.

          Hopefully a new update will fix that. Granted I do appreciate the updates and they did keep the game fun for awhile, they jam packed too much shit in there like the Scout update.......I really wish they would have a "vanilla" option, or 100 % vanilla servers with no class updates, just good 'ol original TF2.

          • reply
            December 8, 2009 2:04 PM

            You realize there are no unlock servers right?

          • reply
            December 8, 2009 4:17 PM

            How can you and your friends get sick of something as a result of items that have no baring whatsoever to the actual gameplay?? You play with shitty people, or servers, or both.

            The other thing you have to keep in mind is that L4D2 has come out, and there are fewer people playing TF2 at the moment (including myself). People will come back because it's a good game. Hell, I've played a bit more of it in the past week, mainly because I can invest a smaller (or larger) portion of time to it than is required in L4D2.

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 11:30 AM

        Look how weird you are.

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 11:47 AM

        I quit playing around the same time, but for different reasons. I used to love earning achievements for unlocks, and I absolutely hate the random unlocks. Aside from that it's the most fun multiplayer shooter I've played since Quake 1's Rocket Arena.

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 5:07 PM

        oh noes, no hats!

      • reply
        December 9, 2009 4:46 PM

        You got free chalk with your game?

        /jealous

    • reply
      December 8, 2009 10:35 AM

      Its well supported but in a half ass way. Not all the characters have been updated and it really sucks.

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 10:44 AM

        "in a half ass way" . . . . huh? I get the disappointment that certain classes haven't received overhauls, etc. but Valve support of TF2 is ANYTHING but half ass. The number of people still playing this game after 2 years is nothing short of amazing and its entirely due to Valve's continued support.

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 5:34 PM

        Are you off your rocker?

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 6:48 PM

        That's the whole fucking point. They release the class updates incrementally. They can't update them all at once.

        • reply
          December 9, 2009 5:02 PM

          If they did do them all at once we'd be charged for it.

    • reply
      December 8, 2009 10:46 AM

      too bad they killed counter-strike support for it :(

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 10:55 AM

        Is it all that surprising, considering that many CS aficionados are much less welcoming to change?

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 10:56 AM

        meh, CS has always sucked. Except for the Dudebro's... those guys love that shit.

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 10:57 AM

        10+ years of the game, get over it.

    • reply
      December 8, 2009 11:34 AM

      Diablo 2 and other Blizz products are "hands down" the best supported games, imo.

    • reply
      December 8, 2009 2:43 PM

      As opposed to being one of the many best supported games?

      ...sorry for taking a swipe at your English. I agree with your sentiments, redundancy aside.

    • reply
      December 8, 2009 3:49 PM

      Quake was the best supported game ever. Lets just look at the highlights: all these features were implemented post release and released as free upgrades:

      - Cutting edge 3D hardware support
      - Client prediction invented and implemented
      - Mod support expanded to include partial source code release
      - The basking glow of the Carmack keeping us warm and happy during the long wait to Quake 2

      • reply
        December 9, 2009 9:32 PM

        .plan file updates from The Carmack are all the post-game support you need. The rest is gravy!

    • reply
      December 8, 2009 3:57 PM

      Halo3-online is pretty well supported, with varying game modes on weekends, multiple DLCs, etc. It's really nice when a developer cares about it's MP mode, and doesn't leave it to die once released.

    • reply
      December 8, 2009 4:57 PM

      they just went off the deep end, i just can't play the game anymore. enjoyed the fuck out of the game upon release till they added all the class update junk and unlockables.

    • reply
      December 8, 2009 6:25 PM

      Too bad they didn't do the same for L4D after all the promises that they would.

      • reply
        December 8, 2009 6:49 PM

        Good thing they released Left 4 Dead 2 then!

      • reply
        December 9, 2009 7:19 AM

        Holy shit, get over it.

        • reply
          December 9, 2009 11:26 AM

          If you own either L4D, then your allowed to complain all you want. Legitimate complaints are legitimate.

        • reply
          December 9, 2009 4:03 PM

          Thats exactly what they want to make tards like you think.

    • reply
      December 9, 2009 4:05 PM

      I concur, even though I find TF2 to be one of those games you can't play long hours. It genuinely feels like a good wholesome game that is supported and cared for, not the shit they're putting out now like LFD2 and MW2.

      I look forward to living legends as well.

      • reply
        December 9, 2009 4:44 PM

        How can you say L4D2 is not cared for? They've already released a good five or six patches in just 3 weeks.

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