As promised, a new Team Fortress 2 update is now available through Steam.

The update offers a number of bug and exploit fixes. Among the changes: fixed damage dealing for the Heavy's Natascha unlockable, updated AutoTeam balancing logic, and players no longer getting stuck in the "prepare to respawn..." countdown. Some of the exploit fixes also apply to Day of Defeat: Source.

Full change notes follow

Team Fortress 2

• Added percentage to UberCharge HUD panel for the Medic
• Added upgrade progress and levels to Engineer HUD panel for all buildings
• Added mp_tournament_allow_non_admin_restart server ConVar to allow server admin to toggle whether non-admin players can issue the mp_tournament_restart ConCommand on the server. Default is 1 (current behavior)
• Added flag to the gamerules entity... Read more

Valve's next major Team Fortress 2 update, which adds achievements and unlockable weapons to the Scout class, is "just about done," according to director Robin Walker.

"The weapons and achievements [of the Scout pack] are all nailed down, and we just have to finish up the final artwork on them," Walker wrote on the official Team Fortress 2 blog. "Our design and coding has already moved on to the next pack."

While it was not specified when PC owners of the colorful class-based multiplayer shooter will see the Scout pack, the director said that " we'll be able to ship the Scout pack" after the next two patches, both of which are hoped to arrive this week.

The first patch, due out today, will fix numerous bugs and exploits, including a glitch that saw the Heavy's alternate Natascha weapon doing less damage that it should. The other will enable Steam Cloud support for a player's inventory, allowing them to access their default weapon and item settings from any Steam-connected PC.

Team Fortress 2 developer Robin Walker has teased a new, "very different" mode will soon be added to the stylistic multiplayer shooter.

"A new Payload map is in the works, more community maps are on the way and the team will soon unveil a very different new game mode," writes The Escapist in a story on Walker and the team at Valve.

Walker also revealed that while the team is primarily focusing on bolstering the game's existing classes, it does have a running list of candidates for an entirely new class.

"We've got several new class designs floating around, some of which we like a lot, but right now we're focusing on the broadening of our existing classes through the addition of the unlockables," said Walker.

No longer content with building virtual dispensers in Valve's Team Fortress 2, an admittedly obsessed fan has taken things to the next level. But instead of ammunition or health, this particular dispenser is packed with two "emergency beers."

Unveiled on the Steam forums and in a slideshow, Drastisch's 1.15 meter-tall creation houses his DSL modem and router in its interior, a 15" TFT display, and three openable compartments, while a telephone and answering machine sit on top.

It doesn't look like Drastisch will be selling it any time soon, but he did provide some instructions and measurements for aspiring engineers. "Basically it's made out of [Medium-density fibreboard], 20mm thick, and then painted on with lacquer. The signs are made out of photographic paper (I ordered a custom-made poster for that)."

Along with its list of the most-played consoles in 2008, research group The Nielsen Company has provided its list of the past year's most popular PC games in the US.

Of the ten titles, none were released in 2008, and only 2 debuted in 2007. The list is based off data from January through October 2008, meaning that the impact of the second World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, was not taken into account.

Unsurprisingly, Blizzard's World of Warcraft topped the PC charts, with those surveyed playing the PC MMO an average of 671 minutes, just a bit over 11 hours, per week. Blizzard's Diablo II also appears on the list, as do three games from Valve.

Unfortunately, Nielsen did not specify the methodology behind this year's results. In 2007, the firm based its list off an extremely small pool of participants, a mere 1200 gamers, which could explain the unexpected results. It is not known if this was changed for 2008.

Top 10 PC Game Titles in the U.S.
1. World of Warcraft (2004) / Blizzard Entertainment
   671 Avg Minutes Played Per Week / 0.723% AU*
2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) / Infinity Ward
   403 Avg Minutes Played Per Week / 0.163% AU*
3. Halo: Combat Evolved (2003) / Gearbox, Bungie... Read more

Valve released a rather sizable Team Fortress 2 update today, adding new features to some of the shooter's existing abilities.

The developer also recently confirmed that the next class update will indeed be applied to the Scout, though that particular patch is not expected before the new year.

As for the patch changes, the engineer is now able to upgrade his teleporters and dispensers to a third level, providing faster recharge and dispensing rates, respectively.

Spies have gained the ability to recharge their cloak by picking up ammo, and the demoman's sticky bombs can now be entirely destroyed by all types of bullets.

The full list of tweaks is copied below:... Read more

Beloved developer Valve has released lifetime retail sales figures for some of its more popular games, including the Half-Life and Counter-Strike series, revealing that the studio has sold over 32.8 million games since the 1998 release of the first Half-Life.

Sales from Valve's digital distribution client are not factored in, with the figures only accounting for worldwide retail sales. With Half-Life 2, Valve began simultaneously releasing all of its PC games at retail and via Steam. The numbers were originally printed in the November issue of Game Informer, then republished by Gamasutra.

Furthermore, it was not specified if the figures of multiplatform games--Half-Life, Half-Life 2, The Orange Box--included both PC and console sales, or just PC.

• Half-Life (Valve) / 1998 - 9.3 Million
• Half-Life: Opposing Force (PC, Gearbox) / 1999 - 1.1 Million
• Half-Life: Blue Shift (PC, Gearbox) / 2001 - 800,000
  
  
• Counter-Strike (PC, Valve) / 2000 - 4.2 Million
• Counter-Strike: Condition Zero (PC, Valve) / 2004 - 2.9 Million... Read more

The Steam website notes that updates for both Team Fortress 2 and the Steam client are now available.

Team Fortress 2 will update on its own after you restart Steam, while the Steam update can be installed by selecting "Check for Steam Client Updates..." from the File menu.

Steam Client

• Added support for registering CD keys that do not contain any games
• Added support for running an external process when Verifying or Deleting a game

Team Fortress 2

• Added rate limit for several client commands to prevent server spamming
• Added consistency checking for particle systems
• Updated r_particle_timescale ConVar so it can only be changed if the server has sv_cheats set to 1
• Updated loading/disconnect dialogs so they're easier to read
• Updated Dustbowl, Granary, and Badwater Basin with several exploit fixes
• Updated Granary to remove the setup time and gates

Remember the Sandvich? The "weapon" that restores the health of the Heavy from Valve's Team Fortress 2? Valve posted an expose on its official blog, explaining how the Sandvich was headed straight for Hollywood in a four-hour epic, but some copyright issues got in the way.

The suits took issue with every brave, authority-questioning page of our Meet the Sandvich script--specifically that there were supposed "similarities" between it and the 1987 action film Predator, and more specifically that it was word for word the 1987 action film Predator.

"We took the script for Predator and put our names on it," confessed current Valve and former Old Man Murray writer Erik Wolpaw.

"Also, we had to paste the script for Road House there in the middle," added fellow writer Jay Pinkerton, explaining the would-be film's longer-than-Predator length.

With Valve throwing copyright--and seriousness--out the window, they decided to have some fun with Team Fortress 2's voice talent. With gems like the Soldier's "You're writing checks your butt will find uncashable!" now available for cell phone ringtone use, the whole story is worthy of a weekend read.

Valve's class-based multiplayer shooter Team Fortress 2 won't receive its next major update until next year, marketing VP Doug Lombardi has informed Shacknews.

"Well, it won't be this year," said Lombardi when asked about the next update. "But we're going to keep evolving TF2. Once Left 4 Dead wraps, you'll hear us clamoring more about [the next TF2 update]."

Lombardi made the statement after speaking on the impending release of Left 4 Dead (PC, 360), which saw contributions from numerous Team Fortress 2 team members as development of the cooperative zombie-killing shooter entered the final stages.

Since TF2's arrival last year, Valve has provided numerous free updates to owners of the PC version, adding new modes and maps along with class-specific achievements and unlockables for the Medic, Pyro and Heavy classes. The studio has pledged that all of the title's nine classes will eventually be updated with new weaponry.

The marketing VP also reiterated that bringing the existing Team Fortress 2 updates to Xbox 360 is "definitely in the plan," though no timeline was offered as to its release.

Developed by Faucet, Gang Garrison II represented the height of 8-bit online multiplayer titles.

Featuring a unique art style and riveting musical score, GG II set the bar for class-based, side-scrolling gameplay. For those feeling nostalgic, fans can still play a fully-functional build of the game, provided here by the developers.

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The PlayStation 3 version of Team Fortress 2 will not receive the new content going to its PC and Xbox 360 counterparts, according to an interview today.

"They're not doing ongoing development on The Orange Box for the PS3," said Valve co-founder Gabe Newell to 1UP. Valve produced its bundle The Orange Box, containing the team-based shooter, in-house for the PC and Xbox 360, but publisher Electronic Arts had its UK unit handle the PlayStation 3 port.

"We don't have PlayStation developers," added Valve marketing director Doug Lombardi.

The PC version of Team Fortress 2 has received a bevy of content, including maps, game modes, achievements, and weapons--and all of it has been free. That content has yet to be released for the Xbox 360, but it will arrive as paid downloadable content because Microsoft said so.

While PC gamers have enjoyed frequent and free game-expanding updates to Team Fortress 2, including new modes and maps, console players of the class-based multiplayer shooter haven't been as fortunate.

That will change later this year when developer Valve releases a comprehensive collection of the updates as downloadable content for the Xbox 360 version, marketing VP Doug Lombardi informed Kotaku.

Though the updates were free on PC, Valve affirmed it is being forced to charge for the Xbox 360 release, which is why the studio waited until it had an abundance of content.

Pricing has yet to be determined, though Lombardi explained that the company is hoping to sell the content for as low as it can, ideally around $10. In keeping with his earlier comments, the executive was unsure if the pack will hit PlayStation 3.

Included in the collection are two new modes--Payload and Arena--along with new weapons for the Heavy, Pyro and Medic classes and a number of new maps.

Though Valve has hoped to release Team Fortress 2 add-on content as a free download for console users, company co-founder Gabe Newell now says that the console business model is getting in the way.

"The big concern I have right now is our ability to provide updates," said Newell to videogaming247. "On the PC side, we've done as many as four updates in a day, and that's great: we can respond very quickly."

Newell continued:

If Nvidia puts out a new graphics driver and it changes some way about how texture management works, then before our customers know there's any issue then the problem has gone away. Or we can do the Pyro updates, and the Medic updates [and so on].

On the consoles, they want us to charge money for them... Read more

The much-anticipated Heavy update is now available for Team Fortress 2, bringing a wealth of new content to the PC version of Valve's class-based multiplayer shooter.

Automatically downloaded upon logging into Steam, the update packs the new Arena mode, the Badwater Basin Payload map, community member Jamie Mason's CP_Steel along an assortment of achievements for the Heavy class and three unlockable item: Natscha, the Killing Gloves of Boxing and the healing Sandvich.

In addition to the update, Valve delivered a new entry in its "Meet The" series, offering viewers a humorous introduction to the Sanvich.

The specific changes include:... Read more

The last remaining unlockable weapon for Team Fortress 2's Heavy class has been revealed as the Sandvich, set to arrive as part of the update hitting PCs later today. The delectable tool was also detailed in a new "Meet the..." vignette.

According to details posted on the Heavy update site, the Sandvich—which replaces the Heavy's shotgun—is unlimited in quantity and heals 120 health for the Heavy per use. During the four seconds required for the Heavy to eat the Sandvich, the brute is completely vulnerable, drawing enemies with the loud sounds of vigorous chewing.

The unlockable was hinted at in the Heavy's class-specific achievements, which were unveiled last week. Among them is the achievement "Konspicuous Konsumption," which requires players to eat 100 Sandviches.

The Sandvich marks the final piece of content in Valve's expansive Heavy update, joining the other two new unlockables Nastacha and the K.G.B. The Heavy update will also bring Arena mode, the new Payload map Badwater Basin and a new community-created map when it becomes available later this afternoon.

Valve has released the latest video in its series of Team Fortress 2 "Meet the..." vignettes, this time introducing us to the newest addition to the Heavy's arsenal, the Sandvich.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

Update: The Heavy update is now available, with Valve issuing details and a new vignette on the third unlockable weapon, the Sandvich.

Original Story: New details on Team Fortress 2's Arena mode have been unveiled, shedding light on the multiplayer shooter's newest gametype set to arrive with tomorrow's release of the Heavy class update.

According to the update's website, the gametype "keeps the class diversity of Team Fortress 2 while focusing goals around combat between two teams." Rounds are won by eliminating every member of an opposing team, or securing a map's central capture point, which becomes unlocked after 60 seconds of play.

The gametype's debut is accompanied by five Arena-specific maps, including Lumberyard and Ravine, two maps built specifically for the mode. Moreover, three previously available TF2 maps—Well, Granary, and Badlands—have been remade to suit the mode's play style.

Arena rounds on these smaller maps feature shorter time limits, and are said to work well in both smaller, three-on-three skirmishes as well as full-scale... Read more

Continuing its series of daily revelations, Team Fortress 2 developer Valve today updated its site with details on the Heavy's second unlockable weapon, Natascha.

A level 5 minigun, Natascha does 25% less damage to targets, but is guaranteed to slow them down. Like the Killing Gloves of Boxing and the other unknown unlockable, Natascha will become available as players earn the Heavy's new achievements.

The free update, due on PC next Tuesday, brings a new gameplay mode, new arenas, new maps and class-specific Heavy achievements to the multiplayer shooter.

The second unlockable for the Heavy, Natascha allows the Heavy to slow enemies with her bullets. Enemies taking damage from her will find themselves moving slower for an instant, encouraging them to find cover or deal with the Heavy. Unfortunately, her firepower is somewhat weaker than that of Sasha, so the Heavy will find it takes longer to finish them off. As a result, Natascha's great to use against those that want to get away, like Scouts & Medics, and not so great against those trying to kill you. Heavies that like to jump around corners to surprise groups of enemies will also find it very useful, although it's best to make sure there isn't a Sasha-wielding Heavy there.

The full achievements list has also been released, viewable below:... Read more

Valve Software today revealed the latest piece of Team Fortress 2 content bound for next week's Heavy class update as Badwater Basin, a new arena for the game's Payload gametype. Screenshots were also provided.

According to the update webpage, Badwater Basin focuses on more open spaces and features less chokepoints than previous Payload map Gold Rush, which came as part of the Medic update earlier this year.

Badwater Basin will arrive as part of the largest Team Fortress 2 PC update yet, set to debut next Tuesday with a new gametype, seven maps, and three weapons for the Heavy class. The first new Heavy weapon, the Killing Gloves of Boxing or K.G.B., was unveiled yesterday alongside a set of 35 class-specific achievements.