In line with its habits of publicly releasing all kinds of usage information regarding its games and user base, Valve has posted detailed breakdowns of data drawn from Team Fortress 2 multiplayer matches on PC from November 30 to December 7. Tracked stats include time played per class, points earned per class, damage dealt per weapon, total time played, and much more. There are also color-coded top-down views of maps indicating where players died most frequently.

Some standout observations: tc_hydro features the longest games by far, averaging nearly 95 minutes (this seems like it could be inaccurate), but 20% of all time is spent on cp_gravelpit; close combat weapons, particularly the bonesaw, achieve critical hits most often; the rocket launcher deals nearly a quarter of all damage done; the engineer has the longest average lifespan; and the scout is far and away the leader in captures.

Valve has released a demo for The Orange Box on the Xbox Live Marketplace, allowing people to sample Half-Life 2: Episode Two. The demo is a 724mb download.

The company refers to this demo as the first one; it is conceivable that demos of Portal and Team Fortress 2--the other two major titles in The Orange Box--will follow. It's unknown whether or not a PC demo will be released.

The patch addressing multiplayer lag issues in Valve's Xbox 360 version of Team Fortress 2 is now available and will be automatically downloaded from Xbox Live's servers upon starting the game. Valve said a patch would be available soon after the release of The Orange Box (PC, PS3, X360) when some gamers complained of spotty online play in the console version of Valve's team-based shooter.

Though some haven't experienced problems with the 360's Team Fortress 2, gamers in the title's Xbox.com forum have voiced mixed feelings about the patch, saying the game still suffers from lag after the update.

Orange Box 360 owners, feel free to comment on your own troubles or trouble-free experiences in playing Team Fortress 2 over Xbox Live.

Update: Valve has sent along a shot of the Thai Orange Box packaging, which bears a warning on the front cover that reads: "For Sale In Thailand Only."

Original Story (published Oct 26): Some consumers who purchased Valve's Orange Box from vendors located outside of their home country--mainly in an attempt to save on cheaper products--have recently reported that their otherwise legally-obtained games have since been deactivated by Valve's Steam software for territory violation.

Talking with Shacknews, Valve's Doug Lombardi now says that the Steam software is merely carrying out this function by design.

"Valve uses Steam for territory control to make sure products authorized for use in certain territories are not being distributed and used outside of those territories," said Lombardi.

"In this case, a Thai website was selling retail box product keys for ... Read more

An update addressing the lag and lost connection issues in the Xbox Live multiplayer portion of Valve's class-based shooter Team Fortress 2 will be coming soon, the studio said. Valve has already given the update to this portion of The Orange Box (PC, PS3, X360) package to Microsoft, but the developer doesn't know exactly when the patch will become available on the Xbox Live servers.

Despite the less-than-ideal online play, Valve's staff will be taking on the adults and adolescents of Xbox Live in some friendly play Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. CDT, the studio announced today. Anyone looking to get rocked by Team Fortress 2's creators can add the following Gamertags to their friends list and join them in battle: ... Read more

You've probably been playing it for weeks, but here's a review anyway!

There could be a few more maps. Of the included six, only a few truly capitalize on the subtle mechanics of the game, the rest often devolving into futile, tug-of-war stalemates or crushing defeats. The classic 2Fort map now feels somewhat stale, antiquated. Default respawn times seem a little high. The classes will never be perfectly balanced--such is the nature of class-based combat. And so on.

The fourth in a series of Team Fortress 2 character profiles is now available, and this one features the Demoman. Team Fortress 2 is part of the Orange Box, unlocking on Steam at 2am CST tonight. The Orange Box also includes Half-Life 2: Episode Two and Portal.

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Update: Though no specific date has been set, a Valve representative tells Shacknews that Half-Life 2: Episode Two will be available for pre-load later this week.

Original Story: Those who pre-purchased Valve's first person brain twister Portal through Steam, either in the $44.99 ultra compilation The Orange Box or by its separate $19.99 listing, can now begin downloading the game's assets.

Commonly referred to as pre-loading, the idea is to let gamers gradually download a game in advance so they only need to download a small enabling file on the day of its release, preventing owners from being held back by slow download speeds and clogged servers.

While buying a physical copy of The Orange Box at a retailer sidesteps the pre-loading process, retail consumers will still need to go through the same Steam-based activation process in order to play the included games.

With The Orange Box gone gold and confirmed to release on October 10--that's next Wednesday--for PC and Xbox 360, the pre-load for Half-Life 2: Episode Two is expected to begin shortly.

There's a Team Fortress 2 interview on Rock, Paper, Shotgun, asking Robin Walker and Charlie Brown of Valve everything about the oft-delayed multiplayer shooter. Thanks Blues News.

Update: Valve has confirmed with Shacknews that The Orange Box has indeed gone gold.

When asked about the eventual Steam pre-loading of Portal and Half Life 2: Episode Two--a process that allows users to download most of a game's assets in advance of its release--a company representative could not provide an exact date.

Original Story: The PC and Xbox 360 editions of Valve's ultra compilation The Orange Box have entered the manufacturing process, reports GameDaily BIZ. Commonly referred to as "going gold," it indicates that development is complete and that the game will arrive in stores shortly.

Up until the package's October 10 release, gamers can pre-order the PC bundle for 10% off via Valve's digital distribution platform Steam or from gaming mega retailer GameStop. Either way, the price is the same--$44.99 instead of $49.99--and pre-purchasers get immediate access to the Team Fortress 2 beta that is currently underway.

A similar discount also applies to GameStop pre-orders of the $59.99 PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions, making them $54.99. Valve's big box of awesome hits Xbox 360 alongside the PC version on October 10. The PS3 iteration... Read more

"Valve demands a match against the Shack," said Erik Johnson of Team Fortress 2 developer Valve one week ago in The Steam Community's Shacknews chat room. "Prepare your team."

The Bellevue, Washington studio had previously challenged members from Rich "Lowtax" Kyanka's venerable Something Awful to a match that ended in humiliating defeat for the humor site. Last night, two Shacknews teams went up against Valve for a total of six games.

Though the SourceTV spectator server was down, Shackers pancake humper and rosewood provided live audio commentary on the games via KOCK, the Shacknews internet radio stream. The first round of the first game on map Dustbowl was over in minutes, with the highly organized and well-practiced Valve team making short work of their plucky Shack opponents. Commentator pancake humper noted that the Shack team started to find its bearings in the second round but fell apart for the remainder of the game, calling it "a... Read more

GameStop and Valve today announced that gamers who pre-order the retail PC edition of Valve's upcoming Orange Box mega compilation will receive the same deal as their Steam counterparts: immediate access to the Team Fortress 2 beta that is currently underway, 10% off the package's $49.99 MSRP, and the Orange Box-themed rendition of PopCap's casual gaming sensation Peggle.

A similar discount also applies to those who pre-order the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions of The Orange Box, which carry an MSRP of $59.99, making them $54.99 after the markdown. The promotion runs until Orange Box releases on PC and Xbox 360 October 10. The EA UK-ported PlayStation 3 edition will follow at a later date.

Containing the whole of Half-Life 2 experience to date--Half Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, and Half-Life 2: Episode Two--The Orange Box also packs the cartoon-esque class-based multiplayer shooter Team Fortress 2 and the brain-melting puzzler Portal.

After several hiccups and unexpected delays, the beta for Valve's Team Fortress 2 (PC) launched late last night.

Anyone who pre-purchases the $44.99 Orange Box compilation via Steam can now play the colorful class-based multiplayer shooter, which officially releases alongside Half-Life 2 Episode Two and Portal on October 10 in PC and Xbox 360 varieties. The bundle also packs Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2 Episode One, and will hit PlayStation 3 a bit after the other two versions arrive.

Multiple password-protected Shack servers have been set up by caring and generous Shackers for Shackbattle skirmish love. Members of the Shacknews Steam Community are instructed to hop in Group Chat for the password and more details. Those interested in joining the Shacknews Group are urged to respond to this post with their Steam ID.

The first of many Shackbattles has been formally scheduled for this evening. Scope out the Shacknews Group page for exact details on tonight's match, and keep checking back for future events.

Update 5: It works! The Team Fortress 2 beta is now available for play.

Update 4: Users attempting to launch the ostensibly released Team Fortress 2 beta, including Shacknews editors, are finding the game client refusing to launch. Attempting to launch the game simply returns a Steam dialogue box reading, "Preparing to launch Team Fortress 2..."

Update 3: Content files for the Team Fortress 2 beta are currently being unlocked via Steam. If your Steam client is not decrypting the files, restart your client.

Update 2: Again in the Shacknews chatroom on The Steam Community, Valve Employee PatrickM has given a further update regarding the status of the Team Fortress 2 beta. About ten minutes ago, he stated, "20 mins folks, so contents [sic] being pushed out to the servers."

Update: Speaking in a Shacknews group chat room on The Steam Community, Valve employee Erik Johnson has revealed that the maddeningly unreleased Team Fortress 2 beta is almost here. Valve is having difficulties with the dedicated Linux server software, causing a delay.

Currently, the Windows server software is available through the HLDS Update tool available on the Steam website, but the Linux software is not ready. If the company cannot get the Linux server up within "the next hour or two," it will simply release the game for play on Windows servers only.

"We're really close, just a few issues with the Linux server. We just released the Win32 server, so if people are running those, they can get started," said Johnson. "If we don't make it with linux in the next hour or two, we'll just fire away with what we have and get linux out as soon as we can."

Original story: The beta for Valve's Team Fortress 2 begins today for gamers who pre-purchased The Orange Box through Steam. Soldiers, Spies, Scouts, Engineers, and others will soon be able to commence blowing their cartoonish comrades into meaty chunks.

We'll update this story as soon as the beta goes live. Shackers, be sure to comment when the beta launches and you're up and running, so everyone else will know the specific level of awesome you experience.

The Team Fortress sequel ten years in the making takes the nine original classes of Team Fortress and adds a slick layer... Read more

There's a Team Fortress 2 preview on Computer & Video Games, offering hands-on impressions of the multiplayer shooter. A beta of the game unlocks on Steam later today for people who pre-order The Orange Box.

GameShark bites off a piece of Team Fortress 2, going hands-on with the multiplayer shooter included with The Orange Box.

Another great new Team Fortress 2 character movie is now available, this one focusing on the Engineer. As was announced yesterday, you can start playing Team Fortress 2 as soon as next week if you pre-order The Orange Box on Steam.

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Valve has just announced that PC gamers who pre-purchase its upcoming ultra-compilation The Orange Box via Steam will gain access to the Team Fortress 2 beta next week on September 17. Following Steam tradition, the pre-order price for the package knocks 10% off the overall price, making it only $44.95.

The Orange Box--which includes Half Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episodes One and Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal--hits PC and Xbox 360 on October 9. The PlayStation 3 version, which is being handled by EA UK, will follow at a later date.

Though PC gamers will no doubt scoff at the idea of re-purchasing titles already in their Steam repertoire, listings in the online store indicate that, bought individually, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2 would amass a charge of almost $80--nearly double the package price. The store also indicates that current owners of Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One may sell "give" their newfound extra copy to a "friend" with the Orange Box gift program.

Furthermore, Valve and PopCap have teamed to create a ... Read more

IGN has a new Team Fortress 2 preview posted, going hands-on with the Xbox 360 build of the multiplayer action game sequel.

Valve released a new Team Fortress 2 video featuring footage of the Soldier character class. Download the HD version here. For more on Team Fortress 2, check out the Shack's in-depth preview.

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update: A higher quality HD feed of the TF2 video is now online.