TF2 Newbs (Team Fortress 2) Blog

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Scroll below for more information. Here’s the summary:

1. Steam Summer Sale is on!
2. IMPORTANT: Some existing weapons have been rebalanced
3. Five new TF2 weapons… and they’re not reskins!
   • Craftable immediately.
   • MvM Killstreak Kits for the new weapons can also be earned or Marketed.
4. New crates, keys, and craftables:
   1. Craftable for a limited time: Bread Boxes!
   2. Mann Co. Stockpile Crates added to the droplist. They can be “shuffled” to drop one of four possible items.
   3. Mann Co. Audition Reels added to the droplist. They contain taunts, with a rare chance at an Unusual Taunt with unusual effects, very much like an unusual hat.
5. 15 New Taunts!
   1. “Taunts” are no longer in the “Action Slot”, and are now in their own “Taunt Menu”. You can now equip multiple Taunts at once.
   2. Partner Taunts can now be performed with enemy team members, not just your own.
   3. Pressing the Taunt key once opens a Taunt Menu for you to choose from multiple equipped taunts.
   4. Pressing the Taunt key twice performs your weapon taunt, or joins in with a partner taunt.
6. 43 New Cosmetic Items:
   • “Head” and “Misc” slots have been changed to “Cosmetic” slots.
7. Full patch notes, including:
   1. Granary and Harvest Event have been updated for collision, bugs, and to prevent building inside spawn doors.
   2. Halloween Event maps now have Halloween Mode auto-enabled, so Halloween items can be equipped.  About time!
   3. Crates now show which Unusual series are potentially  (1% chance) dropped if opened.
8. A very minor patch on June 19, 2014

1. Steam Summer Sale 2014 IS ON!

What else is there to say? Uh… Half-Life 2 is $2.49…?  Follow this link to earn Summer Cards, Badges, unique prizes, and even free games from your wishlist!

2. Existing Weapon Rebalances

1.  The Hitman’s Heatmaker can now activate your Focus on demand, by pushing the reload button. Previously, the Sniper automatically began burning Focus as soon as the gauge filled.
2. Axtinguisher (and the Postal Pummeler, I assume?) no longer automatically crits a burning enemy. It only mini-crits a burning enemy, unless you hit the burning enemy directly from behind, where it still causes full crits.
3. The Bushwacka no longer grants random crits. It still grants full crits whenever it would normally mini-crit, such as hitting a Jarate-soaked enemy.
4. Demoman stickybombs now have damage ramp-up, reaching full standard damage after two seconds.
   • This means that stickybombs detonated as soon as they are armed, such as when they are still in mid-air, will do substantially less damage. This will profoundly effect the way many TF2 players play the Demoman.
5. Sentries have multiple changes:
   • Sentries now have damage and accuracy ramp-up, with full standard accuracy and damage reached after one second of firing. So the first few bullets will do less damage, making them less lethal when peeking around corners or darting from one wall to another.
   • Sentry bullets are now affected by damage fall-off outside of their normal scan range, based on the placement of the sentry and not the Engineer.  For instance, wrangled sentries shooting beyond where they would otherwise detect enemies will deal less damage based on how far away their target is.

2. Five NEW Team Fortress 2 Weapons!

 

The Back Scatter

This new primary weapon for the Scout functions like a scattergun, but deals mini-crits when you hit someone directly in the back. But it is a little less accurate than the stock scattergun, and only has a 4-clip as opposed to the scattergun’s six.  But then, attacking from behind is one of the Scout’s strongest methods of ambushing the unwary.

Crafting formula: 1 reclaimed metal + 1 crit-a-cola + 1 shortstop = 1 Back Scatter

The B.A.S.E. Jumper

This is a parachute for the Soldier, hinted at a few days ago on the Official TF2 Blog. If equipped into the secondary slot, you can press the jump button while in midair to deploy and you can fall slowly, extending your jump. And while you’re hanging around up there, feel free to lob some rockets at the bad guys!

However, you’re a sitting duck for Snipers, Pyros with flare guns, or skilled Demomen. Fortunately you can hit the jump button again and undeploy/redeploy during the same jump! The parachute is also great for not taking falling damage.

Crafting formula: one reclaimed metal + one Buff Banner + one Sticky Jumper = one B.A.S.E. Jumper

The Tide Turner

This secondary weapon for the Demoman is the steering wheel of a ship, and functions as a shield.  It lets you lots of ability to turn as you charge, and some fire and explosive damage resistance. And if you kill something while charging or impacting, you can charge again!

Crafting formula: one reclaimed metal + one Chargin’ Targe + one Ali Baba’s Wee Booties = one Tide Turner

The Classic

This primary weapon for the Sniper, a take on the H&K G36, gives you some freedom that other sniper rifles don’t have: this weapon charges its focus even when you’re not scoped! However, you cannot score headshots–scoped or unscoped–until it is charged. It does slightly less damage with all bodyshots, too. But no doubt, some players will try to headshot while unscoped.

The Classic fires differently than other sniper rifles, however. You hold the fire button down to begin charging your shot, and release the button to fire.

Crafting formula: one reclaimed metal + one Hunstman + one Bazaar Bargain = one The Classic

The Air Strike

This primary weapon for the Soldier is a rocket launcher that makes your rockets fire if you are in midair from a rocket jump. It holds only three rockets, but as you earn kills, the clip size increases! It deals less damage than standard rockets, and its rockets have a slightly smaller splash radius. If you’re skilled with the Direct Hit and enjoy rocket jumping, you may want to give this puppy a try.

Crafting formula: one reclaimed metal + one Beggar’s Bazooka + one Gunboats = one The Air Strike

3.New Craftables and Crates!

Mann Co. Stockpile Crates and Keys

These are unnumbered crates that will drop a community-made cosmetic item from this update (or the usual 1% of the time, an Unusual instead). This is new: the drop list of the crate can be shuffled!

When the item drops, it has a drop list of four possible cosmetic items with pictures of the item. Not impressed with the drop list? Shuffle it by typing it a word into the blank–which is used for the random seed–and it will give you a different drop list of four items. Use any word at all; the same word will grant the same list of items. So remember keywords you use if you’re trying to pull a specific item; you still have a one-in-four shot of getting a desired item.

The keys themselves are the usual $2.49, and neither the Stockpile Crates nor the Keys have an expiration date.

Mann Co. Audition Reels

These are a type of crate that only have taunts inside. I don’t think they need keys; you open one, and it grants one of the 15 taunts released in this update.  Since they open for free, I assume that they will drop more rarely than common crates.

Bread Boxes: Now Craftable

You can only craft bread boxes until July 9th. Crafting one will unlock one of four reskinned items (see below).  Here’s how:

• Go into your Crafting Menu, and choose the Special Recipes tab (with the star)
• Choose three headgear items that are craftable, which are spent to create the Bread Box.
• You will get one of the following four items:
  • Self-Aware Beauty Mark (reskinned Jarate)
  • Snack Attack (reskinned Sapper)
  • Bread Bites (reskinned Gloves of Running Urgently)
  • Mutated Milk (reskinned Mad Milk)
• These items have a chance to be Strange quality, else they are Unique quality.

4. 15 New Taunts!

[[[ This area under construction.  Please come back later!  -- [N] Obey ]]]

5. 43 New Cosmetic Items!

And here they are, with links to each item’s Official Wiki page:

6. TF2 Patch notes: June 18, 2014

As usual, lifted from The Official TF2 Wiki.

• Love & War Update
  • Added 5 new weapons^[1], 15 new taunts^[2], and 43 cosmetic items^[3] for the Love & War update
  • Partner Taunts can now be performed with the opposing team
  • Added a new Taunt Loadout with 8 slots so multiple taunts can be equipped at the same time
    • Taunts are no longer equipped in the Action Slot
    • Pressing the Taunt key in game now brings up the new Taunt Selection menu
    • Pressing the taunt key while the Taunt Selection menu is open performs a weapon taunt, or joins a partner taunt

• Mann Co. Store
  • Added 15 new taunts and a taunt bundle
  • Added 5 new weapons and a weapon bundle
  • Added 44 new cosmetics and a cosmetic bundle
  • Added “Taunt” category into the store
  • Added Mann Co. Stockpile Crate Key
  • The “Hats” and “Misc” categories have been merged into “Cosmetics”

• Items
  • Added the Mann Co. Stockpile Crate to the droplist
    • Each Mann Co. Stockpile Crate can be repeatedly shuffled to contain a set of 4 possible items
  • Added the Mann Co. Audition Reel. Contains taunts and a rare chance at an unusual taunt
  • Updated Mann Co. Crates to display which Unusual Series they can potentially output
  • Added Bread Box Special Crafting Recipe. This recipe will no longer be available after July 9th, 2014. Items from the Bread box have a chance to be strange.
  • Added crafting recipes for newly added weapons
  • Added Killstreak Kits to MvM for newly added weapons
  • Added OzFortress Season 11 tournament medals

• Weapon changes and updates
  • With The Hitman’s Heatmaker, pressing ‘reload’ now activates focus when it is full
  • The Axtinguisher now does mini-crit damage from the front and full crit damage from behind to burning targets
  • The Bushwacka can no longer randomly crit
  • All mini-guns now have damage and accuracy ramp up after they start firing. Full accuracy and damage is reached 1 second after firing.
  • All Demoman stickybombs now have damage ramp up. Full damage is reached 2 seconds after firing.
  • Updated Loch-n-Load reload animation
  • Sentry bullets are now affected by damage falloff outside of sentry scan range
  • Sentry bullet damage has been changed so it calculates damage based on the sentry’s position, not the Engineer‘s

• Misc Changes
  • Updated the Halloween holiday to automatically be enabled when the server runs an _event map
  • Added a check to prevent achievement announcement spam
  • Converted several weapon models^[4] to use the c_models system
  • Updated the localization files

• Bug Fixes
  • Fixed an exploit where charging Demoman could turn more than allowed
  • Fixed a bug where Halloween spellbooks were overriding PDAs and Disguise Kits
  • Fixed The Director’s Vision taunt not playing both variations for the Pyro
  • Fixed the Pyro’s spell audio not sounding like the rest of the Pyro’s audio
  • Fixed a bug that would sometimes cause items to unequip themselves
  • Fixed a dedicated server crash related to using ‘mp_forcecamera 0‘ with one player on the server
  • Fixed a regression with the trigger_gravity entity not correctly applying its settings
  • Fixed another exploit where Engineer buildings could build up a large amount of health
  • Fixed a server performance issue related to the item_teamflag entity
  • Fixed the itemtest command
    • Fixed cosmetics shared between multiple classes not rendering correctly
    • Updated the cosmetic item list to sort by name

• Map Fixes
  • Updated cp_granary
    • Removed collision from lights and small props protruding from walls
    • Fixed collision on fences
    • Fixed the tire props near Blu’s forward spawn so players may no longer jump up to the spawn door platform
    • Fixed players shooting through gaps around forward spawn doors
    • Fixed door protruding through roof on Red’s forward spawn
    • Fixed a collision bug that gave players access to the roof above Red’s spawn door
    • Prevented players from building inside spawn room doors
    • Adjusted area portals to improve rendering and performance
  • Updated koth_harvest_final
    • Added metal panel prop to Blu building, which now mirrors the jump up on the Red side
    • Small performance increase through prop fade adjustments
    • Players can no longer build inside spawn doors
  • Updated pl_upward
    • Fixed physics debris triggering the payload cart’s finale explosion

Undocumented changes

• The Loose Cannon’s cannon ball explosions now use a deeper sound.
• Fixed Doomsday lagging every time the Australium respawned.
• The scoreboard now displays support points and damage dealt on non-MvM maps.

7. Patch: June 19, 2014

• Added a new startup music track from Expiration Date.
• Added a crafting recipe for The Back Scatter.
• Fixed a client crash caused by Strange Fists.
• Fixed players using the partner taunts to enter enemy spawn rooms.
• Fixed a regression with the Disco Beat Down unusual effect.
• Fixed The Classic automatically zooming in after going through a teleporter while charging.
• Updated The Tide Turner to also refill the charge meter from impact kills.

 

[N] Obey

 

For the first day, there is only a fifteen-minute short movie–basically a cartoon episode–where bread attacks, Scout needs a date, and Spy is well, himself.  Enjoy the show–and we’ll see you here on Day Two!

This is the YouTube page for the video; it may default to HD settings, so turn them back to “240p” or so by clicking the gear if you have problems playing the video.

And here is the Day One splash page.

Until tomorrow~!!

[N] Obey

*****Currently, Newbs’ servers #09 2fort, #14 goldrush, and #26 are down for repatching. Check back in the next 24 hours.******

Here’s the summary:

1. HEADLINES–see below for article links.
2. Team Fortress 2 had two patches today.
   • Lots of bugfixes, exploits, and some cosmetics’ slot placements.
   • Taunts are now push-to-hold toggles.
   • Updated the Eureka Effect wrench (see below).
   • What’s up with the Bread? (see below)
3. Reminder: Steam Summer Sale usually launches around the last week of July. With that in mind:
   • Craft some Mysterious Cards (see below); they seem to replace coupons as a reward when crafting Steam badges currently.
   • Expect some new Summer-themed Crates and Keys.  Last year we had those nine color-coded Summer Coolers and Summer Claim Checks.

 1. HEADLINES

Click the link in the headline to jump to the pertinent article.  Happy summer reading!

1.  The Dota 2 International for 2014 has raised over US$9 million in prize money, and it still has two months to go. That’s about as much as the prize pool for the annual Masters golf tournament, according to these guys.
2. The most recent Official TF2 Blog post talks about new weapons that Valve have tested and rejected. They are probably getting ready to launch some new weapons in the near future, but expect Valve to be patient, as they have been busy reworking existing, underused items. New items haven’t launched in 18 months or so.
3. The Highlander Open is inviting non-competitive TF2 gamers to put on their best tryhard hat and give the competitive TF2 scene a try. You will still need to form your own group of at least 9 players. Note: Be sure to see their list of Banned Items.
4. Telltale Games is working on a new game that is supposed to explore the origins of Handsome Jack, the mouthy bastard you may or may not have hunted down in Borderlands 2. It will involve some moral-based decisions that will alter the flow of the game to a degree, and will be released as a series of five episodes over a Season (much like BL2′s Season Pass, I’m sure). It will also take place on that ever-present Hyperion moonbase you see in the other games, and is slated for release on October 17, 2014. Here is a 16-minute trailer, courtesy of PC Gamer.
5. ICYMI: Dota 2 had a patch on June 2nd, in case you missed it. Yes, that’s what ICYMI means. You may have learned something useful today. There was another one on May 30th, but the main thing there is that you will score no points if you are playing in an invalid slot (i.e. a Core playing in a Support slot, or vice versa).

 

2. Team Fortress 2 Patches — June 12, 2014

See below for the full patch notes.

Updated: The Eureka Effect

You can now pick up buildings with the Eureka Effect in your loadout.  Just like before, you can build a teleporter near a point for defense, use your wrench to return to the respawn room and reload, jump back into your teleporter to get back up front quickly, then continue to rebuild your nest. Except now, you can move your buildings later if you need to, just like stock Engineers.

The Eureka Effect now repairs and upgrades buildings at half the normal rate. It’ll take 16 clicks (instead of 8) to upgrade a building, consuming the same amount of metal to upgrade, as it uses only half as much per hit. The initial build should still take the usual time. This replaces the old penalty that denied the ability to move your buildings. And it’s not much of a penalty if you’re Wrangling your level-3 sentry gun!

You can now teleport either to your spawn OR the location of your teleporter exit. You can toggle between the two locations by hitting the reload key (default: R). Consider this the next time you MvM and need to hide before you get ganked, or port over to your sentry gun next to your exit!

Dat Bread

This is probably a temporary thing: when you teleport, one of nine bread models may appear, disappearing in a few seconds.  I wonder if they correspond to the nine TF2 classes… and Archimedes finally gets his pretzel (see top-right corner of the second image)! Maybe we will start defending Rome in MvM or some such.

All I’m saying is, Dustbowl has had rat holes inserted into the buildings of its map for like, a year now.  So what’s that all about?!

Full Patch Notes: Patch 1

• Fixed item descriptions for Strange scores not appearing to update
  • So now when you get killed by the same Strange weapon continually, you should see the weapon increase its increment! Hooray.
• Fixed a bug where damage dealt and healing done Strange scores would stop incrementing
• Fixed an exploit where teleporters could build up a large amount of health
• Fixed a bug where premium accounts would temporarily appear to revert to free status
• Fixed deflected rocket explosion sounds playing repeatedly
• Fixed deflected Black Box rockets not giving health to the Pyro
• Fixed being able to apply the Strange Part: Buildings Destroyed tool to the Flying Guillotine
• Fixed several cosmetic items not cloaking properly for the Spy^[1]
• Added the AsiaFortress Cup Season 7 medals
• Community Request: Added SetCustomUpgradesFile input to the gamerules entity to allow servers to specify a different upgrades file
• Updated the localization files
• Updated the Eureka Effect
  • Can now pickup buildings
  • Repair and upgrade rates have been decreased
  • Can teleport to your spawn room or your Teleporter Exit

Undocumented changes: Patch 1

• Updated the backpack icons for the Director’s Vision, Meet the Medic, Schadenfreude, High Five! and Shred Alert taunts.
• Added a prompt above players in the High Five! taunt pose.
• Taunts that were push-to-hold are now toggles. Pressing the action key once will let the player hold their pose until the action key is pressed again
• Moved the Director’s Vision from the Action slot to the currently unused Taunt slot. fixed in patch 2
• Fixed Spy’s revolvers not using the Spy‘s hand in reload animations.
• Bread now sometimes spawn when using a Teleporter.
• Updated the equip_region of El Muchacho.
• Updated the item type of Brawling Buccaneer and Hornblower.
• Fixed a bug that let players move while taunting.
• Added console commands tf_taunt_move_forward_speed, tf_allow_sliding_taunt and taunt_by_name.
  • I think tf_allow_sliding_taunt allows a function similar to the old frozen-taunt-while-moving.
• Dispensers now cost 70 metal when using the Gunslinger. fixed in patch 2
• Added a white line above the names of the buildings on the Construction PDA menus.

Patch 2

• Fixed a client crash caused by failing to properly parse the item schema
• Fixed not being able to equip The Director’s Vision taunt in the Action slot
• Fixed not being able to taunt with the Spy’s disguise kit
• Fixed the Engineer‘s build menu staying open after changing class^[2]
• Fixed being charged the incorrect amount of metal for a Dispenser when The Gunslinger is equipped
• Updated the description of The High Five! Taunt to better describe the new toggle behavior
• Updated the materials for The Eureka Effect HUD to support mat_picmip

 3. Mysterious Cards

Like I said above, the Steam Summer Sale (in whatever form) will be coming eventually. On June 10th, users who crafted Steam badges began receiving one of a set of ten Mysterious Cards. PC Gamer weighed in with their thoughts, and referred to Reddit for some of their speculative information.

In crafting these cards, I found that I got one random card, numbered 1 thru 10 with a yellow Steam logo, with each badge I crafted. It seemed to replace the usual game coupons I was accustomed to getting–perhaps further evidence of the upcoming sale; do they want to halt the couponing if they’re about to launch a sale?

Lately, they seem to trend for $0.25 to $0.30 on the Steam Market, if you just want to go buy a set.  But you can’t craft a badge with them… YET.

 

[N] Obey