Uber TF2 update today

[coreyb]

this game sucks now. I had over 500 hours before all the crazy updates came out. played the game competitively and everything. I've tried to go back and play and been overwhelmed with all the new weapons, hats, etc etc that modify damage. the game was much better when it was simpler.

 

[mysticdream]

Valve has decided to introduce the free-to-play model for its very popular team-based first-person shooter Team Fortress 2.

The introduction of free-to-play came with the latest update to the game which included a new Payload map, lots of new goodies, a redesign of the Crafting interface, improvements to training, and a number of gameplay bug fixes.

http://www.geek.com/articles/games/team-fortress-2-now-free-to-play-forever-20110624/


Merged

Anandtech Moderator
KeithTalent

 

[jlee]

Hmm, maybe there will be some new players so I can actually have a chance at placing mid-pack instead of at the bottom..

 

[Texashiker]

Duplicate thread, first thread was posted here

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2173998

Sorry about that


Merged.

Anandtech Moderator
KeithTalent

 

[Lotheron]

What do yall think about this? Is free 2 play the future of online gaming?

Open up steam this morning, and the news said that tf2 is now free 2 play

http://store.steampowered.com/app/440/

I don't think it's technically 100% the future, but I think they figure since the game wasn't selling for much anyway. Their position now is that they can make more money on micro-transactions from those people that have not picked it up yet rather on box sales.

The game is also almost 4 years old and is a cash cow. Valve has made a few dollars on the game, even before they released purchasable items. This gives them some leeway to try some experimental models to see if it's viable going forward.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

They were practically giving it away with the orange box anyway : p

 

[Barfo]

I just paid $10 for it. Fucking Valve.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

don't stress brafo, I don't think the F2P folks get drops, new weapons and such. So $10 is still a great price.

 

[n7]

Hmm, free now.

I never really could get into TF2 the way some of my friends could.

I find it a decently fun game with people i know, but i can't usually be bothered to play it otherwise, & i've liked it less & less the more stuff they've added to the game.

 

[Red Storm]

The free to play announcement has me worried over TF2's future. While it's great that this will likely result in an influx of new players, we all know how to free to play works. Those who pay, get better stuff. Right now it's not like this for the most part, but I fear it will eventually work its way in that direction. For example, there are a crapload of weapons in the game for all the different classes, and free account players can't trade with other players to get those items sooner, so they're basically at the mercy of the random drop system.

As for the update itself, I am amazed that some of these weapons even made it past beta testing. The Heavy's new mini-gun is quite overpowered, and that was easy enough to tell simply from its announced stats. The Spy's new revolver is a straight up damage boost. Don't even get me started on the Demoman's melee set, it's nearly god mode against anything but a Pyro's airblast. In a game with machine guns, rocket launchers, and flamethrowers, it's odd seeing a class dominate the game with only a sword...

I've stuck with the game ever since the pre-release beta. I tolerated the crappy looking hats and effects they kept throwing onto the once great art style. I lived with the terrible drop system mechanic. All that's cosmetic and/or didn't affect the fantastic team-based game play itself, but if these new weapons are any indication, power creep has made a permanent home in TF2. :\

 

[blinblue]

The free to play announcement has me worried over TF2's future. While it's great that this will likely result in an influx of new players, we all know how to free to play works. Those who pay, get better stuff. Right now it's not like this for the most part, but I fear it will eventually work its way in that direction. For example, there are a crapload of weapons in the game for all the different classes, and free account players can't trade with other players to get those items sooner, so they're basically at the mercy of the random drop system.

Except that you can be a "premium" user by one purchase from the store. And there are $0.49 items in there. So basically they are selling TF2 for $0.49, that sounds great to me

And unless they change it, once you are "premium" you'll always be it.

 

[AstroManLuca]

i use basically all the stock weapons. if you don't want the new weapons just don't use them instead of bitching about it.

Okay, now just get every single other TF2 player to use only the stock weapons and your argument might have some merit.

 

[mb]

Okay, now just get every single other TF2 player to use only the stock weapons and your argument might have some merit.

Yea, I know, right? It's so dumb that you might actually have to think about what strategy you should use to help out your team when players on the other team are using different weapons. Because, really, when they use different weapons your stock weapons are rendered useless. MAN! I hate thinking. I want a game where everyone just has the same gun and all you do is run around and shoot with no objective other than killing people.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Yea, I know, right? It's so dumb that you might actually have to think about what strategy you should use to help out your team when players on the other team are using different weapons. Because, really, when they use different weapons your stock weapons are rendered useless. MAN! I hate thinking. I want a game where everyone just has the same gun and all you do is run around and shoot with no objective other than killing people.

Well see that doesn't make any sense because TF2 has always been about using teamwork and the many unique classes to achieve an objective, rather than just scoring as many kills as possible.

 

[crownjules]

Yea, I know, right? It's so dumb that you might actually have to think about what strategy you should use to help out your team when players on the other team are using different weapons. Because, really, when they use different weapons your stock weapons are rendered useless. MAN! I hate thinking. I want a game where everyone just has the same gun and all you do is run around and shoot with no objective other than killing people.

While I share the same opinion as you (diversity is good and these weapons are not complicated to understand if you spend a few minutes reading their descriptions nor do they change the fundamental game experience), this is an argument that's going no where. Everyone has their opinion of what's fun and what's not.

 

[MotF Bane]

New Heavy gun is pretty beastly.

 

[mb]

Well see that doesn't make any sense because TF2 has always been about using teamwork and the many unique classes to achieve an objective, rather than just scoring as many kills as possible.

I was being facetious..

While I share the same opinion as you (diversity is good and these weapons are not complicated to understand if you spend a few minutes reading their descriptions nor do they change the fundamental game experience), this is an argument that's going no where. Everyone has their opinion of what's fun and what's not.

Yes, everyone has an opinion. They can dislike the game because they think the game is too difficult for them to understand. But to trash the game because they lack the ability to understand something that is presented in a simple manner is quite uncalled for.
Basically every time I see someone say "all the new items made the game suck" I read it as "I'm too dumb to know the difference between rocket launcher A and rocket launcher B even though the game told me what they both do derrrr."

 

[Red Storm]

Except that you can be a "premium" user by one purchase from the store. And there are $0.49 items in there. So basically they are selling TF2 for $0.49, that sounds great to me

And unless they change it, once you are "premium" you'll always be it.

Not quite. True, there are things you can buy for under a dollar, but you have to remember that Steam Wallet has a $5 minimum I believe. So it doesn't matter if they had an item that sold for a penny, You still have to put $5 in.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

As above but remember free accounts can buy crap but I do not believe they get free drops. So .49 gets you one item until another is purchased.

 

[PhatoseAlpha]

As above but remember free accounts can buy crap but I do not believe they get free drops. So .49 gets you one item until another is purchased.

Even one .49 purchase from the MannCo store upgrades you from free to premium.

 

[JujuFish]

Not quite. True, there are things you can buy for under a dollar, but you have to remember that Steam Wallet has a $5 minimum I believe. So it doesn't matter if they had an item that sold for a penny, You still have to put $5 in.

You have to put $5 into the Steam wallet. That money can be used in the MannCo store, or on any purchase from the Steam store itself. Spending $0.49 on something from MannCo and saving the other $4.51 for some Steam sale will still get you a premium account with only $0.49 spent on TF2.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Alright I understand you paid $10 instead of $5, who cares that's not even a decent lunch. It's still a fin game.

 

[Angelo Cameo]

Oh well, time to install TF2 again, been a while since i played it.

 

[0roo0roo]

Play fortress forever - http://www.fortress-forever.com/ its about the closet your going to get to a real team fortress game.

As for the uber update, I am not interested. TF2 is no longer a real team fortress game, its a mix of an online store, and a role playing game.

I bought tf2 in the orange box, played a few hours, and set it to the side in favor of Fortress Forever.

The only thing this uber updates means to me, hopefully the original left 4 dead maps are getting close to release for left 4 dead 2.

it isn't though, rpg = uber weapons and truly powerful kit over time.
while some of you whine about complexity this is basically nonsense, every new weapon is both buffed and nerfed and thus is balanced again, almost none fundamentally alter game play style so your counter against them remains the same, you kill them the same as ever. just because the spy has a new type of cloak doesn't mean you don't spy check then shoot him in the face, most of the time you could care less what kind of cloak or pistol a spy is using, you kill him the same.

people fixated on hats and such as adding confusion really are dazzled by not much at all.

 

[Ichigo]

You guys remember the dedicated server fiasco with certain other games?

You realize if you want to play stock TF2 there definitely is a server near you running that mode?

You can play TF2 in whatever incarnation you like.

You guys need to understand that TF2 is really a fucking godsend in this era of FPS's.