TF2 Newbs (Team Fortress 2) Blog

Been pretty busy in the Newbs Community lately! Here’s what’s going on:

• Nathan Vetterlein (AKA the voice actor for the Scout) has been streaming on Newbs’ #14 lately!
• TF2Newbs is hosting an Event on Saturday, May 7th!
• {N} Olse is looking for players for his online, Saturday night D&D games.
• Minor TF2 Patch (full patch notes below); mostly updated models and Comp beta features.
• Added: a new “Alternative” Quickplay option for game modes: Territoral Control (Hydro),  Special Delivery (Doomsday), Medieval (Degroot Keep), and Player Destruction.TF2 streamer
• I’ve updated the FAQ “A TF2 Newbs’ Guide to More and Better Items”
  • Added sections describing Graded weapons
  • Added info on how to earn even more hats

[Updated Apr 26: Another minor TF2 patch. Added Medieval mode to the Alternative Quickplay.]

Meet the REAL Scout!

TF2 streamer Nathan Vetterlein, the voice actor of the Scout in TF2, has been bumping over to #14 to play the Badwater Basin map! Naturally, users following the streamer quickly fill the server, and we’re okay with that! He is also known for his group of sketch comedians.

Click here for his Twitch channel and other profile links.

Click here if you want to get involved with Newbs’ server starting, becoming a member, or joining one of our many sub-groups.

Are Ya Ready for Some Football Soccer XFL Dodgeball PASS Time?

We’re going something different for an event on Saturday, May 7th:  A soccer-like game mode, PASS Time, will be played by Newblets!

Special Rule: No primary weapons! Secondaries/melee weapons only. You’re going to be busy chasing the ball carrier anyway.

Click this link to learn everything you need to know, and to sign up.  An unusual hat will be awarded!!

Full Patch Notes: Apr 26, 2016

• Fixed client crash related to custom HUDs
• Fixed the Powdered Practitioner not using the correct Blue team material
• Fixed seeing the Competitive Mode doors at the beginning of the round for Mann vs. Machine
• Updated the Patriot Peak with a second style that will hide the Scout’s headphones
• Updated the Quickplay category for Alternative game modes to include Medieval maps

Full Patch Notes: April 25, 2016

• Updated content and features for the TF2 Competitive Mode beta
  • For more information on how you can participate in testing, please visit https://steamcommunity.com/groups/tfcompetitive
  • Added a ten second countdown to the beginning of each round after the firs
  • Added cp_gorge to the map rotation to test attack/defense format (using stopwatch mode)
• Fixed a potential security issue (thanks to Justin G., aka sigsegv, for this report)
• Fixed ragdolls not drawing the head properly when a Spy feigns death
• Fixed the Festive Backburner missing the pilot light
• Fixed The Classic leaving laser particles in the world
• Fixed a problem with the Mann Co. Catalog images being drawn off-screen
• Updated models/materials for The Hot Dogger, Brim-Full Of Bullets, The One-Man Army, Your Worst Nightmare, The Patriot Peak, The Diplomat, The Bruiser’s Bandanna, The Eliminators Safeguard, and Storm Stompers
• Added tournament medals for AsiaFortress Cup Season 9, ozfortress Season 15, and ozfortress Summer Cup 2016, ETF2L 6v6 Season 22 and Season 23, and ETF2L Highlander Season 9 and Season 10
• Added the class viewmodel animation files to the list of files allowed on servers using sv_pure 1
• Updated the equip_region settings for The Tools of the Trade and Captain Space Mann
• Updated the localization files
• Added a new Quickplay category for Alternative game modes
  • Moved Territorial Control, Special Delivery, and Player Destruction maps to this new category

Undocumented changes

• Updated the models/materials for the Powdered Practitioner.
• Updated the Powdered Practitioner to be equippable by Soldier and Spy.
• Updated the Hot Dogger and Patriot Peak to be equippable by all classes.
• Added styles to the Eliminators Safeguard, Bruiser’s Bandanna, One-Man Army, Your Worst Nightmare and Powdered Practitioner.
• Updated the backpack icons for the Hot Dogger, Powdered Practitioner, Patriot Peak, Diplomat, One-Man Army and Your Worst Nightmare.

[N] Obey

Hey, it’s finally here–and some players thinks it’s the best Halloween update to boot!  The event runs through November 12, 2014. Better strap in, because you’re gonna love the bumper cars!

1. Launch of new Halloween 2014 Map: Carnival of Carnage.
   • Magic spells and end-of-round zany bumper car fun included.
2. 50 new Halloween-themed cosmetic items.
   • Everyone gets one free Halloween Gift Cauldron and can unlock another.
3. New melee weapon reskin: The Necro Smasher
   • Earn by unlocking enough Halloween 2014 achievements.
4. Full patch notes
   • Unusual items uncrated until November 12, 2014 will have Halloween-themed Unusual effects, instead of the typical effects granted by its Unusual Series.
   • For a limited time, you can buy previous Halloween-themed cosmetic items from the Mann Co. Store.
   • Halloween Crates can be bought from the Mann Co. Store.

Read the new TF2 comic: “Blood Money”!

0. Servers Currently Set to Halloween Maps:

Carnival of Carnage (2014 Event): #07, #09

Helltower (2013 Event): #12, #15

Harvest Event (2009 Event): #13

1. Carnival of Carnage

Merasmus’s Carnival of Carnage [sd_doomsday_event] is a Halloween Event map, and a reskin of Doomsday, Valve’s only official-to-date Special Delivery map. Instead of launching the monkeynaut Poopy Joe briefly into outer space to win, now you compete to be the team to raise a suitcase full of tickets to the top of the Strongmann Machine, while Merasmus launches snarky comments and global curses at everyone.

When the suitcase reaches the top, both teams enter one of three possible bumper car mini-games!! Oh, and there are Magic Spell powerups for you to cast at the other team, like the Helltower map. And yes, you can cast spells while driving a bumper car!

For more information on how to play this map, consult my TF2Newbs’ Guide to Halloween Event Maps.

2. Gift Cauldrons and New Cosmetics

Alert!  You have new items!

Yes, you do! Every player’s TF2 account automatically receives one Antique Halloween Gift Cauldron, and you’ll be alerted the first time you load the game.  This Limited action item can be used once to drop 3 random Scream Fortress VI cosmetic items.  The items dropped from the Cauldron will either be Unique, Haunted, or Strange Haunted qualities–and at least one will be Strange Haunted. The Gift Cauldron is Limited so it is not marketable, giftable or tradable, nor sold in the Mann Co. Store, but I assume the items it drops are giftable and tradable…?

Any Strange Haunted items will have two Strange Parts automatically attached to the cosmetic item: the “Carnival Games Won” Strange Part and the “Carnival Underworld Kills” Strange Part (which measures players knocked off the track.

It is possible to get a second Halloween Gift Cauldron by earning the Merasmachievement “Bumper to Bumper to Bumper”, by being on the winning team for all three bumper car mini-games at the end of rounds of the Carnival of Carnage map.

Meanwhile, it is possible to buy any of the 50 new Halloween-themed cosmetic items in the Mann Co. Store.

3. Unlock the Necro Smasher

Complete the “Step Right Up” Merasmachievement, by completing 4 other Merasmachievements, to earn your very own Necro Smasher! It is an all-classes-but-spy wooden mallet you can use to melee bludgeon your foes, just like your stock melee weapon. If you’re an Engineer, it’ll also repair your stuff. It’s tradable.

Full Patch Notes

• Scream Fortress VI has arrived!
  • Help Merasmus with his carnival!
  • Comic and additional information available on the website (http://www.teamfortress.com/screamfortress6)
  • Scream Fortress VI runs until November 12, 2014
  • Added new Halloween map Carnival of Carnage
    • Merasmus will spread misfortune with server wide curses
    • Added a Strongmann Test-Your-Strength machine which is in no way an eldritch portal to Bumper Car Madness!
  • Added bumper car minigames. Win by completely ghostifying the other team or by completing the objective
  • Alt-fire to speed boost your bumper car
  • Cast magic spells while driving
  • The collision force a bumper car receives increases as the car takes damage
  • Force is displayed in the bumper car HUD as a percentage
    • Ghosts can come back to life by touching a friendly bumper car
  • 50 new Halloween-themed community cosmetics^[1]
  • 6 new achievements

• During Scream Fortress VI:
  • A Halloween Gift Cauldron is granted to all players who play during the event
  • Added Halloween crates to the Mann Co. Store. These crates do not require a key to open
  • All Unusual hats and taunts that are unboxed during the event will receive Halloween-themed Unusual effects
  • Previous Scream Fortress content is available in the Mann Co. Store

• General :
  • Reduced the number of Fireball spells granted to 2^[2]
  • Updated the tf_spells_enabled ConVar
    • Removed the Teleport spell from the general spell list when spells are enabled outside of Helltower
    • Added rare spells to the general spell list, except Skeletons and Monoculus
  • Turning a player into a ghost now grants the attacker a kill credit
  • Players can now fly around as a ghost by holding the jump key
  • TargetID system
    • Now creates a floating health indicator over the target
    • Reduced size of nameplate
    • Added tf_hud_target_id_alpha ConVar to control the transparency
  • Fixed player voice transmissions not transmitting the last second of recording
  • Fixed a dedicated server crash when the autoexec.cfg contains a bind command
    • Fixed Unicode font performance and rendering issues for Mac clients
    • Fixed an exploit that allowed players to remove the ghost condition

• Hammer :
  • Added a field to the Tools->Options->3DView tab that multiplies the length of the rendered light_spot cone preview

Undocumented Changes

• Added a new startup music track for Scream Fortress VI.
• Removed old Scream Fortress startup music track from the game.
• Added Necro Smasher, Kritz or Treat Canteen, Deadliest Catch.
• Corrected the description of FR-0.

Oh, By the Way…

There’s this: someone reported a serious flaw in TF2 so Valve could fix it. To thank him, they let him have a hat of his choice: a one-of-a-kind Strange Cheater’s Lament with Sunbeams! (Courtesy of Nuunsa and Reddit)

[N] Obey