TF2 Newbs (Team Fortress 2) Blog

By the way, 2fort servers #04 (and sometimes #05 and #18) have been regularly starting up most evenings, usually around 6PM EST/3 PM PST, and are active for a few hours. If you’re looking for some 2Fort action without hackers or grossly unbalanced teams, just type “connect server4.tf2newbs.com” into your console; no password required.

Meanwhile, the ever-expanding adventures of the Newbs’ XCOM 2 saga can be found on our forums. Read up while you’re powering through all that fruitcake.

Speaking of fruitcake, server admin Packhead is streaming free Christmas music! Find that link on our forums as well.

The short version of the latest Holiday Update:

• The Steam Winter Holiday Sale started today!
• No new contracts, maps, or weapons this season. Definitely a simpler update this holiday season.
• Logging in to TF2 during this event scores you a Gift-Stuffed Stocking tool item.
  • If used, it contains 2-3 random weapons, paint can, name tag, description tag, backpack expander, giftapult, and occasionally other random items such as cosmetics. These items are untradeable.
• The keyless Winter 2016 Cosmetic Crate drops new community-made cosmetics.
  • Instead of buying a key and dropping/buying a crate, you just buy the unlocked crate.
  • Crates don’t expire, but they can only be bought for a short time.
  • Crates have a chance of also dropping a Festivizer tool that makes an item festive.
  • Festivizers now work on more items.

• Mann Co. Store is having a 20%-75% off sale, highlighting tools and cosmetics.
  • Sale now thru January 11th.
  • Valve Winter Sale hasn’t started… yet.
• Matchmaking changes (see below)

Matchmaking Changes

At the end of a Comp or Casual match, the following happens:

1. Players are automatically formed into a rematch with the same teams of players.
2. Server then prompts map vote of current map or two others, based on searched maps of player prior to match.

Casual now has a new, voluntary version of the old autobalance system. During a match, you may be prompted to switch sides if teams become unbalanced because of players leaving games. If you volunteer, you will earn bonus XP during the match; you are not required to switch, and no one will be forced to switch sides.

Also, you can now set a maximum accepting ping for Comp or Casual matches but selecting the gear icon in the Matchmaking lobby.

Full Patch Notes: Dec 21, 2016

As always, full patch notes courtesy of the excellent Official TF2 Wiki.

• All players who play TF2 during the event will receive a Stuffed Stocking as a gift! Stockings contain goodies for good little Mercenaries.
• Added the limited-time key-less Winter 2016 Cosmetic Case to the Mann Co. Store
  • Contains 17 new community-contributed items
  • The Festivizer can be found as a bonus drop when opening the case
• Added 3 new taunts to the Mann Co. Store
  • The Scotsmann’s Stagger (community-contributed)
  • The Didgeridrongo (community-contributed)
  • The Table Tantrum (Valve)
• New weapons for the Festivizer!
  • Fire Axe, The Jag, The Kritzkrieg, Pistol, The Quick-Fix, Natascha, The Sandman, The Spy-cicle, Kukri, Shovel and The Scottish Resistance
• Mann Co. Store winter sale!
  • Look for 20%-75% off selected unlocked cosmetic crates, taunts, and tools in the Mann Co. Store through January 11th, 2017
• Matchmaking Improvements
  • At the end of a Casual match, players are automatically formed into a new match with the same players and teams
    • Players get to vote on which map the new match will take place on
      • There are 3 maps to vote on, chosen based on the maps everyone in the match had selected when they began searching for a match. The current map is always the first option.
    • This replaces the Rematch system
  • Players can now set their maximum acceptable ping by clicking the new gear icon in the top right of the Casual and Competitive matchmaking lobby screens and choosing “Ping Settings”
• New autobalance system to help with balancing teams when players leave a match. The system will ask players to volunteer to switch teams.
  • Automatically enabled for all Casual match servers
    • Players who switch will be able to earn bonus XP as a reward
  • Community servers can enable this new feature by using “mp_autoteambalance 2″

General

• Fixed security issue reported by Justin G. (sigsegv) and Linus S. (PistonMiner)
• Fixed not clearing the teleport condition for players who have their teleport interrupted before the teleport is complete
• Fixed PASS Time exploit related to bonus points
• Updated mat_monitorgamma so it can be adjusted in Competitive mode
• Fixed the ShouldPreserveSquad flag not being parsed correctly in Mann vs. Machine mode
• Fixed a bug related to bot Engineers and teleporters in Mann vs. Machine mode
• Fixed not being able to transfer Strange stats between versions of Jarate and the Sapper
• Fixed incorrect particle position for Unusual taunt effects when using the Racho Relaxo^(sic)
• Added the ESA Rewind tournament medals
• Added the Winter Wonderland 2016 community medals
• Updated the Dalokohs Bar to fix a bug related to the health buff
• Updated cp_metalworks to fix a texture problem
• Updated pd_watergate
  • Respawn times will now change depending on which team is in the lead: 8 seconds to leading team, 4 seconds to trailing team
  • Moved the current beer amount to the center of the HUD
  • Added a jump to low spawn route to give respawned players something to do en-route to mid
  • Added a light to illuminate roof-snipers better
  • Adjusted some clipping[N] Obey 

The two-week-long Steam Summer Sale starts tomorrow! If you’re getting bored of what you’re playing, get ready to get broke buying more games!!

Oh, and there will be another major TF2 patch… possibly soon! Some ambiguous internal system changes were made to prepare TF2 for this patch. Who knows, it could happen during the sale! We’ll see….

NOTE: Valve’s TF2 servers changed configurations this afternoon. Some servers are now “Matchmaking” servers; some are “Maintenance” servers. Some servers now have an increased, 32-player limit, while others still have the usual 24-player limit.

[Update: As of 6:30pm today, TF2Newbs servers "updated" to the wrong maps, mostly MvM Boot Camp maps, probably due to Valve's changing things around. We're letting the Head Octopus know....]

[Update: About an hour later, all servers except #23 were fixed. Just some bamboozling that Valve did with the servers.]

[N] Obey

See the previous blogpost for the Tough Break Update. See the bottom of this post for yesterday’s TF2 patch.

Steam Sale 2015 is LIVE!

No click-the-robots browser game to annoy you this time, Newbs. Instead, this sale has the following feature:

• View your Discovery Queue once each day to earn a free Steam Trading Card.
  • Your Steam Level must be 5 or higher to qualify for this reward.
  • The Queue is a list of ten random games, taking you to the Store Page for each game so you can view trailers, screenshots, reviews, and the deals for each game.
  • The Trading Card reward helps complete the North Pole Noir Sale set. Like all card sets, completing the set earns you items such as emoticons and backgrounds (that can be sold etc.) and helps level up your Steam account.
  • Earn an additional Trading Card for every US$10 spent buying games over the course of the sale (not merely each purchase).

Gems (a currency you can collect by converting unwanted backgrounds, emoticons, and trading cards) currently don’t have an auction function like they did last season, but surely Valve will put them to use in the future.

But what about the SALE?

If you’re not familiar, Steam offers two major sales a year, one over the Winter Holiday, and a Summer Sale typically beginning in July. Each lasts about two weeks and features massive sales (many in the 40% to 66% range!) over that time. There are currently over 10,000 games on sale right now–the only major title that isn’t on sale yet is the just-released Fallout 4.

• Deal: Purchase a Steam Hardware item now (a Controller or Steam Link device) and earn a free copy of both Left 4 Dead 2 and CounterStrike: Global Offensive.

Sales on Games Newbs Play:

Because I like bullet points, that’s why….

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is 75% off at $4.99
• Lots of Star Wars games (Battlefront II, KOTOR, Jedi Knight I and II) are $2.99 each
• Sid Meier’s Civilization V is 75% off at $4.99
• Wolfenstein: The New Order is 85% off at $8.99
• Tales from the Borderlands is 66% off at $8.49
• Bioshock Infinite is 75% off at $7.49
• Starbound is 33% off at $10.04
• Most Final Fantasy franchise games are 50% off

TF2 Patch Notes: December 22, 2015

• Renamed the Smissmas 2015 Mystery Gift to the Smissmas 2015 Festive Gift. It can now be opened to find a Gun Mettle and Tough Break Festivizer.
• Fixed a couple of sounds for the Taunt: Bucking Bronco not playing properly
• Fixed not being able to sell playerclass upgrades in Mann vs. Machine mode
• Fixed bots sometimes not spawning in Mann vs. Machine mode
• Fixed the Pyro’s invulnerable period while activating the Phlogistinator lasting longer than the activation taunt
• Fixed the crate opening animation not always displaying the image of the item received
• Fixed the Medigun sometimes using the incorrect berCharge rate on maps with multiple stages
• Fixed an issue where the Loose Cannon would sometimes not apply knockback on hit
• Fixed decorated weapons not getting the crit-boost material effect
• Strange Part: Kills While Explosive Jumping can now be applied to Strange Grenade Launchers
• Updated the Mann Co. Store with the Smissmas sale. Deep discounts on nearly everything in the store.
• Updated the equip_regions for the Berlin Brain Bowl, Business Casual, Distinguished Rogue, Cut Throat Concierge, Blood Banker, After Dark, Bountiful Bow, Dead of Night, Au Courant Assassin, Rogue’s Robe, Sky Captain, Lady Killer, Puffy Provocateur, and Lurker’s Leathers
• Updated the model/materials for The Hat With No Name so it can now be equipped by the Soldier, Sniper, Demoman, and Engineer
• Updated the model/materials for the Co-Pilot so it can now be equipped by the Scout, Soldier, and Engineer
• Updated the model/materials for the Medical Monarch and added a new style
• Updated the scoreboard
  • Added Ping column header when viewing ping as text on the scoreboard
  • Added the player count for each team
• Updated ctf_landfall
  • Fixed building teleporters between spawn room doors
  • Fixed an exploit that allowed players to go outside the map
• Updated PASS Time
  • Experimenting with new HUD elements and art
  • Experimenting with new viewmodel animations
  • New testing feature ‘tf_passtime_team_bonuses’ that shares pass, steal, and intercept bonuses with the whole team

[N] Obey

Right on time–it’s the Steam Summer Sale!  Say goodbye to your money!

1. What is a Steam Summer Sale? What’s the big deal?
2. What’s new about this Monster Sale?

1. What is a Steam Summer Sale? What’s the big deal?

Steam is known for doing at least two giant sales a year (summer, and late December) where many titles are 50% off or more. Almost every popular title that is at least six months old participates, and you can commonly find short-duration flash sales for even better deals. Check the store page often to see what deals are still available, as they will rotate every 12 or 24 hours.

On top of that, Steam gamifies the sale by creating interactive events, such as sale-themed badges to craft (by collecting limited-edition cards during this time) and other wacky functions.

2. What’s new about this Monster Sale?

For the Monster Summer Sale, there is a browser game to play in, damaging enemies and trying to stay alive.  The browser game records the number of clicks, the bosses defeated, and more to unlock additional flash sales the next day. (These unlocked flash sales always start at 9 am PST/12 noon EST and will run for 48 hours.)

This is a clicker game in the vein of Cookie Clicker or the free-to-play AdVenture Capitalist–all you do is click buttons, which have short cooldown timers before you can click them again, and you can unlock more buttons, reduce the cooldown times on the buttons, and have buttons auto-click themselves.  Your Steam level and your Steam 2015 Summer Sale Badge level will grant you special abilities so that you can do more uhh, “damage” to the bosses. (Clicker games can also hog the performance of your computer’s hardware, so I wouldn’t advise playing on a battery-fed device.)

There are multiple waves or screens of enemies; use the buttons on the above-right to change them. If the sounds and/or music are annoying, toggle them on/off with the buttons on the bottom left.

As always, you are encouraged to play your new games, which will provide you with Steam Trading Cards.  Completing and turning in sets of cards increases your Steam Rank as well as your Summer Sale Badge rank (if done during the sale, which runs thru June 22nd). Of course, you can turn unused items into gems, buy more cards with gems, buy and sell cards in the Steam Market, and so on.  See this post for more information; note that there are no Steam Auctions at this time.

Let’s just hope these games aren’t hiding a bitcoin manufacturing system… I’m kidding.  I hope.  But the point is, Steam users can unlock additional sales, which are hinted on the sale’s splash page.

[N] Obey

P.S.  Obligatory “Praise Gaben” link.