TF2 Newbs (Team Fortress 2) Blog

This blog has been updated for the changes from Day 2.  Here’s the summary, with more details forthcoming:

Day 1′s Important Changes

• Competitive Mode is now out of Beta
• PASS Time is now out of Beta
• You can play in unranked (casual) games, if you wish, to match you into games with players with roughly equal Comp Rank
• Three new Community maps
  • Released in the Day 2 patch: Sunshine, Swiftwater, and Metalworks
• No TF2 patch has released yet–but one is expected on Day 2 (tonight or tomorrow?)

Day 2′s Important Changes:

• A “WAR” between Team Heavy and Team Pyro
  • Choose one Team when you join your next Ranked or Unranked game
  • Points you score go toward your Team; doesn’t matter what class you play
  • Winning Team overall all of TF2 (Heavy or Pyro) will decide which character will be first to get a patch designed for that character
  • The losing character will likely get a patch some time after the winner
• Some important game rebalances
• Added 4 new taunts
• Added the Perfect Stranger crate
• Added new “starter pack” crates and “keyless cosmetic” crates in the Mann Co. Store
  • Each class has one of each, so that you can outfit your favorite class
• Added new items in the Valve Store
  • More TF2 stuff in the Valve Store

What is Competitve Mode?

As the splash page says, you can now join a ranked 6-vs-6 game, solo or with up to 5 of your friends, to play a Ranked game where the outcome of the game affects your Rank. Measured from 1-18, your Rank can go up or down depending on points scored and whether you win or lose. You can lose Rank and face temporary bans from Comp play by leaving a match or being disconnected.

There seems to be an option for 9-vs-9 games as well, but it isn’t currently available.

Quickplay now has the option to join a casual, unranked match where you play against players of similar Rank. “Unranked match” means that playing doesn’t affect your Rank, but does put you into a game with (hopefully) users of similar skill.

Here’s the FAQ and the wiki page, but here’s some more pertinent info:

• To play, you need to be a Premium (not F2P) user. See this blogpost for more info on what Premium is.
• To play, you also need either a valid phone number registered to your Steam account OR buy a Lifetime TF2 Comp Pass.
  • The Lifetime Comp Pass is not to be confused with the TF2 Comp Beta Pass.
  • If you currently have the Steam Mobile Authenticator on your smartphone, you should already qualify.
• During play, note the following additional rules:
  • Currently only 6v6 is supported, no class restrictions
  • You can’t change your teams, and you’re penalized if you leave the match
  • Random critical hits are disabled for all weapons
  • Shotgun-type weapons (only) have fixed damage spreads (in a 3×3 grid pattern)
  • Symmetrical Control Point maps play best-of-3 rounds (or best-of-5 rounds in higher Ranks)
  • Attack/Defense maps play the Stopwatch mode where the fastest attacking team wins
  • DirectX9 and certain vanilla graphical modes/options are enforced
• Maps currently supported: Process, Badlands (!!), Gorge, Gullywash, Snakewater, and KOTH Viaduct
  • Note that the 3 new Community-made maps are not yet supported

3 New Community Maps

(I’m glad to see that these maps aren’t set in the desert.)

Sunshine is a traditional 5CP map designed for competitive 6v6 play that might remind you a little of Badlands. Has already seen UGC Comp play. A Halloween-themed clone, Sinshine, also exists, so expect it to show up in this year’s Halloween rotation as well.

Metalworks is also a traditional 5CP map, set in a cloudy industrial setting at night. It’s as grey as your bosses’ hearts.

Swiftwater is a payload map in a water bottling map in an Alpine setting. This map has seen lots of play in the UGC Comp Highlander ladders.

Important Game Rebalances

There are SO MANY important game rebalances, I’m going to have to write a separate blogpost about it. Here are the biggest changes:

Yeah, I’m out of time. Scroll down to read the patch notes–you’ll be glad you did. Have fun adjusting how you play Medic!!

4 New Taunts

These taunts are currently only available for purchase in the Mann Co. Store, and not in a crate at this time.

1. The Balloonibouncer has the Pyro jump onto a spring-loaded Balloonicorn and ride it… well, a little gentler than the Engineer rides his Bucking Bronco. $7.99 in Mann Co. Store.
2. The Disco Fever has the Spy do a short disco-inspired dance for 8 seconds. $4.99 in Mann Co. Store.
3. The Carlton has the Scout do a 6-second dance where he wishes he was related to the Fresh Prince, Will Smith. $6.99 in Mann Co. Store. Da da DAA daa….
4. The Fubar Fanfare has the Soldier play a sad trombone for 5 seconds. $4.99 in Mann Co. Store. Womp womp womp womp….

The “Perfect Stranger” Crate

Also known as Crate #103, this crate requires a standard Mann. Co Key, and is filled with Strange-quality weapons and weapon parts that have been requested by the TF2 community. Here’s what’s inside:

• Strange Part: Heavies Killed
• Strange Part: Pyros Killed
• Strange Part: Critical Kills
• Strange Part: Allied Healing Done
• Strange Part: Damage Dealt
• Strange Sandvich
• Strange Natascha
• Strange Powerjack
• Strange Degreaser
• Strange Reserve Shooter
• Strange Ambassador
• Strange Quickiebomb Launcher
• Strange Back Scatter
• Strange Panic Attack
• Strange Iron Bomber
• or the usual 1% chance of an Unusual cosmetic item

None of the above items existed as a Strange item before. Also, all of those items are assumed to have an equal chance to drop. (Don’t forget: all of those items are marketable also!)

“Starter Pack” Item Bundles

Nah man, it’s not a meme.  These are item packages sold in the Mann Co. Store to outfit the class of your choice. They’re on the Home screen of the Store under the “Starter Pack” tab.

Each item bundle includes one each of all of the non-Stock, non-promotional items for that class. All of the items are Unique-quality, cannot be used in crafting, and they (and the item bundle itself, if left unopened) are tradable after a few days. The bundles cost between US$2 and $6, with the Medic being cheapest (fewest items) and the Soldier being the most expensive (most items). Each bundle also includes one Name Tag, so you can rename your new favorite weapon.

For example, the $3.99 Sniper Starter Pack include a Huntsman, Razorback, Jarate, Tribalman’s Shiv, Syndey Sleeper, Darwin’s Danger Shield, Bushwacka, Shahanshah, Bazaar Bargain, Machina, Cozy Camper, Cleaner’s Carbine, Hitman’s Heatmaker, and the Classic, plus a Name Tag. (Note that you don’t get items like the AWPer Hand or a Fortified Compound, because those were both promotional weapons and cosmetic reskins of other weapons.)

You can also choose not to open the bundle after you buy it, and trade or market it later. Perfect for gifting to noobs.

“Keyless Cosmetic” Crates

Called the “Unlocked Cosmetic Crates” in the Mann Co. Store, you can buy for US$2.49 (the same price as a key!) this tool item of the class of your choice. When opened, it produces one random cosmetic equippable by that class, with an unknown chance of it being Strange or Unusual. These crates are found under the same “Starter Pack” tab in the Store.

We don’t know what the chances are for the item to be Strange or Unusual. We also don’t know if all-class or multiple-class cosmetics can drop from it, or cosmetics from certain series like Robocrates, or promotional items. The crates do say that any Strange or Unusual items pulled are hats only, so don’t expect to get lucky and pull an Unusual that wasn’t possible before. If a drop list becomes available, I’ll provide a link in the future.

Consider this: It costs four refined metal + one class token to craft a hat of a given class (or three ref for a cosmetic of a random class), which is cheaper than buying this crate (or a key). But it can be a pain to bother finding a trading partner to trade enough metal, with keys being worth 20 ref for a while now.

Also, all of the cosmetics for sale in the Mann Co. Store are minimum US$4.99, so whatever you get is a relative deal. The TF2 community, as well as Valve, has gotten away from crafting or introducing new weapons into the economy (at least until the Pyro and/or Heavy future patches come out), and players are much more likely now to buy straight from Valve or the Market. TF2Newbs still has two trade servers, #2 and #18, so you can try to find trade partners there.

One More Thing About Crates

All (well, maybe most) crates in your inventory now include a list of the possible items within. If you mouse over the items, you get a pop-up picture of the item, so you can see better what possible items are in the crate.

Full Patch Notes: July 8, 2016

As always, the full patch notes are from the Official TF2 Wiki.

Patch 1: The Meet Your Match Update has arrived!

• Added Casual and Competitive Matchmaking modes
  • Additional information available on the website ( http://www.teamfortress.com/meetyourmatch/ )
  • Casual mode replaces Quickplay
• Added the Heavy vs. Pyro war
  • Additional information available on the website ( http://www.teamfortress.com/meetyourmatch/war.php )
• 3 new community maps
  • Sunshine
  • Metalworks
  • Swiftwater
• Added 3 new community taunts
  • The Balloonibouncer (Pyro only)
  • Disco Fever (Spy only)
  • The Fubar Fanfare (Soldier only)
• Added 1 new official taunt
  • The Carlton (Scout only)
• Added the Perfect Stranger crate

General

• Reworked the main menu
  • All play-related buttons are now accessible by clicking the “Find a game” button
  • Moved the Workshop and Replay buttons down the bottom group of mini-buttons
• Enemies killed by energy weapons now play a special sound as their body dissolves
• Improved stopwatch UI to help better communicate game state
• Added new sound vo files for Competitive Mode
• Added sounds to all attacks where the target player resisted a part of the damage
• Added Prinny promo items for purchasing Disgaea: Prinny Hat, Prinny Pouch, and Prinny Machete
• Added AsiaFortress Cup Mercenaries Cup Season 7 medals
• Added TF2Maps 72hr TF2Jam Summer Participant medal
• Added Random Acts of TF2 medals
• Added check to prevent players with P-REC loaded from participating in matchmaking
  • Prevents P-REC crashing which results in players receiving abandon penalties
• Updated the Demo Support feature
  • Added an option to only record matches that are played using Tournament mode (mp_tournament)
  • Added an option to auto-delete matches that don’t have any events recorded
  • Fixed a bug where tickcount values were being noted incorrectly
  • Options can be set using the Adv. Options menu
• Updated model/materials for the Bonk Boy, Dr’s Dapper Topper, The Sole Saviors, and The Dark Falkirk Helm
• Updated the localization files
• PASS Time update
  • No longer in Beta!
  • New Items Available
    • An Early Participation Pin will be awarded to everyone who played PASS Time during beta
    • Two new achievements with item rewards
      • Tune Merasmus’s Multi-Dimensional Television
      • Jackpot!
  • Map Changes
    • All maps are tweaked, polished, and out of beta
    • Renamed pass_pinewood to pass_timberlodge
    • Renamed pass_warehouse to pass_brickyard
    • Added a new city-themed map, pass_district
    • An updated pass_template for level designers will be released on http://www.escalation.com/news
  • Game Mode Changes
    • Changed the score limit from 3 to 5
    • Tweaked various JACK throwing parameters
    • Pack Running
      • The JACK no longer heals the player carrying it
      • A player carrying the JACK with no nearby teammates is marked for death
      • Teammates near a player holding the JACK will be slowly healed, and can run as fast as the fastest nearby teammate
    • JACK Power
      • Passing the JACK increases a power meter
      • The power meter will decay over time
      • Filling the power meter unlocks a special goal worth extra points
  • Art Changes
    • New view model animations
    • The HUD provides more information about goal type and status
    • Player pips for Spies will reflect cloak and disguise status
  • Misc Details
    • Added cvar tf_passtime_scores_per_round
    • Added tf_glow entity that can be used to enable the glow effect on any entity
    • Updated trigger_passtime_ball FGD entry to hide unimplemented features, temporarily
    • Spawnflag added to func_passtime_goal to indicate to the HUD that a goal is unlocked by JACK power

Bug fixes

• Fixed being able to repeatedly activate taunts before the current one had ended while underwater
• Fixed disguising with the Conniver’s Kunai while spotted by a Sentry causing the Sentry to ignore the Spy
• Fixed class change notifications appearing to the enemy team for a period of time after teams swap sides in Competitive Mode
• Fixed a case where players would sometimes see other players carrying the wrong weapon(s)
• Fixed a bug where the Engineer couldn’t remove the Sapper from a linked teleporter if was building (not active)
• Fixed a bug where the Engineer was able to heal a linked teleporter while it was building. This now matches the behavior for the other buildings.^[1]
• Updated several hats to fix the Sniper not removing them while taunting
• Fixed hiding the Pyro’s head when using the second style of the Fear Monger
• Fixed using the wrong ozfortress medals for divisions other than Premier
• Fixed a few UGC tournament medals using the wrong names
• Fixed the Engineer’s missing pelvis hitbox
• Thanks to Justin G., aka sigsegv, for these reports
  • Fixed airblasts sometimes sending reflected projectiles toward friendly players, buildings, and projectile shields
  • Fixed demo record/read stringtables not writing/reading past 512kb
  • Fixed inconsistency between items that use mini-crit buff (TF_COND_ENERGY_BUFF)
  • Fixed multiple Mann vs. Machine bugs caused by bot AI functions being executing after the bots have died
  • Fixed a bug related to lunchbox items, where the ammo bar can be drained in cases when it shouldn’t be
  • Fixed Medics sometimes instantly reviving players in Mann vs. Machine

Performance

• Fixed several cases of loading and rendering hitches that would cause abrupt changes in FPS
• Improved Flamethrower flame performance in Mann vs. Machine on clients and servers by up to +500%
• VGUI .res files are now cached after loading, reducing framerate hitches. Custom HUD authors can disable this by setting vgui_cache_res_files to 0.
• Improved rendering performance of zombies
• Improved VGUI font performance

Custom HUD Versioning

• In order to reduce crashing and broken UI elements after updates, custom HUDs now must explicitly specify the version of the TF UI with which they are compatible
• Custom HUD files must now be installed as add-ons under the tf/custom/ folder. Loose .res files extracted to the game directory will not be loaded
• Custom HUDs must now contain a file named “info.vdf” in their root folder, with the key “ui_version” set to the TF UI version with which they are compatible
• The current TF UI version is 1
• Non-HUD add-ons under tf/custom/ will continue to work without an “info.vdf” file, but may not load .res files

Mann Co. Store

• Added the Competitive Matchmaking Pass
• Added new class starter packs
• Added new key-less cosmetic crates
• Revamped main store pages
• Added a spotlight item
• Added ability to mouse over and preview items in a bundle/crate/collection
• Adjusted some weapon prices for consistency

Maps

• cp_granary
  • Added new ammo pack locations in final and yard areas
  • Clips and blockbullets added to stairs
• cp_badlands
  • Final cap point capture time increased to 2 seconds (from 1 second)^[2]
  • Clips and blockbullets added to stairs
• cp_foundry
  • Reduced ammo kit in final cap entry room (attackers’ side) to medium
  • Slightly reduced attacking team’s spawn time when working on final
• pl_upward
  • Fixed an exploit where players could sometimes build sentries in the cliffside by capture point 3
• pl_thundermountain
  • Fixed the first and second cap points of stage 3 each awarding 2 points to the capturing team instead of 1
• Mannpower
  • All official maps now set Mannpower mode without requiring the use of the tf_powerup_mode convar

Game Balance

• Scout
  • Crit-A-Cola
    • Added Marked-for-Death debuff for 2 seconds after the buff effect expires
  • The Soda Popper
    • Added “On hit: build Hype”
    • Removed “build hype by running around”
  • Shortstop
    • Added an Alt-fire attack — reach out and shove someone!
    • Removed +healing bonus
    • Reduced pushback vuln to +20% (from +40%)
  • Sun on a stick
    • Take 25% less damage from fire while deployed

• Soldier
  • The Righteous Bison
    • Fixed a bug causing players to be hit by the same projectile multiple times, causing the damage dealt to vary wildly
    • Per-shot damage has been increased to compensate, resulting in slightly more damage on average ^[1]
      • Point-blank deals 54 damage (previously 20-80)
      • Maximum range deals 24 damage (previously 14-56)
    • Slowed projectile by 30%
    • Projectile damage reduced by 25% for each enemy penetrated
    • Updated projectile impact sound
  • The Disciplinary Action
    • Reduced duration of speed bonus on teammates to 2 seconds (from 3)
  • The Rocket Jumper
    • Updated model/materials and sound

• Sniper
  • Cozy Camper
    • Now requires a full charge to gain flinch resistance
  • The Sydney Sleeper
    • When fully charged, or when making a headshot, now applies Jarate in a radius
    • Scoped shots now extinguish teammates
  • The Cleaner’s Carbine
    • Removed hidden +10% damage taken multiplier while under the effects

• Heavy
  • Natascha and Brass Beast
    • 20% damage resistance now only applies when spun up and below 50% max health
  • Huo-Long Heater
    • Added -10% damage
    • Added +25% increased damage vs. burning players
    • Reduced ammo drain to -4/sec (from -6)
    • Reduced pulse damage from Ring of Fire to 12 (from 15) due to increased damage vs. burning
  • Buffalo Steak Sandvich
    • Fixed “damage taken” multiplier accidentally being +10%, instead of the listed +25%
• Spy
  • Base
    • Max speed increased to 320 (from 300)
  • Enforcer
    • Attacks pierce resist and absorb effects from all sources

• Pyro
  • All Flamethrowers
    • Added: Direct damage reduces Medi Gun healing and resist shield effects by 25%
      • Medics hear a “healing interrupted” sound when this is happening to their heal target
  • The Manmelter
    • Removed (hidden) 20% fire rate penalty

• Medic
  • Base
    • All Mediguns allow the Medic to match the speed of their heal target
      • Previously only available on The Quick Fix
  • Quick Fix
    • ÜberCharge rate reduced to +15% (from +25%)^[3]
  • Overdose
    • Increased movement speed bonus to +20% (from +10%)
    • Increased damage penalty to -15% (from -10%)
  • Dropped Mediguns
    • Stored ÜberCharge begins to decay over time after coming to rest

• Demoman
  • Base
    • All boots now require a shield to activate any move speed bonus listed on the item
  • The Iron Bomber
    • Decreased the fuse time to 1.4 seconds (from 2.0)
  • The Quickiebomb Launcher
    • Increased charge time reduction to -70% (from -50%)
    • Increased damage bonus for (max) charged shots to +35% (from +25%)
    • Increased clip size penalty to -50% (from -25%)
    • Removed “Stickybombs fizzle 4 seconds after landing”
  • The Sticky Jumper
    • Updated model/materials and sound

• Engineer
  • Base
    • Level 1 teleporters now cost 50 metal (previously 125)
  • Widowmaker
    • Damage increased +10% when attacking the same target as your sentry
  • Eureka Effect
    • Reduced “50% less metal from Dispensers and Pickups” to 20%
    • Added “Teleporters cost 50% less metal”
  • The Short Circuit
    • Base projectile attack is -10 metal (hit or miss) and then add -5 metal for each projectile destroyed (sometimes a buff, sometimes a nerf)
  • The Pomson^(sic)
    • Fixed an exploit with shooting through your own buildings
    • Increased close-range damage to 72 (from 62)
    • Reduced long-range damage to 32 (from 42)
    • Updated projectile impact sound

= Undocumented changes

• Loch-n-Load
  • Updated firing sound.

• Pomson 6000
  • Added projectile impact particle.

Patch 2

• Fixed a bug where the Medic’s run speed would not adjust when his heal target was killed
• Fixed client crash related to custom HUDs

[N] Obey

Feel free to leave a comment with any questions, and I’ll answer them in a future blogpost.

And expect a blogpost about the item rebalances and bugfixes in a LENGTHY blogpost in the next three days. 284,677 lifetime hits, and we want more!

A small TF2 patch released today, with a new cosmetic case full of community-designed items. Here’s the short version:

• Small TF2 patch today
  • Added the Mayflower Cosmetic Case and matching Key
  • The Salty Dog hat is now all-class, and added a Smoky style (puts a pipe in character’s mouth)
  • The Well-Rounded Rifleman, Federal Casemaker, and Universal Translator are also now all-class
  • You’ll notice in 2fort and Hydro that the water is rendered differently now, due to a bugfix
• Teaser: Official TF2 Newbs Event coming June 1st
• Shameless Plug: Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remastered is now on Steam

Mayflower Cosmetic Case (aka Crate #102)

The contents of Crate #102 are all Graded Cosmetics, so some are rarer than others, as seen below:

• 7%: Courtly Cuirass, Mercenary Grade
• 7%: Demo’s Dustcatcher, Mercenary Grade
• 7%: Surgical Survivalist, Mercenary Grade
• 7%: Squire’s Sabatons, Mercenary Grade
• 7%: Airdog, Mercenary Grade for the Scout
• 7%: Scoped Spartan, Mercenary Grade for the Sniper
• 6%: Herald’s Helm, Commando Grade
• 6%: Gauzed Gaze, Commando Grade for the Medic
• 6%: Lurking Legionaire, Commando Grade for the Spy
• 6%: Patriot’s Pouches, Commando Grade
• 5%: Dad’s Duds, Assassin Grade for the Engineer
• 5%: Dayjogger, Assassin Grade for the Demoman
• 4%: Skullcap, Elite Grade for the Spy
• 4%: Bedouin Bandana, Elite Grade for all classes
• 1%: an Unusual hat from the above set of items only. I’m not yet sure which series of Unusual Effects are available.
• The above items have a chance (maybe 35%??) of also being Strange.

Of course, the Key costs the usual US$2.49 at the Mann Co. Store. Here are links to the Keys and Cases on the Steam Market.

TF2Newbs Event Coming June 1st

There is an event coming to the Newbs servers on June 1st. More details coming soon. I’m told that lots of hats and keys will be given away to participants….

Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remastered Bundle Now Available on Steam

Pardon me as I plug one of my favorite games of all time that isn’t Team Fortress 2. Released on Steam today, this US$30 bundle (currently on sale for $23.99) includes both games with a slew of updates and additional content, including:

• International Version content (see below)
• Now supports HD and 4k quality, with adjustable resolution and graphics settings
• Choose between original soundtracks and remastered/rearranged soundtracks
• Game boosters, like changing the encounter rate, increased speed, auto-battle, and max Overdrive meters at the start of each battle
• One-time Parameter Switches to grant maximum Gil, 99 of each items, or unlock all skills for all characters

What is “International Content”? US and Far East users, up until these newest releases, have not had access to the “international content” available in the EU version of the game.

For Final Fantasy X, this refers to optional Dark Aeons and the megaboss Penance to fight. You have to max out the stats of your characters just to have even a prayer of a chance to defeat Penance. (Want a guide to fighting Penance? Go here.) There is also an alternate or “Expert” Sphere Grid, which makes it easier for characters to choose their roles than the original grid, but has fewer nodes overall, making for somewhat weaker characters lategame.

Yes, there is a Steam Achievement for defeating Penance… If you like turn-based RPGs, Final Fantasy X is one of the best I’ve ever played.

In Final Fantasy X-2, there is an additional Last Mission mode, a new Dresssphere class, a bonus dungeon, a Fiend Arena, and a “Creature Creator”. Both games are sold together in the bundle; I don’t think they are available separately at this time.

Full TF2 Patch Notes: May 13, 2016

• Added the Mayflower Cosmetic Case and Mayflower Cosmetic Key
  • New community cosmetics case with 14 items^[1]
• Fixed weapons not playing idle animations when cl_autoreload was set to 1
• Fixed team Spectator using the wrong name in tournament mode
• Fixed occasionally getting the wrong output for the nextmap command
• Fixed a regression with the explosive-headshot upgrade sound in Mann vs. Machine
• Fixed the SMG firing tracers for every bullet while Focus is activated
• Fixed The Sheriff’s Stetson and The Patriot Peak not using the correct Blue team material
• Updated models/materials for The Well-Rounded Rifleman, The Federal Casemaker, The Sub Zero Suit, The Salty Dog, and Universal Translator
• Players can no longer change teams in Mannpower Mode
• Updated tc_hydro and ctf_2fort to fix a problem with cubemaps [having to do with rendering certain reflective/mirror-like surfaces]

Undocumented changes

• Updated the Salty Dog, Well-Rounded Rifleman, Federal Casemaker and Universal Translator so they can be equipped by all classes.
• Updated the Sub-Zero Suit so it can be equipped by the Demoman.
• Added Styles to the Salty Dog.
• Updated the localization files.

[N] Obey

There’s been a smattering of small updates, which are listed at the end of this post. Here’s a summary of the changes of the four updates since Feb 29:

• TF2 Competitive Mode will soon beta; patches have been adding relevant content to the game
• Added Civilian Grade Stat Clocks to the game; functions like a strangifier for graded contract weapons
  • Multiple ways to acquire these have been added to the “Item Grade Trade-Up”
• Gift Wrap has returned!
  • Only works on untradeable items
  • You can unwrap an item you’ve wrapped, but the gift wrap is still consumed
  • Gift Wrapped items are sent thru Steam Trading, which may create a hold if one of you doesn’t use the Mobile Authenticator
• Fixed: MvM Mann-Up victories sometimes failing to give you loot in exchange for your tickets
• Summer Shades, Bounty Hats, Treasure Hats, and HOUWARs are now tradable!
• Added a “Last Hit” or killshot sound option
• Added combat text and hit sounds for damage done to buildings
• Lots of changes to the areas around the 2nd and 3rd points on pl_snowycoast
• Fixed various exploits, incl. the dropped weapon exploit on Borneo’s last point (YAY!)

What’s a “Civilian Grade Stat Clock”?

You may recall the Mann Co. Trade-Up option launched during the Tough Mettle campaign, giving you the ability to trade 10 contract graded weapons for a random weapon of the next highest tier. By right-clicking a contract weapon, you could reach this window:

(Halloween items have a separate Trasmuting coupon.)

New options have been added to let you “craft” Civilian Grade Stat Clocks. It is functionally a Strangifier tool, counting the kills you receive when applied, and it works on any contract graded item.

Choose five of any of these items for the exchange:

• Freelance (Grade 2) or higher contract graded items, even if they are untradable
• Strange-quality weapons and/or cosmetics, even if they are untradeable

NOTE: If any of the items have the untradable trait, the resulting Stat Clock you receive will inherit the untradable trait, as will any item you attach it to.

Impact on the Steam Market

Do you have a bunch of junk Strange weapons lying around? If so, they have become a little more valuable in the last week. People have been buying up cheap Stranges and turning them into Civilian Stat Clocks–in some cases, Marketing those Stat Clocks for a profit (at the moment, almost US$1).

So a Strange Fire Axe, which used to sell for about 7 cents, now sells for 15-18 cents. Not a big deal, but it does mean that another item on the Market that used to be near-worthless have spiked in demand and becoming somewhat rarer. The same has occurred for Grade 2 contract weapons with higher wear, as they also have hit the same sell price.

Here’s All of the Patch Notes:

(previous patch was February 2nd, 2016)

February 29, 2016

• Added content and features necessary to begin limited public testing of the TF2 Competitive Mode beta
  • For more information on how you can participate in testing, please visit https://steamcommunity.com/groups/tfcompetitive
  • Updated several maps^[1] to support competitive mode
• Community request: Added SetPlayerPointsOnDeath input to tf_player_destruction_logic and a PointsValue key field to the item_teamflag entity when used in Player Destruction mode
• Fixed Mann vs. Machine Mann-Up victories sometimes failing to take player tickets and reward loot
• Fixed security issues when loading certain custom content (thanks to Nathaniel Theis and Simon Pinfold for these reports)
• Added the Civilian Grade Stat Clock
  • Applies a Strange Stat Clock to a Civilian grade weapon
  • Can be obtained by trading in a combination of 5 Freelance grade or better items through Mann. Co Trades
• Mannpower update
  • Grappling hook movement speed penalty for powered up flag carriers increased by 10%. Flag carriers with no powerup still have no penalty.
  • Reflect powerup
    • Removed 25% resistance attribute
    • All classes can now have up to 400 health
    • Fixed a bug where reflection damage was being calculated prior to distance falloff reduction
    • Reflection damage increased from 50% to 80% of damage received
    • Fixed a bug where sentry rockets would reflect damage to the owning Engineer rather than the sentry itself
  • Supernova powerup
    • Minimum stun duration increased from 1 to 2 seconds
    • Stun duration increased by 0.5 seconds for each additional victim stunned (max 4 seconds)
  • Vampire powerup
    • Melee attack now returns 1.25x damage as health (up from 1.0x)
  • Regen and King powerup
    • Increased the frequency of health regeneration. Rate of heal is increased for Scout and Spy
    • Increased metal regeneration amount
• Gift Wrap has returned!
  • Gift wrapped items will be delivered through Steam trading, and are subject to trade holds if the sender doesn’t have a Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator
  • Items can now be unwrapped by their original wrapper
  • Moving forward, only tradable items can be gift wrapped. Items that are currently gift wrapped can be delivered regardless of the tradability of the contents of the gift.
• Giftapults can again deliver items to random players online, but will remain un-craftable
• Updated The Bounty Hat, Treasure Hat, and Hat of Undeniable Wealth And Respect to be tradable
• Vote kick events now display that target player’s Steam avatar
• Updated models/materials for Hot Heels, The Trencher’s Topper, The Exorcizor, The Mutton Mann, Doc’s Holiday, The Cotton Head
• Updated the Crusader’s Crossbow
  • Added a new shoot sound
  • Added a new impact/heal sound when a teammate is healed
• Fixed the Taunt: Kazotsky Kick not hiding the Heavy‘s weapon
• Fixed That ’70s Chapeau not being removed when the Sniper taunts
• Fixed the Catastrophic Companions hiding the player’s hat and headphones
• Fixed an LOD issue for The AWPer Hand
• Added combat text and hit sounds for damage done to buildings
• Added a “Last Hit” sound option to Hit Sounds
  • Triggered when one of your attacks causes the death of a player or building
  • Can be toggled in the Adv. Options menu
• Updated the materials for the Panic Attack to support mat_picmip
• Updated the Taunt: Zoomin’ Broom sound effects
• PASS Time update
  • Fixed workshop maps not loading correctly
  • Fixed being able to get inside jump pads
  • Removed Sandman long-distance steal
  • Added experimental cvars for playtesting
• Updated cp_vanguard
  • Removed teleporter exploit on second point
  • Various minor fixes (lighting, collision, optimization)
• Updated pl_borneo
  • Fixed an exploit related to the final control point and dropped weapons
• Updated pl_snowycoast
  • Adjusted various spawn point facings to make side exits more obvious
  • Adjusted position of resupply cabinet in RED‘s 1st spawn
  • Added ledge to 2nd point flank route window
  • Adjusted common sentry nests on 2nd
  • Added stronger light to entrance of lower flank route
  • Door near RED’s first spawn now opens on A capture and closes on final bulkhead opening
  • RED no longer get forced respawn when 2nd is captured
  • Added minor spawn for RED once 2nd is captured, active until BLU pushes through kennels
  • Adjusted timing of flank doors at 2nd and in mines
  • Updated door texture for flank exit by 2nd point gate
  • Improved defendability and enlarged 3rd point
  • Adjusted position of 3rd cap
  • Adjusted health & ammo at 3rd
  • Updated door texture for flank exit by mines
  • Changed a medium ammo pack at last to full ammo pack
  • Added door to ledge at last to improve RED defendability (closes when bulkhead opens)
  • Added 3rd exit to BLU’s last forward spawn
  • Improved defendability of ledges at last inside building
  • Added new dropdown area to RED’s last
  • Adjusted lighting in various areas
  • Fixed dx settings on light pole props

Undocumented changes

• Added a normal quality Power Up Canteen as a default action item.
• Updated The Exorcizor to be equipable by the Soldier, Pyro, and Medic.
• Updated The Mutton Mann to be equipable by the Scout, Soldier, and Heavy.
• Updated The Cotton Head to be equipable by all classes.
• Updated the Iron Bomber and Quickiebomb Launcher‘s explosion sounds.
• Updated all Stickybomb Launcher’s reload sounds.
• Updated the firing sounds of all weapons that use the Heavy’s Gloves sound effect.
• Changed BLU team’s side of cp_foundry to the ctf_foundry version.
• Updated the localization files

Full Patch Notes: March 1, 2016

• Fixed player ready status display issue when playing in lobby-based matchmaking modes (i.e. Mann vs. Machine)
• Fixed a crash in the matchmaking search screen when right-clicking
• Fixed new Crusaders Crossbow^(sic) sounds not working on the Festive Crusader’s Crossbow
• Fixed missing Crusader’s Crossbow crit sound
• Fixed health/ammo cabinet sound regression
• Removed unintended changes to cp_foundry
• Updated the Summer Shades so they can be traded
• Update last Hit sounds^(sic)
  • Added several options (located in Adv. Options on the main menu)
  • Fixed custom sounds not working in sv_pure servers
  • Fixed not hearing the Last Hit sound for Spies using the Dead Ringer

Full Patch Notes: March 3, 2016

• Mann Co. will now accept untradable items in exchange for Civilian Grade Stat Clocks
  • The untradability will be applied onto the Stat Clock and onto any weapon the Stat Clock is applied to
• Fixed not being able to use custom hitsounds and killsounds on servers using sv_pure 2
• Updated cp_foundry to support the Competitive mode beta
• Updated the draw sound for the Dead Ringer
• Updated equip_region settings for the Exorcizor and the Cotton Head
• Updated models/materials for the Beep Boy, Sidekick’s Side Slick, The Rotation Sensation, The Chill Chullo, and The Breakneck Baggies

Undocumented Changes

• Updated the Breakneck Baggies to be equippable by all classes.
• Updated the Beep Boy to be equippable by the Scout and Pyro.

Full Patch Notes: March 7, 2016

• Fixed a client crash related to player names
• Fixed some HUD elements remaining hidden after using +inspect and the scoreboard
• Updated models/materials for the Beep Boy, Dead of Night, and the Graybanns

Undocumented Changes

• Updated the Dead of Night to be equipable by all classes.

[N] Obey

Contents of this post:

1. Gun Mettle market prices and trends
2. Keys and Metal price trends
3. Item Quality price trends

Useful Links:

• Trade.tf and Backpack.tf
• “Gun Mettle” Update blogpost
• Previous TF2 Prices Blogpost:  Jan 26
• A TF2Newbs Guide to Items
• A TF2Newbs Guide to MvM Item Hunting

1. “Gun Mettle” Prices and Trends

NOTE: Most recent observations of GM weps here.

“Gun Mettle” Season runs through September 30th, 2015.

As you may recall, the Team Fortress 2 has been busy completing contracts and earning rewards by participating in the Gun Mettle event. There are several dozen Decorated (a quality reserved for reskinned stock) weapons that can be earned, and many of the most common weapons can be had very cheaply. I’ve observed the following:

• “Factory New” weapons are preferred, and “Minimal Wear” less so.

There are five grades of wear: Factory New, Minimal Wear, Field-Tested, Well-Worn, and Battle Scarred. Each grade determines how much of the weapon’s reskin design is displaced by an appearance of wear and tear, and each quality seems just as common as the others. Collectors clearly prefer the least amount of wear.

In all cases, the Factory New sells for three to ten times as much as its Well-Worn and Battle Scarred counterparts. A Minimal Wear weapon sells for two to three times as much as Well-Worn and Battle Scarred weapons also. This is likely because the design is much crisper and not missing many visual effects. Note the price difference in the above rocket launchers, which have the same item quality but different grades (and thus different visual effects).

• This means you can buy many of the more common Gun Mettle weapons very cheaply by choosing weapons with higher wear.

Also, weapons do NOT wear as you use them. They simply spawn with one of five permanent levels of decorative wear.

• You can’t smelt them into metal or use them for any crafting recipes.

• You can’t put a killstreaker kit or strangifier on a Gun Mettle weapon at this time.

A few weapons exist that have one, but that’s because bugged killstreak kits dropped for a short time as an MvM tour reward for each kind of weapon. Such weapons are rare to very rare, and those kits were removed in a quick patch. (Possibly something intended for a later TF2 patch?)

• Cases aren’t worth much anymore.

At first, cases sold for above US$5, but as supply increased, prices fell. Now there are thousands for sale on the market; Concealed Killer cases are going about $0.15, and Powerhouse cases are about $0.40 each. Remember: these cases require a Gun Mettle Key to open.

• Scatterguns and sniper rifles have the highest demand.  Secondary weapons and Heavy miniguns have the lowest demand.

This simply follows the increased demand for Scout and Sniper rares, similar to the demand for Stranges and Aussies.

• Strange and Unusual Decorated Weapons are only available from Cases.

There are currently no Strange or Unusual Teufort or Craftsmann weapons. Strange Gun Mettle weapons are selling for roughly fifteen times the price standard weapon of the same wear. All Unusual and Strange Factory New Gun Mettle weapons are selling for well north of US$50; only several dozen have successfully sold on the Market, however. There are too few of these being sold to provide a reliable price range.

• There are exactly four Unusual Effects for Concealed Killer and Powerhouse Unusual Weapons.

These are Isotope, Hot, Cool, and Energy Orb. They either animate at the end of the weapon, or along the length of the weapon.

Steam Market Listings for All Gun Mettle Weps

Please note that I’m simply listing the lowest current sale price for these items.

CRAFTSMANN COLLECTION

Craftsmann Decorated weapons are earned as contract rewards only.

I’ve included the Steam Market’s current* lowest selling prices below. Factory New weapons command the high range, and the Battle Scarred or Well-Worn usually sell for the cheapest. The lowest Market price will vary, and vary a lot in the case of Stranges.

*Aug 9, 2015

• Civilian (Grade 1)
  • Reclaimed Reanimator medi gun ($0.04 to $0.40)
  • American Pastoral rocket launcher ($0.04 to $0.20)
  • Old Country revolver ($0.04 to $0.20)
  • Antique Annihilator minigun ($0.04 to $0.10)
  • Backcountry Blaster scattergun ($0.05 to $0.25)
• Freelance (Grade 2)
  • Blasted Bombardier stickybomb launcher ($0.10 to $1)
  • Shot in the Dark sniper rifle ($0.32 to $2.25)
  • Iron Wood minigun ($0.08 to $1.70)
  • Country Crusher scattergun ($0.12 to $1.20)
  • Plaid Potshotter submachine gun ($0.08 to $0.75)
• Mercenary (Grade 3)
  • Homemade Heater pistol ($0.20 to $3.50)
  • Barn Burner flame thrower ($0.15 to $3.50)
  • Rustic Ruiner shotgun ($0.40 to $1)
• Commando (Grade 4)
  • Lumber From Down Under sniper rifle ($1.80 to $15)
  • Tartan Torpedo scattergun ($1 to $15)

TEUFORT COLLECTION

Teufort Decorated weapons are earned as contract rewards only.

• Civilian (Grade 1)
  • Citizen Pain minigun ($0.04 to $0.30)
  • Smalltown Bringdown rocket launcher ($0.04 to $1.50)
  • Mayor revolver ($0.04 to $0.20)
  • Local Hero pistol ($0.06 to $0.25)
  • Civil Servant medi gun ($0.04 to $0.15)
  • Civic Duty shotgun ($0.06 to $0.40)
• Freelance (Grade 2)
  • Rooftop Wrangler stickybomb launcher ($0.10 to $0.40)
  • Hickory Hole-Puncher pistol ($0.06 to $0.45)
  • Spruce Deuce scattergun ($0.10 to $0.90)
  • Team Sprayer submachine gun ($0.05 to $0.90)
• Mercenary (Grade 3)
  • Earth, Sky and Fire flame thrower ($0.15 to $1.10)
  • Bogtrotter sniper rifle ($0.45 to $3)
  • Treadplate Tormenter submachine gun ($0.08 to $0.50)
• Commando (Grade 4)
  • War Room minigun ($1 to $14)
  • Bovine Blazemaker flame thrower ($1 to $18)

CONCEALED KILLER COLLECTION

Concealed Killer weapons are dropped from Concealed Killer cases only.

• Mercenary (Grade 3)
  • Forest Fire flame thrower ($0.06 to $0.35, $0.85 to $4.50 Strange)
  • Night Owl sniper rifle ($0.30 to $1.70, $3.50 to $22)
  • Woodsy Widowmaker submachine gun ($0.06 to $0.25, $0.60 to $4.50)
  • Backwoods Boomstick shotgun ($0.13 to $1, $2 to $15)
  • King of the Jungle minigun ($0.06 to $0.50, $1 to $7)
  • Masked Mender medi gun ($0.04 to $0.50, $1.30 to $11)
• Commando (Grade 4)
  • Night Terror scattergun ($0.50 to $5, $10 to $48)
  • Carpet Bomber stickybomb launcher ($0.25 to $2, $3.50 to $24)
  • Woodland Warrior rocket launcher ($0.40 to $4.30, $6.75 to $40)
  • Wrapped Reviver medi gun ($0.08 to $1.50, $3 to $19)
• Assassin (Grade 5)
  • Sudden Flurry stickybomb launcher ($0.70 to $5.50, $8.50 and up)
  • Psychedelic Slugger revolver ($0.85 to $11.50, $7 and up)
  • Purple Range sniper rifle ($3.25 to $31, $29 and up)
• Elite (Grade 6)
  • Red Rock Roscoe pistol ($5.25 to $30, $21 and up)
  • Sand Cannon rocket launcher ($6 to $42, $42 and up)

POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Powerhouse weapons are dropped from Powerhouse cases only.

• Mercenary (Grade 3)
  • Lightning Rod shotgun ($0.08 to $1, $1.75 to $12 Strange)
  • Brick House minigun ($0.04 to $0.20, $1 to $4.50)
  • Aqua Marine rocket launcher ($0.05 to $0.40, $1.75 to $9)
  • Low Profile submachine gun ($0.05 to $0.25, $0.50 to $3.50)
  • Turbine Torcher flame thrower ($0.05 to $0.35, $0.50 to $4)
• Commando (Grade 4)
  • Flash Fryer flame thrower ($0.55 to $4.25, $5.25 to $35)
  • Spark of Life medi gun ($0.10 to $3.25, $2.90 to $10.50)
  • Dead Reckoner revolver ($0.40 to $3, $3.75 to $29)
  • Black Dahlia pistol ($0.40 to $5, $8 to $15)
  • Sandstone Special pistol ($0.15 to $1.50, $4 to $18)
• Assassin (Grade 5)
  • Shell Shocker rocket launcher ($1.75 to $24, $20 and up)
  • Current Event scattergun ($3 to $21, $18 and up)
  • Pink Elephant stickybomb launcher ($1.50 to $7, $4 and up)
• Elite (Grade 6)
  • Thunderbolt sniper rifle ($10 to $51, $48 and up)
  • Liquid Asset stickybomb launcher ($3.75to $22, $14 and up)

2. Keys and Metal Price Trends

As of Aug 9 2015:

Refined Metal

1 key = about 16 ref

about US$0.15 = 1 ref

Backpack.tf says that, after staying at a stable 19 ref since May, keys fell to 16 ref, yet that 16 ref is worth only $2 there.

On Trade.tf, keys fell from 19 ref to 15 ref during the month of July before finally stabilizing at about 15.5 ref. (Strangely, I’m only getting data thru July 18th >.< )

Mann Co. Keys

In the Steam Market, Mann Co. Keys have been steady between $2.40 and $2.50.

Gun Mettle Keys

In the Steam Market, Gun Mettle Keys have slid down to about US$2.50 (they had been about $2.70 at the start of August).

Other Keys

• Most Summer Cooler Keys are trading around $3.
• Other usable keys are staying in the $2.50 to $2.60 range, or equivalent with other typical keys.

Earbuds = 4 keys

Over the month of July, buds have fallen about a dollar to the $9 to $10 range in the Steam Market. On Trade.tf, earbuds stabilized at 4 keys this past week, climbing from 3.2 keys in the second half of July. Likewise, backpack.tf lists about 4 keys.

Bill’s Hat = 2.2 keys

The price of a Bill’s in the Steam Market has stablized to a $6 to $7 range, after having fallen under $5 in the month of June. At the start of 2015, they had been nearly $9 but had been steadily falling.

Backpack.tf agrees, listing Bill’s Hat at 2.2 to 2.3 keys as well and Trade.tf listing at about 2 keys.

3. Other Item Qualities

Most non-Botkiller Strange weapons can be bought between $0.08 and $0.50.  However, Aussie Stranges differ depending on where you trade them:

• On the Steam Market, Aussies (without Killstreak Kits) run between $23 for an Axtinguisher or SMG, to $85-$90 for a Scattergun. [That's the recently sold prices, not the current lowest selling price.]
• On Backpack.tf, Axtinguishers and SMGs are worth about 8 keys/$20, and Eyelanders, Sniper Rifles and Scatterguns are 32-33 keys/$80.
• Aussie Rocket Launchers are selling on the Market for $135 to $150 consistently, but trading for about 50 keys/$100 on Backpack.tf (partly because keys are valued at $2 there).

Most Collector’s weapons can be bought on the Steam Market for $6 to $20 depending. Applying a Professional Killstreak Kit increases the price as well. They don’t sell very often, however.

The cheapest Unusual hats can be bought on the Steam Market for $23 to $25, including many cancer Heavy hats with effects such as Flies.

Thanks for reading! I intend to update in about two months.

[N] Obey

P.S. Previous TF2 Prices Blogpost:  Jan 26

Subsequent patch notes at bottom of post; latest patch July 6th.

Here we go! A MAJOR TF2 UPDATE lands Friday, July 2nd! As always, here is the short version:

1. Here is the original TF2 blogpost announcing the update.
2. Here is the TF2 comic that will attempt to explain the background story up until now.
3. Here is the Page One splash page: The Gun Mettle Update!
4. Here is the Page Two splash page: Describing the 3 new maps and the extensive weapon changes.
   • You will want to scroll down to the heading “Gameplay Changes”; TF2 gameplay has been changed considerably!
   • Some spies can gain a speed boost (on trigger with Dead Ringer; on kill with Big Earner).
   • Spies take 20% less damage when cloaked.
   • Sentries take more damage when sapped than before.
   • Most Engineers build faster and move buildings faster.
   • Repairing a wrangled sentry is less effective than before.
   • Mini-sentries can be repaired, but don’t drop metal when destroyed.
   • Soldiers deploying Equalizer/Escape Plan can be healed by a medic, but at 10% normal heal rate.
   • Soldier’s Liberty Launcher is now a five-clip!
   • Ullapool Caber does less damage than before.
   • Charging Demomen now gain charge gauge on melee kills, not charging kills.
   • Scorch Shot deals more damage, more knockback, and has larger area-of-effect.
   • Vaccinator Ubers now always use just one ubercharge bar.
   • Sydney Sleeper now applies Jarate with non-fully charged shots, but with a duration from 2 to 8 seconds.
   • Bazaar Bargain charges much slower, but a missed shot doesn’t lose counted heads.
   • Heavy miniguns are more effective at damaging sentries.
   • Natasha and Brass Beast grant 20% damage resistance while spun-up or firing.
   • Tomislav now spins up faster, fires 20% smaller bullet spread.
   • Eviction Notice grants Heavy a 3-second speed boost on hit.
   • Dalokohs Bar now overheals to 400 hp (previously 350), cooldown reduced to 10 seconds, can be thrown like a sandvich.
   • Panic Attack shotgun now weapons switches faster, fires and reloads even faster than before.
5. And here is a FAQ about some of the changes.

The “Gun Mettle” Update

The first splash page says that you can buy-in to a special three-month event (lasting until approximately October 1, 2015) for US$5.99. This will earn you a badge-like Campaign Coin that levels up as you complete contracts.

Contracts are achievement-like “skill-based challenges” that you attempt to complete in a week’s time, such as tanking a lot of damage as a heavy or backstabbing five players of a specific class. Each player is assigned two different contracts to attempt completion each week (assuming that each week begins on Thursday at midnight GMT, like the item drop system).

Completing a contract will earn you Contract Points (CP). Collecting CP levels up your coin (to bronze, silver, and gold) and lets you purchase your choice of either a random “Contract-exclusive weapon” OR an unlockable Weapons Case (that requires a key that you have to buy in the Mann Co. Store, I assume). Weapons Cases also drop a single, random “Contract-exclusive weapon” but with potentially rarer qualities.

Contract Weapons

Weapons are randomly generated with the following:

• Its weapon type, such as Shotgun. (Unknown if only stock weapons, or all available weapon types, can be Contract Weapons.)
• A unique “paint job” that is centered differently on each weapon, so no two are exactly alike
  • Teufort and Craftsmann paint jobs come from completing Contracts only.
  • Concealed Killer (generally camoflage-themed) and Powerhouse (neon/electric-themed) paint jobs come from Weapons Cases only.
  • It is not known if any paint jobs are more/less rare than the others, but it can be assumed that Teufort/Craftsmann paints will eventually become more common than the other two.
• One of five levels of “wear”. Unknown if any level of wear is more/less rare than the others.
  • Factory New
  • Minimal Wear
  • Field-Tested
  • Well-Worn
  • Battle Scarred
  • Note: Weapons DO NOT wear when used. They are a given level of wear when dropped, and do not change later.
• One of six “grades” of rarity. Civilian is most common; Elite is most rare.
  1. Civilian–contracts only
  2. Freelance–contracts only
  3. Mercenary–contracts or weapons cases
  4. Commando–contracts or weapons cases
  5. Assassin–weapons cases only
  6. Elite–weapons cases only
  7. NOTE: The rarity grade should not change appearance whatsoever.
• A weapon’s paint job, wear, and grade is entirely cosmetic and does not change its gameplay whatsoever.
• That’s not all. The weapon will be marked as Limited, and will have a chance of being Strange, Unusual, or even both Strange and Unusual!
  • Will the Unusuals have unusual effects? Ummm…. maybe? These are the first weapons able to have the Unusual quality.
• These weapons will be tradable and marketable. If you wish to trade or sell a weapon, look up its worth on the Market or another site like backpack.tf first, so you don’t get scammed.

For example, a possible outcome for a single contract would be a Strange Freelance Shotgun for the Heavy with a Craftsmann yellow-and-blue paint job and a Minimal Wear grade. You can earn potentially two weapons per week, or perhaps two dozen weapons in all over the three-month event window.

Four New Maps

NOTE: These are all Valve-Official; none of them are Beta maps. See the second splash page for pictures.

Powerhouse (I’m guessing cp_powerhouse) is a smaller, three-point control point map, where you have to cap all three points (yours, the central neutral cap, and theirs) to win a round. This looks like it was created by Valve, not the community.

Borneo (I’m guessing pl_borneo) is an “Alpine-themed, single-stage Payload map” Community map.

Suijin (I’m guessing koth_suijin) is a King of the Hill Community map with Oriental buildings and pink-white cherry blossom trees. Sun Tzu would approve.

Snowplow (cp_snowplow_rc3) is a two-stage attack-defense Control Points map. First stage strewn with wooden buildings, second stage is very snowy, with a cart path throughout (but no payload to push). Yes, this is the Community map from the End of the Line Update that wasn’t approved the first time around.

Gameplay Changes

Weapons Now Drop on Death

Previously: A killed character would drop a weapon gib, which can be touched by your character as a medium ammo pickup (and 100 Engineer metal).

Now: A killed character drops a medium ammo box (identical to the medium ammo powerups on a map) and their weapon. If the weapon is normally equippable by that character (such as a Shotgun dropped by an Engineer and picked up by a Heavy), and you pick up the dropped weapon by pressing the (default) F key, you temporarily drop your normal weapon in that slot and equip that weapon until you die.

It will temporarily replace your usual item in its loadout slot until you die (i.e. a Shotgun would replace a Heavy’s Sandvich). It will have the same looks and effects as the weapon had from the person you just looted (i.e. picking up an Australium Sniper Rifle and carrying it around with its cosmetic features). When you die, the weapon goes away, and you drop one of your weapons (essentially a lookalike copy of a weapon in your current loadout). Weapons that have charge meters, such as the various Medic uberguns, provide the amount of charge they had when dropped; a Medic can pick up a Kritzkrieg to find it fully charged!

Worry not about losing a prized possession; your loadout items are retained in your inventory as usual. Someone may get to kill you and take your purple rocket launcher, then go around shooting people with a purple rocket launcher until they die. And you can kill them, take their weapons, and go do the same. No actual items are lost; however, you can drop a weapon that isn’t working and grab a class-allowed weapon in the heat of battle, CS:GO style.

Weapon Updates and Tweaks

Global Changes

• Weapons and ammo boxes now drop on death. See heading just before this one.
• Inspect Target now inspects your own deployed weapon when you aren’t targeting anything. Necessary for Contract work, and to stare at your own fancy weapon.
• Random Damage Spread now DEFAULTS OFF on Valve servers.
  • This means weapons will consistently deal the same damage with each hit.
  • Previously, weapon damage would vary plus-minus 10% of its base damage. Now, each hit deals identical damage.
• Auto Reload now DEFAULTS ON.
  • This affects new players only, so that they will auto-reload as soon as they stop firing, if able.
  • All existing players have their usual setting, and will have to go into their Options menu and toggle this on/off.

Class and Weapon Changes (from the second splash page’s patch notes)

[N] Obey

P.S. Oh, by the way, there are also three new taunts. See splash page two. At the moment, they are only available by buying them from the Mann Co. Store.