TF2 Newbs (Team Fortress 2) Blog

Don’t forget: The Steam Summer Sale is coming soon! See the previous blogpost for more info.

1. The first Steam Machines are now available for preorder.
2. TF2 patched, launching the “Maps Workshop Beta”.

1. Steam Machines (and Steam Controllers!)

Steam Machines are PCs designed and built to run using Steam OS, a free operating system made by Valve that would function in place of another OS like Windows or Linux.  These PCs are intended at attach to your digital TV and/or a standard computer monitor; it is essentially a console to run all things Steam (games, music, streaming services, and other software).  Here are previews from C-Net and GameSpot. Pre-order direct from Valve here.

Of course, you can build your own and install the Linux-based Steam OS yourself; Valve assumes that some users will do exactly that. PC Gamer put out two builds over a year ago here.  (Convenient timing on that new GeForce GTX 980, and the relatively low $649 price tag, eh?)

What is fascinating the tech bloggers though, is the Steam Controller (MSRP US$50). The main buttons (pads?) are essentially a trackpad-like touch surface, but designed for use with your thumbs; the left one being oriented more for cardinal directions, but the right one essentially replacing a mouse, but with your thumb tip.  From there, the controller grows into an Xbox-like set of corner buttons and smaller, colored buttons around the pads. There are more features, so watch the official trailer and let it show them off: Polygon blogged about it, as did NBC News.

Keep in mind that Steam OS is a Linux-based OS, so it can only play Steam games that can be played on Linux systems–and the Steam Library should continue to grow in that regard, assuming the OS is popular. Which I think is a pretty safe bet, given how many people hate Microsoft and/or Apple and their OSes. Also because Steam and the Steam OS is free.

 

2. TF2 Patch… and “Maps Workshop”

If you like designing maps for TF2, or are looking for some new places to gib fools, TF2 now offers a Beta Workshop where anyone can upload, download, and critique maps. While some of us crusty veterans have no need of new places to fight, the game stays alive by attracting new blood and bringing players back with new features. Click on the official blogpost to learn more.

There also was a minor patch, mostly to apply the Workshop functionality to the game.

 

June 2, 2015: TF2 patch notes

• Announcing the Maps Workshop Beta!
  • Check out the blog post for more information
  • Added bsp_repack command to repack a BSP file with optimal compression
  • Maps uploaded to the workshop are automatically compressed
  • Added tf_workshop_refresh command to recheck tracked workshop maps and refresh subscriptions
  • Added tf_workshop_map_sync command to immediately install a map from the workshop by ID
  • Added sv_allow_point_servercommand to disable point_servercommand entities. Defaults to “official” Valve maps only. Can also be set to “disallow” and “always”

Undocumented changes

• Updated the localization files
• Added “Workshop” filter to the Server Browser

June 4, 2015: TF2 patch notes

• Fixed a problem that was preventing clients from uploading items to the Steam Workshop
• Fixed a stability issue with dedicated servers

[N] Obey

Merry Smissmass! Team Fortress 2 is on a roll with new content! This update is HUGE in terms of affecting your gameplay. Demoman’s grenade launchers, stickybomb launchers, and charging-attack items have all been reworked/tweaked, stemming from last summer’s temporary changes. As usual, the summary is above, and the full patch notes are below.

TF2 Newbs ICYMI’s (In Case You Missed It news items):

1. TF2 Newbs’ Server Rules have been modified/clarified in regards to dodging autobalance on December 15th.
2. The “End of the Line” related duck drops and duck-related statistics will continue until January 5, 2015.
3. If you haven’t read them lately, here are some links you’ll want to bookmark:
   • “TF2 Newbs Guide to Halloween Events and Maps”
   • What the heck do “commodities” and “Buy Orders” have to do with TF2?
   • “TF2 Newbs Guide to Getting More and Better Items”
   • “TF2 Newbs Guide to MvM Item Hunting”
4. Server Keys Contest
5. Steam Holiday Sale–vote on Flash Sales and earn Holiday Cards!

Smissmas 2014 Update Summary:

1. Just log in to TF2 and get a Stuffed Stocking. Identical to last year’s Gift-Stuffed Stocking, you can Use it to get items:
   • A Giftapult
   • A Backpack Expander
   • A Name Tag
   • A Description Tag
   • A Tour of Duty Ticket
   • Two or three random drops (weapon or rarely a cosmetic).
   • You can’t market or trade these Stockings.
2. If you’re Premium, you also get one Secret Saxton. You can Use it to give one random person on your current server a single random item drop.
3. Demoman got 3 new weapons, and many existing Demoman weapons were modified.  See below at 1. for more info.
4. Nice 2014 Crate Keys and Naughty 2014 Crate Keys have been added.
   • Just like previous years, Nice Crates have 29 new, Limited community-designed cosmetics, and Naughty Crates have new, Limited Festive and Festive Strange weapons.
   • See below at 2. for more info.
   • Longer expiration window: They can be opened until February 16, 2015 (or just after Valentine’s Day).
5. A new game mode and mode-variant maps: Mannpower!
   • This is a variant capture-the-flag game with specific changes (no random crits, instant respawn with 6-second invulnerability) and new Mannpower-specific powerups. See 3. below for specifics.
   • Employs a new default, stock Action Slot item: the Grappling Hook.  Only used on Mannpower-enabled servers.
   • Currently supports ctf_gorge and ctf_foundry.
6. Now all Advanced and Expert MvM Tours of Duty have a (~2%) chance to drop an existing Australium weapon.
   • Previously, only the “Two Cities” Advanced Tour granted Australium weapons.
   • Now, the following Tours also grant a chance at an Aussie:
     • “Operation Steel Trap”: Advanced — two Decoy missions, two Coal Town missions, two Mannworks missions
     • “Operation Mecha Engine”: Advanced — one Decoy mission, two Big Rock missions
     • “Operation Gear Grinder”: Expert — one Decoy mission, one Coal Town mission, one Mannworks mission
   • No new Australium weapons are available.  The same pool of ten items are currently possible; there are now four different Tours that can be undertaken to try to earn them.
   • Killstreak Kits and Fabricators of the three new weapons are available to drop after completing a Two Cities Tour.
7. Bugfix: Crafting while consuming an item that is “temporarily untradable” will yield a “temporarily untradable” output, instead of a permanently Not Tradable output.

 

1. Major Demoman Changes

If you can recall the Love and War patch (and subsequent repatch), Demoman changes have been in the works for some time.  Welp, here they come!  A few seemingly minor nerfs will affect the one-eyed wonder’s ability to do quite as much damage, despite the apparent buffs given to his many weapons. Lemme explain….

First, the changes to the existing Demoman items:

Charging and Movement

• Bootlegger, Ali Baba’s Wee Booties, and Claidheamh Mor now grant +25% Charge meter on a charging kill. (The Claidheamh Mor stacks with either of the boots, refilling half of your Charge meter.) These items lengthen your current Charge, not reducing the delay of your next Charge!
• Scotsman’s Skullcutter now only reduces your movement speed when the weapon is active, instead of constantly when equipped.
• The Tide Turner has two tweaks:
  • Charging kills now give only 75% of your Charge meter, instead of 100%, forcing you to pause briefly between charges.
  • Taking damage during your Charge reduces your remaining Charge meter, relative to the damage dealt.

So Tide Turner Demoknights will have shorter charges than before, even when they are successful at going from kill to kill. Damaging them between Charges should not prevent them from Charging again very soon, but now they won’t be one continual blur as frequently.

However, the two boots items and the *Claymore can lengthen the current charge, so that Splendid Shield/Chargin’ Targe Demoknights can replicate some of the Tide Turner’s cleaving-from-kill-to-kill fun.  But use the Claidheamh Mor with the Tide Turner, and your current Charge can really stretch long, helping you reach your next victim before the Charge ends.

Projectile Damage

• ALL grenades and stickybombs now have their damage variance reduced to +/- 2% base damage, from +/- 10% damage.

If anything, the damage dealt by both projectiles have become more reliable on a direct hit, not less. Grenade base damage went from 100 (variance 90-110) on a direct hit to 100 (variance 98-102). Stickybomb base damage on a direct hit or close-range blast went from 120 (variance 103-138) to 120 (variance 118-122). Enemies with about 110 health, such as barely wounded Spies/Snipers/Engies/Scouts and most Soldier loadouts struck by your first direct projectile, will survive less often. But that’s not all of the changes….

• Direct-hit grenades (not stickies) now deal full damage to the target regardless of where it struck the enemy.  Previously, full damage would only occur when exploded closest to the target’s feet or legs.

So you no longer have to play like a Soldier and “aim for the feet” or guesstimate where a jumper will land; direct hits should be easier to land, eh? But wait, there’s more:

• ALL grenades and stickybombs now have their blast radius reduced by about 10% (from 159 Hammer Units to 146 HU), which is identical to rockets’ blast radius.

Demomen are now a bit more reliant on using direct hits to inflict full damage.  A ten-percent reduction sounds small, but in live play, that will relegate many more hits as partial bursts. Your sticky placement and detting will need to be more exact, and a stray grenade is less likely to deal a chance direct hit.

All stickybombs have further changes:

• Stickybombs now have a more visible trail when traveling through the air.
• Armed stickybomb particles are easier to see.
• Stickybombs detonated midair now have a blast radius rampup, starting from 85% base radius at the moment they arm (0.8 sec after firing), increasing to 100% base radius after 1.2 seconds in midair (2 sec after firing). Stickybombs that touch the world instantly revert to full blast radius.

Valve has been trying to nerf an arguably-OP stickybomb launcher that can be used both as a zone-denial, reactionary defense weapon (hence the Demoman’s assignment as a Defense unit), as well as a reliable offensive weapon. With greater blast radius and damage than a Soldier, higher damage-per-second than a medium-range Heavy, and less reliance on actually hitting the target with the projectile directly to deal full damage, some (including myself) felt that there was little reason for a Demoman to forgo the stickybomb launcher in favor of… well, just about anything else. Grenades and stickies also do not suffer from damage falloff due to range, unlike a Soldier’s rockets. A skilled sticky-wielding Demoman has been absolutely essential in competitive play, MvM Tour, and pubs with Engineers that place sentries guarding 90-degree angle chokepoints.

Previously, Valve tried to apply a damage rampup during the Love and War Update, and Demoman mains’ opinions were largely negative. Valve decided to revert those changes and continue testing. That rampup seriously nerfed the damage of a sticky, doing something like 35% of its base damage the moment it was armed, making midair detonation largely unaffective, and granting enemies too much opportunity to remove or evade them before they could become lethal.  It was too severe of a change.

Valve seems to have settled on not nerfing the base damage it deals, but rather making it harder to land a direct hit, by slightly reducing its blast radius. Fewer direct hits may lead to many more partial hits, nerfing the Demoman’s damage less substantially than before. This simply increases the skill required to play an effective Demoman, without substantially reducing the effectiveness of detting defensive sticky traps. In the same manner, it is possible to play an aggressive, offensive Sniper–you just have to be a crack shot with your primary to do so.

Launching a single sticky and detting it is still effective, and its direct damage output has less variance than before; you just have to detonate them closer to your target’s body. Note that stickybombs still only have a rocket-sized full blast radius, so midair stickybombs have up to 15% small radius than that (125 HU upon arming in midair, from previous 159). That’s a significantly smaller blast radius to aim and det a midair explosive. You may find yourself waiting to det the projectile the instant it touches the world, effectively increasing its blast radius a bit by the delay.

• Loose Cannon: A successful double donk now automatically deals full blast radius damage to the target with the secondary explosion. Previously the damage was reduced by radius distance from the explosion.
• Removed a hidden penalty where cannonballs that touched the world received a 50% damage penalty before applying regular grenade damage reduction.

The Loose Cannon will no longer be penalized if you double donk a target away from the center/legs of the hitbox; simply timing the projectile to achieve a partial blast will deal full explosion damage.

• Loch-n-Load:
  • Old damage output: base 120 (direct hit variance 103-147)
  • New damage output: base 120 (direct hit variance 116-124)
  • Clip size increased to 3 (from 2).
  • Removed the +25% self-damage penalty. Added a -25% blast radius penalty.

The Loch-n-Load is now less effective on tightly clustered enemies. It still fires +25% faster projectiles, and still deals +20% more damage. And now it gets a third grenade per clip (which is a little silly on a double-barrel)! However, it can’t do more than 124 damage on a non-critical hit, so the 125 health squishies (stock Scout, Spy, Engineer and Sniper) cannot die in a single hit if they have full health. That makes it very difficult to kill more than one enemy unit before reloading, despite having a third grenade per clip. Loch-n-Load is now more effective at taking out a single target with repeated direct hits before reloading.

• Scottish Resistance: Increased range check for stickybomb jumping (146 HU, previously 100 HU).

 

Weren’t there new weapons? Here they are:

The Iron Bomber is for Demomen who want their grenades to land hard and not roll and bounce around before exploding. It launches a sphere-like grenade that barely moves when it touches the world. Projectiles do not stick; they just seem heavy and drop and stop quickly. They deal slightly less damage (direct hit variance 89-111) if they explode 2.3 seconds after fire. They also have a -20% explosion radius, slightly larger than the Loch-n-Load’s new radius adjustment, so the Iron Bomber is also intended for single-target killing.

Why have a grenade launcher that can’t execute angular bounces, but doesn’t defuse its grenades when coming in contact with the world?  Players who keep having their grenades bounce back at them or rolling where they don’t want them now have a third choice. This launcher drops the grenade at its impact point with little risk of it bouncing or rolling away from its intended impact spot. The radius is smaller and the damage is marginally less, but can be used for a few seconds of zone control. Also, demoman trying to pepper an area (such as a sentry) can keep their projectiles close when they land near their target even if they don’t hit directly, and can continually have pills detonating in an area without fear of them bouncing away and without having to switch to a stickybomb launcher for tight zone control. Players who hate the way grenades take silly bounces may learn to love this weapon.

Crafting: Iron Bomber = two recalimed metal + Air Strike

 

The Quickiebomb Launcher is for the Demoman that wants to use stickybombs chiefly for midair or short-duration detonations, much like a grenade launcher. They still don’t explode on a direct hit like a grenade, but you can detonate them in midair like normal stickies. They arm 0.2 seconds sooner (at 0.5 seconds after launch), so they’re more effective for medium-range combat. They deal -15% less damage: base 102 damage (variance 100-104). The Quickie stickies do not suffer the blast radius rampup penalty!  Players wanting to avoid this penalty can switch to the Quickiebomb Launcher and still enjoy most of the original AoE radius (Quickie stickies still have a rocket-sized blast radius).

These stickiebombs can also remove enemy stickies on detonation, rather than merely knocking them around. They are faster to charge for long-range shots, but they fizzle without detonating only 2 seconds after launch if you haven’t detonated them yet. So you give up the ability to leave stickies in defensive locations in order to keep the offensive properties of the original weapon. And you gain the ability to have useless stickies fizzle so they don’t harm you, and the ability to defuse enemy stickies.  They have slightly less blast range and slightly less damage than the original weapon, and have a clip of 6 instead of the original 8, but you’ll be able to det stickies at 0.5 seconds unlike before.  It’s hard to say if the weapon is weaker or stronger than before, for pure offensive might.

Crafting: Quickiebomb Launcher = two reclaimed metal + Tide Turner

 

The Panic Attack is a shotgun (primary: Engineer; secondary: Soldier, Heavy, Pyro) that behaves in combat like the Beggar’s Bazooka: the player holds down the primary fire button to load up to 4 shells (34% faster than stock Shotgun; 0.66 sec for first shell and .33 sec for each additional shell, 2 seconds for a full clip). Release the primary fire to shoot each shell in turn automatically. As your health decreases, the Panic Attack fires faster but fires a more erratic bullet spread.

If you overload the Panic Attack, it will not harm you like the Beggar’s; it will simply fire off its four shells. The stock shotgun is deceptively powerful at close range, so this weapon could deal some incredible burst damage if you can ensure the bullets will hit; if you can sneak up on an opponent while loading, you should be able to kill them quickly, like a Scout’s scattergun.

Crafting: Panic Attack =  two reclaimed metal + Back Scatter

 

2. Nice and Naughty 2014 Crates

Nice 2014 Crates drop list

These cosmetic items will drop in Limited quality, with the usual 1% chance of getting an Unusual accessory instead (probably from this item list and with unknown effects). These crates can’t be opened after Feb 16, 2015.

• Scout: Co-Pilot, Courtier’s Collar, Harlequin’s Hooves, Mountebank’s Masque
• Soldier: Skullcap
• Pyro: Black Knight’s Bascinet, Charred Chainmail, Pyromancer’s Hood, Pyromancer’s Raiments, Torcher’s Tabard
• Demoman: Scot Bonnet, Valhalla Helm,
• Heavy: Old Man Frost, Siberian Facehugger
• Engineer: Clubsy The Seal, Conagher’s Combover, Cop Caller, Holstered Heaters, Thermal Insulation Layer
• Medic: Surgeon’s Shako, Unknown Mann,
• Sniper: Bushman’s Bristles, Marksman’s Mohair, Professional’s Ushanka, Wally Pocket,
• Spy:  Pocket Momma, Puffy Provocateur, Stealthy Scarf

 

Naughty 2014 Crates drop list

Items have a roughly 50% chance of being Strange Festive, and 50% chance of being Festive. All of these are limited, as the crate can’t be opened after Feb 16, 2015.

• Festive Bonk! Atomic Punch
• Festive Backburner
• Festive Chargin’ Targe
• Festive Bonesaw
• Festive SMG
• Festive Revolver
• Festive Shotgun

 

3. Mannpower CTF Mode

You know what? I’m tired… I will add this in later.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

 

Full Patch Notes — 12/22/14

• All Players who play TF2 during the event will receive a Gift: a Stuffed Stocking! Stockings contain goodies for good little Mercenaries.
• Added 29 Limited community-contributed winter items to the Nice crate.
• Added new Limited Festive weapons to the Naughty crate.
• Limited time items can only be found during a limited window of time. The Naughty and Nice crate items will no longer be available after February 16, 2015.
• Added Naughty and Nice winter keys to the Mann Co. Store.
• Naughty and Nice winter crates cannot be opened after February 16, 2015.
• Premium Players will receive a Secret Saxton to give to another player.
• Item grants from previous events (including the Spirit of Giving and the Winter Holiday noise maker) have been re-enabled for all players, including those who deleted their earlier grants.

Weapons

Added The Iron Bomber

• Demoman Grenade Launcher
• Grenades do not bounce or roll
• Damage radius reduced by 20%
• Grenades that self-detonate deal 10% less damage
• Added The Iron Bomber to the Mann Co. Store, craft list, and item drop list

Added The Quickiebomb Launcher

• Demoman Stickybomb Launcher
• Stickybomb arm time reduced by 0.2 seconds
• Stickybombs can destroy enemy stickybombs
• Charge time decreased by 50%
• Stickybombs fizzle after 2 seconds
• -15% damage penalty
• -25% clip size
• Added The Quickiebomb Launcher to the Mann Co. Store, craft list, and item drop list

Added The Panic Attack

• Multiclass Shotgun
• 34% Faster reload time
• Hold fire to load up to 4 shells
• Fire rate increases as health decreases
• Weapon spread increases as health decreases
• Added The Panic Attack to the Mann Co. Store, craft list, and item drop list

Demoman Changes

• Damage variance on grenades and stickybombs reduced from +/- 10% damage to +/-2%.
• Grenades and Stickybombs now have the same base blast radius as rockets. Changed to 146 from 159.

Grenade Launcher

• Direct hit grenades now deal full damage to target regardless of where it struck the enemy. Previously full damage would only occur when grenades exploded closer to the targets feet.

Stickybomb Launcher

• Stickybombs that detonate in the air now have a radius ramp up, starting at 85% at base arm time (0.8s) going back to 100% over 2 seconds. Stickybombs that touch the world will have full radius.
• Stickybombs now have a more visible trail while traveling through the air
• Stickybombs arm particle is slightly more visible

Loose Cannon

• Double donk explosive damage now deal full radius damage to victims. Previously double donk explosive damage was reduced by radius distance from the explosion.
• Removed a hidden penalty where Cannonballs that touched the world would deal 50% less damage in addition to regular grenade damage reduction on world touch.

Loch-n-Load

• Changes to base grenade damage variance now ensure the Loch-n-Load does not exceed 124 damage on a single hit.
• Removed +25% self-damage penalty
• Added -25% radius penalty
• Changed clipsize penalty to -25% (3 grenades per clip) from -50% (2 grenades per clip)
• Loch-n-load grenades no longer visually tumble when fired

Bootlegger / Ali Baba’s Wee Booties

• Added +25% Demo Charge meter on charge kill

Tide Turner

• Added Penalty: Taking damage while shield charging reduces remaining charging time
• Kills while charging now only add 75% meter on charge kills instead of 100%

Scottish Resistance

• It is now slightly easier to do sticky jumps with the Scottish Resistance. Increased range check for stickybomb jumping to sticky damage radius of 146 from 100.

Scotsman’s Skullcutter

• Movement speed penalty now only applies when weapon is active

Claidheamh Mor

• Added +25% Demo Charge meter on charge kill

Added new game mode Mannpower to the TF2 Beta

Mannpower Mode

• To Play. Click on Play Multiplayer, enable Play Beta Maps checkbox, and then choose Mannpower Mode.
• The Following is a list of features in the initial launch of Mannpower and is subject to changes in future updates. Feedback is highly encouraged
• Contains 8 permanent power ups players can find in the map.
• Players can only hold 1 permanent power up at a time.
• Killing a player with a permanent power up forces the power up to drop.
• Contains 1 temporary power that can be found in the map.
• Use the ‘dropitem’ command to drop the currently held permanent power up
• Added new Default Stock Action Item Grappling Hook. Grappling hooks are usable in Mannpower mode and servers that enable it. Once equipped, press and hold the action key to use it. Use to move the player toward the hooked object.
• Mannpower Beta plays a modified version of Capture the Flag that requires your team’s flag to be at base in order to capture the enemy flag.
• Touching your flag will instantly return it to base.
• Currently supported on maps ctf_foundry and a modified ctf_gorge.
• Instant respawns enabled
• Random critical attacks disabled
• Players spawn with 6 seconds of invulnerability

General

• MvM : Added chance to find Australiaum Weapon rewards to all Advanced and Expert Mann vs. Machine tours. Previously only available on Two Cities tour
• MvM : Added Killstreak kits for Quickiebomb Launcher, Iron Bomber and Panic Attack in to Two Cities MannUp loot tables
• Crafting items that are marked as temporarily untradable will now yield temporarily untradable items instead of permanent
• Fixed a client crash related to the material system
• Removed the Giftapult from the store and added a crafting recipe for it
• Updated the equip_region for The Beastly Bonnet
• Updated the localization files
• Removed the map restriction on players in karts respawning ghost teammates when they touch them

[N] Obey

The following blogpost is a guide about the many Halloween-themed maps, items, and events that have had annual updates since they first began in 2009. Most of the following information is from the Official TF2 Wiki.

 

FYI: I am currently (Oct 25, 2016) working on a comprehensive FAQ of all Halloween Items. There’s a whole lot of them, so check back here in a few days and hopefully I’ll have a link here.

 

NOTE: Links to more about the 2015 Halloween Event, Scream Fortress VII, and the current 2016 Halloween Event. No, they’re not complete yet………..

Table of Contents AKA Timeline of Halloween Updates

1. What is Halloween/Full Moon Mode?
   1. What changes during the annual Halloween Event?
2. Halloween 2009: Harvest Event map, the Ghastly Gibus, and the Mildly Disturbing Halloween Mask
3. Halloween 2010: Mann Manor map, the HHH, the Halloween class Masks, and Haunted Scrap
4. Halloween 2011: Eyeaduct map, the Monoculus, and some Halloween Costumes
5. Halloween 2012: Ghost Fort map, Halloween Spells, Voodoo-Cursed Souls, more Halloween Costumes, and the Skull Island Topper
6. Halloween 2013: Helltower map, Spellbooks, and a mock-Hell Underworld
7. Halloween 2014: Carnival of Carnage map, random global Curses, and a Bumper Car Underworld
8. The Halloween TF2 Story, in comic book form.
9. All Halloween Items, and How to Earn Them

 

1. What is Halloween/Full Moon Mode?

The “Halloween/Full Moon Mode” is a server setting that permits players to wear Halloween/Full Moon-restricted cosmetic items (H/FMs). The mode is defaulted OFF except for three days around the real-life Full Moon, as well as for several weeks around Halloween (late October/early November). On a private or community server, H/FM Mode is defaulted OFF, but can be turned on by a server administrator with certain ConVars.

The “Eternaween” tool item which you can use to call a vote on your current server (public or private), to allow Halloween/Full Moon Mode for the next two hours. You can’t use this item on servers that disable voting, however, and you keep the item if the vote is downvoted or disabled. They can be bought for less than $0.05 on the Steam Market. This tool only enables the use of cosmetics; it doesn’t trigger Halloween Events.

Halloween Event

The Halloween Event is a period of several weeks around Halloween (late October/early November) when the Halloween Event maps (only) have extra features:

• Players on any Halloween Event map drop Halloween Pumpkins when killed.
  • Picking them up refills your ammo/metal and grants a short full-crit boost.
  • Picking up 20 of them (from any map) will unlock the Mildly Disturbing Halloween Mask.
• A Haunted Halloween Gift can appear on Mann Manor, Eyeaduct, Ghost Fort, Helltower, and Carnival of Carnage.
  • Picking it up will earn you different items, depending on the map.

 

2. The Haunted Halloween Special (2009)

The first annual Halloween Event launched the following features:

• Harvest, a KOTH (king of the hill) map.
• Harvest Event, its Halloween Event counterpart, also a KOTH map.
• Scarechievement achievements that can be earned.
  • Completing certain achievements could earn you Halloween-themed cosmetic items.
• Halloween Pumpkins are powerups dropped by players who die on any Halloween map.  It refills ammo/metal and grants a short crit boost. Picking up 20 of them (from any map) will unlock the Mildly Disturbing Halloween Mask.
• Pumpkin Bombs deal up to 140 damage (area-effect) to anyone standing nearby when they take any damage.
• The Ghastly Gibus was earned by the first 11,111 users to find a secret page in the splash pages of the event. Since then, anyone who dominates a player wearing the Ghastly Gibus will earn the “Ghastly Gibus Grab” Scarechivement, as well as that year’s current incarnation of the hat. You can still earn a version of this non-tradable hat by earning the achievement, regardless of what map you’re on when completed.
• The Gentle Mann’s Service Medal was also earned by the first 10,319 users to find a second secret page.  This is item is now Limited (Market page).

Harvest

Harvest (koth_harvest_final) is a relatively simple map, fall-themed with pumpkins and carts, with only one central point inside a building in the center of the map. It is one of the easiest maps to learn.

Harvest Event

 

Harvest Event (koth_harvest_event) is essentially a darker, spookier version of the same map, featuring explosive pumpkin bombs (shoot to detonate), and a ghost haunting the building in the center occasionally. If you haven’t played any Halloween maps before, give Harvest Event a try.

The ghost is Zephaniah Mann. This is his land–he is the original owner of the land, and the father of Redmond and Blutarch. If he touches you, he stuns you for a couple of seconds. Say hello!

During the annual Halloween Event, Halloween Pumpkins also drop from killed players, and Pumpkin Bombs lie in various players on the map.

 

3. The Scream Fortress Update (2010)

The second annual Halloween Event launched the following new features:

• Mountain Lab (cp_mountainlab), a new asymmetric control point map.
• Mann Manor (cp_manor_event), Mountain Lab’s Halloween Event counterpart.
• Retrieving the Haunted Halloween Gift on the Mann Manor map will grant one of nine Halloween Masks, one of each class but can be worn by any class.
• The Horseless Headless Horseman (the “HHH”) haunts Mann Manor. Killing him for the first time can earn you a single Haunted Metal Scrap.

 

Mountain Lab

In Mountain Lab, BLU leaves from a large house and must capture three points in order while the RED team defends a laboratory in the daytime.

Mann Manor

In Mann Manor, RED defends an old haunted house at nighttime. The first “boss monster” of TF2, the Horseless Headless Horsemann, spawns at the current contested capture point about every 8 minutes and goes on a rampage. Say hello to old Silas Mann before he one-hits you!

The HHH will choose a random player as “It”, and he will chase and slay that player, unless you can avoid getting killed long enough, get killed, OR “tag” another player with a melee weapon hit. The HHH can also be killed.

During the annual Halloween Event: Pumpkin Bombs fill the map, Halloween Pumpkins are dropped by killed players, and the Haunted Halloween Gift will spawn at fixed locations around the map.

 

4. The Very Scary Halloween Special (2011)

The third annual Halloween Event offered Eyeaduct, a reskinned Viaduct map, and introduced the following features:

• Eyeaduct, a reskinned KOTH map of Viaduct, with two hidden areas: Underworld and Loot Island.
• A Halloween Goodie Cauldron will be given to any player who logs in to TF2 during any Halloween Event, but only once ever.
• Introduced the Monoculus boss.

Eyeaduct

Eyeaduct (koth_viaduct_event) is the Halloween Event version of the mostly symmetrical King of the Hill map Viaduct. Except now, you have to contend with MONOCULUS!

This angry floating eyeball-boss appears every 3 minutes, and prevents the capture of Eyeaduct’s point while it exists. It teleports around, leaving behind portals that go to the Underworld.

Defeating Monoculus (dealing the killing blow) for the first time will earn you the all-class hat of the same name. But wait! It will return in 3 minutes, stronger than before (unless it escapes)! Each level of Monoculus gives is more health and a faster attack rate.

Underworld

The Underworld is a dangerous place, continually draining your health.

If you manage to escape, you’ll become temporarily buffed, and your attacks will stun Monoculus if you hit it while under its effects.

During the Halloween Event, Halloween Pumpkins are dropped by killed players, and the Haunted Halloween Gift will spawn at fixed locations around the map. Any accessories found in Gifts from the Underworld will be Haunted quality. Also, killing Monoculus and entering its portal will take you to Loot Island instead of the Underworld!

Loot Island

Unlike the Underworld, Loot Island doesn’t damage you over time, and it has a book “portal” for you to jump into to return to the Eyeaduct map.

During the Halloween Event, if you can reach the book in time, you can earn the Bombinomicon all-class accessory! If not in time, you’ll die.

 

5. The Fourth Annual Spectral Halloween Special (2012)

The fourth annual Halloween Event brought a host of new content for Team Fortress 2:

• Ghost Fort, a reskinned Lakeside map.
• Merasmus, a wizardly boss who blasts you with magic, makes you dance at his whim, spins a wheel of random magic effects, and taunts you repeatedly.
• Halloween spells are temporary powerup abilities you can strategically use in battle.
• Wave 666, a reskinned MvM map with waves of difficult zombie bots
• Another collection of Halloween cosmetics.

Ghost Fort

Ghost Fort (koth_lakeside_event) is the Halloween Event version of the desert-themed Lakeside King-of-the-Hill map. (Hard to recognize, isn’t it?) Ghost Fort’s layout is slightly altered from Lakeside, with upper platforms around the central control point, and the enclosed room with the pool of water replaced with a “bottomless” pit. Also, a team must control the central point for 7 minutes, instead of the usual 3 minutes.

Merasmus also haunts, continually harassing players. If you get turned into a bomb, rush the wizard to stun him and gain a buff.  Twice before he dies, Merasmus will disappear and disguise himself as a random furniture prop. If defeated, he opens a portal to Skull Island.

During the Halloween Event: Halloween Pumpkins are dropped by killed players, and the Haunted Halloween Gift will spawn at fixed locations. Also, killing Merasmus opens a portal to

• Halloween Pumpkins are powerups dropped by players who die on any Halloween map.  It refills ammo/metal and grants a short crit boost. Picking up 20 of them (from any map) will unlock the Mildly Disturbing Halloween Mask.
• The Haunted Halloween Gift will spawn on Ghost Fort under the same conditions as Mann Manor (see above). On the Ghost Fort map, however, the Gift grants either a Halloween Spell, a Voodoo-Cursed Item, or (rarely) a Halloween-themed cosmetic item.  See below for the details on these.
• The control point has been enchanted to spin the “Wheel of Fate” each time the central control point is capped. The random result of the spin affects the players of both teams with wacky powers.
• Halloween Spells are tool items used to give various effects to weapons, cosmetic items, or classes.  Remember, these spell effects permanently affect an applied item, but the effects are not visible except during Halloween/Full Moon Mode.

Skull Island

 

Ghost Town and Wave 666

What, Advanced-level MvM matches too easy for you? Then fill your Upgrade Canteen with Ammo Refills and head to Ghost Town (mvm_ghost_town), a reskinned, nighttime Coal Town that WILL DESTROY YOUR FACE with zombie bots.  Six-hundred and sixty-six of them, in fact–and they are Expert level, which is harder than anything MvM can throw at you.  It’s beatable, but you’re probably gonna die to the zombie apocalypse, so you might as well die with an empty clip and a broken sentry.

 

 

6. The Scream Fortress Fifth Annual Helloween Special (2013)

 

The fifth annual Halloween Event offered Helltower, a variation on the Payload Race map Hightower, over a hundred new cosmetic items, and a few new tool items.

 

Helltower

Helltower (plr_hightower_event) is the Halloween-themed version of Hightower, with a Clocktower replacing the building above the chasm. Since it is a Payload Race map, you try to push your cart while preventing your opponents from doing the same. When one side wins, everyone teleports to a mock Hell and try to kill off the other side one last time to win.

• Halloween Pumpkins spawn on all Halloween maps.  If picked up by touching it, it refills ammo/metal and grants 3.2 seconds of crit boost.  Picking up 20 Halloween Pumpkins (from any map) would unlock a hat, the Mildly Disturbing Halloween Mask, a paper bag that has a different face depending on which class wears it at the time. You can still earn this non-tradable hat.
• The Haunted Halloween Gift will grants one or more of the following:
  • One of the many Halloween 2013 cosmetic items; unlike purchased cosmetics, these freebies will be uncraftable and untradable
  • Spellbook Pages, which can be placed into a Spellbook (see below)
  • A Costume Transmogrifier tool item, which will convert one Halloween 2013 costume item into another
• Occasionally, the Clocktower will toll a bell to announce the Witching Hour, during which hostile Skeletons will spew forth from the temporary glowing bridges of the Clocktower. During that time, players can access a Book of Rare Spells at the Clocktower.
• You can pick up and cast Magic Spells!

 

 

Helltower Magic Spells

Magic Spells are temporary powerups granting special abilities, and are not usable until you equip a Spellbook Magazine, Fancy Spellbook, or Fireproof Secret Diary. They are retained when you die, but they are lost after being cast. You must cast the spell you currently have before you can pick up another.

• Regular Magic Spells on Helltower:
  • (EDIT: Restored spell lists to the previous settings.)
  • A two-charge Fireball that shoots a ball of fire that also causes afterburn
  • A three-charge Teleport that shoots a ball that teleports you to the ground it impacts on
  • A two-charge Superjump (with small health boost)
  • A single Healing Aura that grants 1-second invulnerability and 3-second fast healing
  • A two-charge Ball of Bats that explodes into a cloud of bats that cause bleeding
  • A single-charge Pumpkin MIRV that launches a volley of pumpkin bombs that you or your team can shoot to explode
  • A single-charge Invisibility that grants 8-second invisibility, even while attacking, but you cannot push the cart while cloaked
• Rare Magic Spells can only be found at the Clocktower’s Book of Rare Spells during the Witching Hour, defeating a Skeleton King, or found randomly in Hell. They include:
  • A mini-Monoculus is summoned to attack your enemies for 8 seconds
  • Three Skeletons are summoned to attack your enemies
  • A single-charged Ball Lightning that damages and pulls targeted enemies for a short while
  • A Meteor Shower attacks the impact area after an initial fireball
  • Minifies the caster to a tiny body and a big head, granting unlimited jumping and increased movement/attack/reload speeds
  • One of the other standard Spells

 

7. Scream Fortress VI (2014)

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. 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.

Curses

Under construction….

 

Updated 11/5/14:  Merasmus’s curses remove all projectiles and empties sentries of ammo whenever players are teleported to the main point of the map.

Carnival of Carnage Magic Spell List

Magic Spells are temporary powerups granting special abilities, and are not usable until you equip a Spellbook Magazine, Fancy Spellbook, or Fireproof Secret Diary. They are retained when you die, but they are lost after being cast. You must cast the spell you currently have before you can pick up another.

• Regular Magic Spells on Carnival of Carnage:
  • A two-charge Fireball
  • A three-charge Teleport
  • A two-charge Superjump (with small health boost)
  • A single Healing Aura that grants 1-second invulnerability and 3-second fast healing
  • A two-charge Ball of Bats that explodes into a cloud of bats that cause bleeding
  • A single-charge Pumpkin MIRV
  • A single-charge Invisibility that grants 8-second invisibility
  • Fires a Tesla Bolt that damages and pulls targeted enemies for a short while
  • A Meteor Shower attacks the impact area after an initial fireball
  • Minifies the caster to a tiny body and a big head
• Bumper Car Spells can be gained and cast during the Carnival Underworld mini-game, and include:
  • Bombinomicon Head: Deals 50 damage to you if the timer runs out. If you run into an enemy, removes the timer and damages/knocks back the enemy instead.
  • Boxing Rocket: Shoots a giant boxing glove as a rocket.
  • Uber Heal: Removes 50% of your damage taken only
  • Parachute: Launches you into the air then lets you float down slowly

For starters, make sure to read this post by Valve about what’s coming. And then there’s this splash page….

 

Bumper Cars in a Carnival Underworld

Akin to a game of Super Smash Bros., players drive around on bumper cars trying to either ghostify the entire enemy side, or complete the objective in one of three mini-games. Bumper cars are receive greater knockback as they take on further damage, and players who fall off the track turn into ghosts.

If you’re ghosted, hold down your jump button to fly, and if you can touch one of your allies, you will return your bumper car to the game!

The three mini-game modes are:

• “Falling Platforms”: Random platforms just start falling, so try to stay on the last one!
  • Spells are disabled in this minigame only.
  • If there is only one platform remaining, the Horseless Headless Horsemann appears in an attempt to make players fall off.
• “Bumper Car Soccer”: Both teams try to push a beach ball into their opponents’ goal three times to win.
  • After 45 seconds, the Horseless Headless Horsemann is summoned to try to force the end of the minigame.
• “Duck Collectors”: Both teams run around on a figure-eight track trying to collect 200 rubber duckies as a team to win.
  • Hitting opponent cause 2-point golden duckies to fly out of their rammed car.

 

 

8. The Comics For Each Halloween Special

The story may be ridiculous, but knowing the story will make your battles on the Halloween maps make a little more sense.  Maybe? Yes. Probably. If you squint.  That said, here are the comics to catch you up with why you are, in fact, shooting down a giant eyeball of hate and casting spells from a dog-eared periodical:

Halloween 2011: “Bombinomicon”

Halloween 2012: “Doom-Mates”

Halloween 2013: “Grave Matters”

Halloween 2014:  “Blood Money”

9. List of Items…?

This part is under construction.  Fixing it SOON.

The Ghastly Gibus was earned by the first 11,111 users to find a secret page in the splash pages of the event. Since then, anyone who dominates a player wearing the Ghastly Gibus will earn the “Ghastly Gibus Grab” Scarechivement, as well as that year’s current incarnation of the hat. You can still earn a version of this non-tradable hat by earning the achievement, regardless of what map you’re on when completed.

Halloween Pumpkins are powerups dropped by players who die on any Halloween map.  It refills ammo/metal and grants a short crit boost. Picking up 20 of them (from any map) will unlock the Mildly Disturbing Halloween Mask.

 

The Haunted Halloween Gift will randomly spawn, choosing a player on the server. The Gift spawns only at several predetermined locations. Only the chosen player will be able to see the lime-green gift box, and has 3 minutes to retrieve it before it disappears.  If picked up, that player cannot earn another for at least 45 minutes of playing time, while the gift respawns for someone else in 30 seconds. (The Gift will not spawn unless there are at least 10 non-bot players on the server.)

For the Gift to spawn, must be a registered server with at least 10 players on the server.

• Retrieving the Haunted Halloween Gift on the Mann Manor map will grant one of nine Halloween Masks, one of each class but can be worn by any class. Multiple copies of these masks can be collected, and by collecting one of all nine masks, a Saxton Hale Mask can be crafted. Unlike the Halloween Masks, the Saxton Hale Mask does not have a Halloween/Full Moon holiday restriction, so it can be worn at any time.
• The Haunted Halloween Gift will spawn on Eyeaduct under the same conditions as Mann Manor (see above). On the Eyeaduct map, however, the Gift grants one of 27 Halloween Costume 2011 cosmetic items. Any Gifts found in the Underworld will be Haunted quality.
• The Haunted Halloween Gift will spawn on Ghost Fort under the same conditions as Mann Manor (see above). On the Ghost Fort map, however, the Gift grants either a Halloween Spell, a Voodoo-Cursed Item, or (rarely) a Halloween-themed cosmetic item.  See below for the details on these.

Halloween Spells

This update also launched the collection and usage of Halloween Spells.  They are obtained by picking up Halloween Haunted Gifts–the green-yellow gifts that can drop for you about once every forty-five minutes, that only you can see.

NEW!  As of 10/13/14, these tool items are now tradable!

Halloween Spells are tool items used to give various effects to weapons, cosmetic items, or classes.  Remember, these spell effects permanently affect an applied item, but the effects are not visible except during Halloween/Full Moon, Halloween maps, and servers that have Halloween mode turned on.  They can only be found on Ghost Fort. There are four kinds of Halloween Spells:

1. Footprint Effects (hat-slot item): Causes the equipped player to leave behind glowing footprints of a certain color.
2. Paint Effects (any cosmetic item): Causes the equipped cosmetic item to color-change from its original color, to a specific color, then back again.
3. Vocal Effects (a hat equippable by a specific class): Causes the equipped player’s voice to be lowered, similar to the Big Head curse.
   • If applied to an all-class hat, its effect will work for any wearer.
4. Weapon Effects (specific weapons): Causes the equipped weapon to have specific effects, such as pumpkin-shaped projectiles and ghostly particles rising from dead enemies.

Voodoo-Cursed Items are also funky-looking tool items. Their purpose is to collect 7 of one kind, then use them to craft a Pile of Curses.

In turn, a Pile of Curses is a tool item that you can open like a crate, but without needing a key.  When opened, it drops one of 9 Voodoo-Cursed Souls–a cosmetic (Halloween/Full Moon restricted) item that changes the appearance of one of the nine classes into a zombie. There is a chance that the Soul will be Haunted quality. In addition there is a chance that a Halloween Spell may drop as well as the Soul.  (Previously, Eerie Crates were also a possible drop, but they were retired after the Halloween 2012 event; the cosmetics from that crate are still purchasable from the Mann Co. Store).

The Haunted Halloween Gift will spawn on Helltower under the same conditions as Mann Manor (see above). On the Helltower map, however, the Gift grants one or more of the following:

• One of the many Halloween 2013 cosmetic items; unlike purchased cosmetics, these freebies will be uncraftable and untradable
• Spellbook Pages, which can be placed into a Spellbook (see below)
• A Costume Transmogrifier tool item, which will convert a chosen Halloween 2013 costume item into another costume item from the same group that is equippable by the given class (i.e. a Soldier Costume Transmogrifier could convert a Scout’s “Hound’s Hood” into a Soldier’s “Shaolin Sash”).

 

The winning survivors can then march over to Skull Island and unlock the Bereavement achievement “Hat Out of Hell”, gaining an “Unfilled Fancy Spellbook” action slot item.

• Putting at least three Spellbook Pages into it changes it into a Fancy Spellbook action slot item, but otherwise has no (apparent) additional function.

 

Bosses

The Horseless Headless Horseman (the “HHH”), haunts Mann Manor. About every 8 minutes, he spawns at the currently contested control point and goes on a rampage, quickly running up to and killing players on both teams with his gigantic axe. He targets a nearby random player, which declares that player “It”.  That player will be the first to die unless s/he either manages to avoid getting killed for 30 seconds, or hits an enemy player with a melee weapon, “tagging” that player with the “It” status.  Occasionally it will also taunt, stunning all nearby players for a few seconds in fear (unless they’re wearing the Saxton Hale Mask or the Horseless Headless Horsemann’s Head). He is immune to all on-hit effects and all status effects.

The Horseless Headless Horsemann (the “HHH”) has lots of health, which is based on the number of players on the server, and can be harmed by players from both teams. If killed, he will not respawn for another 8 minutes, and kill credit will go to the last three players to damage it.  Getting kill credit on the HHH for the first time will earn you the “Gored!” Ghostchievement, a you-only-get-one-ever Haunted Metal Scrap, which in turn can be used to craft either the Horseless Headless Horsemann’s Headtaker melee weapon for the Demoman, or one of three random styles of all-class, tradable skull-themed hats.

The HHH Headtaker functions just like the Eyelander, gaining strength as you earn heads of slain enemies.

• Like Mann Manor, Eyeaduct has its own unique “boss monster”: the Monoculus! It appears about every 3 minutes from the start of the round or its last appearance. When it spawns, the point resets to neutral ownership and cannot be captured. This giant eye-boss shoots barrages of eyeball crit rockets, and gets temporarily angry when critically hit. It teleports around the map, and when it does so, it leaves behind a portal leading to the Underworld where the player can reach the other side to earn a powerful invulnerability/crit/speed buff. Monoculus must be defeated within 2 minutes, or it escapes without being successfully killed. Regardless of outcome, it will respawn once more in about 3 minutes; each time Monoculus is killed (until the map restarts), Monoculus level increases by one as it becomes stronger!! Naturally, getting your opponents to work together to defeat Monoculus can be difficult.
• If Monoculus is killed, it creates a giant portal to the Underworld.  Players entering the portal must quickly run to Loot Island to reach the Bombinomicon book in time.  Reaching the Bombinomicon unlocks the “Dive Into a Good Book” Eye-chievement and the Bombinomicon cosmetic item.  Being present on a server when Monoculus is killed unlocks the “Optical Defusion” Eye-chievement and the Monoculous head-replacing cosmetic item.
• Merasmus also haunts Ghost Fort is the Soldier’s former roommate and very cantankerous wizard, Merasmus.  He appears every few minutes and continually harasses the players and interrupts play. The wizard prefers to float in midair near the control point, but will teleport randomly, whacking players with his staff, launch volleys of bombs, and cast a spell that both ignites you and launches you into the air.  When Merasmus teleports, several players will have their heads replaced with a bomb, which will certainly explode unless you reach the wizard in time. The bombs then stun the wizard and grant you a short invulnerability/crit/speed buff.  Twice before he dies, Merasmus will disappear and disguise himself as a random furniture prop, similar to the PropHunt game mode or Hide and Seek.
• Merasmus must be killed within one-and-a-half minutes, or he will escape. If defeated, he opens a portal to Skull Island for a few seconds, where players can climb the island to earn the Necromannchievement “Wizards Never Prosper” and the Skull Island Topper all-class hat.  Merasmus will then return in a few minutes, having gained a level and thus stronger.  The Skull Island Topper hat will record the highest-level Merasmus you have witnessed defeated.  If not defeated, Merasmus will reset to level one.  (Hint: Headshotting Merasmus with the Huntsman sniper bow is very effective!)
• All those who succeed in returning from Skull Island in time will gain the invulnerability/crit/speed boost for a short time.

 

HOLY SNAP this has been a lot of work!

[N] Obey

Hey Hey, Jib here.. With some updates on the latest Newbs Contest

In September we trialed our new stats contest, awarding 5 players with honorz and their choice of prize from my backpack.

Here are the winners for September:

Top Points: Arthur Digby Sellers 
Time Played: Lindorm 
Dominations: The Infamous Mr. A 
Godlikes: Dam dude 
Deaths: [N] BlueArmadillo 

 

Last month we kept the stats on #15 plr_hightower. This month we are combining #13 koth_harvest with #15′s plr_hightower stats for the contest (trial basis).

We’re also upping the prize to a KEY (or equal value) for each winner. (You can only win one category)

How to win this month?

Most Kills
Deaths
Most Kills with Caber (the holy grail)
Time Played
Most Revenges

Stats run from 10/1/14 to 10/31/14. The month is still young, so get out there and kill some mofoz!

Server #13: 216.231.142.227:27015

Server #15:  209.40.104.151:27015

By the way, have you played the beta maps Asteroid or Cactus Canyon lately? They’re really coming along, and much more fun than when they were first launched.  Today’s patch doesn’t change their terrain at all, but does add a few wrinkles to the play style for Asteroid.

The short version for this patch:

1. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite TF2 short for the Saxxy Awards! Voting ends 11:59 pm PDT on Monday, Sept. 29th.
2. You can now buy Limited Late Summer Crate Keys (the usual US$2.49), to unlock #86 crates of the same name.
   • About half of the contents will be Strange, and all of the contents will be Limited (unable to be crafted or bought in the future).
   • Crates cannot be opened after October 13, 2014.
   • See the crate drop list below. There is one cosmetic for each class, and one all-class cosmetic: the Pocket Heavy.
3. Items you have received now carry a “NEW!” banner in your inventory, until you mouse over them.
4. In the middle of a match that is attempting to rebalance the server population, you will immediately respawn if you are either auto-balanced, or if you voluntarily change sides.
   • Of course, this doesn’t work in modes like Arena or MvM.
5. Limited Items (i.e. items that cannot be dropped, crafted, or bought from the Mann Co. Store, but could be uncrated):
   • Now the entire text line is colored bright yellow, as opposed to just the word Limited, in the item’s text line.
     • For example: “Limited Level 53 Hat“.
   • Retired hats are now properly identified as Limited items.
6. Asteroid has added sounds, adjusted return time for stolen reactor cores, and a 45-second Overtime to allow the enemy to attempt to steal the winning team’s core.

 

Crate Series #86
Drops		Yes
Items
[[Mishap Mercenary|Template:Dictionary/items/mishap mercenary]]		11 .00%
[[Lady Killer|Template:Dictionary/items/lady killer]]		11 .00%
[[Lone Survivor|Template:Dictionary/items/lone survivor]]		11 .00%
[[Poacher's Safari Jacket|Template:Dictionary/items/poacher's safari jacket]]		11 .00%
[[Thirst Blood|Template:Dictionary/items/thirst blood]]		11 .00%
[[Mann of the Seven Sees|Template:Dictionary/items/mann of the seven sees]]		11 .00%
[[Hillbilly Speed-Bump|Template:Dictionary/items/hillbilly speed-bump]]		11 .00%
[[Unshaved Bear|Template:Dictionary/items/unshaved bear]]		11 .00%
[[Pocket Heavy|Template:Dictionary/items/pocket heavy]]		11 .00%
or an Exceedingly Rare Special Item!		1 .00%

 

Full Patch Notes: Patch 1

• Added Limited Late Summer Crate Key to the Mann Co. Store. Available until October 13, 2014.^[1]
• Fixed the Limited label not being displayed for items on the Steam Community Market or in the Steam backpack
• Fixed colorization of item level description line for Limited items
• Added tournament medals for BETA LAN 2014
• Added a NEW! label to new items in your backpack until you mouse over them
• Fixed a case where cosmetic items would be orphaned in the world
  • R.I.P. Captain Canteen^[2]
• Fixed not being able to open the Taunt menu during the bonus time on an Arena map
• Fixed a dedicated server crash related to bot Spies
• Fixed item level not displaying correctly in the Mann vs. Machine lobby
• Updated the auto-balance code to immediately respawn players that are automatically switched, or that voluntarily switch, during a balancing period
  • Not supported in Mann vs. Machine, Medieval mode, Arena mode, Tournament Mode, or Training
• Updated the removeid command to support Steam2 and Steam3 ID formats
• Updated the materials for The Atomic Accolade
• Updated the equip_region for The Special Eyes
• Updated rd_asteroid
  • Added a 45 second overtime when a team reaches max points
  • Added placeholder pickup ship and robot worker to indicate a team has reached max points
  • Added a sound to captured and returned points as they fill the progress bar
  • Captured and returned points now fill the progress bar faster
  • Progress bar escrow indicator now stays in place as points are added
  • Touching the reactor core no longer fully resets the return timer. Every second the reactor core is held will add a second to the return timer.
• Virtual Reality Mode
  • Fixed selecting the wrong refresh rate when running on a display that does not use the desktop refresh rate

   

Undocumented changes

• Added Limited attribute to retired hats.
• Added a kill icon for Nostromo Napalmer.
• Correct the sight on Rocket Launcher.

Patch 2

• Fixed a client crash caused by using custom HUD files

[N] Obey