Team Fortress 2 #3

Team Fortress 2
Promotional art depicting the nine playable classes
Developer(s)	Valve
Publisher(s)	Valve
Designer(s)	John Cook Robin Walker
Composer(s)	Mike Morasky
Engine	Source
Platform(s)	Windows Xbox 360[a] PlayStation 3[b] macOS[c] Linux
Release	October 10, 2007 Windows, Xbox 360 (The Orange Box) NA: October 10, 2007 EU: October 18, 2007 AU: October 25, 2007 PlayStation 3 (The Orange Box) AU: November 22, 2007 EU: November 23, 2007 NA: December 11, 2007 macOS WW: June 10, 2010 Linux WW: February 14, 2013
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Team Fortress 2 (TF2) is a 2007 multiplayer first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve Corporation. It is the sequel to the 1996 Team Fortress mod for Quake and its 1999 remake, Team Fortress Classic. The game was released in October 2007 as part of The Orange Box for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox 360, and ported to the PlayStation 3 in December 2007.^[2][3] It was released as a standalone game for Windows in April 2008, and updated to support macOS in June 2010 and Linux in February 2013. It is distributed online through Valve's digital retailer Steam, with Electronic Arts managing retail and console editions.

Players join one of two teams—RED (Reliable Excavation Demolition) and BLU (Builders League United)—and choose one of nine character classes to play as, with game modes including capture the flag and king of the hill. Development was led by John Cook and Robin Walker, the developers of the original Team Fortress mod. Team Fortress 2 was announced in 1998 under the name Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms. Initially, the game had more realistic, militaristic visuals and gameplay, but this changed over the protracted nine years of development. After Valve released no information for six years, Team Fortress 2 regularly featured in Wired News's annual vaporware list among other entries. Finally released on the Source game engine in 2007, Team Fortress 2 preserved much of the core class-based gameplay of its predecessors while featuring an overhauled, cartoon-like visual style influenced by the works of J. C. Leyendecker, Dean Cornwell, and Norman Rockwell, alongside an increased focus on the visual and verbal characterization of its playable classes and what the developers have described as a 1960s spy movie aesthetic.

Team Fortress 2 has received critical acclaim for its art direction, gameplay, humor, and use of character in a wholly multiplayer game,^[4][5][6][7] and since its release has been referred to as one of the greatest video games ever created.^[8][9][10] The game continues to receive official Valve server support as of January 2024,^[11] in addition to new content being released on a seasonal basis in the form of submissions made through the Steam Workshop. In June 2011, the game became free-to-play, with revenue derived from microtransactions for in-game cosmetics. A 'drop system' was also added and refined, allowing free-to-play users to periodically receive in-game equipment and items. Though the game has had an unofficial competitive scene since its release, both support for official competitive play through ranked matchmaking and an overhauled casual experience were added in July 2016.^[12] Since early 2020, the official Valve servers have seen an influx of bot accounts using cheat software, often inhibiting legitimate gameplay, which led to multiple online protests to call for actions against the bots and their hosts.^[13]

Gameplay[edit]

In most game modes, two teams, RED and BLU, compete for a combat-based objective.^[5] Players can choose to play as one of nine character classes in these teams, each with their own unique strengths, weaknesses, and weapon sets. In order to accomplish objectives efficiently, a balance of these classes is required due to how these strengths and weaknesses interact with each other in a team-based environment. Although the abilities of a number of classes have changed from earlier Team Fortress incarnations, the basic elements of each class have remained, them being one primary weapon, one secondary weapon, and one melee weapon.^[14][15] The game was released with six official maps, although over one hundred maps have since been included in subsequent updates, including community-created maps.^[16][17] When players choose a gamemode for the first time, an introductory video is played, showing how to complete its objectives. During matches, the Administrator,^[18] voiced by Ellen McLain, announces the teams' current objectives over loudspeakers.^[19] The player limit for one match is 16 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and 24 on the Windows edition.^[20] However, in 2008, the Windows edition was updated to include a server variable that allows for up to 32 players.^[21] Furthermore, in 2023, the Windows edition was updated to have unrestricted player counts for up to 100 players in a single server.^[22]

Team Fortress 2 is the first of Valve's multiplayer games to provide detailed statistics for individual players, such as the total amount of time spent playing as each class, most points obtained, and most objectives completed in a single life. Persistent statistics tell the player how they are performing in relation to these statistics, such as if a player comes close to their record for the damage inflicted in a round.^[16] Team Fortress 2 also features numerous achievements for carrying out certain tasks, such as achieving a certain number of kills or completing a specific objective. Sets of class-specific achievements have been added in updates, which can award weapons to the player upon completion. This unlockable system has since been expanded into a random drop system, with which players can also obtain items simply by playing the game.^[23]

Game modes[edit]

Core game modes[edit]

Team Fortress 2 contains five core game modes.

• Attack/Defend (A/D) is a timed game mode in which the BLU team's goal is to capture RED's control points. The number of control points varies between maps, and the points must be captured by the BLU team, usually in sequence. To capture a control point, a player must stand on it for a certain amount of time, with more players increasing the speed it is being captured at. RED, who cannot capture points, must prevent BLU from capturing all the control points before the time-limit expires. Once a point is captured, the time-limit will be extended by several minutes.^[24]
• Capture the Flag (CTF) is a mode in which RED and BLU must steal the opposing team's flag (an intelligence briefcase) and prevent their own intelligence from being stolen. When the intelligence is dropped by the carrier, it will stay on the ground for 1 minute before returning to its original location if it is not picked up again. A team's intelligence can be carried only by the opposing team. The first team to capture the enemy's intelligence three times wins.^[25]
• Control Points (CP) is a timed game mode where there are several control points placed around the map, with three (3CP) or five (5CP) control points in total depending on the map. The game will start off with only the middle control point being available for capture, with the other control points split equally among both teams. Once this middle control point is captured, a team can begin capturing the enemy team's points in respective order. The time limit is extended on the capture of a control point by either team. For a team to win, they must capture all the control points within the time limit.^[24]
• King of the Hill (KOTH) is a timed game mode that contains a single control point at the middle of the map that can be captured by both RED and BLU. Should the opposing team capture the point from the team that had it before, their timer will stop and the opposing team's timer will begin or resume. The point can be recaptured by each team as many times as is possible. The first team to control the point for 180 seconds (not necessarily continuous) wins.^[26]
• Payload (PL) is a timed game mode where BLU must push an explosive cart along a track, while RED must prevent the cart from reaching their base. To push the cart, at least one BLU player must be in range of the cart, with more players increasing the push speed. Maps have multiple 'checkpoints' along the track; each checkpoint reached by the cart awards the BLU team with additional time. If the cart is not pushed by BLU for some time, it will begin to roll back to the last achieved checkpoint. RED players can obstruct the cart from being pushed by being within range of it.^[27]

Alternative game modes[edit]

There are several alternative game modes in Team Fortress 2. These modes consist of a small number of maps and detach from the core game modes in some way.

• Arena is a special game mode in which players do not respawn upon death. A team can win either by eliminating all opposing players, or by claiming a single capture point that opens after a certain time has elapsed.^[28] This mode is currently unavailable through matchmaking, but is still accessible through community servers.
• Mannpower is a mode in which players have access to a grappling hook and assorted power-ups laid around the map that grant unique abilities.^[29] While not bound to any specific mode, all current official Mannpower maps use a variation of Capture the Flag. In Mannpower's variation of Capture the Flag, both teams have an intelligence flag, and the first team to capture the enemy's intelligence ten times wins. The mode is based on the Quake mod 'Threewave CTF' created by former Valve employee David Kirsch.^[30]
• Medieval Mode is a mode in which players are restricted to using melee and support weapons, with certain exceptions for medieval-themed projectile weapons.^[31] While not bound to any specific mode, the only official Medieval Mode map uses a 3CP variation of Attack/Defend. If Medieval Mode is enabled on a map, select phrases spoken by players in the in-game text chat will be replaced with more thematic variants, such as "hello" being replaced with "well meteth".
• PASS Time is a unique timed game mode inspired by rugby, developed by Valve, Bad Robot Interactive, and Escalation Studios.^[32] Three unique goals (the Run-In, Throw-In, and Bonus Goals) are placed on each team's side of the map. A single ball called the JACK will spawn at the center of the map, and players must pick it up and carry it to the opposing team's side. While holding the JACK, players cannot fire their weapons, but passive effects are still applied. Players can score a goal by either carrying the JACK to a Run-In Goal or by throwing the JACK through the Throw-In Goal. Three goals can be scored by throwing the JACK through the Bonus Goal, which is much more difficult to score. To win, a team must either score five goals, or have the most goals when the timer runs out.
• Payload Race is similar to Payload, but both the RED and BLU teams have a cart that they must push, while preventing the opposing team from doing the same. There are multiple checkpoints along the track, and there is no time limit. The team to reach the end of their track first wins a point. The game lasts until one team gets two points.^[33]
• Player Destruction is a community-made game mode in which a player's death causes a pickup to appear. The first team to collect a set number of pickups and deliver them to a drop-off point wins the game. The players on each team with the most pickups are highlighted for everyone to see, and gain a passive healing effect for themselves and any nearby teammates.
• Special Delivery is a mode similar to Capture the Flag, but there is only one neutral briefcase that can be picked up both the RED and BLU teams. Upon a team picking up the briefcase, the opposing team will be unable to pick up the briefcase until it has been dropped for 45 seconds and respawns as a neutral briefcase. A team wins by carrying the briefcase onto a loading platform, which will gradually rise until the platform reaches its peak.^[34]
• Territorial Control consists of several control points spread out across a single map. Like Control Points, each point can be captured by either the RED or BLU teams. Unlike Control Points, only two points are accessible at a single time. Upon a team's successful capture of a point, the "stage" ends and the accessible capture points change. When a team only has control of a single control point, they are blocked from capturing the opposing team's control point and the team must wait until the time limit is up and the accessible capture points change. A team wins by capturing all the control points.^[24]
• Versus Saxton Hale is a juggernaut game mode that originated as a mod for the Arena mode developed by LizardOfOz, which was then popularized on community servers. It pits one player as Saxton Hale (on BLU) against all other players (on RED). Saxton Hale is restricted to melee attacks, but he can perform a double jump, a charge attack that allows him to fly in any direction, a body slam that creates a damaging shockwave upon landing, and a super punch, which deals more damage than a regular punch. Like in Arena, Saxton or RED can win by eliminating the opposing player(s), or by capturing a single control point after enough time elapses.^[35][36]

Other game modes[edit]

These modes are not categorized with the other modes, and instead have their own separate sections in the game.

• Halloween Mode is a special mode that is enabled during Halloween, and allows the players access to more than 20 Halloween themed maps, Halloween-exclusive cosmetics and challenges. For example, Halloween 2012 included a difficult Mann vs. Machine mission involving destroying more than 800 enemy forces.^[37] Owing to popular demand of the Halloween events, Valve later added the Full Moon event, an event that triggers around every full moon phase throughout the year, which allows players to equip Halloween-exclusive cosmetics. In 2013, Valve introduced an item called Eternaween, and upon use, allows players of a specific server to use Halloween-exclusive cosmetics for 2 hours.^[38]
• Mann vs Machine (MvM) is a cooperative game mode where players must defend their base from waves of robots modeled after all nine playable classes, and in some maps, slow-moving tanks carrying bombs. Robots and tanks drop a currency referred to as Credits upon their death, which players can use to buy upgrades for themselves or their weapons. The players win upon successfully defending their base from the bomb until the last wave.^[39] A paid version of this game mode called "Mann Up" is also available, where players buy "Tour Of Duty Tickets" to play a series of missions with the chance to win unique cosmetics, weapons and robot parts that can be used in crafting.^[40]
• Offline Practice Mode consists of the player and computer-controlled bots. The number of bots, their difficulty, and the map can all be adjusted to a player's preference, though only a select amount of maps are available to play.^[41][42][43]
• Training Mode exists to help new players get acquainted with basic controls, and teaches them the basics of four of the nine classes. It uses wooden dummies and bots to teach players the basic mechanics of classes and the game.^[41]

Competitive play[edit]

Team Fortress 2 is played competitively, through multiple leagues. The North American league, ESEA, supports a paid Team Fortress 2 league, with $42,000 in prizes for the top teams in 2017.^[44][45][46] While formalized competitive gameplay is very different from normal Team Fortress 2, it offers an environment with a much higher level of teamwork than in public servers. Most teams use voice chat to communicate, and use a combination of strategy, communication, and mechanical skill to win against other teams. Community-run competitive leagues also tend to feature restrictions such as item bans and class limits. These leagues are often supported by Valve via in-game medals (which are submitted via the Steam Workshop) and announcements on the official blog.^[47][48][49]

In April 2015, Valve announced that a dedicated competitive mode would be added to Team Fortress 2, utilizing skill-based matchmaking;^[50] closed beta testing began in the following year.^[51] The competitive mode was added in the "Meet Your Match" update, released on July 7, 2016.^[52] Ranked matches are played six-vs-six, with players ranked in thirteen tiers based on win/losses and an assessment of their skills.^[53] Ranked matchmaking will balance players based on their tiers and rating. A similar matchmaking approach has been added for casual games for matches of 12-vs-12 players. In order to join competitive matchmaking, players must have associated their Steam account with the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator, as well as having a Team Fortress 2 "premium account", which is unlocked by either having bought the game before it went free-to-play or by having made an in-game item purchase since.^[54]

Formats[edit]

Team Fortress 2 is played in a variety of different formats, which dictate the maximum size and composition of a team and can drastically change the impact of a single player's gameplay or choice of class. The two most basic formats consist of 12v12 and 6v6 ("Sixes"), the two being used on official Valve servers for casual and competitive modes respectively with no additional limitations. Most competitive leagues host Sixes but include limits on certain classes and weapons to preserve traditional, skill-based playstyles, for example limiting the allowed amount of Medics or Demomen to one on either team or banning certain movement-enhancing weapons from use. Other popular formats include "Highlander", a 9v9 format with a limit of one player per each of the nine classes, as well as a Sixes-inspired 7v7 variant thereof known as "Prolander" to allow for strategically switching classes during a competitive game.^[47][48][55]

Characters and setting[edit]

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Team Fortress 2 features nine playable classes, which are evenly split and categorized into "Offense", "Defense", and "Support".^[16] Each class has strengths and weaknesses and must work with other classes to be efficient, encouraging strategy and teamwork.^[56] Each class has at least three default weapons: a primary weapon, secondary weapon, and melee weapon. Engineers have two additional slots for their PDAs, and Spies have an additional slot for their disguise kit. An additional character, Saxton Hale, is playable in the "Versus Saxton Hale" game mode.^[57]

Offense[edit]

• The Scout (voiced by Nathan Vetterlein) is an American baseball fan and street runner from Boston, Massachusetts who practiced running to be faster than his seven siblings.^[58] He is a fast, agile character, who is armed by default with a scattergun, a pistol, and a bat. The Scout can double jump, and is counted twice when capturing control points and when pushing the Payload cart, doubling their respective speeds.

• The Soldier (voiced by Rick May) is an American jingoistic patriot from the Midwest who portrays himself as a military-man (despite never having served in the U.S. Armed Forces).^[59] The Soldier is armed by default with a rocket launcher, a shotgun, and a shovel.^[60] He is both the second-slowest class in the game and the class with the second-highest health, after the Heavy. The Soldier can use his rocket launcher to "rocket jump" to other locations at the cost of some health.

• The Pyro (voiced by Dennis Bateman) is a pyromaniac of unknown sex and origin who wears a fire-retardant suit and a voice-muffling gas mask.^[61] By default, the Pyro carries a flamethrower, a shotgun, and a fire axe. The Pyro's flamethrower can also produce a blast of compressed air which repels incoming enemies and projectiles, and extinguishes burning teammates. The Pyro is deluded and believes they are living in a utopian fantasy world called "Pyroland".^[62][63]

Defense[edit]

• The Demoman (voiced by Gary Schwartz) is a Black Scottish one-eyed alcoholic demolitions expert from Ullapool.^[64] Armed by default with a grenade launcher, a "stickybomb" launcher (bombs that are detonated when prompted to by the player, and can stick to any surface), and a glass bottle of scrumpy, the Demoman can use his explosives to provide indirect fire and set traps.^[62] Similar to the Soldier's rocket jump, the Demoman can use his stickybombs to "sticky jump" at the cost of some health.

• The Heavy Weapons Guy, or simply Heavy (voiced by Schwartz), is a large Russian man from the Dzhugdzhur Mountains of the Soviet Union. He is heavy in stature and accent, and is obsessed with firepower. He is the slowest class, and can both absorb and deal substantial amounts of damage. His default weapons consist of a minigun that he affectionately refers to as "Sasha", a shotgun, and his fists.^[65]

• The Engineer (voiced by Grant Goodeve) is an American inventor, engineer, and "good ol' boy" from Bee Cave, Texas.^[66] The Engineer can deploy structures to support his team: a sentry gun for defending key points, a health and ammunition dispenser, and a pair of teleporters (one entrance and one exit).^[62] The Engineer is armed by default with a shotgun, a pistol, a wrench, which functions as both a melee weapon and to repair and upgrade his buildings, and two PDAs: one to erect his buildings and one to remotely destroy them.

Support[edit]

• The Medic (voiced by Robin Atkin Downes) is a German doctor from Stuttgart with little regard for the Hippocratic Oath.^[67] He is equipped with a "Medi Gun", which can restore health to injured teammates. When healing teammates, the Medi Gun progressively builds an "ÜberCharge" meter, which, when fully charged, can be activated to provide the Medic and his patient with temporary invulnerability. The Medic is also equipped by default with a syringe gun and a bonesaw for situations in which he must engage in direct combat.^[68][62]

• The Sniper (voiced by John Patrick Lowrie) is an ocker assassin born in New Zealand and raised in the Australian outback,^[69] equipped by default with a sniper rifle to shoot enemies from afar. Depending on how the player aims and fires, he can cause massive damage or instantly kill an opponent via a headshot. By default, he also carries a submachine gun and a kukri for close combat.^[62]

• The Spy (voiced by Bateman) is a French covert operative who carries an invisibility device disguised as a wristwatch, an electronic sapper to disable and destroy enemy Engineers' buildings, and a device in his cigarette case that allows him to disguise himself as any player on either team.^[70] His default weaponry consists of a revolver and a butterfly knife; he is able to use the latter to instantly kill enemies by stabbing them in the back.^[62] He is the only character who does not wear any clothing in his team's bright color or a patch denoting his specialty, instead preferring a balaclava, business suit, necktie, and gloves in muted team-color hues.

Other[edit]

• Saxton Hale (JB Blanc in "Jungle Inferno",^[71] uncredited in-game) is an Australian adventurer and businessman who is the chief executive officer of the fictional Mann Co., a large shipping company which specializes in manufacturing munitions and hats. Saxton is notable for his hypermasculine personality and physique, and his Australia-shaped chest-hair.^[72] He is the central character of the "Versus Saxton Hale" game mode, in which he has a large pool of health and superhuman abilities, including immense strength and agility. Saxton can attack only with his fists, but is able to double-jump like the Scout.^[35][36]

Non-playable characters[edit]

• The Administrator or the Announcer (voiced by Ellen McLain) is an unseen announcer who provides timely information about time limits and objectives to players
• Miss Pauling (Ashly Burch), The Administrator's Assistant .^{CategoriesGames}