Team Fortress 2

Characters from the game Team Fortress 2 (source: valvesoftware.com)

The sequel to the action arcade shooter Team Fortress Classic from 1999 has already reached its peak popularity. Team Fortress 2 (TF2) still maintains a player base, but compared to other online titles, it is quite negligible. The game development studio Valve Corporation has extracted the maximum from its Source engine, especially with Counter Strike, but before that in 2007 came TF2 with its animated graphics, and players loved it for its personality and fun gameplay. What was its journey?

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From a Quake mod to a standalone successful title

It is strange that most successful titles from Valve Corporation originate from mods for other games (Counter Strike comes from a mod for Half-Life, DOTA 2 from a mod for Warcraft 3) and the same is true for Team Fortress 2, or rather its predecessor Team Fortress Classic. The main developers are the same people who worked on the original Team Fortress mod for the game Quake back in 1996. John Cook and Robin Walker brought the first standalone title in this series in 1999, but it did not meet with much popularity. Something needed to be done differently. That also happened, and in 2007 the Orange Box package of Valve games included Team Fortress 2. The game had its own unique graphics, arcade-style matches thrilled many fans, and the charm of the main characters was loved by everyone. A year later, Valve released a boxed version of this game, and in 2011 the game was made available for free download on the digital distribution platform Steam. In the following years, the game reached its peak, fun matches with dozens of players on one server became a favorite pastime for many players. Team Fortress 2 provided an escape from competitively focused games like Counter Strike and DOTA. As it happens, the excitement gradually began to wane, the overall concept of the game became outdated, and people switched to modern games. This brings us to today. In December last year, almost a quarter of a million players were active at the same time, which may seem like a lot to some. However, it is not the case, and the game is considered more or less dead – the servers are mostly empty or full of bots, the skin market is almost non-existent, and fewer and fewer players are returning to the old animated shooter TF2.

Game preview

Mechanics and goal of the game

Team Fortress 2 prioritizes arcade-style and fun over excessive realism (which we see, for example, in Counter Strike), and this is also reflected in the matches. Up to a hundred people can participate in these matches (depending on the game mode). At first glance, chaotic brawls have their purpose and goal. Players are divided into two teams and must complete the objective of the given game mode (capture territory, safely transport a convoy to a certain place…). Each player must choose one of the characters, each serving a different purpose.

Minimum hardware requirements

Operating system: Windows 7 Processor: 1.7 GHz DirectX: 8.1 RAM: 512 MB Hard drive: 15 GB …and of course, an internet connection.

Individual characters

The game features a total of nine characters, which are divided into three basic groups: offensive (Scout, Soldier, Pyro), defensive (Demoman, Heavy, Engineer), and support (Medic, Sniper, Spy). Any number of players can choose the same character, but it is important to remember that the best team is made up of a balanced distribution of characters. Each serves a different purpose and uses different weapons. While Pyro throws fiery destruction from his flamethrower in the front lines, Medic heals him, and Spy tries to get behind the enemy and disable him with a surprise attack. The characters also have their own stories, which are further developed in a series of videos by Valve (available, for example, on YouTube). Each character also has its own skins, as, for example, Heavy cannot play with weapons from Demoman.

Game modes

There are several team game modes to choose from. The most popular is King of the Hill, in which the team must hold a designated point on the map to achieve victory. Another mode is Payload, in which one team must push a cart with explosives across the map to a designated location, and the other team tries to prevent them from doing so. In Control Point, teams compete for important points on the map – gaining control of a position opens the possibility to attack the next position and gradually push the enemy back to their base, thus achieving victory. The last mode is Capture the Flag, in which the goal is to steal the flag from the enemy base and deliver it to one’s own bunker. Each of the above-mentioned modes has its own maps where it takes place, and each match is thus unique.

Fancy a new hat?

The game currently runs on a Free to play business model, and its operation is supported by microtransactions that take place directly in the game (i.e., purchasing in-game items – skins). These cosmetic modifications have become a popular item on the entire Steam platform, and it was no different with TF2. However, with decreasing popularity, demand also began to disappear. This is one of the reasons why we don’t see too many pages dedicated to TF2 skins today. The first cosmetic items brought to Team Fortress 2 were only hats and caps that could be placed on characters, but it didn’t take long for different weapon colors and character animations (taunt) to appear. Today, there are just over 1,500 different skins (the most expensive currently is Unusual Burning Team Captain for $6,500). These can be obtained in several ways: they can drop randomly in the game, you can craft them using crafting materials directly in the game, or you can get them by opening in-game crates (the same as cases in CS) – however, for this, you need a key that you can purchase for real money. The game still has its unique charm, it can certainly be fun, but our recommendation would be to avoid TF2 skins. Do not expect the appreciation that we can see with CS2 skins.

Esports in TF2

Although there have been several brave attempts to establish a competitive scene in the history of Team Fortress 2, none have succeeded. Primarily, this is due to the basic concept of the game, which focuses more on arcade-style and relaxation than on “serious” gameplay. TF2 esports is therefore non-existent today.

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2️⃣ Is Team Fortress 2 popular in 2024?

3️⃣ When was Team Fortress 2 released?

Peter Broz

Article author – esports expert
Email: peter@slothbet.com

I came into contact with playing computer games long before a billion-dollar business with professional teams emerged around them. Although I never reached the professional level, I still have many acquaintances among the top esports players today. At SlothBet, I will primarily contribute to the esports section.

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