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Valve Discusses Team Fortress 2's Future
The Escapist chatted with Valve's Robin Walker about how the Team Fortress 2 team has been listening to feedback and continually updating the game to fix problems and add to the gameplay experience. Walker mentions that ideas for new classes are "floating around," and that a new mode of play will be introduced soon.
"'Players have driven our entire approach to designing achievements, the way we tie unlockables to those achievements and the design of those new weapons themselves. The choices we made within the Medic and Heavy updates were very much the result of the ways that players have used that combination of classes within the game. The addition of the payload game mode came from players requesting an old Team Fortress Classic map called Hunted, and describing what they did and didn't like in that map.' ... The Scout is the next class slated for the special treatment, and Walker expects the update will be available early this year. Additionally, the team is juggling a number of side projects at the moment, including finally bringing a year's worth of the downloadable content and upgrades to the Xbox 360 version of the game. A new Payload map is in the works, more community maps are on the way and the team will soon unveil a very different new game mode."
Actually, I can't find anything to troll about regarding Valve. They create quality games with non-intrusive DRM. So I'll just resort to the standard racist trolling.
OOOK OOOK BANANA FUCKED HIS LINES UP!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THAT'S WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU'VE GOT A HOUSE-NIGGER RUNNING THE COUNTRY!
"Why did they cancel my favorite Sci-Fi show? I downloaded ALL the episodes!"
Valve really messed up TF2. First, the fact that it took forever to come out, which didn't help because of the high expectations. Second of all, the cartoon characters. It looks like a children's game. At a time when Valve could've really spiced up the types of weapons available to each class and really separated itself from other fps, Valve decides to remove the grenades. What a joke.
Since the release of Quake and TFC, there has not been a FPS that has really stood apart from the others. Apparently game developers now think the bigger the budget the better which is probably why no "gamer" I know plays new FPS games. New FPS primarily consist of an engine you've used before with different player models and maps. Nothing new. It's time for a change and fortunately developers _are_ going to have to change and be creative if they want to survive in this economy.
They didn't just dumb the game down, they flattened the learning curve and made it so skill has almost no bearing in your performance. Which ever team is more aggressive and sticks together better will win without fail. This is 'Movement Formation: The Game', which is why I only play custom games now, what few there are.
The only class that requires any coordination at all is the Sniper, which is just as well because the Sniper is goddamn terrible. The Pyro is by far the most versatile class with a nearly instant-kill weapon, damage over time on everything, mine-sweeping, rocket-proofing, moderate health and speed, and an unlockable weapon that makes your flamethrower even more instant-kill. He's followed by the Demoman, who does everything the Soldier can better and then some. Especially after the last update (super dispensers that can heal you as fast as you can repair your turret!) the Engineer can hold off the other team three to one, and if they're working in pairs or greater, forget taking down the turrets without your entire team focusing on them. (I call turrets 'death zone projectors' because that's exactly what they are.) The rest of the classes - Heavy, Medic, Soldier, Sniper, and Spy - are sub-par at best with the exception of the Scout, which tends to be a good objective-grabber but complete crap otherwise. (Frantic spy-checking and even a modicum of vigilance renders the Spy completely useless.)
Also, shotguns. Shotguns everywhere, and splash weapons too. Accuracy, what's that? The pistols are just as accurate as a shotgun spray, and you don't even aim better if you crouch. Dynamic play? Emergent behavior? A whole cast of classes that aren't pathetic one-trick ponies instead of a tiny few that dominate? Screw that, you get 'Counter Strike 4 Kids'.
Left 4 Dead was pretty clearly rushed out, and the 360 version still suffers from all the bugs- though that is going to be dealt with in a few weeks, it seems.
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