Dave 'dave' Hopton continues his Series looking at another reason why competitive gamers should consider playing TF2

Only just starting? Read the first, second and third articles in the Series!

This column is the sole opinion of the author and does not represent the opinion of Heaven Media Ltd or the opinion of any affiliates.

A few weeks ago, my colleague Richard Lewis wrote in a penultimate entry for his column on the CSS scene that the TF2 community is one that has “a fanatical devotion that borders on the psychotic”. He's not wrong.

For many people outside the TF2 world, it can be quite hard to see what's so great about a game that's been described as 'cartoons with guns', that appears chaotic and unplayable, and a far cry from the ultra-realistic graphical environments of games like Modern Warfare 2. However, lying underneath all the flame and insults is an online multi-player game that's a truly unique experience to play and watch, and a game thousands of people love playing.

The purpose of this series of articles is to try and convey some of the reasons why the TF2 community is so passionate about the game it plays, and give some insight into why we love it so much. I write this with the intention of dispelling some of the myths surrounding the game, and in the hope that people who had previously dismissed TF2 when it was first released will try it again, and get involved in the competitive scene - especially in the run up to i39.

A Continued Evolution

Gather your families, say your prayers and hope for mercy, because the end is nigh – the Why TF2 Series is nearly over. We've come a long way together but now the finish line is in sight, and Cadred can breathe a sigh of relief that this ranting and raving TF2 fanatic has finally shut up.

Not quite yet though – I still have a little left to say. After exploring some of the many factors that make TF2 such a great game throughout this Series, today's article focuses on another dimension – the prospects for TF2's future. If I'm trying to convince Cadred that they should pick up the game, then I should have some fairly good evidence to suggest that the competitive side of TF2 looks pretty damn good. And trust me, I do.

In order to match the inspirational tone of this article, it is mandatory for all readers to listen to this Phil Collins song whilst they read. It will bring a tear to your eye, but you must get to the end.

The TF2 Anthem – the lyrics are our story

It's all about the relationship

So what exactly is this “good evidence” that gets me so excited? Well, it's two things really: the passion of this competitive community, and the fact that two and half years after the game was released, the Valve TF2 team are still passionate about developing the game to be the best it can be.

Whilst that sounds particularly cheesy, it's true, and it's definitely something that makes our game incredibly unique. What kind of development am I talking about, I hear you say? Well on top of the regular content updates which include new maps, new game modes and class updates, which all come free of charge, Valve have - in a highly uncharacteristic move - taken the decision to support competitive TF2. It's hard to underestimate the potential this has for the game, but allow me to explain some of the impact it's had so far.

In response to the many suggestions of the competitive community, Valve set up a thing called the TF2 Beta project. Inviting the players from top teams within the European and US scenes to participate, they released an exclusive version of the game where high level teams can test out all the new content before it is released to the general public, and set up a private area on the Steam Forums for feedback on how things can be improved and balanced.

There are countless examples of how this has helped improve the competitive aspect of the game, but there are some in particular that deserve mentioning. One such 'pro update' was the small moderation of one of the most popular competitive maps, Granary, through the introduction of various props and objects to enable players from both teams to reach specific map areas, and make it completely fair. Another was the introduction of hit sounds, similar to those in Quake, which can be turned on so players can hear when they've done damage to their target. Another was the implementation of a command that ensures spectators on Source TV don't miss the final 90 seconds of a game when the map is changed. I could go on, but they all make the TF2 experience that much better.

This relationship has also been extended to leagues and community organisers. Admins from ETF2L were able to speak directly to the creator of the recently released map Gorge and provide invaluable feedback after testing in the competitive environment, resulting in a new spawn and other balancing features. Community organisers for the Assembley LAN contacted Valve and asked for some fun stuff they could give away at their Summer event: they were given free TF2 merchandise, which they distributed to audience members watching the TF2 games.

A new viewing experience

Perhaps the pinnacle though, of all the community based updates, has been the introduction of the advanced spectator HUD, which has specifically been designed to improve the way games are viewed by greatly increasing up the amount of information available on the screen, including the state of both Medic's ubers, the health of each player and, if dead, their respawn times.

The new Spectator HUD, opening up a range of new casting opportunities

Considering how fast TF2's game-play can be, this information is particularly vital for commentators, and makes the game even easier to watch for those who are new to the scene. There have already been suggestions to indicate that even more will be added, but the fact that we have native commands built into the game, instead of a mess of plugins and scripts, is a fantastic feature. TF2 has already been hailed as one of the most fun competitive games to watch, and this development – unrivalled across other titles – puts us at the forefront of eSports broadcasting.

Dave 'dave' hopton continues his Series looking at the second reason why competitive gamers should consider playing TF2

Only just starting? Read the first, second and third articles in the Series!

This column is the sole opinion of the author and does not represent the opinion of Heaven Media Ltd or the opinion of any affiliates.

Shout it from the rooftops

With all this love from Valve, the TF2 community have responded admirably. Sign ups to LAN events have increased, with i39 set to be the largest ever, and there has been increasing support from leagues and organisations like ESL and ESH to promote the game. We've earned a reputation for being one of the most loyal and dedicated communities around, determined to see TF2 constantly getting better, and this is as true today as it ever was.

There have also been some great initiatives to create competitive maps, and one particularly successful map that has been introduced to the map pool is Gullywash, created by long-time top player Jan 'Arnold' Leroy. I spoke to him to get his thoughts on the impact Valve have made by developing TF2, and his mapping experience.

What was it that made you decide to create a map? Do you have extensive mapping history?

I wasn't planning on entering the contest since I was well aware of the time needed to create a decent map. I've made two maps before I created Gullywash (cp_arnold and ctf_reverse; cp_arnold was my first and I learned a lot from creating that map, it has some serious performance issues still and I never bothered to fix that completely. ctf_reverse I never actually released since I felt there wasn't enough interest.)

What also prevented me from entering the contest initially was the fact that my previous maps didn't get any attention, maybe rightfully so but it's pretty demotivating seeing as it requires tremendous amounts of time to create one. I eventually did enter the contest since it was about the only opportunity to create some interest and maybe see my creation being played and hopefully enjoyed.

What were the original goals you set out with for Gullywash? The map is quite unique because the distance to middle is very even for all classes - was this an intention when you were designing it, or a lucky accident?

I wanted to create a map that was interesting for all classes, that was one of the top priorities of the mapping contest. Allowing all classes to get to mid at about the same time was an interesting way to make the initial mid fight more fair. So yes, that point of the map was planned out, in the earliest versions of Gullywash it was even easier to get to mid but all that changed over time (thankfully).

I also tried to make the map as a whole more friendly for the heavier classes, Soldier especially. I tried to make choke-points wide enough to not have the Demoman stickies have such an impact as they do on Granary, but I didn't want to create a map where you get free roaming - having choke-points is essential to avoid chaos and create optimal flow. I tried to find a reasonable balance between Granary and Badlands as far as choke-points go.

What also contributed to the Soldiers being more effective is the fact that the map is quite compact. I didn't want to create a map where Scouts can run around freely while avoiding the slower classes. At the same time a map that is too compact is a pain to play for every class so I compensated by creating several vertical layers. Of course different areas will benefit different classes but that's what makes a good map I think.

I could go on and write several pages about the decisions I made and why but I would just bore you to death, all I can say is that every aspect of the map was thought of and nothing was placed or created without extensive thought and play-testing.

Ever the gamer - Arnold, middle, relaxing on the Wii

Do you hope Gullywash will be picked up by Valve as an official map, and if so, would you make any absolutely final changes before sending it off?

I hope it gets picked up as an official map, but I'm not counting on it. If they were to contact me on making Gullywash official I would certainly change the visuals in several places, and touch the map up as a whole. It wasn't easy creating a map that is this compact while keeping the visuals interesting. If you have a linear map you have a lot of room to create interesting scenery but on Gullywash this was quickly halted by overlapping in several areas. My main priority was getting the map to play like I imagined. Visuals came second. Another change I was thinking about was perhaps moving the first respawn back a bit but nothing major.

I would also fix that silly bug where you can jump on top of the roof on mid. Even though I don't think you'll be of much use up there and I think it adds to the charm of Gullywash, it would obviously need to be fixed. And perhaps I would hide the ducks in better places - they were way too easy to find.

Do you think the fact that Valve is still releasing content for TF2, over 2 years since it's launch, a good thing, or would you prefer them to stop developing the game?

I fully support the fact that Valve is still developing the game, I also think the game wouldn't have survived this long if they didn't. It keeps the game alive, it's simple as that. I won't say what I think about the new weapons and whether they should be banned or not, I don't think anyone wants to have that discussion again right now anyway.

Next Time

Next week's article will be a practical one – how to get started competitively. I've given you all the reasons why you should play TF2, now comes a guide to all the websites, configs, maps and HUDs you'll need. As ever, feel free to find me on #cadred if you have any questions – I'm always happy to help