Team Fortress 2: Polycount Pack

[Sliver]

​

[br]A new post at the TF2 Blog has unveiled a contest which will be run by both Valve and Polycount, a community driven video game art site. This contest gives any modeler an opportunity to get their own items into the game.[br]

Pick a single Team Fortress 2 class and create a minimum of three custom items for them. These items can be made up of any combination of weapons (melee, primary, secondary), Engineer buildings and/or hats. These items must be cohesively themed and fit within the Team Fortress 2 universe and time period. Make sure your replacement item set maintains the existing functionality of the original items they’re replacing, specifically any Primary, Secondary or Melee weapons you replace in your set. Valve will be selecting the top entries to make it into the Team Fortress 2 Polycount Pack and the winners will be announced 2 weeks after the contest end date, on July 12th, 2010.

[br] The official rules and guidelines for the content can be found on the Polycount website here, and the TF2 Blog post here.

 

[Eejit]

How can we be certain that the polycount pack won't be cursed?

 

[Matorbogl]

I wonder if this means the Engineer update has been pushed back.

 

[Naph]

Could be. I'm sure they don't have many trump cards up their sleeves to buy anymore time for the Engineer update

 

[Acepilotf14]

'Gabe, we have no more ideas for items!'
'WHERE IS MY CAKE?!'
'I-In the drawer, sir!'
'Good man. Now, I have the perfect plan.. we make a competition! Again! This time, we name it something interesting, and have those fan dogs make them for us!'
'Genius, Mr. Newell!'

 

[Emporius]

'Gabe, we have no more ideas for items!'
'WANTA DAH MOOLE-RAH?'
'I-In the drawer, sir!'
'See fah luto eetheen, ee yaba ma dukey massa. Eeth wong che coh pa na-geen, nah meeto toe bunky dunko. Lo choda!'
'Genius, Mr. Newell!'

:E

 

[Uriel]

Iono, I kinda like they involve the community. If it were Infinity Ward, they'd do the same thing except turn around and sell everything given to them for a ridiculous amount of money.

 

[Darkside55]

I kinda like they involve the community

You mean "exploit."

Also nice one, Emporius.

 

[Sheepo]

Exploiting the few generous members of the community for the benefit of the many greedy members of the community sounds good to me.

 

[McGooTheWise]

...And nobody sees this as a chance to help Valve make their games better?

 

[Acepilotf14]

...And nobody sees this as a chance to help Valve make their games better?

Nope.

 

[Darkside55]

benefit

help Valve make their games better

the TF2 modding community

Hahahaha, because new hats, the homewrecker, the dalokohs bar, and the pain train have made the game better. The game has been so very much enriched by these items, which are so totally not useless and/or bullshit.

I can't wait to see what stupid balance altering thing wins this time, so that a modeler can get his name on the TF2 blog and Valve can keep shoving this constant content down everyone's throats. Because lord knows the instant they stop adding in items OH NO THE GAME WON'T BE GOOD ANYMORE WITHOUT A MILLION NEW ITEMS PER WEEK AND WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF IDEAS BETTER CALL THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THIS GAME IS TOO SHALLOW TO SURVIVE WITHOUT A CONSTANT INFLUX OF GAME ALTERING ITEMS, THAT'S WHAT WE HERE AT VALVE ACTUALLY BELIEVE.

 

[Adabiviak]

I like these enhancements... they're kind of fun. If everyone playing TF2 was an expert, and these enhancements were forced onto the classes, it'd probably make a difference, but given the huge variety in play skills (on random public servers anyway), I don't think it does. If all the pyros on a server are using the homewrecker but they all suck at playing this class, does it matter? The two people I've seen using the homewrecker knew how to use it, and it gave a refreshing variation to the usual pyro play style.

These latest enhancements are visual only anyway, right? It gets the community hyped about the game, some modeler gets a shiny new line item for his or her résumé, Valve staff gets a 3-day weekend... it's all good.

 

[Darkside55]

If all the pyros on a server are using the homewrecker but they all suck at playing this class, does it matter?

The two people I've seen using the homewrecker knew how to use it

Derp.

Switch out "homewrecker" for any other weapon, or even class, in the game. You said absolutely nothing with your post. Of course it doesn't matter if someone sucks and can't utilize their equipment properly. When people know how to use it and are capable of using it, that's when it becomes a problem. Obviously.

The point still stands that bullshit like a pyro being able to smash sappers, or a soldier being able to have a passive bonus that counts him as two people when on a cap, that's some game breaker shit right there. The game isn't made better when 3 soldiers suddenly count as 6 people on one capture point. It's funny, but it ain't better.

 

[Wanted Bob]

'Gabe, we have no more ideas for items!'
'WANTA DAH MOOLE-RAH?'
'I-In the drawer, sir!'
'See fah luto eetheen, ee yaba ma dukey massa. Eeth wong che coh pa na-geen, nah meeto toe bunky dunko. Lo choda!'
'Genius, Mr. Newell!'

:E

I see what you did thar.

 

[Sheepo]

Hahahaha, because new hats, the homewrecker, the dalokohs bar, and the pain train have made the game better. The game has been so very much enriched by these items, which are so totally not useless and/or bullshit.

I can't wait to see what stupid balance altering thing wins this time, so that a modeler can get his name on the TF2 blog and Valve can keep shoving this constant content down everyone's throats. Because lord knows the instant they stop adding in items OH NO THE GAME WON'T BE GOOD ANYMORE WITHOUT A MILLION NEW ITEMS PER WEEK AND WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF IDEAS BETTER CALL THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THIS GAME IS TOO SHALLOW TO SURVIVE WITHOUT A CONSTANT INFLUX OF GAME ALTERING ITEMS, THAT'S WHAT WE HERE AT VALVE ACTUALLY BELIEVE.

Well, I suppose all I can say is that I've seen no significant, and certainly no gamebreaking, impact on the core balance of the game based on any of the weapons (well, none of the community made ones), but perhaps that's because not enough people have them. And of course hats have no practical effect on the game, they just add style and humor to it, and now that the community makes them we don't have to even worry about Valve using their time making them. I know, Valve are sick people for allowing willing people to create additions to their game. I'm sure the creators of TF2 hats and weapons everywhere are cursing Valve for exploiting their willing contributions.

 

[Absinthe]

The additions may not be gamebreaking, but out of all the weapons and items that have been added since the Medic pack, I find there's less than a handful that make any significant contribution to the playing experience.

 

[McGooTheWise]

You can't please all the people all the time, and apparently can't please Darkside at any time.

jp.

I really don't see how this hurts anything at all. Valve doesn't have to do anything but review incoming ideas, rather than the alternative of coming up with the idea, and bringing it to fruition. Maybe after they've given so much to the community, it's better if the community creates the next part of the game. Ya?

I also think the purpose of the extra weapons, rather than being to create a wider range of gameplay, is for each player to find a set of weapons that suits their playing style. Games like Call of Duty have the same thing, just already built in. it doesn't really make or break the gameplay, just makes it easier to find a class you like.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Do you know if anybody has a 3rd-party site up with pictures of all the WIP and finished projects?