Team Fortress 2, Source Engine and Steam Update Released

[DigiQ8]

New updates for Steam, Team Fortress 2 and Source Engine just released. Now let's see whats new in these updates, shall we?[br]

Steam update :

• Improved in-game overlay compatibility with FRAPS and ATI Tray Tools
• Fixed the in-game overlay not showing up in Civilization IV
• Fixed changing resolutions when the in-game overlay is enabled

Team Fortress 2 update :

• Tweaked achievement HUD fonts and color palette for more readability
• Added effects to players when they earn an achievement, visible to other players nearby
• Improved stat gathering for map play times to increase accuracy
• Added stair access to the upper area in stage three after the first cap

Source Engine update :

• Fixed some audio buffer support issues with Vista
• WorldVertexTransition under dxlevel 80 + 81 now correctly uses vertex alpha to blend the two textures
• Improved the console in the graphical UI version of the dedicated server

You can find the full change list here.

 

[hool10]

Lot of outrage on the stupid changes. Some were good while others really blow the big one. Engineers don't have to worry about sappers anymore. No more stalemates. Once your uber gauge fills up, it automatically goes into uber mode. So no more talking into the mic and planning stuff. This game has just been ruined.

 

[highlander]

Aww no new achievements D:

 

[Avoidist]

I'm gonna have to check out these changes myself, but nowhere in the notes did I see anything along the lines of the Ubercharge activating automatically. That might be a bug. Also, sapper damage was "slightly" reduced which doesn't sound that bad, though I would like to see the actual percentage drop. Stalemates (sudden death) were boring, useless and painful and needed to go.

 

[hool10]

Yeah basically Valve catered too the whining engineers. This is similar to BF2 and nerfing things. Basically medics are the new class that everybody wants to play. They go uber in a heartbeat now. They really have ruined this game. Why could'nt they just add achievements and new maps?

 

[SgtSpamBoy]

Why?!?!

From Steam's change log:

Sapped buildings now take slightly less damage from the Spy who sapped them.

Engineers already seemed to stop sappers pretty darn easily, what gives? Most good Engineers camp around their stuff, now Spys will have no chance...
I always felt SG's were too powerful and should be nerfed a tiny bit, not the other way around...

Why Valve, why...


I didn't see anything about automatic Ubers though, is this confirmed?

 

[TheSock]

Yeah basically Valve catered too the whining engineers. This is similar to BF2 and nerfing things. Basically medics are the new class that everybody wants to play. They go uber in a heartbeat now. They really have ruined this game. Why could'nt they just add achievements and new maps?

Wait, what? I don't see any indication of medic ubers filling faster - they removed the need for your teammates to damage themselves before the round starts, and they stopped weapon-switching from pausing your ubercharge mid-use. Why the hardcore whining? Seriously?

P.S. I don't see anything in the changelog that suggests medic ubers now go off automatically. If that's in-game I'd expect a hotfix in the coming weekend. Can someone confirm?

 

[Irksome]

The auto-Uber sounds either like BS or a bug, it makes no sense what so ever.

 

[SgtSpamBoy]

Okay, from what I am gathering from the Steam forums, I think the ability to "pause" an Uber during an Uber has been taken away, but you can still decide when to start it (thus not "auto-Uber").

As for the Spy sapper, there's talk that it means the "sap and shoot" method has been nerfed, not the sapper itself...

If the above things are true, then things haven't been changed too much IMO.

 

[hool10]

Okay, from what I am gathering from the Steam forums, I think the ability to "pause" an Uber during an Uber has been taken away, but you can still decide when to start it (thus not "auto-Uber").

As for the Spy sapper, there's talk that it means the "sap and shoot" method has been nerfed, not the sapper itself...

If the above things are true, then things haven't been changed too much IMO.

Oh, ok then. What I see more commonly though is that there will be 5 medic+heavy combos coming right out of the gate. Don't like that one bit.

 

[Stigmata]

That already happens anyway.

 

[Operational]

Sudden Death mode is now a server option (a convar) and defaults to OFF

Good news, Sudden Death sucks in many ways.

The Medic's Medigun now charges at an increased rate during Setup time, to remove the need for self-damage grinding

Oh noes what will I do now during setup?

Fixed first person spectator view of the Spy watch not showing the correct cloak value

That's good, it was a tad annoying when spectating Spies.

Added effects to players when they earn an achievement, visible to other players nearby

Pity I have them all but "With Friends like these". I was thinking the other day how it would be nice to have some sort of announcement to other players of various milestones that the player achieves in game.

Improved stat gathering around draws to better understand why they're occurring

Hope they don't do anything silly to try and prevent draws.

Oh, ok then. What I'm more commonly though is that there will be 5 medic+heavy combos coming right out of the gate. Don't like that one bit.

You can do that anyway if you have planning. 5 soldiers with 5 medics, once they are charged the soldiers switch to heavy.

 

[Adabiviak]

Fixed exploit where the Medigun UberCharge wouldn't drain if you switched weapons

Was this an exploit? I thought it worked quite well. If you got to a capture point ubered and quickly wasted everybody, you could turn it off, allowing you to begin capturing the point, but rendering you vulnerable.

Once your uber gauge fills up, it automatically goes into uber mode. So no more talking into the mic and planning stuff.

Really? That's a little rough - that was one of the redeeming parts of being a medic was stepping up to some serious offense after a decent run of healing everyone else. Is that really how it works?

 

[SgtSpamBoy]

Really? That's a little rough - that was one of the redeeming parts of being a medic was stepping up to some serious offense after a decent run of healing everyone else. Is that really how it works?

No.
There is no auto-uber. They just stopped the ability to "pause" an uber-in-progress. Now when an uber is engaged it will go for the full 10 secs, period.

 

[Kyorisu]

Bah holding charge was an awesome strat.

 

[Seagull]

The spy thing they were talking about was sap -> pull out gun and shoot it, they nerfed the shooting damage so spies couldn't solo a turret so easily

 

[AciD]

Fixed the flamethrower stuttering when firing directly into a building

Ohh <3 VALVe

 

[Omnomnick]

No more killing on dustbowl before mission start...

AND....No Achievements!!, I like the achievement icon that everyone can see.

 

[Kirkburn]

Lot of outrage on the stupid changes. Some were good while others really blow the big one. Engineers don't have to worry about sappers anymore. No more stalemates. Once your uber gauge fills up, it automatically goes into uber mode. So no more talking into the mic and planning stuff. This game has just been ruined.

This is why you don't make comments based on hearsay.

 

[Para]

Oh noes what will I do now during setup?

Spam weapon animations of course.

Pity I have them all but "With Friends like these". I was thinking the other day how it would be nice to have some sort of announcement to other players of various milestones that the player achieves in game.

Same here. For some reason I think the effect will be yellow teleport particle glowy bling bling whatever...

Hope they don't do anything silly to try and prevent draws.

By US sportsmanship logic draw is boring and should be avoided.

You can do that anyway if you have planning. 5 soldiers with 5 medics, once they are charged the soldiers switch to heavy.

Demomen work better imo.

 

[Adabiviak]

The uber charge discharges much more quickly now - you've really got to make it count.

 

[AciD]

Huh I saw how someone got an achievement.
*On top of his head is showing a gold cup.
*A particle from new teleport effect is running.