Video Team Fortes 2 Free to Play - The knowledge that Team Fortress 2 would be going free-to-play as of... well, right now, has got a lot of people up in arms. You don't have to look far and wide across the internet to chart the angry responses, which is how Refried was so easily able to assemble this graph. Let's look back over the public sentiment regarding this controversial game.
The hits just keep on coming. By now, you know the drill: Team Fortress 2′s upcoming Über Update is unloading new items for every class, with the latest two being the Scout and Soldier. Crafty types will know that the Scout pack was hidden in the Timbuk Tuesday post, but we’re all seeing the Soldier items for the first time. Check ‘em out, if for no other reason than to lay eyes on the first weapon to buff your allies when you smack them with it (medi-gun heals don’t count).
Steam users can now download and play the entire Team Fortress 2 experience -- including all nine character classes, all official and mod-made maps and the game's bumper stock of updates -- for nothing.
Valve, the game's developer and maker of Half Life and Portal, will only earn money from the shooter's wildly-popular virtual haberdashery of in-game hats and digital arsenal of upgraded guns. The vast majority of that content can also be earned for free through playing the game.
Valve's Team Fortress lead Robin Walker assured Develop Online that non-paying gamers will not be subjected to advertising, there will be no premium subscription models and having a massive wallet won't automatically let you buy the best weapons and trounce the competition.
He also explained that item freebies, which are currently doled out regularly, will still be made available to non-paying gamers, and at the same frequency.
Valve first introduced microtransactions (aka, the ability to spend a few bob on in-game items) in October 2010 with the Mann-conomy update.
Instead of slogging through endless battles to earn or randomly find new weapons, players can buy them from the shop with real-world currency. You can also buy endless numbers of hats like deer antlers, a luchador mask or a plunger for your noggin.
Valve doesn't release sales data, but given the fact that it's resting the entirety of Team Fortress 2's profits on digital headwear, we can assume they've sold quite well so far.
Team Fortress 2 has also been updated with more a newbie-friendly training mode and match-finder, as well as another Payload map, the "Uber Update" (new weapons for the Medic) and the gruesome CGI short Meet the Medic, which you can watch below.
