Another update, another new item

Team Fortress 2

• Added The Nine-Pipe Problem
• Added hud_fastswitch to the Advanced Options dialog
• Fixed a commentary string that referenced the Soldier instead of the Heavy
• Fixed a client crash that could occur when a server used SetCustomModel to change the player model
• Fixed a crash that could occur while trying to get The Argyle Sap achievement
• General improvements to client stability
• Updated the Spirit of Giving so it can have a custom name applied to it
• Updated the map arena_well
  • Updated the skybox
  • Made some miscellaneous material improvements

Undocumented changes

• Added the Eliminating The Impossible set.
  • Added the Private Eye to the Eliminating The Impossible set.

F2P saved TF2 and makes Valve lotsa dough

By now most of you have your opinions on free-to-play "F2P" players in TF2.  Like some other gaming platforms, Steam has been morphing into a free-to-play & pay-for-content system.  The game's development was intended this way.  Like it or not the F2P system was very intentional and because it worked, actually saved TF2 so that we still enjoy it today.

Gamasutra has a great article here that explains Valve's strategy as well as this head-turning statistic: TF2 makes 12 times more revenue per month as F2P than it did when the game was sold outright.  Yes, twelve times more.  Another interesting thing is that they do indeed gauge community support and interest in items and gameplay by monitoring forums.  You rarely see news with real data that normally would never be published.  Give it a read.

TFportal.net

Sometimes we like to link to sites around the internets that we think are interesting.  TFPortal.net is one of them.  This site is based in Germany and appears to be up to the German standards of efficient design and showing some innovation.  They have ETF2L info (the European TF2 League), forums and lots of general TF2 gaming information.  Interestingly they also have a trading system (direct link here), similar to the look and feel of tf2tp.com and tf2outpost.com.  Check them out.  We do have many friends from Germany who visit us here, and let this also serve as a shout-out to them.