June 6th key has been won

Simchollo has won the free key for today, June 6th.  They were the first one to email us with the correct code which was in the last blog post's comments section.  It reads: Today's key can be obtained by sending this special phrase chock full of text - 'Finkle is Einhorn'.  Congratulations to Simchollo.  Good luck to everyone for tomorrow's free key (how it works is here).

Today's key (June 5th) has been won.

JCDenton was today's winner.  He was the first to email us the code for today, June 5th.  It was in the spreadsheet under the notes section for the Vintage Procedure Mask.  It read "This is the c0de for today: 'polar bear.'"  Congratulations to JCDenton!  Good luck to everyone for tomorrow's free key.

PSA: Non-craftables and rarity

We have seen some claims about rarity when it comes to some items floating around.  Dirty weapons are often not rare.  Base64 continues his TF2 data mining and you can see the actual distribution of non-craftable items on his page here.  So before you buy that dirty vita-saw for a buds, think twice.

Today's (6/4) key has been won.

Azeren was the first one to find the name of the fishbowl hat and email us.  The correct answer was "Poseidon's Partner" created in the Steam Workshop by user TauVee.  Congratulations to Azeren.  Thanks for all the responses, some of you were very close!  Good luck tomorrow!

Clue to today's key code

Go to a place where users submit their ideas for weapons, hats and miscs for Valve games.  Look for a TF2 hat submission for the character that likes fire.  The hat is a goldfish bowl and the creator's name rhymes with "Mao See".   The name of the hat is today's code.  First one to email us here with the correct hat name (and your steam id) gets today's free key.

June 3rd key has been won

^8Ryuga has won the key for today, June 3rd.  He was the first to email us with the correct code.  It was found on the Unusual Hat Guide on the right side disguised as a question last on the list.  It read "Q: What is the alphanumeric string of text that is special for this 24 hour period? A: Unusual.".  Congratulations to ^8Ryuga for winning today's key.  Good luck for tomorrow's code everyone.

Today's key (June 2nd) has been won.

Quetetris is today's winner.  He successfully decoded first the code from our blog post on TF2 map creation.  The code was hidden in each sentence's first letter.  It spelled out "The Code Is F2P".  Congratulations to Quetetris and good luck to everyone on tomorrow's free key.  If you're just joining us instructions on how this all works are here.

FYI: the "Atom" at the bottom of the page will not be a code on any day.  Apparently it is the creator of the template I use for this blog.

New TF2 Blog Entry

The TF2 Blog has a new post. How a Map Gets Made is here.  Every map has a special process which includes a brainstorming session but input from gamers is important.  Community input has driven them to develop more Control Point maps.

One of the first things done when an idea is submitted is to create a scribble drawing.  Designing the areas out of a main idea helps create flow.  Each map takes its own path towards completion.  In large maps with big open spaces, there are elements added to give a sense of scale. 

Sometimes when the map is finished they realize that more battle space is needed.  Fleshing out player routes and obvious paths is also a big area of design.  2Fort isn't mentioned but that map has a classic balance and spacing.  Playtesting is a final step which separates what works from what doesn't.