State o' the TF2 market - October 1st edition

Fall has (at least for the past 2 years) brought a different wave to TF2 trading.  Back to school for many traders so trading is lighter during the week and spikes on the weekends.  Any update from Valve, however, always changes this and users will open up their backpacks or start crafting whenever there are new items.

The early-summer Pyromania event was a very busy time.  Although the items prices have come back to earth - this "Meet the" update proved popular.  Valve always mixes things up and the 'pyrovision' twist kept it interesting.

The Mann vs. Machine update from the summer has since passed and most of these items have stabilized in prices.  Gold Botkiller items continue to drift downwards but at a slower pace now and may find their bottoms soon and start to drift up - we'll watch and see.  From a gaming perspective, the new mode was a welcome addition to the TF2 brand.

Fall items from the Fall key event fell in value quickly probably due to a lot of crates being opened and there not really being a "marquee" item from the crates that everyone typically wants.  Track Terrorizer is the closest to this but it has since come back to the key to key + half range.

Halloween items will come into play soon.  Some items have been trading higher, with the Spine-Chilling Skull 2010 and Voodoo Juju being the biggest gainers.  Some of the Haunted items from 2011 have seen an uptick as well.  We will adjust these prices as we see trades coming in but keep in mind asking prices will spike and desperate buyers may skew the market up.

The winter 2011/2012 items have since seen a jump.  All-father and especially Kringle Collection have both enjoyed gains - lucky you if you have a clean version of either.  We'll follow the other holiday items as well to see if any come into play.

Also remember that our trade analysis software is running 24/7 and as the Halloween event approaches we will step up the sheet updates to more than the standard once-per-day (our human contributors unfortunately can't run all day and night).  Our giveaways will also follow suit and we will have a bunch of new freebies for our loyal audience.  Until then, keys will continue to be our go-to freebie.

Big site upgrade coming soon.  Lots going on behind the scene with relation to that - more information will come later.  Feel free to contact us with suggestions, ideas, corrections.

Sunday key giveaway (keys won, no more emails)

Ok so its Sunday and what the heck we are giving away 2 more free keys (one per person) to emailers #10 and #50. Email us only once, include a link to your steam profile (many names have duplicates). Contest details and answers to most of your questions are here.

Update:  keys have been won, no more emails for now please.

Joe and Jeff were today's 2 winners. They were emailers #10 and #50, sent a link to their steam profile and emailed only once. Congratulations to them and good luck to everyone for the next giveaway! Details are here. Some of you have asked questions that the answers to are right there in the link, including our email address. Take a moment to read it if you have questions.

Saturday afternoon free keys (keys won, no more emails)

Right now, we are giving away 2 more free keys (one per person) to emailers #12 and #42. Email us only once, include a link to your steam profile (many names have duplicates). Contest details and answers to most of your questions are here.

Update: the keys have been won, no more emails please.

Kevin and Terrence were this afternoon's 2 winners. They were emailers #12 and #42, sent a link to their steam profile and emailed only once. Congratulations to them and good luck to everyone for the next giveaway! Details are here. Some of you have asked questions that the answers to are right there in the link, including our email address. Take a moment to read it if you have questions.

Saturday morning free keys (keys won, no more emails)

Right now, we are giving away 2 keys (one per person) to emailers #2 and #52. Email us only once, include a link to your steam profile (many names have duplicates). Contest details and answers to most of your questions are here.

Update: both keys this time have been won, no more emails please.

Sebastian and Benjamin (almost poetic, isn't it?) were today's 2 winners. They were emailers #2 and #52, sent a link to their steam profile and emailed only once. Congratulations to them and good luck to everyone for the next giveaway! Details are here. Some of you have asked questions that the answers to are right there in the link, including our email address. Take a moment to read it if you have questions.

4 free keys up for grabs...(keys won, no more emails)

Right now, we are giving away 4 keys (one per person) to emailers #4, #24, #44, and #64. Email us only once, include a link to your steam profile (many names have duplicates). Contest details and answers to most of your questions are here.

Update:  all 4 keys have been won, thanks for trying...no more emails please.

Won Ho, Lewis, Ozzi, and Paul were today's 4 winners. They were emailers  #4, #24, #44, and #64, sent a link to their steam profile and emailed only once. Congratulations to them and good luck to everyone for the next giveaway! Details are here. Some of you have asked questions that the answers to are right there in the link, including our email address. Take a moment to read it if you have questions.

New update, more new items

Team Fortress 2

• Added new promo items^[1]
• Fixed hats sometimes appearing multiple times in incorrect locations when changing classes
• Fixed Demoman shields not reducing explosive damage in non-MvM games
• Fixed the tf_bot_add command using the same name for all of the bots when adding multiple bots simultaneously
• Updated the localization files
• Moved map descriptions into the localization files
  • Map descriptions will still be loaded from the maps folder first if they exist
• Updated Mann vs. Machine
  • Fixed a bug where players could only buy 1 upgrade at a time from the upgrade station
  • Fixed a bug where the Victory dialog would sometimes show during incorrect times

Notes

1. ↑ Lacking Moral Fiber Mask, Whale Bone Charm, King of Scotland Cape, Menpo, K-9 Mane, Stovepipe Sniper Shako, Foppish Physician, Distinguished Rogue, Freedom Staff

Keys: two for Tuesday (keys won, no more emails)

Right now, we are giving away 2 keys (one per person) to emailers #10, and #30. Email us only once, include a link to your steam profile (many names have duplicates). Contest details and answers to most of your questions are here.

Update: both keys have been won, no more emails please.

Zachary and Fabio were today's 2 winners. They were emailers #10 and #30, sent a link to their steam profile and emailed only once. Congratulations to them and good luck to everyone for the next giveaway! Details are here. The answers to many of your questions are right there in the link, including our email address. Take a moment to read it.

New update, more new items

Team Fortress 2

• Added new promo items^[1]
• Unlocked the "What's in the Sandvich Box?"^[2]
• Unlocked the "What's in the Companion Square Box?"^[3]
• Fixed a server crash related to Demoman bot AI
• Updated the Tin Pot to use the correct skin for each style
• Fixed seeing the fire texture on Gold Botkiller items in DirectX 8
• Updated the localization files
• Updated Mann vs. Machine
  • Matchmaking search criteria supports selecting multiple missions
  • Mann Up servers will retry notification of mission victory to game coordinator, to ensure loot is eventually granted in the case of service disruption
  • Matchmaking will prevent late joining into the a server near the end of the last wave
  • Added a new currency UI element to indicate money that is active in the world
  • Added the tour number to the information on the scoreboard
  • Fixed the Medigun overheal duration attribute causing the overheal effect to decay faster, rather than slower
  • Added the ability to buy projectile penetration for the Crusader's Crossbow
  • Fixed a false positive for the achievement "Clockwork Carnage"
  • Added a new command "bot_hurt"
    • Parameters -name [bot name], -team [red/blue/all], -damage [amount]
  • Fixed the Demoman shields not saving their upgrades upon round reset
• Updated koth_king
  • Reflections fixed for the floors and some glass windows
  • Modified model file for the sign 6 through 9 to avoid Red signs on Blu side of the map
  • Modified light pole to merge bulb and pole into a single model for perf
  • Fixed location where mini-sentries can shoot through a bush without being seen
  • Clipping pass
  • Added glass on footbridge roof and lights nearby
  • Prop reduction for perf
  • Some props changed to non-solid for player mobility
  • Adjusted health and ammo in various spots
• Community requests:
  • Add a new server ConVar "tf_avoidteammates_pushaway" to control whether or not teammates push each other away when occupying the same space
  • Add a new server ConVar "tf_arena_override_team_size" to allow server owners to set the maximum team size in arena mode

Undocumented changes

• Changed Fall Keys into regular keys.
• Added expiry date & time to Fall Crates.
• Updated the descriptions of the Hat of Cards, Bolted Bushman, and Pyrotechnic Tote to fix elipsis and apostrophes.
• Fixed Chargin' Targe and Splendid Screen fire damage resistance not working.

Notes

1. ↑ Heavy Artillery Officer's Cap, Combat Medic's Crusher Cap, Heroic Companion Badge (Company of Heroes 2)
   Triple A Badge (San Diego Comic-con)
2. ↑ The Robo-Sandvich
3. ↑ The Friends Forever Companion Square Badge