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Today Valve patched TF2 "Updated some files, for no reason whatsoever."

Among the actual changes was the addition of the Festive Winter Crate, which is not opened with normal keys from the Mann Co. Store.


Six more paint colors were added as well, but I'm far more interested in the possibility of a Christmas themed event.

Oh, and in case anyone didn't know yet, Valve also started a public Team Fortres 2 Beta test. Basically it's a chance to have the public test new weapon variations, new engine improvements, and other stuff, without having to break the main game to do it. Right now they're testing 3 different Natascha variants. In the beta there are no random drops, everyone gets the same inventory (though players still get pre-order bonuses like the Sam & Max items, but that may change).

Why is Natascha getting nerfed? To appease the Hardcore crowd? The slow-down is the only thing the gun had going, and they want to make it WORSE!?

The change most people are liking is increasing the spin up time back to pre-patch levels, but keeping everything else about the weapon the same.

I got to say I don't enjoy the items nor buying of items.. in a FPS. When I got TF2, it was a neat little game, a good sequel (I enjoyed TFC). Didn't play much then I played some off and on the last month or two and its like... yea just speechless. It's as if Valve tried to both merge a MMO into a FPS and toss in your generic F2P MMO cash shop (nothing game breaking but the only way to open crates is keys.. which are $2.50 each). Don't get me wrong it has some nice perks, like being able to trade items with people (I can't count how many times I've "found" Jarate..) but over all I think most of the "top end" items are just over powered, at least in pub games where you have Heavies popping sandviches, running mid map with Natashas and each one having 1-2 Medics strapped to them.. Minus items thats just a strat to work around, with items it throws in a random factor that is both based on luck of item "drops" and how much you've played. I think it went down hill when they put in all the new weapons that had to be unlocked and people put up servers just to sit around and idle to unlock stuff..

It's still fun but, it's not as fun as it used to be.

Idling isn't necessary anymore, though some people still do it. Once you've played for a certain amount of time a week, you don't get drops anymore.

As for the crates... if they gave me the option to trade them in for a normal drop any time I got them, I'd be fine with it. I'd even settle for being able to turn them into metal. But as it is, a crate is just a wasted drop for me as I'm not fucking paying $2.50 to open a single god damn box. Maybe if that got me like 5-10 keys I'd pay it, but not for a single key.

That being said, I do love the new items. The set bonuses were a bad idea, but not the items individually.

Not really a wasted drop, as crates run on their own special drop calc. You can still trade them with people for metal, or just give away as random gifts. I like the new items, keeps the game from getting boring imho, but set items are definately ridiculous.

That's specifically why I stopped playing TF2. I enjoyed the game when it was simpler and more reliant on skill vs items they got. I was all for the Class Updates with a few changes in gameplay but nothing game breaking. I was all for the Vanity Items like hats etc.

Giving item bonuses for getting random drops/spending RL cash? Yeah no.

AshburnerX said:

Why is Natascha getting nerfed? To appease the Hardcore crowd? The slow-down is the only thing the gun had going, and they want to make it WORSE!?

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Because it's overpowered. It does less damage, but the slow effect is so effective that there's no reason not to use it over the minigun.

If you have a medic butt-buddy, then Sasha is superior.

I've seen talented scouts kill Natasha heavies over and over again. The slow isn't enough to win a 1v1 fight.

Natascha isn't about 1 on 1 fighting... it's about slowing the guy down enough that your teammates can waste him, even if you don't. I still say that nerfing Natascha is going to make her useless.

AshburnerX said:

Natascha isn't about 1 on 1 fighting... it's about slowing the guy down enough that your teammates can waste him, even if you don't. I still say that nerfing Natascha is going to make her useless.

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Having played the beta, I don't see Natascha being useless there. In fact, the beta is to test to see what type of nerf is the most balanced. (Those who like TF2, but don't like having to earn items might consider playing the beta. Everyone has the same loadout there.)

I don't see the game as unbalanced, no matter what items you've found. The default loadout for any class works just fine. I usually play a Medic with default loadout, frequenly play a Scout and Demo as default as well. Certainly there is some very fun variety to be had with alternate weapons, but none of them are necessary to be able to play the game well.

Well, the nerf for Natascha is in: spin up time increased, slow-down effect drops off with distance.

Lot more in the patch today as well:
- changes to Your Eternal Reward, mostly fixing bugs
- three new item sets added (for Medic, Heavy and Demo)
- 13 new weapons (including a candy cane for the scout)
- 20 new hats
- Increased backpack size
- bug fixes


Oh, yeah, it's all part of this Austrialian Christmas thing.
- Medieval Mode - "a game mode where players are restricted to using olde weapons". (not sure exactly what this means)
- Sale in the Mann Co. Store (EDIT: the "sale" is pathetic)
- Stamps for sale, with proceeds going to the community map makers whose work are featured on the stamps.

I bought the huge package of items in the sale.

The new Medic crossbow is theoretically interesting, but I doubt it's got much practical use. It's supposed to heal team mates it hits, so it's supposed to be used to heal team mates out of medigun range. However, the crossbow bolts are slow, fly in an arc, and you only get one shot before you have to reload, so it's only ever going to be useful for the most crazy-ass skilled medics.

The new Demo melee weapon explodes on the first hit, damaging both you and the enemy. I suppose this could be used as a mutually-assured destruction weapon, but you've got your grenade launcher for that. The new grenade launcher does more damage and has faster flying grenades, but it only has a 2 shot clip, and the grenades don't bounce off walls (they disappear without doing damage instead). This would only be useful in the hands of a very skillful Demo, I think (ie, not me).

The new Heavy minigun doesn't feel very different from the other miniguns, to be honest. Actually, since it slows you down more and takes longer to spin up, using it kind of feels like playing Heavy pre-buff. The new meat and gloves weapons are huge jokes, though, for a serious player.

Also, the Black Box is one overpowered rocket launcher.

EDIT: Apparently Medieval Mode is where you can only use items that appear to have a medieval theme. Stuff like the Eyelander, the new crossbow, the Sniper's Huntsman etc. When they said you can only use olde weapons, I thought they meant the old default loadouts - which, now that I think about it, might actually be a viable game mode to add to the game.

bhamv3 said:

The new Medic crossbow is theoretically interesting, but I doubt it's got much practical use. It's supposed to heal team mates it hits, so it's supposed to be used to heal team mates out of medigun range. However, the crossbow bolts are slow, fly in an arc, and you only get one shot before you have to reload, so it's only ever going to be useful for the most crazy-ass skilled medics.

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The +1 health regeneration when paired with the new saw seems to be a much bigger benefit to the crossbow. At least the new item sets don't seem to require the hats to get the bonus, which is the right move IMO.

I'm not happy about the increased cost of crafting the new weapons. I still don't have all Polycount ones (though I probably have enough to make them).

Also, I hate crates, especially the holiday crates. I love Christmas stuff, but I sure as hell ain't gambling on just a chance to get a tree hat. Screw you Valve!

Yeah that's why I'm glad I got my halo. Whenever I play I still get nothing but gushes of love/hate.

I'm having fun with the new update.

Medieval tf2 is fun for a laugh. They change the chat to make everything that you say be medieval-ish.

Also, interesting control point setup for an Attack/Defend map.

Why did you go back on your word Valve? "Any items affecting gameplay will still be obtainable simply by playing the game." but the Candy Cane, the Back Scratcher, the Fists of Steel and the Claidheamohmor all seem to be available via crate only. These aren't reskins, and the Back Scratcher and Candy Cane in particular have a pretty big effect on gameplay.

figmentPez said:

Why did you go back on your word Valve? "Any items affecting gameplay will still be obtainable simply by playing the game." but the Candy Cane, the Back Scratcher, the Fists of Steel and the Claidheamohmor all seem to be available via crate only. These aren't reskins, and the Back Scratcher and Candy Cane in particular have a pretty big effect on gameplay.

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Today's patch mentions new recipes and new items added to the drop list, so I'm pretty sure they fixed the problem.

Tress said:

Today's patch mentions new recipes and new items added to the drop list, so I'm pretty sure they fixed the problem.

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The wiki lists Kritzkrieg + Pain Train = Candy Cane. Not only a crafting recipie, but a sane one as well. Yay! I wonder if they'll retroactively reduce the cost to craft the other weapons.

Apparently they make all new items buy only for a certain amount of time in order to allow the makers of the items to get a fair shot at earning some money for their work. So this patch was planned ahead of time.

AshburnerX said:

Apparently they make all new items buy only for a certain amount of time in order to allow the makers of the items to get a fair shot at earning some money for their work. So this patch was planned ahead of time.

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If that were the goal, then why were crafting recipes available immediately for the Brass Beast, Crusder's Crossbow, etc.?

figmentPez;462324][QUOTE=AshburnerX said:

Apparently they make all new items buy only for a certain amount of time in order to allow the makers of the items to get a fair shot at earning some money for their work. So this patch was planned ahead of time.

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If that were the goal, then why were crafting recipes available immediately for the Brass Beast, Crusder's Crossbow, etc.?[/QUOTE]

Ether their owners opted out of that or Valve is blowing smoke as usually.

It's Double Drop Rate Week from Dec 23 - Dec 30th, the item drop rate is doubled. Presumably the cap is raised as well, but it doesn't specify that. There may be other surprises as well.

Ah, booted up the game today and found a Stocking Stuffer Key. Apparently it won't just be added to your backpack (like promotional items), you have to go into the game to get it. Opens either a festive or normal crate. Yay, presents!