Valve is finally putting Team Fortress 2 in the hands of fans. Players received source code for the popular shooter

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2024 was quite the rollercoaster year, as far as gaming standards go. To my utter surprise, Valve tossed us Team Fortress 2 gamers a fantastic gift – it wasn’t just an update; they handed over the full suite of developer tools for this beloved shooter!

To put it simply, Valve seems to forget about Team Fortress 2, despite its enduring popularity. Even dedicated fans have given up expecting significant updates akin to those of other live-service games, including the one they had hoped for with the “Heavy Update.

Despite the events of last year not triggering significant advancements for TF 2, there were at least some positive developments concerning potential minor enhancements to it. Fans experienced updates such as handling cheaters, releasing the long-awaited final installment of the official comic series (after a seven-year gap), frequent fixes, and even a new collaboration – features that have not been seen in the game for over 7 years.

Team Fortress 2 in the hands of fans

As a devoted fan of Team Fortress 2, one of my deepest wishes – and I know I speak for many others – has been for us to take the reins of this beloved game. Although the passionate community has been contributing significantly by creating new items, distinctive characters, maps, and more, our role thus far has been limited to submitting these ideas to Valve, hoping they’d be incorporated in future updates.

From now on, things are shifting! For the first time in over 2 years, the official account for X posted an update (the second in three months), announcing something significant: the developer tools (SDK) for the popular game Team Fortress 2 have been made accessible to players. This means that they can now download and create entirely new games based on TF2, essentially granting them near-limitless possibilities to modify the original game.

An unauthorized (leaked) version of the Software Development Kit (SDK) could be found online, dating back to 2017. However, it’s important to note that TF 2 has undergone significant updates since then. It wouldn’t be wise to consider distributing projects based on this version due to its outdated nature.

Now, enthusiasts can lawfully produce fresh games inspired by TF 2 and make them available on Steam – on the condition that these projects are entirely free of charge (Valve is only granting a non-commercial license). In essence, supporters who have sustained the spirit of Team Fortress 2 over time, now have the opportunity to preserve their cherished game.

Players, unsurprisingly, responded with excitement to Valve’s announcement. Now, they have the ability to not only contribute content, but also make necessary fixes. Of course, there are some playful remarks: that Valve has officially stated they’re finished with TF 2, and are essentially encouraging players to continue developing the game on their own.

To be honest, it’s hard to find someone expressing disappointment these days, as this is exactly what many of us, the more pragmatic players, have longed for (those who think with a sense of realism: no one seriously expected Valve to actively develop TF 2 any longer).

Multi-person updates

Not only is this not the last piece of good news, but Valve has also unveiled updates for all their multiplayer games built on the Source engine. This includes Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, and Day of Defeat: Source.

TF 2 underwent a significant upgrade all by itself, accompanied by a companion in a chicken adventure (“since friendship is magic”), and numerous fixes. These updates include clearer shadows and other visual enhancements (borrowed from the remastered edition of Half-Life 2), as well as optimizations for some more recent maps.

I was truly disappointed when a pesky bug disrupted the voice commands for players while submerged in-game, ruining the experience for many of us dedicated fans. Thankfully, “Pootis” remains intact, but the temporary inconvenience caused by this glitch has left some of us disheartened.

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2025-02-20 14:05