Valve has announced that the first major update to its hit multiplayer PC shooter Team Fortress 2 will go live tomorrow morning at 11 AM PST.

The free update adds the new map "Badlands," a reworking of a classic TFC battleground. Three previously released maps -- Dustbowl, Granary, and CTF_Well -- will also receive performance and gameplay tweaks.

In addition to map changes and additions, the patch will include further improvements to networking, graphics, player statistics, and Source TV.
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During Electronic Arts' financial conference call today, company execs stated that they plan to release all of the new games in Valve's Orange Box collection (Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal) as separate retail games for the PC. The three games will ship to stores for the PC sometime before the end of March; no prices for the games were announced. Of course, Steam owners can already pay and download those three games as separate products.
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Eurogamer Said: Valve has said it will definitely be making more Portal, confirming plans to add significantly more than just "a bunch of new puzzles".

Speaking to Eurogamer, spokesperson Doug Lombardi said it was less a matter of if and more a matter of what and when.

"There'll be more Portal, for sure. But the details of that, to be honest, we're still working out," he said.

"The only smart thing we did for Portal was to hire those seven kids and give them the support they needed to make the game."

Unsurprisingly Valve is reluctant to be rushed by a release schedule. It's adopting the same policy for Half-Life 2 finale Episode Three.

"Gordon is our number one guy," said Lombardi. "In Episode One I think we left people with some big questions. After Episode Two people saw it was going somewhere.

"With Episode Three we want to live up to the promise of where we are taking things to; there's a lot of work being done to make sure we deliver on that promise."

He added, "Exact details on what's next for Gordon are a way off; probably months not weeks."
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Last week PC Gamer UK magazine broke the news that Valve was soon to release a CTF version of TF2's Well map and, hey presto, it's now arrived. The map has released with various game tweaks and fixes for the multiplayer game on PC, which include the following (as per usual, this all drips down via Steam when you restart the client): Added Spanish map descriptions Added new option to auto-save a scoreboard screenshot at the end of a map to the Multiplayer-Advanced dialog Added more particle ... » Read More

The latest Team Fortress 2 update has been released, most notably including the map CTF_Well, a capture the flag variant of the existing control point map.

Along with the new map, other features were added, including some graphical optimizations and the ability to autosave a scoreboard screenshot each time a game ends. Valve also fixed numerous glitches, such as a recording problem with SourceTV, exploits on CP_GravelPit, a custom spray-related crash, stat recording bugs, and more.
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In the wake of PC Gamer UK's scoop on major gameplay revisions planned for Team Fortress 2, the magazine's now revealed that a new TF2 map will be with us soon. A CTF (or capture the intelligence) version of classic map Well is being whipped into shape at Valve HQ, and PC Gamer reports that a tentative release date has been set for today. However, it may slip to next week. The current TF2 version of Well is a control point map. "The area near what was once the second-to-last control points ... » Read More

Valve are answering the 'More CTF!' cry in a surprising way.

Their tentative due date is tomorrow - Thursday the 23rd of Jan - but it may slip till next week. It's Well, stripped of its control points, restructured slightly, and transformed into a Capture-The-Intelligence map. Also: it's great.
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The UKs PC Gamer has got a load of new info on the major changes coming to Team Fortress 2, which Valve teased us with earlier this month. Referred to as a 'large-scale modification' by the developer, unlockable weapons will be made available to each of the game's nine classes. This change will roll out first for the Medic, which will receive two new items, but Valve will then gradually introduce unlocakbles to the remaining roster. "These will be alternative versions of their current ... » Read More

PC Gamer's got a load of new info on the major changes coming to Team Fortress 2, which Valve teased everyone with earlier this month. Referred to as a 'large-scale modification' by the developer, it turns out it's unlockable weapons that are set to be made available to each of the game's nine classes.

It'll roll out first for the Medic, which will receive two new items, but Valve will then gradually introduce unlocakbles to the remaining class roster.

"These will be alternative versions of their current loadouts that, once unlocked by earning a certain number of achievements, you can pick and choose from on a new 'Loadout' menu", PC Gamer UK explains.
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CVG is reporting Valve has revealed tweaks in the pipeline for Team Fortress 2 classes in the wake of news that the developer plans "a large scale modification" to the core of the game.

According to Valve's Robin Walker, the Pyro is set to receive an important boost and the developer's tinkering with the Solider too.

"We are indeed investigating Soldier changes, and one of the changes we're trying out is focused on making Soldiers a little more careful firing their rockets at point blank targets. As for the Pyro scoring, we have a minor tweak coming down the pipe. He's going to get a small amount of points for every enemy he ignites."

Earlier this week Valve promised that a "significant gameplay tweak" for the Medic class is on the way too, and that all the game's classes will eventually receive similar treatment.
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Jan 16, 2008 Valve has revealed tweaks in the pipeline for Team Fortress 2 classes in the wake of news that the developer plans "a large scale modification" to the core of the game. According to Valve's Robin Walker, the Pyro is set to receive an important boost and the developer's tinkering with the Solider too. "We are indeed investigating Soldier changes, and one of the changes we're trying out is focused on making Soldiers a little more careful firing their rockets at point blank ... » Read More

Jan 14, 2008 Two new Team Fortress 2 maps that are being created by Valve may not be released for Xbox 360 and PS3. ShackNews reports that the developer has told them that the maps are "undecided" for the consoles. But they will definitely release on Team Fortress 2 on PC. One of the new maps remains a mystery, however the other is a remake of Badlands, which players of Team Fortress Classic will be familiar with. Valve additionally expects to ship other TF2 content before the two maps ... » Read More

Two new maps for Valve's Team Fortress 2 will hopefully arrive within the next two months, the studio has informed Shacknews.

One of the new arenas is a remake of Team Fortress Classic's Badlands map, with an emphasis on more vertically-oriented gameplay due to the presence of control points on towering spires.

"Our estimate is that both these maps should be out within the next 2 months," Valve employee Robin Walker told Shacknews. "We expect to ship other new content before that."
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In a rare move that favors the Germans above all else, Valve is preparing for a free weekend of Team Fortress 2 starting January 4th.
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As if The Orange Box weren't already the best value in gaming, those who have yet to make the $50 plunge can get an even better deal through Valve's Steam service. For a mere $75 gamers can purchase Orange Box and 19 additional titles.

If you already have The Orange Box then you can still get some more Half-Life goodness by downloading the game's main tune, "Still Alive" by Jonathan Coultan at Amazon.com. The entire album is discounted by about $2, available at Amazon for $7.99.
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Valve has released the first significant update for the PC version of Team Fortress 2 in about a month, making several gameplay tweaks and bug fixes. If it has not already patched itself in your copy of Steam, Team Fortress 2 will update automatically when you attempt to launch it.

Particularly interesting changes include Sudden Death now being a server option that defaults to "off," Spy sapping doing slightly less damage to buildings, and the Medic healing at a faster rate during the pre-round setup time to offset the need for players to self-inflict wounds and boost the heal rate.
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Dec 12, 2007 Valve Software is set to release new maps for Team Fortress 2, the team-based multiplayer sequel featured in The Orange Box. Shacknews reports that the developer plans to release the maps individually for PC and in a map pack for TF2 on Xbox 360. As yet there's been no mention of the maps releasing for the PS3 version. Quite what the maps are and precisely when they'll be released also has yet to be announced. In related news, a patch for Team Fortress 2 on Xbox 360 that ... » Read More

Dec 10, 2007 Valve's art director on Team Fortress 2 reckons games have a long way to go when it comes to art style. "I think video games are at such infancy in terms of art style, actually developing it. We're dealing with 4000 years, really, of art and conceptual design," Moby Francke told Gamasutra. "For it really not to be utilized, and for the industry to basically dwell in a certain type of genre, which has been around the 1980s up to present time - it's pretty much all they're ... » Read More

In line with its habits of publicly releasing all kinds of usage information regarding its games and user base, Valve has posted detailed breakdowns of data drawn from Team Fortress 2 multiplayer matches on PC from November 30 to December 7. Tracked stats include time played per class, points earned per class, damage dealt per weapon, total time played, and much more. There are also color-coded top-down views of maps indicating where players died most frequently.
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Nov 29, 2007 You could be a good sport and refrain from taunting and tea bagging other players. But what's the fun in that? Marking your opponents' territory with your own animated sprays in Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike is the perfect way to remind the enemy of your superior skills. You could troll through a dozen forums to figure out how to create your own custom graffiti tag. But luckily, our friends over at Maximum PC can show you how to unleash a barrage of terrifying lolcat ... » Read More