CATEGORY: Discussion

On February 18 this year, Valve released an update to Source SDK Base, making the current Team Fortress 2 code publicly available. The community which has been creating its own TF2 content for nearly two decades can now make its own TF2 games (complete with Steam release). The possibilities are limitless, fitting to the tradition of the Fortress saga which started as a mod (of Quake) itself almost 30 years ago.

Major TF2 mods such as TF2 Classic and Pre-Fortress 2 that already existed off-Steam are preparing for their Steam releases * while the competitive community of TF2C has already kicked off its organization, CompTF2C, on whose soil this article is planted. These mods base their identities to the early (even pre-alpha) versions of TF2, they are searching for their places in the realm of Fortress games, and competitive TF2C is still figuring out its meta, the most viable game modes and the rules. There could be no better time to remember the early years of live TF2’s competitive scene, which were also full of chances, exploration, and innovation.

It has been five years since teamfortress.tv’s massive effort to review the previous decade of competitive TF2 (2010-2019), chronicling the era and its legacy.

This article aims to take it from its beginnings (2007-2009), with insights from a bird’s-eye view, then to the narrative of the period that followed after (2009-2011) with a depiction of its atmosphere and mentions of its milestones.

Team Fortress 2 Classic has introduced some weapons that are vastly different than what we see in live TF2. One of these weapons is the Anti-Aircraft Cannon, which combines hitscan with explosives to create a single-fire minigun for the Heavy. It has limited range, deals some splash damage, and can mini-crit airborne targets. Many players have complained about the AAC so far. Some about the way its bullets work, others its mini-crit capability, and a handful think that the concept of a single-fire minigun is just plain ridiculous.

These criticisms are not warranted, not without being properly challenged. That is exactly what will be done in this article. Putting more structure into what you have heard many times before, and hopefully reaching to a more concrete conclusion as a result.