History VideoGame / TeamFortress2

Since multiplayer games have a tendency to devolve into slapstick and comedy regardless of their setting, the ''Team Fortress 2'' developers decided to cut the middleman and make their game a living, breathing, playable comedy. The maps would fit right in a typical Franchise/JamesBond work, the music has a sixties spy movie feel to it, and the characters look like they stepped out of a very violent Creator/{{Pixar}} movie. Both RED and BLU teams use the same models, with only [[PaletteSwap Palette Swapping]] to show team affiliation. The characters were intentionally designed to be distinctive as possible, even giving each class its own distinctive accent, making it easy to identify another player's class, weapon, and team affiliation in short order. Maps are likewise designed for easy navigation, with BLU incorporating concrete and steel, RED using wood, brick, and sheet metal, and each team's section being textured primarily in their respective colors.

When a character is killed, he respawns at a certain location on the map after a few seconds' delay. This happens frequently, as characters tend to get [[BoomHeadshot shot]], [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice stabbed]], [[KillItWithFire burned to a crisp]], or [[LudicrousGibs blown to kingdom come]] time after time.

Since multiplayer games have a tendency to devolve into slapstick and comedy regardless of their setting, the ''Team Fortress 2'' developers decided to cut the middleman and make their game a living, breathing, playable comedy. The maps would fit right in a typical Franchise/JamesBond [[Literature/JamesBond novel]], the music has a [[Film/JamesBond sixties spy movie]] feel to it, and the characters look like they stepped out of a very violent Creator/{{Pixar}} movie. Both RED and BLU teams use the same models, with only [[PaletteSwap Palette Swapping]] to show team affiliation. The characters were intentionally designed to be distinctive as possible, even giving each class its own distinctive accent, making it easy to identify another player's class, weapon, and team affiliation in short order. Maps are likewise designed for easy navigation, with BLU incorporating concrete and steel, RED using wood, brick, and sheet metal, and each team's section being textured primarily in their respective colors.

A sequel to the classic ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' [[GameMod mod]] ''VideoGame/TeamFortressClassic'', itself based on ''{{VideoGame/Team Fortress|1}}'' (a popular [[GameMod mod]] for ''VideoGame/{{Quake|I}}''), ''Team Fortress 2'' has the kind of story a multiplayer-only shooter should have: interesting settings, awesome [[HeroShooter character classes]] that each have a distinct personality and [[CastOfSnowflakes can be easily recognized just by their silhouette]], and an ExcusePlot that stays AllThereInTheManual. Said plot, in all of its glory, is "The other side is the enemy, and vice versa. You've been hired to mop the floor with their asses." For the average player, it really doesn't get any more complicated than that. [[CerebusSyndrome Crack that manual open]], though, [[JigsawPuzzlePlot and it's a]] different [[SpyFiction story]]...

[[caption-width-right:350:[-[[ColorCodedMultiplayer Meet the RED team]]. [[SimilarSquad They're like the BLU team]], [[PaletteSwap only red.]]-][[note]]from left to right: [[PyroManiac Py]][[TheUnintelligible ro]], [[TheEngineer Engi]][[GoodOlBoy neer]], [[DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent Spy]], [[HuskyRusskie Heavy]], [[FriendlySniper Sniper]], [[FragileSpeedster Sco]][[BrattyHalfPint ut]], [[BloodKnight Sold]][[DrillSergeantNasty ier]], [[DemolitionsExpert Demo]][[TheAlcoholic man]], [[TheMedic Med]][[MadDoctor ic]]. Not pictured: [[Memes/TeamFortress2 Many more hats]] and other items.[[/note]]]]

A sequel to the classic ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' [[GameMod mod]] ''VideoGame/TeamFortressClassic'', itself based on [[VideoGame/TeamFortress1 a mod]] for ''VideoGame/{{Quake|I}}'', ''Team Fortress 2'' has the kind of story a multiplayer-only shooter should have: interesting settings, awesome [[HeroShooter character classes]] that each have a distinct personality and [[CastOfSnowflakes can be easily recognized just by their silhouette]], and an ExcusePlot that stays AllThereInTheManual. Said plot, in all of its glory, is "The other side is the enemy, and vice versa. You've been hired to mop the floor with their asses." For the average player, it really doesn't get any more complicated than that. [[CerebusSyndrome Crack that manual open]], though, [[JigsawPuzzlePlot and it's a]] different [[SpyFiction story]]...

Valve have regularly added major content updates for free, including achievements, bot support, custom weapons, maps, and balance changes. The Pyro Update introduced the concept of weapons other than the default, which can now be randomly found after a period of time. They (generally) act as a situational sidegrade to whatever function the default weapon performs. The Sniper vs. Spy Update also introduced cosmetics, which drop the same way but at a much lower rate. They don't do anything [[AndYourRewardIsClothes but look cool]], though players like to show off their wealth. With any new update, players can expect a massive BrokenBase.

A sequel to the classic ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' [[GameMod mod]] ''VideoGame/TeamFortressClassic'', itself based on a mod for ''VideoGame/{{Quake|I}}'', ''Team Fortress 2'' has the kind of story a multiplayer-only shooter should have: interesting settings, awesome [[HeroShooter character classes]] that each have a distinct personality and [[CastOfSnowflakes can be easily recognized just by their silhouette]], and an ExcusePlot that stays AllThereInTheManual. Said plot, in all of its glory, is "The other side is the enemy, and vice versa. You've been hired to mop the floor with their asses." For the average player, it really doesn't get any more complicated than that. [[CerebusSyndrome Crack that manual open]], though, [[JigsawPuzzlePlot and it's a]] different [[SpyFiction story]]...

* In '''[[EscortMission Payload]]''', a mine cart with a bomb on it sits on a track. Attacking players (again, virtually always BLU) crowd around the cart to push it along the track towards the enemy's base. The more players present, the faster they can push.[[note]](However, there is a 3x limit for balancing — meaning the fourth player onwards provides no additional boost — and the Scout counts as two people.)[[/note]] The cart must pass through several segments of the map for the attackers to reach the end point. If the attacking players fail to push the cart for 30 seconds, it will slowly move backwards or roll back down hills until it is pushed again or reaches the last checkpoint passed. [[HoldTheLine The defenders win if they can manage to hold back the cart for a certain length of time]], though unfortunately for them, the attacking team gets a time extension for every checkpoint reached, and the cart contains a level one dispenser. However, the defenders can halt the cart's progress by entering its push radius, even if attacking players are attempting to push it (though doing so is dangerous for obvious reasons).

* In '''[[EscortMission Payload]]''', a mine cart with a bomb on it sits on a track. Attacking players (again, virtually always BLU) crowd around the cart to push it along the track towards the enemy's base. The more players present, the faster they can push.[[note]](However, there is a 3x limit for balancing — meaning the fourth player onwards provides no additional boost.)[[/note]] The cart must pass through several segments of the map for the attackers to reach the end point. If the attacking players fail to push the cart for 30 seconds, it will slowly move backwards or roll back down hills until it is pushed again or reaches the last checkpoint passed. [[HoldTheLine The defenders win if they can manage to hold back the cart for a certain length of time]], though unfortunately for them, the attacking team gets a time extension for every checkpoint reached, and the cart contains a level one dispenser. However, the defenders can halt the cart's progress by entering its push radius, even if attacking players are attempting to push it (though doing so is dangerous for obvious reasons).

-->-- '''Gabe Newell''', in developer commentary. It was.

''Team Fortress 2'' is about a group of [[PunchClockVillain average, everyday, working-class mercenaries]]. Some of them work for the [[AffablyEvil heroically-evil]] demolition company Reliable Excavation & Demolition (RED), founded by Redmond Mann; some work for the [[AntiHero evilly-heroic]] Builders League United (BLU), a construction company founded by [[ThemeNaming Redmond's twin brother]], Blutarch. Both [[MegaCorp Mega-Corps]] are fronts for two opposing intelligence organizations, which each control one-half of the world's governments. Both organizations are given combat intel by the same [[EvilOverlord Administrator]], who supplies them with weapons provided by Mann Co. (a company which the twins' father left to the [[TestosteronePoisoning Australian Hale family]]), [[WarForFunAndProfit which is a subsidiary of The Administrator's own company,]] [=TFIndustries=]. The Administrator is heavily implied to be [[LetsYouAndHimFight masterminding the entire conflict]], all in a ThanatosGambit by the brothers' deceased father as punishment for their imbecility. Other developments include Australium, a strange element mined in Australia that turns those exposed to it into manly, ridiculously strong geniuses, and Gray Mann, the long-lost third brother who's actually ''not'' [[MadScientist a moron]].

[[caption-width-right:350:[-[[ColorCodedMultiplayer Meet the RED team]]. [[SimilarSquad They're like the BLU team]], [[PaletteSwap only red.]]-][[note]]from left to right: [[PyroManiac Pyro]], [[TheEngineer Engineer]], [[DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent Spy]], [[HuskyRusskie Heavy]], [[FriendlySniper Sniper]], [[FragileSpeedster Scout]], [[BloodKnight Soldier]], [[DemolitionsExpert Demoman]], [[TheMedic Medic]]. Not pictured: [[Memes/TeamFortress2 Many more hats]] and other items.[[/note]]]]

Since multiplayer games have a tendency to devolve into slapstick and comedy regardless of their setting, the ''Team Fortress 2'' developers decided to cut the middleman and make their game a living, breathing, playable comedy. The maps would fit right in a typical Franchise/JamesBond [[Literature/JamesBond novel]], the music has a [[Film/JamesBond sixties spy movie]] feel to it, and the characters look like they stepped out of a very violent Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer cartoon. Both RED and BLU teams use the same models, with only [[PaletteSwap Palette Swapping]] to show team affiliation. The characters were intentionally designed to be distinctive as possible, even giving each class its own distinctive accent, making it easy to identify another player's class, weapon, and team affiliation in short order. Maps are likewise designed for easy navigation, with BLU incorporating concrete and steel, RED using wood, brick, and sheet metal, and each team's section being textured primarily in their respective colors.

Since multiplayer games have a tendency to devolve into slapstick and comedy regardless of their setting, the ''Team Fortress 2'' developers decided to cut the middleman and make their game a living, breathing, playable comedy. The maps would fit right in a typical Franchise/JamesBond [[Literature/JamesBond novel]], the music has a [[Film/JamesBond sixties spy movie]] feel to it, and the characters look like they stepped out of a very violent Creator/{{MaxAndDaveFleischer}} cartoon. Both RED and BLU teams use the same models, with only [[PaletteSwap Palette Swapping]] to show team affiliation. The characters were intentionally designed to be distinctive as possible, even giving each class its own distinctive accent, making it easy to identify another player's class, weapon, and team affiliation in short order. Maps are likewise designed for easy navigation, with BLU incorporating concrete and steel, RED using wood, brick, and sheet metal, and each team's section being textured primarily in their respective colors.

A sequel to the classic ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' [[GameMod mod]] ''VideoGame/TeamFortressClassic'', itself based on a mod for ''VideoGame/{{Quake|I}}'', ''Team Fortress 2'' has the kind of story a multiplayer-only shooter should have: interesting settings, awesome [[HeroShooter character classes]] that each have a distinct personality and [[CastOfSnowflakes can be easily recognized just by their silhouette]], and an ExcusePlot that stays AllThereInTheManual. Said plot, in its entirety, is "The other side is the enemy. You've been hired to shoot their asses off." For the average player, it really doesn't get any more complicated than that. [[CerebusSyndrome Crack that manual open]], though, [[JigsawPuzzlePlot and it's a]] different [[SpyFiction story]]...

''Team Fortress 2'' is about a group of [[PunchClockVillain average, everyday, working-class mercenaries]]. Some of them work for the [[AffablyEvil heroically-evil]] demolition company Reliable Excavation & Demolition (RED), founded by Redmond Mann; some work for the [[AntiHero evilly-heroic]] Builders League United (BLU), a construction company founded by [[ThemeNaming Redmond's twin brother]], Blutarch. Both [[MegaCorp Mega-Corps]] are fronts for two opposing intelligence organizations, which each control one-half of the world's governments. Both organizations are given combat intel by the same [[EvilOverlord Administrator]], who supplies them with weapons provided by Mann Co. (a company which the twins' father left to the [[TestosteronePoisoning Australian Hale family]]), [[WarForFunAndProfit which is a subsidiary of The Administrator's own company,]] [=TFIndustries=]. The Administrator is heavily implied to be [[LetsYouAndHimFight masterminding the entire conflict]], all in a ThanatosGambit by the brothers' deceased father as punishment for their imbecility. Other developments include Australium, a strange element mined in Australia that turns those exposed to it into manly geniuses, and Gray Mann, the long-lost third brother who's actually ''not'' [[MadScientist a moron]].

Since multiplayer games have a tendency to devolve into slapstick and comedy regardless of their setting, the ''Team Fortress 2'' developers decided to cut the middleman and make their game a living cartoon. The maps would fit right in a typical Franchise/JamesBond [[Literature/JamesBond novel]], the music has a [[Film/JamesBond sixties spy movie]] feel to it, and the characters look like they stepped out of a very violent Creator/{{Pixar}} movie. Both RED and BLU teams use the same models, with only [[PaletteSwap Palette Swapping]] to show team affiliation. The characters were intentionally designed to be distinctive as possible, even giving each class its own distinctive accent, making it easy to identify another player's class, weapon, and team affiliation in short order. Maps are likewise designed for easy navigation, with BLU incorporating concrete and steel, RED using wood, brick, and sheet metal, and each team's section being textured primarily in their respective colors.

-->-- '''Gabe Newell''', in developer commentary

* The '''Control Point''' gametype works on the premise of seizing territory to shift the focus of battle. Both teams compete for control points--large immovable metal pads -- which must be captured by standing on them while no enemies are around. The team who forces their enemies into submission and captures all the points wins. In most control point maps, the points need to be captured in a linear fashion, but some allow a more open-ended approach.

* In [=TF2=]'s take on '''CaptureTheFlag''', the flag is a large briefcase containing "enemy intelligence," which [[StealthPun trails papers]] behind it when an opposing player carries it. Unlike many other games, one can score while their own team's intel is not in the base, and touching dropped friendly intel won't immediately send it home. Instead, it must be defended in place until a timer elapses, during which any opponent can pick it up again.

* In '''[[EscortMission Payload]]''', a mine cart with a bomb on it sits on a track. Attacking players (again, virtually always BLU) crowd around the cart to push it along the track towards the enemy's base. The more players present, the faster they can push.[[note]](albeit with a 3x limit for balancing -- meaning the fourth player onwards provides no additional boost)[[/note]] The cart must pass through several segments of the map for the attackers to reach the end point. If the attacking players fail to push the cart for 30 seconds, it will slowly move backwards or roll back down hills until it is pushed again or reaches the last checkpoint passed. [[HoldTheLine The defenders win if they can manage to hold back the cart for a certain length of time]], though unfortunately for them, the attacking team gets a time extension for every checkpoint reached, and the cart contains a level one dispenser.

* '''Special Delivery''' is a mode that could be considered a combination of Capture the Flag and Payload. The objective of this game is to transport a suitcase full of volatile Australium to the space shuttle of Poopy Joe, the all-American monkeynaut. Naturally, the enemy team wants to deliver the Australium as well in order to "make history", and you have to ride an incredibly slow elevator to reach Joe's rocket. Good luck. There is currently only one official map with this mode: Doomsday.

* '''Player Destruction''' is a mode introduced in the Invasion update. In this mode, every time a player dies, they drop a map-specific pickup item[[labelnote:*]]a beer bottle on Watergate, their soul on Pit of Death and Cursed Cove, and a bucket of gibs on Monster Bash[[/labelnote]] that can be picked up by any other player. If a player is killed while holding one or more pickup, they drop those in addition to the one standard pickup. The player on each team with the most pickups (the first to reach that number if tied) becomes "team leader" and acts as a dispenser, but has a number above their head (indicating the number of items they're carrying) that anyone can see, even through walls, making them a target for the enemy team. Every so often, a control point opens up, and the players have to deliver their pickups to the control point while blocking the other team from doing the same. The first team to a predetermined number of pickups delivered (depending on the number of people playing at the start of the round) wins.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/team_fortress_2.jpg]]

[[DescribeTopicHere Pootiscription here]]![[note]]see [[{{Memes/TeamFortress2}} Memes]][[/note]]

[[folder:TF2 Gametypes]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[-[[ColorCodedMultiplayer Meet the RED team]]. [[SimilarSquad They're like the BLU team]], [[PaletteSwap only red.]]-][[note]]from left to right: [[PyroManiac Pyro]], [[TheEngineer Engineer]], [[DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent Spy]], [[HuskyRusskie Heavy]], [[FriendlySniper Sniper]], [[FragileSpeedster Scout]], [[BloodKnight Soldier]], [[DemolitionsExpert Demoman]], [[TheMedic Medic]]. Not pictured: [[{{Memes/TeamFortress2}} Many more hats]] and other items.[[/note]]]]

''Team Fortress 2'' is about a group of [[PunchClockVillain average, everyday, working-class mercenaries]]. Some of them work for the [[AffablyEvil heroically-evil]] demolition company Reliable Excavation & Demolition (RED), founded by Redmond Mann; some work for the [[AntiHero evilly-heroic]] Builders League United (BLU), a construction company founded by [[ThemeNaming Redmond's twin brother]], Blutarch. Both {{MegaCorp}}s are fronts for two opposing intelligence organizations, which each control one-half of the world's governments. Both organizations are given combat intel by the same [[EvilOverlord Administrator]], who supplies them with weapons provided by Mann Co. (a company which the twins' father left to the [[TestosteronePoisoning Australian Hale family]]), [[WarForFunAndProfit which is a subsidiary of The Administrator's own company,]] [=TFIndustries=]. The Administrator is heavily implied to be [[LetsYouAndHimFight masterminding the entire conflict]], all in a ThanatosGambit by the brothers' deceased father as punishment for their imbecility. Other developments include Australium, a strange element mined in Australia that turns those exposed to it into manly geniuses, and Gray Mann, the long-lost third brother who's actually ''not'' [[MadScientist a moron]].

A sequel to the classic ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' mod ''VideoGame/TeamFortressClassic'', itself based on a GameMod for ''VideoGame/{{Quake|I}}'', ''Team Fortress 2'' has the kind of story a multiplayer-only shooter should have: interesting settings, awesome [[HeroShooter character classes]] that each have a distinct personality and [[CastOfSnowflakes can be easily recognized just by their silhouette]], and an ExcusePlot that stays AllThereInTheManual. Said plot, in its entirety, is "The other side is the enemy. You've been hired to shoot their asses off." For the average player, it really doesn't get any more complicated than that. [[CerebusSyndrome Crack that manual open]], though, [[JigsawPuzzlePlot and it's a]] different [[SpyFiction story]]...

A sequel to the classic mod ''VideoGame/TeamFortressClassic'', itself based on a GameMod for ''VideoGame/{{Quake|I}}'', ''Team Fortress 2'' has the kind of story a multiplayer-only shooter should have: interesting settings, awesome [[HeroShooter character classes]] that each have a distinct personality and [[CastOfSnowflakes can be easily recognized just by their silhouette]], and an ExcusePlot that stays AllThereInTheManual. Said plot, in its entirety, is "The other side is the enemy. You've been hired to shoot their asses off." For the average player, it really doesn't get any more complicated than that. [[CerebusSyndrome Crack that manual open]], though, [[JigsawPuzzlePlot and it's a]] different [[SpyFiction story]]...

* '''Player Destruction''' is a mode introduced in the Invasion update. In this mode, every time a player dies, they drop a beer bottle that can be picked up by any player. If a player is killed while holding one or more bottles, they drop those in addition to the one standard bottle. The player on each team with the most bottles (the first to reach that number if tied) becomes "team leader" and acts as a dispenser, but has a number above their head (indicating the number of bottles they're carrying) that anyone can see, even through walls, making them a target for the enemy team. Every so often, a control point opens up, and the players have to deliver their bottles to the control point while blocking the other team from doing the same. The first team to a predetermined number of bottles delivered (depending on the number of people playing at the start of the round) wins. So far there is only one official map: Watergate, where the control point takes the form of a UFO's abduction beam.

Valve have regularily added major content updates for free, including achievements, bot support, custom weapons, maps, and balance changes. The Pyro Update introduced the concept of weapons other than the default, which can now be randomly found after a period of time. They (generally) act as a situational sidegrade to whatever function the default weapon performs. The Sniper vs. Spy Update also introduced cosmetics, which drop the same way but at a much lower rate. They don't do anything [[AndYourRewardIsClothes but look cool]], though players like to show off their wealth. With any new update, players can expect a massive BrokenBase.

A sequel to the classic mod ''VideoGame/TeamFortressClassic'', itself based off of a GameMod for ''VideoGame/{{Quake|I}}'', ''Team Fortress 2'' has the kind of story a multiplayer-only shooter should have: interesting settings, awesome [[HeroShooter character classes]] that each have a distinct personality and [[CastOfSnowflakes can be easily recognized just by their silhouette]], and an ExcusePlot that stays AllThereInTheManual. Said plot, in its entirety, is "The other side is the enemy. You've been hired to shoot their asses off." For the average player, it really doesn't get any more complicated than that. [[CerebusSyndrome Crack that manual open]], though, [[JigsawPuzzlePlot and it's a]] different [[SpyFiction story]]...

A sequel to the classic mod ''VideoGame/TeamFortressClassic'', itself based off of a mod for ''VideoGame/{{Quake|I}}'', ''Team Fortress 2'' has the kind of story a multiplayer-only shooter should have: interesting settings, awesome [[HeroShooter character classes]] that each have a distinct personality and [[CastOfSnowflakes can be easily recognized just by their silhouette]], and an ExcusePlot that stays AllThereInTheManual. Said plot, in its entirety, is "The other side is the enemy. You've been hired to shoot their asses off." For the average player, it really doesn't get any more complicated than that. [[CerebusSyndrome Crack that manual open]], though, [[JigsawPuzzlePlot and it's a]] different [[SpyFiction story]]...

In addition to major updates, Valve regularly adds unannounced user-contributed cosmetics and weapons to the PC version. Ports didn't fare too well for console players: [[ExecutiveMeddling Microsoft viewed new content as DLC, and therefore wanted to charge players real money for updates that are free on the PC version]], meaning their version was last updated [[PortingDisaster in July 2009]]. Playstation 3 is trailing even further behind, with the last last update from March 2008. Active servers are hard to find on these versions, as there is much less content avaliable than on desktop versions.

In addition to major updates, Valve regularly adds unannounced user-contributed cosmetics and weapons to the PC version. Ports didn't fare too well for console players: [[ExecutiveMeddling Microsoft wouldn't allow Xbox 360 updates for free]], meaning their version was last updated [[PortingDisaster in July 2009]]. Playstation 3 is trailing even further behind, with the last last update from March 2008. Active servers are hard to find on these versions, as there is much less content avaliable than on desktop versions.

[[caption-width-right:350:[-[[ColorCodedMultiplayer Meet the RED team]]. [[SimilarSquad They're like the BLU team]], [[PaletteSwap only red.]]-][[note]]from left to right: [[PyroManiac Pyro]], [[TheTurretMaster Engineer]], [[DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent Spy]], [[HuskyRusskie Heavy]], [[FriendlySniper Sniper]], [[FragileSpeedster Scout]], [[BloodKnight Soldier]], [[DemolitionsExpert Demoman]], [[TheMedic Medic]]. Not pictured: [[{{Memes/TeamFortress2}} Many more hats]] and other items.[[/note]]]]