History VideoGame / TeamFortressClassic

''Team Fortress Classic'' is a 1999 multiplayer computer game by Creator/ValveSoftware. It's an official port of the original ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' mod, released to ease the wait between it and ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', its soon-to-be-released sequel (which, considering [[Memes/ValveSoftware Valve Time]], [[ScheduleSlip naturally was released eight years later]]), and was often packaged with ''VideoGame/HalfLife1''.

This entire page was worked on by an idiot. No need for it to exist.

[[quoteright:256:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/256px-Team_Fortress_Classic_box_9850.jpg]]


''Team Fortress Classic'' is a 1999 multiplayer computer game by Creator/ValveSoftware. It's an official port of the original ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' mod, released to ease the wait between it and ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', its soon-to-be-released sequel (which, considering [[Memes/ValveSoftware Valve Time]], [[ScheduleSlip naturally was released eight years later]]), and was often packaged with ''VideoGame/HalfLife1''.

Unlike its cartoonier sequel, ''Team Fortress Classic'' had no backstory at all. Two teams, Red and Blue, either try to steal each others' flags, assassinate a scared-looking fellow, or impede their progress through a desert or Italian town. No corporation civil wars, no MultinationalTeam [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits of misfits]] ... just nails and grenades.

There are three basic gameplay types: '''Control Point''', '''Capture the Flag''', and '''Assassination/Escort'''
* The '''Control Point''' gametype works on the premise of seizing territory to shift the focus of battle. Both teams compete for control points--platforms with a team logo and/or team-colored flag in the center -- which must be captured by standing on them or with a flag. 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.
** Variants include '''[[RiskStyleMap Standard Control]]''', where maps play symmetrically. Both teams start within their own base, and '''[[HoldTheLine Attack/Defense]]''', where The Red team begins with all the control points taken, and wins if [[HoldTheLine time runs out before the other side captures all three control points]]. To capture a control point, a teammate must have a flag for the blue team.
* In '''CaptureTheFlag''', the goal for both teams is to capture the enemy's flag until the point limit is reached or the time-limit expires while preventing their enemy from achieving the same.
** Variants include Reverse Capture the Flag maps, which involve taking a flag from your base and pushing it onto the enemy's capture point within the enemy base while attempting to prevent the enemy from achieving the same and Football Capture the Flag features a common flag, or in most cases ball, that has to be pushed onto an enemy capture point.
* In '''[[EscortMission Assassination/Escort]]''', there is a unique three team style gameplay. The first team is typically the VIP. The second team is a series of Bodyguards that protect the VIP. The third team are the Assassins who attempt to eliminate the VIP. Scoring is based on if the Assassins eliminate the VIP or if the VIP escapes. This is the only official gameplay mode where the 10th class, the Civilian, is used.

It was later inducted into the canon of ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', placing the Classic teams between ''[=TF2=]''[='=]s teams and the original 1850's teams, as Mann. Co's 1930s paramilitary fighting force. The BLU mercs in particular go on to [[spoiler: fight the [=TF2=] mercs]] in the webcomic as well.
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!!Tropes exemplified:

* AbandonedLaboratory: Due to it being a mod of ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'', most maps like destroy_1 and Shutdown look as inhabited as Black Mesa.
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: Rock2's underground's passage counts as this.
* AdjustableCensorship: As with other GoldSRC games, there was an option to change the blood into sweat and remove gibbing and death animations.
* UsefulNotes/AmericanAccents - Every class uses the same lines spoken with a slight New York dialect.
* AnnouncerChatter - an extremely common server-side mod will make the game announce a "KILLING SPREE!!!", a "M-m-m-m-monster kill!!!", a "Headshot!", or a "HUMILIATION!!!" (knife, crowbar, med-kit, or wrench kill), taken from Quake and Unreal Tournament.
* AscendedGlitch: Players love to Bunnyhop, strafe jump, and RocketJump, all of which are glitches in the original Team Fortress and its parent game, VideoGame/{{Quake I}}.
** The spy class originated from a glitch in the original Team Fortress that had players with the wrong team colors.
* AwesomeButImpractical: The spy's tranqulizer gun makes backstabbing players much, much easier, but the dart is so slow, most spies don't use it much, as it automatically removes your disguise.
* BackStab: The Spy's knife is an instant kill, but only if you hit the opponent in the back.
* BeatingADeadPlayer: Subverted because [[ParanoiaFuel it's a Spy feigning death.]]
* TheBigGuy: The Heavy Weapons Guy (HW Guy). Even though he's the same height as the other models, he's visibly ripped as much as 90s graphics will allow.
* {{BFG}}: HW's Minigun, the Medic's Super Nailgun, and the Soldier's Rocket Launcher and Pyro's Napalm Cannon.
* BlownAcrossTheRoom: Can be use full for teammates if asked to be blown across the map by your weapons.
* BoomHeadshot: The original Team Fortress is the UrExample for [[FirstPersonShooter FPSs]] and used here as well.
* BottomlessMagazines: The only weapons that need reloading are the shotguns, the rocket launcher, and the grenade/pipe launcher.
* ButtMonkey[=/=]ChewToy: The Civilian. He wields a short range umbrella for a weapon, moves slowly, and has very little health. He was often ridiculed in the fanbase.
* {{Caltrops}}: Part of the Scout's arsenal, cuts movement in half and does continual damage, akin to being set on fire or poisoned.
* CaptureTheFlag: The most popular gameplay mode.
* ChargedAttack: The SniperRifle does this. Hold it down long enough, and a simple body shot will suffice to OneHitKill targets.
* CherryTapping: On some servers, killing someone with a melee weapon will play the VideoGame/{{Quake III Arena}} humiliation sound clip.
** Managing to kill someone with a Nailgun.
** The tranquilizer gun is one of the weakest guns in the game. Managing to kill someone with it will always ends with the player never living it down for the rest of the match.
* ClassicVideoGameScrewYous:
** BottomlessPits: Many maps.
** EscortMission: Protecting the Civilian.
*** Notably, one of you actually has to play as the Civilian, a tenth class that is armed with nothing but an umbrella and has really low health.
** OneHitKill: Several, including a fully-charged sniper rifle headshot, a knife backstab, and the EMP grenades.
** TimedMission
* ColorCodedMultiplayer
* CombatAndSupport
* CombatMedic: Far more so than his [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 distant German cousin]]. The Medic, while not able to heal from a distance, had a shotgun, a {{BFG}} Nailgun far, ''far'' superior to its normal counterpart, mobility comparable to that of the Scout's (including the ability to [[RocketJump conc-jump]]), ''and worst of all,'' the ability to hit enemies with an infection attack. It's like being on fire, except there's higher DPS, it spreads to your teammates, and it can never, ''ever'' be put out, except by an allied Medic. (Or death.) There was even a popular binded message for this: "Infected? Go to Resupply and tell your friends!".
* ConstructAdditionalPylons: The more Dispensers around Engineers the faster they get metal to build with.
* CrowbarCombatant: Default melee weapon unless the class gets something more specialized. No actual justification why a bunch of highly specialized mercenaries all use a crowbar for their melee weapon of choice.
* DamageOverTime: The hallmark ability of the Pyro class is the ability to set opponents on fire with their flamethrower. The Medic's infect is infamous due to the fact that only death or another medic stops it.
* DeathIsNotPermanent: Unlike VideoGame/{{Counter-Strike}}, you respawn immediately after you die.
* DifficultButAwesome: The game in general, especially mastering grenades - most projectiles are easily dodge-able or can be sidestepped by flinging a grenade at the player. [=TF2=] players will be absolutely wrecked by the lack of balance and grenades, but mastering them ensures you'll be a competent team player.
* DoNotRunWithAGun: The Heavy while spinning his barrels and the Sniper with his rifle charged.
* DropInDropOutMultiplayer: Players can normally come and go as they please. Some servers even replace absent human players with bots.
* ElectroMagneticPulse: The secondary grenades of the engineer, which can set a detpack's timer to one, destroy a player's ammo (which can range from doing minor damage to a [[OneHitKill one-hit kill]] depending on the class), and can easily obliterate an enemy engineer's buildings.
* FirstPersonGhost
* FriendlyFireproof: Depends on the server.
* GasMaskMooks: The Pyro's and Medic's updated models (the previous ones had the pyro with a hood and visor, while the medic simply had a surgical mask).
* HeroicMime: Except for "MEDIC" or "EXCUSE ME! I AM IN NEED OF MEDICAL ATTENTION!", the characters are mostly silent.
* {{Homage}}: The very popular level "Rock2" was based on the movie ''Film/TheRock''. The bases were prisons, and capturing the "flag" involved taking the gas to a dispersal room and setting it off (then frantically running to a safe room before poison gas killed everyone on the map.
* HitPoints
* HyperspaceArsenal: Not as much as most First Person Shooters, but still an example. The Soldier, for example, carries a [[{{BFG}} Rocket Launcher]], [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter two different shotguns]], [[ThrowDownTheBomblet frag grenades, nail grenades,]] ''tons'' of ammo for all the above, [[EmergencyWeapon and a crowbar.]] Even the fast and light Scout carries two types of grenades, a submachine gun, a small shotgun, and a crowbar. Averted only by the Civilian.
* KillItWithFire: The Pyro, who has a bit more fire to play with compared to his Team Fortress 2 counterpart. The flamethrower behaves differently than ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' flamethrowers, as the fire blast doesn't "turn" as fast, and is [[VideoGameFlamethrowersSuck pathetically weak]]. The Napalm Cannon is an [=AoE=]-based Flare Gun/Rocket Launcher combo that has more ammo than the rocket launcher or the flare gun, but its projectiles and reload time are far slower.
* InfiniteFlashlight: Still in the code. Can be utilized by hitting the ~ key and typing: bind <key> "impulse 100". Not much use, as all maps, even those at night, are well lit.
* InterfaceScrew: Being set on fire will have the 2d sprite flames cover your screen if you are moving slowly or standing still.
** A spy's gas grenade can make you see and hear things that aren't there such as grenades or bullet marks on the walls.
** Getting tranquilized dims the screen.
* KillStreak: Some servers will use the Unreal Tournament's kill streak sounds.
* LaserSight: The SniperRifle uses this, in place of crosshairs. Comes in the form of CrosshairAware--if one dances over your vision, you will explode into a pile of giblets, unless you move. Fast. Just like in Team Fortress 2 ([[TruthInTelevision and real life]]), the laser itself is invisible--all that can be seen is the dot of light on walls, or unfortunate teammates.
* LudicrousGibs: Some server mods change it so that not only are all the gibs skulls, but you explode into a ''shower'' of them upon the slightest provocation when dying.
* MadeOfExplodium: The Heavy and Demoman have a MIRV grenade. It's a grenade that first causes a massive explosion, ''then'' splits into normal grenades.
* MistakenForSpies: Even more than in [=TF2=] because the spy's disguise looks the same for all teams.
* MoreDakka: The Heavy's minigun of course. Also, the Medic's Super Nailgun, which is basically a Tommy Gun with BottomlessMagazines. [[CaptainObvious That shoots nails.]]
* NailEm: The Scout, Sniper and Spy each have nailguns. The Medic has the Super Nailgun, which fires 2 nails at once, but deals more damage.
* OhCrap: [[TheLoad The Civilian's]] only facial expression. Entirely justified by his situation.
* OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank
* PercussiveMaintenance: The Engineer fixes and upgrades his equipment by ''smashing it repeatedly with his wrench''.
* PlayingPossum: One of the spy's abilities.
* RangedEmergencyWeapon: The Engineer's railgun. Terrible damage output and rate of fire, but it has a unique ammo supply. There's also the Sniper's secondary fire, which uses up precious sniper ammo and is only meant to damage an ambusher while getting away.
* RayGun: The engineer's rail gun, an otherwise worthless emergency weapon.
* RealIsBrown: Played Straight in the original Quake Mod, subverted here.
* RecursiveAmmo: The MIRV grenade again.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: The pyro's visor is red, regardless of team color. Shortly following seeing it, you are set on fire.
* RespawnPoint: Mainly in specific rooms or points,depending on the map.
* SamusIsAGirl: In the ''Webcomic/TeamFortress2'' canon, TFC's Pyro is a middle-aged lady named Beatrice.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The Super Shotgun sure as hell is. It makes a very good sidearm for the Soldier, Heavy, and Spy due to its [[JackOfAllStats decent accuracy, good damage, average capacity, and for having plentiful ammo.]]
* ShoutOut: Capturing the enemy's flag results in a ScareChord from StarWars.
** Some maps have the logo of [[VideoGame/HalfLife Black Mesa]] on walls and crates, and the map [[EscortMission Hunted]] is a part of a level in the original Half-Life.
* SniperDuel: a major problem with people who play Sniper is that they start focusing on gibbing each other to the exclusion of all else--such as, say, winning the mission. This can be exacerbated by bog-standard level design (looking at you, 2Fort) with only one place for Snipers to even hang out. In the end, a lot of servers just limited how many people could play Sniper at one time.
** Except for servers who hosted exclusive Sniper Duel maps.
* StockControlSettings: They can be changed.
* StuffBlowingUp: Soldier rockets, grenades, Engineer buildings, the [[LudicrousGibs characters]]...
* TacticalRockPaperScissors
* TakingYouWithMe: With the ablity to hold your grenades until detonation, it can and will happen.
* TeleportersAndTransporters: The Engineer's teleporter. Too bad it only teleports one way.
** TeleFrag: An Engineer's worst nightmare when trying to fix a teleporter. Enemy Spies can use the teleporter and telefrag the Engineer, who might be crouching over the exit. Of course, anyone who's experienced knows better than to stand on teleporter exits.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill
* TrialByFriendlyFire: Spy-checking via attacking one's teammates is a good tactic to have, as long as the server has friendly fire off. And most did.
* UnorthodoxReload: The Soldier's rocket launcher is the same single-shot launcher that [[VideoGame/HalfLife1 Gordon Freeman]] uses, but with a four-rocket clip; Soldier just plays the reload animation four times, inexplicably stacking four rockets on top of each other. The Demoman's grenade launcher and pipebomb launcher also have magazines which are removed in the reload animation, but he invisibly loads one shot at a time while seemingly just staring at the magazine in his hand. When they're fully reloaded, he simply puts the magazine back.
* VideoGameFlamethrowersSuck: The Pyro is infamously underpowered. His (or rather, [[SamusIsAGirl her]]) flamethrower deals average damage with horrible reach, and the lingering flames deal a whopping eight damage; most classes have 100 health. The Incendiary Cannon is like the Soldier's Rocket Launcher, but about 40% weaker. She's got average armor, decent speed, but most damningly doesn't have the Double Shotgun that so many other middle-of-the-road classes can fall back on.
* YouRequireMoreVespeneGas: TheEngineer's metal, required for construction and upgrading.

----

It was later inducted into the canon of ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', placing the Classic teams between ''[=TF2=]''[='=]s teams and the original 1850's teams, as Mann. Co's 1930s paramilitary fighting force. The BLU mercs in particular go on to [[spoiler: fight the TF2 mercs]] in the webcomic as well.

* KillItWithFire: The Pyro, who has a bit more fire to play with compared to his Team Fortress 2 counterpart. The flamethrower behaves differently than ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' flamethrowers, as the fire blast doesn't "turn" as fast, and is weaker than its notoriously weak cousin. The Napalm Cannon is an [=AoE=]-based Flare Gun/Rocket Launcher combo that has more ammo than the rocket launcher or the flare gun, but its projectiles and reload time are far slower.

* UnorthodoxReload: The Soldier's rocket launcher appears to be a single-shot launcher, but can load four rockets at once. The Demoman's grenade launcher and pipebomb launcher also have magazines which are removed in the reload animation, but only reload one shot at a time, and when they're fully reloaded, he simply puts the magazine back.

It was later inducted into the canon of ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', placing the Classic teams between ''[=TF2=]''[='=]s teams and the original 1850's teams.

** Notably, one of you actually has to play as the Civilian, a tenth class that is armed with nothing but an umbrella and has really low health.

* TheWikiRule: Has a [[http://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Main_Page_(Classic) sub wiki]]in the official [=TF2=] wiki.

* AmericanAccents - Every class uses the same lines spoken with a slight New York dialect.

Unlike its [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 cartoonier sequel]], ''Team Fortress Classic'' had no backstory at all. Two teams, Red and Blue, either try to steal each others' flags, assassinate a scared-looking fellow, or impede their progress through a desert or Italian town. No corporation civil wars, no MultinationalTeam [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits of misfits]] ... just nails and grenades.

* KillItWithFire: The Pyro, who has a bit more fire to play with compared to his Team Fortress 2 counterpart. The flamethrower behaves differently than ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' flamethrowers, as the fire blast doesn't "turn" as fast, and is weaker than its notoriously weak cousin. The Napalm Cannon, [=AoE=]-based Flare Gun/Rocket Launcher combo that has more ammo than the rocket launcher or the flare gun, but its projectiles and reload time are far slower.

* KillItWithFire: The Pyro, who has a bit more fire to play with compared to his Team Fortress 2 counterpart. The flamethrower behaves differently than ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' flamethrowers, as the fire blast doesn't "turn" as fast, and is weaker than its notoriously weak cousin. The Napalm Cannon, on the other hand, is a more damaging, [=AoE=]-based Flare Gun/Rocket Launcher combo that has more ammo than the rocket launcher or the flare gun, but its projectiles and reload time are far slower.

* CompetitiveBalance:
** FragileSpeedster: The first two things people notice about the scout are his speed and his low health and armor.
** JackOfAllStats: The Soldier, with his somewhat above-average damage and armor, somewhat below-average mobility, and his rather average effective range. His only real special ability is the RocketJump, which trades his health in for more speed, which the Demoman can do better, but with more self-damage. Also helps that his shotgun contains the second most amount of shells.
** MasterOfNone: Unfortunately, the Pyro hits this hard. Designed to be the DamageOverTime class who sowed confusion and panic amongst his foes, his damage output was {{nerf}}ed to oblivion during the transition from ''Quake'' mod to finished game. His afterburn was so pitiful (-2 hp/sec for 4 seconds! And that's not considering that the [=GoldSrc=]'s attempts at rendering flames SUCK!) that instead he became a fragile class with no effective damage dealers (his flame cannon is a slower moving, weaker rocket launcher) and no advanced mobility tactics.
** MightyGlacier: The Heavy Weapons Guy. Ridiculously high damage output, has the most deadliest grenade type along with the Demoman, and has the strongest armor. Also the slowest class.
** GlassCannon: The Sniper is able to kill people in one shot from far away, but has the weakest armor along with the scout.
** StoneWall: The Engineer's Sentry. A fully-upgraded sentry gun is a key factor in defense, and can kill any class that stays within range for more than a few seconds. However, in position, it can't move (for obvious reasons), and can be easily destroyed by most grenades. In addition, a good Scout or medic can destroy the sentry by firing while circle strafing around it.
** SquishyWizard: The Engineer again. He has the second lowest health and weak armor, but he can fix teammates' armor, refill their ammunition and armor with dispensers (he can even use his cells to produce ammo on his own), build teleporters, and create a powerful but immobile sentry gun.
** LightningBruiser: The Combat Medic is the second fastest class and with his weapons and grenades he is great for offense and support.

** FragileSpeedster: The first two things people notice about the scout is his speed and his low health and armor.

* FragileSpeedster: The Scout. Compared to his [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 bat-swingin' Bostonian brother]], his nailgun is super-accurate, but weak, and the projectiles take time to hit their target (the target can even ''{{Dodge The Bullet}}s''), and his single barrel shotgun makes the scattergun look like a [[VideoGame/UnrealTournament Redeemer]]. Instead, he's much faster (even more so than aforementioned brother) and can use concussion grenades to hop like a flea all over the place. Oh, and leave caltrops to slow down the movement of pursuing enemies.

** MasterOfNone: Unfortunately, the Pyro hits this hard. Designed to be the DamageOverTime class who sowed confusion and panic amongst his foes, his afterburn was so pitiful (-2 hp/sec for 4 seconds! And that's not considering that the [=GoldSrc=]'s attempts at rendering flames SUCK!) that instead he became a fragile class with no effective damage dealers (his flame cannon is a slower moving, weaker rocket launcher) and no advanced mobility tactics.

It was later inducted into the canon of ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', placing the Classic teams between TF2's teams and the original 1850's teams.

* AwesomeYetPractical: Grenades, if you know how to prime them, and the Med-kit.

* BottomlessMagazines: The only weapons that need reloading are the shotguns and the rocket launcher.

** MasterOfNone: Unfortunately, the Pyro hits this hard. Designed to be the DamageOverTime class who sowed confusion and panic amongst his foes, his afterburn was so pitiful (-2 hp/sec for 4 seconds!) that instead he became a fragile class with no effective damage dealers and no advanced mobility tactics.

* DifficultButAwesome: The game in general, especially mastering grenades. [=TF2=] players will be absolutely wrecked by the lack of balance and grenades, but mastering them ensures you'll be a competent team player

* ButtMonkey[=/=]ChewToy: The Civilian. Wields a short range umbrella for a weapon, moves slowly, and has very little health. was often ridiculed in the fanbase.

* NoNameGiven

''Team Fortress Classic'' is a 1999 multiplayer computer game by Creator/ValveSoftware. It's an official port of the original ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' mod, released to ease the wait between it and ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', its soon-to-be-released sequel (which, considering [[Memes/ValveSoftware Valve Time]], [[ScheduleSlip naturally was released eight years later]]), and was often packaged with ''HalfLife''.

* AbandonedLaboratory: Due to it being a mod of VideoGame/{{Half-Life 1}}, most maps like destroy_1 and Shutdown look as inhabited as Black Mesa.

** Some maps have the logo of [[HalfLife Black Mesa]] on walls and crates, and the map [[EscortMission Hunted]] is a part of a level in the original Half-Life.

* In '''CaptureTheFlag''', the goal for both teams is to capture the enemy's flag until the point limit is reached or the time-limit expires while preventing their enemy from achieving the same. Variants include Reverse Capture the Flag maps, which involve taking a flag from your base and pushing it onto the enemy's capture point within the enemy base while attempting to prevent the enemy from achieving the same and Football Capture the Flag features a common flag, or in most cases ball, that has to be pushed onto an enemy capture point.

* CrowbarCombatant: Default melee weapon unless the class gets something more specialized.