Team Fortress 2

2007/10/12

The previously mentioned initial screenshots from 1999 gave the impression that Team Fortress 2 might become a serious military simulation. Valve has now shown that this is not the case. Team Fortress 2 is presented in a stylish, amusing comic-book look, which not only increases gaming fun but also softens some of the game's actually relatively high degree of violence.

From a player's point of view, Team Fortress 2 has not changed too much in comparison with its predecessors. For example, the classes are still almost identical to their predecessors. The game splits the classes into three categories. So there are the three classes which specialise in Assault. Here we find the fast, agile Scout who is not however over-endowed with life points. His shotgun is only practical for use in close-range combat. Backing him him in close-range combat is the Soldier, who with his powerful but cumbersome rocket launcher is ideal for blowing holes in large defensive barriers. He is also supported by the Pyro, who can roast Heavy Weapon Guys with his flame thrower if he can get close enough to them.

TF2 calls the second category Defenders. This includes Demo-man, who can send any attacker into the next world with his grenade launcher (if this is aimed the right way). Most of you probably already know Heavy Weapons Guy from the innumerable preview videos which Valve has released. This brawny, Russian thug idolises his minigun, mowing down anything that steps in front of his gun. The Engineer also falls into the Defenders category. His equipment is limited to a small pistol backed up by his secondary weapon, a shotgun, but the cannon which he can set up is more powerful than most weapons in the game. Apart from the cannon, the Engineer can also set up supply stations, which each team can use to reload with energy and amunition.

The third and last category is the Supporters. These comprise the Medic, Sniper and Spy. The Medic cannot cause much damage with his syringe gun. However he does carry a powerful healing cannon in his rucksack. This he uses to heal wounded team mates and recharge their "Übercharge" bars. When this is full, the Medic can target a team mate with the healing cannon and thus render the team mate and himself invincible for the next 20 seconds. Ideal for excavating machinegun posts with Engineers. As his name implies, the Sniper can even despatch Heavy Weapon Guys with a shot to the head. However, he is all but useless for direct assault. The last class is the Spy. He can become invisible for short periods, and thus pass unnoticed behind his opponents. But since he cannot remain invisible forever, the Spy has a secondary capability. He can disguise himself as any opposing class. He can thus pass unnoticed through opponents' ranks and despatch an opponent with a stab in the back from his butterfly knife.

Nor does Team Fortress 2 bring any innovation to the gameplay modes, keeping to the tried and tested. Capture the Flag becomes simply Capture the Files. Four of the six maps provided are marked with the letters "cp_*", indicating a Control Point. In this gameplay mode several tactical points are marked on the map, which must be taken by a team. The opposing team must defend these. But Capture Points cannot all be taken at the same time. The attacking team must first take Points A and B before being able to take C. This first of all means that the defending team has more tactical possibilities, as well as better balance. In this way, it is still possible for the defending team to emerge victorious thanks to good tactics even if it loses the first two Points. The other two maps are used for Capture the Files (comparable with Capture the Flag) and Territory Control. At first sight, Territory Control is the same as Control Points, in that each round is simply fought to gain a further Control Point.

The basic graphic framework for Team Fortress 2 is built upon the well-known source engine used in all current Valve games. As already mentioned, however, extreme cel-shading is applied. Cel-shading technology gives games figures and map elements thicker, darker outlines, which strongly accentuates the comic-book feel. Also applied is the well-known Phong shading technology, which gives a slightly more plastic feel to the characters. The well applied comic-book feel and the soft-as-butter (and amusing) animations of the classes give Team Fortress 2 gameplay a rather special sense of fun. So you won't be able to resist smirking when a Heavy Weapon Guy strokes and lovingly kisses his minigun (which he calls Sasha). Also worth mentioning is the fact that the developers have made sure that the different classes can be clearly differentiated, with each game figure having its own uniquely identifiable silhouette, so that it can be recognised from afar from someone on whom you might in the next few seconds have drawn a bead, as an enemy class.

Nor does Team Fortress 2 leave anything amiss when it comes to sound. The audio is amazingly well done. The Medic thus has a wonderfully exaggerated German accent, while the rocket launcher-totting Soldier has a typical American accent. All in all, Team Fortress 2, despite its flawed storyline and the over-emphasised Death Match aspect, is an amazing success.