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With today's epic first update to the trading system in Team Fortress 2, Valve introduced the option for spending real-world money on in-game items. Are you required to spend your money on these items? Of course not.
However, Valve's Robin Walker goes into detail on some of the changes made, why they did them, and what more we can expect. Topics of discussion include the addition of real-world money, trading, item customization, Mann Co. supply crate drops, how you can obtain the new items, the dueling mini-game, and why some items can only be purchased.
I implore each of you to reach the full interview over at PC Gamer. A lot of territory is discussed that we couldn't fit it all into a single quote area here. A quick run down of a few of the update highlights are up after the jump.<!--more-->
However, Valve's Robin Walker goes into detail on some of the changes made, why they did them, and what more we can expect. Topics of discussion include the addition of real-world money, trading, item customization, Mann Co. supply crate drops, how you can obtain the new items, the dueling mini-game, and why some items can only be purchased.
PC Gamer: Just to be absolutely clear: everything you can buy with real money is also available to find or craft for free?
Robin Walker: Almost everything. There are a really small number of cosmetic items that you can’t find. On the flip side, there are a few items that aren’t purchasable either. Our main goal was to make sure that all gameplay affecting items are findable, so that no-one can buy an in-game advantage over someone who’s choosing to find their items.
Robin Walker: Almost everything. There are a really small number of cosmetic items that you can’t find. On the flip side, there are a few items that aren’t purchasable either. Our main goal was to make sure that all gameplay affecting items are findable, so that no-one can buy an in-game advantage over someone who’s choosing to find their items.
I implore each of you to reach the full interview over at PC Gamer. A lot of territory is discussed that we couldn't fit it all into a single quote area here. A quick run down of a few of the update highlights are up after the jump.<!--more-->
17 new community-made items added
These are the winners of the Polycount contest, items modeled and named by the community, but whose functions and abilities Valve have designed and tested themselves.
You can buy items from inside the game
Players can buy the new community items, and all Valve-made items, by adding real money to their Steam Wallet. Money added to the Steam Wallet can also be spent on anything on Steam. The minimum you can add to your wallet is $5 / £4 / €5. You can’t buy older community items yet, Valve are going to roll that out gradually once the system is working.
Prices range from $0.49 to $4.99
The average price of an item is $1.97. Older Valve-made items tend to be the cheapest, new community-made items cost the most. The new Spy knife is $4.99, and the new Soldier rocket launcher is $2.49.
Some items can never be found or crafted, only bought
But these are a small number of cosmetic items. Valve are strict about making sure those that give you “gameplay advantages” are findable for free. There are also a few items that are findable but not purchasable.
You can now trade items with anyone
You can select a friend, someone on the same server as you, or anyone if you have their Steam Community profile URL. There’s no dedicated official site for finding people with the items you want, but community sites have already sprung up in anticipation of this update.
You cannot unlock the new items with achievements
This means there’s no way to work towards them other than buying them. But you can find them, craft them, trade for them, give them to other people for free, or win them by dueling other players.
You cannot craft or trade an item you bought with real money
But other than that, there’s no way to tell between a bought item and one found, crafted or traded. The items everyone has before this update will now be Vintage items, and no items bought or found from now on will get that fancy label. There’s no benefit to this, it just makes them collector’s items.
There’s now a dueling mini-game
In any match, you can challenge any player on the enemy team to a duel. If they accept, they are highlighted in-game the way your nemesis would be, and the game keeps track of how many times you each kill each other. Medals are awarded for duels, and winning a certain number of duels gives you a free item.
You can find tools to customise an item’s look and name
You can now find Name Tags or Paint Cans that you can use to rename or recolour your items. Not all items can be recoloured, but it looks like most of them can be renamed.
The new game mode is not in this update
Robin previously told us there’d be a new game mode in the next TF2 update, but in the end they didn’t have time to finish it. They were also planning to add one more pack of Polycount items, but since they relate to the new game mode, they left those out too.
Team Fortress 2 is not free to play
Robin said they considered it, but “right now the cost of purchasing TF2 again is the main cost that cheaters pay when we catch them.”
These are the winners of the Polycount contest, items modeled and named by the community, but whose functions and abilities Valve have designed and tested themselves.
You can buy items from inside the game
Players can buy the new community items, and all Valve-made items, by adding real money to their Steam Wallet. Money added to the Steam Wallet can also be spent on anything on Steam. The minimum you can add to your wallet is $5 / £4 / €5. You can’t buy older community items yet, Valve are going to roll that out gradually once the system is working.
Prices range from $0.49 to $4.99
The average price of an item is $1.97. Older Valve-made items tend to be the cheapest, new community-made items cost the most. The new Spy knife is $4.99, and the new Soldier rocket launcher is $2.49.
Some items can never be found or crafted, only bought
But these are a small number of cosmetic items. Valve are strict about making sure those that give you “gameplay advantages” are findable for free. There are also a few items that are findable but not purchasable.
You can now trade items with anyone
You can select a friend, someone on the same server as you, or anyone if you have their Steam Community profile URL. There’s no dedicated official site for finding people with the items you want, but community sites have already sprung up in anticipation of this update.
You cannot unlock the new items with achievements
This means there’s no way to work towards them other than buying them. But you can find them, craft them, trade for them, give them to other people for free, or win them by dueling other players.
You cannot craft or trade an item you bought with real money
But other than that, there’s no way to tell between a bought item and one found, crafted or traded. The items everyone has before this update will now be Vintage items, and no items bought or found from now on will get that fancy label. There’s no benefit to this, it just makes them collector’s items.
There’s now a dueling mini-game
In any match, you can challenge any player on the enemy team to a duel. If they accept, they are highlighted in-game the way your nemesis would be, and the game keeps track of how many times you each kill each other. Medals are awarded for duels, and winning a certain number of duels gives you a free item.
You can find tools to customise an item’s look and name
You can now find Name Tags or Paint Cans that you can use to rename or recolour your items. Not all items can be recoloured, but it looks like most of them can be renamed.
The new game mode is not in this update
Robin previously told us there’d be a new game mode in the next TF2 update, but in the end they didn’t have time to finish it. They were also planning to add one more pack of Polycount items, but since they relate to the new game mode, they left those out too.
Team Fortress 2 is not free to play
Robin said they considered it, but “right now the cost of purchasing TF2 again is the main cost that cheaters pay when we catch them.”