Update: Thanks to reader Theory who points out that the TF2 Blog is now describing the five new maps for the new game mode as “five new arenas”. What does that suggest to you?
Valve have begun the Heavy update news, but they’re being dreadful teases. Revealing a detail per day until Friday, and then more on Monday and Tuesday next week, it seems there are big plans afoot. Shack News are reporting that there will be the user map, a new “special edition” Meet The Team video, a new Payload map, and most of all, five new Valve-made maps designed for the brand new game mode. What this may be, we don’t know yet. But it’s the biggest change to TF2 since launch.
For today, it’s information on a new community map, CP_STEEL.
Created by Jamie “Fishbus” Manson, the first revealed map is a dynamic Attack/Defense map, where the available routes change as control points are captured. Valve explain in more detail:
“A complex Attack/Defense control point map, with some unique gameplay. Unlike most TF2 maps, capturing a control point modifies the layout of the map, opening and closing routes for each team. As a result, the offensive team has a wide variety of tactical choices around how they’d like to assault the final point. Should they use Scouts and Soldiers to rush the final point with only the routes they start with? Should they go for the side control points and open up more routes to the final? Should they capture extra points to shut down the defender’s routes? The many choices keep the map interesting for a long time, providing a wide variety of experiences in a game.”
Tune in tomorrow as we inevitably feed Valve’s insatiable desire for our attention by reporting the next update. In the meantime, go on, what are you guesses/desperate desires for the Heavy’s new bits? Oh, and the new game mode?
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Speaking of Gold Rush, Valve should really balance the map to give the attackers a better shot at winning. According to Valve’s official TF2 stats, RED wins over 80% of the time! Even so, Gold Rush remains the most-played map, closely followed by Dustbowl (where RED wins over 60% of the time).
Gold Rush is one of my favorites, but the majority of rounds never make it past stage 2.
The reason red wins most of the time is that the servers screw around with
a) the number of players on a map and
b) the respawn rate
which completely obviates the game mechanics. If you play on normal spawn rate servers you’ll see blue win a lot more :\
Cannot wait. I haven’t been playing TF2 enough and feeling bad about it. But man, i have to get ramped up for this.
Mmmmmmm. I wanna Sandvich.
new game mode is arena (like sudden death), and shotgun replacement is…get this, a sanvitch :\ I couldnt believe it either but I have proof right here.
http://tf2wiki.net/wiki/Heavy (go to the bottom)