End Of The Line Team Fortress 2 Update Starts Here
15-minute fan film included.
I've been looking forward to Team Fortress 2's End of the Line update for over a year, not because I'm in love with novelty virtual clothing but because it's built around a community-made, fifteen-minute short film. It's out now, you can watch it below, and if you do care for novelty clothes, a portion of the profits go to the creators who toiled away making the movie.
Here's the video, since that's what you're here for.
In setting and animation, it's almost as slick as any of Valve's internal work. What makes it different is that it doesn't have any dialogue; Valve partnered with the modders and machinima-makers earlier this year in order to suggest making it a community update, but presumably that didn't extend to paying for actor recording sessions.
Not much is lost as a result. The film is filled with sight gags and beautiful to look at, and it's a grand old world when things like this can be made using freely available tools. I interviewed James McVinnie, the short's director, about exactly how it was made back in November last year. If your clicking finger is tired, the best bit was this video he made explaining how a particular shot was constructed:
