Team Fortress 2 Goes Free-to-Play, Meets the Medic

[William Dickbringer]

Well, that's... kinda cool, I guess, but, not to sound ungrateful, what about the money I paid for it? Maybe I could get a free hat, Valve? :3

EDIT: Just to clarify: I'm really not annoyed at all about the free to play thing. As long as they keep making updates, then I'm happy. I was just thinking that it'd be a Valve thing to do to give a hat or something. If I didn't get one then I'd be perfectly content; I was just curious.

you get a free hat annnd a premium account so it's all good

 

[Stoic raptor]

Also, do you guys realize that this is the first "Meet the team" video that doesn't show the Blu Heavy getting killed in some horrible way?

What about meet the heavy?

There was no blu heavy in the whole short

EDIT: I was wrong, the blu heavy was in that short. For less than a sec. Still, your observation is correct.

 

[Erana]

What is the Pyro reading at the end, guys?

 

[Alphakirby]

I just read the faq for the FTP version of Team Fortress 2 and it seems as all of us who bought the game before it went free will already be in it's cool kids club,and thus nothing will change for us except for getting a new hat.

 

[Sn1P3r M98]

That video was fucking EPIC!

As for the Free to Play news, I'm not upset about it going F2P, I got it with the Orange Box when it came out. I'm glad that it's becoming free, so I can play with even more of my friends now.

 

[ZiggyE]

So people get the same benefits I get for only a dollar whereas I had to pay full price?

If I played Hat Fortress 2 more often I'd be mighty pissed, instead I'm just a little peeved.

 

[Signa]

What is the Pyro reading at the end, guys?

Looked like a MannCo catalog, but I'm not sure.

 

[Nouw]

I can't help but feel bad for the people who bought it recently. At least they get a hat

 

[Glerken]

Would it be unreasonable to ask for a bit of a refund for those who bought the game before the update? Or at least a free game under at or under $20 from Steam?

Uh. Yes.

Unless you bought it less then a month before it went f2p. Still, no refund. It's not as bad as buying a game and then it being ridiculously cheap the next day because of a holiday sale.

 

[ZiggyE]

It's not as bad as buying a game and then it being ridiculously cheap the next day because of a holiday sale.

It's worse because this isn't a sale, it's permanent. If they made it so that it was free only for this weekend or that it was ridiculously cheap for awhile then I wouldn't be bothered, just bad luck. The fact that they are giving it away from free and all we who paid full price are getting is additional benefits (which can be purchased for as little as a dollar, significantly less what we originally paid) and a free hat irks me somewhat.

 

[spacepope22]

I'm downloading now. Get ready for SPY CHECK!!!

 

[lumenadducere]

Oh man, that short was awesome. Now I really can't wait for Meet the Pyro.

And I have no qualms whatsoever about TF2 going F2P. The...oh, 600 or so hours I've gotten from it so far have been well worth the price.

 

[linkzeldi]

This is awesome news.

 

[coldfrog]

Oh, and "Meet the Medic" is out. You can see it here to the right - but really, you clicked that before reading the post, didn't you?

You read me like a book, my good chum.

Even though I've owned TF2 since release date, I still applaud them on this release. And I can't wait to see what else they have in store.

Only one left... I can't wait to hear from the pyro.

 

[Neverhoodian]

Did anyone notice the figure in the video at 0.56? Looks like the g-man is watching them.

That's actually Ms. Pauling, a character from the comics.

Awesome "Meet the Team," probably the best one yet. Free to play means more newcomers for me to backstab, so it works for me.

The only major issue I have with this update is the crafting recipes for the new weapons, usually requiring one or two reclaimed metal and a few weapons for each one. I just crafted an untradeable hat with all my metal two weeks ago, so it's going to take me a while to obtain the new gear.

 

[Vyce]

Q. Who has a premium account?
-If you've ever spent money on TF2-, you have a premium account. This includes purchasing the game before it was Free-to-Play, activating a retail version of the game, or making a purchase in the Mann Co. in-game store.

 

[arsenicCatnip]

As I said in another thread, I was a little skeptical about F2P. But it looks like it doesn't really affect players who have been around for awhile (and I got the game as a gift, so I didn't spend any of my own money on it really). Hopefully this will get more people playing, and we can revive the Escapist TF2 servers!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I am retiring to squeal some more over Meet The Medic.

"Archimedes, NO! It's filthy in there. Ugh. Birds."

 

[Signa]

I really like the division between the free and premium accounts. They give all the free users everything they will need while still giving us veterans something to boast about. They even took away the free account's ability to trade so that there wouldn't be any item farming exploits.

 

[Hauntghost20]

Alright nice i'm downloading it now i never had the energy to open my steam and buy it.

 

[UnravThreads]

It's worse because this isn't a sale, it's permanent. If they made it so that it was free only for this weekend or that it was ridiculously cheap for awhile then I wouldn't be bothered, just bad luck. The fact that they are giving it away from free and all we who paid full price are getting is additional benefits (which can be purchased for as little as a dollar, significantly less what we originally paid) and a free hat irks me somewhat.

Why does it? Team Fortress 2 was never a full price game. It was a very reasonably priced release and has been since day one, so the amount in question is largely irrelevant. You paid your money and you got the product you paid for, and you've had since then to play, enjoy and get your money's worth from it.

Valve didn't have to compensate anyone with anything. They could have used this Free-to-Play update to effectively reset the whole game so that everyone started from scratch, meaning no-one started with a premium account. Instead those of us who've paid for the game in the past will get an automatic and free upgrade, along with an in-game item for compensation. It's better than nothing, isn't it?

If you bought it this week, then it's bad luck. That said, Monday had a news piece on many sites saying that Valve was working on a free to play game, and some (Including Rock Paper Shotgun) correctly predicted that Team Fortress 2 would become one. If you bought the game in the face of that, then that's your decision. If you didn't research your purchase, then that's also your decision.

This is no different to a full price game dropping £15/$20 in the store a week after you buy it (As often happens), except Valve have recompensed those who paid for the game in the only manner possible. OK, yes, maybe Valve should have given a bit of warning (Just as companies do for MMOs when they go F2P) and perhaps had a sale weekend to celebrate the end of it being paid for, but they didn't and that's something you just have to live with.

If you're feeling annoyed about this, fine, but don't expect anyone to think of you as anything but selfish.