Kollega said:
I don't know when. Valve guys are having a hard time integrating the updates thanks to X360's memory limit.
BULL-FUCKING-SHIT! NXE fixed that. There never even was that issue. Valve probably won't give us anything.
To those waiting for Class Updates for Team Fortress 2:
There is no practical way for these updates to be delivered to your current version of The Orange Box. You're either ending up with two versions of the game, or no class updates at all. Here's why:
Problems:
* Valve releases The Orange Box in October 2007 in a beta form, with plans to "finish" the game through downloads - Which can work with Steam, and was believed to be deliverable through DLC.
* Terrible netcode causes disconnects, lag
* Gameplay glitches/bugs
* A growing list of "content" emerges that the PC counterparts have received
Now Valve has stated over and over that the updates that the PC receives will be delivered to the Xbox. The problem with that of course is how these updates are delivered.
There have been many discussions on how this could happen. What isn't being discussed is why it won't.
* Programming: Imagine if the class updates do come, they would have to be free. It would be a fundamental programming change to the game that would effect every player. Whether you have the new weapons or not, the weapon skins, programming effects of the weapons, etc. would need to be downloaded. This would have to be mandatory, and they can't charge for that.
* Game Types: Payload and arena game types weren't included in the original game, which again lead to programming changes. Of course those games cannot be played on the maps we currently have, which would require you to purchase and download new maps.
* Maps: New maps from what I understand would have to be purchased, and not included in a class update. At this point there are somewhere around 30 official maps for Team Fortress 2. A far higher amount then the 6 the game shipped with. How much would map packs cost? How large are the files of these new maps? To receive all the maps would take a massive amount of hard drive space. This leaves people who have an Xbox360 Arcade or limited amount of available space in the dark.
* The RAM Debate: Memory use is a problem all programmers have. What Valve is trying to do is completely redesign the game after release by adding content that should have been completed at launch.
The problems Valve is having with Team Fortress 2 have nothing to do with technology, it has to do with terrible planning and strategy.
Quote:
"One of the things that we're doing is we seem to be in a transition between games as a package product and games more of a service. So if you look at Team Fortress 2, one of things that's really helped grow the community is the continuous updates, where we release new maps, new character classes, new unlockables, new weapons. And we tell the stories about the characters, like the meet the sniper, or meet the sandwich. And that ongoing delivery of content really seems to grow the community.
"So each time we've released one of those for Team Fortress 2 we've seen about a 20% increase in the number of people who are playing online. And that number is really important because it determines how many community created maps there are, how many servers are running, and so on..." - Gabe Newell
(http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/le...nch_plans.html)
Where does the Xbox 360 version come into that business plan? It doesn't, and this version has been - pardon the pun - left for dead. Yes, we had an update recently that fixed some bugs, set class limits. But for class updates to be delivered it would be a major change to the core game itself. It is impossible to update the current version of Team Fortress 2.
What are the options for class updates? Stand alone disk or an XBLA download. This leads to splitting a community that is small. Yes, many of you would purchase a new version of the game you already own, but by doing so you only encourage Valve and others to continue this practice.
The reality is the only thing Valve can do at this point in my opinion for the 360 players is aside from some minor bug fixes is release new maps for a set DLC price. There have also been a few other suggestions on what could happen.
These are just my thoughts and opinions on the topic. I am not a DLC-hater, and would love to see an update. I'm also trying to be realistic. If someone can do so, feel free to offer a counter argument. Hopefully you can change my mind.
