June 2, 2011 - TF2 Team
Starting tomorrow find twice as many items. Enjoy!
June 2, 2011 - TF2 Team
Much like in the historical documentary 300, we have evaluated all of your movies and thrown the weak ones down a well, keeping only the Gerard Butlers. Now it's up to you, the TF2 community, to select the Gerard Butleriest.
"This is madness!" we hear you say. "No it is not!" we reply, just like in that immortal scene we always fast forward through to get to the fight scenes.
That's right. Unlike at other awards shows, where the winners are necromanced by magicians, the Saxxy Award winners in all twenty categories will be picked by YOU, the discriminating TF2 player, as well as by magicians.
Each player gets one vote per category. You can change your vote right up until the voting ends this Monday, June 6th, at 11:00am PST.
Click here to start judging!
May 23, 2011 - TF2 Team
At the close of the submission deadline last Thursday, we'd received tens of thousands of videos—many of them amazing, others less amazing but at least following the rules, and still more of them clips from King of Queens with Linkin Park songs dubbed over them. While we appreciate the passion of that final group, we should remind you that the King of Queens Metal Maelstrom contest isn't until next month.
For the rest of you, this is a reminder to get voting. As of last Thursday the Saxxys entered the all-important Battle Voting stage, with your choices bringing the strongest videos in each category to the top of the heap. Battle Voting ends Thursday, May 26th, so if you've got opinions, vote now while they still matter!
Once Battle Voting's culled the weak, Kevin James-based rap metal entries from the herd, a panel of immortal Valve combat film critics will descend from their monastery at the top of the Space Needle to choose a set of final nominees from each category. They will then bang an important-looking gong, thus re-opening the voting to the community. Each user will get ONE vote per category to help determine who will be taking home Saxxys.
Lastly, some clarifications: 1:01 IS a valid length for submissions, since it turns out YouTube is adding a second here or there during upload. Also, flagged videos ARE being screened and removed. We're listening and our fingers are hovering over the DELETE button, so keep flagging.
That's it! Thanks to the TF community as a whole for taking the time to vote, and specifically to the many talented folks out there who were willing to take the Replay Editor out for a spin and make some entertaining shorts in the process.
May 20, 2011 - By Francis the Talking France
Allo, mes amis! Ho ho ho!
Valve took a film class last week so they would be qualified to judge the many great entries in the Saxxy Awards contest! So many unfamiliar terms! Mise en scene! Auteur! Avante-garde! Montage! Even cinéma itself!
What do all of these words have in common? Un: They sound complicated enough that Valve decided they had no business judging cinéma. Deux: These words were all invented by me, Francis the Talking France! And so Valve has spared no expense in flying me tout de suite to the French-sounding town of Bellevue to judge the entries myself! C'est magnifique!
But onh-honh-honh. Why the sad French sounds? Because I see now this is too big a job for one talking France. So I am writing this poste de blog to announce that judging of the Saxxy Awards is now open to tout le monde! Le jugement est fantastique!
Click here to start your voting adventure! À bientôt!
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May 10, 2011 - TF2 Team
You ask? We answer. Eventually. We've updated the Saxxy info page with answers to many of the questions pouring in from all you budding combat filmmakers.
Server admins can find all the info they need about enabling the replay system on their servers.
Additionally, several of you have asked for the Meet the Director comic without the text bubbles. Sure. Download the 22MB zip file here.
In community news: Community vs Pros goes live May 14th with a re-realized format that will select nine players from all corners of the TF2 community to face off against the six invited pros. Check out their promotional video of the event.
That's all for today. Keep those video submissions coming. Remember: The sky’s the limit, but under a minute.
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May 5, 2011 - TF2 Team
Steven Spielberg. Robert Scorcese. Socrates. The guy who made those Old Spice commercials.
What do these names have in common? They are the four best filmmakers in the world. And they all got there the same way: by competing in a filmmaking competition we're just now announcing.
Go pick up the berets that just flew off your shocked heads, filmmakers, directors and auteurs. Because The Replay Update is live, and we're celebrating with the First Annual Saxxy Awards--the most prestigious made-up contest since the "strongman competition" Robin Walker held at his house last year, where it turned out he just wanted help moving his couch.
While you're pondering your next blockbuster, take a minute to read the new comic, Meet the Director, to uncover the controversial circumstances that led to the creation of this major event.
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April 28, 2011 - TF2 Team
Pre-purchase the "everything explained in the title" game Mount & Blade With Fire & Sword by May 3rd and you'll receive two new TF2 hats: The Hetman's Headpiece for the Engineer, and the Janissary Ketche for the Spy, pictured above.
What else is up? This: SpaceChem, the game Robin Walker dubbed "pretty much the greatest game ever made," has introduced three new TF2-themed levels. Travel to Australia, solve puzzles and unlock achievements to receive the new craftable element Moustachium in TF2. Use this new element to craft special SpaceChem-themed items, including a fishcake. That's right: this marks the start of a trend we're all for: other developer working their butts off to make a promotion for us. "Put your feet up, Team Fortress Team," SpaceChem seems to be saying. "You let us handle this one." Don't mind if we do, SpaceChem. Don't mind if we do.
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April 19, 2011 - TF2 Team
All of us here on the TF2 team have been asking to play Portal 2 for months now.
"Go away," the Portal guys told us. "You'll just try to put hats in it."
"Whaaattttt?" we said. "That's—psshhhh. If anything, we'll probably tell you to take some hats out of the game."
"There are no hats in the game."
After this, there was an awkward ten-minute silence while all of us on the TF2 team stared at the Portal guys, waiting for them to start laughing. Instead, they just told us to go away again. That's when we realized: with so little time left before release, we couldn't afford to waste any time playing the game. We had to fix it. Now. So late last night we snuck into the Portal 2 source code and copy/pasted some hats into it.
You're welcome, Portal 2 team.
Today, we pass the fruits of our clandestine game-saving labor onto you, the hat-loving public (or as you're more commonly known, the public). If you own any of the following hats in Team Fortress 2, you'll be able to equip them on your Cooperative Testing Initiative robots in Portal 2:
- Mann Co. Cap
- Prince Tavish's Crown
- Pyro's Beanie
- Fancy Fedora
- Master's Yellow Belt
- Tyrant's Helm
If you've been on the fence up until now—and who could blame you—you've finally got a reason to buy Portal 2. Courtesy of Team Fortress 2. The best game that Valve makes with a "2" on the end.
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April 15, 2011 - TF2 Team
Against our explicit instructions, Robin "Judas" Walker somehow managed to sneak a hat into the Hatless Update yesterday. According to him, it's not a hat, it's a pin, and so not technically against the hat embargo. Much like the villain in Lethal Weapon 2, he seems to have found a loophole in the system and is untouchable.
Rest assured we're going to spend the weekend at the library looking up the definition of the word "pin," but in the meantime, our hands are tied, and we have no choice but to tell you about this spectacular deal. Pre-order Portal 2, and you'll get this suspiciously hat-like "pin" to wear proudly. It's like a hat for your chest. (No it's not. -Robin)
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April 14, 2011 - TF2 Team
We've slaved over it. We've missed sleep, meals, and loved ones for it. We've been up countless hours perfecting it. And now, finally, we've put it aside for a few minutes to slap together this update.
So here it is, folks: a Team Fortress 2 100% guaranteed Hatless Update! Now if you'll excuse us, we'd like to get back to our years-long quest to design the ultimate hat. "For the game?" you ask. Uhhh, sure. Now pass those sequins.
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April 8, 2011 - TF2 Team
Nice work, everyone! We're excited to share that, thanks to the generosity of the TF community, in two short weeks we managed to collect
$430,543.65 for the Japanese disaster relief fund. It's been inspiring to watch gamers around the world come together for such a worthy cause.
We'd also like to give a special thanks to the good folks over at the Unusual Hats Club for taking it upon themselves to raise an additional $3,000 through their own Hats for Help campaign.
Thanks for taking part in our charity drive, everyone! Wear your hats with pride!
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April 7, 2011 - The Heavy
Um. Hello. Is this on? Excuse please. This is first time making blog post. For babies. I am sorry. Before I sell you something, I am supposed to flatter you. So: not baby. You are all not babies. There. Done. Yes?
No? Oh kay.
Usually Soldier has baby job of talking to you through button board. He cannot come to blog today because he tells me he must accept highest honor US government can give: Jury Duty. He could not wait to go deliver his guilty hanging verdict for whatever it is criminal did, but he left seventeen page speech for me to type to you. I am not doing this.
Anyway, hats. They are new and very good for you. There are ten of them. One is bear, not hat. So nine hats and bear. Available through drops, craftings and store. Is good deal, you should buy. Moneys go to TF community members who make hats and bears. Do not wait. Get in line now for hat or bear. Have money ready because line is going to be long.
These are good words. Job is done. Where is Heavy's hat?
What?
I SAID, WHERE IS HEAVY'S HAT?
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April 5, 2011 - TF2 Team
Here's an update of some happenings in the TF2 community:
- ChemicalAlia has been working on a female counterpart to the Spy.
- Gang Garrison just launched a new classy update with all sorts of new and improved features.
- ETF2L finals for the European Highlander Challenge Cup has been completed! SNSD clinched top spot against Colony.
- Pubbers vs Pros has also concluded with the pubbers grabbing the win against the pros.
- Replays of both the Highlander Challenge and Pubbers vs Pros mentioned tournaments are available here complete with commentary.
- Turkeydoesnotwantplz made this sweet minigun to tromp around his neighborhood with. Looks like he needs a couple more sandviches though.
- TF2TV is holding a competition for people to create a TF2TV themed poster or wallpaper. Details on their page.
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March 29, 2011 - TF2 Team
Wow. Seriously, people, WOW. We knew you had it in you, but we're still amazed you've raised over $300,000 so far.
Take a BOW, TF2 community -- because that is an incredible, frankly astounding, amount of money from a dedicated number of gamers, to one heck of a lot of people in some real need right now. Anytime someone gives you guff about something negative in gaming, you go ahead and point them to this post, because here's some late-breaking damn news: they are wrong and gamers are generous and awesome.
Thanks again, and don't forget, these items are available until April 6.
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March 23, 2011 - TF2 Team
Here at Valve, we've always been consistently blown away by the creativity and generosity of the TF2 community -- through art contests, map making, item creating, or any one of the hundreds of other ways that you manage to impress us every day.
Today, we'd like to offer a chance to help out at a time when that help matters most. To support the relief efforts currently underway in Japan, we're introducing three limited edition hats and two special noisemakers to the Mann Co. store. The "Humanitarian's Hachimaki" ($7.99), the "Benefactor's Kanmuri" ($19.99) and the most prestigious "Magnanimous Monarch" ($99.99) will be available from now through April 6. All proceeds (net of applicable taxes) will go directly towards the Japanese disaster relief fund that the American Red Cross has set up. The hats can be equipped by all classes; however, they cannot be traded or used for crafting.
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