Deathcam

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Ico camera.png
A DeathCam shot with gib labels


The DeathCam, also known as the Freeze Cam, is a gameplay feature that activates upon death. When you are killed, the camera zooms in on your killer (in the case of assists, the one that dealt the fatal blow) and freezes for several seconds. At this point, their name, health and whether or not they are your Nemesis are displayed. Their currently equipped weapon, miscellaneous item or hat may also be displayed in its own tab, along with custom names and descriptions. In addition to this, an 'On the bright side:' box may be displayed, detailing how your stats measured up to your personal records in that round. During the freeze-frame sequence, you may wish to take a screenshot (F5 by default), which will be accompanied by a flash and the sound of a camera shutter. The screenshots are located in (folders prior to Steam main folder)/Steam/steamapps/*steamname*/Team Fortress 2/tf/screenshots.

If your ragdoll appears in the shot, it may be marked with a "You!" label. If you were gibbed, your body parts are marked with humorous labels such as "Your arm!", "Your head!", "Your lungs!", "More bits!", and so on.

The function of the Deathcam in gameplay according to developer commentary is to allow the player to discern the location of their killer, allowing them to adapt their strategy upon respawn. This functions to lessen the frustration of being killed by an unseen or unexpected opponent and turn the player's demise into a learning experience. Some achievements also require you to taunt over the body of a fallen opponent.

Related Achievements

Soldier

Gore-a! Gore-a! Gore-a!
Gore-a! Gore-a! Gore-a!
Provide the enemy with a freezecam of you taunting over 3 of their body parts.
Worth a Thousand Words
Worth a Thousand Words
Provide the enemy with a freezecam of your 21 gun salute.

Pyro

Freezer Burn
Freezer Burn
Provide enemies with freezecam shots of each of your taunts.

Demoman

Bloody Merry
Bloody Merry
Provide an enemy player with a freeze cam of your smiling face.
Second Eye
Second Eye
Provide an enemy player with a freeze cam of you shaking your rump.

Heavy

Photostroika
Photostroika
Provide an enemy with a freezecam shot of you taunting while invulnerable.

Engineer

Six-String Stinger
Six-String Stinger
Provide an enemy player with a freeze cam of your guitar playing skills.
Uncivil Engineer
Uncivil Engineer
Provide an enemy player with a freeze cam of you and the sentry that just killed them.

Medic

Autopsy Report
Autopsy Report
Provide an enemy with a freezecam shot of you taunting above their ragdoll.


Sniper

Be Polite
Be Polite
Provide an enemy with a freezecam shot of you doffing your hat.
The Last Wave
The Last Wave
Provide an enemy with a freezecam shot of you waving to them.

Spy

For Your Eyes Only
For Your Eyes Only
Provide an enemy with a freezecam shot of you flicking a cigarette onto their corpse.

Update history

October 25, 2007 Patch

  • Deathcam screenshots now move the player id panel to the lower right, and hide other hud elements until the freezecam fades.

August 19, 2008 Patch

  • Made the freezecam item panel description easier to read.

August 31, 2009 Patch

  • Fixed freezecam screenshots sometimes being saved outside the Screenshots folder.

June 16, 2010 Patch

  • Implemented hud_freezecamhide 1/0 console command.
    • When set to 1, freezecams no longer display "You have been killed by..." messages.

Trivia

  • Certain environmental deaths may still result in a Deathcam sequence.