Difference between revisions of "Team Fortress"

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(Undo edit by Georgian Bankrobber This re-adds the same link 6 times in the references, which is not necessary and is what the "name" thing is for. However, I forgot the / on a few of them.)
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Team Fortress''}}
 
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Team Fortress''}}
 
{{Game infobox
 
{{Game infobox
| game-name-override = ''Team Fortress''
+
  | game-name-override = ''Team Fortress''
| boxart-image = Tf1-1.jpeg
+
  | boxart-image       = Tf1-1.jpeg
| developer = Team Fortress Software
+
  | developer         = Team Fortress Software
| engines = [[w:Quake engine|Quake Engine]]<br>QuakeWorld Engine
+
  | engines           = [[w:Quake engine|Quake Engine]]<br>QuakeWorld Engine
| designers = [[Robin Walker]], [[John Cook]], [[Ian Caughley]]
+
  | designers         = [[Robin Walker]], [[John Cook]], [[Ian Caughley]]
| released = August 24, 1996
+
  | released           = August 24, 1996
| mode = [[w:Multiplayer video game|Multiplayer]]
+
  | mode               = [[w:Multiplayer video game|Multiplayer]]
| genre = [[w:First-person shooter|First person shooter]]
+
  | genre             = [[w:First-person shooter|First-person shooter]]
| platforms = Windows<br>Mac OS X<br>Linux
+
  | platforms         = Windows<br>Mac OS X<br>Linux
| requirements = Quake, QuakeWorld<br>800 MHz processor<br>128 MB RAM<br>32 MB video or more<br>Windows 2000/XP
+
  | requirements       = Quake, QuakeWorld<br>800 MHz processor<br>128 MB RAM<br>32 MB video or more<br>Windows 2000/XP
 
}}
 
}}
  
'''''Team Fortress''''' ('''''TF''''') is a team- and class-based multiplayer online first-person shooter video game [[mod]] based on [[w:id Software|id Software's]] [[w:Quake engine|''Quake'' Engine]], and later ''QuakeWorld'' Engine. ''Team Fortress'', also known as '''''Quake Team Fortress''''' ('''''QTF'''''), and later '''''QuakeWorld Team Fortress''''' ('''''QWTF'''''), was designed and written by [[Robin Walker|Robin "Bro" Walker]], [[John Cook|John "Jojie" Cook]], and [[Ian Caughley|Ian "Scuba" Caughley]] in 1996. This team created their patch to ''Quake'' for their own use because they desired a [[Classes|multiclass]] game with quite different playing-styles for each class.<ref>[http://barad-dur.mordor.ch/1997/GAMES/TF/guild.html#DESIGNERS ''TF Code Designers''] Robin Walker, The Guild ''Team Fortress Map Creator's Guild'' (The Official Team Fortress Home Page), ''"We wrote TF for the simple reason that it was the patch we wanted to play on our home LAN. We wanted a multiple class patch that had quite different playing-styles for each class, in the hope that any person could find a class that he/she liked."''.</ref>
+
'''''Team Fortress''''' ('''''TF''''') is a team- and class-based multiplayer online [[w:First-person shooter|first-person shooter]] video game [[mod]] based on [[w:id Software|id Software]]'s [[w:Quake engine|''Quake'' Engine]] and subsequent ''QuakeWorld'' Engine. ''Team Fortress'', also known as '''''Quake Team Fortress''''' ('''''QTF''''') and later '''''QuakeWorld Team Fortress''''' ('''''QWTF'''''), was designed and written by [[Robin Walker|Robin "Bro" Walker]], [[John Cook|John "Jojie" Cook]], and [[Ian Caughley|Ian "Scuba" Caughley]] in 1996. This team created their patch to ''[[w:Quake (video game)|Quake]]'' for personal use because they desired a [[Classes|multiclass]] game with quite different playing styles for each class.<ref>[http://barad-dur.mordor.ch/1997/GAMES/TF/guild.html#DESIGNERS ''TF'' Code Designers] - Robin Walker, The Guild / ''Team Fortress'' Map Creator's Guild (The Official Team Fortress Home Page).</ref>
  
Because of its popularity, ''Team Fortress'' has spawned an endless amount of mods for not only ''Team Fortress'', but other games as well. The game continues to be played competitively today, largely through its open-source fork [https://www.fortressone.org FortressOne].
+
Due to its popularity, ''Team Fortress'' has spawned an endless amount of mods for not only ''Team Fortress'' but other games as well. The game continues to be played competitively today, largely through its open-source fork ''[https://www.fortressone.org FortressOne]''.
  
[[Valve]] took an interest in the Team Fortress Software organization and hired the three creators to work on a ''Team Fortress'' ''[[Half-Life]]'' mod, and later a standalone version called ''[[Team Fortress Classic]]'' (TFC), released in 1999. A standalone sequel to ''Team Fortress Classic'', ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'' (''TF2'') was developed by Valve and released in 2007.
+
[[Valve]] took an interest in the Team Fortress Software organization and hired the two of the creators to work on a ''Team Fortress'' ''[[Half-Life]]'' mod and later a standalone version called ''[[Team Fortress Classic]]'' (''TFC''), released in 1999. A standalone sequel to ''Team Fortress Classic'', ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'' (''TF2''), was developed by Valve and released in 2007.
  
To this day, some people still participate in ''Team Fortress'' servers. ''Team Fortress'' has also spawned many mods replicating its formula for other games, such as ''Quake III Fortress'', ''Enemy Territory Fortress'', etc.
+
To this day, people still participate in ''Team Fortress'' servers. ''Team Fortress'' has also spawned many mods replicating its formula for other games, such as [https://www.moddb.com/mods/q3f ''Quake III Fortress''], [https://www.moddb.com/mods/enemy-territory-fortress ''Enemy Territory Fortress''], etc.
  
 
''Note: "Team Fortress" is also the name of the overall series of games.''
 
''Note: "Team Fortress" is also the name of the overall series of games.''
  
 
==Gameplay==
 
==Gameplay==
''Team Fortress'' has a high emphasis on teamwork and cooperation involving two teams (red and blue), with nine classes on each team. Some maps have an extra two teams (yellow and green); later games in the series, such as ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'', only include a red team and a blue team. The players battle each other to complete objectives in game modes like [[Attack/Defend]] and [[Capture the Flag]].
+
''Team Fortress'' has a high emphasis on teamwork and cooperation, involving two teams (Red and Blue), up to 32 players, and nine classes. Some maps have an extra two teams (Yellow and Green) and an additional tenth class; later games in the series, such as ''Team Fortress 2'', only include a red team and a blue team (stylized as [[RED]] and [[BLU]] in Valve's 2007 release). The players battle each other to complete objectives in game modes like [[List of game modes (Classic)#Attack/Defend|Attack/Defend]] and [[List of game modes#Capture the Flag|Capture the Flag]] (CTF), the latter adapted from [https://www.giantbomb.com/david-kirsch/3040-12064/ David "Zoid" Kirsch]'s landmark ''Quake'' mod [https://www.quakeworld.nu/wiki/Capture_the_Flag ''Threewave Capture the Flag''].<ref>[https://qwtf.org/Chronicles/ QWTF] Chronical pages.</ref>
  
''Team Fortress'' has these ten classes available to each team:
+
''Team Fortress'' has ten classes available to each team:
  
 
*[[Scout (Classic)|Scout]]
 
*[[Scout (Classic)|Scout]]
Line 35: Line 35:
 
*[[Heavy Weapons Guy (Classic)|Heavy Weapons Guy]]
 
*[[Heavy Weapons Guy (Classic)|Heavy Weapons Guy]]
 
*[[Pyro (Classic)|Pyromaniac]]
 
*[[Pyro (Classic)|Pyromaniac]]
*[[Civilian (Classic)|Civilian]] (Escort only)
+
*[[Civilian (Classic)|Civilian]] ([[List of game modes (Classic)#Assassination/Escort|Escort]] only)
 
*[[Spy (Classic)|Spy]]
 
*[[Spy (Classic)|Spy]]
 
*[[Engineer (Classic)|Engineer]]
 
*[[Engineer (Classic)|Engineer]]
 +
A possible scuba-diver class was discussed between the developers but never made the cut.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19980704073728/http://www.erinyes.com/tf/history3.html A Romp Through ''TF'' History] - Mr.Potato Head.</ref>
  
== Most popular maps ==
+
== Game modes ==
Official maps have never been made for this mod, but the community has picked the best custom maps and made an unofficial "map list". Nearly all of the gamemodes in the rest of the ''Team Fortress'' series of games have their origins in unofficial ''Team Fortress'' maps. The most popular maps are:
+
* Deathmatch
 +
* Capture the Flag
 +
* [[Territorial Control]]
 +
* [[Control Point]]
 +
* Assassination/Escort
 +
 
 +
== Maps ==
 +
Official maps have never been made for this mod, but the community has picked the best custom maps and made an unofficial "map list". Nearly all of the game modes in the rest of the ''Team Fortress'' series of games have their origins in unofficial ''Team Fortress'' maps. The most popular maps are:
 
*[[2Fort5 (QTF)|2Fort5]]
 
*[[2Fort5 (QTF)|2Fort5]]
*Aztec1
+
*[[Aztec1]]
*Bam4
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*[[Bam4]]
*Border1
+
*[[Border1]]
 
*[[Canalzon (QTF)|Canalzon]]
 
*[[Canalzon (QTF)|Canalzon]]
 
*[[Rock1 (QTF)|Rock1]]
 
*[[Rock1 (QTF)|Rock1]]
 
*[[Well6 (QTF)|Well6]]
 
*[[Well6 (QTF)|Well6]]
  
== Lasting maps ==
+
When Valve hired two of ''Team Fortress'''s developers to work on ''Team Fortress Classic'', the pair recreated a few of the maps that were made for the original ''Team Fortress'' mod: [[2Fort (Classic)|2Fort]], [[Well (Classic)|Well]], [[Canalzone 2 (Classic)|Canalzone]], and [[Rock 2 (Classic)|Rock]]. 2Fort and Well were eventually remade for ''Team Fortress 2''.
When [[Valve]] hired the developers of ''Team Fortress'' to work on ''[[Team Fortress Classic]]'', the developers recreated a few of the maps that were made for the original ''Team Fortress'' mod. Specifically, they recreated ''2Fort'', ''Well'', ''Canal Zone'', and ''Rock''. 2Fort and Well were eventually remade for ''[[Team Fortress 2]]''.
+
 
 +
== Clans ==
 +
At the time, clans were the fabric of a multiplayer game's community, and ''Team Fortress'' was no exception. These organized groups of players hosted servers and held regular clan war matches and eSports tournaments, but, most importantly, clans were havens for the most competitive and ambitious players.
 +
Most clans peaked at an upper limit of around 30 players. However, some groups reached a point of fielding two teams at a time—Dark Shadows, for example, attained its highest amount of players at 56 members.<ref>[https://qwtf.org/Clans/darkshadows.html History of Dark Shadows]</ref>
 +
While many clans were loosely structured, it wasn't uncommon to see the implementation of web-based match attendance databases, demerit systems, and "War Councils".
 +
 
 +
[https://qwtf.org/#qwtf-clans Notable ''QWTF'' clans].
  
 
== Versions ==
 
== Versions ==
  
'''Quake Team Fortress:'''
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'''''Quake Team Fortress''''':
*''August 24, 1996'' - Version 1.0, based on the Quake Engine, released with the [[Scout (Classic)|Scout]], [[Sniper (Classic)|Sniper]], [[Soldier (Classic)|Soldier]], [[Demoman (Classic)|Demolitions Man]], and [[Medic (Classic)|Combat Medic]] classes.
+
*''August 24, 1996'' - Version 1.0, based on the ''Quake'' Engine, released. Scout, Sniper, Soldier, Demolitions Man, and Medic classes added.
*''August 31, 1996'' - Version 1.1 released with the [[Heavy Weapons Guy (Classic)|Heavy Weapons Guy]] class and 2fort5 map added.
+
*''August 31, 1996'' - Version 1.1 released. Heavy Weapons Guy class and 2Fort map added.
*''September 11, 1996'' Version 1.2 released with the Random class added.
+
*''September 11, 1996'' - Version 1.2 released. Random class added.
*''September 17, 1996'' - Version 1.21 released
+
*''September 17, 1996'' - Version 1.21 released.
*''October 31, 1996'' Version 1.3 released with the [[Pyro (Classic)|Pyromaniac]] class added.
+
*''October 31, 1996'' - Version 1.3 released. Pyromaniac class added.
*''November 4, 1996'' Version 1.31 released
+
*''November 4, 1996'' - Version 1.31 released.
*''November 10, 1996'' Version 1.32 released
+
*''November 10, 1996'' - Version 1.32 released.
*''November 11, 1996'' Version 1.33 released
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*''November 11, 1996'' - Version 1.33 released.
'''QuakeWorld Team Fortress:'''
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*''Sometime around November or December'' - Version 1.37 (Beta) released.
 +
'''''QuakeWorld Team Fortress''''':
 
*''December 22, 1996'' - Version 2.0 (Beta), based on the QuakeWorld Engine, released.
 
*''December 22, 1996'' - Version 2.0 (Beta), based on the QuakeWorld Engine, released.
*''January 22, 1997'' - Version 2.1 released with the [[Civilian (Classic)|Civilian]] class added.
+
*''December 24, 1996'' - Version 2.01 (Beta) released.
*''January 27, 1997'' - Version 2.11 released
+
*''December 28, 1996'' - Version 2.03 (Beta) released.
*''February 4, 1997'' - Version 2.12 released
+
*''January 23, 1997'' - Version 2.1 released. Civilian class added.
*''February 17, 1997'' - Version 2.13 released
+
*''January 27, 1997'' - Version 2.11 released.
*''April 4, 1997'' - TeamFortress Software formed.
+
*''February 4, 1997'' - Version 2.12 released.
*''April 12, 1997'' - Version 2.14 released
+
*''February 17, 1997'' - Version 2.13 released.
*''April 12, 1997'' - Version 2.15 released, which is same as 2.14, but using QuakeWorld 1.5
+
*''March 12, 1997'' - Version 2.14 released.
*''June 13, 1997'' - Version 2.5 released with the [[Spy (Classic)|Spy]] and [[Engineer (Classic)|Engineer]] classes added.
+
*''April 8, 1997'' - Version 2.15 released, which is the same as 2.14 but using ''QuakeWorld'' 1.5.
*''July 22, 1997'' - Version 2.6 released
+
*''April 9, 1997'' - [https://web.archive.org/web/19970704225144/http://www.teamfortress.com/patches.html TeamFortress Software] founded.
*''December 16, 1997'' - Version 2.666 released
+
*''April 13, 1997'' - Version 2.5 (Beta) released.
*''January 29, 1998'' - Version 2.7 released
+
*''June 13, 1997'' - Version 2.5 released. Spy and Engineer classes added.
*''May 21, 1998'' Version 2.9 released.
+
*''August 13, 1997'' - Version 2.6 (Beta) released. The changes were reportedly highly controversial among the ''TF'' community.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19990202045310/http://www.planetfortress.com/teamfortress/oldnews.html ''TF'' News, August 17, 1997]</ref>
 +
*''August 23, 1997'' - Version 2.6 released.
 +
*''October 13, 1997'' - Version 2.65 (Beta) released.
 +
*''October 17, 1997'' - "[[Team Fortress#Intro video|Quake Intro]]" released.
 +
*''October 30, 1997'' - 2fort5 map released.
 +
*''December 16, 1997'' - Version 2.666 released. Christmas mode added.
 +
*''January 29, 1998'' - Version 2.7 released.
 +
*''May 23, 1998'' - Version 2.8 released.
 +
*''October 20, 1998'' - Version 2.9 released.
  
 
== Intro video ==
 
== Intro video ==
Line 84: Line 107:
  
 
== TeamFortress Software ==
 
== TeamFortress Software ==
'''[https://web.archive.org/web/19970704225229/http://www.teamfortress.com/info.html TeamFortress Software]''' was a company that developed [[w:Quake (video game)|''Quake'']] mods<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19970704225144/http://www.teamfortress.com/patches.html ''TeamFortress Software - Quake Patches'']</ref> and related utilities<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19970704225204/http://www.teamfortress.com/utils.html ''TeamFortress Software - Quake Utils'']</ref>. It is the company that created the original Team Fortress, with a total of 6 employees. Some of the employees would go on to go work at Valve, such as [[Robin Walker]], [[John Cook]], and [[Ian Caughley]]. It was incorporated on April 9, 1997.
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Created at the suggestion of Ian Caughley, TeamFortress Software (incorporated  on April 9, 1997) was a short-lived game company located in [[w: Melbourne|Melbourne]], [[w: Australia|Australia]], totaling six employees. The team developed ''Quake'' mods<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19970704225144/http://www.teamfortress.com/patches.html TeamFortress Software - ''Quake'' Patches]</ref> and related utilities<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19970704225204/http://www.teamfortress.com/utils.html TeamFortress Software - ''Quake'' Utils]</ref>, including ''Team Fortress''. Moreover, the company was sometimes preoccupied with contract work for major publishers like [[w: Electronic Arts|Electronic Arts]] and [[w: Activision|Activision]].<ref name=makingof>[https://www.shacknews.com/article/103827/threading-the-needle-the-making-of-quake-team-fortress Threading the Needle: The Making of ''Quake Team Fortress''] - Robin Walker.</ref>
 +
 
 +
Around this time, Valve's attention turned towards the bustling FPS modding scene, though more specifically, ''Quake'''s growing legion of dedicated modders.
 +
According to John Cook, ''"Valve basically was taking advantage of Quake's modding ecosystem to hire people. They were looking for anyone who had made anything interesting with Quake, and with other games, but Quake was certainly a focus."''<ref name=makingof/>. To Valve, ''QWTF'' stood out in the industry, and in March 1998, the lead designers were invited to Valve's [[w: Seattle|Seattle]] Headquarters for three months to work on ''Half-Life'''s multiplayer modes and the earliest iteration of ''Team Fortress 2''. Roughly six weeks after their arrival, [[Gabe Newell]] offered to purchase the licensing rights to ''Team Fortress'' and provide the three with full-time jobs.<ref name=makingof/> From then on, Cook and Robin Walker would work on ''TFC'' and ''TF2'' as part of Valve's software department.
 +
 
 +
== Trivia ==
 +
* A 2v2 [[w:Doom (video game)|''Doom'']] map titled [https://doomwiki.org/wiki/FORTRESS.WAD FORTRESS.WAD] [[https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/deathmatch/d-f/fortress download]], noted for its team-oriented playstyle and customizable loadouts, served as the initial inspiration for the mod and its name.<ref name=makingof/>
 +
* [[w: Role-playing games|Role-playing]] and [[w: Real-time strategy|real-time strategy]] releases such as [[w: Dungeons & Dragons|''Dungeons & Dragons'']], [[w: Hexen: Beyond Heretic|''Hexen: Beyond Heretic'']], and [[w: Syndicate (1993 video game)|''Syndicate'']] shaped the development of ''TF''.<ref name=makingof/>
 +
*When data was collected from ''Quake'' servers, it was revealed that ''TF'''s CTF game mode was more popular than ''Threewave'', a Capture the Flag mod.<ref name=makingof/>
 +
 
 +
== Gallery ==
 +
<gallery>
 +
File: QTF Heavy.png|The Heavy Weapons Guy.
 +
File:QTF Engineer and Sentry Gun.png|The Engineer.
 +
File:QTF Medic vs. QTF Scout.png|The Scout fleeing an enemy Medic.
 +
File:QTF Soldier combat.png|The Soldier battling an enemy Sniper.
 +
File:QTF promo image.png|Promotional image.
 +
</gallery>
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
* [[Team Fortress Classic]]
+
* ''[[Team Fortress Classic]]''
* [[Team Fortress 2]]
+
* ''[[Team Fortress 2]]''
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
* [https://www.fortressone.org FortressOne] - Free, open-source fork of the original 1996 QuakeWorld mod Team Fortress
+
* [[w:Team Fortress|''Team Fortress'']] - Wikipedia's ''Team Fortress'' article.
* [https://qwtf.org QWTF Chronicles] - QuakeWorld Team Fortress archive. <!-- Archive link: [https://web.archive.org/web/20231229142431/qwtf.org QWTF Chronicles]-->
+
* [https://www.fortressone.org ''FortressOne''] - Free, open-source fork of the original 1996 ''QuakeWorld'' mod ''Team Fortress''.
* [[w:Team Fortress|Team Fortress]] - Wikipedia's Team Fortress article
+
* [https://www.moddb.com/mods/team-fortress/downloads ''Team Fortress'' on ModDB] (v1.0, v1.3, v2.5, etc.).
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131005123834/http://www.planetfortress.com/teamfortress/ Team Fortress website (archived)]
+
* [https://qwtf.org ''QWTF'' Chronicles] - ''QuakeWorld Team Fortress'' archive. <!-- Archive link: [https://web.archive.org/web/20231229142431/qwtf.org ''QWTF'' Chronicles]-->
 +
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131005123834/http://www.planetfortress.com/teamfortress/ ''Team Fortress'' website] (archived).
 +
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19980704070400/http://www.erinyes.com/tf/history.html A Romp Through ''TF'' History] (archived).
 +
* [https://www.quaddicted.com/webarchive/www.planetfortress.com/index.html Planet Fortress] (archived).
  
 
== References ==
 
== References ==

Latest revision as of 12:59, 8 September 2024

Team Fortress
Tf1-1.jpeg
Basic Information
Released:

August 24, 1996

Developer:

Team Fortress Software

Engines:

Quake Engine
QuakeWorld Engine

Genre:

First-person shooter

Mode:

Multiplayer

Designers:

Robin Walker, John Cook, Ian Caughley

Platforms:

Windows
Mac OS X
Linux

Requirements:

Quake, QuakeWorld
800 MHz processor
128 MB RAM
32 MB video or more
Windows 2000/XP

Team Fortress (TF) is a team- and class-based multiplayer online first-person shooter video game mod based on id Software's Quake Engine and subsequent QuakeWorld Engine. Team Fortress, also known as Quake Team Fortress (QTF) and later QuakeWorld Team Fortress (QWTF), was designed and written by Robin "Bro" Walker, John "Jojie" Cook, and Ian "Scuba" Caughley in 1996. This team created their patch to Quake for personal use because they desired a multiclass game with quite different playing styles for each class.[1]

Due to its popularity, Team Fortress has spawned an endless amount of mods for not only Team Fortress but other games as well. The game continues to be played competitively today, largely through its open-source fork FortressOne.

Valve took an interest in the Team Fortress Software organization and hired the two of the creators to work on a Team Fortress Half-Life mod and later a standalone version called Team Fortress Classic (TFC), released in 1999. A standalone sequel to Team Fortress Classic, Team Fortress 2 (TF2), was developed by Valve and released in 2007.

To this day, people still participate in Team Fortress servers. Team Fortress has also spawned many mods replicating its formula for other games, such as Quake III Fortress, Enemy Territory Fortress, etc.

Note: "Team Fortress" is also the name of the overall series of games.

Gameplay

Team Fortress has a high emphasis on teamwork and cooperation, involving two teams (Red and Blue), up to 32 players, and nine classes. Some maps have an extra two teams (Yellow and Green) and an additional tenth class; later games in the series, such as Team Fortress 2, only include a red team and a blue team (stylized as RED and BLU in Valve's 2007 release). The players battle each other to complete objectives in game modes like Attack/Defend and Capture the Flag (CTF), the latter adapted from David "Zoid" Kirsch's landmark Quake mod Threewave Capture the Flag.[2]

Team Fortress has ten classes available to each team:

A possible scuba-diver class was discussed between the developers but never made the cut.[3]

Game modes

Maps

Official maps have never been made for this mod, but the community has picked the best custom maps and made an unofficial "map list". Nearly all of the game modes in the rest of the Team Fortress series of games have their origins in unofficial Team Fortress maps. The most popular maps are:

When Valve hired two of Team Fortress's developers to work on Team Fortress Classic, the pair recreated a few of the maps that were made for the original Team Fortress mod: 2Fort, Well, Canalzone, and Rock. 2Fort and Well were eventually remade for Team Fortress 2.

Clans

At the time, clans were the fabric of a multiplayer game's community, and Team Fortress was no exception. These organized groups of players hosted servers and held regular clan war matches and eSports tournaments, but, most importantly, clans were havens for the most competitive and ambitious players. Most clans peaked at an upper limit of around 30 players. However, some groups reached a point of fielding two teams at a time—Dark Shadows, for example, attained its highest amount of players at 56 members.[4] While many clans were loosely structured, it wasn't uncommon to see the implementation of web-based match attendance databases, demerit systems, and "War Councils".

Notable QWTF clans.

Versions

Quake Team Fortress:

  • August 24, 1996 - Version 1.0, based on the Quake Engine, released. Scout, Sniper, Soldier, Demolitions Man, and Medic classes added.
  • August 31, 1996 - Version 1.1 released. Heavy Weapons Guy class and 2Fort map added.
  • September 11, 1996 - Version 1.2 released. Random class added.
  • September 17, 1996 - Version 1.21 released.
  • October 31, 1996 - Version 1.3 released. Pyromaniac class added.
  • November 4, 1996 - Version 1.31 released.
  • November 10, 1996 - Version 1.32 released.
  • November 11, 1996 - Version 1.33 released.
  • Sometime around November or December - Version 1.37 (Beta) released.

QuakeWorld Team Fortress:

  • December 22, 1996 - Version 2.0 (Beta), based on the QuakeWorld Engine, released.
  • December 24, 1996 - Version 2.01 (Beta) released.
  • December 28, 1996 - Version 2.03 (Beta) released.
  • January 23, 1997 - Version 2.1 released. Civilian class added.
  • January 27, 1997 - Version 2.11 released.
  • February 4, 1997 - Version 2.12 released.
  • February 17, 1997 - Version 2.13 released.
  • March 12, 1997 - Version 2.14 released.
  • April 8, 1997 - Version 2.15 released, which is the same as 2.14 but using QuakeWorld 1.5.
  • April 9, 1997 - TeamFortress Software founded.
  • April 13, 1997 - Version 2.5 (Beta) released.
  • June 13, 1997 - Version 2.5 released. Spy and Engineer classes added.
  • August 13, 1997 - Version 2.6 (Beta) released. The changes were reportedly highly controversial among the TF community.[5]
  • August 23, 1997 - Version 2.6 released.
  • October 13, 1997 - Version 2.65 (Beta) released.
  • October 17, 1997 - "Quake Intro" released.
  • October 30, 1997 - 2fort5 map released.
  • December 16, 1997 - Version 2.666 released. Christmas mode added.
  • January 29, 1998 - Version 2.7 released.
  • May 23, 1998 - Version 2.8 released.
  • October 20, 1998 - Version 2.9 released.

Intro video

The Team Fortress (version 2.6) introduction video.

TeamFortress Software

Created at the suggestion of Ian Caughley, TeamFortress Software (incorporated on April 9, 1997) was a short-lived game company located in Melbourne, Australia, totaling six employees. The team developed Quake mods[6] and related utilities[7], including Team Fortress. Moreover, the company was sometimes preoccupied with contract work for major publishers like Electronic Arts and Activision.[8]

Around this time, Valve's attention turned towards the bustling FPS modding scene, though more specifically, Quake's growing legion of dedicated modders. According to John Cook, "Valve basically was taking advantage of Quake's modding ecosystem to hire people. They were looking for anyone who had made anything interesting with Quake, and with other games, but Quake was certainly a focus."[8]. To Valve, QWTF stood out in the industry, and in March 1998, the lead designers were invited to Valve's Seattle Headquarters for three months to work on Half-Life's multiplayer modes and the earliest iteration of Team Fortress 2. Roughly six weeks after their arrival, Gabe Newell offered to purchase the licensing rights to Team Fortress and provide the three with full-time jobs.[8] From then on, Cook and Robin Walker would work on TFC and TF2 as part of Valve's software department.

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References

  1. TF Code Designers - Robin Walker, The Guild / Team Fortress Map Creator's Guild (The Official Team Fortress Home Page).
  2. QWTF Chronical pages.
  3. A Romp Through TF History - Mr.Potato Head.
  4. History of Dark Shadows
  5. TF News, August 17, 1997
  6. TeamFortress Software - Quake Patches
  7. TeamFortress Software - Quake Utils
  8. a b c d e f Threading the Needle: The Making of Quake Team Fortress - Robin Walker.