Team Fortress Classic
Encyclopedia
Team Fortress Classic, also known as Team Fortress 1.5 or simply TFC, is a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter
video game developed by Valve Corporation
. It is a remake of the Team Fortress
modification
for Quake. Team Fortress Classic was originally released for Windows
on April 7, 1999 as a free addition to Half-Life. A standalone version was later released with Valve's Steam system in 2003. The development of Team Fortress Classic was led by John Cook and Robin Walker, the designers of the original Team Fortress modification.
The game was originally announced in 1999, powered by Valve's GoldSrc engine. The designers of the Team Fortress modification were contracted by Valve to develop Team Fortress 2
, but initially remade their original work on Valve's game engine. The game itself involves a number of teams, each with access to nine classes, competing in a variety of scenarios such as capture the flag
, VIP protection and territorial control. In June 2000, the game underwent a significant upgrade, adding new player character models and game modes. As of 2008, the game is one of the ten most played Half-Life modifications in terms of players, according to GameSpy
. In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
.
This aspect of teamwork is what makes Team Fortress unique. Before the game was released, most gamers were playing games such as Doom which were in a straight forward death match format. Team fortress not only offered objective based gameplay in which players must work together in order to achieve a team goal, but also offered classes which created a rock paper scissors type of gameplay. This encouraged users to play varied classes and also to use the classes in conjunction with one another in order to gain the greatest advantage.
levels, the objective for both teams is to capture the enemy flag and return it to their base while preventing the opposing team from doing the same. Some maps of this type have twists on this formula, such as having multiple flags and requiring a team to capture them all, or requiring a team to perform a task such as disabling security grids before being able to access the flag. Territorial control maps consist of several command points that must be captured, typically either by standing on the command point or bringing a flag to the command point. Teams are awarded points at set intervals for each command point they control. Attack and defend maps, a variation of territorial control, feature one team trying to capture several command points in sequence, while the other team defends each command point from capture. In escort maps, the players are split into three teams—a single VIP
, the VIP's bodyguards and a group of assassin
s. The goal of escort maps is for the bodyguards to escort the VIP to a given point on the map, while the assassins attempt to kill the VIP before he gets there. In an update after the game's release, a further game mode, football, was introduced. In football levels, teams must capture a single ball and take it to a capture point within the enemy base. This is based on the English game of football rather than the American version of the sport as each round counts for only one point.
or nailgun
. In addition, all classes are armed with a melee weapon—usually a crowbar
—as well as grenade
s with a variety of effects depending on the class a player has chosen. In escort levels, a single player can assume the role of a civilian, armed only with an umbrella (and but 50 health and no armor), and must be escorted by the rest of the team across the level.
The scout is the fastest class in the game, but is unable to take much damage in return. The scout is armed with a nailgun as well as being able to use caltrop
s and concussion grenades to slow down and confuse opponents. The sniper class is armed with a high-powered sniper rifle
, and can be used to attack enemies from distant positions. Soldiers are significantly slower than snipers and scouts, but possess better armor and are armed with rocket launchers that allow them to rocket jump, along with combat shotguns as sidearms for backup. Rocket jumping, while effective for moving about the battlefield, also significantly damages the soldier. Soldiers can also make use of nail bomb
s to cause more damage within close quarters. The demoman is armed with a grenade launcher
for indirect fire onto enemy positions, and a Pipe Bomb launcher for booby trapping places as well as being equipped with a demolition pack capable of opening or closing certain routes on some levels.
The medic is equipped with a super nail gun, concussion grenades and a medical kit that can be used either to heal teammates or expose opponents to a contagious infection that drains health. The heavy weapons class is armed with a powerful minigun
, and can sustain more damage than any other class. However, the heavy is significantly slower than other classes. Pyros are equipped with a flamethrower
and an incendiary rocket launcher, both of which can set enemies on fire. The pyro also carries several napalm
grenades for the same purpose. The spy differs significantly in style from other classes, with the class possessing the ability to take on the appearance of any other class on either side. The spy is equipped with a knife to kill enemy players in one hit by stabbing them in the back as well as a tranquilizer gun to slow down opponents and hallucination gas to confuse them. Spies also possess the ability to feign death, allowing them to use their backstab ability more effectively. The final class is the engineer. A defensive class, engineers build structures to support their team, such as sentry gun
s to defend key points, ammunition dispensers and a teleporter. Engineers have the ability to replenish a teammates armour by tapping them with their spanner. In addition, the engineer is armed with EMP
grenades that detonates any explosive ammunition within its range, as well as a shotgun for backup.
was originally a 1996 QuakeWorld
mod. Its developers were working on Team Fortress 2
as a standalone game, but later joined Valve Software and ported the original as a mod for Half-Life called Team Fortress Classic in April 1999. Despite the company's 1998 statement that Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms would be released "soon", the game remained in development of one form or another for eight years until its release on October 10, 2007, and had been on Wired magazine's top ten vaporware
list every year since 2001.
Since Team Fortress Classics release in 1999, Valve has introduced various changes into the game. The updates tweaked the game's balance and on occasion added new content, such as new levels. A particularly large update was released on June 8, 2000, which introduced several new levels and game modes and a new GUI
menu interface, and optimized the game's network code for smoother, faster play. With this release, the game was renamed to Team Fortress 1.5. On March 13, 2001, the player models were redesigned. In 2003, the game was migrated into Valve's Steam system. Since then, a number of additional features were added. For much of its early history, Team Fortress Classic was second only to Counter-Strike
as the most played and popular of online games.
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
video game developed by Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
. It is a remake of the Team Fortress
Team Fortress
Team Fortress is a team- and class-based online multiplayer video game mod based on id Software's Quake. Team Fortress was designed and written by Robin Walker, John Cook and Ian Caughley in 1996. The mod's gameplay has caught on with a large following of fans, which has spurred many developers to...
modification
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
for Quake. Team Fortress Classic was originally released for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
on April 7, 1999 as a free addition to Half-Life. A standalone version was later released with Valve's Steam system in 2003. The development of Team Fortress Classic was led by John Cook and Robin Walker, the designers of the original Team Fortress modification.
The game was originally announced in 1999, powered by Valve's GoldSrc engine. The designers of the Team Fortress modification were contracted by Valve to develop Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2 is a free-to-play team-based first-person shooter multiplayer video game developed by Valve Corporation. A sequel to the original mod Team Fortress based on the Quake engine, it was first released as part of the video game compilation The Orange Box on October 10, 2007 for Windows...
, but initially remade their original work on Valve's game engine. The game itself involves a number of teams, each with access to nine classes, competing in a variety of scenarios such as capture the flag
Capture the flag
Capture the Flag is a traditional outdoor sport generally played by children, where two teams each have a flag and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base," and bring it safely back to their own base...
, VIP protection and territorial control. In June 2000, the game underwent a significant upgrade, adding new player character models and game modes. As of 2008, the game is one of the ten most played Half-Life modifications in terms of players, according to GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
. In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
Quintessence Editions Ltd.
Quintessence Editions Ltd. is a publishing company based in London which is the originator of the "1001 Before You Die" series. Typically, the titles in this series are intended as reference books. They are illustrated books authored by multiple contributors...
.
Gameplay
Team Fortress Classic revolves around a number of teams competing in a variety of game modes with players selecting one of nine classes to play as. Typically, players have the choice of two equal teams, red and blue, although certain game modes allow for more than two teams with access to different classes. Each game can sustain a maximum of 32 players. The way a player acts in a game is mostly defined by which class they select, and as such, Team Fortress Classic relies heavily on teamwork between players of different classes.This aspect of teamwork is what makes Team Fortress unique. Before the game was released, most gamers were playing games such as Doom which were in a straight forward death match format. Team fortress not only offered objective based gameplay in which players must work together in order to achieve a team goal, but also offered classes which created a rock paper scissors type of gameplay. This encouraged users to play varied classes and also to use the classes in conjunction with one another in order to gain the greatest advantage.
Game modes
Team Fortress Classic supports numerous types of play, with distinct objectives for teams of players to pursue. In capture the flagCapture the flag
Capture the Flag is a traditional outdoor sport generally played by children, where two teams each have a flag and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base," and bring it safely back to their own base...
levels, the objective for both teams is to capture the enemy flag and return it to their base while preventing the opposing team from doing the same. Some maps of this type have twists on this formula, such as having multiple flags and requiring a team to capture them all, or requiring a team to perform a task such as disabling security grids before being able to access the flag. Territorial control maps consist of several command points that must be captured, typically either by standing on the command point or bringing a flag to the command point. Teams are awarded points at set intervals for each command point they control. Attack and defend maps, a variation of territorial control, feature one team trying to capture several command points in sequence, while the other team defends each command point from capture. In escort maps, the players are split into three teams—a single VIP
Very Important Person
A Very Important Person, or VIP is a person who is accorded special privileges due to his or her status or importance.Examples include celebrities, heads of state/heads of government, major employers, high rollers, politicians, high-level corporate officers, wealthy individuals, or any other...
, the VIP's bodyguards and a group of assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
s. The goal of escort maps is for the bodyguards to escort the VIP to a given point on the map, while the assassins attempt to kill the VIP before he gets there. In an update after the game's release, a further game mode, football, was introduced. In football levels, teams must capture a single ball and take it to a capture point within the enemy base. This is based on the English game of football rather than the American version of the sport as each round counts for only one point.
Classes
There are nine standard classes in Team Fortress Classic that a player can select. Each class is equipped with at least one unique weapon, and is often armed with a secondary weapon such as a shotgunShotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
or nailgun
Needlegun
A needlegun, also known as a needler, flechette gun or fletcher, is a firearm that fires small, sometimes fin-stabilized, metal darts.-History:...
. In addition, all classes are armed with a melee weapon—usually a crowbar
Crowbar (tool)
A crowbar, a wrecking bar, pry bar, or prybar, or sometimes a prise bar or prisebar, and more informally a jimmy, jimmy bar, jemmy or gooseneck is a tool consisting of a metal bar with a single curved end and flattened points, often with a small fissure on one or both ends for removing nails...
—as well as grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
s with a variety of effects depending on the class a player has chosen. In escort levels, a single player can assume the role of a civilian, armed only with an umbrella (and but 50 health and no armor), and must be escorted by the rest of the team across the level.
The scout is the fastest class in the game, but is unable to take much damage in return. The scout is armed with a nailgun as well as being able to use caltrop
Caltrop
A caltrop is an antipersonnel weapon made up of two or more sharp nails or spines arranged in such a manner that one of them always points upward from a stable base...
s and concussion grenades to slow down and confuse opponents. The sniper class is armed with a high-powered sniper rifle
Sniper rifle
In military and law enforcement terminology, a sniper rifle is a precision-rifle used to ensure more accurate placement of bullets at longer ranges than other small arms. A typical sniper rifle is built for optimal levels of accuracy, fitted with a telescopic sight and chambered for a military...
, and can be used to attack enemies from distant positions. Soldiers are significantly slower than snipers and scouts, but possess better armor and are armed with rocket launchers that allow them to rocket jump, along with combat shotguns as sidearms for backup. Rocket jumping, while effective for moving about the battlefield, also significantly damages the soldier. Soldiers can also make use of nail bomb
Nail bomb
The nail bomb is an anti-personnel explosive device packed with nails to increase its wounding ability. The nails act as shrapnel, leading almost certainly to greater loss of life and injury in inhabited areas than the explosives alone would. The nail bomb is also a type of flechette weapon...
s to cause more damage within close quarters. The demoman is armed with a grenade launcher
Grenade launcher
A grenade launcher or grenade discharger is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity, and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....
for indirect fire onto enemy positions, and a Pipe Bomb launcher for booby trapping places as well as being equipped with a demolition pack capable of opening or closing certain routes on some levels.
The medic is equipped with a super nail gun, concussion grenades and a medical kit that can be used either to heal teammates or expose opponents to a contagious infection that drains health. The heavy weapons class is armed with a powerful minigun
Minigun
The Minigun is a 7.62 mm, multi-barrel heavy machine gun with a high rate of fire , employing Gatling-style rotating barrels with an external power source...
, and can sustain more damage than any other class. However, the heavy is significantly slower than other classes. Pyros are equipped with a flamethrower
Flamethrower
A flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of fire.Some flamethrowers project a stream of ignited flammable liquid; some project a long gas flame. Most military flamethrowers use liquids, but commercial flamethrowers tend to use high-pressure propane and...
and an incendiary rocket launcher, both of which can set enemies on fire. The pyro also carries several napalm
Napalm
Napalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...
grenades for the same purpose. The spy differs significantly in style from other classes, with the class possessing the ability to take on the appearance of any other class on either side. The spy is equipped with a knife to kill enemy players in one hit by stabbing them in the back as well as a tranquilizer gun to slow down opponents and hallucination gas to confuse them. Spies also possess the ability to feign death, allowing them to use their backstab ability more effectively. The final class is the engineer. A defensive class, engineers build structures to support their team, such as sentry gun
Sentry gun
The sentry gun is a gun that is automatically aimed and fired at targets that are detected by sensors. The earliest functioning military sentry gun was the Phalanx CIWS, a radar-guided gatling gun platform that defended ships from missiles....
s to defend key points, ammunition dispensers and a teleporter. Engineers have the ability to replenish a teammates armour by tapping them with their spanner. In addition, the engineer is armed with EMP
Electromagnetic pulse
An electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. The abrupt pulse of electromagnetic radiation usually results from certain types of high energy explosions, especially a nuclear explosion, or from a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field...
grenades that detonates any explosive ammunition within its range, as well as a shotgun for backup.
Development
Team FortressTeam Fortress
Team Fortress is a team- and class-based online multiplayer video game mod based on id Software's Quake. Team Fortress was designed and written by Robin Walker, John Cook and Ian Caughley in 1996. The mod's gameplay has caught on with a large following of fans, which has spurred many developers to...
was originally a 1996 QuakeWorld
QuakeWorld
QuakeWorld is an update to id Software's seminal multiplayer deathmatch game, Quake, that enhances the game's multiplayer features to allow people with dial-up modems to achieve greatly improved responsiveness when playing on Internet game servers...
mod. Its developers were working on Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2 is a free-to-play team-based first-person shooter multiplayer video game developed by Valve Corporation. A sequel to the original mod Team Fortress based on the Quake engine, it was first released as part of the video game compilation The Orange Box on October 10, 2007 for Windows...
as a standalone game, but later joined Valve Software and ported the original as a mod for Half-Life called Team Fortress Classic in April 1999. Despite the company's 1998 statement that Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms would be released "soon", the game remained in development of one form or another for eight years until its release on October 10, 2007, and had been on Wired magazine's top ten vaporware
Vaporware
Vaporware is a term in the computer industry that describes a product, typically computer hardware or software, that is announced to the general public but is never actually released nor officially canceled. Vaporware is also a term sometimes used to describe events that are announced or predicted,...
list every year since 2001.
Since Team Fortress Classics release in 1999, Valve has introduced various changes into the game. The updates tweaked the game's balance and on occasion added new content, such as new levels. A particularly large update was released on June 8, 2000, which introduced several new levels and game modes and a new GUI
Gui
Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...
menu interface, and optimized the game's network code for smoother, faster play. With this release, the game was renamed to Team Fortress 1.5. On March 13, 2001, the player models were redesigned. In 2003, the game was migrated into Valve's Steam system. Since then, a number of additional features were added. For much of its early history, Team Fortress Classic was second only to Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike is a tactical first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Corporation which originated from a Half-Life modification by Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess "Cliffe" Cliffe...
as the most played and popular of online games.