Team Fortress Classic

''Team Fortress Classic'' is a first-person shooter game developed by Valve and published by Sierra Studios. It was originally released in April 1999 for Windows, and is based on ''Team Fortress'', a mod for the 1996 game '' Quake''. The game puts two teams against each other in online multiplayer matches; each member plays as one of nine classes, each with different skills. The scenarios include capture the flag, territorial control, and escorting a "VIP" player.

Valve hired the developers of the ''Team Fortress'' mod to develop ''Team Fortress Classic'' using its GoldSrc engine (used in their 1998 game ''Half-Life'') to promote the ''Half-Life'' software development kit. It received generally positive reviews, although the graphics were a point for criticism. In 2000, Valve released a standalone version, ''Team Fortress 1.5'', with new character models, maps and other features. '' Team Fortress 2'' was released in 2007.

Gameplay

Matches in ''Team Fortress Classic'' typically feature two teams, one red and one blue, and nine playable character classes. Each character class has a set of weapons and abilities unique to that specific class. This differentiation between classes makes for rock-paper-scissors-esque gameplay that requires teammates to work together in order to effectively achieve the objective. The class-system also encourages players to vary their selection of classes and utilize certain classes in conjunction with one another to gain the advantage.

In ''Team Fortress Classic'', a server can hold up to 32 players simultaneously, and matches can be played in a number of game modes, each featuring different objectives.

Classes

In ''Team Fortress Classic'', the player can choose to play as one of nine classes: the Scout, Sniper, Soldier, Demoman, Medic, Heavy Weapons Guy, Pyro, Spy, or Engineer. Each class comes equipped with at least one weapon unique to that class, and often a secondary weapon which may be common across multiple classes (typically a shotgun or nailgun). Additionally, each class gets a melee weapon (all classes, with the exception of the Medic, Spy, and Engineer, wield a crowbar, an homage to Valve's game ''Half-Life''). Finally, each player carries grenades; the effects of grenades vary, depending on the player's class.

In Escort game modes, a player may also choose to play as the Civilian class, which is armed only with an umbrella, no armor, and very little health. Civilians are typically escorted and protected by the rest of the team.

* The Scout is the fastest class in the game, but is unable to deal much damage in return. The Scout is armed with a nailgun and shotgun as well as being able to use caltrops and concussion grenades to slow down and confuse opponents. He can also disarm the Demoman's detonation pack, reveal enemy Spies by running close by fellow players as well as instantly locate the flags on any capture-the-flag map.
* The Sniper class is armed with a high-powered sniper rifle, and can be used to attack enemies from distant positions.
* The Soldier class is significantly slower than Snipers and Scouts, but possesses better armor and is armed with a rocket launcher that allows him 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 bombs to cause more damage within close quarters.
* The Demoman class 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 class 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 the other classes.
* The Pyro class is equipped with a flamethrower and an incendiary rocket launcher, both of which can set enemies on fire. Pyros also carry several napalm grenades for the same purpose.
* The Spy class differs significantly in style from other classes, as he can disguise himself to look like 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, a tranquilizer gun to slow down opponents and a hallucination grenade which spouts gas to confuse them. Spies also possess the ability to feign death, allowing them to use their backstab ability more effectively.
* The Engineer class builds structures to support their team, such as sentry guns to defend key points, ammunition dispensers and teleporters. Engineers have the ability to replenish a teammate's armor by tapping them with their wrench. In addition, the Engineer is armed with EMP grenades that detonates any explosive ammunition within its range, as well as a shotgun for backup.

Development

''Team Fortress'' was originally a modification for '' Quake'' (1996), and then later for '' QuakeWorld'', developed by TF Software Pty. Ltd. Its developers were working on a standalone sequel when they were hired by Valve to create a port of ''Team Fortress'' as a mod for Valve's game ''Half-Life''. After several delays from the original release date of March 26, 1999, the mod was released on April 7, 1999.

On June 9, 2000, ''Team Fortress'' version 1.5 was released as a part of ''Half-Life'' 1.1 update. It was the first standalone version of ''Team Fortress''. The update added "new sounds and weapons, enhanced graphics, new models for classes and weapons, new maps from popular mapmakers, an updated user interface that makes finding and joining games easy and intuitive, and a new in-game Command Menu Interface". It also included a new in-game interface and the networking code for Valve's then-upcoming ''Team Fortress 2''. There were three new maps with the update: Dustbowl, Warpath, and Epicenter. Additionally, the new Command Menu Interface was an in-game menu that allowed players to execute commands to change teams, call for a medic and change classes while in a match.

Valve significantly updated ''Team Fortress'' over time, tweaking the game's networking code, and adding new maps and game modes. In 2003, ''Team Fortress Classic'' was released on Valve's Steam system. Versions for OS X and Linux were released in 2013.

Reception

''Team Fortress Classic'' received positive reviews, garnering a rating of 85% on the video game review aggregator site GameRankings. There were some criticisms, however, like Graham Smith of '' Rock, Paper, Shotgun'' who criticized the game for being "like '' Counter Strike'' only messy and gruff." '' PC Gamer US'' named ''Team Fortress Classic'' the best multiplayer game of 1999, and wrote that it was "more fun and more addictive than any other multiplayer-only title released in 1999, and didn't cost owners of ''Half-Life'' a single penny". '' PC Gamer UK'' praised the multiple character classes, "sophisticated game-tactics", and drive to work together with your team, but criticized the "clunky" team communication and graphics. In 2010, the game was included in the book '' 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die''.

Legacy

Following the success of ''Team Fortress'' as a '' Quake'' modification, Team Fortress Software began development of a sequel. Interested in the project's potential, Valve hired the team to develop '' Team Fortress 2'' on the modified ''Quake'' engine used by ''Half-Life''. The partnership was announced in 1998, developed in parallel to ''Team Fortress Classic''. However, the game was not shown publicly until a year later at E3 1999. Introduced as ''Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms'', the game showcased multiple unprecedented technologies for its time and won several awards including "Best Online Game" and "Best Action Game". In June 2000, Valve announced that ''Team Fortress 2'' had been delayed further, attributing this to their rebuilding of the game on a new, proprietary in-house engine that is today known as the Source engine.

Following this delay, little mention of the game was made by Valve for a period of six years. Running up to '' Half-Life 2s release in 2004, Valve's Doug Lombardi said ''Team Fortress 2 ''was still being developed and news of its release would come after that of ''Half-Life 2''. In 2006, during Electronic Arts' 2006 Summer Showcase, the game was shown publicly, with an art style that contrasted its initial design. In 2007, ''Team Fortress 2'' was released to acclaim as part of '' The Orange Box''.

The plot and characters of ''Team Fortress 2'' were expanded upon outside of the game in the form of short videos or comics. In April 2014, the ''Team Fortress'' comic series reintroduced the ''Team Fortress Classic'' classes (excluding their respective Medic) as a rival cast of characters to the ''Team Fortress 2'' team. A catch-up comic released on the TF2 website released for free comic book day described ''Team Fortress Classic'' as being set in an alternate 1930, and that the game takes place during the Gravel Wars era of the timeline, along with the fact that the ''Classic'' engineer is the father of the engineer in ''Team Fortress 2''.

Fans created a mod for ''Half-Life 2'', '' Fortress Forever'', aiming to replicate the gameplay of ''Team Fortress Classic'' while using the more modern Source engine. Fans have also made a similar mod of ''Team Fortress 2'' titled '' Team Fortress 2 Classic'', which seeks to marry gameplay elements and concepts from both entries alongside scrapped ideas from the sequel's development cycle and several entirely original additions.

References

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