MM wallpaper and Logo

Again, I've been playing around with photoshop and though I'd post my work.

1024x768 MM achievement themed Wallpaper

Achievement themed MM logo

Second achievement themed MM logo

Third achievement themed MM logo


Fourth achievement themed MM logo

Working on some server ads

For the last to days I've been making some TF2 themed advertisements for our server (once we finally get on, we'll be able to use them). I only made these for fun while playing around with photoshop, since people seemed to like them I thought I'd share them with you. All ads make pretty cool wallpapers, as they are all 1024x768 standard.

Update: Heavy - Weapons

Now that all three have been revealed, I've been able to delete the individual posts and combine them into one comprehensive guide on the Heavy's three new weapons. Descriptions and photos were taken from Valve's blog.

1. The Sandvich (He'll satisfy your hunger - for revenge!)

The Sandvich is the Heavy’s first unlockable. It tastes as good as it looks and heals 120 health. Like in real life, the decision to eat a Sandvich must not be taken lightly; The Heavy is completely vulnerable during the four second eating process, and his loud, happy sounds of vigorous chewing will draw enemies like tiny ant cowards to a picnic. OF DEATH. On the bright side, the Heavy’s Sandvich supply is unlimited, so his only real concern is being caught short while enjoying this delicious edible device. The Sandvich is a great tool for a Heavy defending an area, as it gives him the ability to replenish health between enemy waves without having to abandon his post. Similarly, an offensive Heavy without a Medic can step back from the front line and grab a quick snack before resuming his rampage. Beware, however: the Heavy must set aside his shotgun to take the Sandvich, and enemy Snipers are much more dangerous for a Heavy wielding only a minigun. "Meet The Sandvich" video can be seen here.


2. Natascha (Now Sasha - don't be jealous)

The Heavy's second unlockable, Natascha, slows enemies with her bullets. Anyone damaged by her will move slower for an instant, encouraging them to find cover or turn and face the Heavy, mano-a-tiny-itty-bitty-mano. Unfortunately, Natascha is slightly weaker than Sasha, so she takes longer to finish off a victim. As a result, Natascha's great against fleeing cowards, such as Scouts & Medics, and less great against anyone actively trying to kill her master. Heavies that like to jump around corners and surprise groups of startled enemy crybabies will also find her very useful, although they should look for a Sasha-wielding enemy Heavy before they leap.


3. The Killing Gloves Of Boxing (In this corner - the defending Russian heavyweight)

The unlockable for the Heaviest pugilists out there is the K.G.B. Any time a Heavy kills an enemy with the K.G.B he receives five seconds of guaranteed critical hits. This crit-boost can be used to punch and kill further enemies, extending the boost time. Alternatively, the Heavy can switch to another weapon and use the boost to take out an enemy at range. The Heavy's slow movement speed, and the K.G.B's slower swing speed, make it a risky prospect.

New Map: RAVINE

In contrast to Lumberyard, Ravine has a far more open ground level with emphasis on control of four key choke points. A series of canals in Ravine’s lower level provide an excellent opportunity for stealth kills and flanking maneuvers. Like all arena maps, the capture point in the middle becomes active after 60 seconds.



Description taken from Valve's blog

New Map: LUMBERYARD

Lumberyard has an unbalanced structure, with one half of the map climbing up towards a large mountain peak, while the other dips down into a valley. A series of rooftops at the map’s center serves as the key battleground area, with lateral flanking being the key maneuver at ground level. When the capture point becomes active after 60 seconds, multiple entrances open up into the central control point, which becomes the focus of the fighting as the match nears its end. Lumberyard is one of the few Arena maps without water, and contains only a single health kit. The kit sits on a log above a deadly pit, making it a great ambush spot for Pyros, Demomen, and Soldiers to send unwary enemies to their deaths.


Description taken from Valve's blog

Arena Maps

The first release of TF2 Arena comes with five playable maps. Two never-before-seen maps (Lumberyard, Ravine) have been built specifically for Arena, and a further three (Well, Granary, Badlands) have been remade with Arena’s unique play style in mind. Additionally, with the Lumberyard map, Arena takes TF2 from its familiar desert backdrop to a new Alpine-themed environment. Great care was taken to ensure the art style kept to the unique look and time period of the TF2 universe, while still feeling like a departure from the usual maps players are familiar with.

Description taken from Valve's blog

New Game Mode: Arena Mode

No Time For Crying

TF2 Arena keeps the class diversity of Team Fortress 2 while focusing goals around combat between two teams. Where other game modes lean towards a broad overall strategy for the team over a number of lives, Arena concentrates on the specific tactical choices the teams make in a single fight.

Arena features smaller maps that play out in shorter periods of time. The round ends once one team has no players left in the arena, or when the central capture point has unlocked and been captured. Rounds tend to be very fast and highly competitive, with an emphasis on your team’s class makeup and your plan to counter the opposing team’s class choices. Arena mode is great for smaller matches of three vs. three players, while still comfortably supporting huge knockdown twelve-on-twelve brawls.

Arena Class Strategies

Health pick-ups are limited in TF2 Arena (some levels don’t have any Health packs at all) so being careful is a good strategy for any class. As well, with so little health available, having a Medic or a Health dispenser-building Engineer on your team can be a crucial element to success. With their reconnaissance abilities, the Scout and Spy play a far more vital role in Arena than in other game modes. Knowing the location of the enemy team can often mean the difference between a win and a loss. The Soldier and Demoman will find many areas in Arena specifically designed for them to get a vertical advantage. Traditional Heavy/Medic pairings will still be highly useful as the anchor to a good Arena team. However, commit too far in this direction and the enemy can quickly overwhelm you with Snipers and Spies. In Arena, water is as scarce as Health. This makes the Pyro a much deadlier class, as any enemy player he sets on fire with his flamethrower or flare gun will be unable to put out the flames. Igniting enemies quickly, then retreating to safety, can be an effective strategy for the Pyro.

Description taken from Valve's blog

Heavy Achievements Revealed

Wondering what the achievements would be? See all 35 listed below, or check out Valve's blog.

Iron Kurtain: Take 1000 points of damage in a single life.

Party Loyalty: Kill 50 enemies within 3 seconds of them attacking your Medic.

Division of Labor: Kill 20 enemies with a Medic assisting you, where neither of you di

Red Oktoberfest: Earn a domination for a Medic who's healing you.

Show Trial: Kill an enemy with a taunt.

Crime and Punishment: Kill 10 enemies carrying your intelligence.

Class Struggle: Work with a friendly Medic to kill an enemy Heavy & Medic pair.

Soviet Block : While invulnerable and on defense, block an invulnerable enemy Heavy's movement.

Stalin the Kart: Block the enemy from moving the payload cart 25 times.

Supreme Soviet: Get ubered 50 times.

Factory Worker: Kill 20 enemies while being recharged by a dispenser.

Soviet Union: Get 25 enemy kills where you either assist or are assisted by another Heavy.

Own the Means of Production: Remove 20 stickybombs by killing the Demomen who produced them

Krazy Ivan: Kill 100 enemies while both you and your victim are underwater.

Rasputin: In a single life, get shot, burned, bludgeoned, and receive explosive damage.

Icing on the Cake: Get 20 kills on players that you're dominating.

Crock Block: Survive a direct hit from a critical rocket.

Kollectivization: Get 1000 assists.

Spyalectical Materialism: Kill or assist in killing 10 cloaked spies.

Permanent Revolution: Kill 5 enemies without spinning down your gun

Heavy Industry: Fire $200,000 worth of minigun rounds in a single life.

Communist Mani-Fisto: Kill an enemy with a critical punch.

Redistribution of Health: Heal 1000 damage with med-kits in a single life.

Rationing: Kill an enemy with your shotgun while you're out of minigun ammo.

Vanguard Party: Be the first on your team to start capturing a control point in a round.

Pushkin the Kart: Get 50 caps on payload maps.

Marxman: Kill 10 enemies in mid-air with the minigun.

Gorky Parked: Kill 25 enemies while you're standing on a control point you own.

Purge: Kill 15 enemies capturing a control point you own.

Lenin A Hand: Help 5 teammates get revenge on their nemeses.

Five Second Plan: Kill an enemy in the first 5 seconds after you exit a teleporter.

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

Konspicuous Konsumption: Eat 100 sandviches.

Don't Touch Sandvich: Kill 50 scouts using Natascha.

Borscht Belt: Kill 10 heavies with The K.G.B.

New Map: BADWATER BASIN

Badwater Basin is a Payload map focusing on more open spaces and less chokepoints than Gold Rush. (A) Right out of the gate is a multi-level area where the Blu team needs to control the high ground while moving the cart through a tunnel below. This open area has few natural choke points, allowing Scouts, Soldiers, and Demomen to move creatively through the space, forcing the Red team to rapidly respond to choices made by Blu. (B) As the track winds its way into tighter spaces, vertical control becomes more important. Each successive checkpoint requires the Blu team to take control of defensive positions above the track, usually occupied by Red Engineers. (C) Eventually the track winds down into a large basin which the Blu team must assault from all sides in a final push to destroy the Red base.

Unlike Gold Rush, where the track is split into three separate stages, Badwater Basin uses a single large stage with several checkpoints. As a result, the Blu team is highly encouraged to push the cart hard after beating their way through the Red defensive line.

Screenshots below:

Description taken from Valve's blog

New Map: CP_STEEL

A complex Attack/Defense control point map, with some unique gameplay. Unlike most TF2 maps, capturing a control point modifies the layout of the map, opening and closing routes for each team. As a result, the offensive team has a wide variety of tactical choices around how they'd like to assault the final point. Should they use Scouts and Soldiers to rush the final point with only the routes they start with? Should they go for the side control points and open up more routes to the final? Should they capture extra points to shut down the defender's routes? The many choices keep the map interesting for a long time, providing a wide variety of experiences in a game.
Description taken from Valve's blog, sounds like an interesting twist.