The future of Team Fortress

[JackBauer]

Do you think there is ever gonna be another Team Fortress (one that's true to it's roots) game again?

Fast paced action (sometimes mayhem) with several classes, rpg and conc grenades, 2fort, well and nerve-wracking maneuvers on air and on the ground..

I'll state my theory later when I got more time on my hands.

[AirTrek]

Commercially I don't think the format that was really popular almost 20 years ago can make money today without drastic changes (that were already made during the transitioning to the TF2 styled slower pace of fortress), but as a fan-made mod (like the original), why not?

[Dr. eXpl0si0n]

Add a zombie class . Instant success.

[FDA_Approved]

I could reasonably see another TF being made. As a mod. For source2, idtech, w/e.

I don't think it'll be popular though. Not till AFPS makes a come back. Which I think it will. Not depending on the quality of games available, but more dependent on consumer trends.

Mobas are the thing right now, followed by stuff like csgo, and our brand of over the top action is relegated to a very fractured niche community. But I think it's reasonable to assume the trends will cycle back around. AFPS is a solid, pre-established, genre with a lot of fun to offer.

It's got a high skill ceiling, which is more of a plus than many people believe. Some people think the genre is too hard, which scares players away. But people spend absurd amounts of time learning skills and strategies for games that are popular.

Just because the skills for an AFPS are different than that of a moba, doesn't mean that the amount of effort required is any different. AFPS is just not popular at the moment, plain and simple. A lot of new players come into the genre and can't quite "cut it", and then leave. But that's because the amount of effort required just isn't worth rising up in such a niche community for most. The same amount of effort required to get into the other, much more popular, genres right now.

The real question is, will the next fortress game be one I enjoy? Ever since tfc the fortress community has been split. A niche of a niche. (of a niche?)

I really don't enjoy the quake brand of fortress anywhere near as much as I do the source brand. HH concs and reload mechanics are a big part of that for me. Nothing gives me a sense of speed like HH concs do.

It's got a lot to do with the way each respective brand is balanced. source fortress has a capped bhop speed, but you have HH concs. So in source fortress, you experience large bursts of speed compared to the moderate pace of the rest of the game. Quake fortress has no cap, but gives you a more gradual, and steady, acceleration. There's still room for speed boosts, but it's not as abrupt and powerful as it is in source fortress.

I can see quake fortress fans giving up their shit-antiquated reload mechanics. But I really doubt they'd give up uncapped speed for HH concs. So it's not quite my cup of tea. (I'd play either if one was popular enough though.)

Even as I say all this I kind of doubt myself. Even if AFPS makes a come back, how many people left in our little gaming fragment possess the skills, and drive to produce a game? Much less the sensibility to do a proper balanced job of it. I couldn't tell you.

But, if AFPS ever comes back, and someone does have the skills, or money, for it, we could see a good fortress. Even if AFPS doesn't come back we could still see a decent fortress.

[homie in reboks']

I decided to listen to my new favorite band, Duck Corpse Choir, from the music genre, sneezesnot grundge-grindcore, rather than read FDA's novel.

[Dr. eXpl0si0n]

Originally Posted by homie in reboks'

I decided to listen to my new favorite band, Duck Corpse Choir, from the music genre, sneezesnot grundge-grindcore, rather than read FDA's novel.

[JackBauer]

I'm with FDA_Approved on this one. There used to be days, when people took their time to get into a game and learn the basics. Even though, most of the time, success was not there at first.

after that, most games had to become newbie-friendly: casual. get instant kills, instant success. no need to really learn game mechanics. fun for a while, but also shallow and repetitive.

I think we are on the verge of a "new" trend. People are fed off casual games, people demand something new (as you know, most "new things" are things that worked in the past).

CoD, BF, SW:BF etc. become boring. There can be made a case for decreasing sale numbers and numbers of players.

CS:GO has become a monster - mainly because of the competitive mode. TF2 is about to introduce it too sooner than later.

PC users want to experience action and are willing to put certain time and effort into their hobby again.

as FDA_Approved said, Team Fortress is a niche of a niche. It's time to evolve as well, go with the flow (just don't get too casual). How about some popular game modes (TDM, DM/F4A) for example? TDM still is the most played mode in CoD. Instead of just running and shooting (like in CoD), you also get to conc- and rockjump, bunnyhop and do other fantastic movements. How much fun would that be?

Also I recently got into cs.go a bit and really like to compete against others on a similar skill level (bar smurfs). Imagine the same with a team fortress product. having the chance of playing on a pub OR getting on a pickup server within a second. any euros remember the burstfire servers in tfc?

Imagine the possibilities of streaming (directly to your tablet/mobile phone - be in the middle of it at all time).

TF might be a niche, but I feel the time is about to be right again soon if done properly.

[Sally_nguyen]

Sure there can be

[Iggy]

TF3 won't be out until we have holodeck technology.

#youhearditherefirst

[XPelargos]

Originally Posted by homie in reboks'

I decided to listen to my new favorite band, Duck Corpse Choir, from the music genre, sneezesnot grundge-grindcore, rather than read FDA's novel.

I just did both.