An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:

• Competitive Mode
  • Players in the first tier of ranks (1-6) now lose substantially fewer rank points on match loss
  • Players with high win/loss ratios in recent matches now earn bonus rank points in order to accelerate their progress toward a more appropriate rank
• Added report player context menu on scoreboard
  • Requires mouse input mode on the scoreboard (see Adv. Options)
• Fixed a potential security issue (thanks to Justin G., aka sigsegv, and Linus S., aka PistonMiner, for this report)
• Fixed an issue with The Righteous Bison and Pomson 5000 hit detection where projectiles were being removed when colliding with invisible entities
• Fixed a display issue with combat text damage numbers against Engineer buildings sometimes being incorrect (such as with weapons that do reduced damage against buildings)
• Removed the damage effects and pain sounds when using the Rocket Jumper and Sticky Jumper
• Updated PASS Time view model positions to support using FOV 70
• Updated the animations for the Sharp Dresser to fix a clipping problem
• Updated the localization files
• Updated cp_sunshine to fix some clipping issues
• Updated cp_metalworks
  • Adjusted the height of the ceiling in the room behind the second control point
  • Added some slight visual detail to various concrete rooms throughout (team color stripe)
  • Adjusted the height and width of various doors throughout the level. Mostly focused on primary paths into combat areas, with an eye towards standardizing door sizes where possible.
  • Fixed an angled playerclip brush above 2nd control point that players could surf on (thanks Photon)
  • Adjusted height of 'tank' in L room behind 2nd control point
  • Moved two tall spotlights back into a clipping brush at mid to avoid very small collision issue (thanks Bilbert)
  • Adjusted some clipping issues by turning rooftop brushes into displacements/func_brushes throughout the map and disabling collision (thanks Bilbert)
  • Clipped off some glass windows at 2nd
  • Added crate to cargo containers at mid, allowing scouts to get onto the highest cargo container
  • Added props to the clipping ramp around the final control point to indicate collision
  • Replaced brush fence on the platform in alley with a metal prop to solve an asymmetrical shadow bug (thanks Bilbert)

Just a quick update while we keep working on the Meet Your Match fixes we posted a few weeks ago. We wanted to call out a few noteworthy things shipping with today's update, as well as keep you up to date on some more substantial fixes that are on the way.

We're currently working on a more comprehensive Elo rating system to improve how Competitive Mode ranks are determined that we'll be shipping in the near future. This update will make the rank system more self-correcting and better distribute players based on performance.

In the meantime, though, we've shipped some rank balancing improvements in today's update that will help distribute ranks more evenly in the short-term. Players with high win-loss ratios will now be "fast-tracked" to higher ranks that better reflect performance (without having to grind through unchallenging matches). Additionally, players in the first tier of ranks (1-6) will now be penalized less for match losses, making it easier to gain low ranks at the outset without getting stuck.

Additionally, with today's update, we are rolling out our first matchmaking bans on problem players you've reported. Problem players will receive a six-month ban from Casual and Competitive matchmaking. We've also made it easier for you to report problem players by adding a new feature that lets you report directly from the scoreboard. (See today's update notes for more information.)

We also wanted to touch on upcoming improvements to the Casual Mode experience. A high priority is providing better flow for continuing play at the end of a match. To that end, we're currently putting the finishing touches on two features that many of you have requested: The option to rematch with the same players on the same map at the end of a match, and the ability to re-queue into a new match from the win screens for both Casual Mode and Competitive Mode.

Finally, we are working on issues with the region system that have been causing poor connections for players in certain areas. The next few updates will be integrating TF more tightly with the global server network already used by games like CS:GO and Dota 2 to provide much more reliable connections and the best-possible latency.

Well, it's been a tight race, everybody. Five weeks of ballistic trauma and charred corpses later, we've crowned our glorious king of war: All hail the PYRO. Winning in a 56% to 44% split, Team Pyro has fried, burnt and scorched its way through a smoldering mountain of enemies and into a brand new class pack, featuring new weapons, new cosmetics and rebalances, to be shipped in a future update. Congrats to Team Pyro!

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:

• Updated menu content for upcoming end of the Heavy vs. Pyro war

It's time once again to announce this year's Saxxy Awards, and we couldn't be more excited! Last year we shook up the rules a bit by reducing the length of the themed categories (Action, Comedy, Drama) and adding a five-minute Extended category. We were overwhelmed with so many high-quality entries to the Extended category that there were some great entries that didn't get the recognition they deserved. So, if you're working on an entry to the Extended category, it may be worth editing your piece down to three minutes and submitting to one of the themed categories instead. We know it's not easy, but solid editing can make a good submission great!

As always, we can't wait to see the amazing videos you create! Don't forget that all Valve universes are available for use, and SFM shorts that were submitted to the Dota 2 Short Film Contest are also eligible for this year's Saxxy Awards. The submission deadline is November 11th. Remember, you can upload non-final versions up to a week in advance of the final deadline, to guard against last-minute computer failures, internet outages, login problems and so on. Check out the guidelines for details on the rules and deadlines, and get your entries ready!

The Summer 72hr TF2Jam received over 500 entries including maps, videos, posters, drawings, food, fan fiction, music, mods, and even an entire game. Now the fine people at TF2Maps have created a Showcase to display the cream of the proverbial crop. Read more about it here to see if your submission made it in!

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:

• Fixed map objectives (e.g. flags, capture points, carts) sometimes becoming unresponsive in Casual Mode games
• Fixed a case where players could be late-joined into games playing a map that they didn't have selected
• Updated the tooltips for the Sticky and Rocket Jumper to include the PASS Time JACK in the list of items that can't be picked up while they are equipped
• More fixes and improvements to weapon viewmodels when using wider/larger weapon field-of-view settings

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:

• Matchmaking
  • Competitive Mode
    • Abandon penalty times are now longer for first-time abandoners with a low number of games played
    • Abandoning a game now results in significant rank loss. This loss is always greater than losing a given match.
    • Fixed an issue where players could drop and reconnect too many times before triggering an abandon
  • Casual Mode
    • Matches can now start with fewer than 24 players when there are not enough compatible players in queue
      • The match will still add additional players (up to 24) as they become available
      • This should improve queue times for low-population regions and game modes
    • Added maps cp_gullywash, cp_snakewater, and koth_probed
    • Fixed not being able to cycle between spectator modes
• Weapon viewmodels
  • The field-of-view slider has been re-added to Adv. Options menu (range: 54 to 70 degrees)
    • This feature is now allowed in Competitive Mode
  • Improved and fixed many animations when using a higher viewmodel field-of-view
  • Removed custom animations from the sv_pure whitelist because it was being exploited
  • Adjusted The Cow Mangler and Black Box reload animations to be slightly faster (they now match the default rocket launcher)
• Your class portrait will now always be the innermost in the match status HUD (top center) and will have a slightly brighter background
• Added the Prinny promo items to the Mann Co. Store
• Added the Florida LAN 2016 community medal
• PASS Time update
  • Fixed achievement items (e.g. Civilian Grade JACK Hat) not cloaking with the Spy
  • Tweaks and fixes for all maps
  • Fix pack speed not being updated sometimes
  • Aiming players will no longer receive pack speed bonus
  • Some adjustments to reduce average round length
    • Overtime will end immediately if the winning team touches the ball
    • Overtime won't happen if it's impossible for the losing team to win
• Fixed players being able to avoid a vote-kick by reconnecting to the server at the right time
• Fixed the pd_watergate HUD not drawing
• Fixed Engineer teleporter exits sometimes detonating when used due to invisible geometry
• Fixed getting a black screen if the chat window was open when the match stats were being shown
• Fixed weapons not being hidden during some taunts for the Engineer, Medic, and Soldier
• Fixed Spy cloak causing the HUD 3D Character to cloak for the player the Spy is disguised as
• Fixed a client crash related to the animation system
• Fixed a bug where players in looping taunts could sometimes cause other clients to drop from the server
• Fixed not seeing particle effects for Unusual versions of Baseball Bill's Sports Shine, Ritzy Rick's Hair Fixative, and Texas Slim's Dome Shine
• Fixed hearing the "team wipe" Announcer audio at the incorrect times

Thanks for all of your feedback over the last couple weeks. In our previous post, we talked about a number of issues with the Meet Your Match update and what we were doing to address them. Here's a quick recap on what has happened since then:

Matchmaking:

• We have been working hard to improve the matchmaking system, greatly reducing queue times and eliminating most causes of errors when attempting to play. On average, queue times are now below ninety seconds for most players. There are still some issues with lower population regions and game modes that we are looking into.
• We have identified and corrected several issues where players weren't being sent to fill empty slots for in-progress matches. There should be far fewer matches where this happens, and we will continue making improvements here.

Casual Mode:

• Players are now able to specify the maps they would like play on when using matchmaking. However, it is sometimes the case that players joining in-progress matches (aka "late join") end up on maps they did not select. This will be fixed in an upcoming update.
• Abandon penalties have been removed, which means players can come and go as they please.
• Vote-kicking has been added. Players that are kicked retain the experience they've earned to that point, in order to reduce the likelihood of players using the system to grief others.

Next, we would like to give you a quick overview of the things we are working on, and go over some of the issues you raise as needing more attention and work.

Abandons in Competitive Mode:

• We are going to make abandoning penalties much harsher. The current system increases matchmaking ban times based on the number of abandons over a period of time. We are making a change to more quickly move serial abandoners into really long ban times. We will also subtract the maximum number of rank points possible, per abandon. The amount lost will be far higher than what could normally be lost in a completed match.
• In addition, we are investigating several options to offset the impact abandoners have on games that are in-progress. More on that when we have details to share.

Griefing in matchmaking:

• We are working on systems that will give players with high numbers of in-game reports automated cooldowns from matchmaking, to discourage disruptive behavior.
• As a side note, you can report players while in-game by clicking the "Report Player" button - located in the "Play" section on the main menu.

High ping and queue times:

• There are still cases where players can wait longer than we'd like. This is more common in lower population regions and game modes in Casual Mode matchmaking, and the result is that players sometimes end up on a server where their ping is higher than normal.
• One solution we are investigating is allowing matches to start with fewer than 24 players -- in cases where there are not enough available players to form a complete match, or when the players being considered are too far away. The system will instead prefer to start a smaller match more quickly, with a more appropriate ping, filling the remaining slots as more players become available.

Experience and incomplete matches in casual:

• Right now, leaving a casual match results in no experience being earned. We are looking at changing this to avoid penalizing players for having to leave after investing significant amounts of time into a match, while still providing rewards for playing matches to completion.

We are monitoring the game around the clock, and we continue to read all your feedback and suggestions. Thanks again for taking the time to help improve TF.

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:

• Fixed a common client crash that prevented the game from starting