Perfect Sandvich: The Lasting Legacy of Team Fortress 2

I was playing Team Fortress 2 this morning with my brother when I realized something amazing about this game: TF2’s been out on PC for about 8 1/2 years now, and not only is it still culturally relevant to almost anybody who plays games, but it’s still being actively played and updated to this day. It’s had no sequels, no remasterings, no major overhauls of any kind; and yet it’s still a juggernaut of PC shooters, second only in player count (as of this writing) to CS:GO.

How did they do it? This is the video game industry; multiplayer games, especially shooters, tend to age like milk. They survive by getting upgraded in the sequels (like Call of Duty) or being so solid at the start that they keep a devoted fan base for years and years, and no shooter has done that without sequels except for TF2. Not Quake, not Doom, not Tribes, not Halo, not Unreal Tournament, not Counter Strike, not any of them. Only TF2’s ever pulled it off.

It’s a marvelous achievement. No doubt I could sing this game’s praises for ages, but I’m way, way too late for a full review. So I’ll just focus on it’s miraculous longevity, and what I consider the three pillars of Team Fortress 2’s continued success:

One: Dedicated Upkeep

Lots of updates. Lots and lots and lots and lots of updates. Updates for days. Years, actually. Valve has been adjusting, balancing, and adding to this game constantly. They do everything from tweaking weapon damages by a few percentage points to adding huge map additions and game modes. Regularly. Over 8 1/2 years. For free. Gamers appreciate that. They come back and they stay for things like that. Does Call of Duty or Battlefield do things like that? No. They release the game, update it until it isn’t broken, charge you for some paltry cheap DLC, then leave you to twiddle your thumbs until they come out with the sequel. They don’t care about making a product that lasts. Valve? They take care of their games, and by extension, their customers.

This is why we like you, Valve.

Two: Balanced and Well-Thought-Out Game Design (Thanks to Said Upkeep)

I don’t mean to imply the game is perfectly balanced. I’m just saying that if I had to balance a game between 9 characters and a few thousand weapons, I don’t think I would have done a better job.

These guys put a ton of thought into level design and character interaction right from the outset; years of polishing just improved what was already great (check out the developer commentaries if you have the game, very fascinating stuff, especially if you’re interested in game design). What probably impresses me the most is how they managed to create this sort of rock-paper-scissors interaction between the classes; they each have their own role, but each one is also designed to counteract and/or grief another. Engineers build turrets, which can be destroyed by Demoman’s explosives. The Demoman can be rocketed by the Soldier, who can be rushed and shotgunned by the Scout, who’s susceptible to the Heavy’s minigun, and he, to complete the circle, is easily cut down by the Engineer’s turrets. If any character is making things difficult during a match, you can turn the tide with right choice and application of a counter-character.

This is not unique, and TF2 certainly didn’t invent it, but damn do they do it right. This game is solid. Respect.

And finally:

Three: Attitude and Character Design

How do you make a character unforgettable? I wish I knew. But Valve managed it with pretty much all their characters, and I think I’ve discovered one of their tricks: add something emblematic to their design, an object or part of their appearance that you instantly associate with that character. The Medic up there has his doves and rubber gloves. The Pyro has his/her gas mask. The Heavy, naturally, has his sandvich. And all of them are funny.

That’s probably the most important contributing factor here: its goofy, cartoonish, ultra-violent spirit of fun and mischief. It’s not a game that takes itself seriously and it doesn’t expect the player to either. Griefing, trolling, taunting, and generally goofing off are not only accounted for, but encouraged. There are achievements for sending enemy players screenshots of their own corpses. There are team taunts where you and your mates make conga lines over capture points until somebody murders your cocky asses en masse. Firefights are 30% jumping, 20% fire and explosions, and 50% blood and giblets raining down like the 11th plague. This game is consistently, and unapologetically, bonkers. But never so bonkers that it gets in the way of good gameplay.

Team Fortress 2 is strategic mayhem with heart. That’s what I love, that’s what I’ll keep coming back to, and that’s what will keep bringing the players back for years to come. When you put it that way, it’s longevity doesn’t seem so miraculous after all.