Team Fortress 2 – Valve Launches Early Access to New Beta Maps and Game Mode

Valve is looking for willing test subjects to help improve the Team Fortress 2 experience by throwing a couple of new Beta maps and a new mode up for testing, the studio announced yesterday.

“We need volunteers that are capable of putting these spaces through the wringer,” Valve wrote in a recent blog update. “We want to make sure they stand the test of time for future generations of mercenaries, so they may also enjoy the simple things in life, such as detonating explosive ordinance, setting men on fire and conga dancing.”

The studio hopes to include participants in the development process as they “cycle through different iterations of gameplay, based on your feedback.” That includes feedback on the new mode, Robot Destruction, a sort of mix of CTF and Capture Point modes.

There’s also this informative FAQ that you should read:

FAQ

How do I participate?

  • Click on Play Multiplayer, enable Play Beta Maps checkbox, and then choose a mode to play.

Why are you running a maps Beta?

  • We would like to include the community early in the development process to gather feedback as we try variations in the map layout and game play mechanics.

What sorts of things can I do to help the development process?

  • Continually playing the maps is one of the biggest ways you can help us develop. Having servers full of users interacting with each other quickly points out problems with the gameplay that need to be addressed.

How do I submit feedback?

  • To help gather feedback, send us links to discussions happening on your favorite community forum. Or you can write us directly to express your thoughts. We will also be joining servers to play alongside you, shooting down enemies for the greater benefit of the team.

Will the maps be changing a lot?

  • Yes. There will be times when a change will be needed. That change may be as small as moving a health kit to a different room or it may be a larger change, such as reworking an entire section of the layout.

Are the game mode rules final?

  • No. We may see drastic swings in rule sets to make comparisons to previous versions. We may change the rule set one update only to find the previous iteration was better.

Are there Beta map servers? Can we host our own?

  • Yes and Yes. We’re running a set of official Valve Beta servers using quick play matchmaking. Community server owners are welcome to host beta maps.
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