sincity

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//art/advertorial/Dell/Venue11Pro_keyboard-470-75.jpg Flexible working is a very big deal. According to a 2012 survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 96% of employers offer some form of flexible working. More than half of large employers allowed employees to work from home on a regular basis, and a further 35% of organisations offered mobile working. Those numbers can only increase: from 2014 the UK government will give every employee the right to request flexible working arrangements. The increase in flexible working isn't being driven by legislation, however. It's being driven by technology. The power to performFlexible working means different things to different people. For some it means flexi-time, for others home-working, and for still others it might mean a mix of everything: working from home, working on the move and working from multiple business premises. The specifics differ from person to person and from firm to firm, but in the majority of cases such working wouldn't be possible without some key technological developments. The first one is mobility. Today's ultra-mobile Ultrabooks, mobile workstations and tablets are a long way from the shoulder-dislocating laptops you might remember from a decade ago. Processors in particular have advanced incredibly quickly, not just in terms of the power they provide but the power they consume. Combine that with improvements in battery technology and operating systems and you end up with some amazing hardware: mobile workstations that deliver supercomputing power in a superbly portable chassis, and do-anything, go-anywhere laptops and tablets whose batteries last all day, not just in the advertising copy but in the real world too. Connect 4(G)The second development is just as important, and that's connectivity. Mobile and fixed line broadband are everywhere: in our homes and our offices, in train stations and airports, in cafes and restaurants and anywhere else we're likely to find ourselves during the working day. If we aren't near a Wi-Fi point we can usually get mobile broadband, and many recent phones can turn that into personal Wi-Fi hotspots for other devices. Coverage is pretty good these days, and as 4G rolls out mobile broadband is getting much, much faster too. That connectivity isn't just convenient, although of course it's that too. Abundant broadband delivers the cloud, and that has enormous benefits for businesses. To the cloud!Cloud computing - doing the heavy lifting on dedicated servers and connecting to it from all kinds of devices - has been talked about for a long time, but it's taken a while for our connectivity to catch up. Now that it has and the internet is as abundant and as unremarkable as the air we breathe, it doesn't matter where we're connecting from: we can access crucial corporate systems and services from wherever we happen to be, and we can access them at decent speeds. Taken together, that delivers a perfect combination: abundant broadband delivering cloud-based services to ultra-mobile devices, a combination that empowers flexible workers and directly benefits businesses' bottom lines.

http://media.steampowered.com/steam/news/11727/blured.jpg Something is coming, everybody. Not "right now" coming — but you know, we're working on it. In the meantime, here's something to get you in the proper spirit. View the full article

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//art/broadcast/Sky/nowtv/mobile_movie-470-75.jpgSky's focus on connected devices appears to be paying dividends for the company, with positive results for the likes of Sky Go, broadband packages and on demand making a tough quarter a little brighter. With quarterly profits down by 8 per cent on last year's, the satellite giant can point to investment, growth as an ISP and VOD wins as positives. The dedicated Ashes channel proved a winner for streaming on the Sky Go service with 16 million streams of the cricket channel, whilst unique users for Sky Go were close to 3.3 million. Connecting to its subscribersThe broadband bundle is also proving popular, with the 5 million customers mark passed, and 3.4 million homes have connected their set top boxes to the internet. Somewhat inevitably that saw On Demand requests up by a factor of four and movie rentals also doubled. Customers opting for more services will be encouraging for Sky, with subscriptions to its flagship TV service more or less static over the past two years from 10.2 million homes in the first quarter of the 2011/12 financial year compared to 10.4 million now. However, total paid-for subscription products, driven mainly by broadband but also Sky Go Extra and telephony is up by just over 3.5 million million on last year. Interestingly, Sky now have 380,000 Sky Go Extra subscribers signed up for the video download to device service more than 10 per cent of the total unique users for the free level of service. The pay-per-view Now TV service figures were not split out of Sky's unaudited results press release, but are included in the TV figures. Sky's Now TV boxes hit retail stores - so how much for the 4.5 star reviewed product?

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: Added the Fall 2013 Acorns Crate KeyAdded the Fall 2013 Gourd Crate KeyAutomated craft bots can no longer craft high-value items (i.e., hats)Fixed Nessie's Nine Iron missing gameplay descriptionFixed exploit that allowed dead players to attack living playersFixed disguised Blue team Spies showing blue health particles over their heads when disguised as the Red teamFixed the Sandvich meter being drawn in the HUD when the Sandvich is not equippedFixed a bug that would cause some players to be unable to change their active item presetStrange Part: Kills with a Taunt Attack can now be applied to Strange Knives and FistsStrange Part: Kills While Explosive-Jumping and Strange Part: Posthumous Kills can now be applied to The Loose Cannon View the full article

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//art/software/Twitter/Twitter_See_It-470-75.jpgIt's no secret Twitter is a handy tool for TV fans to hold real-time conversations about their favorite shows, but now viewers can actually control the tube from the very same place. Twitter announced a new partnership with Comcast and NBCUniversal called See It, which gives Xfinity TV subscribers the ability to actually control their cable box from tweets about their favorite shows. Rather than just engage in chatter about a show, See It lets viewers change the channel, set their DVR to record and even play a show On Demand, all from an expanded tweet. "By partnering with Comcast, we'll be able to make it easier than ever to turn on the show everyone is talking about and jump into the conversation," Twitter's Vice-President of Business Development & Platform Jana Messerschmidt explained in a blog post. See it soonTo activate See It, Comcast Xfinity TV subscribers tap a button in their Twitter app, which prompts the user to log into their account and select where they'd like to view the program. With the fall television season now in full swing, See It will be up and running for a wide variety of NBCUniversal content across the company's entire network, which includes NBC as well as cable properties such as USA, Syfy, Bravo and E!. Shows with See It enabled include Sunday Night Football as well as popular primetime fare like "The Voice," "The Blacklist," "Suits" and the upcoming Winter Olympics. Twitter hopes to expand its partnership with Comcast to include additional content providers, although the microblogging service remains mum on current plans to bring it to competing services. Get up close and personal with LG's latest Optimus L9 smartphone in our full review!

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 the Demoman charge sound being played multiple times simultaneously View the full article

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: Added the Fall 2013 Acorns Crate #72Added the Fall 2013 Gourd Crate #73Added a new promo item: The GrandmasterFixed several bugs that would cause inconsistent behavior when switching between or modifying loadout presetsFixed a bug that would cause modifying (i.e., painting, renaming) an item to break loadout presets involving that itemFixed the Ubersaw taunt attack using the incorrect deathnotice imageFixed the Demoman charge sound being clipped by the weapon crit soundFixed being able to incorrectly earn the Scout achievement "Retire the Runner" by killing a Heavy who had just eaten The Buffalo Steak SandvichUpdated Hardy Laurel for the Soldier and Engineer so it doesn't float on their headsUpdated the Summer Shades and Professor Speks so they don't float in the air during Sniper tauntsUpdated Cp_GranaryAdded nobuild and clipping to fix exploits above the forward spawnsAdjusted player shadows to reduce shadows casting through wallsSkybox rendering fixes View the full article

http://media.steampowered.com/steam/news/11558/saxxys13.jpg It's almost awards season, and that can only mean one thing: For the next two months people from Hollywood are going to give each other spray-painted trophies and play music in the middle of one another's acceptance speeches. And when all the dust settles, all the Steven Spielbergs and Tom Hankses of the world will look down at their dumb little statuettes and think, "I wish I'd gotten a Saxxy." Well, too bad, Tom Hanks, because you're not getting one. (Even if you submit an entry; that's how hard-line our no-Tom-Hanks-trophy stance is.) As for everybody else, though, a Saxxy could be yours. But not unless you submit an entry, so get cracking, because the entry date's fast approaching! Head over to the SFM website for a more complete breakdown of dates and contest rules! View the full article

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//art/internet/BBC/iPlayer_desktop-470-75.jpgGood news for iPlayer fans frustrated by the temperamental desktop downloads functionality, good old Auntie has sorted it out with a new bit of software for Mac and PC. The new BBC iPlayer Downloads program, which replaces the now obselete BBC iPlayer Desktop software from today, has ironed out some of the kings, for a more reliable download experience. Dan Taylor, the new man in charge of the iPlayer, has explained how downloads will no longer rely on users running Adobe AIR. Previously updates to that program had disrupted users ability to download. "BBC iPlayer Desktop relied on users downloading and installing Adobe AIR. Unfortunately updates to this underlying technology often resulted in issues with the BBC iPlayer Desktop, with users reporting that they had lost downloaded programmes and/or were unable to download any new programmes," wrote Taylor on the BBC blog. Tata Live TV and Windows Media filesThe corporation has also simplified the experience, cutting out many of the existing features to ensure the focus is on offline viewing only. Live TV and radio integration is gone as it couldn't be used offline anyway, as is the Series Record feature, which Taylor asserts was only frequented by a fraction of the iPlayer audio. Furthermore, the parental lock has now been integrated at the pre-download stage of the iPlayer website, where users will now visit to obtain anything they wish to download. The download mechanism itself, Taylor says, has also been simplified to make it "less vulnerable to browser updates," while downloads in the Windows Media format have also been ditched? Are you a fan of the new streamlined desktop downloads experience? Give it a whirl and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. It's ok for some, say Android users, who've only just been bestowed with iPlayer downloads.

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: Strange misc-slot items that are tradable can now be listed on the Steam Community MarketUpdated The Bearded Bombardier and The Bolted Bombardier so they can be equipped with glassesCommunity request:Added modelscale and SetModelScale input to Studiomodel so map authors can use them to scale models View the full article

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 the "Halloween 2013" tag overlapping with the "Sound Device" tag in the Steam Workshop publish UI View the full article

http://media.steampowered.com/steam/news/11479/robot_n_fly.jpg It's just over a month until the scariest day of the year, but you'd never know it by looking at the TF2 Workshop. No, suddenly everybody's too cool to be so scared of Halloween that they're even scared of it 42 days before it happens. Well, gather round the campfire and let us tell you a story about somebody else who thought he wasn't scared of Halloween just because it wasn’t anywhere close to being Halloween. He was at his wife's office building for a Christmas party, and he thought he was in the clear, because that's like ten months away from Halloween, right? Wrong. A whole team of ghosts took over the Christmas party, and he was caught so unprepared by how incredibly scary they were that his shoes flew off and he hid in an elevator shaft so the ghosts couldn't scare him anymore, but it turned out the ghosts were just after money. That man was Bruce Willis in the haunted house classic Die Hard, and it should teach you a valuable lesson about showing a little advance respect for Halloween. And you can show that respect by designing and uploading scary workshop items for this year's upcoming Halloween event. We're only going to ship items marked with a "Halloween 2013" tag, so remember to tag your holiday-themed items when you submit them. (You can re-upload old Halloween items that weren't accepted last time and mark them with the "Halloween 2013" tag for reconsideration.) Also remember that anything you submit with this tag will be restricted to Halloween and Full Moons. And because it's restricted to Halloween and Full Moons, get creative! The tonal restrictions we normally ask our Workshoppers to observe with TF2 items don't really apply to a holiday where wizards and bomb books regularly attack from glowing skull islands, so if there's anything crazy you've been itching to make, now's the time. Lastly, don't forget to use the in-game tool, because we don't care how scary your items are, if they're not Gold Star certified, they're the wrong kind of scary—like the difference between being scared by a Wolfman and being scared by a Wolfman getting hit by a car while jaywalking across the street to scare you. View the full article

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: Added a new tag "Halloween 2013" to the Steam Workshop publish UIFixed the Flex target preview in the Steam Workshop item import toolFixed The Professor's Pineapple not drawing correctly for players in DirectX8Updated the teamplay_round_win event to fill out the winreason and flagcaplimit fields Notes missed from Monday's update:Updated Sentry Busters in Mann vs. Machine mode to damage teammates when they explodeSwitched Windows clients to use SDL 2.0 for controller support which enables hot-plugging controllers and configuring them through Steam Big Picture settings View the full article

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 noclip exploit related to dueling and coachingFixed clients not being able to run on WindowsXPFixed The Filamental displaying the burning material in DirectX8Fixed an exploit that allowed Strange counters to be incremented negativelyFixed The Crusader's Crossbow healing teammates with The Equalizer or The Escape Plan deployedFixed The Expert's Ordnance, The Hibernating Bear, and The Medieval Medic item sets not listing their associated hatsUpdated The Sticky Jumper to only allow 2 active stickybombs at a timeUpdated The Rump-o'-LanternFixed stock Medic not being able to equip itFixed not using the correct materials when equipped by the Medic View the full article

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 client crash related to initializing the input system for the Mac version View the full article

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//art/broadcast/Sky/sky_4ktest_1-470-75.jpgFootball has been at the heart of Sky's success story since it picked up the Premier League rights back in the early 1990s, so when it starts to look at the next generation of broadcast technology, it's only fitting that the beautiful game serves as the test bed. Director Tony Mills has been the go-to guy for Sky's tech trials since it broadcast its first match. He's overseen the move from standard definition to HD and was at the helm for the first 3D games as well. And now, it is Mills in the director's chair for the first live 4K Ultra HD tests - and anyone who thinks that he might be jaded about next-generation television by now would be entirely wrong. Trials and tribulationsTechRadar was given behind-the-scenes access to Sky's live 4K trial as West Ham played Stoke, and we had the chance - via video link up - to interview Mills about the trials and tribulations of making the latest tech work for the world's most popular sport. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/broadcast/Sky/sky_4ktest_sonymonitor-420-90.jpg "When I saw the practice pictures it instantly hit me that this is really something quite special and that became more apparent as the game went on," says Mills when we ask him about the impact of 4K. "We were picking out distinct features of people behind the play - it is so sharp and bright. It was a lot more noticeable than in the early days between SD and HD." The narrative of the gameTrying to make 3D work for live sport was a tough test, with a whole new directing 'language' to be learned by directors, but Mills suggests that adapting to Ultra HD has been more straighforward - at least so far. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/broadcast/3D/3d_rig-420-90.jpg "I was responsible for testing when we first went HD and I also did Sky's 3D coverage when we first started testing that. "We certainly had problems with 3D - we spent six months testing [and] we only had a couple of rigs to play with. "We went up and down the country to various reserve games to see what could or couldn't be done, and as the number of cameras grew to four or five quite often we'd start with five and end up with three because a couple would break! "With Ultra HD we have the four cameras and I expected certain issues to develop during the game but nothing did. "As we settled on a style of covering the match, the pictures got better and better, and when we started to turn the cameras onto the crowd celebrations, we went: 'Wow, just look at the pictures.' "You can see details of faces, you can see the smiles and get a real sense of the depth. It just looked really really good." http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/broadcast/Sky/sky_4ktest_tv2-420-90.jpg One of the advantages of 4K cameras over 3D is portability, and the time saving compared to setting up with the dual picture system 3D relies on. "With 3D, we set them up and they took a long time to line up, and then you left them. If you moved them six inches for some reason the whole lineup process had to start again. We learned that we had no flexibility to move them. "Today [with UHD] we have a handheld camera that we shot an interview with. We unplugged it, rushed it down as it was about to happen and the pictures were all perfect. "The camera's now ready to see the players walking out and within two minutes it will be back behind the goal. There's a lot more flexibility with Ultra HD cameras than there is with 3D." http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/broadcast/4k_football-420-90.jpg There are, of course, many lessons to be learned when trying out a new technology, and Mills is clearly relishing working out what shots to use as resolution becomes higher. "Certainly the speed you shoot from an ordinary HD to Ultra HD [changes]. We experimented in Cardiff with some of the pictures and we found that the cut rate slows down slightly. Similar to the 3D coverage, you allow more of the picture to tell the story than you would in HD. You don't need big close ups of players. "The challenge at West Ham is that we are lower and closer to the pitch, and it takes a while for the lens to catch up with the speed of the cameraman's zoom control. "If a goalscorer runs away you'll be seeing him from head to toe [rather then just his top half] - the definition improves dramatically so they are the shots we are working with. "We also have an issue with the shade - it's giving the engineers extra challenges because it takes them a while to anticipate when they have to open up the iris for us. "They have to anticipate a bit more than they would in HD. There's a certain amount of time it does take the engineers in the back of the truck to react to the change." So what's Mills going to be working on going forward? "We only have four cameras at the moment because that's all there is in Ultra HD at the moment! "As more cameras become available we'd love to try putting a few more in different areas and try different things. As co-operative as West Ham are, they won't let me move cameras during the game "If more cameras become available we'll take them somewhere and try a few different things." With Ultra HD still a nascent technology, Mills is likely to have plenty of time to craft his art before we see a Sky Sports Ultra HD broadcast, but there's no denying that he's excited for a 4K future. 4k and Ultra HD: everything you need to know

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//art/other/Onetimers/now_tv_chromecast2-470-75.jpgFresh on the heels of the launch of its low-cost Now TV Box, Sky has confirmed to TechRadar that it would indeed consider a Chomecast app should Google's TV streaming device hit the UK. Sky has long pronounced that it is looking to leverage its content across major platforms, and its Now TV subs-free service is proving to be a popular addition to many services. Google's Chromecast is US only at the current time, but is expected to arrive in the UK at some point, and when it does Sky will look at the platform. "If and when it launches in the UK, we'd take a look at it, as we do all potential distribution platforms," a spokesperson told us. Google has just five current Chromecast enabled apps - only one of which, Netflix, is not owned by Google. But that is expected to change and Sky's interest will be encouraging to the search giant ahead of any UK announcements. Now TV BoxLast week, Sky launched a £10 streaming device based on the Roku (a company it has invested heavily in) which has proven to be a critical hit. Indeed TechRadar's Now TV Box review gave the device a whopping four-and-a-half stars, pointing out that the bundled HDMI cable made it even more of a bargain. There is a big push from Sky for its subs-free services, and it makes sense to get it to as large an audience as possible. The company has already told TechRadar that it is looking to the next-gen consoles the Xbox One and the PS4, as well as being on LG Smart TVs, streaming boxes and YouView.

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//art/broadcast/Sky/nowtv/NOWTVBox/now_tv_stripes-470-75.jpgTechRadar was the first to get its hands on the new Now TV Box - a super-low-cost Smart TV box that gives you a range of internet television services for just under £10. For that money you get access to a host of catchup and streaming TV services, including the ever-popular BBC iPlayer, Sky News, BBC News and Demand 5, as well as the option of watching NOW TV services from Sky if you want to fork out for a day or month pass. There are also Smart apps that include Facebook, Spotify and Flickr. So without further ado - here are a few pictures of the Now TV Box... http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/broadcast/Sky/nowtv/NOWTVBox/DSC_1872-420-90.JPG http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/broadcast/Sky/nowtv/NOWTVBox/DSC_1855-420-90.JPG http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/broadcast/Sky/nowtv/NOWTVBox/DSC_1849-420-90.JPG http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/broadcast/Sky/nowtv/NOWTVBox/DSC_1842-420-90.JPG http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/broadcast/Sky/nowtv/NOWTVBox/DSC_1845-420-90.JPG http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/broadcast/Sky/nowtv/NOWTVBox/DSC_1843-420-90.JPG http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/broadcast/Sky/nowtv/NOWTVBox/DSC_1847-420-90.JPG http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/broadcast/Sky/nowtv/NOWTVBox/now_tv_ui-420-90.jpg

Your time is valuable, and the fact that you choose to spend it on Team Fortress 2 is awesome. When we introduced the Item Drop System back in 2009, one of our goals was to reward you for spending your time with us. We recently made a change that helps ensure players are playing TF2, not just leaving their computers on in order to get item drops. As of last week, players can no longer receive item drops unless they are actively playing the game. As with any update, this change is meant to keep the game as fair, fun, and rewarding to as many players as possible. We will continue to examine how the Item Drop System is used, and make any adjustments as needed to benefit the players. Questions and Answers: What is the definition of “actively playing†Team Fortress 2? From an item drop perspective, a player is considered to be actively playing if they meet all of the following criteria: Is connected to a VAC secured server. Is responding to in-game drop notifications while not utilizing external programs to do so. Is running only one instance of the game. Is not in textmode. A player who meets all of those criteria is earning time towards random item drops (subject to the weekly cap).Will I be VAC banned for not actively playing the game, also known as ‘idling’? No, you will not be banned for just idling. You may be banned if you use external programs to circumvent idle detection. See VAC FAQ.Will I lose my drops if I'm idling? Will it affect my weekly drop cap? No, drops are not lost and the drop cap remains unaffected. Players will simply have their item drops paused. Item drops will return when normal play is resumed.Why are you changing how the Item Drop System works? This change is designed to make the TF2 experience equally rewarding for all players. The previous system had flaws that allowed players to collect rewards without actively playing TF2.I don’t idle. How does this impact me? The new system ensures you won’t become disadvantaged for playing TF2 the way you always have. View the full article

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 crit and mini-crit sounds not playing in the ears of the attackerFixed some missing sapper particles in Mann vs. Machine modeFixed bots seeing the Payload cart as a valid targetFixed an issue with mouse centering in non-native fullscreen resolutions for the Mac versionFixed a problem with restoring the fullscreen window when app gets focus for the Mac versionFixed the description for the Founding FatherUpdated L'Inspecteur to include a blue material when equipped by the Blue team View the full article

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 server crash caused by running out of free edictsFixed a problem that was preventing some older demos from being playedFixed the Spy getting the afterburn immunity while disguised as Demoman wielding the Chargin' TargeFixed the Process and Standin map stamp donations displaying incorrect map names on the World TravelerFixed the Pyro not using the correct model for the Reserve ShooterFixed a bug that would cause certain attributes (kill counts, trade time) to appear incorrectly on items viewed through Steam Community and the trade UIRemoved promotion restrictions from the Crosslinker's CoilUpdated the Loose Cannon description to match the updated gameplayUpdated the Short Circuit description to match the updated gameplay View the full article

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: General: Fixed Quick-Fix infinite heal exploitFixed missing Cow Mangler 5000 particles when running in DirectX8Fixed Disco Beat Down unusual effect showing through wallsFixed incorrect projectile speed attributes being applied to giants in Mann vs. MachineWhen disguised as a teammate, the Dead Ringer will drop the body of the player the Spy is disguised asFixed a bug where arrows and bolts would hit friendly playersFixed a bug where Strange parts and filters could not be removed from Strange weaponsFixed the "Show Entire Backpack" option in the crafting panel not preserving empty backpack slots and forcing items to stackMaps:Fixed an areaportal improperly rendering in pl_goldrushFixed players getting out of map in cp_standinFixed players hiding in vents in cp_standinAdjusted HDR lighting in cp_process View the full article

Over the last week we've taken you through some of our thinking around maps, weapons and items. We thought you might find it interesting if we walked you through the process we use to ship an update to TF2. There we go, update shipped. http://media.steampowered.com/steam/news/11070/demo_n_heavy.jpg View the full article

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: General: Added over 60 Gold Star community-submitted Workshop itemsSummer Claim Checks can now be redeemed for Summer CoolersSummer Cooler Keys are now available in the Mann Co. StoreMap Stamps and Strange Filters for the new community maps cp_standin and cp_process are now available in the Mann Co. StoreReduced intensity of Bleed and Jarate screen effects under DX8Added text search functionality to the backpack and the storeAdded tf_hud_show_servertimelimit to display the server’s per-map time limit on the in-game HUDIn MvM, if all team members unready, the pre-round countdown will stopIn MvM, when robots are killed by sniper headshots or explosive headshot upgrade, they will drop ‘red’ money that will automatically be collected when it would otherwise dissolveFixed a bug with the Unusual Adjustment Slider that would cause changes not to take effectDouble-clicking a crate will now take you to the appropriate key in the storeBy default, items with non-standard qualities (i.e., strange, unusual) will not be selectable as craft ingredient. The ingredient selection UI has a checkbox to disable this feature and allow selection.Unusuals and Stranges no longer stack in loadout equip pagesFixed a bug that would sometimes cause incorrect Steam Community Market prices to be shown on item tooltips when using non-USD currenciesFixed a bug that would cause the popular items page in the store to not always update correctlyFixed a bug where disguised red spies spawned a blue heal particle when touching healthkitsFixed a bug where certain projectiles and Engineer building gibs could cause doors to become stuckFixed a bug where crouch animations would not properly play while in humiliation stateFixed a bug where full ÜberCharge effects would always show on the client if a player was killed with full ÜberChargeFixed a bug that allowed custom item names/descriptions containing HTML to sometimes change the appearance of items in Steam CommunityFixed level 3 dispensers missing geometryFixed level 2 dispensers appearing identical to level 1 dispensers at certain LODsFixed the Marked-For-Death effect showing over the head of disguised or stealthed playersFixed suicide deathnotices showing the dead player's last deployed weapon instead of the skull and crossbonesFixed characters in the loadout page sometimes appearing as if they were cloakedWeapon attributes will now show in the same order in-game and in Steam CommunitySupport for the ITFItems/GetPlayerItems and ITFItems/GetSchema WebAPIs have been removedAdded support for the Oculus-native distortion function via the "oculus_use_ovr_distortion" convar in VR modeMaps:Added cp_standin and cp_processRenamed mvm_coaltown_event to mvm_ghost_town to fix a problem with voting for challenges in MvM when on Coal Towncp_badlandsFixed jumps being ruined by small rock ledge near spiralFixed prop collisionsFixed clip smoothingcp_dustbowlFixed players building in Blu's first spawnFixed players shooting through rocks in stage 2Fixed collision in tunnels in stage 2Fixed textures not displaying properly in PyrovisionFixed lighting on cliff facesFixed skybox error in stage 3.Fixed players getting killed through the ceiling under stage 2 cap 1Adjusted ceiling height in stage 3 tunnel for better clearanceCleaned up prop collisioncp_egyptFixed clip brush exploitsPlayers can no longer build on top of arches and high ledgescp_gorgePlayers can no longer build in Blu's first spawn roomChanged scale of water texturecp_granaryFixed improper orientation on arrow signsFixed players getting above red forward spawnFixed players building on cargo containers inside spawn roomFixed holes in skybox geometryRemoved collision from hanging lamp over Red spawnRemoved collision from security cameras above Red and Blue spawnsMirrored fence alcove from Blu final cap arena to Red sideBalanced collision of rocks in final capture arenasRe-ordered spawns in the first spawn room to be consistent between Red and Blucp_gravelpitClipped roof of building over cap ARemoved helthpack under terrainAdded decals under health kits and ammo packscp_gullywashFixed players getting out of the map near the middle capture pointFixed collision exploits near middle capture pointcp_mountainlabFixed collision issues on the ladders and hill that lead to the first pointFixed static prop lightingcp_steelFixed players blocking Blu's spawn exit door leading to capture point BFixed collision on ledge near capture point BPlayers can no longer build inside Red spawn room.Blu spawn point over grate removed.ctf_2fortFixed building inside of spawn doorsFixed clipping exploits on battlementsFixed height of door leading to spiral stairs in Blu base so players can now crouch past a placed dispenserCleaned up prop collisionSmoothed clipping on wagon wheel and other propsctf_wellFixed players jumping out of the mapkoth_kingHealth and ammo packs now match on Red and Blu sides of the mapPlayers can no longer build in spawn doorskoth_lakesideFixed rockets passing through terrain near the capture pointkoth_viaductPlayers can no longer build in spawn room raftersmvm_bigrockFixed players building on rock in cave sectionpl_badwaterFixed player clip brush exploits and missing player clip brushes on roofs and rock wallsFixed player clip smoothingFixed fence collisionsFixed floating rocks in skyboxFixed lighting on propsFixed lighting on canyon vistaHandrails no longer collide with bullets and projectilesPerformance increase through poly reduction, model collision reduction and model fade distancesPlayers can no longer build inside Blu spawn roomPlayers can no longer be trapped with teleporters under the sign by the first capture pointPlayers can no longer enter the room overlooking the final cap through the windows before point 3 is capturedPlayers will now be crushed by closing doors upon the capture of point 2pl_barnblitzFixed building in the skybox above Red's final spawnTeleporters will no longer self destruct when used on the battlements near Blu's first spawnpl_frontierFixed spawn doors not working properly after second capture.Players can no longer build inside kill volumesPlayers can no longer build inside of Blu's second spawn roomRed players can now enter the Blu team spawn upon round winpl_goldrushFixed collision on props and clip exploitsFixed buildings being prohibited from construction in the garage near the end of stage 3Players can no longer block the cart through the wall in stage Players can no longer build in spawn exitsPlayers can no longer build on the shack roof near the end of stage 3Players and buildings can no longer be killed through the floor in stage 1 in the upper room by the capPlayers can no longer build on the perch in stage 1Handrails no longer collide with bullets and projectilespl_thundermountainFixed gate visible through ceiling in stage 3Fixed clipping in stage 3 Blu spawnPrevented players from building in the cliffside kill zone in stage 1pl_upwardFixed exploit where Blu team could be trapped in their final spawn roomFixed gap in collision which allowed Blu players to be shot in their first spawnFixed fade distances on props in Blu spawnFixed players building under catwalk on the ledge of the final pitFixed clip brush exploitsPlayers can no longer be trapped by teleporting under stairs near final capture pointPlayers can no longer build inside of Red's final spawn roomPlayers can no longer build inside of spawn room doorsPlayers can no longer be trapped inside of the capture point signPrevented Blu team from entering final spawn room while it is neutralSmoothed clipping collisionCollision performance increasesHandrails no longer collide with bullets and projectilesReplaced floor texture in Red team final spawn roomplr_hightowerFixed clip brush exploit above building on cliff edgeplr_nightfallFixed players jumping outside of the mapReduced prop collisionplr_pipelineFixed invisible facesHandrails no longer collide with bullets and projectilestc_hydroFixed clip brush exploit where players could get out of worldFixed players getting on top of monument.Items:The Chieftain's Challenge, Lord Cockswain's Pith Helmet, That '70s Chapeau, The K-9 Mane, The Stovepipe Sniper Shako, The Pounding Father, and Vox Diabolus can now be painted"The Public Enemy", "The Urban Professional", and "The Dumpster Diver" sets will now show up as sets in the in-game UICursed Soul items (Halloween zombie skins) are now renameableStrange Bacon Grease can now be gift-wrappedAdded LODs to the Airborne Armaments set itemsFixed Bison/Pomson projectiles getting stuck on doorsFixed Baseballs and Jars sometimes going through thin geometryCrit-A-ColaRemoved: Damage taken mini-critsAdded: Damage taken increased 25%ShortstopAdded 20% bonus healing while deployedAdded 80% vulnerability increase to all push forces while deployedWingerAdded +25% Jump Height bonus when active The Special Delivery (set)Removed: +25 max health on wearerAdded: Leave a calling card on your victimsBattalion's BackupAdded additional +15% Sentry damage resistance to all teammates while banner effect is active (50% damage reduction while banner is active)Rage is now generated from damage dealt instead of damage receivedBlack BoxRocket explosions now use correct sound Beggar’s BazookaFixed an exploit that allowed players to hold a set fixed number of rockets (reload cancelling)Misfired Rockets now remove one loaded rocket from the clipConcherorRage is now generated only from damage dealtBuffed players now receive a speed boost, in addition to the previous Health-On-Hit effectCow Mangler 5000Reduced clip size (from 5 to 4)Removed -10% damage attributeRemoved 5% slower reload attributeAdded missing "sets players on fire" description textNew particles and soundEscape PlanPlayers receive the Marked-For-Death effect after deploying, and for a short period after holsteringLiberty LauncherRemoved: 25% reduced clip size penaltyAdded: 25% reduced damage penalty OriginalRocket explosions now use correct sound The Tank Buster (set)Removed: +20% Sentry damage resistance on wearerAdded: Leave a calling card on your victimsPhlogistinatorFixed "Mmmph" progress resetting after touching a resupply cabinetPowerjackAdded: 15% increase move speed while deployedAdded: 20% damage vulnerability to all sourcesThe Gas Jockey's Gear (set)Removed: +10% faster move speed on wearerRemoved: +10% bullet damage vulnerability on wearerAdded: Leave a calling card on your victimsChargin' TargeAdded: Afterburn immunityLoose CannonRange no longer affects direct cannonball impact damageReduced charge time to 1 secondAdded: Double-Donk (directly impacting an enemy within half a second before the bomb explosion) sound and particle effectsDouble-Donk damage now mini-critsThe Expert's Ordnance (set)Removed: +10% fire damage resistance on wearerBuffalo Steak SandvichRemoved: Damage taken mini-critsAdded: Damage taken increased 25%Dalokohs BarIncreased amount of health restored per-bite from 15 to 25GunslingerFixed a bug that caused mini-sentries to heal while being constructedRescue RangerMinor increase in damage per boltIncreased building healing from 50 to 75 per boltShort CircuitAmmo cost reduced when an attack destroys a projectileWranglerSlightly reduced accuracy of manually-controlled sentry at long rangeProtective shield now fades 1 second after the owning Engineer diesCrusaders CrossbowChanged arrow projectile to a large syringeAdded new trail effectsSmoothed out reload animation (DPS unchanged)Fixed being able to heal players that are using items that block healingQuick-FixAdded 50% OverhealÜber now affects the medic when there's no heal targetShotguns with pushback (Force-A-Nature) no longer affect players under the effect of Quick-Fix’s ÜberVaccinatorÜber now fully absorbs crit damage for the selected damage type, but depletes Übercharge based on the amount of damage preventedBazaar BargainFixed the starting charge rate being -40% instead of -20%Capped the max charge rate to 200%Cozy CamperRemoved movement penalty.Added: Damage taken increased by 20%Darwin's Danger shieldAdded: Bullet damage taken reduced by 15%Added: Explosive damage taken increased by 20%The Croc-o-Style Kit (set)Removed headshot immunityAdded: Leave a calling card on your victimsDead RingerWhen under the effect of Feign Death, damage taken decreases the duration of the effectL'EtrangerAdded: 40% increased cloak durationSpy-cicleFixed a bug that would cause the charge meter to not reset when the spy was killedThe Saharan Spy (set)Removed: Reduced decloak sound volumeRemoved: 0.5 sec longer cloak blink timeAdded custom particle effects when taunting View the full article

Three weeks ago, we introduced an item import tool that lets item creators locally verify that their items meet a set of technical and performance standards. This helps item creators ensure that anything they create is more likely to be game-ready; and it also helps the community as a whole, by giving the TF2 team more time to devote to other aspects of the game. Since we released the tool, this verification process (which grants items a “Gold Starâ€) has led to over 900 Gold Star Workshop submissions. We've been blown away by the speed and quality of the TF2 community's response. Thanks to this verification system, we've been able to select a whopping 64 Gold Star items for this coming update. But how do we decide which to ship? Below, we've run this classy-looking Medic coat through a set of questions we ask when reviewing submissions. We hope this will give item creators and everyone voting in the Workshop a bit more insight into our decision-making process. http://media.steampowered.com/steam/news/11063/medic_coat.jpg Does the item's vote count show support from the TF2 Workshop Community? This is a big one: We're not going to ship an item that the community has no interest in shipping. (Remember: Even if you're not an item creator, you can help the item selection process by up-voting and down-voting.) Our sample Medic item, for instance, had sufficient support to examine further.Does the item introduce something unique and different compared to items already in the game? The Medic does not yet have a coat cosmetic that makes him look ready to dance the night away as if it were 1776. Let’s check this box as a "Yes". Does the item interfere with class identification? Even in this new coat, the Medic is still easily recognizable as the Medic. The author has taken care not to remove areas that display team colors and has made sure the geometry complements the base character model underneath. How well does it complement other items already in the game? Because the geometry is contained within the Medic silhouette, it will avoid clipping with most other cosmetics, allowing users to customize their look further. Does this item fit well within the TF universe? It might seem at first glance that the TF universe is pretty flexible—flexible enough, anyway, to accommodate a Victorian-era aristocrat costume for the Medic. However, there are limits. Photo-realistic items or overly cartoony items are just two examples of art styles that probably won't mesh with the TF2niverse. Lastly, Is your item Darth Vader's helmet? Because we don't own Star Wars. Here's a comprehensive list of other things we don't own: Everything that's not TF. Luckily, Darth Vader doesn't dress like a foppish 18th century rogue*, so this item's in the clear.And remember: much like the game itself, the import tool is a work in progress. If you're a Workshop author and want to get advance notice of changes or to request support for new features, make sure to sign up for the brand-new TF Workshop/import tool mailing list. *Note: We haven't seen Episode VII yet. View the full article