Team Fortress 2 Update Overhauls Matchmaking

Valve's popular free-to-play shooter Team Fortress 2 has received a surprise update. The new update includes changes to competitive mode as well as balance changes to weapons.

Competitive Revamp

• The matchmaking system used for Competitive Mode has been overhauled. Players will now be ranked using a model based on the Glicko rating system used in CS:GO.
• The old 18 Competitive ranks have been consolidated into 13 new ranks. You can view the new ranks on the updated Competitive FAQ page (http://www.teamfortress.com/meetyourmatch/faq/)
• Competitive ranks have been reset and players must win 10 matches to earn a new Competitive rank
• Note: The previous system started everyone at Rank 1, and required – in most cases – considerable time for players to reach a rank that properly reflected their performance. The new system – by way of placement matches – considerably shortens the time required to reach an appropriate rank
• The requirements to access Competitive Mode have changed: If you do not own a Competitive Matchmaking Pass, you must now be at least Casual level 3 in addition to being a Premium user and having a valid phone number associated with your account.

This update also fixes a number of bugs. You can read the full list here.

Competitive Multiplayer Is Coming To Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2's competitive matchmaking mode, “Meet Your Match” update has officially been announced. The update will add a ranked competitive mode to the game in addition to quickplay matchmaking with opportunities to rank up. You'll be matched up with opponents of a similar skill level and your progressive match performance will determine how you rank up or down. Competitive mode won't be open to every player who downloads the game until you tie your account with a phone number and purchase a special item to earn premium status. You can also purchase a Competitive Access Pass for $9.99 instead.

Play Splatoon In Team Fortress 2 With This Mod

A user created mod for Team Fortress 2 has brought the Splatoon's ink shooting fun to the PC. The Splat Fortress mod, created by YouTube user DrLilRobot and a small team of coders and artists, It’s pretty much everything you'd want in a Splatoon port. Players even have the ability to transform into a squid and swim through the paint they've put down on the ground. The mod is rough around the edges, obviously. There seems to be only one usable weapon at the moment, and paint spreads in large squares rather than organic splats of paint like in the real game. The mod isn’t available to the public yet, but it looks well on its way. And, if you don't own a Wii U, it'll probably be the only way you can try out something like Splatoon.