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I’ve decided to continue my “Some things you may have missed” post from nearly a year ago, and with any luck, I’ll update it on a monthly/ quarterly basis for the folks who don’t have the time to go searching around for the neat little extras for TF2. Mainly from FPSBanana, but I will be getting in bits and pieces from other TF2 related sites. So with out further ado, lets get going!

Custom Models: Fixed Grenade Launcher

Coming at us from user Ampersand on the FPSBANNA website, comes a fixed grenade launcher custom model for use on servers without sv_pure 1, sv_pure 2 or certain Admin plugins. Many already know this, but in the Beta version of Team Fortress 2, the Demoman had six grenades to spill out. However, they were removed for balance issues. Unfortunately, Valve never updated the Model to show only four grenade slots.

Ampersand has released a fixed version here (as well as fixing the un-moving chambers while reloading), along with the promise to update more models such as fixing the One-handed Sticky Launcher, pipes connecting the Pyro and his Flamethrower and a Beta-Style Rocket launcher with the rocket sticking out. Well worth keeping an eye on.

HLstats:CE Forum Signature Generator

From the user Supernova on the Fester’s Place website, comes a slick looking, ready customisable signature creator for the communities out there with bustling forums and HLstats:CE. The signatures should work with a wealth of other games that support HLstats:CE, but it has only been tested so far on TF2.

The signatures actually fully link up to the players HLstats:CE stats for a nice and clean look with a wealth of random, self changing background pictures and changeable fonts, what you want displayed and much much more. They even update as you play and can feature anything on them from Kills per Death to Total Sandviches eaten to Favorite victim . To download them for your own use, check out the website here for samples and instructions*.

Standard HLStats forum signature:

Supernova’s:

The difference is nothing short of stunning. Supernova has told me that quite a few popular servers a picking this up now so don’t be surprised if you see it around more often. It can also be used on other games, and is customisable for anyone who wants pictures in the sig changed to match the game.

Soon enough there should be more options such as “Favorite enemy” for the person who has killed you the most, or be able to update your own pictures to this so you could have a compile of screenshots from only your personal server’s community!

Definetly very cool addition for those who do care about HLstats more than their official TF2 stats.

*Contact your oft-used server’s admin to link up the server with the new sigs.

32 Player font

Now here is something for everyone, whether or not you play 32 player servers anyway. Again from FPSBanana comes a more condensed font for use on the tab/score screen courtesy of DanTycoon. The font size itself will only change very slightly, if at all, but it will push the names closer together on the list, without any overlaying avatars or names.

Download it from here!

To see the difference, the one on the left is the old font, the one on the right is Dan’s (with obvious self promotions on my “l33t heavy skills” I’m actually terrible).

Maps: cp_observatory4

I typically don’t like showing off maps as there are just so many innovative or interesting ones, we could have a separate blog devoted to them, but this one caught my eye in particular. This map by Icarus is a blend of cp_steel and cp_gravelpit style, with separate caps opening up, but it being very possible to win without all points. The map is built around points A, B and C. Capturing either of the first points will open C for capping, but both A and B give their own different additional bonuses for the Blue team to push forward, as well as extra time to strike.

The map is the perfect size and has just enough nicks and knacks for all classes to be usable. Wide open spaces for Snipers, rocks and high platforms for Scouts, plenty of sneaky places for Backburner Pyros and Spies alike, its got it all. Ending in a giant platform for C that leaves a dramatic finish for both teams. But my undoubtedly favorite thing about this map, is just the level of care and detail gone into it.

Looking around, you will find little tongue-in-cheek jokes like a Spy being put to a James Bond style laser death, a cp_steel-esqe rocket blasting finish or a giant “Yield, right of way” sign facing the Blue team. On top of that, the invisible wall treatment is actually quite lenient, giving clever engineers a piece of the action with well placed sentries and scouts or soldiers plenty of areas to flee to and gain height advantages. It’s a gem, and certainly deserves to be on any map rotation, if even only for a test. You can download it here.

Misc.: Cel shaded TF2 lighting*

A touchy post, but I found it worthy of a look at. If you remember back the old, OLD TF2 trailer lighting schemes were much more solid and blocky. DanielAwesomo added this custom lighting which should work on most servers that brings you pretty close to what TF2 was to have looked like (Player Models only!). I would post screens, but it gives a horrible impression compaired to seeing it in game so I can only recommend you try it in-game to see it yourself. Download it here to see what you think.

*And before you go saying it, no, the current vanilla TF2 is not Cel Shaded.

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That’s all for now then. Catch y’all at a later point in time when some more interesting bits and pieces surface.