Team Fortress Classic is a first-person shooter game created by Valve and published by Sierra Studios. It was first released in April 1999 for Windows computers. The game is based on Team Fortress, a modification (mod) of the 1996 game Quake. In the game, two teams compete in online matches. Each player chooses one of nine classes, each with unique abilities. The game includes challenges such as capturing a flag, controlling territory, and protecting a "VIP" player.

Valve hired the developers of the Team Fortress mod to create Team Fortress Classic using its GoldSrc engine, which was also used in the 1998 game Half-Life. This was done to promote the Half-Life software development kit. The game received mostly positive reviews, though some critics noted that the graphics were not very advanced. In 2000, Valve released a standalone version called Team Fortress 1.5, which included new character designs, maps, and additional features. A later version, Team Fortress 2, was released in 2007.

Gameplay

In Team Fortress Classic, matches usually involve two teams, one red and one blue, with nine different character classes. Each class has specific weapons and abilities that are only available to that class. These differences between classes create gameplay similar to the game rock-paper-scissors, where players must work together to complete objectives. The class system also encourages players to choose different classes and use them together to gain an advantage.

A server in Team Fortress Classic can support up to 32 players at the same time. Matches can be played in various game modes, each with its own goals.

Players can choose from nine classes: Scout, Sniper, Soldier, Demoman, Medic, Heavy Weapons Guy, Pyro, Spy, or Engineer. Each class has at least one weapon that is unique to that class, and often a second weapon that may be shared with other classes (such as a shotgun or nailgun). All classes, except the Medic, Spy, and Engineer, use a crowbar as a melee weapon, a reference to the game Half-Life. Every player also carries grenades, and the effects of these grenades depend on the class.

In Escort game modes, players may also choose the Civilian class. Civilians have only an umbrella as a weapon, no armor, and low health. They are usually protected by other team members.

• The Scout is the fastest class but deals little damage. The Scout uses a nailgun and shotgun, as well as caltrops and concussion grenades to slow or confuse enemies. The Scout can also disarm the Demoman’s detonation pack, reveal enemy Spies by running near teammates, and instantly find flags in capture-the-flag maps.
• The Sniper uses a powerful sniper rifle to attack enemies from far away.
• The Soldier is slower than the Scout and Sniper but has better armor. The Soldier uses a rocket launcher to jump around the battlefield and combat shotguns as backup. Rocket jumping can damage the Soldier. Soldiers also use nail bombs for close combat.
• The Demoman uses a grenade launcher to attack enemies from a distance and a Pipe Bomb launcher to set traps. The Demoman also has a demolition pack to open or close paths on some maps.
• The Medic uses a super nail gun, concussion grenades, and a medical kit. The medical kit can heal teammates or spread a disease that harms enemies.
• The Heavy Weapons class uses a powerful minigun and can take more damage than any other class. However, the Heavy moves much slower than other classes.
• The Pyro uses a flamethrower and incendiary rocket launcher to set enemies on fire. The Pyro also carries napalm grenades for the same purpose.
• The Spy can disguise as any other class. The Spy uses a knife to kill enemies from behind, a tranquilizer gun to slow opponents, and a hallucination grenade to confuse them. The Spy can also fake death to use their backstab ability more effectively.
• The Engineer builds structures like sentry guns, ammunition dispensers, and teleporters to help their team. Engineers can repair teammates’ armor with a wrench and use EMP grenades to disable enemy explosives. Engineers also carry a shotgun as backup.

Development

Team Fortress was first created as a mod for the game Quake (1996) by TF Software Pty. Ltd. The developers were working on a separate game that followed the first one when they were hired by Valve to make a version of Team Fortress as a mod for Valve's 1998 game Half-Life. After many delays, Team Fortress Classic was released on April 7, 1999.

On June 9, 2000, Valve released Team Fortress version 1.5 as part of Half-Life's 1.1 update. This was the first version of Team Fortress that could be played on its own. The update included new sounds and weapons, better graphics, new models for player classes and weapons, new maps created by popular mapmakers, an updated user interface that made it easier to find and join games, and a new in-game Command Menu Interface. It also added networking code for Valve's future game, Team Fortress 2. Three new maps were included with the update: Dustbowl, Warpath, and Epicenter. The Command Menu Interface allowed players to change teams, call for a medic, or switch classes during a match.

Over time, Valve made changes to Team Fortress, including updates to the game's networking code and adding new maps and game modes. In 2003, Team Fortress Classic was released on Valve's Steam platform. Versions for Mac OS X and Linux computers were released in 2013.

Reception

Team Fortress Classic received positive reviews and earned an 85% rating on the video game review website GameRankings. Some people had criticisms, such as Graham Smith of Rock, Paper, Shotgun, who said the game was "messy" and "chaotic." PC Gamer US named Team Fortress Classic the best multiplayer game of 1999 and wrote that it was "more fun and more addictive than any other multiplayer-only title released in 1999" and did not cost owners of Half-Life any money. PC Gamer UK praised the game's many character classes, "complex strategies," and teamwork, but said the team communication and graphics were "difficult to use." In 2010, the game was included in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die.

Legacy

After Team Fortress became successful as a Quake modification, Team Fortress Software started working on a sequel. Valve, a company interested in the project, hired the team to create Team Fortress 2 using the changed version of the Quake engine used by Half-Life. The partnership was announced in 1998 and developed alongside Team Fortress Classic. However, the game was not shown publicly until a year later at E3 1999. At that event, it was introduced as Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms and demonstrated new technologies for its time. It won awards such as "Best Online Game" and "Best Action Game." In June 2000, Valve said the game would be delayed again because they were rebuilding it on a new engine they created themselves, now called the Source engine.

For six years after this delay, Valve said little about the game. As Half-Life 2 was being developed and released in 2004, Valve’s Doug Lombardi said Team Fortress 2 was still being worked on and would be released after Half-Life 2. In 2006, during Electronic Arts’ Summer Showcase, the game was shown publicly with a different art style than its original design. In 2007, Team Fortress 2 was released as part of The Orange Box and received praise from players and critics.

The story and characters of Team Fortress 2 were expanded through short videos and comics. In April 2014, a comic series reintroduced characters from Team Fortress Classic (excluding their Medic) as rivals to the Team Fortress 2 team. A free comic released for Comic Book Day explained that Team Fortress Classic takes place in an alternate 1930s timeline, while Team Fortress 2 is set during the Gravel Wars era. It also stated that the engineer from Team Fortress Classic is the father of the engineer in Team Fortress 2.

Fans created a mod for Half-Life 2 called Fortress Forever, which aimed to copy the gameplay of Team Fortress Classic using the newer Source engine. Another mod, Team Fortress 2 Classified, combines gameplay ideas from both Team Fortress 2 and Team Fortress Classic, along with unused concepts from Team Fortress 2’s development and new original features.