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Lots Of Steam Patches Two TF2 patchs, Portal and Steam Client

Valve announces a Steam client update, a Portal Update, a Team Fortress 2 Update, and another Team Fortress 2 Update, all available from within Steam. Most significant is the first TF2 patch, which includes several fixes and tweaks, including anti-bunny hopping code.

Steam Client

• Fixed case where the Team Fortress 2 statistics could become corrupted
• Improved network connectivity issues

Portal

• Optimized Portal demos to have fewer issues when going through actual Portals

Team Fortress 2

• Fixed problems with 3d sound in surround mode for some Audigy X-Fi users
• Medigun no longer continues to heal enemy Spies who have lost their disguise
• Fixed a weapon switching exploit that allowed Snipers to fire slightly faster than intended
• Tweaked shadow filtering to make shadows look more smooth
• Fixed Server Plugin “StartQueryCVarValue” falsely returning CvarNotFound for cvars that did exist
• Fixed crash in HTML control in IE7 on page load, most often seen in the server Message of the Day
• Fixed small memory leak in HTML controller
• Made HTML output more compatible with new XHTML document styles
• Fixed physics crash involving bad ragdoll friction values
• Fixed detail sprite fading
• Added anti-bunny hopping code

2^nd Team Fortress 2

• Fixed crash when viewing some HTML MOTDs

Retail Orange Box Pre-Purchase & TF2 Beta Access At GameStop

Valve announces the pre-purchase program for The Orange Box is underway at GameStop stores, offering a 10% discount, and will offer access to the Team Fortress 2 beta test.

September 24, 2007 - Valve and GameStop today announced that those who pre-purchase the PC edition of The Orange Box at GameStop, the world’s largest video game and entertainment software retailer, before October 10th will save 10% off the regular price and gain access to the beta version of Team Fortress 2 for the PC.

The Orange Box, penned by IGN as “.the package which could legitimately be called the deal of the century,” features three highly-awaited new games by Valve: Half-Life® 2: Episode Two, the second installment in the Half-Life 2 episodic trilogy; Team Fortress® 2, the sequel to the game that put class-based, multiplayer team warfare on the map; and Portal, the game that blends puzzles, first person action, and adventure gaming to produce an experience like no other.

To bring gamers up to date with the Half-Life 2 universe, The Orange Box also includes Half-Life 2, the best-selling and highest-rated action game series of all time, and the episodic debut Half-Life® 2: Episode One-together, more than 30 hours of award-winning gameplay. Customers who already own these titles will have the ability to conveniently “gift” them to a friend upon official release of The Orange Box.

Starting immediately, those who pre-purchase The Orange Box for PC at any GameStop retail store in the US will receive a key-code and instructions to download and activate the beta release of Team Fortress 2 from Steam. The beta will conclude with the release of The Orange Box on October 10th. This year’s most anticipated online action game, Team Fortress 2 delivers new game types, a signature art style powered by Valve’s next generation animation technology, persistent player statistics, and more.

The Orange Box will have a suggested retail price of $49.95 on the PC and $59.95 on the Xbox® 360 and Playstation® 3 console systems. The 10% pre-purchase discount also applies to all three versions at GameStop and participating retail outlets.

For more information about The Orange Box, please visit www.steamgames.com.

Steam Community is out of Beta

Some how I missed this one yesterday. Valve announces the Steam Community is out of beta in preparation for the Team Fortress 2 beta:

September 13, 2007 - After a successful trial period, Valve is proud to announce the public launch of the Steam community features, an expansive set of social networking and online multiplayer features available for free on Steam, as it prepares for the launch of the Team Fortress 2 beta, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, September 17, 2007.

The Steam Community lets gamers create a personal profile-a Steam ID-complete with a photo or avatar, biographical details, favorite lists, and other information. Community members can add peers to a personal Friends List that shows in real-time who’s online and available to chat or play a game. Accessible from within the Steam client or while playing a game, the Friends List makes it easy to invite friends to chat, play a game, or join a group.

Team Fortress 2 is the successor to the grand daddy of class-based multiplayer action games and the multiplayer component of The Orange Box, a unique compilation of new games from Valve. The Orange Box also includes Portal and the full collection of Half-Life 2 games released to date for just $50 on PC and $60 on the next generation consoles.

Starting Monday, September 17, the Team Fortress 2 (TF2) beta opens to those who pre-purchaser The Orange Box via Steam and save 10% of the regular price. The Steam community features will allow TF2 players to track detailed player and team statistics and achievements records.

To explore the Steam community features, install the Steam client available at www.steampowered.com. Click the Community tab within the Steam interface and take a tour of the features and create a profile.

Pre-Order HL2 The Orange Box, Play Team Fortress 2 On Monday

Steam says that preorders of The Orange Box are underway on Steam, and that those who chose to buy the bundle of Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2 by October 10, 2007 earn the right to participate in the beta testing of Team Fortress 2, along with a 10% discount and a casual game. Here’s the BIG announcement, the beta will begin on September 17 and your in it, only if you preorder: