Valve's Team Fortress 2 has managed to have an incredible lifespan of nearly 15 years, going relatively strong ever since the game was released in 2007. The hat-centric FPS has undoubtedly had an impact on gaming as a whole, with plenty of other class-based shooters aiming to replicate its success. TF2 wasn't the first class-based shooter around, but it certainly helped to boost the genre's popularity. Fans have become incredibly endeared to the game's world and characters, especially after the "Meet the Team" shorts and the official comic series.
However, in recent months the game has become borderline unplayable due to a massive influx of bots. Bots and hackers are nothing new for TF2, but the sheer number of them makes it difficult to find a single server where players won't get shot by an aimbot halfway across the map. It's difficult to find a casual game of TF2 that's actually playable and, up until recently, Valve has done little to address the problem. This changed when the TF2 fanbase got #savetf2 trending on Twitter, raising awareness of the game's unfortunate state.
Valve eventually responded via the official Team Fortress 2 Twitter account, marking the account's first tweet in over a year. Valve acknowledged the fan outcry and stated that work was being done to improve the game's playability. While this response is great to see, some may not fully understand why the fan outcry over TF2 got to the point that it did. TF2 has a legacy that's worth preserving, and the bot situation could very well ruin that legacy.
Outside of people's enjoyment of the game, it's important to talk about just how much of an impact TF2 has had on the internet as a whole. Tons of content creators got their start with the game, launching careers that would go on to create some of the most unique online entertainment today. The creative community that was inspired by the game is also incredibly talented. They've made their own short films, game mods, maps, and artwork inspired by the game.
Part of what helped TF2 inspire so many creative works is thanks to the game's personality. Not only is the art style unique and recognizable, but the game's cast of playable characters has incredibly vibrant personalities. Characters like the Medic, the Scout, the Heavy, and the Pyro are all iconic among TF2 fans. While the in-game voice lines do a great job giving each class personality, it's really the "Meet the Team" shorts that helped establish who the mercs are.
Each TF2 class got a short film that briefly explained the kind of role they fill in-game and their personalities are like. Some of these shorts took on the form of sit-down interviews with the class, while others were entire short films. Source Filmmaker, the tool Valve used to make these shorts, was publicly released to fans in 2012 so that they could create their own shorts. Valve even organized several TF2-themed contests to help get people experimenting with the tool.
Source Filmmaker is easily one of the biggest things to come from TF2, though it's certainly not the game's only contribution. The early days of GMod animated shorts on YouTube also has their connections to TF2, as do the many fan-made game modes that have become integral parts of TF2's community. The amount of fanmade content that fans have poured back into the game is part of what's helped keep TF2 going for so long.
Not only have fans created unofficial game modes like VS. Saxton Hale, but they've also directly contributed new official content to the game. Valve has implemented fan-made maps, cosmetics, weapons and skins, with fans even creating the entire "End of the Line" update. TF2's effectively been kept alive by community content ever since official updates to the game slowed down. It really speaks to the passion that TF2 fans have for the game, even after nearly 15 years.
It's likely that Team Fortress 2 won't see any major content updates in the foreseeable future. Valve's interest in the game has clearly wavered over the years, with its developers moving on to different projects. Even if there won't be much new content, TF2 has enough of a legacy that Valve should make a point to keep it playable. The over-abundance of aimbots and spambots risks TF2 dying with a whimper, as fans give up on the game out of frustration.
While some might note that alternatives like OpenFortress are on track to replace TF2, similar fan projects have ended up being shut down due to the drop in TF2's player base. Creators.TF was a community-run set of custom TF2 serves with new weapons and maps. It was one of the few ways to play TF2 without worrying about bots ruining the experience, but the project recently shut down in part due to a reduced player count.
Hopefully, Valve's response to the fan outcry will finally lead to significant updates that improve the playability of Team Fortress 2. For a game that's had such an powerful legacy and such passionate fans, it'd be a shame for it to remain in the unplayable state it's currently in. Valve's response certainly indictates an awareness and understanding of the problem, so for now, fans will simply have to wait to see if the developers will truly save Team Fortress 2 and its incredible legacy.