So who’s got theories? We know:
[ol]
[li]It’s to do with a change they’re about to make
[/li][li]It’s not a new game mode
[/li][li]Some of the clips are already being heard by players, and there’s some logic to when and why
[/li][/ol]
Best theory I heard was that a Friendship is like a nice version of a Domination: when you’ve assisted the same person four times in a row without dying.
Nice, but doesn’t account for the concept of Betrayal or killing your friends. Without a new game mode, it’s hard to see when you’d be able to kill someone the game considers your friend. Those who’ve heard these clips in-game don’t all /have/ any Steam friends at all, so it can’t be that.
The far-out possibility is that it’s a new class or team, Mercenaries, whose allegiance can change. I’m thinking it’s less drastic, but it’s hard to see how with voice samples talking about such crazy things.
I know, it’s a little weird if it’s not a new gameplay mode. They do use the word “mercenary” quite a bit.
— Alan
All the TF2 dudes are mercenaries hired by the RED and BLU corporations (mentioned as such in the blurb here, for example), so I’d just expect that word to mean your team.
Based on that, I’d expect it to be some kind of randomly selected link to a “friend” on the opposing team. The voice clips suggest that you can either work together with this friend to betray both teams, or backstab your friend because, after all, you have no clue if he’s going to cooperate . . . and neither does he about you.
Edit: More conjecture!
Imagine a randomly selected point in a regular game where a friendship between two opposing players is created. Everybody is alerted to the friendship, but only the friends know who they are. The ruleset might look something like this:
-
If the friends accomplish an objective (say, by holding a specific area together King of the Hill style), they win the match and everybody else loses. Or they get a free hat each and everybody else gets Jarate’d. Something.
-
The other nonfriends want to prevent this, either by achieving some counterobjective or killing the respective friends on the other team.
-
At some point, probably while occupying or using the objective, the friends face off and are vulnerable to each other. If you kill your friend, the game returns to normal and you gain less or nothing. Assuming that you don’t trust your friend, you want to shoot first. The other guy is thinking the exact same thing. Just how far do you trust some random dude on a TF2 server whom you can’t communicate with? Also, backstabbing is hilarious.
Whatever this winds up being, Valve sure knows how to get their fans worked up. Can’t wait to see what this is!
There might be some hint of it with the new comic they’ve posted:
http://www.teamfortress.com/war/administrator/
EDIT: Bah, so close! >:(
Kirian
3627
I wonder if they’re going for friend-based achievements that unlock weapons or they’re going for a Soldier vs Demoman update with weapons that counter each other. Going off the Saxton Hale reference.
Perhaps something else.
The soldier and demoman updates? But of course!
Funkula
3629
There’s some other stuff that I found linked in RPS’s thread on this that I hadn’t seen before.
http://www.teamfortress.com/pumpkinpatch/the_last_will_and_testament_of_Zepheniah_Mann/
http://www.teamfortress.com/pumpkinpatch/family_portrait/
I’m really loving TF2 and its ongoing fleshing out, even though I don’t play the game hardly ever anymore. The art from the portrait and the comic is making me want them to hire the Venture Brothers creators (who will have some spare time starting soon) and getting them to make a TF2 TV show.
bloo
3630
From what I gather.
It starts with Zephaniah Mann and wife Elizabeth (now the Announcer/Administrator).
Sons: BLUtarch and REDmond.
Faithful helper: Barnabas Hale
And a mysterious figure whose name and image have been removed.
Barnabas Hale has a son: Saxton.
Saxton Hale has a son: the Sniper.
He trains the Saxonettes who include: Pyro and Cate Archer (who goes on to become a spy for UNITY (NOLF) after being a jewel thief - (forgot where I read the things the lead that that connection).
Cate Archer has a son: the Scout (possibly with the Red Spy).
There is some cross over in the voice talent between NOLF and TF2. John Patrick Lowrie does the Sniper and Bruno (NOLF) is married to the woman who does the Announcer (and GladOS, etc.). Gary Schwartz does the Heavy and Demoman in TF2 and was Mimes in NOLF2.
Since the Announcer is talking about competition I’m gonna guess that Valve will total up all Soldier kills and Demo kills this weekend and whichever is higher that class will get the next update.
Who knows though.
roBurky
3632
I thought it was just going to be simultaneous soldier and demoman update. But to get the new stuff, you have to be either a soldier on blu team or a demoman on red team. So every server would be a soldier vs demoman fight.
Since people are hearing them already, has anybody checked to see if it has anything to do with the actual Steam Friends list?
is it out? something downloaded…trying out now…
pilonv1
3636
I’m only healing Soldiers this weekend.
Ah so it’s not nearly as exciting as everyone thought. And it’s not clear when the winning class will get the unlock or if the losing class will ever get it. But hey it gets people back in I suppose…
— Alan
Wrong, it is exactly as exciting as I thought. I am excited.
How is this not exciting? Time to kick some soldier ass.
roBurky
3640
I had a little think about which side I wanted to support.
And I came to the conclusion I don’t want either of them to win. Soldier and demoman are my two most hated classes. If they get any scout-style upgrades there’s not going to be much chance of me getting back into TF2.
