Valve releases 'Team Fortress 2 SDK,' enabling creators to 'build completely new games based on TF2'
It took almost 20 years, but Team Fortress 2, the team-based FPS that changed a great many lives when it debuted in 2007, now has an SDK that Valve says will enable creators «to build completely new games based on TF2.»
The Team Fortress 2 SDK is actually a «massive update» to the Source SDK that adds all of the client and server game code, which opens the doors to pretty much anything. «Unlike the Steam Workshop or local content mods, this SDK gives mod makers the ability to change, extend or rewrite TF2, making anything from small tweaks to complete conversions possible,» Valve wrote.
A non-commercial license granted to users means mods made with the SDK can be published on Steam, but must be free, as must all content included in any mods. Acknowledging that the majority of inventory items in Team Fortress 2 are now made by the TF2 community, Valve also encouraged mod makers to avoid making mods «that have the purpose of trying to profit off Workshop contributors' efforts.»
This is a big deal for TF2 fans, who can now do pretty much whatever they want with the game. I can't help wondering if the release of the SDK update was driven in part by persistent demand from those fans that Valve do something to "save TF2," which had become overrun by bots, rendering the game virtually unplayable. Valve has taken some action to right the ship, but it's possible that this SDK update is a way of telling players that it's time to start taking care of their own business. Then again, it took Valve eight years to come across with a new Team Fortress 2 comic, so maybe this is just how it goes—Valve Time, and all that.
If you're not interested in making mods and just want to play the game, there's good news for you in today's announcement too: Valve said it's «also doing a big update to all our multiplayer back-catalogue Source engine titles (TF2, DoD:S, HL2:DM, CS:S, and HLDM:S), adding 64-bit binary support, a scalable HUD/UI, prediction fixes, and a lot of other improvements!»
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