Proto:Team Fortress 2/2010 Open Beta
This is a sub-page of Proto:Team Fortress 2.
 | This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes. |
Team Fortress 2 Beta was a separate beta branch of Team Fortress 2 that was open to all premium players. Released on December 2, 2010 and removed on June 7, 2013, it was an almost identical build of Team Fortress 2 from that period in time, albeit with numerous new weapons that were being tested at the time. Despite being an identical build to the main game, it was still its own entirely separate game on Steam, meaning the player would have to download the entire game a second time just to play the beta.
The beta build is no longer accessible on Steam, but the game files of the build, including every patch update from its lifespan, have been archived. Because the beta build is a copy of the main build from that time, a majority of the same cut content from the main game is available in this game's build(s). This article will therefore only list content that is unique to it.
Although the beta is no longer accessible from Steam, the Dedicated Server is still hosted and can be downloaded like any Source Engine dedicated server software through the SteamCMD tool using the 229830 AppID.
Contents
Stamp Pin
A scrapped potentially decal-able cosmetic that did not end up getting used. The following model files were found within the open beta files:
tf_beta/models/player/items/all_class/stamp_pin.dx80.vtx tf_beta/models/player/items/all_class/stamp_pin.dx90.vtx tf_beta/models/player/items/all_class/stamp_pin.mdl tf_beta/models/player/items/all_class/stamp_pin.sw.vtx tf_beta/models/player/items/all_class/stamp_pin.vvd
When decompiled, the model calls for three textures:
tf_beta/materials/models/player/items/all_class/team_button_red.vmt tf_beta/materials/models/player/items/all_class/team_button_red.vtf tf_beta/materials/models/player/items/all_class/team_button_blu.vmt tf_beta/materials/models/player/items/all_class/team_button_blu.vtf tf_beta/materials/models/weapons/c_items/c_targe_custom.vmt tf_beta/materials/models/weapons/c_items/c_targe_custom.vtf
The team_button_blu.vtf file is present in the main (non-beta) build of the game, having been added to the game files in the April 4, 2011 Patch, but it lacks the associated .vmt file. The red team texture is missing from the main game and the open beta entirely. The c_targe_custom.vtf texture, used for the center of the pin can also be found in the main game as it is used by several other decal-able item models. The stamp_pin.mdl model on the other hand cannot be found in the main game files.
Stamp Pin.
Stamp Pin (wireframe, front).
Stamp Pin (wireframe, back).
Stamp Pin (BLU, front).
Stamp Pin (BLU, back).
team_button_blu.vtf.
Weapons
Within this publicly accessible beta, various weapon changes were tested.
Beta Pocket Rocket Launcher
A mostly terrible Rocket Launcher concept that used the Direct Hit model was added to the beta in the April 26, 2011 patch. There were three variations of this weapon. When it was first added, it would reward the Soldier with a full 8-second crit boost if a Medic was healing him and died (this was changed to a 6-second mini-crit boost two days later). Two more variants were added along with the crit boost change. One increased the Medic's ÜberCharge build rate by 15% while healing the Soldier outside of the spawn room; the other speeds up the Launcher's reload time by 50% while being healed (these variants were not given to players until June 17, however).
All three variants have the same downside of dealing 10 damage to the Soldier when a rocket successfully damages a player, which is of course almost instantly negated when being healed by a Medic. Hilariously, this downside also applies to Pyros who deflect the rocket and damage an enemy, and they have no way of using the weapons' benefits. This weapon's data is still in the TF2 Beta game's files, but the weapon was removed from players' backpacks in the November 9, 2011 patch.
In addition to the three variants that were tested, there are descriptions for two other weapon attributes which seem intended for it:
When the Medic healing you is killed you gain 2 revenge crits When the Medic healing you is killed the killer becomes marked for death
Beta Pocket Shotgun
Complimenting the above and even added on the same day, a Shotgun replacement that deals 25% (20% in the April 28 patch) more damage while being healed by a Medic, but reduces weapon switch speed by 25% (30% in the April 28 patch) when not. The data for this is also still in the TF2 Beta game's files, but the weapon was removed from players' backpacks.
Beta Syringe Gun
The final version of this weapon became the Overdose; quite literally, as the Overdose overwrote it. Earlier versions had a completely different concept: It fired at half the normal Syringe Gun rate, did reduced damage (-90% and -50% respectively), but applied the Mad Milk effect to any enemy hit by its syringes for a short time (1 and 2 seconds). It was fairly useless in practice, which explains the rework it got.
This weapon eventually made its way into the real game, in a way, in the Tale of Two Cities update, with the addition of Mad Milk Syringes to Mann vs. Machine.
Beta Sniper Rifle 1
A Sniper Rifle which charges faster or slower based on hits and misses. On release, a hit would increase the charge rate by 35%, and a miss would decrease it by 65%. This was later changed to bodyshots increasing by 25% and headshots by 45%. The concept was reworked into the Bazaar Bargain, however unlike the Beta Syringe Gun, its data is still in TF2 Beta's game's files unaltered.
Miscellaneous Finds
Wall Base
A recently discovered buildable of some variety. Nothing is known about it aside from its filenames which were found in the tf_beta\reslists\ctf_2fort.lst, having been added to that file in the March 9, 2011 Patch (Beta). The Wall Base also appears to be team colored, as per the textures. The files are contained within the same directory as the Engineer's other buildings, but its not clear if this was a new Engineer building or not, however, a model of the Wall Base was leaked when the entirety of the TF2 repository was leaked in 12th of January 2023.
"tf\materials\models\buildables\wall\wall_base_blue.vmt" "tf\materials\models\buildables\wall\wall_base_blue.vtf" "tf\materials\models\buildables\wall\wall_base_red.vmt" "tf\materials\models\buildables\wall\wall_base_red.vtf" "tf\models\buildables\wall_base.ani" "tf\models\buildables\wall_base.dx80.vtx" "tf\models\buildables\wall_base.dx90.vtx" "tf\models\buildables\wall_base.jpg" "tf\models\buildables\wall_base.mdl" "tf\models\buildables\wall_base.phy" "tf\models\buildables\wall_base.sw.vtx" "tf\models\buildables\wall_base.vvd"
