am Fortress 2 has similar gameplay to previous releases in the series due to its focus on

two opposing teams competing for a combat-based objective. In the game's fiction, the
teams are composed of mercenaries hired by two feuding brothers to protect the company
assets belonging to one brother while trying to destroy those of the other; the teams are
thus represented by the names of these companies: Reliable Excavation & Demolition
(RED) and Builders League United (BLU). Players can choose to play as one of
nine character classes in these teams, each with his own unique strengths, weaknesses,
and weapons. In order to accomplish objectives efficiently, a balance of these classes is
required due to how these strengths and weaknesses interact with each other in a team-
based environment. Although the abilities of a number of classes have changed from
earlier Team Fortress incarnations, the basic elements of each class have remained, that
being one primary weapon, one secondary weapon, and one melee weapon. The game
was released with six official maps, although over 100 maps have since been included in
subsequent updates, including competitive remakes of older maps and community-
assembled maps. When players join a level for the first time, an introductory video shows
how to complete its objectives. During matches, the "Administrator", a woman voiced
by Ellen McLain, announces various game events over loudspeakers. The player limit is 16
on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. On the PC, in 2008 Valve updated the game to include
a server variable that allows up to 32 players.
Team Fortress 2 is the first of Valve's multiplayer games to provide detailed statistics for
individual players. They include: time spent playing as each class, most points obtained,
and the most captures or objectives achieved in a single life. Persistent statistics tell the
player how he or she is improving in relation to these statistics, such as if a player comes
close to his or her record for the damage inflicted in a round. Team Fortress 2 also features
numerous "achievements" for carrying out certain tasks, such as scoring a certain number
of kills or completing a round within a certain time. New sets of class-specific achievements
have been added in updates, which add new abilities and weapons to each class once
unlocked by the player. This unlockable system has since been expanded into a random-
chance system, where the player can also obtain the items simply by playing the game.

Game modes
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Team Fortress 2 contains many core game modes. These include Capture the Flag, which
revolves around the BLU and RED teams fight to steal each
other's intelligence(represented in-game as a briefcase) and return it to their base. At the
same time, each team must defend their own intelligence. When the intelligence is dropped
because of the player dying or manually dropping it, it will stay on the ground for 1 minute
before returning to its original location if it is not picked up again. The intelligence can only
be carried by the opposing team. The first team to capture the enemy's intelligence three
times wins. Control Points is a game mode where there are several control points laid
around the map, typically 3 or 5. For a team to win, they must capture all the control points
within the time limit. The time limit is delayed on the capture of a control point by either
team. Attack/Defend consists of the BLU team attempting to capture all of the RED team's
capture points within a time limit. RED cannot recapture a point after BLU has captured
it. Another core game mode like Attack/Defend is Payload, where the BLU team must push
a cart containing a bomb through all of RED team's checkpoints within a time limit. This
time limit is extended upon BLU capturing a checkpoint. The BLU team wins by pushing the
bomb cart to the last checkpoint, while the RED team wins upon defending until the time
limit runs out. King of the Hill is another core game mode, that contains a single control
point that can be captured by both RED and BLU teams. Upon the capture of the control
point, a team-specific counter starts counting down and stops upon being captured by the
opposing team. The first team to finish their timer wins.
There are also several alternate game modes within Team Fortress 2. Payload Race,
like Payload, has both RED and BLU teams push a team-colored cart to a checkpoint.
Unlike Payload, there is only one checkpoint at the end of the track and no timer. The team
to reach their checkpoint first wins. Territory Control consists of several capture points
spread out across a single map. Like Control Point each point can be captured by either the
RED or BLU teams. Unlike Control Point only two points are accessible at a single time,
upon a team's successful capture of a point the "stage" ends and the accessible capture
points change. When a team only has control of a single control point they are blocked from
capturing the opposing team's control point, and the team must wait until the time limit is up
and the accessible capture points change. A team wins by capturing all the control
points. Special Delivery is like Capture the Flag, but there is only one briefcase that can
initially be picked up by either the RED or BLU team. Upon a team picking up the briefcase,
the opposing team is now unable to pick the briefcase up until it has stayed on the ground
for 45 seconds and respawned at its original location. A team wins by holding the briefcase
on a loading platform until they reach the top of the platform.[citation needed] Arena is a special
game mode where players do not re-spawnupon death, and to win must eliminate the
enemy team, or after a duration, a capture point opens, that upon capture will win the
game. Mannpower is another game mode like Capture the Flag where players have access
to a grappling hook and an assortment of power-ups laid around the map that gives players
unique abilities. Player Destruction is a unique game mode whereupon a player's death
a pickup (varies depending on the map) is dropped. To win a team must deliver a set
number of pickups to the drop-off point. The player on each team with the most pickups is
highlighted for everyone