Mann vs. Machine (update)
| “ | Alright, enough reading advice. It's man-to-man talk time. I am not going to lie to you: I am going to have to lie to you. You men are absolutely prepared to deal with this, and you are going to be just fine. Right. End of lie. Now get ready to absorb some bullets so they don’t hit my factories.
— Saxton Hale; TF2 Official Website
|
” |
Mann vs. Machine is a major update for Team Fortress 2, announced on August 13, 2012 and released on August 15, 2012.
Contents
Day 1: Machines
Day 1 revealed a new co-op game mode in which a team of six players fights a horde of bots, as well as a new map, Mannworks, and multiple special classes of robots introduced for the new mode. It also revealed the trailer for the mode.
Robots
Note: This article details the original set of robots released with the August 13, 2012 Patch. For an up-to-date list, please see the Robots article.
The majority of the robot legion represent each class (with the exception of the Engineer) equipped with basic weaponry.
Special Robots
In addition, several Special Robots were announced:
| Machine Class | Name | Equipped with | Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
Sandman Batter's Helmet |
|
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Bonk! Atomic Punch |
| |
 |
 |
Eyelander Chargin' Targe |
|
 |
 |
Fists of Steel |
|
 |
Killing Gloves of Boxing Gloves of Running Urgently Pugilist's Protector |
| |
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Gloves of Running Urgently |
| |
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Holiday Punch |
| |
 |
|
Quick-Fix |
|
 |
Medi Gun |
| |
 |
 |
Huntsman |
|
 |
Sydney Sleeper |
|
Giant Robots
Giant Robots are larger and more durable than normal robots, but also move at half speed. Each Giant Robot has its own unique ability.
| Machine Class | Name | Abilities |
|---|---|---|
 |
|
Unlike other giant robots, Super Scout moves lightning fast, so don't let it pick up the bomb! |
 |
 |
The machine gun of rocket launchers. Don't stand in one place for too long. |
 |
 |
Can shoot down projectiles such as rockets and grenades. |
Though not explicitly stated on the update page, a few more variations are revealed.
| Machine | Name | Abilities |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Throws baseballs at a much higher rate than most normally could. |
|
 |
Hurls slow moving, but fatal critical rockets. |
 |
 |
Able to airblast projectiles back at its source. |
 |
Fires flares rapidly and accurately. | |
 |
|
Lobs grenades at high frequencies with great precision. |
Sentry Buster
Day 1 also introduced the Sentry Buster, a robot designed to take down co-op players' Sentry Guns.
| Machine | Based on | Abilities |
|---|---|---|
 |
 Demoman
|
Detects Sentry Guns that are dealing sustained damage to the horde and runs at the offending Sentry Gun, exploding after a couple of seconds. Also can destroy Dispensers, Teleporters and kill teammates in the explosion radius. |
Tank Robot
The Day 1 update page also teased another robot, displaying only an image of a set of tracks in the dirt, accompanied by a mysterious note. It was revealed in-game that the said robot was a Tank Robot.
| Machine | Abilities | Health |
|---|---|---|
 |
Has an extremely large amount of health, more than any other robot. Does not attack players through any means, but will instantly crush to death any players caught between the tank and(for example) a wall while it is turning. Carries a separate bomb that it will automatically begin to deploy if it reaches the hatch, regardless of whether a robot has the main bomb or not. | Varies |
Bomb Carrier Upgrades
The longer a Bomb Carrier survives, the more attributes they get, making them tougher to kill. The upgrades accumulate, and can make them very dangerous should they be ignored or otherwise not killed quickly. One upside is that every time they upgrade, they will stop for a few seconds and Taunt, giving any nearby player a chance to take it out while its guard is down. However, while giant variations are able to carry bombs, they do not upgrade.
| Stages | Upgrades |
|---|---|
 |
Defensive buff, shared with all nearby robots |
 |
Health regeneration |
 |
Full crits all the time |
Maps
| Name | Picture | Game mode | File name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mannworks | 
|
Mann vs. Machine
|
mvm_mannworks
|
Day 2: Mercs
Day 2 revealed a variety of new upgrades and power-ups that players can purchase using in-game currency to boost their effectiveness on the battlefield, as well as Canteens. A new map, Coal Town, was also featured. Day 2 also revealed a set of sample tactics for each class, indicating each class's special abilities and the effects of upgrading some weapons.
Power Up Canteens
| Image | Type | Usage |
|---|---|---|
|
Übercharge | Supplies 5 seconds of personal invincibility |
|
Critical Hit Boost | Full critical power for 5 seconds |
|
Ammo/Clip Refill | Instant ammo and magazine refill |
|
Return to Base | Immediately returns user to respawn room and supplies temporary speed boost |
|
Buildings Upgrade | Upgrades user Engineer's buildings to level 3 in a hurry |
Maps
| Name | Picture | Game mode | File name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coal Town | 
|
Mann vs. Machine
|
mvm_coaltown
|
Day 3: Bounty
Day 3 revealed 35 new achievements, as well as an alternative Mann Up game mode, obtainable with the purchase of a ticket from the Mann Co. Store. A new map, Decoy, was also featured.
Maps
| Name | Picture | Game mode | File name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decoy | 
|
Mann vs. Machine
|
mvm_decoy
|
Trailer
Pre-announcement references
While officially announced on August 13, 2012, numerous references had been made by Valve prior to the release.
Haunted Hallowe'en Special
The 2009 Haunted Hallowe'en Special revealed Zepheniah Mann's Last Will and Testament, written on his sloughed-off skin, with several lines obscured by sand.
A mysterious will
119th Update
On May 5, 2010, as part of the 119th update, Valve released a 27-second teaser for the Engineer update. The teaser shows an early skin-toned model of the Heavy Robot's head passing in front of the camera at 00:08 and a Demoman Robot's head with a red eye socket in the background at 00:15.
Engineer Update
Day 0 of the Engineer Update itself started as wall covered with pictures which was eventually covered with blueprints. One of the pictures depicts a Scout Robot in the style of Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man.
Diagram of a robot from the Engineer Update.
Australian Christmas 2011
Australian Christmas 2011 released a new map, Foundry. Exploration revealed two secret rooms; One with four blurry photographs of robots and the numbers "13 22 13" (which read MVM). Another with a sign reading "TO-BOR" (ROBOT backwards).
- Cp foundry photos.jpg
The four photographs
- Cp foundry date.jpg
The numbers
TO-BOR
May 3, 2012 Patch
The May 3, 2012 Patch added sound paths to the pl_thundermountain manifest which referenced sound files involving 'mvm' and 'robot'.
"sound\mvm\giant_heavy\giant_heavy_step01.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_heavy\giant_heavy_step02.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_heavy\giant_heavy_step03.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_heavy\giant_heavy_step04.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_soldier\giant_soldier_step01.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_soldier\giant_soldier_step02.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_soldier\giant_soldier_step03.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_soldier\giant_soldier_step04.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_demoman\giant_demoman_step_01.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_demoman\giant_demoman_step_02.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_demoman\giant_demoman_step_03.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_demoman\giant_demoman_step_04.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_scout\giant_scout_step_01.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_scout\giant_scout_step_02.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_scout\giant_scout_step_03.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_scout\giant_scout_step_04.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_pyro\giant_pyro_step_01.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_pyro\giant_pyro_step_02.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_pyro\giant_pyro_step_03.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_pyro\giant_pyro_step_04.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_heavy\giant_heavy_loop.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_soldier\giant_soldier_loop.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_demoman\giant_demoman_loop.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_scout\giant_scout_loop.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_heavy\giant_heavy_explodes.wav" "sound\mvm\giant_common\giant_common_explode.wav" "sound\mvm\sentrybuster\mvm_sentrybuster_explode.wav" "sound\mvm\sentrybuster\mvm_sentrybuster_loop.wav" "sound\mvm\sentrybuster\mvm_sentrybuster_step_01.wav" "sound\mvm\sentrybuster\mvm_sentrybuster_step_02.wav" "sound\mvm\sentrybuster\mvm_sentrybuster_step_03.wav" "sound\mvm\sentrybuster\mvm_sentrybuster_step_04.wav" "sound\mvm\sentrybuster\mvm_sentrybuster_spin. wav" "sound\mvm\mvm_deploy_small.wav" "sound\mvm\mvm_deploy_giant.wav" "sound\mvm\melee_impacts\cbar_hitbod_robo01.wav" "sound\mvm\melee_impacts\cbar_hitbod_robo02.wav" "sound\mvm\melee_impacts\cbar_hitbod_robo03.wav" "sound\mvm\mvm_tank_loop.wav" "sound\mvm\mvm_tank_deploy.wav" "sound\mvm\mvm_tank_start.wav" "sound\mvm\mvm_tank_smash.wav" "sound\mvm\mvm_tank_explode.wav" "sound\music\mvm_wave_done.wav" "sound\mvm\mvm_bought_upgrade.wav" "sound\mvm\mvm_bought_in.wav" "sound\mvm\mvm_used_powerup.wav" "sound\mvm\mvm_player_died.wav"
June 19, 2012 Patch
The June 19, 2012 Patch added the Damaged Capacitor. Closer examination of the numbers imprinted on it reveals two sets of numbers. The larger, '6.22V1800', corresponds to a future date: June 22, 1800 PST. This would lead up to a blog post made by the Pyro. The smaller set, '07180125', corresponds to the same alphanumeric code (07-18-01-25, A=1, B=2...), reading 'GRAY'.
Pyromania Update
The Pyromania Update released a new map, Doomsday. Exploration revealed another secret room with the same four photographs and a map showing three locations.
- Doomsday secret closer look.jpg
Four photographs
A secret map
Source Filmmaker
The release of the Pyromania Update coincided with the release of Source Filmmaker. Searching the files contained within the editor disclosed models of robot heads for each class.[1]
ARG
On August 10, 2012 a bloodstain appeared on the TF2 Website, leading to the start of an ARG. It lead to a photograph of the birth certificate of the previously unknown third son of Zepheniah Mann, Gray Mann.
The following day, a second bloodstain appeared, again linking to Zephaniah Mann's will revealing new text which was previously obscured by sand. He mentions Gray Mann and leaves his cache of "miracle gravel" to Elizabeth.
The August 11, 2012 Patch created an intricate ARG involving the Barely-Melted Capacitor and the High-Five Taunt. See the associated article for more details.
The conclusion of the ARG led to the release of the comic, Blood Brothers, on August 12, 2012, which explained the origins of Gray Mann. A day later, the Mann vs. Machine update was formally announced.
Birth certificate of Zephaniah Mann's sons.
Zephaniah Mann's updated last will.
Trivia
- On an episode of GT.TV, Gabe Newell has stated that the Player-versus-Player servers in World of Warcraft inspired Mann vs. Machine.[citation needed]
Update Gallery
Main Update Page Updates from Day 1 to Day 3 displayed as posters
Day 1 "Machines" update page
Day 1 "Mannworks" update page
Day 2 "Mercs" update page
Day 2 "Coal Town" update page
- Team Fortress 2 - Bounty.jpeg
Day 3 "Bounty" update page
- Team Fortress 2 - Decoy.jpeg
Day 3 "Decoy" update page
Hidden Image Upgrade Store UI
Promotion Gallery
Steam announcement for Mann vs. Machine
Store announcement for the Update
External links
- Mann vs. Machine Update
- Day One: Machines
- Day One: Mannworks
- Day Two: Mercs
- Day Two: Coal Town
- Day Three: Bounty
- Day Three: Decoy
- Blood Brothers
- A Fate Worse Than Chess
- MvM FAQ
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![[1]](http://i653.photobucket.com/albums/uu258/HunterTSF/mvmheads.png){kind=link}