Fortress Fans, the time you've been waiting for is here! Whether you've followed the mod since the beginning, or are just looking to tide yourself over before TF2 it matters not. Team Fortress is a game we love, and we invite you to give the mod a try:

The client package is now available: Fortress Forever Client

Additional mirrors
HL2 Filefront
Fragland
Gamespot
Extreme-Players
fangaming
Internode
Multiplay .co.uk
Jolt.co.uk
Boomtown.net
GSNW
BiTT News

Please see the previous news post for the server packages. The linux server package is now up. This is THE SAME build that was uploaded and then withdrawn, so if you already snagged it before we pulled the links, you don't have to re-download it.

Be sure to scour our forums for more information!

Update
We initially thought there was a problem with the linux server, but it would now appear that the error was a false positive; I'm very happy to report that the linux server should work fine! To clarify: The Linux server package is exactly the same as the one that was previously uploaded & then removed from the site, so if you already have it, you don't need to re-download. See below for links.

Windows Dedicated Server
Fileplanet
Hl2 filefront
Torrent

Linux Dedicated Server
Fileplanet
HL2 filefront
Torrent

Some of us have gotten the equivalent of one nights sleep this week, but I hope it isn't all for naught. Big news soon.

It's finally here, on September 17th Fortress Forever will be officially released. A server package will be made available one day prior. Prepare to get your frag on!

Edit: Just an addendum; i'm sure you've heard that TF2 has now announced they will release on the same date, so we are looking at getting this in your hands sooner than September 17th to ensure everyone will get some time to play before the beheamoth comes.

We have a few bits of random media to go with the announcement, but admittedly all of our energies these past few weeks have been on getting our areas locked down and stable so we could make a solid announcement.

While this was happening Planethalflife recently wrote an exclusive preview on the mod, you can check it out here. Keep a lookout for an interview with them over the next few days.

Now for some random media; these clips were from last weeks playtest; don't worry, we've since changed the vox set to not be a robot from the future :p.

One of our testers playing hwguy and demo on the map crossover.
High res

Me showing some basic pipe jumps amidst chaotic fighting on the map cornfield. Action took place on our overseas server.

Short clip on the spy cloak

Now we can sleep easy tonight....for a whole 4 hours!

These next few months are going to be great for TF fans and halflife2 gamers alike. It is with great pleasure that we announce Fortress Forever will be released this September, and of course it will be free to all halflife 2 owners :). The game will release with 10 core maps featuring 6 different game modes centering around capture the flag, and capture and defend gameplay. Spread the word and get ready for action!

Fortress Forever expands on the classic team fortress action as well as introducing elements to improve accessibility for players new to the genre. If you ever find yourself antsy waiting to get back into the action in other multiplayer games, then this is the game for you. It's not all instant gratification though; within the game there are classes to suit every player's style, be it stealth, finesse with movement, precision aim, the joy of weilding a ridiculous amount of explosives, or simply brute force :P. Even within these classes (9 in total) you can go about developing your own playstyle.

We hope to get out some simple no frills gameplay clips in the upcoming days to show the kind of experience players can expect the first time they fire up the game, but there is no real substitute for experiencing it firsthand. We hope to see you in the server on release day.

Another reminder to those who plan to host servers on release: Send an email to fortressforever@gmail.com with your server or mirror information. If you already sent your info we still have it on file, so no need to resend; thanks!

Also we are still looking for a programmer and character modeller/texture artist for post release enhancement and support. If you have any other talent you'd like to lend, we will be interested so let us know.

On a final note: Thanks to the halflife2 community for all the support (and criticism) during development. We've listened carefully to feedback around the general community, and are confident that it has helped shape the first release for the better, and will continue to help shape the game through its lifetime.

Cheers,
-The FF team