This article is about the game and installation of Open Fortress. For the OF server, Passion Fruit, see the related article here
"Good? Bad? I'm the guy with the gun!" - The Mercenary
Open Fortress is a free Source Mod, lovingly crafted by nearly a hundred members of the Team Fortress 2 community. The game is described as a modification of TF2 that branches off of its aesthetic, and incorporates gameplay from assorted Arena Shooters. As of May 31st, 2022 the game is available again for download[1].
This section will be updated a lot, the installation process is a bit confusing and has had a few problems so far.
Open Fortress is a Source Mod, meaning it must be installed in the sourcemods folder in order to be played. An important detail is that it must be installed on the same drive as your Steam installation. So if for example, your copy of Steam is located on your C:/ drive, you would be installing Open Fortress in your C:\Program Files (x86)\steam\steamapps\sourcemods folder.
If you're unable to use the sourcemods folder on the specified hard drive, you can try hard linking to the correct folder. On windows this would be done via the command prompt.
Windows:mklink /d "C:\where_is_your_steam_installed\steamapps\sourcemods" "D:\where_are_your_games_installed\steamapps\sourcemods"
Linux:ln -s /install_location/steamapps/sourcemods/ /other_location/Steam/steamapps/sourcemods
As of Revision 9, having your OF in a different folder than your Steam and or TF2 installation will return an error saying that TF2 is not installed, even with the above settings. In order to fix this, you must edit your game's sourcemods/open_fortress/gameinfo.txt file. Under SearchPaths, you need to manually specify where your TF2 is installed.
Here is an example (Rowdy's installation):
Important note: When using OfToast, your gameinfo.txt will be overwritten when doing a verify of game files. It is important to back this file up in the event this occurs. With Murse, this file is ignored by default and will only be overwritten when using the -G flag.
https://openfortress.fun/download features a direct .zip download, but it may be out of date.
Open Fortress offers a script tool, called Beans, to download the game. It can be downloaded here. https://openfortress.fun/download It will automatically install the game in your SourceMods folder.
The native linux client is no longer supported, linux users are asked to use proton in order to run Open Fortress. Enable proton for the game and the 2013 multiplayer SDK.
Once the files have been installed in the correct places, a restart of Steam is required to allow Open Fortress to show up in your games list.
Q: I get a message that I am playing in "Insecure mode" and am unable to join servers
A: Launch your game with -steam -secure in your launch options
While many game modes from Team Fortress 2 are present in Open Fortress, several unique gamemodes are also available.
Deathmatch is currently the flagship gamemode of Open Fortress. The main objective of Deathmatch is to reach a designated score by killing opponents. All players spawn at various points around the map with only a base loadout regardless of choses class. Most commonly the pistol and melee weapon. Weapon pickups and powerups are placed around the map. Available powerups and weapons are determined by the map itself. The match endes when a set number of frags is reached. This gamemode is commonly played only using the Mercenary class. However, all-class mode is available.
Similar to Death Match, Team Deathmatch or TDM pits a red and blue team against each other playing to a set number of frags. Just like Deathmatch weapon pickups and powerups are scattered across the map for pickup. This gamemode is also commonly played with the Mercenary class. However all-class mode is available.
Commonly referred to as Merc CTF or MCTF this game mode is identical to Team Fortress 2's CTF with the addition of the Mercenary class being mandatory. Weapon and item pickups are located around the map in the same fashion as Deathmatch.
This game mode allow players to pick their loadout of items from the loadout menu. Players will always spawn with this predetermined loudout in this gamemode. Gameplay wise Arsenal is similar to Deathmatch in that players competing to a set number of frags.
Similar to the Duel mechanic from Team Fortress 2
Commonly referred to as Merc Dom or MDOM, this team-based game mode is based on the domination style game mode. It is a hybrid of KOTH / CP, where your team will accumulate points at varying speeds depending on how many points in a map your team owns. It emphasizes the need to spread out to accomplish tasks rather than collectively focus on a single target.
"Time to get psyched!" - The Mercenary
The Mercenary is an original class added in Open Fortress. His unique class ability is Bunny Hopping which allows the player to traverse maps at high speeds. His standard class loadout features a Pistol, and a Crowbar. The Mercenary is customizable with the in-game color sliders as well as cosmetics such as hats. The Mercenary's personality is based around many pop-culture references. Many of which hearken back to classic FPS games such as those by id Software, and Team Fortress Classic.
"Merry Christmas" - The Civilian
The Civilian is a class inspired by same class from VIP mode in Team Fortress Classic. The Civilian features a unique model to Open Fortress which differes from other TF2 mods such as Team Fortress 2 Classic. The Civilian also does not feature voice acting and instead uses recycled lines from Team Fortress Classic. His loadout consists of an Umbrella for a melee item. The Civilian is available for play when a server is running all-class mode and can pickup any weapons either dropped by players or in maps.
All other classes from TF2 are in Open Fortress as well. All classes will still possess their unique perks and game play elements. They will also start with their own weapons. (Excluding game modes which dictate a specific loadout such as Arsenal.) Weapon pickups are available to any class. Stock classes can drop their weapons allowing for the Merc or Civilian to pick them up.
Main article: Passion Fruit
SCG hosts a server for Open Fortress, called Passion Fruit. The name was inspired by a message once posted on the Open Fortress website that described the game as a passion project.
Posted on Twitter on September 10th, 2022 it was announced downloads and development for Open Fortress would halted due to ongoing legal talks with Valve.
Posted to Twitter on May 31st of 2022 the Open Fortress project announced it was resuming development and allowing for downloads once again.