Note: This is (was) a liveblog. It is now over. If you are just joining us, you’ll need to read from the bottom (first entry) up to the top (last entry).

[Screenshots are now linked in the article. Some extra full-size shots from the match are here.]

1:30pm: Okay, that’s an hour. That’s plenty.

Problems? Well, typing and playing, for one. I need a way to either take screenshots automatically or hotkey it to something I can reach.

I was planning to report a little more on what I think of the map. Hard to say. I didn’t see much of it, obviously. I don’t think I ever even made it onto the middle CP. There’s lots of twists and turns and I often found myself running in the wrong direction.

The second CP is a bitch for anyone who can’t rocket jump. I had teammates repeatedly calling for a medic while on top of that CP and I just couldn’t get up there in time to help them.

I’d say maybe the map could use a little more health packs, but Valve probably tested the hell out of that and their placement is usually right. At any rate, the lack of health pickups makes a medic (one that isn’t stopping to liveblog) valuable.

I kept getting burned by pyros I couldn’t see — I think there are some low bridges that let a pyro attack from underneath or something, and lots of corners for them to hide around.

Scouts, of course, can pwn on such a long map if the other team isn’t defending. I saw a lot of engies on my team defending the very last CP and not moving up. And they weren’t building teleporters, if that Sniper was to be believed.

Okay, I’m done for now.

1:26pm: SHUT UP SNIPER JESUS.

Not doing so well. Everytime we make it to the center CP we get killed. I haven’t killed anyone in a while and I miss it. Haven’t had a single uber, either. I think we need some leadership.

1:26pm: This is rough. Everyone is calling for a medic constantly but since I don’t know my way around, it’s hard to find them. Bumped into a pyro and tried to heal him but as it turns out, he was on the other team.

The sniper is still insisting on needing a teleporter here. Shut up already!

1:20pm: Dangit. Built up my uber but the second I was 100%, the demo I was healing suddenly fled the battle for some reason. Then I got blown up.

1:15pm: Hah! Just killed a spy with my saw. Eat it, bitch!

1:14pm: Not a fan of that second CP. It’s way up high and takes forever to get onto it.

I’m playing as a medic now, hopefully I can take some more pictures. A Sniper is saying “Need a teleporter here” over and over and over again.

1:11pm: Just got wiped out again. Maybe I’ll switch over to medic. They’re scout rushing big time now.

1:10pm: Wow, we just got totally overrun. I want to blame a scout rush but I think I’ll blame my teammates. What more could I have done?

1:07pm: Nice little run, up to 12 points already after taking out a Radio Shack of engie gear and getting a couple lucky crits, not to mention a medic helping me out.

Oops, we just lost. I can’t imagine why.

1:05pm: My wife offered to type for me to make this easier. That’s pretty goddamn kickass. My wife rules.

1:04pm: Killed by an engie. Not a sentry, an engie. Ugh.

1:00pm: New round. I’m on BLU this time. Sticking with soldier — I’d like to Spy but with all the typing I think it would be too complicated.

Dammit. Spend a minute shooting at the wrong team because I forgot I was on BLU now even though I just typed it. I killed a medic and a pyro once I got straightened out.

This is a pretty neat map. There are so many ways to run around I can’t see this working for anything but large groups. Several of the CPS are on high ground which make them hard to recapture and easy to defend.

12:59: Died but we won. I got 17 points somehow.

12:54: Someone has seen the liveblog and joined the match to help me… which is kinda cool, but perhaps an ethical dilemma for a journalist.

Looks like we’re in overtime. Sudden death!

12:51: Here’s what I need for next time: something that will automatically take screenshots at intervals. I wonder if I can make fraps do that. I’m missing shots of all the cool battles.

Got scout-batted again. Dammit.

12:49pm: Got the hidden sentry but got pinned down by a pyro, scout, medic, and engie. Took out the pyro but he burned me and I died a moment later. We’re still fighting over the middle point but BLU remains in possession. My teammate keeps urging us to “push up, guys”, which I will do once I’m done typing.

12:47pm: This is hard. I’m making assists but keep stopping to look around the map and type stuff. Maybe I need a secretary. I don’t know how real journalists do it but I tip my cap to them!

I killed a heavy and a couple scouts but got taken out by a hidden sentry.

12:44pm: We just lost. I’d found the second CP but they took the 1st before I could cap. My teammate pointed out: “hacks”. I disagree, but I share the general mood.

12:43pm: Just got batted to death by a Scout. My least favorite death. Fuckin’ scouts.

12:40: Killed another pyro and a scout. Got killed by a demo. BLU is making another push for our 2nd point. I realize I don’t know where any of the CPs are because I haven’t played this map yet. This map is pretty big, it looks like.

12:37pm: Made a few more kills! Two pyros and I think a medic. Forced a medic to blow an uber. Didn’t die. Pointswise, I’m in the middle of the pack, despite constantly stopping to type. Teammate just said “Spy” over the mic, which is helpful because that tells me there is a spy somewhere on the map disguised as someone doing something.

BLU still holds the middle point.

12:35pm: I think a lot of people are liveblogging because a bunch of my teammates are standing around motionless too.

I am right in the shit around the middle CP! I killed a pyro and then got killed because I stopped to type that I had killed a pyro. Back in the spawn now. BLU is making a push for our 2nd point.

12:29pm: I just spawned! Everyone ran out of the spawn room and I’m alone in here because I’m typing this. The middle control point is being fought over. I’d better go!

12:27pm Good timing! Joined just as a new round it starting! Randomly chose a team, I’m on red. Gonna play as a soldier.

12:25pm: Looking for a server. My dislikes: instant spawning (I like seeing deathcam shots and having a little breather), HLSTATSX (or whatever it’s called, where you’re constantly fed a stream of messages telling you how many points you’re getting), and servers that have reserve slots so the moment you join you’re kicked to make room.

Okay, I have picked a server with badlands on it, and I am going in.

12:23pm: It’s playing my favorite startup music as I browse for a server. That’s a good omen.

12:21pm: I am loading TF2. The tension is high. My cat agrees.

12:15pm: Hm, I plan to take screenshots, but I don’t know how I could possibly upload them in real time. Because that would be cool. Maybe I could have them save to some sort of shared folder? Something to think about for next time.

12:12pm: I’m not sure how this works. I guess I put the newest entries at the top. So people who come in in the middle are going to be confused. Anyway, I’m almost ready. I think I’ll start at 12:30.

Noonish: Last week I was reading various online accounts of the Roger Clemens / Brian McNamee Congressional hearings. They were being updated every few minutes with new, current content in a process called liveblogging, sort of like reporting a news story, live, in blog form. And I was suddenly gripped with a desire to try liveblogging myself.

But what the hell can I liveblog? Video game news is happening all the time but rarely in front of Congress. A single-player game can be paused so there’s really no need to liveblog it, you can write about it at your leisure. How about a frantic online game, like TF2? There’s a new map out, Badlands… can I liveblog a couple rounds of TF2 on the new map? How stupid would that be? Stupid like a fox? Or stupider?

Anyway, I’m gonna, um, do it. In, like, a half-hour. Lemme get set up here. Keep checking back!