TF2 Custom Main Menu Wallpaper

Bored of TF2's gray main menu Wallpaper? Here's how to customize it!
#mainmenu background #custom background #custom main menu background

Hmm, What?

A lot of people been asking me on Instagram,

Ursprungligen skrivet av @tony_b_1023:

@snowy.tf please make like a tutorial vid or something cuz if i can get the poster you made and put it in my backround, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

Ursprungligen skrivet av @12ranzzz:

Very nice hud and background how you do that?

I know that some people don't really like TF2's original main menu,. But hey! I know how to fix this problem. It is time to customize your TF2's main menu wallpaper!

Things That You Will Need

Down below are the apps that you will need:
1. VTFEdit[gamebanana.com]
2. TF2 (obviously)

And these are the materials you will need:
1. Any image that you want to use it as your TF2 wallpaper
*must be at least in 16:9 ratio (1920x1080 or 3840x2160)

If you use a HUD you can use special instructions

Tutorial

Picture

For the image, you can create it in SFM or search for it.
Let's say, we have an image rendered from SFM

The first thing that you wanna do is to convert your image to a .vtf flle.
Import your image to VTFEdit.
You will see this menu after you've imported your image, Just click "OK".
Or use image to .vtf online file converter[sprays.tk]

After you've converted it to a .vtf file (name it one of the following 11 names). Name them from the first one and continue to the next ones. If you name them differently, they will appear in the loading screen, but not in the main menu.

Make copy

Make a copy of the file where you add "_widescreen" to the end

		background_2fort.vtf
	        /	       \
background_2fort.vtf	      background_2fort_widescreen.vtf

If your HUD use custom background already, replaced or continue naming from the following script.

Scripting

Create a file named: "chapterbackgrounds.txt" and put there following script.
Delete the unused vtf. files names from the script.

"chapters"
{
	1	"background_2fort"
	2	"background_gravelpit"
	3	"background_mvm"
	4	"background_upward"
	5	"background01"
	6	"background02"
	7	"title_blue"
	8	"title_invasion"
	9	"title_pyro_jungle_inferno_2017"
	10	"title_red"
	11	"title_summer_operation_2015"
	12	"title_team"
	13	"title_team_competitive"
	14	"title_team_heavy01_red"
	15	"title_team_heavy01_blu"
	16	"title_team_jungle_inferno_2017"
	17	"title_team_pyro01_blu"
	18	"title_team_pyro01_red"
	19	"title_team_tough_break"
	20	"title_war"	
}
"BackgroundMaps"
{
	1	"background_2fort"
	2	"background_gravelpit"
	3	"background_mvm"
	4	"background_upward"
	5	"background01"
	6	"background02"
	7	"title_blue"
	8	"title_invasion"
	9	"title_pyro_jungle_inferno_2017"
	10	"title_red"
	11	"title_summer_operation_2015"
	12	"title_team"
	13	"title_team_competitive"
	14	"title_team_heavy01_red"
	15	"title_team_heavy01_blu"
	16	"title_team_jungle_inferno_2017"
	17	"title_team_pyro01_blu"
	18	"title_team_pyro01_red"
	19	"title_team_tough_break"
	20	"title_war"	
}

If your HUD use pictures already, replaiced or continue with previous names
The first four names are the ones that TF2 usually use. The others are from events that have already ended and are not repeated every year.

Installation

If you already don't have these files create them.
Here's the directory:

Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Team Fortress 2\tf\custom/my HUD file*
MacOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/common/Team Fortress 2/tf/custom/my HUD file*
Linux: ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Team Fortress 2/tf/custom/my HUD file*

* If you are using HUD, paste the files there.

Now put your "materials" and "script" in following destination

materials > console > put the .vtf files here
scripts > chapterbackgrounds.txt

[Optional] Removing Main Menu Characters

A Medic's blocking your point of view? No Problem!

HUD users

If you use HUD, go to /Team Fortress 2/tf/custom/my HUD file*/resource/ui. Find a file called "mainmenuoverride.res"
Once inside the .res file, find an array called "TFCharacterImage", and change the "ypos" to "9999"

(edit using notepad)

Non-HUD users

Download this file: Removed Menu Characters file[gamebanana.com]
Unzip it and move it to:

Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Team Fortress 2\tf\custom/my HUD file*
MacOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/common/Team Fortress 2/tf/custom/my HUD file*
Linux: ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Team Fortress 2/tf/custom/my HUD file*

* If you are using HUD, paste the files there.

[ADVANCED] Remove events wallpaper

Require HUD
Event wallpapers are during Halloween, Christmas and the full moon.

Go to /Team Fortress 2/tf/custom/my HUD file*/resource/ui.
Open a file, called "mainmenuoverride.res" and search for "if_halloween_1". Now you can edit your event wallpapers.


If you want to add more backgrounds, use the ones, that you delete from "mainmenuoverride.res".

List of all event wallpapers:

		"title_fullmoon"
		"title_team_halloween"
		"title_team_halloween2011"
		"title_team_halloween2012"
		"title_team_halloween2013"
		"title_team_halloween2014"
		"title_team_halloween2017"
		"background_xmas2011"

All Set!

Aaand it's done!
Now you won't see that old, and boring TF2 wallpaper since it has been changed to your personal, and newly customized TF2 wallpaper!

Restart TF2, and there it is!


Useful links:

• 12 classic styled menu backgrounds [gamebanana.com]
  
• New Menu Characters [gamebanana.com]

FAQ:
The event wallpapers are not displayed during the loading screens (launching screen and screen while connected to servers). Although I did not edit the settings in "mainmenuoverride.res".

• Sorry I don't have the solution for that.

The wallpaper isn't showing up!

• The image file may be corrupted .
• If you named files differently, wallpaper would appear in the loading screen, but in the main menu it will show this missing icon.

Feel free to ask us in the comments section or Discord:

• SnowyPhybo#4319
  
• FlameNoir#4280
  
• Jakadak#9357 (For advanced questions)

Please note that we have received quite a lot of scam invites recently, adding without a reason may result in a report.

[Lightning]

so i tried doing this with my custom hud and adding the blu background but it didnt work any help?

[The Time Traveler#ProtectF2P]

I have a question, how can I change the loading screens of the tf2? I mean, the one about statistics, and the one about "are you on your way to..."?

[PokerDude]

*Too*

[Snowy-Phybo]

TL;DR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz2unJqHEO0

[PokerDude]

Nah to much work

[Snowy-Phybo]

You just need to reuse them. Please refrain to [ADVANCED] Remove events wallpaper.

[BongRippa'88]

Thank you so much for replying so fast! I am assuming that would be sacrificing the Halloween backgrounds, right?

[Snowy-Phybo]

It is possible to have up to 20 backgrounds, you'll just have to code them in "mainmenuoverride.res" file.

[BongRippa'88]

Is there a limit to how many backgrounds I can have? I'd love to have like 20 different backgrounds.

[Jakadak]

add me, i will try to find the problem and possibly update the guide