How to Emulate Old TF2

Numerous updates post-2014 have driven TF2 away from it's original style. Here's how to make TF2 look like how God intended again.

Section I: Config

In this first part you'll create an autoexec.cfg file (if you don't already have one) and type in these commands:

tf_enable_glows_after_respawn 0

(Disables the teammate / building glow effects seen after respawn which were added in the Tough Break update)

tf_hud_target_id_disable_floating_health 1

(Places the floating target ID health bar introduced with the Scream Fortress VI update back inside the nameplate)

tf_hud_target_id_alpha 255

(Replaces translucent target ID introduced with the Scream Fortress VI update with original opaque target ID)

tf_use_match_hud 0

(Replaces the team status display HUD element added in the Meet Your Match update with the old timer. Note that the old timer is bugged and another guide has been linked at the end to read to fix it if necessary)

tf_use_min_viewmodels 0

(If being used, reverts the minimized viewmodels added in the Meet Your Match update back to the normal viewmodels)

tf_contract_progress_show 0

(Optional, disables the contract progress HUD element entirely. Can be set to Show Active Contracts Only in Advanced Options for those that still want to use it without it being a permanent fixture on the in-game HUD)

cl_spraydisable 0

(Optional, re-enables sprays of which used to be commonplace on Valve servers before their sudden disable between 2013-2016 and community servers before the September 16th, 2021 patch)

2012:

cl_hud_playerclass_use_playermodel 0

(Replaces the 3D playermodel HUD element added in the August 27th, 2013 patch with the original 2D class avatar)

Binds (Optional):

unbind F

(Removes the weapon inspect toggle added with Gun Mettle)

2012:

bind G taunt
bind H "taunt_by_name Taunt: INSERTTAUNT"

(Replicates the original pre-Love & War action slot taunt system)

Save the changes and place the file in the \cfg directory within your \tf folder.

Alternatively, you can use mastercomfig[comfig.app] to adjust most of these settings in an easier and more convenient package.

Section II: HUD

In this second part you'll be installing several mods to revert the HUD back to it's original state.

List of HUD mods:

• 2012 Old main menu[gamebanana.com] (Reverts the main menu to it's pre-Meet Your Match Quickplay design; use the no_friend_panel version for accuracy)
  
• NativeHUD[gamebanana.com] (Reverts several different aspects of the HUD to their pre-Scream Fortress VI and beyond designs)
  
• Fixed Old Scoreboard[gamebanana.com] (The reverted scoreboard included with NativeHUD is broken as well as inaccurate)
  
• "Old" styled HudInspectPanel[gamebanana.com] (Reverts the inspect panels to their pre-Gun Mettle design)
  
• Classic Class Portraits[gamebanana.com] (Reverts the menu class portraits to their original pre-Meet Your Match designs)
  
• Vertical Arena Player Counts[gamebanana.com] (Reverts the Arena player count HUD element to it's original vertical position pre-Scream Fortress XV)

2012:

• [2024] Old Winpanel[gamebanana.com] (Reverts the winpanel to it's pre-Two Cities Update counterpart; remove winpanel.res within \resource\ui inside the NativeHUD folder)
  
• Old Taunt Icons Fix[gamebanana.com] (Reverts the original set of taunts to their pre-Love & War icon designs)

Extract the mods and put them in your \custom folder.

Section III: Visuals

In this third part you'll be installing a few mods to revert certain visual aspects of TF2 back to their original states.

List of Visual Mods:

• Most of old visuals pack[www.teamfortress.tv] (Reverts numerous aspects of the game's visuals including viewmodels, animations, models, etc to their pre-Gun Mettle and beyond designs with 2012 and 2014 era modpacks to choose from; note that decorated weapons / war paints are incompatible as a result)
  
• Pre-Jungle Inferno Flames[gamebanana.com] (Reverts the flame particles back to their pre-Jungle Inferno design; note that flames become inaccurate as a result)
  
• ⠀Old Style Flamethrower Flames[gamebanana.com] (Optional alternative to Pre-Jungle Inferno Flames with accurate flame particles stylized after the old flame particles)
  
• No-Hats-Mod bgum[gamebanana.com] (Optional, gets rid of all in-game cosmetics plus additional stuff if desired; add no_unusuals.vpk, no_christmas_lights.vpk and no_skins.vpk for greater immersion)

2012:

• Class Selection Screen Fixes[gamebanana.com] (Reverts the class selection menu back to it's pre-broken Mann vs. Machine form)
  
• No More Effects! (2024)[gamebanana.com] (Optional, removes all Unusual effect types as well as Killstreak effects pre-Two Cities Update; not to be used with No-Hats-Mod bgum's no_unusuals.vpk)

Extract the mods and put them in your \custom folder.

Note that the old visual pack, flame particle, and unusual effect removal mods will not work in Casual mode, even with preloading.

Section IV: Misc

In this fourth and final part you'll be installing a few mods to revert certain miscellaneous aspects of TF2 back to their original states. All of these are entirely optional, but if you want to go that extra step for authenticity then these are available for use as such.

List of Misc Mods:

• Pre-MYM Administrator Restoration[gamebanana.com] (Reverts / removes the Administrator's voicelines and other select sounds to their pre-Meet Your Match state)
  
• Meet Your Match Voiceline Removal[gamebanana.com] (Removes the largely terrible Meet Your Match class voicelines)
  
• Pre-Inferno Bone Crunch[gamebanana.com] (Reverts the bone crunch to it's pre-Jungle Inferno sound effect)
  
• Pre-Jungle Inferno Weapon Sounds[gamebanana.com] (Reverts select weapons to their pre-Jungle Inferno sound effects)
  
• No Halloween souls effects[gamebanana.com] (Removes the souls effects and sounds added with Scream Fortress VII)
  
• Old High Five! Effect[gamebanana.com] (Reverts the High Five taunt effect to it's original pre-2015 design)
  
• No "Pass to me!" in voice menus.[gamebanana.com] (Removes the "Pass to me!" command added with PASS Time)
  
• Disable Miss Pauling's Contract Alerts[gamebanana.com] (Optional, self-explanatory; use this if you still receive contract alerts)

Extract the mods and put them in your \custom folder.

Note that the Scream Fortress souls removal and classic High Five! effect mods will not work in Casual mode, even with preloading.

Results

Before:

After:

Originally posted by Medic:

Gott in Himmel, it's vunderful. It's more zhan vunderful, it's- it's Perfekt!

Conclusion

Congratulations, you've managed to [mostly] unmolest TF2's long since desecrated style. Now you can play TF2 looking and sounding as God intended, having used the most comprehensive mod list to date on emulating old TF2.

As an addendum, linked below is a redirect to Castaway: Host of Quickplay ruleset TF2 community servers with pre-nerf weapon reverts that serves as the final piece to immersing yourself in old TF2, back when the game was the masterpiece we all claim it to be. And if you don't want to bend over backwards and suck your own ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ to get some of these fine mods to work on Casual (yuck), then come and join us on the best nu-TF2 community servers around today!

Resources:

Castaway[castaway.tf] (Quickplay ruleset TF2 community servers with pre-nerf weapon reverts located in US, EU, AUS, and Asia with daily sessions. Join the Steam group and the group chat for session announcements)

Other Guides:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3332786048

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The mod list in this guide is subject to change. If you know of any other and or better mods to contribute for a more accurate guide, feel free to link them in the comments and I will take a look when I'm online. Additionally if something has happened to one of the listed mods, notify me and it will be adjusted accordingly.

[DistantPeak]

Fun fact I took the light values for the class selection mod from tf2 classic before they changed the lighting in fight or flight I think

[badass_07]

@SquidMann Guide has been updated with a new old scoreboard mod.

[SquidMann]

Latest update broke the Old Scoreboard mod. If there's a fix, please put it in the guide.

[Scout]

Another thing:
https://gamebanana.com/mods/487378 - a better unusual remover that's fully up-to-date, also removes killstreak eye effects (delete class_fx.pcf in the mod if you want to see them)

[Scout]

2 more:
https://gamebanana.com/mods/473055 - removes soul effects during Halloween (added 2015, doesn't work in Casual)
https://gamebanana.com/mods/414730 - removes "Pass to me" from voice command menus (added 2015/2016, works in Casual without preloading, you can still use the command in PASS Time by pressing mouse3)

[Team Pobress 2]

You should add this to the guide too: https://gamebanana.com/mods/524933

It removes the MYM badgets and the highest killstreak someone got throughout the match, and tries to re-create the old winpanel.

Here's proof that this was actually a thing: https://youtu.be/jvJxr9AAPyk?si=cj3oX6HD84l5Nc_D (Minute 0:56)

[joe bongo]

ty very helpful and nice meme

[BoPoe]

it's beautiful.

[FabsSprout]

the way god himself intended

[rocketgreentea]

Good guide, another suggestion for those reading who miss the old weapon lighting can look here: https://gamebanana.com/mods/466168

It recreates the old lightwarps pretty well, the only issue is that the Australium Flamethrower is missing textures.