Round time

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January 2024

Time is a precious thing, without it, a map could never end, but with it, you can do amazing things.

Why time is important

Time can change the outcome of a match, and it can make it completely unbalanced.

Too little time will make the defensive side of a map easier to win with, while too much time will give the offensive side too much time to complete the objective, making constant defense hard. For example, imagine Dustbowl with 30-minute round times...

With that in mind, make sure to adjust the round time until it isn't too challenging for either team.

Before you start

1. Place the team_round_timer anywhere on the map. This entity controls the round time, so it's very important!
2. Name the entity something, a suggestion would be roundtimer.

Setting up time

Setup Timer

To create setup time (the time before the round starts), all you need is a team_round_timer entity.

1. Open up the Properties of team_round_timer.
2. Change setup_length (Setup time length) to the time of the setup period (in seconds).
3. Remember to change Start Paused to No.

ADVICE: Do not make the setup time extremely long, anything above 2 minutes is too long!

Adding (or Subtracting) time

This simply involves using the AddTime input into the team_round_timer entity (that I assume you have placed somewhere).

1. On the entity you want the output to come from, type in the name of the team_round_timer entity (which you should have named).
2. On the "Via this input" section, enter AddTime.
3. Enter the number of seconds you want to add/subtract in the "With a parameter override of" section (I assume entering negative numbers will subtract time).
4. (Optional) Place the delay between the time the input starts and when it is activated in the "After a delay in seconds of" section.

Adding (or Subtracting) time for a team

This is the same as the previous one, except that instead of a generic "Time has been added message", there will be something along the lines of "Congratulations. We have been awarded additional time" for the team receiving time, and "The enemy has received addition time!" for the other team. Use the input AddTeamTime. For the parameter override, type 2 for red or 3 for blue along with a space before the time to add, e.g. 3 300

AddTeamTime is commonly used for the Attack/Defend Control Points and Payload goal systems.

Setting time specifically

Using the SetTime input, you can set the time to any specific time you want.

1. On the entity you want the output to come from, type in the name of the team_round_timer entity (which you should of named).
2. On the "Via this input" section, enter SetTime.
3. Enter in the time you want to set it to in seconds.
4. (Optional) Place the delay between the time the input starts and when it is activated in the "After a delay in seconds of" section.

SetTime is commonly used for the Symmetric Control Points goal system.

See also

Team Fortress 2 Level Creation