Team Fortress 2 Thread

Cafe Society
1

I think there was a thread about TF2 a while ago, but that was during the Beta and things have changed a bit since then.
Anyway… I am completely addicted to this game and spend what is probably an unhealthy amount of my time playing. I’m not a part of a clan or anything but I can sense this game would even better playing with a team of people you know.
Here are some tips and musings for my favorite classes.

Engineer
Not as boring or mindless as some might think since you gotta be a good judge of the skill level of each team, knowing how far they’ll be able to push and which areas would be best to fortify without having all your shit destroyed. Even while on the offensive like one-sided maps like Dustbowl or Gravelpit (my two favorite maps) you can get a lot of points from teleports alone, but of course you’ll probably want to fortify your teleporters. Your biggest enemy is the spy, followed by the demoman. With spy, you just need to stay vigilant and hope that someone’s around if they start sapping your stuff over and over again, but a good demoman is harder to handle. When you see those stickies being thrown at you from around the corner, your best bet is to just charge him with the shotgun since that’ll get rid of those stickies and demos can have a hard time hitting people that are actively dodging their grenades.
There’s nothing like holding off a horde of enemies safely lodged between your sentry and dispenser and single handedly holding them off.

Pyro
Hit and run is the best tactic of course. In Gravelpit, you can single-handedly prevent several enemies from taking your point by being a smart pyro. Just run in, set everyone on fire, run out, get health and repeat until they’re all nice and crispy. The best advice for the pyro is not to be stubborn and try to kill someone when the odds are against you. You can always come back to finish the job after some health and preferably taking them from behind and offguard. As a Pyro you need to mindful of where their sentries and teleporters are as well as the most common route they take. Go the long way they’re not taking and hit em from the back before they know what’s gonig on. And Medics, Pyros are probably the best class to uber because they’re not slow like Heavies (everyone’s favorite class to uber) or need to reload like everyone else. The only issue is getting stuck by too many sentries pushing you back.

I could write my friggin thesis about this game but i need to get to class. I may be back with more rambling. TF2 players, share your thoughts and comments!

2

I’ve been cycling through classes to get the ‘played each class for at least one round’ achievement, and I’m actually surprised at how fun I found the Medic to be. I’m usually entertained by guys like the Heavy or Sniper, but with the Medic I get a strong sense of actually doing something that has an impact on the round. Otherwise I’m just cannon fodder.

The other night I played a Heavy for a solid hour on a single map. It was a custom map, very small with 5 control points and no respawn timer. :eek: The entire hour was nothing more than a bloodbath, with the center control point occasionally switching sides. Still exceptionally fun; I’ll never get tired of cutting down those asshole Pyros. :smiley:

3

I play this game constantly.

I’m known as WeightedCompanionCube , and I play on the JediForces server almost exclusively.
I wouldn’t consider myself a good player, but I can pretty much hold my own.

General Tips for the n00b:

Voice communication is essential. The team that talks the most is almost always the winning team.

Attack B first. On all the Valve maps, and most of the customs, B is much easier to defend. Most of the time, it’ll take the whole team to take B, while it may only take one scout or spy to take A.
Some class tips:

Scout - Only useful for a team on the attack, and usually only at the beginning of the map before any sentries get set-up. As soon as there are sentries in the area you’re headed, scouts are damn near useless, except to harass people.

Pyro - Shoot everyone and spy-check them. That’s the only thing I do when I play as a pyro.

**Demoman **- On CP maps, take the time after you die (when you’re on your way back to the action) to stickybomb your CP. Then go and try to kill people. It only takes a second and can save your entire team.

Engineer - Teleports are vital. Right after you run out of your spawn, build an entrance, the go back in and refill your metal. For the second it takes to do that, you can speed your team up immensely.

Medic - The needle gun is not entirely useless - Its ammuntion arcs when you fire it, so you can shoot over top of hills, or have it arc and destroy a sentry without putting yourself in danger. And if you have an uber and you’re about to die, activate it. Better to use it to possibly escape or uber someone on your team to take a few others with you than let it go to waste. Second, don’t heal someone unless you’ve seen them shoot, are carrying a weapon other than their primary, or you’ve shot them to verify they’re not a spy. I once took out about half a team as a spy when an enemy medic ubered me. I laughed, they died. We all had fun.

Spy - Spy is difficult to play well. I enjoy playing spy, but I’m not super-good at it.

First off, if you’re around your teammates, disguise as an enemy spy… If they see the entire blue team running around, but not shooting at a red pyro that’s standing in the middle of them, it’s a good bet it’s a spy.

Second, take it easy on the cloak. if someone cloaks it guarantees they’re a spy. If they’re just ran in to, they may or may not be one, which brings me to;

Third, don’t run in to people. Avoid the other team. If you stop them from moving for even half a seond, run away and cloak. They already know you’re a spy.

Fourth, choose an appropriate class for where you are. If you need to get a good look at the area, go to where the snipers hang out and disguise as a sniper. If you want to recon their CP or intel room, go as an engineer or pyro.

Fifth, never disguise as scout or medic. A slow scout is a dead giveaway, as is a medic that’s not either healing or shooting. Heavy is usually never suspected of being a spy, but because disguising as one slows you down, I don’t recommend it. Soldier and demo are slow too. The best things to disguise as are pyro, engineer, sniper or spy.

Sixth and finally: The “Put on last disguise used” button is your friend. It’s mapped to the B key by default, but I find that’s too far away to be used as quickly as I would like to use it. I attached mine to shift, which is where my pinky naturally rests, and isn’t used in TF2 anyway. This lets me stab and redisguise very, very quickly.

4

I play as DrBouvenstein on whatever server I can find that has a good ping and a map I like. I play mostly as Medic, Engineer, and Sniper. I suck, suck, SUCK as demoman and pyro. Just cannot get the hang of them and don’t play them anymore. Demoman is my worst. I mean, how the hell do you kill someone when they have a good five seconds to run away from your grenade?!

5

There’s a group/clan/team thingie already set up for Straight Dope Message Board; if you join it, you can see other Dopers and we can see you. I play as Jurph and if you show up in the next 30 minutes or so (5:30 EDT, 12 Dec 07) we might see each other.

6

Don’t give them the chance. Fire the grenade right into them, bounce it off walls, drop it where they will be, and make use of the stickybombs to set up traps. I like the arc the grenades provide, so I’m actually not bad with the Demoman offensively, but it is tricky. Hell, the Soldier and Heavy are about the only non-tricky classes there are, really.

7

It helps to remember that demos aren’t supposed to be long-range combatants, and that, while they’re a decent class to solo with, they’re absolutely devastating as part of a well-balanced attack squad: the soldier can engage bad guys that are out of a demo’s safe range, the heavy can keep anyone from getting too close, and the demo can shoot around corners and safely clear out areas that could potentially shred combat classes who walked in blindly. Most CTF maps also have a few places where a defensive-minded demo can set up shop and really ruin the attackers’ day. (Case in point is that trapdoor by the exit in 2fort, the one surrounded by grillwork; it’s situated right above a major bottleneck, it allows you to see clearly without exposing yourself to much enemy fire, and many players won’t even notice you the first time they come through. I played a match where both teams were extremely well-organized, and with two demos and a soldier stationed up there the front entrance became an absolute nightmare to breach. After a while, we just gave up and focused on coming in through the sewers, where skilled demomen would have less luck maintaining a good defense.)

Even if the server you’re on is of the every-man-for-themselves variety, if you just find a soldier and follow him into the enemy base he’ll usually take the hint and start waiting for you to clear around corners and the like.

8

Demoman can be pretty frustrating and that’s why I don’t play him as often even though I tend to score pretty well if I do. I even remember some players talking about the demoman being unbalanced, being too powerful.
The biggest tip would be to think of the sticky bombs as your primary method of getting kills. Also…
-What I tend to do when a scout or pyro is charging at me is to run away and put a sticky at my foot while still running and hope that the pyro/scout will run over it. Works better than you would think, but it can be annoying not to have a more effective means of fighting head on. But that’s more of a last resort, you shouldn’t let it get to that by blocking their path with stickies.
-Demomen can be awesome at defending CPs, even if you don’t have it pre-stickied. Just lob around three stickies at the point and detonate (even if you can’t see the enemies) and you’re bound to get some kills.
-A lot of times engies will build their dispenser and sentry (also teleporter sometimes) right next to each other while attending to it which could mean an easy 3 points or more since a lot of times enemies will be loitering around there getting healed by dispensers thinking it’s safe. Use stickies (and at least 2) since grenades will only partially damage sentries, allowing the engies an opportunity to repair them.
-A very cheap tactic that’s effective on some maps is spawn camping. Stick around 4 stickies at their spawn point door and detonate when it opens. Can really piss off the other team in 2forts (worst official map in my opinion).

And for those that play medics, PLEASE don’t stick to that one heavy while everyone else is getting torn apart. If you’re moving forward, heal everyone a bit, even if they’re full since medics can heal well above %100 of their maximum health.

9

Oh, done and done. If anything, I try too hard at healing everyone. I will break away from the main group I’m with to heal outliers, and then the main group gets decimated and I waste my uber on an engineer. :stuck_out_tongue:

10

I play as Sindigo on the Australian servers (IGN, a few others) mainly coz anything further away than Perth has massive ping.

My main class choices are medic and scout. I love playing a scout in the granary, I think it’s my favourite map of all the ones I’ve played so far.

I don’t really have any tips coz I’m really a multiplayer FPS n00b. I play single player FPS but this is really my first foray into online playing. I’ve gotta say that so far I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the quality of players in TF2. I’ve not had any issues with griefers, campers or assholes in the games I’ve played so far.

11

…More Tips
you don’t need to be one class for a whole round. I’m sure many of you already do this, but switch around, based on your teams needs. If your cp on gravelpit is being taken and you’re dead, switch to a pyro or demo to run in there and stop them, or get a few kills at least. Don’t be that 6th sniper on a team.

Heavy
-Do not be afraid to retreat. Sure it feels like your unstoppable with that medic at your back but you are also a big fat target, especially for snipers who you should avoid at all costs. You can just stand in the corner and wait for your medic to heal you.
-his miniguns is virtually useless long-range so don’t bother.
-Heavies are good for plowing through tunnels and holding or pushing back defensively.
-No one smart will run at you so scouts and noob pyros aren’t much of a problem but a good spy or pyro can and will kill you. Heavies are notoriously oblivious to their surroundings. I don’t know how many heavies I’ve killed as a pyro just standing behind him with my flamethrower, since he won’t turn around and look at what’s killing him. Spies will be more annoying but just be aware what your teammates are saying.
-Instead of firing your minigun at all times, run to a strategic spot with your shotgun and blast away from there.
-Sentries built right on the corner is your specialty. The first CP in dustbowl should be easy to take with a heavy medic combo.

And Jurph, I’ll look for you on Steam. I’m Acid refluX on there.

12

I just started playing this game and I play on my son’s account…Sexual Pervert! (Yes, it does include the exclamation point). I just pick any server and start shooting, usually as a heavy, because it’s mindless fun. Also like scout, demoman, and sniper.

One thing that I participated in that was really funny was that there were 6 of us medics that formed a “Healing Circle” and we ran to each capture point, healing each other as we ran from one point to another through the enemy without engaging them…sometimes it worked like a charm…then their were others who knew how to take us down…usually coordinated demoman attacks did the trick…but going uber in a medic chain to capture enemy points was pretty damn funny.

13

Apparently, there is no space in between my son’s account name…SexualPervert! .

Hmmmm…maybe I should start my own account…Most likely YeticusRex…stay tuned.

14

Although I’m not especially good at demoman, my favorite moment in the game was as one. A medic’ed heavy was slowly chewing his way toward our control point, coming toward a doorway. My teammates had all retreated to the room I was in. I set up four sticky bombs on the inside frame of the doorway, two on each side. As soon as the heavy stepped the door, I detonated them, and chunky heavy meat flew in every direction. It was the perfect kill, and I giggled and giggled.

Daniel

15

Just be prepared for the bombs to fail; it’s wonderful when it works, but you can expect to meet some really spectacular heavy-medic teams that are used to this tactic. They tend to try and bait the demo by stepping towards the bombs and quickly darting away, since the heavy can take the brunt of the explosion and be back to full health in seconds, so long as he isn’t right next to the things.

16

I play as Gonzo Doctor, mostly on the Jiggly’s Funhouse Servers. You can usually see me as a pyro, but I try and play whatever is needed the most.

Tips for pyros:
-Remember that your flamethrower is pretty well useless out in open areas. Don’t be afraid to use the shotgun.
-Your axe, while cool looking, is pretty well useless. If you’re close enough to use it, you’re close enough to be torching people. If you’re out of propane, your shotgun is probably a better bet.
-Paranoia. Pretend everybody is a spy. Test your theory by torching. If you see them light up, keep torching.

Tips for medics:
-The medic is probably the best beginner class. You should always be following somebody, so you get to learn the layouts of the maps, and also get to see how others play classes.
-Don’t be visible to the enemy. Smart players are going to go for you before they go for the fatty you’re healing. While the med-gun is for the most part line-of-sight, it gives you some wiggle room. Stay around the corner, or behind that rock, or something.
-Be a team player. Yes, the best way to rack up points is to find the highest-ranking player and keep your gun on them, you’re not really helping the team. Try and keep everybody topped off (you can temporarily give people an extra 50% health bonus.)
-Try not to be alone, but if you must be separated from the pack, keep your bonesaw out. It crits like crazy, and can take most players out in two thwaks. Very satisfying.
-Paranoia. Much like the pyro, pretend everyone is a spy. Give them at least three thwacks with your saw. If they don’t run or die, go ahead and heal them. If they go on to backstab you, call l33t h4x.
-Heal other medics first! Especially if they’re on fire. I don’t know why I have to say this, but I do. It’s annoying how some medics ignore eachother.
-Ubercharges! If you’ve been alive long enough to get a charge, you probably know what the situation is. If you’re defending, hold on to the charge until the opposing team makes a push, and uber whoever can do the most damage. Stay around a dispenser to keep alive. If you’re offending, pay attention to where the sentries are. If you can get close to them, and they’re close together, get a pyro on it. I may just be partial to pyros, but they can do an insane amount of damage in that 30 seconds. If you can get close, but there’s several sentries spaced out, get a heavy. If they’re at a distance, get a soldier on it. I usually don’t uber demos, though I’ve seen it done effectively. Once, I ubered an engineer, and ended up winning the game by keeping the sentries up. Desperate times and all that.
-If somebody is on fire, heal them. If lots of people are on fire, give everyone quick heals to keep them alive until it’s extinguished. If you wait to fill everyone up, it’s probably gonna end up killing somebody.

General tips:
-Don’t spam “MEDIC!” Especially if you’re at full health. If you’re standing right next to a medic about to die, and they won’t heal you, they’re either a spy or a shitty medic. Either way, hope they die a fiery death. If you’re a pyro, arrange it for them.
-If you notice somebody (especially a medic) a little cautious of you, they may think you’re a spy. Assuage their fears by firing off a few rounds.
-Have fun. Remember, it’s just a game. If your team just plain sucks, go heavy and use your fists. If a medic follows you, much fun is sure to ensue. One time I lucked out and got 5 kills that way before dying. Thankfully all-chat was on, I was praised by how awesome it was.

Spy tips (I just started really playing spy, so I don’t have many)
-Move how somebody from the other team would move. Don’t let them see you coming from the other direction, unless you have low health and are spamming “MEDIC!”, or are disguised as a spy.
-Your sole purpose in the game is to take out sentries and heavy/medic teams. Make sure you take out the former before the latter, or it will get messy soon.
-Communicate with your team. You can’t really take out the sentries on your own unless you time it right and sap it while the engi goes to get more metal. Let your team know you’re about to sap the sentries, wait until they’re ready to push, and then go - this is much easier than building up an uber, and more fun to boot.
-Take out the medic first, then the heavy. I know, I know, the heavy’s got such a big back for the stabby stabby, but then Mr. Medic is going to see you, and come after you with a bonesaw, full frontal style. That’s a scary prospect. Take out the medic first, and the heavy’s not gonna notice. He’ll just think “Oh, he’s found somebody else to heal. How depressin- OW MY BACK!”
-If you see a pyro, run. Well, don’t run, just kind of craftily dodge him without letting on that you’re craftily dodging.

17

I started out absolutely hating the game, but it’s growing on me now. I rule at TFC, but this is a whole new ballgame. I was a little miffed by the new controls, but I’m slowly getting used to them. I do like how you actually have to function as a team now to win the game; it’s a big change from TFC.

I love dustbowl and gravelpit, something about those progression maps I suppose. Although you’d never hear me saying it before now, I think that the gameplay has improved a lot by taking away grenades, it’s not the spamfest that TFC is. I enjoy playing sniper, engineer, and pyro. One thing that my SO and I have discussed is how while the pyro has been **vastly ** improved since TFC, it still sucks that he cant take out an engie’s sentry gun. Even with an uber from a medic, he gets blown back by the force of the bullets. SO thinks that pyros should be able to lengthen the range of their fire- think more focused and straight- at the sacrafice of losing ammo quicker. Something like you’d be able to focus the fire (helpful in killing sentries) but the damage would be the same amout as the normal pyro fire and you would lose your ammo three times faster than on a normal flame. But I suppose all class has to have a weakness in order to depend on others and work as a team.

In all, hated the game from the beginning when I was still a hardcore TFCer, but it’s gradually growing on me.

18

“I don’t know. Dodge casual.”

Excellent tips, and they really illustrate why this is such a fun game.

19

Ah, one thing I forgot to mention in my post about pyros: Circle-strafing. It works for heavies and sentries alike. You can move quicker than they can turn, so use that to your advantage. Granted, it’s a little trickier on sentries, depending on where the engi has them built.

20

I have lots of fun with the demo man now, and I’ve seen some pretty cute tricks by other demo men:

On 2Fort, you can put two sticky bombs on the ground just in front of the right entry to the opposition’s fort and propel yourself ABOVE the corrugated cover and land high above on the upper right side, above the perch where the snipers hang out), and the closest to their spawn point (therefore, the quickest route to the bridge…many players don’t even look this high up to realize that there is an enemy with a bird’s eye view of this corridor…plant a couple of stickies straight below you, and two more near the front middle room entry, and just wait for the poor fools to run by them…or wait for a few of them to collect waiting behind the corrugated wall…this one demo man (Mercurito was his name), was killing them off in pairs and triplets on a frequent basis…he usually had ran out of ammo before they even figured out where he was.

As a demo man, one thing I learned on most of the maps is to get a good feel for trajectories and ricochets of your bombs. I’ve taken out a lot of sentries behind walls and buildings, where I can kill without being exposed. Works on 2Fort, Gravel Pit…hell, just about anywhere. If a sentry kills me and is exposed from long range, I usually respawn as a sniper for a long range full power shot to take it out.

Create large kill zones in mine shafts by putting up 4 pairs of sticky bombs on the mine shaft timbers facing you (halfway up), in a zig zag pattern…and bait the group to come towards you. Switch back to your launcher and fling the 4 volleys for added damage for the heavies who might survive (not likely though) when you set off the stickies. Seeing 3 or 4 enemies going to bits with one mouse click is pretty damn satisfying.
I’m still playing on my son’s account because I’m too cheap to get my own, and besides his computer is the only one working right now. He’s in a culinary school now on weekdays, so I take advantage of this on weeknights. I usually play demo man, sniper, heavy and he’s usually an engineer, medic, scout and spy. So his account is pretty well rounded. I’m definitely not as good as him, but I’m in it for a chuckle or two. Hate handle name and his avatar, though.