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Thursday 20 September 2007

Team Fortress 2 (TF2) tips and tweaks [Slim]



My god this game's fun. What I want to do right here is create a repository for Tips and Tweaks, so post em below and I'll edit this here blog with them.

26 comments:



  1. Not really a tip, just something that I found quite useful. The default keybindings have "Q" mapped to switch between your two real weapons. So for the medic, switches between the heal gun and the syringe pistol. No need for all that mouse wheel nonsense or confirming switches.

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  2. The confirming weapon switches is a Half-Life engine thing that's been around for years. Options, keyboard, advanced. Tick the Fast Weapon Switch box and the developer console one too while you're at it, being as it's handy and all. Also getting the voice stuff working, Source uses the default windows recording device. So go into Windows and make sure that this is your microphone and not something silly like the "What U Hear" mixer.

    I mostly play an engineer so here's my sum knowledge as an engineer: On a map where people are going to have to run a ways, put up an entrance teleporter right away just as you run out of the resupply spawn point. Then run back in and just load up on metal again. That way whatever you set up is basically free. Also when you have a set up time but you need to rush up front somewhere, don't put a turret down first. Put a dispenser down first, then just run around and pick up some ammo boxes lying around that no one will have used yet, then put down a turret.

    Be on the alert for spys on your engineer stuff! Soon as you see the graphic, just run up and whack the wrench button. One or two hits and a spy is dead. If you think he's legged it, unsap your turret immediately. You get a point and if the guy isn't stealthed up, the turret will take out the spy nice and fast. I've seen too many successful saps of turrets because the engy is going after the spy. Stuff the spy. Just keep your back to the wall while unsapping and he can't kill you.

    Remember to blow your stuff up when it's nowhere useful, and build your dispenser somewhere useful. You're on a sudden death round? Don't build a goddamn turret, build a dispenser! There's not enough metal around to build both. Build the dispenser and your team can charge their health and play cat and mouse with the other team hopefully whittling them down to win the round.

    Turrets geting blown up by heavys? There's no good reason for this. Ensure you have metal and just stand behind the turret and repair it. It'll soon kill the heavy and you can have the turret back up to full health in no time. Course that doesn't particularly help you against demo dudes and soldiers. With soldiers you're pretty much screwed if he has long range and LOS to your turret. With a demo man, I'd charge in and shotgun the guy. It's quite hard to pill you point blank. You might even be able to draw the sucker into the turret line of fire.

    Turret diversionary tactics increase the value of turrets one thousand fold. If there's a gap and two sides, put the turret on one side and the dispenser on the other and sit with the dispenser. Fire at bad guys. They'll come through on YOUR side and end up getting turret in the ass. If you can get your whole team to play ball like that, the turret can be a massive asset. Also consider, in an entrenched position it's actually better to destroy the turret and move it somewhere and upgrade it to level 2 ratherthan upgrade it to level 3. Because of the death cam they know where it is now.

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  3. Medic - You heal folks beyond their max health, so don't just stick to that heavy. Particularly in the round start, heal everyone so they get more health for that initial rush.

    General - Use sound! This game uses sound an awful lot, it helps you hear if there's a turret around the corner, or if a heavy is spinning up his weapon, if there's a spy stepping around, or a scout running nearby, etc. Learn the sounds, they help a lot!



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  4. There's no recoil in the weapons - don't slip into CS habits. Check out those handguns closely, they're better for many situations when your Scout/Engy shotty is useless.

    A spy in disguise cannot cap. Change to switchblade or revolver and press attack once, and your disguise will be removed; then you can cap.

    Engineers need to think about getting teleporters in place on the non-ctf maps, so that the team can surge forward en masse from spawn. At the very least this should be done after the first capture point is held.

    If you're having trouble at a chokepoint, think about pairing up a demoman and a medic. Use the invulnerability to allow the demoman to grenade jump over and ahead using his sticky pills, switching to primary nades to cause chaos in the enemy ranks. Other players follow him through quick!

    Every class has a taunt for each weapon (some exceptions - not Engy build gadget or spy electrozapper). Check out: Scout holding pistol (takes his pulse) Pyro holding his fire axe (guitar hero) and Engineer with wrench (manical Stewie Griffin laugh).

    And take a look at the Scout's reload animation for the pistol!





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  5. Maps where you are on an offensive, canbenefit from TWO medics and a heavy/demoman.

    Protect the heavy/demoman til ubercharged then, use the medics tactically on the heavy with two ubercharges in succession to get a longer period of time to blast out the defence and any turrets.

    The firstmedic out of charge can then go on and then protect the demoman or a soldier to push back the defensive line whilst the medic/heavy pair is running out of charge. Whilst the opponent is still spawning is a perfect time to infiltrate with a spy.

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  6. Just make sure the heavy has ammo before using the charge. Too often does it happen, that a medic pops the charge and I have 10 shots left. Then you have to wait ages for the chaingun to stop spinning and change to the shotty aaand by that time you've used close to 50% of the charge and accomplished fuck all.

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  7. One vastly underused engineering tech is the teleporter. This is of course directly tied into the lack of inter-team communication but on some maps is a definite match winner - especially those where there are 5 points to capture. So come on engies! telep0rtarage!

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  8. On team makeup:Now that we're filling up the server with players like URD3d_67 and his pals it's worthwhile to note that two heavies are pretty useful, and that also means at least two medics, so make sure those roles are filled.An Engy or two's next and pad the rest with what you fancy, & feel free to castgate people who insist on playing sniper where the map isn't suited.

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  9. The key problem with teleports that many part-time engineers don't understand is that on a capture and hold type map, the spawn points move up. So that means the teleporter entrance and exits need moving too. On these type of maps, I'd still put this stuff up last really because it's not far to run. It's better to consolidate a position with a dispenser and a turret.

    I'd say a few key problems keep cropping up on publics where people haven't got much clue. Firstly, shite classes. It seems people just press what they want to play rather than looking what's in and choosing something appropriate. It's so bad we've started kicking people from our server that end up going sniper when the map clearly isn't useful for that. Also you've got people switching classes all the time, they really should just pick a class they can play and get stuck in. Really, some useless sniper or spy just aint helping.

    As Beej says earlier, people do seem to ignore their other weapons. How many times have you seen two soldiers duking it out with rockets until they end up reloading each rocket one by one? They could just switch to a shotty and kill the guy or pull out the melee weapon... And engineers firing their shotgun at people at range, gawd... you see that ALL THE TIME. The pistol is actually uber long range. And if everyone wised up, if you had a group of engies firing at that far door with pistol, you'd find the kills would rack up in no time. Demomen... trying to pill people point blank. Jesus. Use the goddamn shotty!

    Other things peeving me a bit is how people tend to really play just for themselves and what's around. Particularly the heavier classes. I can barely stand playing a medic, even though I love the class, because the guy you're healing just ignores you completely while you mark yourself out as a target to all the lighter classes... and there's spies. Spys aren't just a problem when they kill you. They're a problem ALL THE TIME. If you have reason to suspect a spy, shoot him! If you're on our uber FF on server, shoot him with the pistol. If someone thinks you might be a spy, shoot your gun into the air - you've demonstrated your credentials then.

    I think that's the thing I'd like to see improve the most really in gameplay all over the shop. People looking around, working out who might be a spy, defending medics, generally just playing on the same team rather than a bunch of individuals with the same goal. Tall order I suppose.

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  10. I'll also add to that the idea of rallying. If you've been vanquished and people are respawning. It's often better rather than keep trying to push up to the next capture point to regroup at your defendable one - where you've hopefully got a dispenser and a turret. Wait for your respawn reinforments to arrive and THEN push on.

    Trust me, the other team wont have done it so you'll run into a constant stream of light resistance which you'll mow down with strength of numbers and then take the next capture point by force.

    In all honesty, the team which understands rallying is often the team that wins.

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  11. Decals are bugged, so the interface doesn't work. Here's how to sort Decals in Team Fortress 2 (TF2) - shit I'm a google whore! Download vtf edt (http://nemesis.thewavelength.net/index.php?p=41) Import yer jpg and save it in \Steam\steamapps\(your username)\team fortress 2\tf\materials\VGUI\logos - if this directory doesn't exist, just create it. Copy the vtf file from the directory above into \Steam\steamapps\(your username)\team fortress 2\tf\materials\VGUI\logo\UI - again, create it if it doesn't exist. Fire up TF2, Multiplayer, Click 'import', pick the vtf file from the 'logos' directory (not the UI directory)Bosh!

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  12. If you run [b]into[/b] a teammate, rather then [b]through[/b], he's a Spy!

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  13. If you run into a teammate, rather then through, he's a Spy!

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  14. You do get bumped by teammates aswell, mate...

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  15. Not exactly no. You sort of warp a bit when you run through a team mate. The game basically tries to push you away from occupying the same space as any friendly entity. You probably most often noticed it on dispencers.

    If you run at a player and run through them, if they're friendly it wont be a problem. If it's an enemy you'll bounce off. Also that warp thing on friendlies is really annoying. I've been positioned precisely to fire rockets to get a heavy before he can fire me and some bastard comes up behind and nudges me into the line of fire!


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  16. Hi there everyone. Only been playing on your server for a while but I'm really enjoying it! It definately helps new players (That would also be me) when there is actual voice chat on the teams. So nice to meet you all, and all that jazz.

    As for tips, I mostly play the Medic. A lot of these tricks are probably just common sense but it's also a good chance to see where I need correcting:

    - Learn to get a knack of the healing guns maximum range, among other things it affords you greater freedom of movement to avoid soldier rockets and demo nades, prevents splash damage to your teamate and stopping you buzzing around them like a fly.

    - If paired with the heavy, you're in a better position to check behind you than he is.

    - Find cover whenever possible and stay out of LoS, in narrow doorways this can all but force a retreat for the opponent/s when they have no way of taking out the medic. One of the many reasons I like 2fort!

    - Prioritise healing for frontliners. If the choice comes down to a barely alive soldier calling 'MEDIC' and your full health heavy buddy about to go around the corner into a wall of fire, stick with the heavy unless you can give them adequate warning.

    - Finally, when all else fails, bring out teh b0nezor!!



    Now a class I'd really like to be good at is the spy, but it just doesn't seem to work out nicely. Is there a specific method of playing this class? My most basic questions would probably be:

    Sap over knife?

    Never camo as an engie, scout or medic?

    Use cloak to get into position with a disguise, or solely as a getaway tool?

    And also, is it better to wait for a good opportunity to knife someone, or just to take the risk when a chance presents itself?

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  17. "If paired with the heavy, you're in a better position to check behind you than he is."

    You know, this is so fundamental its almost embarrassing, and I praise the Risen Christ that we seem to have medics on Snatch (snatch.electricdeath.com:27015) that get this.

    One of the most wanted items from my point of view, as an almost exclusively heavy* player is a chime, popup icon, or other indicator that your medic is no longer with you. It is all very well spinning around every few seconds to check, or trying to keep an eye on the kill/death listing in top right, but when you're full-on smacking the oppo around, it becomes impossible to do so in a timely fashion.

    So, quick shout out to Tirranek, Castar and Ruuz, all of whom get this most important of points and all of whom use voice to shout out "BLAH BLAH BEHIND US!". On 2Fort last night, we mowed down their 3 spies about 10 times because this shit just works.

    *Once you've tasted fat, you don't go back. Or something.

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  18. "Sap over knife?" Purely dependant on the situation. If you have some sentries in choke points, you might want to concentrate on taking those down rather than stabbing someone. Also, stabbing someone and trying to cloak or hide before the sentry takes you down is a bit of a losing battle. If there are a lot of engies running about in a cluster of sentries, you can often disguise as an engi and just sap things constantly while everyone's desperately trying to figure out who the spy is. If there are no sentries up, stab away :)

    "Never camo as an engie, scout or medic?" Disguising as a scout is a terribly bad idea, because your slower movement speed makes you stand out. I usually tend to disguise myself as the class I see the most running around. Less chance of running into your doppelganger. On the other hand, disguising as a medic or an engi will give you more freedom of movement as you often see medics and engies darting back and forth, even away from the frontlines, which isn't the case with offensive classes and seeing a soldier running the "wrong" way will probably provoke some sort of spy check.

    "Use cloak to get into position with a disguise, or solely as a getaway tool?" I find the cloak is an invaluable tool in getting into position. There is no reason to risk getting shot to shreds while making your way behind the opposing force. What I usually do is get past the main choke points and behind the main forces of the opposing team and uncloak in some nook or cranny so as not to be spotted doing so and then just run along with the opposing team for a while, looking for a good target (or rather targets). Also, it's not a bad idea to change disguises while lurking around, just be sure to do it hidden ;) By the time you're happily stabbing some poor sod in the neck, your cloak will have recharged enough to get you out of harms way.


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  19. Thanks a lot for the replies! I think another problem is that when I play a Spy I'm very aware that I'm not on their team, so when an enemy comes I might stop or act suspicious reflexivly. In short, I think I worry too much.

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  20. as a spy dont bother if anyones spy testing you they might leave you, justr act as u would if a friend fired at you :)

    I use cloak to get past the front line and uncloak safe and just go knife-cloak and repeat.

    and if your running from the front line while disguised into enemy base run backwards and it will look less suspicious.

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  21. If you catch on fire jump in the water (if it's near)

    Pyro is bad under water due to the fact your torch will not work.

    Also note that the scout class counts as 2x when capping a point.

    When playing a pyro I tend to set everyone on fire, this will spread some panic in people.

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  22. An engineer about to build can press right mousebutton to rotate his blueprints.

    Medics who have already gone uber can switch weapon and the uber stays available on the healgun when you switch back to it. The uber won't tick down if that weapon isn't in use.

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  23. If there is > 1 engineer, build one sg to secure a position, then have both go up and build a more aggressive / offensive sgun. By having both engies hit a building building, it will finish building much faster. Also there will be an engie already there with full metal for the upgrade to level 2.

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  24. As a scout when people are retreating use your pistol to finish them off. Also avoid enemies sometimes. Just cause you have a scattergun doesn't mean you should always use it. Running for the objective while avoiding combat is sometimes better than combat.

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  25. i play as a pyro a lot, and ive learnt a few things from it, so here are my tips

    when chasing people with the flamethrower, try to get beside them and get them whilst side strafing. the reason for this is that when you run forwards, u run into your flame, reducing its range, if you get what i mean, so by running side on you can hit them more contasntly, killing them quicker. the same applies with running backward. you have longer range because the flame moves away slightly. this is helpful when fighting other pyros

    as you probably know, pyros dont catch on fire. this means that they are only hurt by fire when you get a direct hit. this means when you fight other pyros, try to keep the crosshair on them, dont just spray wildly

    try to use corners and narrow corridors to your advantage. these stop people running away as easily, and you can jump out at them as they come around the corner.

    when trying to kill a heavy, you have to sneak up behind him, or run around him in circles, otherwise he'll just blow you away.

    when crossing large open areas, dont use your flamethrower. get out the shotgun and just try and look imtimidating until you reach the other side or a corridor or something.

    when you see a medic and someone, always go for the medic, as this will do your team more good because the enemy wont get uber. Also, medics catch on fire more easily, something many people dont know

    if you have the flaregun, just swap it for the shotgun. the flaregun is no way near as good as the shotgun, as you cant really use it to finish off those pesky scouts as they run away

    as a pyro, it is youre job to kill spys. if you see a engi struggling with sappers, just spray around the sentry. this will reveal the spy, or just make him run away in fear.


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