Guardian Guide to Class composition!

[Guardian]

Intro:

There no doubt that Team fortress 2 is a team game, I mean... it's in the title. The many different classes have different roles, but what are those roles and how do they fit into team.

Most of the time I notice teams fail because they have terrible class composition and not all the time it's because nobody wants to play medic. So here I'd thought I'd make a quick guide to how the different classes fit into a team.

It should be noted that I mainly base my guide based mainly around TVX and other vanilla spawn timer servers but I feel this applies to all maps.




The medic:

Everyone should know that the medic is his own type of class.

He's essential to every team, he heals the troops, buffs their HP, he pushes through with ubers, and without him the entire team falls apart. However keep in mind the medic depends on others more then any other class and that means both his enjoyment and his performance. If the entire team is composed of scouts, pyros, snipers and spies, then your going to say screw it and go some other class.

Which brings me to my next point.


The heavy classes

The heavy classes are the meat of a team. They shoot stuff, they're the last ones to retreat and their presense indicates that that team is in control of an area. They can also be called the combat classes. A medic is nothing without them and in part you could say that these classes depend on the medic. You always need these guys to have a good team, and in good amounts as well. You'll want at least 2 around a medic at all times. The heavy classes are:

The Heavy: Who's more of a heavy class then well the heavy. He's slow, he can't run from the group and shoot stuff, he has to stay with the medic and push up. Admittedly unlike other heavy classes, there can't be many heavies on a team since he's so dependent on the medic, even with the sandvich. You generally want 1 per medic. This doesn't make him a weak class just a tad situational. He may be slow and he may need a medic nearby in case he gets in trouble but he'll kill any baby who comes near him!

The Soldier: Unlike the heavy, the soldier can be a bit more independent. He has much greater mobility thanks to the rocket jump and he can fight with any class man to man, and a good solder can protect a medic just as well as his heavy friend. A soldier on any team is a boost to that team, have you ever heard someone say "We have too many soldiers" outside of the soldier update? I didn't think so.

The Demo: The demo is a rather strange class. He's slightly dependent on his team since at close range, he doesn't fair very well. He can't be depended on to take out scouts harassing a medic and yet he perfers to be with his teammates then to be independent. Yet he's one of strongest class in the game making up for these small weaknesses with pure firepower, area denial and the ability to take out sentries with ease. He's almost a "medium" type of class but for simplicity of this guide we'll call him a heavy class. You'll definitely want 1 demo on your team, just make sure there's also a soldier or a heavy to deal with the dang scoots.


The light classes

The light classes are a lot different then the heavy classes, they don't need medics in combat except a quick heal. They move around, picking off enemies or ambushing groups to deal the maximum amount of pain. Some would argue they aren't essential to a team, but remember the heavier classes and the medic can't do everything. Sometimes you need the speedy light classes to sneak behind enemy lines to get the job done.

The Scout: The scout is a very good light class. He has everything he needs, a good amount of firepower and some speedy legs, all he has to deal with is a low amount of HP and having no allies that can keep up with (except for maybe a partner scout).

The Pyro: The pyro can hang out with the medic longer then the scout but he needs to be able to wander out on his own burning unsuspecting victims. He has less speed then the scout but he can also attack groups of players easier, making him more ideal for crowded situations.

The Utilities

Last but not least we have the utilities, they can either be the strongest classes or the weakest, the most useless or the most essential, it all depends on the map and the person controlling them. Most utilities benefit from being the only one of their kind on the team due to the uniqueness of their work.

The engineer: The engineer is probably the best example of a utility class, you'll either need him because of his sentry gun or teleporter, or he'll be too slow to keep up with the pace (unless he's a ninjineer). Sometimes you need just 1 level 3 teleporter and sometimes you need at least 2 sentry guns. It all depends on the map.

The sniper : The sniper can be one of the cornerstones of a team given a nice open map, picking off key targets and ruining the enemies plans. At the same time, 1 sniper is great, 2 is ok because everyone misses but 3 is too many. Be sure to watch out for spies and scouts if your one too.

The Spy: Quite possibly the most unique class in all of team fortress 2, he has the same job as the sniper only instead of using distance, the spy relies on the lack of awareness of the enemy team to strike fast once they drop their guard. As such either a spy works or doesn't work, 1 good spy can carry team, 3 bad ones can't do anything. As such if your struggling as a spy it's always a good idea to switch for a while to become incognito. Once they think the spies have given up, it's time to get revenge.




I might add some more later.

[Ian_Suffix]

While Soldiers are indeed great for Medics, Ubers and otherwise, I would debate them being on an equal level with Heavies in terms of protecting a Medic. There are, of course, spammy Soldiers who lack stopping power at close range. If they can't hit a Scout moving around them, they can't protect their Medic worth beans: a mere 2-3 shots from the Scattergun will send a Medic to a premature death.

* Ian_Suffix's eyes narrow

I know this from bitter, bitter experience.

This is all the more true now that there's the Direct Hit. On a more anecdotal, less scientific note, I also find that Soldiers tend to avoid taking damage for their Medics as they can easily rocket-jump over projectiles or meleeing maniacs, leaving the Medic to a *sniff* feeding frenzy.

[Plinko]

Plinko's class Guide

Are you winning?

If yes - keep doing what you're doing.

Are you losing?

If so, press tab and evaluate your team's class makeup, then swap to bolster it if possible. If not, make requests/suggestions to counter whatever you percieve the deficiency to be.

[Guardian]

[quote="Ian_Suffix";p="220629"]While Soldiers are indeed great for Medics, Ubers and otherwise, I would debate them being on an equal level with Heavies in terms of protecting a Medic. There are, of course, spammy Soldiers who lack stopping power at close range. If they can't hit a Scout moving around them, they can't protect their Medic worth beans: a mere 2-3 shots from the Scattergun will send a Medic to a premature death.

* Ian_Suffix's eyes narrow

I know this from bitter, bitter experience.[/quote]

I said soldiers... not terrible soldiers

[quote="Plinko";p="220631"]Plinko's class Guide

Are you winning?

If yes - keep doing what you're doing.

Are you losing?

If so, press tab and evaluate your team's class makeup, then swap to bolster it if possible. If not, make requests/suggestions to counter whatever you percieve the deficiency to be.[/quote]

Ya but.... I like my guide better.

[Ian_Suffix]

You've got to consider the class on average, however. Also, I added to my post after further reflection.

[!B a T m A n!]

u dont allllways need a medic... c:

[Guardian]

[quote="!B a T m A n!";p="220637"]u dont allllways need a medic... c:[/quote]

When?

[TheCarpe]

Primarily, I play Pyro and Scout. Those are my main standby classes that I can do well with in most situations. I consider myself to be the greatest help to my team when I play those two classes.

That said, I am a habitual checker of the class composition. Just about every death and usually once or twice during walking periods or reloading I take a glance at the class menu to see what we have too much or too little of, and will usually suggest what we need (not demand, that never goes over well). A simple "We could probably use an Engineer if someone feels like switching" will usually be a lot more fruitful than "Someone needs to go Engi" or worse "(particular persons name), you need to go Engi". I will also switch if I'm the third or fourth of a certain class. Regardless of how good a Scout or Pyro I may be, having that many of a certain class is bound to have negative effects on the rest of the class composition, and will usually switch off (unless I'm rocking it )

If all else fails, I have no problem going Engi or Medic or Heavy or what have you, just don't expect me to do as well as I could be doing for the team, or as well as someone else who may be more proficient at the class.

[Bronze Fox]

[quote="Guardian";p="220638"][quote="!B a T m A n!";p="220637"]u dont allllways need a medic... c:[/quote]

When?[/quote]

When you equip the Sandvich.

[Guardian]

[quote="Bronze Fox";p="220640"][quote="Guardian";p="220638"][quote="!B a T m A n!";p="220637"]u dont allllways need a medic... c:[/quote]

When?[/quote]

When you equip the Sandvich. [/quote]

What about other people?

O wait are you guys talking about the heavy?

[Cpt._Keyes]

i would say you are wrong in your pyro assesment...a pyro medic combo is very deadly and probably one of the best assault group make-ups of the game...the pyro has the ability to nearly completely protect the medic from incoming damage and is able to inflict alot of damage while the medic keeps him alive to close the gaps. As such i would say for sheer power a good pyro can bring to the table he belongs in a "heavy" class while demo can go light

[Rigges]

Wait Pyro a Light class No way medum heavy class

any way I play heavy is Needed and Pyro most of the time and recently I have seen a lot of Pyros 3 and even 4 on my team and most are playing not worth a Darn I can't seem to get them to change classes so I do to Engie Scout or heavy and more recently to Bawww Demo this is not in my skill level but that is were we needed the help so I just try and spam my way through it. then I watch the other Pyros Fail not our good Pyros the Nubs trying to play Pyro Face palm LMAO

The Pyro class becomes a Light class when there are 3 or more that keep failing when you need Demo men and solies but when the classes are evened up Pyro is not a light class it fits in more with the Heavier classes and when you call for heavy classed that means there are too many Scouts or Snipers or spy's plying unless you have the 3- 4 Pyros OMG it has been a pain lately...........




=-=-=-=

[Guardian]

Admittly the pyro like the demo could be categorized as a "medium" class however he's closer to a light class. He was the toughest to catagorize but in the end I decided to put him in light.

A pyro may be able to protect a medic in a closed area but in the open he and his medic are too vulnerable. He also still relies on ambushing. He just lacks the reach necessary for me to call him heavy and I wouldn't be comfortable as a medic having a pyro pocket.

[Buzzy Beetle]

While I will say that class composition is quite important, I have seen well-composed teams simply fall apart. I'm not saying that it's not important, but it's not all that there is to the game. A team without communication is far more likely to fail than an oddly composed team who can work together. This is more or less what you're looking at here.

I'd also like to mention that it shouldn't matter how people play a class as long as they can get the job done, or make an attempt to get the job done. Alot of learning your play style comes from lots and lots of practice combined with how you enjoy to do things, and it takes time to build, and may not necessarily fall in line with things that have been outlined in what is, and I mean this literally without trying to bash it in any way or dissuade people from trying it out, the class roles for competitive TF2. In all honesty those players can perform these roles because they not only want to, but have far more communication than anything you're likely to see in a regular pub environment.

I really don't have much of a point, but I did want to inject something into all of this. To learn from other people is a good way to improve your repertoire, but if you don't learn how to deal with alternate situations then it doesn't really help. This is coming from a one trick pony who has more or less spent a good majority of last year playing as soldier. That's more or less (how I understand it) the definition of skill - to have many tricks up your sleeve and the ability to choose the right skill for that situation.

That's about all. I look forward to seeing what else you come up with, Guardian.

[Guardian]

[quote="Buzzy Beetle";p="220660"]While I will say that class composition is quite important, I have seen well-composed teams simply fall apart. I'm not saying that it's not important, but it's not all that there is to the game. A team without communication is far more likely to fail than an oddly composed team who can work together. This is more or less what you're looking at here.

I'd also like to mention that it shouldn't matter how people play a class as long as they can get the job done, or make an attempt to get the job done. Alot of learning your play style comes from lots and lots of practice combined with how you enjoy to do things, and it takes time to build, and may not necessarily fall in line with things that have been outlined in what is, and I mean this literally without trying to bash it in any way or dissuade people from trying it out, the class roles for competitive TF2. In all honesty those players can perform these roles because they not only want to, but have far more communication than anything you're likely to see in a regular pub environment.

I really don't have much of a point, but I did want to inject something into all of this. To learn from other people is a good way to improve your repertoire, but if you don't learn how to deal with alternate situations then it doesn't really help. This is coming from a one trick pony who has more or less spent a good majority of last year playing as soldier. That's more or less (how I understand it) the definition of skill - to have many tricks up your sleeve and the ability to choose the right skill for that situation.

That's about all. I look forward to seeing what else you come up with, Guardian.[/quote]

This is true Buzzy but I have been on too many teams where we have too many of 1 type of class and no medics or heavy classes for them to heal. So I posted this guide.