A Layman's Guide to Engineering on Dustbowl

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Boss Llama
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A Layman's Guide to Engineering on Dustbowl

Post by Boss Llama » Fri May 25, 2012 2:11 pm

Engineering on Dustbowl

Introduction

This is not a “pro guide” to playing engineer, nor am I a “pro engy.” If you fall in to that category, you already know everything I say here, and more. This is a guide for the pub engineer, and contains information on tactics that absolutely anybody can use, from a day 1 f2p player, to a veteran continuing to learn engy as a backup class. Absolutely everything is based on using the stock wrench – the original, and in my opinion, still best option. The rest of the load out is assumed to be stock as well – no wrangler. Also, this guide is entirely focused on Dustbowl, being far and away the most popular map in all TF2, with The Ville as no exception. The tactics here are designed with one thing in mind – winning the game. Games are won by being a team player, worrying first and foremost about helping the team achieve the objective, whether it be capture or defense from capture. Concern about KDR, personal safety, being an MVP, etc, have no place here. If you’re the sort who gets angry at your team when your gear is destroyed, it’s time to get over it. Your gear is there to take the brunt of the attack so your team doesn’t have to – just get back in there and rebuild. In Dustbowl, personal score does not equate to victory. Only the capture or defense of CPs means anything, and if your team completes the objective with only a quarter the score of the enemy, congratulations – you still won.

A few brief words on the Wrangler. The wrangler exists to allow you to prioritize targeting (shoot the un-ubered person, for example), and as a side effect, lets you fire at longer range than you would otherwise. It also provides a shield that reduces damage your gun takes. The problem, however, is that your aim will never be as good as the auto-aim of the SG (which simply does not miss), and because the SG takes several seconds to recover auto targeting after you switch off the wrangler or are killed, it is a boon to spies. Additionally, you cannot turtle, or even repair or reload, a wrangled SG without switching off wrangler, thereby rendering your gun a useless paperweight for several seconds. Considering that the most important time to repair and reload is during an active enemy push, which is exactly when your gun needs to be shooting, I just don’t like it. The Wrangler has its uses, particularly on long open lines and when it is acting as a second SG, not a primary. For daily use however, avoid this tool. If you are some kind of Wrangler ninja, by all means do your thing, but for the vast majority of players – especially learners - this is simply not a good idea.

Mini-SGs are another popular thing. There is no reason ever to use mini-SGs if you are on defense. Absolutely everything you can possibly use them for as a defender is something could do far better with a real gun. If you are defending with a mini-SG, you’re doing it wrong. On offense there are effective engineers who use minis as part of their strategy, constantly running forward and dropping them, picking up weapons, and trying to keep these things up at all times. If you want to learn about that, you’ll need a different guide. Switching wrenches destroys all your gear, and mini-SGs are inferior for most of the offensive positions I discuss here. As a result, attempting to use one and switch back and forth would be counter-productive, and again, I do not recommend it.

Finally, regarding pre-building. There is no reason to ever pre-build SGs and Dispensers on Dustbowl. Pre-building takes longer and gets you less metal than simply building at the front where your gear is needed. You are also highly vulerable while attempting to carry gear in to a hot position, and will be targetted by pretty much everybody on the other team who sees you. Finally, any position worth having gear in is worth having the level 1 version of your gear in. Build it there, period. If, for some reason, you coincidentally have a higher level SG or dispenser in the backfield, near your teleport, and the front suddenly moved a distance forward, of course it is good to grab your gear and teleport up with it. The point is, deliberately pre-building in a non-combat area is simply inefficient, and usually outright harmful to your team. Don't do it.

Part 1 - Offense

Point 1-1

There is no need for offensive engineering on 1-1. If you are confidant of quick success, such that your presence on the team as an engineer does not detract from the effort, you can start building your teleport entrance. Best spot is in the small house outside the primary spawn exit. People will know it’s there, but it is protected from long range fire. If you have time to think about guns and such, your team needs you as something else instead of engy. I’ve seen offensive engies set up SG’s on the right side during the 1-1 push, to claim the first section of land, but again – if you need an SG’s help to do that, your team needs you as a combat class.

Point 1-2

A teleport is the most important thing you can do here as an engineer on offense. The upper left tunnel is the preferred exit location because it is generally the best place to push from. Put your entrance in the same place as mentioned above for 1-1, and get a teleport up and upgraded ASAP. Place your dispenser first, wrench it and use the first 25 metal to build the teleport exit. If your team has a firm hold in the up left and you aren’t being constantly attacked by jumpers through the sniper deck, don’t bother with an SG at first, just upgrade your dispenser and teleport. When those are L3, then do the gun. If you are under attack then an L1 SG is worthwhile, but be sure to place it in a location where it will hit targets attempting to come in the sniper deck. Facing directly down the sniper deck isn’t a bad spot so long as the enemy team doesn’t own the opposite platform. Also, once your gear is up, when pushes go in, you should be going with them. The number of pushes that fail because they didn’t have one extra person on the point helping out is immense. Don’t be that missing person.

An alternate location if the up-left is either untenable (other team is holding it too well, people keep opening the door, etc) or occupied by a second engy is to build in the lower right tunnel. There is a recessed nook on the ground level with a medium health and medium ammo in front of it. Set your teleport as far back in that as you can and get an SG up facing the lower door ASAP. You will be under attack here the moment the defenders identify your location, and you will need strong team support to hold it effectively. That said, if you can get it established, this base can be a powerful one, because many defenders have minimal experience defending against pushes from this side. Some engies prefer to build their teleport on the small upper balcony in the crook of the stairs, but this is a weaker position much more susceptible to elimination by a single foe, who can hold the narrow stair choke solo.

Point 2-1

During setup time you should be getting a level 3 SG built on your side of the ditch, on either right or left. If on the left, make sure it is set back far enough to shoot across your spawn door, but not so far back that it can’t fire in to the ditch drop. Having a level 3 teleport entrance built is also a time saver if you can defend it against the initial counterattack. A dispenser is lowest priority, due to your location next to resupply cabinets. Either way, defenders will doubtless seek to push through the ditch and in to your spawn area immediately after the round starts. If you can maintain your gear against this push, they will rarely return. Wait a moment for your combat classes to clear the initial area, and listen for any calls of sniper locations – you will be very vulnerable to sniper fire while moving up your gun. When the coast is clear, bring your gun out the right side and attempt to bring it around the barn. If you can drop it between the barn and the grain silo, so it has enfilade fire on the control point and the yard, your team is almost guaranteed to cap. It can be very difficult to get this built without being utterly blown apart, but the results of success are worth trying it. If this move isn’t successful, returning and attempting to build an SG on the left, just below the window of the point building, is a good move. It is protected from sniper fire there, and will assist in keeping the initial attack zone clear of people pushing from alley or up the middle. Utilize the two full metal boxes in the barn to bring either of these guns up as needed. It’s dangerous, but dying is part of the game.

Point 2-2

After seizing point one, your next move depends on how much progress your team can make. Ideally your next step should be in to the right tunnel (gated). Like the upper left in 1-2, this is a predictable and common move, but that’s because it works well. The correct build order if you’re able to make it in there is dispenser, teleport (with first 25), SG. If you get taken out before then, your team didn’t really have control of the tunnel, and you probably would have been taken out anyway. If you managed to protect that level 3 teleport you built during the setup phase, congratulations, your team is now flooding in to the tunnel before the other team even has time to re-establish their lines. This is a good opportunity to overwhelm the defenders, or at least prevent them from ever getting well built.

If the gated tunnel is occupied by another engineer, this is one of the very few occasions where two engies in ones place isn’t inherently horrible. That said, there a couple alternatives. The first is to try the left tunnel. You can build a dispenser in the side alcove with the mine cart in it, and use it to power up an SG blocking the tunnel. If there is a level 3 teleport to the gated tunnel, a teleport here isn’t vital. If you do get a teleport up, advise your team where the exit is, so they don’t take it thinking they’ll be safe behind the gate. Once the gun is level 3, it can be highly effective to pick it up and move it just far enough forward that it fire laterally in to the yard. It will rarely last long, but the surprise can be enough to buy some space or break up an enemy counter-attack. It may force them to use an uber on your lower priority position, thus protecting your team’s gate base.

The other alternative, which is also what comes in to play if your team can’t push to control the tunnels, is to build on the 2-1 side of the center tunnel area. Get an SG up near the sniper house that covers your side of center, and keep your dispenser tucked in the door jamb for rocket protection. The teleport exit ideally will go in the foyer (remember to face it correctly). Though tempting to put your gun to the right of the center tunnel opening, so it covers the left tunnel exit, it is better to leave that to your teammates. Anybody sneaking around that way will still be subject to your SG’s fire if they go around behind you, and the sniper house will protect your gun from long ranged fire.

Finally, a couple offensive positions exist for 2-2. The first is to race in to the yard with a push and build a gun to the right of the tunnel between yard and final. Set it out from the wall sufficiently that it can angle upwards and fire at people on back mezzanine, as well as giving it time to acquire enemies pushing through the middle. If you can maintain this position, it is deadly for the foe – they cannot fight back in any meaningful way. The other vicious offensive position is to carry a gun out of the gated tunnel (accompanied by a push of course) and build it either on the front mezzanine facing final point, or to drop in to the center tunnel with it, where it also covers final. These guns will either win the game almost instantly, or will be destroyed almost instantly. Either way, they’re a gambit move that can be incredibly effective if they survive the rebuild process.

Point 3-1

During setup time, build a teleport to level 3 at your spawn door, so it’s ready to rock when needed. Then build a level 3 SG in one of two places – either at the top of the left steps where it fires across your upper room (NOT in the room itself!), or in the right-hand passage facing backwards, so it will hit people coming in and going down your stairs, or trying to fight at your upper doors. The reason you build to the side of the main room instead of in it is because initial pushes almost always try to sweep the room for people, and will tear guns apart in the process. An SG on the side is usually unexpected, and the knockback can protect you, as the narrow side-halls can’t be circle-strafed. The left side of the main room is more secure than the right side, because successful counter-attacks by defenders are usually targeted at the right side, either down the side steps and up the right mid, or down the right mid and up the side steps. The backward facing gun mentioned above is a tenuous construction, likely to get one or two before being stickied to death, while this gun is likely to survive to be moved up.

As the attack proceeds, moving the gun in to the area before the block house is traditional. That is a good place for a dispenser, as there aren’t any safe health or ammo pickups nearby, but make sure your gun is far enough away from the wall to fire up at people in the windows, otherwise a pyro can simply stand in the window and burn your gear. There is a popular trick (often with mini-SGs, though a level 1 is better) whereupon you jump on a dispenser against the block house wall, and can build your SG through the window where it covers point. If you’re able to get this gun up, it is highly effective at protecting sticky and rocket jumpers who are leaping to the point. It’s also perfectly acceptable to simply build this in the open area between block house and right wall, usually either hiding behind the house or in the doorway for cover. Don’t attempt these until your team has a good solid footing outside the spawn building and is ready to push.

Point 3-2

After capturing the first point, your next move will again depend on your team’s ability to push. Ideally you will push through the L and get all the way to the forward operating base position at the final corner. If you can get there, excellent – but your build order will have to depend on how strong your hold is. This is an occasion where it may be worth it to throw down an SG first, to help secure the area. A level 1 may be small, but it has a huge psychological effect on both teams. Your own team will feel safer moving up with SG cover, and defenders are more likely to consider the area lost (for the moment) if the enemy has a gun in place. Get that teleport up (you DO still have that level 3 from setup, right?) immediately, and start on a dispenser. Call out your dispenser’s location to your teammates, so they use it instead of taking the full metal box that spawns at the forward operating base. The dispenser is best placed either along the ledge next to the stairs, or at the base of the steps against the wall. The teleport should generally be as far back as possible in the protected part of the ledge, and the SG should either be right at the edge of the small balcony part, or on the ground below. The reason for placing it on the edge or on the ground is so that it fires backwards as well as forwards – people will come through behind you regularly.

This is a situation where the team is best served by having two engineers, not one. If you are the only one, put your gun back near the tires where it covers both tunnel exit and forward spot, and politely request additional assistance unless your team is stomping all over the defenders. You can place your dispenser across the tunnel exit as an early warning system. The forward operating base position should be held and maintained no matter what, if at all possible. Never get rid of everything there, but if you have two engineers, the second one has loads of flexibility. The second engy’s gun should probably be placed in back, either on the bridge at the L, or at the base of the L itself, where it covers the tunnel exit securely. The engineer is then free to place the second teleport and dispenser where they will support a push or a fallback, depending on the situation. Effective teleport locations include the right house, to provide a stream of attackers along the balcony; the sniper deck, as an exit that is safer from demospam and provides a place to jump on tunnel attackers; the room to the right of the bridge over tunnel exit, if things just aren’t very safe up front yet; and finally, just inside the loading dock that defense uses to hold 3-1 (access by dispenser jumping), for those times when your attacking team just can’t stop a counter-push by a three year old with a pinwheel.

Like with 2-2, there are a couple aggressive build locations an offensive engineer can place his gear as part of a push. All will be relatively short-lived, as they will either win the game, or be promptly destroyed. These positions include building on the right balcony, covering bridge and point, building just in front of the bridge itself, building on the left balcony (if the left building is taken), and building down low below the bridge, but to either side, where the gun shoots defenders off the bridge itself. All of these guns are typically built just behind cover (right house, left house, FOB, or tunnel) and then run forward as an uber push occurs.

Part 2 - Defense

Point 1-1

The first few points in Dustbowl are not meant to be held, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make them in to good speed bumps for the opposing team. An important thing to remember as a defender is that the more time offense takes capturing early points, the less time they will have for later points – the difference can be as much as 20 minutes extra time on 3-2 if you’re not careful. For this reason, it is critical that you defend every point to the best of your ability – NO building in the backfield, NO pre-building, NO giving up the fight before the other team has completely capped the point and there’s a lock on the point icon.

For point 1-1, there are two overall locations worth building – the point, and the far left. Each has several positions to consider. If you are the only engineer, you definitely need to be covering the point. Get your teleport up either in the gated tunnel behind the corner (careful not to build under a shoring beam – people will port in and get stuck in the geometry), behind the building in the back corner, or on some occasions, in the house itself, on the corner landing up the steps. If the attacking team has a decent sniper, use one of the latter positions. Though they are easier to destroy, the upper tunnel exit subjects your teammates to sniper fire while they run through the narrow hall to point, and a good sniper will make it like your teleport doesn’t even exist. The other locations allow people to teleport in with protection.

Again, if you are the only engineer, you need to build on the point. My preferred SG position is on the landing of the stairs, in the front left corner. This gun is solid against everything but ubers and demos jumping up the wheel to your balcony (who should be killed by your teammates, so really, ubers are the threat). Make sure to build it far enough forward that it can turn 90 degrees sideways and shoot people creeping the point from the back door. Also, this will let you put the dispenser behind the gun, and you can sit on it while maintaining the position. The next spot is to have the gun blocking the upper exit from point 1-1, facing in to the room, with your dispenser behind you. Either your dispenser or your SG will be exposed to fire from the left in this position, depending on if you build more forward or more back, but it will do well against the main door. This gun position can be destroyed by a pyro below, and cannot shoot straight down against people creeping the point. The third position is to set the gun directly in the back door, where it can fire both in to and out of the building effectively. This is a pretty solid gun position, but impedes your mobility, and doesn’t allow you to put a dispenser at the same level (the dispenser will block your gun’s fire – don’t do it!). An option is to sit on top of the gun, and build the dispenser on the upper path, if you can pull that off without blocking the health and ammo spawns.

If there are multiple engineers, and the other one is already on the point, you have a couple options. The first is to build in one of the other point locations mentioned above – more firepower on the objective is never bad. Also, if the engineer on point is in a position that is vulnerable to attacks from the left side, you can build your gun behind the building, facing the left. Build your gun far enough back that it can shoot upward at the bridge overhead, and far enough from the building that it has an angle on people running up the track and going in. Alternately, instead of at the building, you can build on the left. There is a reasonable position behind the left hut. Set your gun far enough from the hut that it can’t be easily surprised by an attacker, and put your dispenser directly behind you in a line from where you expect the attacks to come from. Put your teleport in the corner behind the hut as close in as you can get it without being under the eaves (again, people can get stuck in the geometry). Alternately, if you’re feeling daring, you can build your gun on the left side directly over the lower spawn exit, hanging off the ledge, and pointed back towards your own lines. This gun can hit people coming out the left, people coming from below, and even people coming from the main exit, by shooting behind the right hut. You will be in great danger as there is nowhere for you to hide, but if you catch them by surprise, the kills may make it worthwhile. The biggest vulnerability for this gun is actually an attack from bottom center, as it takes time to acquire targets at that angle. If you have a sniper covering that exit, it can last for a while.

Point 1-2

If you are the only engineer, your gun should be built to cover the point (big surprise). There are a variety of positions on the right of the point that do well, including building on top of the boxes so you’re above most of the spam, and can’t be backstabbed. Getting your dispenser and teleport installed safely are the hardest with this position, though don’t forget you can build on the physical point itself here. Sticking your teleport against the left wall of the point, up against the front corner, can be a very good spot if the attacker doesn’t know it’s there.

A second engineer has, as usual, some options. Building near the grain silo is traditional, and will help protect the point equipment from both flank attacks and frontal assaults (it can pin people against the wall at the bottom of the steps). Moving the gun up to the wall directly in front of the left platform is a good trick for catching people off guard and covers more of the point itself, though it sacrifices the ability to target stair attacks and is more vulnerable to destruction once identified. If your enemy is pushing in the left, either because you’ve denied them the gated tunnel, or they’re just being contrary, consider building on the right side in the lower inset area between the gated tunnel exit and the right sniper deck. Face this gun at the lower left door, and watch it destroy half a dozen attackers before they realize there’s something in this highly unusual place. Finally, if the enemy is trying to use gated tunnel, but you can get in to it, you can build your gear there to utterly throw them in to disarray. Only attempt this if there is an engineer on point (the point can be capped faster than you can run from gate to point), and if you have some support to help you hold the area while you set up.

Point 2-1

Point 2-1 has so many good options for defensive engineers, it’s hard to name them all. For teleports, which are exceedingly important, placement options include in the upper point house main room, in the lower point house under the CP itself, behind the CP on the ground, in the barn room,, and behind the sniper house. There are some who build in the right room of sniper house, but this is not good, as you are forced through a narrow choke facing the enemy to get to the battlefield, and snipers, soldiers, and demos can and will farm your team for fun and profit. I recommend putting the teleport as near your other gear as possible, so you can unsap it, or reverse heal your entrance when Bonk-scouts attack your spawn, and thus turtle it until your respawning teammates can take care of the attacker.

There are at least nine good SG positions for defending 2-1, and we’ll start with those that cover the point itself. My favorite is the top of the stairs, inside the capture house. Place the gun directly at the top, facing down the steps. From there, it will fire out the door at the point, as well as blocking attacks up the steps. Spies will generally shy away from this as well, and even if they cloak up the steps, the jump they have to make to avoid contacting you will make a sound you should hear (never play with music on – you need to be listening to the game). Keep your dispenser close enough that you don’t have to leave your gun to get healing/metal from it, and have your teleport in the room nearby. Your biggest vulnerability will be uber heavies/pyros on the steps, and demos going up the alley and in the upper door.

Position two is in the same room, but at the upper door facing out. This position has a wider range of fire, covering the front door below, as well as turning on people just as they jump up from the alley. It also has excellent cover for the point, hitting jumpers, and any other enemies in the vicinity. The primary weakness of this gun is the stairs behind it. A fast moving pyro can run up and strafe the gun, getting behind the dispenser for protection, before it can turn around. Demos and soldiers, meanwhile, don’t even have to stick their heads in to the room to spam it down. This gun will depend on your teammates teleporting in behind you to protect its back, while it does the heavy lifting on the point itself.

Position three is on the upper point platform, facing directly down the alley. The alley is a favorite attack route, and a gun here, turtled by an engineer with a dispenser behind him, will utterly deny it to anybody, including any uber that isn’t a demo. This is because the knockback in the game has been amped up so stupidly high that even if they managed to run up to the gun, they would be flung a mile backwards the moment they tried to hop up close for the kill. This gun is highly susceptible to stickies and pills however, and an airblast pyro to protect you is almost required. Also, it offers no protection for the upper room, and can be flanked from there.

You can catch the enemy by surprise by building your SG on the ground behind the first cap. If it is set back roughly as far as the sign (but too the side, obviously), it will frag anybody getting on point with a blast of point-blank damage. Because it’s almost invisible to attackers, they won’t know its whereabouts until they’re eating bullets. This gun will hold back one wave, but once identified, will go down – generally from demos lobbing stickies over the edge (though the open area also means spies have an easy time of it).

Another position that covers the point from the ground is behind the grain silo. Building far enough back to avoid direct fire from the right spawn exit, a gun in the open here still lays down fire directly on the point. You must get the distance exactly right, however, as a couple feet too far back means somebody can stand on the back edge of the point without triggering the weapon. Though vulnerable to direct uber pushes because of the blind corner, and to spies because it’s in the open, this position is still viable – especially with a dispenser feeding the engy, and a teleport against the left cliff, bringing defenders to the front. This is especially popular as a fall-back position if a primary engy nest gets taken out, but the point hasn’t been lost. It can be run to without being exposed to enemy fire, and can buy additional time to bring up resources or solidify a second line.

The back of the barn has a small room containing two full health kits and two full metal kits. An engineer in here, with gun pointing out the door, should probably be a second engy, as the gun only covers approaches to point, and not all of point itself (due to range). This gun can, however, tear in to attackers, who might not be looking for one here, facing backwards. Because any enemies it shoots at will be very close, it does a great deal of damage very quickly, and the full health and metal in the room means you are unlikely to ever run out of supplies. This position is vulnerable, once discovered, to flanks from the back of the barn, and to attacks from the roof, through the hole in the ceiling.

A sneaky gun to build if somebody else is covering the point is one under the point itself. Built to the right as you go in the first floor of the cap building, an SG here denies the lower route to enemies, and can be extremely hard to destroy, as there is simply no direct line of fire to be had that doesn’t expose the attacker to point-blank SG hits. A teleport and dispenser can live comfortably in the side area under the point, and it is not unusual for engineers in this position to last well beyond the point itself. That is one of the biggest dangers of this position – the temptation to remain in position at 2-1 even after it’s lost is huge, with the thought that your allies teleporting in will flank the enemy, and you can move your gun to shoot them in the back. Fact is, when the point is lost, this position becomes a liability, as your gear is needed back at 2-2. Move your gun to do some damage, and get out of dodge, because smart attackers will leave you there to stew.

If you want to go the direct route, building an SG in the window of the cap building can certainly add some spice to the initial confrontation. With direct lines of fire in to both ditch exits, this gun will throw people backwards and destroy non-ubered targets rapidly. Its greatest weakness is that there will be so many targets, it may not prioritize well, and it is vulnerable to direct counter-attacks in return. It will definitely force the use of ubers though, in most cases, so if that’s your goal, consider deploying this (though I recommend putting your teleport somewhere much safer).

Finally, the front corner of the barn roof provides a high perch from which to gun down the attackers. Like the previous listing, it may have so many targets it doesn’t go for the right ones, but it is in an excellent position to rain death and destruction on the initial push. Its elevated position makes it harder to identify and target well, though also means it is completely unprotected when people do target it correctly. If this gun survives the first wave of attackers, expect spies in the second wave.

Point 2-2

Point 2-2 is unusual in that no spot is actually very good, and the best spot is right between the two worst. The left wall is the most common build area, to the point where it’s simply called “the usual spot” when discussing engineers’ nests. There are, however, three positions to consider along that wall. The first is right up in the front corner, near the barricade people use to jump from. The second is in the middle, out in the relative open. The third is back at the top of the spawn ramp, behind the fence. The middle position is actually the only one of these positions that is worth using, and is probably the strongest position available for an engy on this point. If you build in the front corner, the gun has no ability to hit targets on the ledge, and pyros can easily run off the ledge, circle strafe the gun, and clear the nest without taking a hit. If you build at the top of the spawn ramp, behind the fence, your gun provides excellent cover against the ledge and the lower tunnel, but is actually functionally useless, because it can’t fire a single shot at the point, or any of the right (rock side) approach to it. The middle provides a balance of shooting people off the ledge, covering the point, providing space to move, and other similar tasks.

Another position that is reasonable for covering the final point is to build behind the rocks, facing point. The rocks provide cover from soldiers and snipers, and if you angle things right, make the gun almost invisible to attackers from the up left (gated tunnel) direction. As a result, attackers will repeatedly jump on the point and be killed before getting the picture. Because this gun is huddled so close against the rocks, it is vulnerable to close in attacks by pyros and heavies, as well as demos who move in to lay stickies. Some people build on top of the rocks to try and avoid the pyros and heavies, but that is silly, and just makes you a huge target for long-range sniper and rocket fire.

The mezzanine offers three positions – one on the front-right corner, one on the back-right corner, and one in the center back. The front-right corner provides all-way fire against targets from either tunnel, and provides some cover for the back yard as well. If your defending team is strong and can maintain the yard, this is a powerful position to put a second SG (it doesn’t cover point, so it shouldn’t be your first). It forces gate attackers to blow ubers early, and will burn up parts of waves from other directions as well, giving time to respond to pushes before they reach vital areas. The center-back position, on the mezzanine across from the point, is for engineers tired of “the usual spot,” but who want to make sure their gear is doing what’s needed. This gun can pin people against the left wall and burn a couple seconds off an uber that might otherwise not be activated until it hit the final cap area, and has greater protection against attacks from rock side, which can’t simply lob stuff over the top at it. Its weakness is that it provides little or no protection against pushes from below, which can walk underneath it unscathed, and come out hitting it point blank. The back-right corner of the mezzanine is an attempt to combine the benefits of the previous two positions, but really isn’t very strong. It is vulnerable to long range fire because it is too far from the right tunnel and backyard entrances, and isn’t close enough to really have oomph against ubers from the left. It does prevent people from flanking over the top of the mezz, but that’s not a big enough benefit to justify it in my mind.

Below the back-right corner of the mezzanine is a ground position often used in complement with the usual spot, opposite it. Set slightly out from the wall, this gun can fire up in to the left approach, and provides the same cover for the final point, and against middle pushes, as the usual spot does. The primary problem for the gun is that it must be set out from the wall if you want to have a dispenser near it, as building the dispenser on either side will block its fire and leave you 100% vulnerable to any close attacker. Because it doesn’t have a safe side, like the usual spot does, this gun gets destroyed and rebuilt frequently.

A last spot to think about for a second SG is an “over center” position. This refers to the platform set up in the back yard, over the two center tunnels. If you build a gun on the left-most edge of this platform, it will fire directly at the one-way gate any time the gate is opened. It also can provide fire against right tunnel, and on those entering the yard below. As such, it is a pretty useful position, but also a very exposed one. Gear in this location is a favorite target of spies, and because it directly fires at the one-way gate, you can bet that it will be a priority target for all the offence’s heavy hitters.

An interesting side note to this is the use of your teleporters while on 2-2 defense. Obviously, your team doesn’t need teleports to get to the point in play, so you are free to use them for other ends. The primary thing I do with them is use them as an alarm system. I build my teleport exit in the upper left area, where gate pushes always come in from. Attackers can’t resist the allure of an unattended teleport, and will pause to destroy it. The destruction warns me not only of the incoming push, but also tells me what class is coming, so I can warn the team. The sound of gunfire also alerts teammates, who can start to respond before the push even comes in to view. Also, if your team is able to get in to the gated tunnel, it does not hurt to have a low level teleport set up to allow people in. You don’t want to do high level, because your don’t want your entire team running off to a location away from final, which is the only objective that matters. It’s probably worth it to put the entrance just on the outside of the gate, and the exit on the inside, so only those running up to the gate see it (otherwise they just teleport from spawn and don’t see what’s happening near point). For this same reason, I discourage the building of teleports way behind enemy lines, unless coordinated with just one or two trusted agents and then destroyed. Whatever the pleasures of getting a good flank in there, it pales next to the pain of losing your final point because the entire team ended up on the wrong side of an enemy push.

Point 3-1

The battle for the first cap of stage 3 can often determine the outcome of the game, as it has the ability to burn a great deal of the offense’s precious time. Alternately, failure to defend can mean the attackers have an eternity to organize the assault and make their way to final. The most popular SG position is in the loading dock outside the alternate defensive spawn exit, elevated above the ground, firing diagonally at the main chokepoint. This is a good gun to have, for sure, and can occupy ground forces for quite some time if they aren’t well organized, but it actually isn’t in a good place from an objective-based perspective. It does not cover the point in any way, and jumpers can easily fly past it to the CP without being touched. This gun is more of the delaying tactic that buys time after losing the first point, and as such, I really don’t like it very much. What I do like it for is teleports. Putting a teleport in the loading dock is de rigueur for Dustbowl, providing a way for defenders to rapidly get to the front if they spawned on the wrong side, and also providing a way to continue supporting the stop-gap after losing 1-1. Offenses will spend a great deal of effort to clear the cubby, as it’s called, and because it requires jumping, this usually means their demos and soldiers are the ones doing it. As a result, their front-line is missing their explosives, and the defenders have additional time to rebuild and shore up the fallback position.

A much better place to build, if you want to be on that side, is at the base of the stairs on the left. The gun doesn’t fire in to the chokepoint as much, but it covers the entire point, and will annihilate jumpers trying to go overhead. Its primary weakness is ubers turning the corner at close range, and if you’re too far forward, blind stickying as well. This gun is often seen with a second gun at the top of the stairs behind it, providing additional cover and knockback against attackers. This is a fairly solid pairing, with the lower gun able to focus on point, and the upper gun helping make sure the foreground doesn’t get too cluttered.

An even more effective pairing is to have the gun at the bottom of the stairs on the left, and a second gun on the right, near the wood pile. I prefer to build the gun out from the woodpile a few lengths, to ensure it can fire in to the chokepoint. Too close, and pyros can run in up the stairs and jump on top before it can track and acquire them. Also, demos are able to easily roll pills through the block house windows that trickle off the steps on to the woodpile, but have a harder time precisely placing them on a gun in the open that they can’t see. This pairing is especially powerful because both guns cover point, both guns hit jumpers, and they can’t both be distracted or blocked by the same uber, bonk, or sacrificial charge. When building on the right, teleports ideally go tucked behind the point, in the corner, where they sometimes go unnoticed even after a cap of 3-1. That position is vulnerable to long range pill spam, so encourage teammates not to draw fire there. Do not put your dispenser near that teleport, and keep an eye out for spies.

A final position that is frequently seen for defensive engineers on 3-1 is in the block house, facing out the windows. This position lays a lot of fire directly in to the enemy spawn gates and can do some damage, similar to the window position in 2-1. Unlike that position however, this one can be easily flanked through the left passage, and attackers have a bit more cover from which to fight back. As a result, this gun almost never lasts long enough to be worth the investment.

Point 3-2

Before getting in to the actual 3-2 covering positions, it is worth noting a pair of fallback spots that can be worthwhile. If another engineer is building to cover final point, a second engy can stall the offense by constructing sentries either in the loading dock, or at the forward operating base of the enemy. To get in the loading dock obviously requires a teleport previously constructed, but if that teleport is still working, by all means, use it. Get an SG up and built to defend the exit, and make sure it’s far enough back not to be obvious to people running past outside. When they come up to clear it out (which they inevitably will), the SG may catch them off guard. The attackers will obsess about clearing this flank, as they should, and it will buy quite a bit of time at final if you are good at turtling it and maybe have a few allies to help. The other option is to build right in the middle of the path at the offense’s forward operating base position. This can be surprisingly difficult for the enemy to take out without at least burning an uber that otherwise have been used against your final point. Because they are coming through a narrow path, around a corner, with no flank routes, attackers have no choice but to fling themselves repeatedly at this gun until it goes down. With the assistance of your combat classes, you can hold an enemy here for several minutes – just beware of people taking the tunnels and simply bypassing your front line to attack the final point from below.

At the final point itself, there are six main gun positions that are good to consider. The first is on the right side elevated corner next to the point. This gun is in the open and is easily targetable, but it shoots everything that could possibly need shooting – main, balcony, stairs, jumpers, point, all of it. This is usually the first gun to go up on point, and the first to be knocked out as well. From this position you should basically be turtling constantly, identifying targets as they start shooting at you so that teammates can eliminate them. Soldiers on the left balcony and demos in the ditch are the biggest threats, aside from ubers.

The second position is across the bridge, in the left-hand nook. Build your dispenser in there first, and make sure it’s flat against the wall, or the nose of your gun will stick out and be an obvious target for attackers. This gun will catch anybody coming up the stairs, and will sweep people completely off the bridge, as well as firing in to the right house door if people try to get in there. It is vulnerable to long range attacks from the tunnel exit, and careful flankers on the balcony, as well as stickies lain in front of it once its location is known. A similar position can be used on the right side on top of the cliff behind the ammo box. This gun will cover the balcony too, but is more vulnerable to attackers from the tunnel, who it will be slow to turn and face.

The far right-hand balcony off right house is a very respectable gun position. If built just right, hanging over the edge about a third of the way back along the angle of the balcony, it will fire in to the ditch below along both axis, will cover the bridge, and can even defend itself backwards against some opponents. This gun will hit about 90% of the point, but be wary – the back right corner of the point is not targetable, and a spy can ninja the point.

On the nearside right ledge, overlooking the tunnel exit, is a great spot for teams that are being attacked regularly from below – especially by sticky and rocket jumpers. This gun will utterly destroy anybody coming out of the tunnel well before they can return fire. The problem is that it doesn’t cover point and helpless against fire from the balcony. Specialized use only.

There has been a recent upswing in people building their SGs right smack in the middle the bridge. This is not an entirely bad position, as it has many of the same benefits as the fallback gun at the forward operating base. The problem is, it can be rocketed or sniper easily from below. For best results, build the gun far enough forward or far enough back that it is protected from these side attacks. It will still get torn up by soldiers, demos, or pyros, but it will last longer, and consume valuable resources to eliminate.

Finally, people love building in the entry of the right house. The right house is a great place to put a dispenser for your front line fighters, and an acceptable place for a teleport exit, to avoid sniper fire. It is an absurd place to put an SG. The gun does not hit point, barely covers bridge, provides no cover down low, and can be point-blanked by any number of classes. Mostly though, it can be run straight past by ubers, and will not do much against them. Best to use the right house for the dispenser and teleport, while building your gun on one of the outside locations.
-Boss Llama

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Re: A Layman's Guide to Engineering on Dustbowl

Post by MateoTheBold! » Fri May 25, 2012 2:23 pm

I put this in word (single spaced):

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Re: A Layman's Guide to Engineering on Dustbowl

Post by YoullNeverWalkAlone » Fri May 25, 2012 2:48 pm

This just proves how much you can type when you actually like/care about the topic. I wonder if I can do this with my Master Thesis?

Again, a fantastic guide and thanks for doing this!
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Re: A Layman's Guide to Engineering on Dustbowl

Post by Larry » Fri May 25, 2012 6:33 pm

The tactics here are designed with one thing in mind – winning the game.
What ever happened to just having fun? And snacks afterwards?
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Re: A Layman's Guide to Engineering on Dustbowl

Post by Boss Llama » Fri May 25, 2012 10:47 pm

6Larry9 wrote:
The tactics here are designed with one thing in mind – winning the game.
What ever happened to just having fun? And snacks afterwards?
If a person is looking for a guide on how to play a class, they're probably doing so because they want to play the class well, and that means playing with the objective in mind, and putting your team first. Having fun is subjective and personal, and doesn't require a guide from me, or anybody.
Last edited by Boss Llama on Fri May 25, 2012 10:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A Layman's Guide to Engineering on Dustbowl

Post by Flaming Cheese Wheel » Fri May 25, 2012 10:51 pm

That reminds me of the time I wrote a guide for TF2. Fortunately it was before the class updates or it would have been long.
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Re: A Layman's Guide to Engineering on Dustbowl

Post by Boss Llama » Fri May 25, 2012 10:53 pm

Flaming Cheese Wheel wrote:That reminds me of the time I wrote a guide for TF2. Fortunately it was before the class updates or it would have been long.
Lol, and this is just for one class, on one map, using only stock weapons :-D
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