Hints and Tips for playing TF2

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Re: Hints and Tips for playing TF2

Post by NoodgeVader » Wed May 21, 2008 5:11 am

I agree and disagree with many points on this thread. Many people swear by a certain class or type of uber. But the fact is that a player who has skill in his class and knows how to deal with each situation as it confronts him, can defeat any circumstance that may arise as long as he can think on his feet and act in a timely manner.

These are some simple pointers I think are useful:

-Stress marksmanship always. Spray and pray generally will not frighten enemies as it will in real life. They know they will re-spawn shortly. Lead your targets (especially when you are a Soldier or Demo).
-If you don't know, shoot it. You may get lucky.
-Friends fight better together than strangers.
-Timing is essential. Be there first with the most.
-Have knowledge of the terrain. Position yourself with a friend at your back.
-Whenever possible gain the high ground (especially when you are a Soldier or Demo).
-Try to predict what your opponents might do next.
-Don't bunch up. One good explosion and you are all dead leaving your poor engineer to fight the whole enemy team alone.
-Don't advance alone unless you have an escape plan.
-Spend you life wisely. Make them work for your death.
-Force yourself to play every class even if you don't like them. The best way to learn how to kill a specific enemy class is to know the dynamic behind it.
-As Medic, realize that if you die prematurely it is highly likely that your absence on the lines will directly cause the death of some of you teammates. A pretty careless thing to do just for an unlikely Needle or Saw kill. Defend yourself, but don't advance without an escort.
-Always coordinate an assault on multiple sentries.
-As Medic, stay on your patient if he is under fire. Heal others only when your primary heal target is not under fire. Save your uber for the best shooter on your team.
-An early uber is far better than a late one.
-As Sniper, it is wise to stay near a friendly sentry. It might save your back.
-The best time to kill an enemy is when he does not see you.
-Always try to kill or assist in the killing of two enemies before you die. The fewer hostile troops on the field, the faster your team moves up.
-Be hyper aware of nearby sounds when moving up.
-Never become negative. It is the quickest way to lose teamwork. A player is far more likely to fight hard for a team that he enjoys being a part of.
-Lastly. Sometimes you can fight your hardest, playing perfectly, and still lose.
Last edited by NoodgeVader on Wed May 21, 2008 9:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by MrBlah » Wed May 21, 2008 10:38 am

hmmmm wonder if I should post my little tips and tricks... ehh...

As a Spy:
-the more often you can not do your backstab animation the better. If you have played spy, you should know what I mean. if you can just do the little jab you will always get the backstab if timed right. As you know, when backstabing the target can always move a little causing you to miss. This negates that, though it not always possible to do so.
-Also...your a not a spy.. you are an enemy pyro/demo/solly/whatever.

As a Demo:
-place your stickies are the corner where they cannot be moved by anything and wait for people to come by. Use your pipes until anyone important does... like more than 1 person or a medic or something.
-It only takes on sticky to jump across the bridge in 2fort.

As a Soldier:
-Self explanatory... aim at the feet and you will probably kill you opponent before they kill you.

As a Pyro:
-Light as many people on fire as you can before you get blowed up...

As a Scout:
-Run around like a little fly to piss everyone on the other team off.

As an Engineer:
-Build a sentry where no one else has and instantly you will get a bunch of sentry kills.

As a Sniper:
-Aim for the head... especially those of enemy snipers... and engineers too, they are just so much fun to see fall over.

As a Heavy:
-Self explanatory again.... spray and pray

As a Medic:
-Find a heavy and plaster yourself to him and you might get a few points. Otherwise heal everyone on your team and you could be leading your team in points.
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Re: Hints and Tips for playing TF2

Post by Boss Llama » Sun May 25, 2008 6:11 pm

PLAYING PYRO

Pyros are one of the most despised classes in TF2, primarily for the fact that in the right hands, they’re very effective. Heck, they don’t even have to be alive to kill you! They can catch things around corners, and if they suddenly start crit’ing, they can annihilate an entire enemy team by themselves. Uber one of them in to a group of enemies, and even if no kills result, the other team’s cohesion will be temporarily broken. They have several weaknesses, however, and the key to successfully playing one is to avoid putting yourself in a situation where they can be exploited.

STRENGTHS

-The most dangerous close-combat class

There is nothing in TF2 more dangerous to have next to you than an enemy pyro. The flamethrower does a great deal of damage if planted on a person at melee range, and if crits begin to happen, even an overcharged heavy will die in perhaps 2 seconds. If the target pulls out a melee weapon and begins attacking, the pyro can back out of melee range and still keep the flame on the target, doing continuous, albeit lesser, damage to them. This leaves the target with the choice of either staying in the flame desperately trying to melee an out of range target, or turning and running for a health pack, leaving the pyro open to continuous burning in the back from close range (the time taken to turn to flee is long enough for an attentive pyro to close fully again).

This tactic is wonderful against any class without significant close-range firepower. Snipers, spies, engineers, medic, demos, and soldiers are all excellent candidates for close range engagement with the flamethrower. Some demos and soldiers will elect to suicide in a desperate attempt to stop you, and may succeed, but the overall success rate against these targets is high. When fighting a medic equipped with a Blutsauger, it’s a little more complicated, as most will attempt to flee backwards while using the needles to offset the trickle damage of your long-range flame. Dodge like mad if you pursue, to avoid as many hits as possible. It may be best to let the medic flee – they may still burn to death without the health they gain from shooting you as you chase!

This tactic is weakest against Scouts, Heavies, and fellow Pyros. Scouts are simply too fast to pursue, and need to be caught unaware. If you light one on fire and he runs, it’s time to pull out the shotgun, or find a different target. Fighting a heavy up close requires circle strafing – see the section below on Sentry Guns for details. Fighting another pyro is a matter of good aim. It comes down to who can keep the target reticule on the opponent longer while both of you madly dodge around. You win some, you lose some. If the enemy pyro has a medic, you lose (you should have attacked the medic anyway!)

-Can attack multiple enemies at once

The nature of the pyro’s flame is such that it will hit all targets in its area. Unlike a bullet, which stops when it hits the target, flame carries completely through and strikes anything and everything in its path. This makes the pyro a superb disrupter of enemy group operations. A large knot of enemies defending a location, or an entire offensive push, can all be simultaneously addressed by a single pyro leaping in to action against them. Head straight for the closest target, and apply fire liberally, while working towards the center of the group. When taking action against large groups like this, you aren’t likely to rack up many kills by yourself, unless you crit, or the enemies are not very good. Head straight for the support classes, however, and you may be rewarded with the elimination of a medic, sniper, or other soft target. If you focus on a big meat shield, you’ll get torn up before you can be fully effective. The primary goal here is to injure everybody at once, making it easier for your team to mop up. Expect many assists, but maybe only one or two kills. This is a point where communication is key – make sure you tell your teammates where these enemies are so they can hit them before they heal!

-Strong psychological effect on enemies

The other benefit of attacking a large group comes in the psychological benefit of it. This may or may not apply, depending on the experience and cool of the players you attack, but it’s often surprisingly effective. While many players don’t mind trading shots with a target that they think they can dodge, an equally large number of players freak out when lit on fire. You can’t escape the damage of being lit on fire unless you can find a medic or a health pack. If in the initial push you lit 4 people on fire, and killed the accompanying medic, you now have 4 people on fire desperately seeking health packs or other medics, usually resulting in them running the other way briefly, or at the very least, not actively attacking. This buys time for engineering to be set up, respawn of teammates to occur, and general coordination of the front line. Also, a burning enemy is very easy to spot for your teammates, and the sound (both of the flames, and yelling “ow ow fire!”) gives away enemy positions even behind a wall.

-Ideal partner for offensive uber-charges

The above items make the pyro an ideal partner for offensive uber-charges. Not just offensive in the sense of “Team Blu is on offense), but offensive as in any situation where you want to attack instead of defend. If you want to take a specific area, an uber pyro is the most secure way to take it and hold it long enough to get an SG up or equivalent defense. Anybody that tries to physically block you without an uber of their own will be incinerated promptly, and the multi-target destruction of the flamethrower quickly encourages defenders to flee their posts. The stream of flame can intimidate many people long enough to allow additional forces to be brought up to hold the spot.

-Bane of enemy Spies

Thought I forgot? Nope! One of the primary directives of any pyro is to eliminate enemy spies. The reason for this is that, unlike shooting a spy which may leave him alive without you realizing what you just hit, if a pyro burns a spy he immediately bursts in to flames the color of his true team. If this doesn’t kill him, it makes him a very obvious target for all of your teammates, and makes his cloaking power completely ineffective, as he will continue to burn visibly even while invisible. Pyros should be encouraged to randomly flame any and all people near them, and make regular passes through engineering spaces, CPs, and intel storage puffing their flamethrower for targets.

The “pyro puff” is a key to success with this tactic. The flamethrower consumes vast quantities of ammunition, second only to the heavy’s minigun in my mind. If you do find an enemy, you want to make sure you have enough fuel left to actually do something about it! Simply tap your fire key briefly to emit a “puff” of flame that will light enemies up, and use only 1 ammo. Randomly puffing can clear a medium sized room for use for the cost of only about 10 ammo, instead of the 50+ a stream would use. Use “puffing” when intimidating people around a corner or through a door, and save the high-power streams of fire for when a confirmed enemy is locked in your sites, or you have a dispenser right next to you.

-Effective against Sentry Guns… sometimes

What a sad number of players don’t know is how mind-bogglingly effective a pyro can be against a sentry gun, if the conditions are right. I’ve been accused of shenanigans on many occasions by ignorant engineers who don’t understand how their guns work, and boggled at by other pyros as well. The simple fact of the matter is, sentry guns are effective in one direction, and one direction only – forward! They are very slow to turn around, if you catch them from behind or while distracted. The same mechanic that allows a spy to backstab an engineer, and then sap the SG, allows the pyro to pull off one of the most impressive feats in his arsenal – the circle strafe.

Circle strafing is the act of running in a circle around something, while continuously facing it and shooting (burning) it. Pyros can move significantly faster in a circle than an SG can, and if there is enough space around the gun to run an unobstructed circle (no crates, walls, etc), killing the gun is pretty easy. If no engineer is on the gun, you don’t even need a full circle – ¾’s will do. With an engy on it, you may need a couple laps. Charge the gun as fast as possible, coming out of cover at the last possible moment. Do not run directly at the gun, but instead, run on a diagonal past it, so that it’s shells are not hitting you solidly. As you come alongside the gun, turn towards it (you’ll be out of its arc of fire already, if you moved in quickly enough) and begin the attack. Rotate the same direction around the gun as it is turning, and do not stop attacking for anything. Once you engage the gun, you must see it through until either your or it dies, if you pause even a second it will reacquire, and terminate you. If you properly apply this technique, you will be rewarded with a destroyed SG for almost no cost – your health will be nearly untouched.

In cramped spaces, a dangerous variant of the circle strafe can be tried, wherein you strafe side-to-side. Rotate about ¼ turn to one side, then try to jump across the firing arc ¼ turn to the other side, and back and forth, until victory. This is best applied to lower level guns, as even a single rocket will launch you far enough back that your death is guaranteed.

Other anti-SG tips: Listen for the sound of a gun being upgraded, and attack at the moment it converts from one level to the next. It cannot fire or aim during this time, and you can usually be on top of it strafing before it’s ready to go. Also, level 1 SGs do not generally have to be strafed – you can attack them head on. Unless you started far away over open ground, you will destroy the gun before it kills you. Finally, remember that SGs cannot see through the dispensers of their creator. Considering most engineers like to build their gear close together, try to attack the gun from the dispenser side. It will sit without firing until the dispenser is destroyed. Since many engineers park themselves between the dispenser and the gun, you frequently get a free kill as well. The bonus? You’re damaging the gun the whole time with your stream of flame, making it a quick kill by the time it’s ready to shoot at you.

WEAKNESSES

-Primary weapon has very short range

The flamethrower has a limited range – very limited! It is, at most, approximately double melee distance. If you are in close at melee range, the damage is high, but if you are in the outer band of its range, your damage reduces to a trickle and even a soft target like a sniper can pull out his SMG, finish you off, and have time to grab health before he burns to death. If you are in a long-range battle with soldiers and heavies across open ground, you are nearly useless. Know which situations call for pulling out your shotgun, and which simply require changing classes until a more expedient time arises.

-Too slow to effectively chase enemies in the open

As a pyro, you are not fast enough to chase down anything but a soldier or heavy, if they are facing away from you. You’re about on an even keel with a backpedaling sniper or medic (they tend to stay just out of inner range), and are vulnerable to high-power counterattack from other classes as they run backwards. Cramped spaces and ambush spots are your bread and butter unless you have an uber, as you will not be able to run down a target that sees you coming. Frequently you have to resort to simply lighting a person and changing targets, as they run around you waiting for a moment to strike.

-Explosives and knock-back

The greatest foe of a pyro is knock-back. We are a class that relies heavily on close quarters combat, so anything that pushes us away is a definite problem. Explosives are the most obvious form of this. A Soldier shooting your feet or a Demo with stickies on the ground can bring tears to your eyes with the ease with which they will kill you. They can essentially juggle you in the air for as long as they like and finish you off at their leisure, while you can’t even move because your feet aren’t on the ground. If you don’t close ground fast to deny them this opportunity, expect to die having made no impact on the enemy. Stickies (or crit rockets) also can launch you such long distances that you are separated completely from the front line where your close-range weapon is effective, and are out of the fight for critical seconds while you run back (if you didn’t die on impact)

Significant knock-back also comes from SGs and heavies. The knock-back of a level 2 or 3 SG can completely keep you from moving, and a heavy or even a level 1 SG will prevent you from jumping up on to something they are covering. This disproportionate knock-back effect makes it very difficult to use the tactics that make the most sense in many places, and require alternate routes or assistance from teammates to overcome. When a medic ubers you to head-on attack a high level SG, make sure to let them run ahead of you against the gun. This will draw the SG fire, and buy you the second or two you need to close in and destroy the weapon. Knock-back has done nothing but increase since the release of the game, I don’t see it going away any time soon.

-Wall glitch blocks flamethrower

Though Valve has purportedly been working on it, there is a very nasty glitch in the game where the flamethrower simply stops firing if it is too close to a wall, or other solid object. Though this is no doubt programmed in to make sure people aren’t being lit up through walls, it more often functions to deprive you of your main armament at critical moments! Pinning people against a wall is one of the best ways to corner them close and finish them off, except on those occasions where you pin them, and your main weapon suddenly stops working because of the wall! You’ll die many times to this in the process of learning the signs and remembering to back off. This unfortunate bit of programming also affects attacks on SGs, meaning that you can’t push up as hard against the SG as you usually want to in order to destroy it, but have to try to float yourself against the knock-back a foot or so away. This can even happen just by pushing up against a solid enemy (like an unmoving heavy, or a soldier), though that is relatively rare, and usually simply results in a sporadic fire stream, instead of fully cutting off.

-Death

As a pyro, you will die. A lot. You specialize in jumping right on top of people who are bigger, faster, and can kill you from farther away. You charge groups, and you charge automated turrets with dual cannons and quad rockets. Many kills you feel should be yours will turn in to assists when somebody else finishes off your burning target, and sometimes will get taken away when that somebody else has a medic on them getting the assist credit. Get over it. The pyro is a team player, and a great one at that. He’s just a frequent visitor to the respawn zone.
-Boss Llama

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Post by Plinko » Mon May 26, 2008 10:55 am

What a great guide to my favorite class.

To me the pyro on offense is like the wedge buster in football special teams, we disrupt and cause disarray and give our teammates opportunities to seal the deal.

And you really ought to put in big bold letters your fourth point:
THE PYRO IS BEST FOR OFFENSIVE UBERS.
The pyro can deal more damage in the timeline than anyone else, they move faster and can focus their damage better than any other class. Certainly a heavy is better as a defensive uber, and if you're going to uber on the point and survive after to take it, I'd also prefer the heavy.
But 90 times out of 100, a pyro is a much better uber partner than a demo or a solider.
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Re: Hints and Tips for playing TF2

Post by Nick Mame » Mon May 26, 2008 11:45 am

When it comes to offensive Ubers, I disagree (as a medic) that the pyro is the strongest choice. There are a lot of situations where the enemy is so scattered that a single pyro would effectively do nothing to dent their position or where they would see the pyro coming and simply avoid them. The end result tends to be the Uber wearing off and the medic dying, not good. On chokepoint heavy maps such as Dustbowl, Goldrush, and Warpath it is true that the pyro is highly effective. However, that effectiveness does not translate over to CTF or regular CP maps where the enemy often does not travel in large groups.

I use a pyro like you would expect to use a flamethrower: send him into a location the enemy cannot leave and incinerate the whole bunch of them. Dustbowl's mining tunnels are good examples. You go through the back door, kill a ton of people, those who run away end up in your team's sights. I also use pyros in the maps with one front per team, where the pyro can pierce the enemy front and allow our team to advance after him. Those are the two situations I find pyro the strongest.


Heavies and Demopeople also make good offensive Ubers. If I'm going to turn a tight corner and face a bunch of enemies, I'll take a heavy over a pyro. They'll kill that group just as fast but offer me more protection when the Uber wears off and prevent me from getting separated from the front. If I'm going to encounter a sentry that's a good ways off, I'll take a demoperson.

Scouts are a decent choice for an offensive Uber if there are no sentries and the players are scattered. They'll be able to do things like take out enemy medics before they flee and jump around between targets.

Soldats are the worst choice for an offensive Uber. I'll still use them if we need to attack something above us, such as Badlands 2/4 or Gravel Pit C, or if we need to advance through an area where lots of long-distance fighting takes place. Otherwise, they aren't built for mass destruction.


However, this is theoretical. It presumes that each person will play their class in an identical manner. That's rarely the case. The best Uber target is not a particular class but a particular player: one of the best players available on the team. I don't mind choosing poor classes for an Uber. If the person who plays the class I'd prefer ran away while Ubered last time, I'll shift over to sending that engineer into combat. Class plays the smallest roll in an effective Uber. The largest part of an effective Uber is good timing on the medic's part and good execution on the Uberee's.

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Re: Hints and Tips for playing TF2

Post by shimmybot » Fri May 30, 2008 6:06 pm

One thing people might want to check out (not sure if it was posted or not) but EvilDaedalus on youtube (the name is a link)'s "how to play" videos.

He's got most of the classes covered with detailed techniques and class on class tips. I find them really helpful

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Post by Omelette » Sun Jun 01, 2008 3:11 am

[quote="Alizée Fan";p="96038"]
PLAYING PYRO

Pyros are one of the most despised classes in TF2, primarily for the fact that in the right hands, they’re very effective. Heck, they don’t even have to be alive to kill you! They can catch things around corners, and if they suddenly start crit’ing, they can annihilate an entire enemy team by themselves. Uber one of them in to a group of enemies, and even if no kills result, the other team’s cohesion will be temporarily broken. They have several weaknesses, however, and the key to successfully playing one is to avoid putting yourself in a situation where they can be exploited.

STRENGTHS

-The most dangerous close-combat class

There is nothing in TF2 more dangerous to have next to you than an enemy pyro. The flamethrower does a great deal of damage if planted on a person at melee range, and if crits begin to happen, even an overcharged heavy will die in perhaps 2 seconds. If the target pulls out a melee weapon and begins attacking, the pyro can back out of melee range and still keep the flame on the target, doing continuous, albeit lesser, damage to them. This leaves the target with the choice of either staying in the flame desperately trying to melee an out of range target, or turning and running for a health pack, leaving the pyro open to continuous burning in the back from close range (the time taken to turn to flee is long enough for an attentive pyro to close fully again).

This tactic is wonderful against any class without significant close-range firepower. Snipers, spies, engineers, medic, demos, and soldiers are all excellent candidates for close range engagement with the flamethrower. Some demos and soldiers will elect to suicide in a desperate attempt to stop you, and may succeed, but the overall success rate against these targets is high. When fighting a medic equipped with a Blutsauger, it’s a little more complicated, as most will attempt to flee backwards while using the needles to offset the trickle damage of your long-range flame. Dodge like mad if you pursue, to avoid as many hits as possible. It may be best to let the medic flee – they may still burn to death without the health they gain from shooting you as you chase!

This tactic is weakest against Scouts, Heavies, and fellow Pyros. Scouts are simply too fast to pursue, and need to be caught unaware. If you light one on fire and he runs, it’s time to pull out the shotgun, or find a different target. Fighting a heavy up close requires circle strafing – see the section below on Sentry Guns for details. Fighting another pyro is a matter of good aim. It comes down to who can keep the target reticule on the opponent longer while both of you madly dodge around. You win some, you lose some. If the enemy pyro has a medic, you lose (you should have attacked the medic anyway!)

-Can attack multiple enemies at once

The nature of the pyro’s flame is such that it will hit all targets in its area. Unlike a bullet, which stops when it hits the target, flame carries completely through and strikes anything and everything in its path. This makes the pyro a superb disrupter of enemy group operations. A large knot of enemies defending a location, or an entire offensive push, can all be simultaneously addressed by a single pyro leaping in to action against them. Head straight for the closest target, and apply fire liberally, while working towards the center of the group. When taking action against large groups like this, you aren’t likely to rack up many kills by yourself, unless you crit, or the enemies are not very good. Head straight for the support classes, however, and you may be rewarded with the elimination of a medic, sniper, or other soft target. If you focus on a big meat shield, you’ll get torn up before you can be fully effective. The primary goal here is to injure everybody at once, making it easier for your team to mop up. Expect many assists, but maybe only one or two kills. This is a point where communication is key – make sure you tell your teammates where these enemies are so they can hit them before they heal!

-Strong psychological effect on enemies

The other benefit of attacking a large group comes in the psychological benefit of it. This may or may not apply, depending on the experience and cool of the players you attack, but it’s often surprisingly effective. While many players don’t mind trading shots with a target that they think they can dodge, an equally large number of players freak out when lit on fire. You can’t escape the damage of being lit on fire unless you can find a medic or a health pack. If in the initial push you lit 4 people on fire, and killed the accompanying medic, you now have 4 people on fire desperately seeking health packs or other medics, usually resulting in them running the other way briefly, or at the very least, not actively attacking. This buys time for engineering to be set up, respawn of teammates to occur, and general coordination of the front line. Also, a burning enemy is very easy to spot for your teammates, and the sound (both of the flames, and yelling “ow ow fire!”) gives away enemy positions even behind a wall.

-Ideal partner for offensive uber-charges

The above items make the pyro an ideal partner for offensive uber-charges. Not just offensive in the sense of “Team Blu is on offense), but offensive as in any situation where you want to attack instead of defend. If you want to take a specific area, an uber pyro is the most secure way to take it and hold it long enough to get an SG up or equivalent defense. Anybody that tries to physically block you without an uber of their own will be incinerated promptly, and the multi-target destruction of the flamethrower quickly encourages defenders to flee their posts. The stream of flame can intimidate many people long enough to allow additional forces to be brought up to hold the spot.

-Bane of enemy Spies

Thought I forgot? Nope! One of the primary directives of any pyro is to eliminate enemy spies. The reason for this is that, unlike shooting a spy which may leave him alive without you realizing what you just hit, if a pyro burns a spy he immediately bursts in to flames the color of his true team. If this doesn’t kill him, it makes him a very obvious target for all of your teammates, and makes his cloaking power completely ineffective, as he will continue to burn visibly even while invisible. Pyros should be encouraged to randomly flame any and all people near them, and make regular passes through engineering spaces, CPs, and intel storage puffing their flamethrower for targets.

The “pyro puff” is a key to success with this tactic. The flamethrower consumes vast quantities of ammunition, second only to the heavy’s minigun in my mind. If you do find an enemy, you want to make sure you have enough fuel left to actually do something about it! Simply tap your fire key briefly to emit a “puff” of flame that will light enemies up, and use only 1 ammo. Randomly puffing can clear a medium sized room for use for the cost of only about 10 ammo, instead of the 50+ a stream would use. Use “puffing” when intimidating people around a corner or through a door, and save the high-power streams of fire for when a confirmed enemy is locked in your sites, or you have a dispenser right next to you.

-Effective against Sentry Guns… sometimes

What a sad number of players don’t know is how mind-bogglingly effective a pyro can be against a sentry gun, if the conditions are right. I’ve been accused of shenanigans on many occasions by ignorant engineers who don’t understand how their guns work, and boggled at by other pyros as well. The simple fact of the matter is, sentry guns are effective in one direction, and one direction only – forward! They are very slow to turn around, if you catch them from behind or while distracted. The same mechanic that allows a spy to backstab an engineer, and then sap the SG, allows the pyro to pull off one of the most impressive feats in his arsenal – the circle strafe.

Circle strafing is the act of running in a circle around something, while continuously facing it and shooting (burning) it. Pyros can move significantly faster in a circle than an SG can, and if there is enough space around the gun to run an unobstructed circle (no crates, walls, etc), killing the gun is pretty easy. If no engineer is on the gun, you don’t even need a full circle – ¾’s will do. With an engy on it, you may need a couple laps. Charge the gun as fast as possible, coming out of cover at the last possible moment. Do not run directly at the gun, but instead, run on a diagonal past it, so that it’s shells are not hitting you solidly. As you come alongside the gun, turn towards it (you’ll be out of its arc of fire already, if you moved in quickly enough) and begin the attack. Rotate the same direction around the gun as it is turning, and do not stop attacking for anything. Once you engage the gun, you must see it through until either your or it dies, if you pause even a second it will reacquire, and terminate you. If you properly apply this technique, you will be rewarded with a destroyed SG for almost no cost – your health will be nearly untouched.

In cramped spaces, a dangerous variant of the circle strafe can be tried, wherein you strafe side-to-side. Rotate about ¼ turn to one side, then try to jump across the firing arc ¼ turn to the other side, and back and forth, until victory. This is best applied to lower level guns, as even a single rocket will launch you far enough back that your death is guaranteed.

Other anti-SG tips: Listen for the sound of a gun being upgraded, and attack at the moment it converts from one level to the next. It cannot fire or aim during this time, and you can usually be on top of it strafing before it’s ready to go. Also, level 1 SGs do not generally have to be strafed – you can attack them head on. Unless you started far away over open ground, you will destroy the gun before it kills you. Finally, remember that SGs cannot see through the dispensers of their creator. Considering most engineers like to build their gear close together, try to attack the gun from the dispenser side. It will sit without firing until the dispenser is destroyed. Since many engineers park themselves between the dispenser and the gun, you frequently get a free kill as well. The bonus? You’re damaging the gun the whole time with your stream of flame, making it a quick kill by the time it’s ready to shoot at you.

WEAKNESSES

-Primary weapon has very short range

The flamethrower has a limited range – very limited! It is, at most, approximately double melee distance. If you are in close at melee range, the damage is high, but if you are in the outer band of its range, your damage reduces to a trickle and even a soft target like a sniper can pull out his SMG, finish you off, and have time to grab health before he burns to death. If you are in a long-range battle with soldiers and heavies across open ground, you are nearly useless. Know which situations call for pulling out your shotgun, and which simply require changing classes until a more expedient time arises.

-Too slow to effectively chase enemies in the open

As a pyro, you are not fast enough to chase down anything but a soldier or heavy, if they are facing away from you. You’re about on an even keel with a backpedaling sniper or medic (they tend to stay just out of inner range), and are vulnerable to high-power counterattack from other classes as they run backwards. Cramped spaces and ambush spots are your bread and butter unless you have an uber, as you will not be able to run down a target that sees you coming. Frequently you have to resort to simply lighting a person and changing targets, as they run around you waiting for a moment to strike.

-Explosives and knock-back

The greatest foe of a pyro is knock-back. We are a class that relies heavily on close quarters combat, so anything that pushes us away is a definite problem. Explosives are the most obvious form of this. A Soldier shooting your feet or a Demo with stickies on the ground can bring tears to your eyes with the ease with which they will kill you. They can essentially juggle you in the air for as long as they like and finish you off at their leisure, while you can’t even move because your feet aren’t on the ground. If you don’t close ground fast to deny them this opportunity, expect to die having made no impact on the enemy. Stickies (or crit rockets) also can launch you such long distances that you are separated completely from the front line where your close-range weapon is effective, and are out of the fight for critical seconds while you run back (if you didn’t die on impact)

Significant knock-back also comes from SGs and heavies. The knock-back of a level 2 or 3 SG can completely keep you from moving, and a heavy or even a level 1 SG will prevent you from jumping up on to something they are covering. This disproportionate knock-back effect makes it very difficult to use the tactics that make the most sense in many places, and require alternate routes or assistance from teammates to overcome. When a medic ubers you to head-on attack a high level SG, make sure to let them run ahead of you against the gun. This will draw the SG fire, and buy you the second or two you need to close in and destroy the weapon. Knock-back has done nothing but increase since the release of the game, I don’t see it going away any time soon.

-Wall glitch blocks flamethrower

Though Valve has purportedly been working on it, there is a very nasty glitch in the game where the flamethrower simply stops firing if it is too close to a wall, or other solid object. Though this is no doubt programmed in to make sure people aren’t being lit up through walls, it more often functions to deprive you of your main armament at critical moments! Pinning people against a wall is one of the best ways to corner them close and finish them off, except on those occasions where you pin them, and your main weapon suddenly stops working because of the wall! You’ll die many times to this in the process of learning the signs and remembering to back off. This unfortunate bit of programming also affects attacks on SGs, meaning that you can’t push up as hard against the SG as you usually want to in order to destroy it, but have to try to float yourself against the knock-back a foot or so away. This can even happen just by pushing up against a solid enemy (like an unmoving heavy, or a soldier), though that is relatively rare, and usually simply results in a sporadic fire stream, instead of fully cutting off.

-Death

As a pyro, you will die. A lot. You specialize in jumping right on top of people who are bigger, faster, and can kill you from farther away. You charge groups, and you charge automated turrets with dual cannons and quad rockets. Many kills you feel should be yours will turn in to assists when somebody else finishes off your burning target, and sometimes will get taken away when that somebody else has a medic on them getting the assist credit. Get over it. The pyro is a team player, and a great one at that. He’s just a frequent visitor to the respawn zone.
[/quote]

Well done write up Alizee. Demomen just need to blow people up!

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Post by mr_s » Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:18 am

[quote="Omelette";p="97326"]
[quote="Alizée Fan";p="96038"]
PLAYING PYRO

Pyros are one of the most despised classes in TF2, primarily for the fact that in the right hands, they’re very effective. Heck, they don’t even have to be alive to kill you! They can catch things around corners, and if they suddenly start crit’ing, they can annihilate an entire enemy team by themselves. Uber one of them in to a group of enemies, and even if no kills result, the other team’s cohesion will be temporarily broken. They have several weaknesses, however, and the key to successfully playing one is to avoid putting yourself in a situation where they can be exploited.

STRENGTHS

-The most dangerous close-combat class

There is nothing in TF2 more dangerous to have next to you than an enemy pyro. The flamethrower does a great deal of damage if planted on a person at melee range, and if crits begin to happen, even an overcharged heavy will die in perhaps 2 seconds. If the target pulls out a melee weapon and begins attacking, the pyro can back out of melee range and still keep the flame on the target, doing continuous, albeit lesser, damage to them. This leaves the target with the choice of either staying in the flame desperately trying to melee an out of range target, or turning and running for a health pack, leaving the pyro open to continuous burning in the back from close range (the time taken to turn to flee is long enough for an attentive pyro to close fully again).

This tactic is wonderful against any class without significant close-range firepower. Snipers, spies, engineers, medic, demos, and soldiers are all excellent candidates for close range engagement with the flamethrower. Some demos and soldiers will elect to suicide in a desperate attempt to stop you, and may succeed, but the overall success rate against these targets is high. When fighting a medic equipped with a Blutsauger, it’s a little more complicated, as most will attempt to flee backwards while using the needles to offset the trickle damage of your long-range flame. Dodge like mad if you pursue, to avoid as many hits as possible. It may be best to let the medic flee – they may still burn to death without the health they gain from shooting you as you chase!

This tactic is weakest against Scouts, Heavies, and fellow Pyros. Scouts are simply too fast to pursue, and need to be caught unaware. If you light one on fire and he runs, it’s time to pull out the shotgun, or find a different target. Fighting a heavy up close requires circle strafing – see the section below on Sentry Guns for details. Fighting another pyro is a matter of good aim. It comes down to who can keep the target reticule on the opponent longer while both of you madly dodge around. You win some, you lose some. If the enemy pyro has a medic, you lose (you should have attacked the medic anyway!)

-Can attack multiple enemies at once

The nature of the pyro’s flame is such that it will hit all targets in its area. Unlike a bullet, which stops when it hits the target, flame carries completely through and strikes anything and everything in its path. This makes the pyro a superb disrupter of enemy group operations. A large knot of enemies defending a location, or an entire offensive push, can all be simultaneously addressed by a single pyro leaping in to action against them. Head straight for the closest target, and apply fire liberally, while working towards the center of the group. When taking action against large groups like this, you aren’t likely to rack up many kills by yourself, unless you crit, or the enemies are not very good. Head straight for the support classes, however, and you may be rewarded with the elimination of a medic, sniper, or other soft target. If you focus on a big meat shield, you’ll get torn up before you can be fully effective. The primary goal here is to injure everybody at once, making it easier for your team to mop up. Expect many assists, but maybe only one or two kills. This is a point where communication is key – make sure you tell your teammates where these enemies are so they can hit them before they heal!

-Strong psychological effect on enemies

The other benefit of attacking a large group comes in the psychological benefit of it. This may or may not apply, depending on the experience and cool of the players you attack, but it’s often surprisingly effective. While many players don’t mind trading shots with a target that they think they can dodge, an equally large number of players freak out when lit on fire. You can’t escape the damage of being lit on fire unless you can find a medic or a health pack. If in the initial push you lit 4 people on fire, and killed the accompanying medic, you now have 4 people on fire desperately seeking health packs or other medics, usually resulting in them running the other way briefly, or at the very least, not actively attacking. This buys time for engineering to be set up, respawn of teammates to occur, and general coordination of the front line. Also, a burning enemy is very easy to spot for your teammates, and the sound (both of the flames, and yelling “ow ow fire!”) gives away enemy positions even behind a wall.

-Ideal partner for offensive uber-charges

The above items make the pyro an ideal partner for offensive uber-charges. Not just offensive in the sense of “Team Blu is on offense), but offensive as in any situation where you want to attack instead of defend. If you want to take a specific area, an uber pyro is the most secure way to take it and hold it long enough to get an SG up or equivalent defense. Anybody that tries to physically block you without an uber of their own will be incinerated promptly, and the multi-target destruction of the flamethrower quickly encourages defenders to flee their posts. The stream of flame can intimidate many people long enough to allow additional forces to be brought up to hold the spot.

-Bane of enemy Spies

Thought I forgot? Nope! One of the primary directives of any pyro is to eliminate enemy spies. The reason for this is that, unlike shooting a spy which may leave him alive without you realizing what you just hit, if a pyro burns a spy he immediately bursts in to flames the color of his true team. If this doesn’t kill him, it makes him a very obvious target for all of your teammates, and makes his cloaking power completely ineffective, as he will continue to burn visibly even while invisible. Pyros should be encouraged to randomly flame any and all people near them, and make regular passes through engineering spaces, CPs, and intel storage puffing their flamethrower for targets.

The “pyro puff” is a key to success with this tactic. The flamethrower consumes vast quantities of ammunition, second only to the heavy’s minigun in my mind. If you do find an enemy, you want to make sure you have enough fuel left to actually do something about it! Simply tap your fire key briefly to emit a “puff” of flame that will light enemies up, and use only 1 ammo. Randomly puffing can clear a medium sized room for use for the cost of only about 10 ammo, instead of the 50+ a stream would use. Use “puffing” when intimidating people around a corner or through a door, and save the high-power streams of fire for when a confirmed enemy is locked in your sites, or you have a dispenser right next to you.

-Effective against Sentry Guns… sometimes

What a sad number of players don’t know is how mind-bogglingly effective a pyro can be against a sentry gun, if the conditions are right. I’ve been accused of shenanigans on many occasions by ignorant engineers who don’t understand how their guns work, and boggled at by other pyros as well. The simple fact of the matter is, sentry guns are effective in one direction, and one direction only – forward! They are very slow to turn around, if you catch them from behind or while distracted. The same mechanic that allows a spy to backstab an engineer, and then sap the SG, allows the pyro to pull off one of the most impressive feats in his arsenal – the circle strafe.

Circle strafing is the act of running in a circle around something, while continuously facing it and shooting (burning) it. Pyros can move significantly faster in a circle than an SG can, and if there is enough space around the gun to run an unobstructed circle (no crates, walls, etc), killing the gun is pretty easy. If no engineer is on the gun, you don’t even need a full circle – ¾’s will do. With an engy on it, you may need a couple laps. Charge the gun as fast as possible, coming out of cover at the last possible moment. Do not run directly at the gun, but instead, run on a diagonal past it, so that it’s shells are not hitting you solidly. As you come alongside the gun, turn towards it (you’ll be out of its arc of fire already, if you moved in quickly enough) and begin the attack. Rotate the same direction around the gun as it is turning, and do not stop attacking for anything. Once you engage the gun, you must see it through until either your or it dies, if you pause even a second it will reacquire, and terminate you. If you properly apply this technique, you will be rewarded with a destroyed SG for almost no cost – your health will be nearly untouched.

In cramped spaces, a dangerous variant of the circle strafe can be tried, wherein you strafe side-to-side. Rotate about ¼ turn to one side, then try to jump across the firing arc ¼ turn to the other side, and back and forth, until victory. This is best applied to lower level guns, as even a single rocket will launch you far enough back that your death is guaranteed.

Other anti-SG tips: Listen for the sound of a gun being upgraded, and attack at the moment it converts from one level to the next. It cannot fire or aim during this time, and you can usually be on top of it strafing before it’s ready to go. Also, level 1 SGs do not generally have to be strafed – you can attack them head on. Unless you started far away over open ground, you will destroy the gun before it kills you. Finally, remember that SGs cannot see through the dispensers of their creator. Considering most engineers like to build their gear close together, try to attack the gun from the dispenser side. It will sit without firing until the dispenser is destroyed. Since many engineers park themselves between the dispenser and the gun, you frequently get a free kill as well. The bonus? You’re damaging the gun the whole time with your stream of flame, making it a quick kill by the time it’s ready to shoot at you.

WEAKNESSES

-Primary weapon has very short range

The flamethrower has a limited range – very limited! It is, at most, approximately double melee distance. If you are in close at melee range, the damage is high, but if you are in the outer band of its range, your damage reduces to a trickle and even a soft target like a sniper can pull out his SMG, finish you off, and have time to grab health before he burns to death. If you are in a long-range battle with soldiers and heavies across open ground, you are nearly useless. Know which situations call for pulling out your shotgun, and which simply require changing classes until a more expedient time arises.

-Too slow to effectively chase enemies in the open

As a pyro, you are not fast enough to chase down anything but a soldier or heavy, if they are facing away from you. You’re about on an even keel with a backpedaling sniper or medic (they tend to stay just out of inner range), and are vulnerable to high-power counterattack from other classes as they run backwards. Cramped spaces and ambush spots are your bread and butter unless you have an uber, as you will not be able to run down a target that sees you coming. Frequently you have to resort to simply lighting a person and changing targets, as they run around you waiting for a moment to strike.

-Explosives and knock-back

The greatest foe of a pyro is knock-back. We are a class that relies heavily on close quarters combat, so anything that pushes us away is a definite problem. Explosives are the most obvious form of this. A Soldier shooting your feet or a Demo with stickies on the ground can bring tears to your eyes with the ease with which they will kill you. They can essentially juggle you in the air for as long as they like and finish you off at their leisure, while you can’t even move because your feet aren’t on the ground. If you don’t close ground fast to deny them this opportunity, expect to die having made no impact on the enemy. Stickies (or crit rockets) also can launch you such long distances that you are separated completely from the front line where your close-range weapon is effective, and are out of the fight for critical seconds while you run back (if you didn’t die on impact)

Significant knock-back also comes from SGs and heavies. The knock-back of a level 2 or 3 SG can completely keep you from moving, and a heavy or even a level 1 SG will prevent you from jumping up on to something they are covering. This disproportionate knock-back effect makes it very difficult to use the tactics that make the most sense in many places, and require alternate routes or assistance from teammates to overcome. When a medic ubers you to head-on attack a high level SG, make sure to let them run ahead of you against the gun. This will draw the SG fire, and buy you the second or two you need to close in and destroy the weapon. Knock-back has done nothing but increase since the release of the game, I don’t see it going away any time soon.

-Wall glitch blocks flamethrower

Though Valve has purportedly been working on it, there is a very nasty glitch in the game where the flamethrower simply stops firing if it is too close to a wall, or other solid object. Though this is no doubt programmed in to make sure people aren’t being lit up through walls, it more often functions to deprive you of your main armament at critical moments! Pinning people against a wall is one of the best ways to corner them close and finish them off, except on those occasions where you pin them, and your main weapon suddenly stops working because of the wall! You’ll die many times to this in the process of learning the signs and remembering to back off. This unfortunate bit of programming also affects attacks on SGs, meaning that you can’t push up as hard against the SG as you usually want to in order to destroy it, but have to try to float yourself against the knock-back a foot or so away. This can even happen just by pushing up against a solid enemy (like an unmoving heavy, or a soldier), though that is relatively rare, and usually simply results in a sporadic fire stream, instead of fully cutting off.

-Death

As a pyro, you will die. A lot. You specialize in jumping right on top of people who are bigger, faster, and can kill you from farther away. You charge groups, and you charge automated turrets with dual cannons and quad rockets. Many kills you feel should be yours will turn in to assists when somebody else finishes off your burning target, and sometimes will get taken away when that somebody else has a medic on them getting the assist credit. Get over it. The pyro is a team player, and a great one at that. He’s just a frequent visitor to the respawn zone.
[/quote]

Well done write up Alizee. Demomen just need to blow people up!
[/quote]

amen to that brova!

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Re: Hints and Tips for playing TF2

Post by Nick Mame » Sun Jun 15, 2008 11:54 pm

Please do not consider this an actual 'hint' so much as a theory. Results may vary; try only if you approve.

Aggression
A few of you might know me: that soldier who's charging you as a heavy (when you have a medic) firing off rockets like crazy and then switching to shotgun at point-blank range. Alternatively, I might be that sniper who's running after you with a SMG or cleaving you in half when you try to burn me alive. But I might just be that heavy who jumps in front of your sentry destroying both it and you while survivng with roughly 17 health. Yeah, that reckless guy who loves leading Torven to his ultimate death.

Well, as crazy as it may sound, I consider my antics to be viable and highly effective strategies. Whereas other players are hiding behind corners spamming the entrance and creating one huge stand off between the teams, I'm running around like a maniac completely disrupting the enemy (and getting myself horrifically killed in the process). Your medics can account for this: even if I die, you've lost about three Ubers in the process. The theory here is that if you press your enemy, they'll have no foundations from which to launch their own attack. If you continously throw yourself at them, regardless of how reckless the action might seem, they'll loose their Ubers, be unable to build up their defenses, and be in no position to launch a counter-offensive.

Think about it this way: you're alone with about 57 health as a soldier pitted against a couple of enemies holding the front. If you retreat, you'll be able to escape and get healing. The enemy, however, will take all the ground you give and advance. If you charge forward and start shooting things like crazy, you'll be fighting against a couple of enemies who also happen to be at 57 health (since they didn't just respawn, ya'know - they've seen as much action as you) with a reasonable chance of killing a few off and at least buying some time for reinforcements to arrive. With the first case, you waste roughly respawn time + travel time to get to a front which has shifted in the enemy's favor. In the second case, you use up about the same time (after dying) but have bought enough time to hold the front. Reckless aggression paid off.

Another example: you're alone and are facing the entire enemy team on Warpath right outside of their final base (right past the arch). Pretty reckless to charge, right? Well, it just so happens all of their medics are out in the open. It just so happens that if you shoot those medics, they retreat to find cover inside the base. It also just so happens that once the medics retreat, the other classes retreat to provide them cover and receive their healing. A reckless one-man charge, although it accomplishes no actual dent in the enemy forces, just earned all the ground between that arch and their base. It does in fact work; I've done it on multiple occasions.


There are several key points in my Code of Aggression:
1) Advance without Uber. You don't need to be invincible to take out sentries or decimate the enemy front. You'll be far more effective if you charge and die than if you hide back waiting for an Uber that will be prepared whether or not you sit in that lonely corner.

2) Advance with Uber. You don't have to be the invulnerable guy to make use of an Uber. The Uberees will draw sentry fire; that just means it's a normal battle between the surviving players on the field. Make use of the Uber; charge and mop up.

3) Use field medics. Retreating when you have low health is just a silly thing to do. It takes as much time to reach the health as it would to die and reach the front. Unless you are two steps away from a health pack, it's better to just die and cause as much carnage possible in the process. So you have 5 health... your point? I've taken out entire respawn waves with that much. Just think of it as you think of a crit rocket: that extra 100 isn't going to help much.


But where would we be without Rules of Aggression?
1) Never leave a critical point or a medic unattended. Don't do reckless things if there is something that needs protection and you are the only one who can do so. If you see a weak enemy retreating and you're the only person on the point, stay on the point. Better they survive than your team lose ground.

2) Never lead a medic into a situation that has no hope. It's fine if you charge and die on your own. You should not, however, bring an antsy medic into a hopeless situation. That does not mean you cannot be aggressive with a medic. It means that you do not place yourself where the medic can be surrounded with no hope for escape.



Dunno how coherent or complete all that was; I just felt compelled to say something after being scolded on Warpath for being at the mouth of the tunnel as a medic instead of hiding back near the bridge. If everyone were more aggressive, the game's would be so much more interesting and the teams so much more effective... unless I'm just really lucky when aggressive.

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Re: Hints and Tips for playing TF2

Post by Boss Llama » Mon Jun 16, 2008 12:38 am

[quote="Nick Mame";p="100463"]
Aggression
A few of you might know me: that soldier who's charging you as a heavy (when you have a medic) firing off rockets like crazy and then switching to shotgun at point-blank range. Alternatively, I might be that sniper who's running after you with a SMG or cleaving you in half when you try to burn me alive. But I might just be that heavy who jumps in front of your sentry destroying both it and you while survivng with roughly 17 health. Yeah, that reckless guy who loves leading Torven to his ultimate death.

Well, as crazy as it may sound, I consider my antics to be viable and highly effective strategies. Whereas other players are hiding behind corners spamming the entrance and creating one huge stand off between the teams, I'm running around like a maniac completely disrupting the enemy (and getting myself horrifically killed in the process). Your medics can account for this: even if I die, you've lost about three Ubers in the process. The theory here is that if you press your enemy, they'll have no foundations from which to launch their own attack. If you continously throw yourself at them, regardless of how reckless the action might seem, they'll loose their Ubers, be unable to build up their defenses, and be in no position to launch a counter-offensive.

Think about it this way: you're alone with about 57 health as a soldier pitted against a couple of enemies holding the front. If you retreat, you'll be able to escape and get healing. The enemy, however, will take all the ground you give and advance. If you charge forward and start shooting things like crazy, you'll be fighting against a couple of enemies who also happen to be at 57 health (since they didn't just respawn, ya'know - they've seen as much action as you) with a reasonable chance of killing a few off and at least buying some time for reinforcements to arrive. With the first case, you waste roughly respawn time + travel time to get to a front which has shifted in the enemy's favor. In the second case, you use up about the same time (after dying) but have bought enough time to hold the front. Reckless aggression paid off.

Another example: you're alone and are facing the entire enemy team on Warpath right outside of their final base (right past the arch). Pretty reckless to charge, right? Well, it just so happens all of their medics are out in the open. It just so happens that if you shoot those medics, they retreat to find cover inside the base. It also just so happens that once the medics retreat, the other classes retreat to provide them cover and receive their healing. A reckless one-man charge, although it accomplishes no actual dent in the enemy forces, just earned all the ground between that arch and their base. It does in fact work; I've done it on multiple occasions.


There are several key points in my Code of Aggression:
1) Advance without Uber. You don't need to be invincible to take out sentries or decimate the enemy front. You'll be far more effective if you charge and die than if you hide back waiting for an Uber that will be prepared whether or not you sit in that lonely corner.

2) Advance with Uber. You don't have to be the invulnerable guy to make use of an Uber. The Uberees will draw sentry fire; that just means it's a normal battle between the surviving players on the field. Make use of the Uber; charge and mop up.

3) Use field medics. Retreating when you have low health is just a silly thing to do. It takes as much time to reach the health as it would to die and reach the front. Unless you are two steps away from a health pack, it's better to just die and cause as much carnage possible in the process. So you have 5 health... your point? I've taken out entire respawn waves with that much. Just think of it as you think of a crit rocket: that extra 100 isn't going to help much.


But where would we be without Rules of Aggression?
1) Never leave a critical point or a medic unattended. Don't do reckless things if there is something that needs protection and you are the only one who can do so. If you see a weak enemy retreating and you're the only person on the point, stay on the point. Better they survive than your team lose ground.

2) Never lead a medic into a situation that has no hope. It's fine if you charge and die on your own. You should not, however, bring an antsy medic into a hopeless situation. That does not mean you cannot be aggressive with a medic. It means that you do not place yourself where the medic can be surrounded with no hope for escape.



Dunno how coherent or complete all that was; I just felt compelled to say something after being scolded on Warpath for being at the mouth of the tunnel as a medic instead of hiding back near the bridge. If everyone were more aggressive, the game's would be so much more interesting and the teams so much more effective... unless I'm just really lucky when aggressive.[/quote]

My name is Alizée Fan, and I endorse this message.

Though I don't usually run in to problems in the evenings with the regulars, I regularly find myself having to expound this theory on the fly when playing with less experienced players. Relentless pressure is great, and dying doesn't hurt. Keep attacking, always!
-Boss Llama

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Re: Hints and Tips for playing TF2

Post by Fleshwound » Mon Jun 16, 2008 1:10 am

The only reason I have gotten to the point where I wrack up as many points as I do on the ville servers is because of the ideas that Nick Mame brought forward. When you play a game aggressively, most weaker players are going to react predictably. This applies to all >2 person games, not just TF2. In TF2, the best example I can give is this: After capping the first CP on dustbowl pt3, I can as a demoman round the corner beyond the stairwell down to the sewers without an uber. There may be two demos, two soldiers, and two medics there. But by simply pushing forward and making a conscious effort to dodge any incoming projectiles, they will naturally retreat backwards. Knowing this, I'm throwing stickies directly in their path of retreat towards CP2, not where they are currently standing. Many times, I've gibbed half a team with these reactions in mind, and made a much easier victory for my team.

A secondary benefit to employing these ideas into your game is that you will become a much better player just that much quicker. When you continually put yourself into difficult situations, it's becomes second nature to make the correct decisions when confronted with simpler confrontations. You're not going to improve your game that much by being that guy that sticky camps that one corridor. So props to all of those guys who push it hard like Nick Mame, Alizee Fan, and especialy JoeBlow. <3 JoeBlow, that dude probably dies more than I do.

However, by posting this Nick (assuming anybody actually reads and incorporates it), you know you will increase the difficulty (and thus fun!) of the games by an order of magnitude. Same thing happened when people really started playing poker in a more aggressive manner.

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Post by l3eeron » Mon Jun 16, 2008 1:40 am

Ya Nick, you're a monster. You play TF2 like I play DoD....


never take your finger off of W :D

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Re: Hints and Tips for playing TF2

Post by Nick Mame » Mon Jun 16, 2008 1:46 am

It'd be great if people improved themselves reading through this thread. If the average player gets better, there are for more opportunities for me to improve as well. As it stands, there are only a handful of remarkable players on the servers. I'd love if more of my deaths came from brilliant play rather than overwhelming numbers, a lucky hit, or random spam.

It'd also make the game a lot more interesting. When you're the only one recklessly charging about, you're throwing yourself against a gigantic wall. If more people did the same, I'd likely die less since I would no longer be alone on my suicide march. Warpath could also redeem itself by being more than two static walls of demospam... maybe.


But of course, not much improvement can come from reading huge blocks of text. It can help you change your play style to something with more room for improvement, but it won't directly make you a more skilled player. If you want to improve, find yourself a great player. Throw yourself at them relentlessly. Learn to love the thrill of the fight. Dying repeatedly to a superior hand offers both a reason to improve and a means through which to do so. Die often; learn much.

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Post by mr_s » Mon Jun 16, 2008 4:05 am

[quote="Nick Mame";p="100488"]
It'd be great if people improved themselves reading through this thread. If the average player gets better, there are for more opportunities for me to improve as well. As it stands, there are only a handful of remarkable players on the servers. I'd love if more of my deaths came from brilliant play rather than overwhelming numbers, a lucky hit, or random spam.

It'd also make the game a lot more interesting. When you're the only one recklessly charging about, you're throwing yourself against a gigantic wall. If more people did the same, I'd likely die less since I would no longer be alone on my suicide march. Warpath could also redeem itself by being more than two static walls of demospam... maybe.


But of course, not much improvement can come from reading huge blocks of text. It can help you change your play style to something with more room for improvement, but it won't directly make you a more skilled player. If you want to improve, find yourself a great player. Throw yourself at them relentlessly. Learn to love the thrill of the fight. Dying repeatedly to a superior hand offers both a reason to improve and a means through which to do so. Die often; learn much.
[/quote]

My friend, my hat goes off to you.

you are indeed a worthy foe in terms of demomaning (i just made up a new word dnt i?) and I respect that.

Rivals are far and few these days, but u actually keep me on my toes.

meet you on the battlefield in a week or so.

your nemises,
S

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Re: Hints and Tips for playing TF2

Post by TTHREAZ » Wed Jun 18, 2008 2:05 pm

I tend to be on the aggressive side myself and it pays off more often than it doesn't. I love rounding the corner out of the lower tunnel on Warpath as a Scout and running into half of the enemy team. Chances are they try to follow me as I run my ass off to their last point. While they're distracted by me, my team has less of an enemy to fight and they can move forward.

As a soldier, I love to rocket jump towards people and get in their face when I can. It's funny to see their reactions when I'm coming right at them through the air.

As a pyro, well, pyro is a blast to just run in and scare the bejesus out of the other team. Chances are, they'll do one of two things. One, they'll ignore the flames and try to kill me or two, they'll turn and run looking for heals at which time I bust out the shotgun and pick them off.

So, yes, aggression is a good thing. :D

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