Y'know, I have a real love/hate relationship with the Sniper class. I love the theme of the class, but I hate Sniper players. There's nothing worse than being on a streak and then suddenly being headshot by some prick on the other end of the bloody map.

So, this weekend, the TF2 servers are going to be full of people grindin' Sniper achievements. Should be a fun time, both for Sniper players and the players who hate them. Me, I may get some Spy practice in. A deck full of Snipers could easily lead to chain-backstabs the likes of which TF2 has never known!

Sniper is my favourite of favourite classes. I love the character, I love the play style, I love kurkri-ing people to death.

The huntsman should be interesting, but it seems as if it'll mostly be a novelty weapon. I mean, sticking people to walls is great and all, but the other classes had practical upgrades to their weaponry which, while they all had negatives, offered an almost leg up on the competition(Blutsauker being probably the best, with the other three trailing in some kind of order behind). The force-a-nature does more damage with knockback, the backburner has 100% crits from behind, Natasha slows down enemies for easier shooting, but the Huntsman seems to be kind of tedious really. Whoo-hoo, I can pin people to walls! If they're dead anyways, does it really even matter?

The decreased charge time is nice, but I imagine that'll be counter-balanced with a shorter flight range on the arrow(I could be wrong here.)

The sniper is a sadly underpowered class(takes six shots to kill a heavy non-charged with the rifle. Takes three shots with a non-charged rifle to take out any other class, without any critcal hit ratio to balance it.) and I doubt the update will help that out much.

But hey, whatever we get, it'll be better than the SMG.

I hope.

So, I'm finally taking an interest in this game, and just want to know if running things on the minimum settings will be worth it, or if I should just bite the bullet and upgrade my computer?

It's always better to upgrade. TF2 is one of the clunkier multiplayer Source games. (Left 4 Dead, on the other hand, is svelte and slim.)

If it's really bad, you can turn the resolution down all the way if you have a bigger setting, that really helped me stop getting pyro flame, medic uber, and mass player lag.


Sniper's, Spy's, and Pyro's seem to be the class that everyone loves to play as, but HATE when they get killed by one.

I'm worried about getting into it because I'm a complete n00b. I'd end up naught but grist for the mill.

Play on a capture the flag server with lots of people on and no one notices you suck as much, so you can practice!

Plus it's not like Left 4 Dead, the people are usually a little less angry on TF2 then on Left 4 dead...

i tried playing this game when i got the orange box...

i just sucked too much.

Well I don't like that most of the servers seem to be servers made by players and not public servers. I'd prefer public servers, because then they can't just decide you suck and cut you off... or I don't feel like I'm invading someone elses game.

Here's the deal with TF2:

No one starts good. Everyone needs practice and to learn the tricks of certain maps(and ammo/health placements). Most of the time, people don't care what you do, they're just there to have a good time(especially on CTF servers)

Just stay away from high priority classes(Heavy, Medic, Engineer, to a lesser extent Demoman) if you don't want pressure.

Medic and Pyro are probably the easiest classes to start on,(though you'll probably get bitched at if you play medic stupid, since you need to deploy ubers and what not, but whatever) with really, debatable tiers of difficulty going up from that. I'd argue Spy is probably the most difficult class, though Sniper isn't easy either, due to the fragility of both.

I'm guessing the Soldier is the "basic" character then, nothing too complicated?

I'd probably go with Medic, even though I don't want to be stuck as the healer again. I always expected the Heavy to essentially be the easy mode of the game, but it looks like he's more or less just a walking turret.

Heavy is actually one of the harder classes to play. They require an element of timing that most other classes don't.

And yeah, everyone sucks at TF2 at first, even people who have been playing FPS games forever. Every class has a learning curve. I'd say that Pyro, Medic, and Soldier are some of the easiest to learn. Scout is pretty straightforward, too, but requires fast reflexes and a good mouse. Demoman is a ton of fun, too, if you're comfortable with Source physics.

One of the nice things about TF2 is the freezecam. Whenever you die, you get a quick screenshot of the guy or sentry that killed you so you never have to sit there, grinding your teeth, wondering how you got killed.

Another nice aspect to the game is that the players, in large part, are more laid-back and easy-going than all the PR0 G4M3R obsessives on other games. They're willing to help new people, not deride them.

I usually play on the TrUservers.net and XPgaming.net 2fort servers. If you see me there, let me know and I'll give you some tips!

MUST...RESIST...URGE...TO START...NEW...GAME...

I usually play as the demoman, and at first I really sucked, but now I'm at least okay!

Soldier is pretty easy to master, but they have a tendency to blow themselves up with their own rockets, so be careful, even if they are the "basic" class!

I'm used to killing myself with rockets, happens all the time in Quake. That's partially why I'm interested in this game now. On days where I'm getting too twitchy to the point of running into another player, flinging the mouse, and firing a rocket into the corner ceiling, I'd like to go to something more relaxing.

Though setting people on fire sounds good too, and flame throwers are something that's missing from Quake.

Pyros are fun, and I've been trying to play them more after playing as the demo quite a lot, but it seems to me that I either still kinda suck at them or pyros just burn and then suicide a lot because of all the attention their flames attract?

Like I said before, every class has its nuances and none are totally straightforward. Pyro is all about burning, then retreating. If you chase someone as Pyro, you're doing it wrong. They can run backwards and shoot at you (or bounce pipe bombs over the ceiling and behind themselves, if you're chasing a Demoman.) This usually results in a dead Pyro. Know the map. Use side corridors while everyone else charges the main way. Wait around corners to burn enemies. Catch 'em from behind! Then skulk away while they panic and burn!

Don't forget to make the most of your compression blast! You can use it to redirect rockets (Soldier and sentry) and pipe-bombs. You can sweep a sticky-bomb carpet clear. You can knock Medics away from their Übercharge partners, leaving said partner vulnerable. You can blast enemies off terrain and to their deaths. This all takes practice, but I find that it's an invaluable part of the Pyro's arsenal. I actually switched away from the Backburner because I found myself missing it.

An Übercharged Pyro is actually the best class for clearing out a nest of enemies, especially if the Medic is competent. Unlike a Heavy, the Pyro doesn't slow down as he fires. Unlike the Soldier and Demoman, he doesn't need to reload. He can charge right in, burn everything, then burn some more!

I remember one 2fort session where I, a Medic, and a Scout rushed the enemy base. We took out their sentries, killed nearly the entire enemy team twice over, and made it out with the intel before a Sniper headshot me from behind.

I'll be honest; I loathe FPS games. They make me motion sick like nothing else. But if I ever try one again, it will be TF2. The more I hear about it, the more tempting it is.

I just can't figure out what class I'd like to try first.

it'd be nice if these updates made it to console.

Must..resist purchasing.....game

really regretting not downloading the orange box when they had it on sale

Give in! You know you want to!

ONE OF US
ONE OF US
ONE OF US

PC gaming > Console gaming. Valve is trying to tell you this.

It's pretty shocking in the DRASTIC difference in douchebaggery between console and pc communities.

We just need a couple of allspark rooms we can hop on at any time.

4th of July sales for the win! I picked up my copy of the Orange Box for $9.99.

I used to as well, and outside of Quake III, still am not that big on them, but they can actually be a good time.


Considering the Orange Box is less than ten bucks more, I'd almost consider it, but then again, it's not like I'd play anything else on it except for a little Portal, and then forget about it.

I'm sure they can, but the rest of that loathing bit was where they make me motion sick. I can't really enjoy something that nauseates me.

But as mentioned, if I ever try another FPS again, it'll more than likely be TF2. Maybe if I get an actual desktop computer.

I can. That's how I laugh at Pauly Shore.

It's possible to laugh at Pauly Shore? The More You Know!

Perhaps I'll poke about for a copy of the game should I pick up a desktop. Though that won't be for a while. The next update will probably be out before then.

See, I bought it for Portal. I got it back when they hadn't released the games separately. But now I'm all about Half-Life.

I've been meaning to pick the game up again. I haven't played since before the Scout update. (Waaaaaaaaaiting for the Engy. Haven't cared enough to try hitting a crapton of achievements on the current classes for the extra weapons. Figure I'll get 'em eventually via regular playing.)

My preferred classes are Engy, Scout, and Soldier, going by my playtime stats. Warming up to the Pyro. (Pun not intended.) Go Blu Team!

(That aside, feel free to hit me up sometime to play. Not got much else to do while waiting to hear back on job applications...)

http://steamcommunity.com/id/Wingus/

If you want the achievement weapons, there are farming servers where people use bots and whatnot to help you get them. It's kind of cheating, but it's up to you personally whether or not you care.

On a random Team Fortress related sidenote, Gang Garrison is hilarious:
http://www.ganggarrison.com/

I ground my way through achievements for Pyro and Medic. I started on Heavy, but, by the time I got the Sandvich, I didn't see the point anymore of forcing myself to play a class I wasn't having much fun with. I knew Scout was going to be a similar experience. I went back to playing the game normally, picking whatever class I felt like playing or was needed by the team. Then, eventually, a friend invited me to farm achievements with her, so I did that. Got all my Heavy and Scout unlocks in an hour. I'll probably do that for Snoipah, too.

This sort of thing is why Valve is wanting to unmarry unlockables from achievements: Most players don't like achievement grinding, and so they're finding ways around it.

They had it for like 6 bucks a couple weeks back.

Man, wtf.

I'm glad they've not only made the main weapon really terrible, but the secondary weapon is just as useless as well. Spies will be able to see it, they won't stab you, and even if they do, you've only got one USE of it?

GAH.

I'm not sure I understand what it does unless you can use it in conjunction with your other weapons...

But the main weapon isn't terrible! Imagine how annoying it would be and how helpful for your other teams members if the other team is all stuck and unable to move.

I think I'm starting to get decent with a Heavy!

The huntsman pins only dead or close to death players to the wall.

USELESS.

SPY'S SAPPIN' MAH UPDATE!

Oh.

I NEED NEW PANTS.

I hope it is really a double update. So that games don't become all SPAH'S A SPAHIN' MAH SPAH and such.

I bought the Orange Box but have never played this game.

Oh god!

Amazing!

Add me, bitches!

Not that I actually play online yet, but here's my steamid.

LockeNCole

So it seems the spies update works a little differently, with having his inbuilt cloak being replaced as if it were a weapon instead of an weapon slot? Or maybe I'm not understanding how it works...

They won't be replacing his sapper with anything or the disguise case, so they change his cloak instead.

Ah... So both options are two new cloak options?

yeah, pretty much.

They may not update the knife either, I don't really see how you could change it without unbalancing it.

I played this game for a weekend or so, but it never really clicked with me. The more standard FPS are the ones that tend to draw me in forevers. Battlefield and COD are my bread and butter.

As for snipers....heh, give me a game with a decent rifle and I can be very useful to my team. Or heck a reasonably accurate machine gun. Scopes are not necessary to snipe on the average COD level. I've never been as good at the close range stuff, but I can hold a line pretty well and I'm good at finding little spots where it's hard to hit me.

Though when I did play TF2, I mostly did medic, it was the funnest for me. I helped several heavys go on some pretty awesome rampages.

The scope is necessary in TF2. Whereas, in other FPS games (Unreal Tournament most notably,) I could pull off no-scope headshots with ease, the TF2 sniper rifle does a lot less damage when you aren't zoomed in. In fact, the longer you're zoomed in for, the more powerful your shot will be.

Maybe I'll spend some time as Sniper this weekend or next. Might be funny.