The TF2 thread is a Spy!

[Jason]

It's an absolute multiplayer masterpiece, and god knows it's deserving of a discussion thread here - who do you play as, who do you hate? What's your biggest pet peeve? Get your TF2 chat out!

[Jason]

My favourite class is the Pyro - there's something madly satisfying about charging headfirst into the enemy at the business end of a stream of fire - for some reason, no other class seems to cause as much chaos as a loose Pyro in the enemy ranks. Granted, you spend a lot of time dead unless you're very good, but boy is it worth it when you get the payoff. :D

I'm probably best with the Medic though - give me a good Demoman to partner with and I'll rack up those points like you wouldn't believe. Just don't spam the medic button while you have almost full health and you're running around me like a lunatic, you'll probably get ignored. :hammer:

[Konrad]

My favourite classes are Spy and Heavy.

The first isn't very good for points, but tons o fun especially now that I unlocked the motion sensitive cloak.

Heavy I pick when I just want to rack up a ton of kills, I don't know why or how, I just seem to be very good at it.

[Jason]

I'm the same with Pyro/Medic. I vastly prefer playing Pyro, but I rack up huge points totals as a Medic, so I switch between the two depending on the strength and needs of my team.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Medic = Points. That's a simple fact.

I tend to play Sniper and am damn good at it when I'm playing 2fort or am having a good day on any payload map. 2Fort I tend to top servers, make Snipers rage or change to spy, and attract point-whore medics to the point where I actually get on my mic and tell them to fuck off--I like my Sniper fights fair... and I call fair 2 or 3 vs me :D

When I'm not playing Sniper, I play Scout and Pyro while occasionally rolling a spy.

The only reason I ever play Medic is if no-one on my team will and we really need one.

[Rob]

Jason I'm all about the pyro/medic combo also. Those classes are the two I play the most and I just can't get enough of stopping entire advances and burning through 2-4 enemies as they run backwards in shame. Then I switch to medic and uber a charge into their base. Ah I will definitely be playing some TF2 this weekend.

Sniper would be another fun class with the shield/rifle combo.

[MyNameDidntFit]

I dislike the Razorback, really. I only use it when I'm sniping and the enemy team seems to consist of 90% spies. Generally I find it easier, and more effective, to use either Jarate/Kukri or my SMG to dispose of them before they get a chance to backstab me.

[Jason]

Soldier vs Demoman update this week... and this one REALLY has a twist. Apparently there are three new weapons for each, plus a secret seventh weapon that will go to ONE of the classes.
The way they're deciding which class gets the weapon is simple - whichever one kills more of the other class over the course of the week gets the weapon. Personally, I'm rooting for the demoman - I'm an awful Soldier, whereas more any idiot can rack up a few kills with the demoman. :p

[MyNameDidntFit]

For those who didn't see, here's the prelude to this war: http://www.teamfortress.com/war/administrator/

And the individual update pages:
Soldier (http://www.teamfortress.com/soldierupdate/)
Demoman (http://www.teamfortress.com/demomanupdate/)

Quite a nice thing they've got going there...

[Jason]

Looks like the Soldier's going to win it - a shame, because I'm a terrible, terrible soldier player. I can at least get by and hold my own as a Demoman, but I'm a liability with the Soldier.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Soldier won it due to the propaganda contest. Something that makes me feel very, very, very sorry for the Steam Forums moderators who are charged with holding order in the TF2 section...

May the Force be with them.

[Rob]

I would have rather seen the demo win. They got some cool stuff but I really want to know what the last item was going to be.

[MyNameDidntFit]

I imagine it would have been the same boots but for sticky jumping.

[Jason]

http://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=3279

...oh my!

With the success of the AI systems of Left 4 Dead, we've been continuing to develop these technologies to create new kinds of game experiences. Team Fortress 2 is an excellent "sandbox" for explorations of this sort, and we've been quietly doing so for much of this last year. Some of the results of these explorations are TF "bots" — AI-driven player proxies with simulated humanlike senses, reaction times, and tactics. Although the TFBots are not yet complete, they play a pretty decent game of King of the Hill.



We thought you might enjoy testing your skill against these work-in-progress digital killing machines.



We'd also like to hear your thoughts on how the bots are behaving. Although we have our list of behavior bugs to tackle (this is a beta after all), we're sure you'll discover issues we haven't yet seen. If you'd like to give us bot feedback, you can post your thoughts in our new Bot Feedback sub-forum (http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=818), or send us an e-mail at tfbots@valvesoftware.com. In either case, please tell us the three things you hate most about the bots, and the three things you like best about them (as well as anything else you think we should know).



Since this is a beta test, the TFBots are only functional on these King of the Hill maps: koth_viaduct, koth_sawmill, and koth_nucleus. They don't understand the rules of multiple point capturing, cart pushing, or flag getting... yet. There's also no interface in the game to accessing them yet (we'll add one in an update shortly), so you'll need to access them manually.





To add bots to your game, use the console command tf_bot_add. This will drop a random bot onto a random team (assuming there is a free player slot). The tf_bot_add command can also take up to three optional arguments: <count>, <class>, and <team>, in any order. For example, tf_bot_add 10 will add 10 random bots to the game with auto-assigned teams. Typing tf_bot_add pyro blue will add a Pyro to the blue team. Entering tf_bot_add red 5 will add 5 random bots to the red team. The command tf_bot_add red 3 heavyweapons will add three heavies to the red team.
In order to put specific bots on specific teams (for a bots-vs-humans game, for example), you may want to disable automatic team balancing. To do this, enter mp_autoteambalance 0 followed by mp_teams_unbalance_limit 0.To remove a bot, use the console command kick <bot name>. To remove all of the bots in the game, use the command tf_bot_kick all.




TFBots are "players", and take up player slots. They run the exact same code that human players do, moving and firing weapons by pressing "virtual buttons". The bots have simulated humanlike senses, and only know what they see, hear, and touch. They also have realistic reaction times and aiming limitations. They don't "cheat" or use omniscient knowledge of the server state to make their decisions.


If you're interested in the technical details, give this (http://www.valvesoftware.com/publications/2009/ai_systems_of_l4d_mike_booth.pdf) a read-through.

[Konrad]

oh my...

Edit: Also, gave the presentation at the end a read-through. Interesting stuff, though pertaining to Left 4 Dead.

[MyNameDidntFit]

What I want to know is how the Engineer and Spy will fare...

[Jason]

http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Daily/2010/05-May/03/Team%20Fortress%202%20figure/pro_big--article_image.jpg

The first in a series of TF2 figurines - they're all designed from the actual models used in the game to ensure accuracy. They even come in a choice of Red or Blu. Want one? That'll be $229 USD...

[Konrad]

Good investment? I'm already watching Mass Effect litographs since they are worth about 3 to 4 times as much on eBay.

[MyNameDidntFit]

If I had a spare $2,000 I'd love a nice Red Team...


Heh... I saw this before they'd priced it and thought "hmm, I wouldn't mind a nice Red Sniper"... not happening.

[Jason]

http://betacache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2011/02/red_horizontal_04.jpg

Looks like the Soldier is next to get the statue treatment. The price varies from $220 to $235 depending on what your choice of weapon is.

[happysister]

why...why is it so expensive? >_>

[Konrad]

Because it can. I bet these things sell like hotcakes anyway.

[MyNameDidntFit]

And, besides, how cool would you feel gloating about your $10 plastic Heavy? Not very, I'll bet. But your $250 awesome Heavy? Well, now, that's another matter...

[Jason]

If I paid $250 for a statue, I'd want it to be filled with cocaine.


...just sayin'.

[happysister]

And, besides, how cool would you feel gloating about your $10 plastic Heavy? Not very, I'll bet. But your $250 awesome Heavy? Well, now, that's another matter...
i'm not the gloating type, so that doesn't really apply to me. >_> besides, i'd be more impressed if you got the $250 Heavy for just $10, honestly. people who show off their collections while bragging about the enormous amounts of money they spent on them are kinda dumb in my opinion.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Precisely why I left it at "another matter" :p I don't really see the point in such things unless you're out for investment returns. I mean, they're awesome statues and I'd love a Sniper... but, well, I could buy a console for that much :/

[Jason]

Yeah, perhaps once I become supreme overlord of Earth (we Brits have a history of that sort of thing, you know...), I might get one, but until that day, my money will be staying put. :p

[happysister]

because being supreme overlord of the earth just isn't good enough. you have to have a TF2 statue too. :P

[Jason]

Damn right. That way, I'll have someone to talk to during my slow descent into madness.

[MyNameDidntFit]

(we Brits have a history of that sort of thing, you know...)
Just out of curiousity... but, uh, is it just me or do you always end up failing it? :p

[happysister]

Just out of curiousity... but, uh, is it just me or do you always end up failing it? :p
LOL! i guess that would explain the "slow descent into madness" bit.

[Jason]

I've recently got back into TF2 in a big way, and have discovered a new lease of life as a Axtinguisher/Backburner-wielding Pyro, albeit one with an unfortunate habit of attempting to ambush a heavy/medic combo just as they launch an uber.

No joke, a couple of days ago, I did it three times in a single round. There must have only been about two walls in the entire map that hadn't been painted with my entrails.
Although to balance it out, I set a new personal record the next map with 16 kills in a single life.

So. Much. Carnage.

[Betty]

what are you getting at here...
i expected someone posted in this thread because they wanted to play tf2...........

nope.

you suck, and pyro sucks.

[Jason]

I am ALWAYS game for some TF2.

And you just hate Pyro because I barbeque'd your Heavy with it that one time. So nyaaah-boo.

[Betty]

who was the one that got a ludacris kill?

Yeah.
Me.

[Jason]

Actually, your sentry, if I recall correctly. :p

Either way, this conversation just reminded me about that dude who was playing spy. His tactics consisted entirely of disguising as an engineer, then running round in places that an engineer had no logical place being before running straight up to you and expecting you not to get suspicious.

Fun times.

[Betty]

Nope. I was a heavy. Sam was a medic. We beasted.

Haha, that spy ALWAYS comes up in conversation. God he was dumb.

[Archangel]

Actually, your sentry, if I recall correctly. :p

Either way, this conversation just reminded me about that dude who was playing spy. His tactics consisted entirely of disguising as an engineer, then running round in places that an engineer had no logical place being before running straight up to you and expecting you not to get suspicious.

Fun times.

Nope. I was a heavy. Sam was a medic. We beasted.

Haha, that spy ALWAYS comes up in conversation. God he was dumb.

I loved that dude. Me and B were just chillin' as a Medic/Heavy combo, and he just kept on coming, over and over again. And every time I saw him, I'd run over and smack him on the head and get 25% to my ubercharge. So that was nice, I guess.

[Betty]

so when are we playing video games together again? Killing Floor, TF2, L4....Killing floor? Tf2

[MyNameDidntFit]

... today?

[Betty]

tonight? right now?

[MyNameDidntFit]

I'm available about an hour from now. Any time after that, including tomorrow.

[Betty]

I should be up