Team Fortress 2 - help (I don't know what to do...!!)

[JTsyo]

This might help too. I've watched EvilDaedalus videos and they are quite good. You don't need to pull off everything he shows, just keep them in mind.

 

[spittledip]

This might help too. I've watched EvilDaedalus videos and they are quite good. You don't need to pull off everything he shows, just keep them in mind.

Ah, those were the videos I was looking for! Those are good.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

Yes, check the IP I listed 2 posts above yours....:whiste:

yeah i saw that smartass, but it wouldn't show up on steam.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

TF2 is an easy game to master, especially if you've played TFC or Quake.



LOL, no. It's a utility class that anyone can play. Playing pyro requires the least amount of skill/playing time to master.

false.

 

[gorobei]

TF2 has a pretty jarring gameplay style for those transitioning from traditional FPS. Because many of the weapons are also found in other games, the expectation of firing effect(spread, speed, damage, rate of fire, etc.) doesnt match up with what most people expect from mini guns/rocket-launchers/sniper rifles.

The nature of the health/attack-damage system is that the values are setup to allow players to take a fair bit of damage over multiple attacks in order to give them a chance to recognize the threats around them. Unlike more milsim games where 1 or 2 hits from an assault rifle equals death. So in a typical 1v1 encounter if you have enough distance between your opponent, it's less likely you will die in an insta-gib and you'll have time to trade blows and maneuver. The problem for newbies is that you are in a 1vAnything encounter most of the time; where you are up against an enemy you can see and 5 other threats you can't see/recognize yet(sentry/stickybomb/sniper/spy)

My take is to suggest that you think of TF2 as the "capcom streetfighter 2" of first person shooters. Each class has a unique/signature style of gameplay that trades off health/speed/attack/agility to create a counter balance system where one class has an advantage over another class and a weakness to a different class(i.e. rock paper scissor, only with 9 classes and no ryu/ken overlap. tho soldier/demo might be close).
Your job is to learn each class and it's limitations, and then learn how to apply them to each map scenario. [When a demo sticky camps a choke point, go scout with bonk drink. Sniper controls an approach, go spy cloak. Sentry covers a area, find a corner to hide behind and stickybomb it. Impossible impass, get a medic to uber. Etc.]

The reason people think TF2 is simple or lacks depth is because they are used to other shooters where everyone has 7 different weapons and any given "class" can come in and toss a grenade, flank a corner, and bunny/dolphin hop and rambo it up as long as their aim is good. TF2 dont play that game. While the shooting mechanics have been simplified, the situational application of each attack has been expanded by the ability of both teams to setup adhoc defensive positions anywhere. Each class is intentionally vulnerable and is designed to make you rely on other people playing different roles to win the round. Glory hounds/point whores get frustrated that they cant do everything when faced with multiple/variable threats.

What makes TF2 so compelling is that if you can cobble together a little teamwork, you can overcome a gauntlet of sentries and spam that normally seem impossible. You will encounter far more last second team heroics in a payload or controlpoint map in TF than you will ever find in any deathmatch in some other shooter. [Also the art style is just absolutely charming and actually has a sense of humor.] There are just a ton of things to make you laugh/smile/giggle. A lot of games forget the fun part. [not that there aren't horribly unbalanced teams a lot of times, but that happens with all games.]

 

[marmasatt]

yeah i saw that smartass, but it wouldn't show up on steam.

Yeah something happened. Just enter the IP address. Worked for me yesterday...

 

[Zoomer]

Shoot them. If they're the same color as you, shoot them once to make sure they're not a spy. If they aren't the same color as you, keep shooting til they stop moving. And if they're a spy, shoot randomly a couple of times, 'case they're dead ringers.

Don't do this unless you have some kind of suspicion, and definitely not if you have observed them shooting any large weapon (non-melee).

By the way, I still think TF2 << TFC.

 

[totalnoob]

If you don't like spies, go pyro and tap your flamethrower randomly every 3 seconds. You'll kill your first invisible spy in a few minutes.

Just remember the proper role of pyro.. Don't charge the enemy one on one.. On offense, hug the walls and hover around your team doing spy checks. On defense, stick around the control points and try to find good ambush spots where the enemy needs to pass through..and remember the 3 second rule. Tap Tap Tap..always.

Dying is inevitable as a pyro, but if you take several enemies with you it won't be in vain.

 

[Sureshot324]

One thing that is that is crucially important for a new player is LEARN THE MAPS! I never play on a map I don't know. If I join a server and see that it's a new map I don't know, I immediately switch to spectator and spend like 5+ minutes flying around the map learning the layout. You won't learn the layout nearly as quickly just playing. Once you know the map it becomes so much easier, since you know where the enemies are likely to be coming from and the objective you're supposed to be going after.

If you want to learn how to play like good players, chase cam them! Whenever you notice an especially good player in the server, switch to spectator and chase cam them. Make sure you do this in first person, not 3rd person. You will learn a lot from doing this.

 

[Rezident]

It's like 9 different (totally different) games in one. There's something there for nearly everybody.

Pick a class or two and learn them first. Pyro and Medic (and maybe Heavy) are probably easiest at first. Learn their different roles on different maps (Attack/Defend, CP, Payload etc.) and obviously learn a few maps well (say Dustbowl, Gold Rush, Badwater).

Once you get over the initial learning curve, this game is potentially the most fun around.

The TF2 Wiki should answer most of your questions.

 

[WildW]

Interesting description gorobei - makes some sense to me. As a Battlefield 2 point-whore I was initially put off by TF2 and never went back to it. Played a few servers, and on each was constantly getting killed by spies.

If teamwork is essential, is it a game where you _must_ have a headset mic and people communicate? Or can you get away with just wandering around together and knowing what to do?

 

[spacelord]

I don't have a headset. I follow others or try and play for the good of the team.

 

[gorobei]

headsets aren't required as enough other people have them. one person as spy with the cloak&dagger watch that understands the map dynamic can call out the relevant info (much like what a real um spy does). text chat still works but is a little less effective since you're completely vulnerable when typing.

All that is required is that everyone listens and makes the necessary adjustment or preparations. when someone calls out the sentry location, a person familiar with the map will know if they should try to corner edge it with demo, distance spam it with soldier, sniper the engy and let others kill the sentry, spy sap it, or scout bonk distract it. ideally if the audible comes, medics who are close to uber should start looking for demos and call out that they have the uber.

good teams can run silently, voice just gives you the option of adding fun. There is a female player at one server i frequent who swears like a sailor when playing. her intensity while playing is both terrifying and slightly arousing.

 

[spacelord]

There is a female player at one server i frequent who swears like a sailor when playing. her intensity while playing is both terrifying and slightly arousing.

HAHA! lol.

 

[WildW]

headsets aren't required as enough other people have them. one person as spy with the cloak&dagger watch that understands the map dynamic can call out the relevant info (much like what a real um spy does). text chat still works but is a little less effective since you're completely vulnerable when typing.

All that is required is that everyone listens and makes the necessary adjustment or preparations. when someone calls out the sentry location, a person familiar with the map will know if they should try to corner edge it with demo, distance spam it with soldier, sniper the engy and let others kill the sentry, spy sap it, or scout bonk distract it. ideally if the audible comes, medics who are close to uber should start looking for demos and call out that they have the uber.

That sounds intensely strategic, really eye-opening. To my untrained eyes the game was just full of people constantly rocket-launchering each other.

 

[Alienwho]

My first game that I joined a few days ago had nothing but theme songs playing and people yelling nonsense. I immediately turned off voice chat so I'm not sure if I'm missing anything when it comes to that.

 

[mav451]

That's dependent on servers. Dedicated servers vary considerably with this game so it does take some research finding one you like, but the ones I play on don't tolerate the mic spam.

Regarding frustration - well, this game is very vulnerable to team stacking. Odds are you will find yourself on a team that is out-matched at every position, and there's really not much you can do at that point but play through it. This is true of any FPS game, but it is especially glaring in TF2. There are some servers that have balancing mechanisms in place, but again, you gotta research which ones have it and which ones don't.

 

[Alienwho]

Regarding frustration - well, this game is very vulnerable to team stacking. Odds are you will find yourself on a team that is out-matched at every position, and there's really not much you can do at that point but play through it. This is true of any FPS game, but it is especially glaring in TF2. There are some servers that have balancing mechanisms in place, but again, you gotta research which ones have it and which ones don't.

I have noticed the balancing on several servers I have played for. It usually happens when I freshly join a team as a spy and quickly get 5 or 6 backstabs before dying. Repeat process 2 or 3 times, and suddenly I'm on the very team I was backstabbing.

It drives me crazy because I have some sort of mental disorder or something where I don't know what team I'm supposed to be killing unless I constantly think about it. If I'm red, for the first 5 minutes of the match I have to be telling myself "Red kill blue, red kill blue". The confusion is compounded when I look at my red spy in the corner and see a blue demoman on top that I am posing as. Then suddenly if I am balanced onto the opposite team I'm practically disabled for 5 minutes not knowing what team i am playing for.

 

[ivan2]

i find the sword/shield demo easily playable for a newbie. you spam pipe at the choke point, and after you see your pipes hit, switch to sword and do the shield slam/crit chop. chances are you will get someone unlucky to stand in your way. retrieve after you kill the guy, don't turn your back on them, run backwards and keep spamming that pipe.