Team Fortress 2 - MafiaScum Edition COMING BACK MAYBE?

[Sudo_Nym]

For combat purposes, you never take a Medic unless it's an emergency. And I have killed scouts with the needle gun, so it's not hopeless, but it's not plan A, either. I'm just saying, there's a neat Uber-Chain you can do, and weak in combat or not, permanently invincible medics can be trouble for any class.

I've been loving the combat engi. Usually, I only play Engi on defense, but I've been playing on offense with Frontier Justice/Lugermorph/Gunslinger, and it's been going pretty well.

[PokerFace]

The madcatz xbox controller is also used with Xbox when I have 4 people over so I didn't get it for the sole purpose of my PC roms its got multi purpose so I figured I'd give it I try before I take advantage of holiday sales

Thing that makes my keyboard odd is well... take a look at the keyboard in front of you. Notice how the buttons are slanted underneath each other. The Q is somewhat diagonal from the A. Now with my home computer, they vertically line up. Sure some buttons are naturally bigger than others like tab and enter but they aren't 1.5 other buttons sizes they are 2. Ever wonder why I am notoriously a bad speller? Thats part of it since all other keyboards do have the slant

BTW does the wrangler's sentry boosts enhance the mini sentry you get from gunslinger?

[Umbrage]

Medic can beat pyro by retreating while firing. Shotties aren't that effective at range. And of course any class can beat a heavy with hit and run tactics. So that leaves scout (a good scout should never die to a medic), soldier, and demo, and even those guys can be taken down easily if you get the jump on them or they're fighting someone else. Second highest speed in the game + health regen is a deadly combo.

Wrangler with mini-sentry is AWESOME, lots of people use that as their default. I never got the hang of the mini personally though.

[redFF]

Combat engi is a ton of fun.

[PokerFace]

Motherboard situation fixed

Got new keyboard, sold old one to buddy that owns a computer parts store

Plan to look into a gamer's mouse as I think I'd rather have more buttons on my mouse to hit with my right hand than my left hand. There are alot of controls in this game and buttons you got to use so finding a less cumbersome way to do it and upgrade my mouse at the same time, sounds like a good idea especially since I am right handed. All the controls and things you can do in this game is hard to remember and hit even if you use wasd. I'd hate to see a nob that was using the arrows try to play this game. I think the frustration they would have would be amusing

In my recent playing I have come to agree that the medic is awesome and a very important part of the team. Only issues I have with it is I feel I need a vita or uber saw to get ubers faster. Also medieval medic set I got is great but I often find myself getting shot up and nedding even more health as medic. Either I need to learn where the medpacks are in the levels, need to select better heavies to pocket with, or I need to get a better loadout than crossbow/amputator/medigun for my medic. Any advice?

Also I still love the potential spy brings to the table but I am not very good with it yet. Is there a map or gametype I should try with it to get practice? Only spy item I have managed to get via drop was big earner and diamond back and diamond back is not too good

[Umbrage]

I personally never got the hang of Medieval Medic, it's a completely different play style, the taunt heal is not practical even within medieval mode, and IMO the crossbow is very difficult to use efficiently. The reload time is just too long. Not saying it's bad, just my two cents.

I use the blutsager 90% of the time. You should never be dependent on the regen anyway, if you are something's gone wrong, and you can heal yourself extremely quickly with the blutsager. There're plenty of lost causes I managed to win because of a well-timed burst of healing.

I dislike the vita-saw because it encourages suicidal play, the medic isn't a soldier or spy, he doesn't make sacrificial runs to take out big targets. If your buddy dies, you should not die as well. That's not to say you can't be aggressive, just don't take big risks. Once you get better at surviving, you'll get more ubers. If you find a good buddy, then yeah, you two can go off and wreak some havoc, but if not, just stick to the background, healing the people that need it as you slowly advance.

Big earner and diamondback aren't bad, in fact I'd say the diamondback is a straight upgrade over the revolver, but you shouldn't really need either of them.

Gameplay type doesn't really matter, I find spy moderately easier on payload defence since you know where enemies will be and which way they're usually facing, but I'm a rabid payload fan in general so don't take my word for it. Whatever map you know extremely well is the best. You should know where all the ammo caches are, and know all the sideroutes/tunnels. Most important factor is the size of the game, I find. With a full or nearly full game, things get too chaotic, there're more pyros and people spychecking. With near empty games there're too few players for disguises to work. You want a game that's big enough so that nobody can keep track of all the players on their team, but small enough that they can't waste time spychecking or be too cautious. Around 6-8 per team is good.

As far as real pro-tips go, get used to switching between your sapper and knife, 'Q' is the default key and the one I use, but you might want to use one of your mouse buttons for that key, it comes in handy when you're pyro as well. Whenever you see an engy behind his sentry, (BEHIND is the key word here, it won't work if he's in front of it) run behind him, stab him, then tap Q or whatever to switch to sapper and sap the sentry. If you do it in one smooth movement you'll get the sentry before it can shoot you and you can sap the remaining buildings. There's also the stairstab, where you run up a staircase or ramp, then jump and turn in midair so you stab the guy lower down in the air, but it's rather difficult, and pretty much everyone knows to expect that by now so they'll turn with you. Not really worth practising, but good to know.

Honestly, a lot of spy seems to be random. There're days when I'm a one man army, and days when I can't get a single backstab. Don't worry about your failures, just enjoy your successes.

[Sudo_Nym]

And the biggest pro-tip I can think of is: "Don't be afraid to use your revolver". A lot of people get obsessed with trying to land backstabs, because it's a one hit kill. But backstabs aren't always possible- it isn't always wise/feasible to get behind somebody, or you've been detected, or the sniper's equipped the razorback. Your revolver is more accurate and does more damage than you think it does, so don't be afraid to use it.

[PokerFace]

When i am medic I usually stay back healing all or the nearest heavy until I have uber. When I get uber I charge into battle with my heavy. After that either we both die or he dies and I got away. The problem I have is the getting away. Either I suceed and in that case have trouble getting my health back. Some lucky guy finds me amongst the guys I am now group healing and I get picked off or I just don't get away. Rarely do I die before my heavy which I find surprising. Either my oppenants are just daft at who to shoot at when the uber ends or they just hate heavies

I do have the blutsauer but I'm not a good battle medic. I realize the gun heals you as you hurt others, but my first impulse as medic is to run rather than fight so that's likly why I not good battle medic. Think I will have to try being a battle medic more and force myself to use it. Or maybe I wonder if getting quickfix or kritzkrieg and using kritz's taunt or the quickfixes faster healing rate for yourself would be a good idea

my fav game type is also payload. I don't think I ever tried Red (defense) Spy. Perhaps that would serve me well

[Sudo_Nym]

Well, basically, that's what Uber does- you charge in, but then it runs out, and now you're surrounded. Most good opponents will aim to kill the medic first, as well. So what you should be doing as a medic is keep moving. Be unpredictable- medics are fast, and you can jump. Remember, you only need line of effect to keep healing, you don't need to be standing next to the guy or even looking at him. If you don't have it set yet, go into your options, and set your medigun to keep healing when you let go of the button- that way, instead of having to hold it down, it just keeps healing the last target until you click again.

Don't worry about the medic equipment- most of the healing guns and ranged weapons are sidegrades, not real upgrades- none of them are really better, they're just different. And I find the Kritzkrieg difficult to use correctly. The only upgrade you really need to worry about is the melee weapon- all upgraded melee weapons for a medic are strictly better than the default one, so pick the one you like- you aren't going to use it very often anyway.

[Umbrage]

Revolver is good, I still say the diamondback is an upgrade because you only use it in special situations, and having crits on hand is a huge bonus. Ambassador is good as well, particularly against razorback snipers. My aim sucks so I don't use it as much, but go for it.

When I get uber I charge into battle with my heavy.

There's your problem. Don't blindly rush in, save it for when you need it. And heavy is usually a poor uber choice, demo, soldier, or even pyro can make a bigger push. You only want heavy if you're defending.

As a general rule to dying as medic, unless you're killed by a scout/sniper, you or your teammates did something wrong. You should never be within soldier/demo killing range.

Your instinct to run away is a good one, but that doesn't mean you can't shoot as well. I prefer the blutsager because it gives the healing when you need it the most - when running from something big and scary - as opposed to when you've got time to find a health kit or dispenser.

Quick-fix is crap, don't use it. Without overheal, increased heal rate is barely worth anything.

Kritz is OK. The general rule is uber for defence, kritz for offence, although I prefer uber if I'm the only medic and kritz if there's another. Basically just personal preference though.

Payload defence spy is pretty easy, particularly if you have the C&D. Just hang out near the cart or just behind it, wait for enemies to start fighting your buddies down the line or otherwise let their guard down, then move in. You can get ridiculous chainstabs if the other team isn't fast enough. And it's usually pretty easy to spawncamp as well, everyone's focused on getting to the cart as quickly as possible.

[Sudo_Nym]

Depends on what you want to do. If you're trying to break through a defensive line, Heavy and Soldier are both good picks. If you're trying to bust an engie nest or have the Kritzkrieg, then Demo, Pyro, and Soldier are good picks.

[Umbrage]

Heavy doesn't kill enemies fast enough, he can't get into position fast enough, he can't chase enemies, you always waste uber unless the heavy is already under attack, and since nobody fights a heavy straight-on unless they know they can win, that means defence.

Kritz heavy is better. You can make a solid advance with a kritz heavy.

[Sudo_Nym]

Uber Heavy is for clearing out a defensive line; it doesn't matter if they flee, since then the rest of your team can follow through and clean up. You don't Uber a Heavy to do damage, you Uber him to use him as a battering ram. Nobody stands and fights with Uber Heavy.

[Umbrage]

But that's just a temporary reprieve. At most you've gained a few seconds of control, and that's if you have your whole team backing you up. Any halfway decent sniper is lining up a well timed headshot, and all the other players are just standing around a corner waiting for the uber to die down. Unless you're really close to capturing a point, it won't matter much. You have to get kills to make a real advance. And even if everything works out, kritz is still more effective at clearing a room.

The problem is that the heavy's main job is literally 'not dying'. Ubers make him better at it, but he still has the same basic utility. Whereas an uber on a pyro transforms him from a support unit to a wall of death. Demos and soldiers turn from killing machines to unstoppable killing machines, and you can't escape from them as easily.

[Sudo_Nym]

The key to Ubering Heavies is that their minigun does a lot of damage up close, and Ubering lets them survive up close. There are many situations where the opponent can't or doesn't want to run away (Control points and payload), and an Ubered Heavy, especially on defense, does a ton of damage. On offense, they aren't so great, perhaps, but it's easy to screw up Ubering a Soldier or Demo thanks to their ammo limits.

[Umbrage]

It does do a lot of damage up close, but the only times when enemies get that close are when they run into you or you ambush them, uber doesn't really help the former, and for the latter, either you don't need an uber (weak enemies) or another class would be better (heavies and/or sentries).

Uber heavy is good for stopping/slowing/delaying your retreat, but if you need an uber to have a heavy survive in close range combat, then something's wrong. Sure, a spy, heavy, or pyro can destroy a heavy in close range combat, but only as an ambush, which means you're ubering to save your life, not as part of a strategy, and you'd get identical results if you ubered an engy.

[orcinus_theoriginal]

Guys, I need tips deflecting rockets and grenades. Any tips?

Also, regen is necessary on medic because flare gun burns.

[PokerFace]

I took some time to thinks based on your guys awesome feedback. I think Blutsauer, medigun, vita may be best for my playstyle.

Dieing is something I never strive to do, but if it does happen, vita saw will help me get ubers later so all the last charging not feel as wasteful

Blutsauer heals you quick and good for offense even if it lowers your natural heal rate. The lowering natural is worth the amount you would get if you were in a battle

Medigun, invulnerable guy beats all kritz guy, and healing less force effected guy. If I am not only medic then I use kritzkrieg to taunt heal self and give out kritz

I can unlock kritzkrieg eventually. I already got blut and medigun, so all I need now is vitasaw. trades anyone?

[Umbrage]

Guys, I need tips deflecting rockets and grenades. Any tips?

Also, regen is necessary on medic because flare gun burns.

Aiming and timing. If you play soldier/demo enough, you get a sense of their rhythm, when they can shoot and how long it takes them to reload. Otherwise, just keep practising.

See, if you're getting hit with a flare gun, you should have a few needles into the pyro anyway. And really, with +1 regen per second you're only looking at 40 points of damage, plus 30 from the hit, leaving you with 80 health assuming you don't get extinguished, which let's face it is really easy. Flare guns aren't a major threat unless the pyro gets his critshot in, and no regen will help with that, that hurts.

[orcinus_theoriginal]

I don't know, accumulative damage on the medic really adds up. I play very defensively, and normally average 2, 3 Ubers per life on the medic. I find the passive healing very helpful. You aren't going anywhere with a medic at 20 hp.

Ubers: Uber Heavy/Pyro for clearing a defensive line and when you have somebody behind you. Uber demoman when you need to break out of somewhere.

I need to decide on my soldier set. Currently I'm using black box/Gunboats/Market Gardener, but I'm sure there's a better set out there. Also, what rockets do you guys use? I use Black Box normally, switch to Direct Hit for breaking Engi Nests.

Meanwhile, thoughts on the OP...
Scout: Mention force of nature for maps like nucleus and hightower.
Soldier: Jump to high places--they're the safest. For instance, when defending first control point on Gorge, jump to that ledge overlooking the point on the enemy side. Spam rockets to your heart's content. Make sure you use Direct Hit or Liberty Launcher if your tactic is to spam from afar though. Also, try to hit where the enemy will go, not where they are. Rockets are pretty slow. Rocket jump to go places faster. You can arrive at places faster than medics if you know where to go. Know where the health packs on the map are. You do very well in defending control points--just spam rockets at the control point if it's being captured and chances are you'll hit something. Also, it's your job to break nests.
Pyro: Backburner for ambush. I love playing backburner ambush on sawmill. :3 Also, camp with airblast ready around the bend at hightowers, blasting enemies off the cliff. Always works.
Demoman: You can sticky jump, but use it with a lot of caution.
Heavy: When at low health, get out and eat a sandwich. Like actually. Also, on payload maps, spam your machine gun in all directions to ward off spies. The payload will replenish your ammo. Gloves of running urgently is a must-have if you're playing Heavy.
Engineer: Set sentries up with its back against a wall.
Medic: Heal teammates low on health. Your ubercharge builds up faster if you're not overhealing. Heal more people rather than podding one.
Sniper: Jarate can extinguish teammates. Also, order for killing targets goes: Opposing snipers-Medic-everything else.
Spy: Hit the same target enough times and they'll quit the server. Also, you are more often than not a one shot suicide runner if you choose to attack the front line. Choose your targets wisely. Exchanging your life for that of a soldier may not be worth it. Exchanging it for a medic certainly is.

General gameplay: If your team doesn't have a medic, go medic. You'll rack up tons of points, and a team without a medic always loses to the team with the medic. Always. If you're playing a support class and your team has too many support classes, switch out. Always consider your team's composition when making your class choice.

[Sudo_Nym]

Another tip for Sniper, since I find it one of the hardest classes to play really well: you don't have to headshot everything. A fully charged body shot does a lot of damage.

[Umbrage]

A medic with 20 HP isn't going anywhere for a while regardless. You can usually find a healthkit/dispenser in the time it takes to regen, or even run back to your spawn.

I use the original, occasionally black box. Tried the DH a few times, couldn't get used to the increased rocket speed, threw off my aim.

[Maruchan]

you guys want a MS TF2 server? I can talk to Corin and see what he can do and maybe hook you guys up. would anyone use/beinterested in this if I did?

[redFF]

theres like 4 scummers who regularly play so probably not?

[Sudo_Nym]

The thing about medic regeneration is that it's not useful. The amount your health regenerates is linked to how much damage you're taking; you only regen 1 HP a second while you're actively taking damage, and every class can kill you faster than that.