Delta
4401
Would anyone be interested in me starting up an Xbox based Qt3 Tf2 group? What with all this talk of the PC version (which I can’t run), there must be others like me who want a good game on the ol’ ExBox. Anyone up for something like that?
Half-life wasn’t revolutionary except in the load style. It was incredible, but I’m not sure of any completely new ideas it had. What it DID have was tremendous refinement and exemplary design. HL2 had the gravgun, but was pure old school FPS mechanically, just tremendously refined.
TF2 is built on the foundation of older team based games, but like the others is polished to an unbelievable shine. TF2 went from being a hardcore military game to a cartoon in the process based on Valve’s obsessive research, one focusing on conveying as much information as possible to the player in as little time-something VERY unique at the point of release. Add in the balance, the very much alive world and characters, and you’ve got something that adds to the genre and excels on its own.
dermot
4403
Is there no unofficial official QT3 group for this?
sluggo
4404
Valve released an update today with some new soldier stuff: lasers.
The special mini-site they made for it looks like something out of Bioshock.
Squee
4405
That new rocket launcher is ridiculous. RIDICULOUS. I kinda want one before the inevitable nerf, but don’t really want to burn up a reclaimed and my only black box on it.
I believe that’s the site of a guy at Weta (special effects studio of Lord of the Rings fame) - Greg Broadmore - who makes and sells those as real models. Valve just collaborated to put some in TF2.
The new rocket launcher is a very bad idea. But as someone with twice as much soldier time logged than any other class I’m 100% OK with it. I also don’t expect a nerf at least not one worth mentioning.
TF2 has been going in a real wacky direction as of late but it all seems to be in my favor. This new soldier rocket launcher and the new spy weapons that further solidify the dead ringer as the only choice. thanks and fuck you valve.
Strato
4408
In the mean time, I really like the write ups and comics that Valve do. I can not help but wonder if the humour is an integral part of the success of Valve games.
Never heard of this Doctor Grordbort stuff so did some digging, apparently has been around since 2007. There are two comics but seem to be mostly art pieces and not fleshed out stories, and there are incredible expensive raygun models from Weta. The timing is of course related to Comic Con the tie in with TF2 seems interesting and fits the style of humor of both. Wonder if they will go further or is just these small update, a set of maps inspired in Doctor Grordbort and a set of guns for all units would be funny.
sluggo
4410
Inevitably, I broke down last week and finally fired up TF2 again after a month or two away. I mainly wanted to see the new Barnblitz map and what the servers looked like with F2P players on them, thoughts of which I’ll save for another post.
After the update tonight, on my very first death, a Black Box dropped, which I took as a sign to take a bunch of the stuff cluttering my backpack and craft one of the new soldier laser guns. I was kind of underwhelmed with it. Like a lot of the alternate weapon choices, I think there are specific situations where I’d want to use it, but not as an all-purpose weapon.
And man, if you thought TF2 was spammy before, wait until you see it now with laser effects going off left and right. The splash effect where the laser blasts land can eat up your whole screen, so there are lots more moments now where I can’t even see what I’m shooting at.
I happened to play last night… The lasers seemed iffy to me, but I didn’t have one either. Almost all of the stuff I have is Vintage. The pyro still whoops all this fangled stuff ass though. I just wish he had some way to assault a sentry…
I will agree the laser explosion is pretty big and dumb though. I don’t get why it’s such a huge effect.
Delta
4412
Matt. C’mon. The personal pronoun of the Pyro is “it”.
Fair enough. Though, should most likely be she, as Valve has given about twenty bajillion hints pointing that way it seems.
Whatever you call it/she/he, they rock the socks. Even with the basic weapons. More so than any class for me. I love the Heavy too, but he is so slow, I often end up getting to the battle, dying, and then running back to the battle. So a lot of running. Slowly.
Engie used to be my boy (as in had twice the play hours with him than anyone other class), but I can’t play him anymore. He is so fragile and weak compared to Support in MNC, he just doesn’t do it for me anymore.
Delta
4414
Preach, man, preach. I’m a huge Pyro apologist - played skilfully, they are both effective and freakin’ terrifying.
Seriously - think about your first reaction to a Pyro arriving: evasion and vague attempts to fight back. I love it. Her.
Otagan
4415
Pyro played the way Pyro is meant to be played is an absolute terror.
Pyro played by holding down W and the left mouse button is an absolute insult.
I have nothing but respect for the former and utter disdain for the latter, and that still holds after having not really played TF2 for years.
I’m stepping in the miry waters of balance talk, but IMO the pyro is the weakest class in the game. The flamethrower takes forever to kill ever since the damage nerf. Even a lit spy can revolver you to death before the flames take him. Afterburn is a joke unless the enemy is already close to death. Airblast is great, but it’s ping dependent and harder now with the direct hit and liberty launcher. Pyro mobility is awful for a class that is dependent on flanking/getting close. The axetinguisher and airblast are the only saving graces.
That said, the pyro is a lot fun play. Nothing as satisfying in tf2 as a reflect kill.
I can’t speak to the balance of now and then much… but if you think a flamethrower doesn’t kill fast, then you aren’t using it right. I drop people left and right, and light everyone on fire at the same time. It’s both very effective and quit funny to see three or four people running from your flames.
If this is nerfed, I don’t wanted to see unnerfed. My ratio is easily 2 or 3 kills per death, not even talking about assists or anything else. And I’m not that good of a player.
you shouldn’t be using flames to kill anyone anyway. light them and then immediately axtinguish or flare gun them to death.
sluggo
4419
I feel like my flamethrower takes forever to kill people as well. I’m on a connection where I’m lucky to have a sub-100 ping to any server, which means players are routinely slightly further away than they appear on the screen, and it’s pretty annoying. So I generally just use pyro when I know there are a lot of spies floating around.
Pyro with that new mailbox melee weapon that is +100% critricals to burning players is lethal. And if you’re not airblasting you’re doing it wrong.
