1681

That’s cool. I was just going off the Shack News article I read about a month and a half ago. Interesting. I’m wondering if we’ll ever see that VIP mode again from Classic.

1682

I’ve been playing Medic a lot lately (they always seem to be in need), and would like to say the following to the TF2 public at large:

  1. If you spam “Medic!” when you aren’t even injured, I’m not going to heal you . If you’re a Scout and you do this, I’ll pretend like I’m going to buddy up with you, then abandon you right when you run into the enemy, so that you die.

  2. If we’re on a CP map and on defense, do not get pissed when you decide to run FAR AWAY from the last cap point and I don’t follow you.

  3. Do not yell “HIT IT!” and then run into a nest of sentry guns and defenders if, in fact, my Ubercharge is only at like 35%.

  4. I cannot keep you alive if you go one-on-one with a level 3 SG.

  5. Don’t ask me to Uber you if you are a Scout. I mean, seriously.

  6. If you do manage to get me to buddy with you after spamming “Medic!” (say you’re the only Soldier around and there’s no Heavies), don’t run towards the base, then rocket jump over the horizon to leave me to get slaughtered.

  7. If we’re Uber rushing a cap point, then STAND ON THE POINT and do not go chasing down that fleeing Pyro that has been annoying you the whole game.

  8. If I’m buddied up with you, don’t get pissed when I stop to heal a gang of other badly injured teammates while you’re at 150% health.

  9. Don’t yell “Hit it” and charge like 10 seconds after I’ve been stabbed in the back by a Spy.

  10. When I Uber you, let ME go into the fray first to draw the fire of the SGs so you can freely fire on them. Do not call me a dumbass for doing this.

Any others?

1683

Don’t expect me to follow you over the ledges into B on Gravelpit if I don’t have my uber ready, especially when the red team knows how to defend B in depth (snipers in the rear, sentries in the middle, demos and soldiers spamming the front - man I hate that!).

1684

But if a soldier or heavy does this, do you see it as a sign they want you to come with them?

1685

Well, duh. I’m not usually ubered, but that had never occurred to me. Funny what not playing certain classes neglects to teach you.

Now I feel as though I have to be more charitable to all the idiots who screw things up when I’m an engineer.

H.

1686

Yes, and if I’ve got nobody else to heal I’ll usually buddy up with any heavy, soldier, or (in a pinch) Demo. But I was playing yesterday on a server where four guys were jamming on the E key constantly, to the point where it was useless for other players to use it to tell me they needed healing. So I just ignored them. As a Medic, I’d rather I decide who to buddy up with depending on the circumstances.

What would actually really help would be a separate voice command hotkey for “I need a Medic buddy,” which would help differentiate the kinds of Medic attention that people are looking for.

1687

In all fairness to use Xbox 360 players, the medic call is the down press on one of the thumbsticks. I frequently press too hard when moving and spam medic by accident.

1688

This would all be solved if the little red plus sign in the ‘Medic!’ speech bubble was filled to a level representing the dude’s health, so you could actually tell how badly someone needed a medic before you traipsed halfway across the map to get to him. When you saw people calling for a Medic with full health, you’d know they were looking for a long-term relationship rather than a quick fix.

Sometimes it’s hard not to see the endless competitive braying of potential patients as animal mating calls.

1689

I am so guilty of this. I guess because I see the uber rush as being as much a terror weapon as anything else, but really, it’s because I can finally put some hurt on that damn pyro, and I lack the impulse control to just stand on the point.

1690

Well, since ubers don’t cap points, as long as you’re back by the time the uber expires, it’s all good.

H.

1691

If, as your medic, I start calling for help and you see my health start dropping rapidly, please turn around and kill the enemy behind you.

If I’m at 97% charge and healing you, don’t kamikaze into a nest of SGs.

Don’t be surprised when I don’t follow you out into a hail of gunfire.

Healees, please slow down when navigating tight corners and hairpin turns.

If I start shooting you with syringes and trying to bonesaw you in the face, switch to your secondary or something so I know you’re not a spy. Better yet, turn around and check for the spy who is probably standing behind you.

  • Alan
1692

I have a spy question. Is the weapon out always the primary one? Or if you switch to a knife, does the enemy see the respective melee weapon? What about switching to sappers? Switching to the disguise menu?

I have long preferred disguising as engineer and then opening up the disguise menu under the presumption that it will look like I will have a builder briefcase out. Is that valid at all, or did I just get lucky all those times?

1693

Primary weapon out no matter your weapon, unless they changed it when they patched in badlands, last time I checked with a friend.

It’s how I’ve found many a spy by bonesawing peoples faces before I went into heal mode.

Also for the as a medic list one of my rules is - If your primary is out and your spamming “Medic!” your not getting healed till I run through you. This is also an anti spy tactic since you can NOT run through members of the enemy team even in disguise.

Edit to add a point the following post brings to mind. As a pyro you are the best engy buddy ever, their dispenser will keep your flamerthrower full, your spam will cover their buildings from spies.

1694

True, I always check people who are calling for a medic. Previously mentioned, but worth repeating:

If you are healing at my dispenser, DON’T STAND THERE STARING AT ME LIKE YOU’RE WAITING TO GET A SHOT AT MY BACK. Front towards the enemy, spam shotty/pistol fire at least.

H.

1695

While I’m not always super helpful, I have a pretty decent idea what to do on the original TF2 maps. Even on Circlejerk, I’ve been able to figure out how to be a somewhat helpful engineer - I usually get my stuff blown up, but it seems to delay the enemy long enought for the A team to run the circuit.

Badlands, though - I have no idea. I’m not sure why, but the architecture just doesn’t “click” for me. I’ve had a few good moments, occasionally I’ll build a turret in a good place, but overall, I just don’t seem to get the flow of the map.

1696

Rant time.

Why is it that teams want to ignore defense on ctf maps? Why do they expect 1 lone SG to guard 2fort? All of 2fort? Offensive classes, here’s a question: what do you do when you see a SG? You blow it up. Guess what? That’s what the other team does as well! Defense isn’t as flashy as offense but it’s needed.

Of course that’s the same as getting on a team with 5 snipers and no one wants to change classes and actually be useful. Speaking of which, when you choose your class there is a number above all the classes at the top of the screen, if there are already 4 of your favorite class choose something else! Or go to the other team and check there if you refuse to play another class. All you’re doing is hurting the team.

And here’s a tip: if you hear the announcement over the loudspeaker “The enemy has taken our intelligence!” turn your ass around and get to the spiral or the back stairs. Don’t just stand there on the battlements and expect someone else to do it. And that goes for other classes, if you are heading out the front door or down to the sewers turn around! I get so tired of losing because everyone thinks someone else will do it.

1697

/Agree on all of Thrrpptt’s medic points. But I have one medic gripe to add: If you have an Uber charged up, F*@$ING USE IT.

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been playing Dustbowl or Badlands, have had a medic charge me to 100%, but the uber never comes, and the medic dies 15 seconds later to a random stickybomb or spy backstab. I’ll rush out into obvious attack areas and then have to quickly retreat when the medic fails to uber me or even move. What are these medics waiting for?

1698

They’re waiting for you to hit ‘x’ and then ‘7’, because an unexpected uber is almost always wasted on killing one 1/4 health enemy, running into an empty room, or watching your hapless uber-ee sit there reloading. I guess a wasted uber is better than a lost uber, but a wasted uber is bad judgment and a lost uber is just bad luck.

  • Alan
1699

OMG PRO TIP: I’ve had plenty of defenses as a sniper, because when the intel gets picked up, I run back into the room and THEN WATCH THE ARROW ON THE INTEL. You’ll quickly be able to tell which way they are coming, line up a 100% shot, and kill the scout/spy when they round the corner. Nobody seems to watch the arrow, which is why I always go the back way and usually waltz out.

H.

1700

Oh, and my new hyper-super-duper tactic? go scout at the beginning of a CP map on defense, run to the front, then suicide. 100 metal on the ground for the engies, and I spawn in time to get back to the front. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to meet an engy that even notices the metal when they run over the shotgun, then they grab the 200 metal when they already had 170. sigh

H.