Advanced Strategy

[l-TW-l Wage 4]

Just wanted to create a thread with mini-tips on how to improve your groove game.

It's simple: if you think you're good at a class and see others sucking it up bigtime, post here to offer up some advice so that people can see it months down the road.

CLASS: ALL

TIP: Against Huntsman (bow-and-arrow)-wielding enemies who are medium or close range, try to tap crouch at the same time you think the arrow will be fired. You'll avoid many more headshots, and this is a great way for heavies to continue shooting instead of revving down for retreat. For players who are less experienced, you can also jump and crouch simultaneously for a high chance of taking a body shot instead of a headshot.

CLASS: ALL

TIP: When running away from someone, try to run backwards rather than forwards. Unlike most games, you only take a 10% speed hit while retreating with the back button (Default:S Key). This difference is negligible unless backstepping against a Pyro.

CLASS: ALL

TIP: When running away from a heavy, jump and run at the same time. His bullets will push you away if you are airborne, giving you a much better chance of survival.

CLASS: Soldier

TIP: By jumping while shooting rockets, you not only make yourself a harder target but you also give yourself higher ground to shoot from. Higher angles make aiming for splash damage easier, and your distance from the splash damage will be greater if shooting an enemy directly in front of you. Moreover, the way your body reacts to shots is much different when you are airborne than when you are standing; you will become much more difficult for other soldiers to juggle, and shots against you will have to be timed differently for their usual effect.

[DrkEagle 15]

My one big problem I have when trying to get away, I always go backwards, but I almost always get fucking hung up on random shit that Valve just loves to put in places for no reason. Like posts that are against a wall that give the effect of the walls structure that stick out just a tiny bit, enough to get hung up on.

[l-TW-l Wage 4]

My one big problem I have when trying to get away, I always go backwards, but I almost always get fucking hung up on random shit that Valve just loves to put in places for no reason. Like posts that are against a wall that give the effect of the walls structure that stick out just a tiny bit, enough to get hung up on.

Try to look ahead at least once before retreating backwards, that way you'll at least know the first few things you might run into. You'll eventually be able to run backwards and jump+crouch+look while still maintaining a backwards motion, but you don't even need to do all that nerdy shit most of the time.

Experience will help you more than anything. The more you play a map, the easier it is to visualize where you're going before you're there.

CLASS: ALL

TIP: Learn the map you're playing on. This will help you more than any amount of skill-improvement lessons you can watch on Youtube, more than any amount of hours on skill-specific maps, and more than any amount of configuration tweaking you can do. The more comfortable you are with your environment, the more confident you will be in your abilities.

[Tappy 8]

Class: Soldier

TIP: On 2Fort hide on the grate and shoot rockets out the square hole.

TIP2: Build uber in base then leave.

[l-TW-l Wage 4]

Class: Soldier

TIP: On 2Fort hide on the grate and shoot rockets out the square hole.

TIP2: Build uber in base then leave.

Hahahaha, real cute

[BOOM=DYNAMITE 2]

Tip: Don't play sniper!

On a serious note.. i can't stand when engis place teles in bad spots....

Hard to explain... so I will give an example.... Badwater last point.... I see engis putting tele exits in the sniper tower or the back corner behind the sniper tower.

What they don't get is that this forces players in to a trap in that back corner... making it easy to defend. This also allows the defense to turn the corner and advance back to spawn.

Always put the tele behind the corner! that gives your players the option to attack three different ways... and always protects you from the defense pushing forward without resistance!!!

[Tappy 8]

I <3 playing as sniper

Engies building on 2Fort battlements and then wrangling them across the map is infuriating.

[l-TW-l Wage 4]

CLASS: ALL

TIP: Understanding how Uber/Kritzkrieg charge rates work can be very beneficial, even if you never play as or with a medic.

See:

Some Tips for Those Who Play Alongside an Uber Medic

ALL: Unless defending a point or Intel, your kill priority should always be: Medics, Engineers, Sentry Guns, Everyone Else. Shoot the medic, not the Heavy he is healing! Get rid of the Engineer before destroying his SG. Destroy all Sentry Guns possible so your team can advance easily, not the Heavy who's been turtling in his base all round.

SOLDIER/DEMO: When you're being healed by a medic, damage yourself on the way to your destination to help charge uber faster. Keep in mind, however, that charge rate will not increase unless the person being healed reaches 99% health. If the target's health stays at 100%+ (Overheal), charge rate will remain the same as normal. Many assume that this was patched a long time ago, but what the patch changed was ubercharge rate during round setup, not the rest of the round. After the patch, all healing done by a medic during round setup (i.e. before the gates open on an Attack & Defend map) will charge uber at the fastest rate possible. When the round begins, charge rate will resume normal speeds depending on the target's condition.

HEAVY: Since you have the highest max HP (450) of all classes, try to purposefully get hurt to 99% or below in order to help your buddy charge faster. I see a lot of heavies who are mainly concerned with killing everyone in sight, even it it means getting his medic killed before 100%. If you're running around with GRU (Gloves of Running Urgently), pull them out while damaged in order to prolong the increased charge rate.

SCOUT: Use Boston Basher to help a medic charge faster, even if you two are just waiting for someone else to arrive.

ENGINEER: With Wrangler, you can help a medic charge faster by shooting yourself in the balls.

SPY: If you're going to be obvious and run alongside a medic from your own team, at least disguise as a Heavy from your side. This will also make headshots harder for snipers who may not expect Spy hitboxes.

PYRO: You can tauntkill sentries that are being hit by Engineers if you're with an experienced medic. Make sure the Medic gets closer to the Sentry than you are, though, otherwise you'll just be pushed away.

MEDIC: IF YOU GET UBERED BY ANOTHER MEDIC, KILL SOMETHING FOR GOD'S SAKES!

SNIPER: Stand out in the open and fire brazenly. You'll attract attention from the rest of your team as much as any Heavy/Medic combo would.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[Barry 0]

TIP: When running away from someone, try to run backwards rather than forwards. Unlike most games, you do not take a speed hit while retreating with the back button (Default:S Key).

Good stuff Wage, but I think you only run backwards at ~90% of the forward rate.

[Novalia 6]

.

[l-TW-l Wage 4]

Good stuff Wage, but I think you only run backwards at ~90% of the forward rate.

Thank you for correcting me, Barry.

This is correct. I'd read about the 10% slowdown before but forgot, as its difference in actual gameplay is minute when compared to other FPS slowdown penalties.

It's true that every % counts in regards to speed, but only on paper:

In a real fight, it's best to strike following the shortest path to hit a weak point. However, that weak spot may not be directly in front of you; "forward" movement is not always most efficient, and in this game it's even less important of an issue than in other games or even real life, since you are not sacrificing very much speed when strafing, backpedaling, or running in diagonals. With how the game physics work, I'd almost recommend NEVER running straight. Maybe this is too big of a subject to talk about in a single post, but the importance of bob&weave vs running in straight lines is a very important tactic that goes overlooked in most FPS strategy talk. It's even more important than knowing how to aim, because by being able to control the distance between you and your opponent, you can easily compensate for shitty accuracy.

My advice still stands about moving backwards. Like Bruce Lee said, "Never turn your back on your opponent."

See: http://wiki.teamfort...m/wiki/Slowdown

See also: http://wiki.teamfort...peed_comparison

[N-camon 8]

I would like to add, as a majority-time medic, we understand that you may be hurt or even dieing when you call for a medic. Please pay attention on who we may be healing and how far away you are from the medic. But I ask you to not stand next to us spamming "MEDIC!" when we are trying to keep the team members in harms way to deal with the enemy. A good medic knows how to prioritize who to heal first.

If you are really injured and in the running around of your teammates at the battle front, move away so we can easily single you out to heal you. There are many times someone crosses by as we start to get to you, but start working on someone else instead.

Be kind to the medics, if you are near by and need healing, come in our range so we do not expose ourselves to the gunfire and sniper scopes unnecessarily.

Also to medics, there is an option to turn on an Auto medic call. This is a ping type sound along with a flashing medic cross that will appear over the injured player as well go to the edge of the screen to aid us in finding you.

[Happiness 0]

I would like to add, as a majority-time medic, we understand that you may be hurt or even dieing when you call for a medic. Please pay attention on who we may be healing and how far away you are from the medic. But I ask you to not stand next to us spamming "MEDIC!" when we are trying to keep the team members in harms way to deal with the enemy. A good medic knows how to prioritize who to heal first.

If you are really injured and in the running around of your teammates at the battle front, move away so we can easily single you out to heal you. There are many times someone crosses by as we start to get to you, but start working on someone else instead.

Be kind to the medics, if you are near by and need healing, come in our range so we do not expose ourselves to the gunfire and sniper scopes unnecessarily.

Also to medics, there is an option to turn on an Auto medic call. This is a ping type sound along with a flashing medic cross that will appear over the injured player as well go to the edge of the screen to aid us in finding you.

Agree with this (I also enabled the option to have a pointer over the person being healed as I find it useful in crowded areas); however medics who do NOT heal injured teammates and would rather keep healing the fully over-healed heavy even when I get into a safe position to heal nearby the medic are idiots and really annoy me.

I'd like to give some strategy for huntsman snipers as that is what I play most but there is not a lot to give which isn't common sense:

Don't use razorback - you should always be moving and aware of what is around you. I find jarate best however the smg is viable too, I personally don't like the croc shield but have seen many snipers who like the extra 25hp more than an additional weapon/useful jar of piss (many assists, show cloaked spies and extinguish teammates!)

Aim for headshots only - if you hit a headshot, you are guaranteed to do at least 150 damage (which kills many people in one hit - those with little health in the first place and those already damaged from battle); on a sidenote kritz huntsman is NOT "FTW", you get no damage bonus for headshots (which you should aim for anyway) and the reload/charge times mean you can realistically get a maximum of 3 shots away, you can kill more people with 1 kritz sticky or 1 krit rocket!

Don't charge shots for too long, to be honest I don't like charging shots for longer than 1 second - if the shot is not on, save the arrow and move quickly to the next target. Seeing people charge their shots for 15-20+ seconds and then wonder why they miss so badly is something else which annoys me.

Don't just spam the same spots over and over - yes you might get a half-decent K:D ratio but you are of extremely limited use to the team as many of the shots will miss, then you will run to get more ammo (probably stealing metal from an engie) and then go back to the same spot to miss 20 shots before you hit someone in the leg. The huntsman is a devastating weapon in the right hands, and is extremely good for flanking and surprising people round corners

Jump-strafe while charging shots for around a corner. Not really a lot to add to this, it keeps your movement speed up and allows you to get in quick and headshot an enemy before (s)he notices you and even has time to move his/her mouse.

Other than the above basic pieces of advice (and others already stated - in particular the priority to kill! sentry nests go down very fast if you can find an angle to headshot the engie from!), I can't think of anything else other than practice until you get good at predicting the movements of others; you will pick up little tricks like noticing the size of a flame to tell how far away a pyro is from the corner or hearing the position of a minigun charging up to tell where the heavy is.

[l-TW-l Wage 4]

CLASS: ALL

TIP: Use enemy fire to your advantage. It'll piss them off.

One of the more advanced tactics that I don't see many other people using (or talking about) is using the push of enemy fire as a mobility advantage. When being shot at, intentional jump+crouches can throw off your opponent by moving you in the direction that you wish to move rather than whatever direction you were supposed to be pushed or juggled. This is especially effective against Demomen, Soldiers and Sentries. Moreover, Medics can benefit from this tactic greatly as getaways can be achieved much more easier by selectively jumping into explosions. Similarly, you can use this tactic while playing medic so that snipers have a harder time tracking you for headshots.

[l-TW-l Wage 4]

Actually, Se7en brings up a good point:

It is sometimes beneficial to your team to go on kamikaze missions. Not sure which game everyone else is playing, but to me, TF2 is a team effort, where "staying alive" usually doesn't matter to me as long as the team progresses towards our objective.

Whereas people like Se7en may feel explosion jumping equates to death, it's only one part of the big picture. Nowhere do I say that any of these tactics should be used without taking another into consideration, and if a player is foolish enough to use a single tactic without incorporating all others alongside it, then that's their loss and theirs alone.

[Harlequin 2,975]

Actually, Se7en brings up a good point:

It is sometimes beneficial to your team to go on kamikaze missions. Not sure which game everyone else is playing, but to me, TF2 is a team effort, where "staying alive" usually doesn't matter to me as long as the team progresses towards our objective.

Whereas people like Se7en may feel explosion jumping equates to death, it's only one part of the big picture. Nowhere do I say that any of these tactics should be used without taking another into consideration, and if a player is foolish enough to use a single tactic without incorporating all others alongside it, then that's their loss and theirs alone.

I have to agree for some situations.

I like to jump into rockets if they are going for our flag carrier; engage Pyros with meele ambassador to confuse them while they are hunting our flag carrier, bump into "kritz soldiers" with DR out..(or block small ways when they are going to uber our courtyard... then I know i will die - but at least I am sure i saved some lives because of standing there with DR out and blocking this very angry heavy).etc.

[R4mbo 5]

CLASS: SPY

Tip : when you need to escape and hide, don't just get to a random corner and crouch. Use the environment at your advantage by jumping on crates/barrels/rocks/etc. People don't think to spy-check onto things or just don't think you would climb up that barrel. Also, most of the stuff is designed to hold the dimension of the spy. Thus, you avoid being touched by your enemies.

Tip2 : when you're in disguise, uncloaked and behind the enemy lines and waiting for the best moment to stab someone, don't look at them ! The ONLY reason people aim at someone of their own team is for spychecking. If you do so and they don't see you firing you are OBVIOUSLY a spy. When you know an enemy has seen you, don't look at him. Use some psychology and play well your role. Keep looking forward where your own team would come from. This tip isn't effective against random spychecks from pyros and such, but, it can spare you some precious seconds alive. Keep looking forward, stand back 2 steps, stab, disguise, wait for the next, etc. You are permitted to take a quick look of what is going off their spawn, but no more.

[Nano 7,892]

Thanks R4mbo, I'm going to try that out tonight.

[eparttub 7]

i used to love watching the MGE tutorial vids and now theyre free! theyre closing the site so its all archived. now you can watch actual pros commentate on their own matches.

[Harlequin 2,975]

Maybe I can share some YouTube wisdome for ongoing spys, I really loved the uploads from following YouTube Users (search for their channels)

Wingspantt (well commented gameplays with hints / usefull tipps / tricks, epic wins and more fails... )

toptiertactics (This is a "site" channel from Wingspantt, you find different videos on both)

stabbyvideo (impressive stab-skills; here you will learn a lot of how backstabs are working technically, I still never get enough of his "I love you badlands")

OMFGNinja (in his videos (also the older ones!) you will find also mental aspects of war / being spy)

[l-TW-l Wage 4]

Thanks for the tip, epart. I'd watched a video of theirs a long time ago but completely forgot how good some of the commentaries were.

Website: http://mygamingedge.com/

Youtube: http://www.youtube.c...er/MyGamingEdge

Also, to add to bLooDyX's spy stuff (since I, too, waste a lot of time looking at TF2 Youtube vids):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBcJweT00f8

= Pippin, my favorite spy and one of my favorite videos from him.

Some of his old videos, before he quit TF2, can be found at http://www.youtube.c...tepippin/videos

[R4mbo 5]

Epic headshot at 0:18

[Harlequin 2,975]

If you like Headshoting Amby, I have to add this

[l-TW-l Wage 4]

CLASS: Soldier

TIP: Learn how to shoot rockets against Pyros in ways that cannot be reflected back into you.

1. The closer you are to the pyro, the more of an advantage you have against compression blasts
   
2. Shoot at obtuse angles while moving
   
3. If up close, RJ to inflict damage and avoid any followup Axtinguisher nonsense. Keep in mind that the rocket jump should be used to tactically position yourself for the next move, so don't just rocket jump without knowing what you want to do next (even if that's run away).
   
4. Purposefully aim rockets so that they splash at the side or behind, never in front of your target
   
5. Use low ceilings when possible
   

I was reading a topic on SPUF concerning whether or not Soldiers are truly a "Jack of All Trades"-type class. I believe they are, but only when paired with the default Rocket Launcher. When using any other flavor of RL, Soldiers lose their ability to equally match all other classes in most situations, Pyros especially. I come from a long life of fighting games, so I like to think of things this way:

• Soldier with Rocket Launcher = Ryu
  
  • Able to adapt to all situations equally
    

  [*]Soldier with Direct Hit = Ken

  • Pretty much the same as Ryu, but with exaggerated strengths and weaknesses which make him less reliable in some situations
    

  [*]Soldier with Black Box or Liberty Launcher = Akuma

  • Like Ryu and Ken and with some additional bonuses, but with much greater weaknesses (usually lower health/stun meter, or in TF2's case, 1 less rocket)
    

  [*]Soldier with Cow Mangler 5000 = Dan

  • Joke character used for humiliation kills