Just preordered Orange Box on Steam...

[LK]

Is there a way to force it so that it doesn't try to load a level on startup? That seems to double the amount of loading time necessary to get in the game.

I'll take the 2D Backdrop, k thx.

[Morfiend]

So, I got TF2 last night. Honestly, not that impressed. Yeah, the style and presentation are awesome. But it seems like TFC with stuff missing running on a new engine. How the hell did it take them this long to basically make the same game they already had with new graphics?

I mean, yeah, its fun and all. But I was hoping for, I dont know, a bit *more*, after such a long development time.

Im going to play some more tonight and see if maybe I was just tired or some thing last night.

[Modern Angel]

So, I got TF2 last night. Honestly, not that impressed. Yeah, the style and presentation are awesome. But it seems like TFC with stuff missing running on a new engine. How the hell did it take them this long to basically make the same game they already had with new graphics?

I mean, yeah, its fun and all. But I was hoping for, I dont know, a bit *more*, after such a long development time.

Im going to play some more tonight and see if maybe I was just tired or some thing last night.

The answer is that it wasn't in development for ten years. I don't think anyone truly believes that they had a dev team working on this for that long. A year, two absolute tops. It's a pretty, polished, funny, tight, balanced TFC and that's just fine for me.

[lesion]

Is there a way to force it so that it doesn't try to load a level on startup? That seems to double the amount of loading time necessary to get in the game.

I don't have TF2 and my info is probably out of date, so this could be magically mystical:

1) find the game's home directory, then the 'cfg' folder and look for 'valve.rc'
2) open it with notepad and find 'startupmenu', then add two forward slashes so you get '//startupmenu'

if there is no 'valve.rc' make one and fill it with

// load the base configuration
//exec default.cfg
// Setup custom controller
exec joystick.cfg

// run a user script file if present
exec autoexec.cfg

//
// stuff command line statements
//
stuffcmds

[Yegolev]

Also, it doesn't seem like anyone on any of the servers I've been playing on knows how to rocket jump, because I'm the only one doing it.  They must be wondering how the hell that damn soldier keeps on getting up to their battlements so quickly.

I, for one, have never been able to rocket-jump, and I mean from the Quake days.  I am definitely going to have to practice that, then work on the grenade-jump.

I played this waaaay too much last night.  No crashes, but I'm running it at 1024x768.  I could go higher but I don't feel the need.

As for people knowing the maps, I played against one or two people who really, really knew what they were doing.  As in, those two were carrying the team alone at times.

[schild]

The rocket jump is really easy in this game. You don't need practice really.

[Yegolev]

OK, touche, since I did not even try.

[bhodi]

Turret placement only works if there aren't spies that know how to rape face. Spies are built for 99% annoyance and 110% turret removal. Sapper, 3 shots from the revolver, takes about 3 seconds. A second turret can't even kill before you can get those 3 shots off.

A good engineer has barricaded himself in behind his turret with a dispenser, against a wall so he can immediately give his sentry two whacks with the wrench to stop the sap and another two to fully heal it. The spy has three options against this type of engineer, none of them really good. "drive-by" zapping does nothing to this engineer, it takes a specific effort to stand there and do battle. I'll list the counters for each of the three options:

1. Stay in costume and keep attempting to sap dispenser and turret until they fall
This is a losing battle for the engineer, but takes a lot longer than you would think, as the engineer can actually stop and heal each one almost as fast as you can sap it. Note that this is ALL the engineer can do, the wrench must be swinging continuously and he must be getting metal infusions from the dispenser, and the spy must be sitting next to it continually reapplying the zapper. Generally, you have a buddy who notices this odd behavior and guns down the spy before he can finally drop it.

With a good engineer this takes 10-15 seconds of struggle with furious wrench work, with the dispenser being lost halfway in. Sometimes, spies will opt for #2 or #3 once the dispenser goes down.. generally #3 happens as it only takes 3 wrench hits to kill a spy and the turret's already tracking.

2. Spy whip outs the pistol on the turret
You can't do enough damage to the turret if the engineer is next to it. All he has to do is whacks it 2 times. Spy = turret bullets to the face after the first two wrench whacks bring it back online and another two to heal the damage.

3. Go for you directly with pistol or knife
Spy has to jump over the turrets or dispensers, and because the engineer's back is to the wall, he can't be backstabbed. Same thing as #2, he'll eat the knife damage, repair his turret, and then turn the wrench on the spy (plus turret bullets to the face).


You know, I'm going to write up a "So you want to be a X" primer for you guys, maybe I can get it published here or something.

[schild]

The only option for a spy dealing with someone like that is: Crouch jump on turret, Crouch jump on Engineer, Shoot him in the head twice.

Well, there's also #2, but you fire from somewhere the engineer can't see you.

And then there's #3, respawn as a scout and beat the shit out of him with a bat. YMMV on this one.

[Yegolev]

I'm one of those people that need help.  I saw a lot of scouts swinging bats but I assumed it was to ridicule my team.  Bat > scattergun?

[bhodi]

Yeah, if you can get the headshots, engineer is done... of course it's still tricky, people tend to move and the head sways like crazy when that wrench is swinging. I'll have to try that, but I'm not really good at headshots except with the sniper (and medic.. my god, the medic nailgun syringe gun, is unbelievably powerful).

I haven't had that tactic used against me with any success.

The bats do a lot of damage, more damage than the scattergun. All the melee weapons are very strong, generally they kill in no more than 3 hits except against a heavy.

[schild]

The bat will kill a heavy in 4 hits, a pyro in 3 and anyone else in 2. The bat will drop a spy in one hit.

Headshots/Critical hits are fairly easy to get, and I didn't notice it until my last game today, but I think the critical area for the scout rifle is the legs.

[Samwise]

The rocket jump is really easy in this game. You don't need practice really.

The hardest part is not hitting your head.  The first few times I tried the rocket jump up to the 2fort battlements I kept starting the jump too close to the edge and hitting the inside of the door.  Once I figured out that I could start my jump a ways back and still make it up there with a bit of room to spare, it got a lot easier.

[Strazos]

Simple Question:

If CS: Source and HL2 run pretty well on my system, TF2 should do alright as well, yes?

[MrHat]

Simple Question:

If CS: Source and HL2 run pretty well on my system, TF2 should do alright as well, yes?

Yes.  I've got a shitty machine (3400+ 2GB X800) and it runs fine w/ shaders/shadows/water reflections turned down @ 1400x900.

[eldaec]

As far as I can tell TF2 runs quicker than CS or HL2. Feels quicker, and I don't even bother to turn off my second monitor. So yes.

[Yegolev]

I don't know about CS, but the environment in TF2 doesn't have anything other than scenery, like exploding barrels or wiggly wires or whatnot.

[Strazos]

I can run HL2 and CS: S at fairly high settings, even with my decrepit rig.

(AMD XP Athlon 2700+, 1GB RAM, 256MB 7800 GS)


I look forward to doing some aggressive offensive sniping. People get real mad when you snipe into their base from their own doorstep.

[Slayerik]

I can run HL2 and CS: S at fairly high settings, even with my decrepit rig.

(AMD XP Athlon 2700+, 1GB RAM, 256MB 7800 GS)


I look forward to doing some aggressive offensive sniping. People get real mad when you snipe into their base from their own doorstep.

You know I got your back with a shotty for those baseball wielding noobs like MrHat over there (damn you MrHat and your Louisville)! ;)

[Yegolev]

I'm preloading Episode 2 as I type this.

[bhodi]

Oh, this is a nice addendum:

Valve "Deactivating" Customers Who Bought "Orange Box" Internationally

[Trippy]

And people wonder why I have a problem with a DRM service that can cut off access to "your" games for any reason whatsoever.

[Azazel]

I agree with you. It's why I refuse to add any of my many other, legitimately-purchased games to Steam. "activate a product on steam" yeah, fat fucking chance. They get my Valve games, my bought-through Steam games, and that's it. Well, exceot for DMoMM, which attatched itself to Steam as I installed it.

[Morfiend]

My friend just bought the $79 Orange Box + package. He had never played HL1, so he is going to play through the entire series. I am excited for him.

[Morat20]

My friend just bought the $79 Orange Box + package. He had never played HL1, so he is going to play through the entire series. I am excited for him.

Is Half Life part of Orange Box? (What's it called now, with the new engine? Half Life: Source? or something like that). I admit I've never played Half Life, but plan on picking up Orange Box next week.

[Trippy]

My friend just bought the $79 Orange Box + package. He had never played HL1, so he is going to play through the entire series. I am excited for him.

Is Half Life part of Orange Box? (What's it called now, with the new engine? Half Life: Source? or something like that). I admit I've never played Half Life, but plan on picking up Orange Box next week.

Yes Half-Life and a ton of other Valve stuff (CS, CS:S, DoD, etc.) are enabled for free download when you install an Orange Box key.

Edit: Actually I take that back. I forgot I had enabled some of those through my original copy of HL2. Morfiend is talking about this package: Source Premier Pack

[Morat20]

My friend just bought the $79 Orange Box + package. He had never played HL1, so he is going to play through the entire series. I am excited for him.

Is Half Life part of Orange Box? (What's it called now, with the new engine? Half Life: Source? or something like that). I admit I've never played Half Life, but plan on picking up Orange Box next week.

Yes Half-Life and a ton of other Valve stuff (CS, CS:S, DoD, etc.) are enabled for free download when you install an Orange Box key.

Edit: Actually I take that back. I forgot I had enabled some of those through my original copy of HL2. Morfiend is talking about this package: Source Premier Pack

Hmm. I've avoided Steam so far, mostly because graduate studies + work = no time for lots of games. I really just want the Half Life's and Portal, but the pack there looks like the best price for those.