TF2 engy update

[Malakili]

The worst part of the medic update wasn't just the retarded achievements, but the fact that you were supposed to get ALL of them to unlock the weapons.

Oh god, don't remind me.  The jackass that I am stayed up literally all night grinding out every last one of theme.

[Sjofn]

Huh, I don't think I've seen a stalemate on it yet.  Eventually one team or the other manages to lock down the area long enough for the elevator to go up.  My main problem with that map is that the entire "race" comes down to that point; getting the cart that far is trivial and might as well just be skipped.

Except for the one match that finished, I've never seen the cart make it through the long shed near the opposition spawn.  It always gets near the cliff side and stops right at the entrance of the shed, because the other team turtles the shed.  

This is exactly where our games stalemated, every time. The server I was playing didn't have a timer on it, so eventually one team or the other would basically let the other team win to make the hurting stop. I finally just stopped playing (because it ALSO wasn't switching maps until 4 more completions of the fucking thing) and wept.


EDIT: Later on in the day I played on a team where NO ONE was playing an engineer. I thought about switching but was afraid it was a trap. 

[Samwise]

The worst part of the medic update wasn't just the retarded achievements, but the fact that you were supposed to get ALL of them to unlock the weapons.

Oh god, don't remind me.  The jackass that I am stayed up literally all night grinding out every last one of theme.

So THAT'S where on the doll the achievements touched you.     My sympathies.

[Malakili]

The worst part of the medic update wasn't just the retarded achievements, but the fact that you were supposed to get ALL of them to unlock the weapons.

Oh god, don't remind me.  The jackass that I am stayed up literally all night grinding out every last one of theme.

So THAT'S where on the doll the achievements touched you.     My sympathies.

Yeah, my problem is that I like to have all the options available to me, even if Im not going to play with them right away, so I force myself to grind out all the unlocks as soon as I can.    I don't even care about the achievements themselves.

[bhodi]

I just used achievementunlocker.exe.

And I still got the halo because I was an early adopter of cheating and did it before they started tracking it.

[Soulflame]

I had to switch my medigun to the level 1 version, so I could uber heavies.  I was sad.  :(

[HaemishM]

Yeah, finding a medic on servers now is impossible. I actually switched to medic the other night because our team was getting its ass handed to it, and we won because of it. Not that anyone noticed of course, they were too busy building and assaulting turrets. 

I did finally get to play as an engie with this. Moving buildings is fucking awesome. I'm still unsure where to place the sentries, but it does make the class more fun when assaulting. The two new payload maps are fan-fucking-tastic.

[Samwise]

Yeah, finding a medic on servers now is impossible. I actually switched to medic the other night because our team was getting its ass handed to it, and we won because of it. Not that anyone noticed of course, they were too busy building and assaulting turrets. 

Prospero and I did some serious heavy/medic and demo/medic-ing the first day of the engy update, which is how I got Division of Labor and Tam O'Shatter in one night.  We were a two-man wrecking crew.

[Sjofn]

I was playing a medic some, but I hate being the only one, because inevitably everyone starts screaming for a medic AND CAN'T HEAL YOU ALL OH GOD. 

Pyro was a good time, even though my average lifespan as one is about 2 seconds. I really, really love setting spies on fire, and there were so many engineer nests to camp!

[Samwise]

There is no greater glee than setting one of those fucking Dead Ringer spies on fire as he tries to escape, and staying right on his ass until his invulnerability wears off.  And then hoisting your flamethrower triumphantly over his charred (real) corpse.

[Malakili]

There is no greater glee than setting one of those fucking Dead Ringer spies on fire as he tries to escape, and staying right on his ass until his invulnerability wears off.  And then hoisting your flamethrower triumphantly over his charred (real) corpse.

This is so true, man I hate the dead ringer.

[kildorn]

I was playing a medic some, but I hate being the only one, because inevitably everyone starts screaming for a medic AND CAN'T HEAL YOU ALL OH GOD.  

Pyro was a good time, even though my average lifespan as one is about 2 seconds. I really, really love setting spies on fire, and there were so many engineer nests to camp!

My pyro lives tend to be short, bright, and take a lot of people with me.

edit: last night's hightower map also showed me that Pyros are bullshit with airblast.

Basically, that evil shed/tunnel of doom? Two pyros spamming airblast on anyone who comes around the corner, knocking them off the cliff instantly. Such bullshit.

[Sjofn]

Yeah, that seemed to be the problem more than the engineers, honestly. I'd uber someone to go clear out the tunnel and immediately one or both of us would be knocked off the cliff. And then when I switched to pyro, I totally did it myself. 

[Ingmar]

It seemed to work best when we went in from the top with exploding stuff and then the heavy/medic people came around the bottom side while the pyros were distracted by the hail of grenades and rockets.

[Nightblade]

There is no greater glee than setting one of those fucking Dead Ringer spies on fire as he tries to escape, and staying right on his ass until his invulnerability wears off.  And then hoisting your flamethrower triumphantly over his charred (real) corpse.

Why let him run? Just airblast him into a corner and wait for it to wear off.

[Sjofn]

Malakili has seen how truly awful I am at soldier now. 

[Malakili]

Malakili has seen how truly awful I am at soldier now. 

Do you always play on 32 player instant respawn servers.  My god I had forgotten what its like and why I stopped playing on them. Utterly destroys game balance. 

[Sjofn]

I pretty much play where ever my sister (the [SLAP] Shield person, who is WAY better at the game than me) picks. Then she makes a point to kill me with her goddamn flare gun or shovel or wrench or whatever.  

[Malakili]

I pretty much play where ever my sister (the [SLAP] Shield person, who is WAY better at the game than me) picks. Then she makes a point to kill me with her goddamn flare gun or shovel or wrench or whatever.  

Ah.  Well, fair enough.  Just so nearly impossible for offense to win with instant respawn that it really just turns into a screw around/death match fest, which is ok sometimes, but not really my cup of tea.

[Sjofn]

Yeah, I prefer servers that aren't instant respawn (although I don't care at all about the number of people), but I'm not very picky. I have seen those maps get won by offense on that server, just not very often.

The new payload race is less painful today, I don't know why. Probably because people are figuring out how to play it?

[Malakili]

Yeah, I prefer servers that aren't instant respawn (although I don't care at all about the number of people), but I'm not very picky. I have seen those maps get won by offense on that server, just not very often.

The new payload race is less painful today, I don't know why. Probably because people are figuring out how to play it?

I've actually only played it twice, though I didn't find it that problematic to begin with.  One stage is definitely the way to go for PLR maps, which I think they figured out after that pipeline map flopped big time.   A soldier or two applying pressure to the top of the enemy ramp is usually more than enough to counter whatever they've cooked up to defend it.  Then again, the direct hit is just too darn good against buildings, and there are a LOT of buildings going around right now.

[kildorn]

The matches I was on with Sjofn the reason it didn't suck was 1-2 engies/team. I rarely ran into turret nests, but I DID constantly run into the 3 pyro bullshit brigade.

I hate your sister, Sjofn. But I did laugh quite a bit at the whole "mom liked me more" bit <3

[Sjofn]

I'm glad someone besides her laughed at that! But god, she is so annoying. And she's like that no matter what she plays. And she is a COLD BLOODED KILLER. She killed her best friend with a shovel and laughed about it.

I dread when the engineer glut finally ends and she starts playing that again, the frontier justice is going to kill me ten thousand times, I just know it.

[Fordel]

I love the shovel killing story! It's one of my favorite. 

[Lantyssa]

Should I make sure to tell her she's my favorite of your siblings?  Would that afford some protection?

[kildorn]

Should I make sure to tell her she's my favorite of your siblings?  Would that afford some protection?

No, she'll still stab you. She'll just stab you lovingly.

You should make nice with Sjofn, she tends to medic and follow heavies or lacking that, anyone she recognizes who may wind up not completely sucking.

Or failing that, my fail solider.

[Jobu]

Okay, I have to eat my words on those mini-sentries.  They're pretty awesome.  Being able to just drop one right in someone's face and have it start shooting him is  .

I think part of the problem at the moment is that a lot of defensive engineers are still using them because "ooh its new" when its clearly inferior when you intend the enemy to be walking into it.   I think the Normal Shotgun/Pistol/Gunslinger is the best offensive engineer combo though.  Its intended to make you into a death matching class, as you've noticed.  Just toss out that mini sentry and get to fighting.  I just don't think most people have figured out that playstyle yet.  A mini sentry should be treated as a strictly disposable distraction/light damage dealer to support your shotty.   The quick build time ensures that an enemy has to deal with it, even if you lay it down in battle, which is great, as you noted. 

I've been trying to do this, but I just can't get it to work. I think the interface is kind of getting in the way. I wish they would implement the mini-sentry as a kind of constant alt-fire like the demoman's stickies. Just right click and it drops where you're standing. The lag time of having to open the build tool, select the gun, drop it, then go back to shooting someone just confounds me. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

[Malakili]

Okay, I have to eat my words on those mini-sentries.  They're pretty awesome.  Being able to just drop one right in someone's face and have it start shooting him is  .

I think part of the problem at the moment is that a lot of defensive engineers are still using them because "ooh its new" when its clearly inferior when you intend the enemy to be walking into it.   I think the Normal Shotgun/Pistol/Gunslinger is the best offensive engineer combo though.  Its intended to make you into a death matching class, as you've noticed.  Just toss out that mini sentry and get to fighting.  I just don't think most people have figured out that playstyle yet.  A mini sentry should be treated as a strictly disposable distraction/light damage dealer to support your shotty.   The quick build time ensures that an enemy has to deal with it, even if you lay it down in battle, which is great, as you noted. 

I've been trying to do this, but I just can't get it to work. I think the interface is kind of getting in the way. I wish they would implement the mini-sentry as a kind of constant alt-fire like the demoman's stickies. Just right click and it drops where you're standing. The lag time of having to open the build tool, select the gun, drop it, then go back to shooting someone just confounds me. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Should only 3 keystrokes, 4,1,click.  Maybe 1 extra keystroke if you don't do fast weapon switching.  Shouldn't take too much time.

[Samwise]

You can also write a little macro for it too, I should think.  I'll mess with it tonight.

I do agree that dropping a mini-sentry should be an alt-fire action, though, for how much more often you do that than plant any other building.  Either on the gunslinger or globally (the only other alt-fire actions the engy has are only available when placing a building or wrangling a level 3 sentry).  I wouldn't be surprised at all if that were in an upcoming patch.

[Sjofn]

Should I make sure to tell her she's my favorite of your siblings?  Would that afford some protection?

No, she'll still stab you. She'll just stab you lovingly.

You should make nice with Sjofn, she tends to medic and follow heavies or lacking that, anyone she recognizes who may wind up not completely sucking.

Or failing that, my fail solider.

Your soldier is fine! I have to uber you earlier than I would like sometimes to get you to move towards the scary engineer nest I was saving my uber for, but whatevs! Better than Random Pyro #87 who charges AWAY from the giant group of flammable enemies when I uber them.  

But yeah, nothing really keeps you safe from my sister except being on her team. She hungers for blood.

I do agree that dropping a mini-sentry should be an alt-fire action, though, for how much more often you do that than plant any other building.  Either on the gunslinger or globally (the only other alt-fire actions the engy has are only available when placing a building or wrangling a level 3 sentry).  I wouldn't be surprised at all if that were in an upcoming patch.

You know, I totally assumed it WAS an alt-fire thing. How silly that it isn't!

[Malakili]

Sometimes this game makes me rage so hard, like every time I'm on a team full of people who get totally stymied because they don't understand how to take out sentry nests.  I can only do so much myself and when I'm working my ASS off and the rest of the team is circle jerking around our own sentries because they are afraid to die it makes me want to punch a hole straight through my wall. 

[Sky]

Ooo, I'm the exact opposite of that! I run screaming into the teeth of the enemy every time! FOR GREAT JUSTICE!

I really suck at this game and just have fun blowing stuff up as a demoman.

[Soulflame]

I downright suck at this game, but I still have fun with it.  Most of the time.

I either latch onto someone who seems to know what they're doing and heal them to victory, or I run screaming at the enemy with a flamethrower.

Sometimes the latter is way more fun.

[Sjofn]

I'm usually the same, Soulflame, although lately I've decided to suck total ass at being a soldier instead.

[Ingmar]

I feel like I come in at the lower edge of mediocre. Sometimes I finish on top of the list for a stage but it is almost always when I play a heavy and just push leetle cart to victory.