TF2: Halloween Update Out! Also, download the Halloween maps (page 39)

Lindsay Bluth Funke

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

Take the hat Quiz.


Polycount Pack is out
READ THIS SPOILER!

Valve now incorporates new in-game TF2 store, dubbed "Mann Co. Store".
Official and community-made weapons and hats are being sold, where community members can earn monies from shit they make. Support them, Please.
EVEN THOUGH VALVE IS SELLING ITEMS NOW, YOU CAN STILL OBTAIN EVERYTHING THROUGH DROPS.

New weapons from Polycount Pack winners. They even get bonus effects for wearing everything together.

So much info, Valve made sure we knew what we got ourselves into :glee:

tofu encourages everyone to fill out this form so everyone can trade

Fill out this form

View the spreadsheet here

Remember to double check everyone's profiles with this website: http://www.tf2items.com

Like Mapping? Get involved with Hey You's awesome PA community map project (Like the Artpass Contest)

PMAvers compiled a small sample of artpass maps.

ETF2L's Highlander ladder + touney info (TOUNEY ALMOST OVER/TOO LATE TO SIGN UP)

Other info:

TF2 for mac?! Wuuuuutt!?
Write up from [URL="ttp://www.tf2pro.com/"]TF2Pro.com[/URL] via Hey You under spoiler:

After a long triumphant wait, the TF2 update on June 10th, 2010, allows Mac OS X users to play Team Fortress 2. As we put one more TF2 update under our belts, we can’t help but feel like the Engineer update is now closer than ever. New or confused about all this information? Well here’s everything you missed and more:

First off, Valve kicked off this Mac update with a Free Weekend and new blog post. All Mac users that log in this weekend and play, will receive a pretty white pair of Apple Earbuds in game. (Must log into a mac, launch TF2 and die on a server at least once to receive the ear buds.) If you don’t have the Earbuds yet and have access to a mac, make sure to do this soon, as the offer end Monday June 13th, 2010. Blog post also contained a new video, TF2 cartoon, and update information.


Next! Training is finally here. Team Fortress 2 players can now train their aim against cardboard cutouts and TF2 bots. Unfortunately it is only available for the Soldier currently, but there is speculation that more classes will come in the future.




Then, small but kind of important things! TF2 also received a menu makeover, a new crafting icon, and a new practice option, where users can test their skill on official Valve Koth maps and Dustbowl against bots. As part of the new menu system, TF2 characters show up in the upper right hand corner with player records. Players have reported that the Pyro shows up as a him and her on the main screen, which further questions the Pyro’s gender.


Also! If you haven’t seen the video yet or heard all the speculation, you have a lot of catching up to do. First off, the video has a windows comparison. Take a look at the screen below if you didn’t catch it. Engineer is also wielding a new shotgun with what appears to be a scope. Could it be a laser pointer, a scope, or something totally different. At the end of the video it says, “Think Bullets” which has been speculated to have something to do with the Engineer update.



Finally! One last bit. This showed up in the texture files in TF2 which can be easily viewed in hammer. Tobor is written in the middle which is Robot spelled backwards. Which further hardens speculations that the Engineer will be receiving a Robot as a new unlock (as hinted at in the recent Engineer Video.)

New to TF2?
Read the manual.

NEWEST CRAFTING INFO
Mad Milk = Jarate + Reclaimed Metal
Shortstop = Force-A-Nature + Reclaimed Metal
Holy Mackerel = Sandman + Reclaimed Metal
Black Box = Direct Hit + Reclaimed Metal
Battalion's Backup = Buff Banner + Reclaimed Metal
Degreaser = Backburner + Reclaimed Metal
Powerjack = Axtinguisher + Reclaimed Metal
Sidney Sleeper = Huntsman + Reclaimed Metal
Darwin's Danger Shield = Razorback + Reclaimed Metal
Bushwacka = Eyelander + Reclaimed Metal
L'Etranger = Dead Ringer + Reclaimed Metal
Eternal Reward = Cloak & Dagger + Reclaimed Metal

The rest can be found at http://tf2wiki.net/wiki/Crafting


So, you want to play competitive TF2?

This guide will set up you up with the basics on how to get in on some quick 6v6 competitive play without having to commit to a clan, schedule, practice, etc. This is purely for 6v6 and not Highlander (9v9 with a class limit of 1 for each class) because I do not believe highlander has their own pug gather system yet.

PUG stands for Pick Up Group, which is what it sounds like; A group of players interested in playing a tight 6v6 game. The 'gather' system is a system built into the #tf2.pug IRC channel that automatically assembles players who've opted in into teams and provides a server with league rules to play on.

This is done through 2 programs:

-Mumble, for voice chat
-IRC, for the gather system.

Personally, I love getting in a few 6v6 matches here and there, especially when the PA servers are empty. It's active at all times of the day, and you'll be set against players of a wide range of skill, ranging from merely interested folk like maybe yourself, to ESEA and CEVO level players.

As well, I think the gather system is a great way for people who knock 6v6 or have the wrong impressions about it to try it out for themselves and see what people like myself mean when we described it as just another level of play.

IRC

Open up your preferred IRC client it, be it something like mibbit.com or mIRC.

You need to connect to the irc.gamesurge.net server, and go into channel #tf2.pug

There is also a #tf2.pug.na channel, but its regulars are a bit more advanced, most coming from the top place teams, so #tf2.pug is much more entry level, which is what you'll want if you're looking to get into 6v6. Being immediately put up against slardel when you're a scout isn't going to do much good for your skills or your love of the game.

Mumble

Mumble is a third party voice chat software similar to Ventrilo and is used for communicating with your teammates during the match. Every team, clan, what have you uses a third party voice chat program instead of the in-game voice because it allows you to communicate when you are dead in-game.

Mumble is preferred over Ventrilo because of its ease of use and it provides several nifty features like an in-game overlay and pop-up messages telling you who's coming and going.

Download Mumble Here

Once installed it just needs some basic set up, and will ask you to create a certificate. Just enter in a name and an email, and then save it on your Desktop or any other place you keep misc. files.

Once you have Mumble set up, you will want to hit 'Add New' and enter in the relevant information. The tf2pug mumble server is:

Voice server IP : mumble.tf2pug.org:64738
Password : tf2pug

You'll want to keep the user-name you use in mumble and the server the same as the one you use in-game and in the tf2pug IRC channel so you can be easily identified. You will also want to stay in the 'Root' channel until you are assigned a game. Each of the respective channels (Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta) are server locations and each have a Red and Blue channel which you'll use during the matches

It may ask you if you want to run Mumble in compatibility mode when entering the server, just say yes to that.

First thing you'll want to do is make sure your Mumble is set to 'Push to Talk' instead of 'Voice Activity'. If you have it set to 'Voice Activity', your mic will turn on whenever you say anything without having to press a button, which can be annoying for your teammates.

Just go to Configure > Settings

and under Audio Input changed the Transmit drop down box to Push to Talk. Hit Apply.

Then go to Shortcuts along the left side, and hit add. It will add a new field into the white box. Double click on the 'Unassigned' and change it to Push to Talk, then double click the blank field under shortcut and select what button you want to use with the voice activation.

And that's it!

***

Getting into a match

So now that that is all set up, you're ready to look for a game.

Once you enter the #tf2.pug channel, the first thing you typically do is type !players

This will show you everyone who is queued up to play and what as. Because this is basic 6v6, the class layout that is supported in the pug channel is:
2 Scouts
2 Soldiers
1 Demo
1 Medic

Once there are enough of the above for two teams, the game will start. To add yourself to the queue, just type !add [yourclass]

I am now added to the match queue.

Now you simply wait. The queue will fill up with 12 players, and the following message will appear

It will then sort you into teams

You may sometimes get a message similar to this:

All you have to do is type !ready into the #tf2.pug channel and it will leave you in the match

Your final message will be:

This provides the ip and password of the server you will be playing on, but as well as the mumble room you will be using. In this instance, I will be using the Atlanta 1 room, under Red team. Connect to the ip, get on your assigned team, and wait for everyone else to get ready

The Game

So as we know, the standard class make up is as follows:
2 Scouts
2 Soldiers
1 Demo
1 Medic

Demo and medic are limited to 1 per team, and everything else is limited to 2, but you won't see much deviation from this. The most common change is one scout switching to sniper on maps like badlands, gravelpit, or well. Heavies and engies are rare but still appear when some last ditch defense is needed
on gravelpit or badlands, typically when you're down to your last point. Pyros and spies are sometimes used to try and kill the opposing team's medic quickly in a clutch play situation.

The maps you will be playing on mostly are:
cp_badlands
cp_granary
cp_follower
cp_well
cp_gravelpit
sometimes cp_yukon

These are the maps that have just been found to be the most balanced and enjoyable, offering some great back and forth play over the center and second to last points. cp_follower is a custom map that combines the spawn areas of granary with a middle area similar to badlands. It is very fun and worth having in your maps folder.

In terms of gameplay, no matter what class you are, conservation is the key. The only outright battles you'll be fighting are in the opening minutes on the middle point and in pushes (either uber, counter, or when opposing team's medic is down). With everything else, you should be holding back, building uber, sticking with teammates and trying to pick off a few members of the enemy team. Never try to engage alone unless you're a decent scout. Attempting to jump into a group of opposing players alone will only get you killed again and again.

Hit and run strategies are never frowned upon, and knowing when to fight and when to fall back is a key skill you'll need to learn quickly.

As well, the opening moments of the game, where each team are heading to the middle, are critical. You'll soon pick up on the paths each class takes for each map, but generally scouts and demos should arrive first, with soldiers and medic not far behind, with medic sitting at about 50-60% uber. As a soldier/demo, you really should only be walking the last few bits of the map towards the center, the rest should consist of rocket/sticky jumping. The medic will heal you as you go down.

The following are some general strategies and expectations from the standard classes:

Scout
-Typically, unless stated otherwise, the two scouts are supposed to act as 'roamers': They move away from the rest of the team and work in tandem to try and take out the enemy medic or pick off fleeing soldiers/demos.
-They also play a crucial role in the opening of the game, as they will, along with the demo, be the first people to get to the middle point, where they will engage the opposing scouts/demo for about ten to twenty seconds. Any kills or damage that can be done during this time is integral for your team's position post-mid-fight.
-Do not try to engage a combo (soldier + medic) alone
-Engage demo + medic combos, try to get into close and try to take out the medic or jump around him and peck off the medic if you can
-When all else fails, just kill the medic. You are expected to die much more than anyone else, but if you get this one job done, it is worth it in spades.

Soldier
-You and the other soldier are the blunt force of the team. You deal the damage, jump the jumps, and protect the medic.
-The soldiers are typically designated as pocket and roamer.
-Pocket soldier stays with the medic and protects him from everybody. He is not expected to go rocket jumping onto points or pushing the objective (unless the medic has an uber)
-The Roamer is exactly that, he has some leeway to rocket jump onto points and push without a medic, but typically, unless he wants to get screwed over, he will stay close to the pocket combo or the team demo
-Pockets should always use the normal rocket launcher and shotgun as it is the best to counter to scouts
-Roamers can use the DH if they're good but it's not expected.
-You should know how to rocket jump everywhere. This takes practice.
-Airshots are balla and will look nice in your frag videos

Demo
-You got to know the sticky jumps. For pretty much all the maps listed above, you must be able to sticky jump decently enough to get to the middle point at the same time the scouts would, or just behind them. This is particularly critical on badlands and granary, where a good few stickies set up at where the enemy team are coming out could decide who gets mid.
-You're a bigger damage dealer than the soldiers, and can fire more indirect. But you're all alone, so you dieing is kind of a big deal. Hang back and spam pipes into the middle point, and sticky up essential choke-points.
-This pretty much applies for both attack and defense.
-Stickying up choke-points is particularly essential when you're getting pushed back. A sticky trap on the gates on cp_well can practically turn the game to your favor.
-Personally not a big demo, so can't say much either way, but you have to be fairly competent in sticky usage and knowing when and where to fight, but also how to use your regular pipes to smack down scouts and soldiers

Medic
-You're the key to a lot of what goes on. Your uber and kritz are essential, and your death means your team is unsupported and will probably get pushed in on.
-That said, hang back. Stick with your pocket soldier at all times, don't try to advance ahead of him
-Scream ungodly sounds into the mic when being attacked
-Don't pull out your needlegun or saw unless you are completely and utterly alone and there is nowhere to run to. You will have people defending you, your job is to keep them up and to build the uber/kritz
-Jump a lot
-You can pop your uber if you're in trouble, no one will blame you, just stay alive.


That just about covers the basics of it.

GotFrag has a great page that goes a little more in depth not just into general strategy, but particular strategies for specific maps and such

Click here for GotFrag's Tips & Tricks section

Of particular interest should be Jaeger's general tips and tricks videos. There's only 5 so far, but they look at some specifics that are definitely worth knowing if you're looking to pursue this type of game-play a bit further

Tips & Tricks Volume 1 - Scout Energy Drink
- A few points about the Bonk, although the recent Valve fix made the first-person tip impossible
Tips & Tricks Volume 2 - Soldier Jumps on cp_gravelpit, point C
- Examples of how to quickly get up the C tower on cp_gravelpit out the left and ride side of spawn.
Tips & Tricks Volume 3 - Spamming Through Doors on cp_freight
- This is technically a glitch, and is not allowed by ESEA.
Tips & Tricks Volume 4 - Pre-firing Rockets
- Some safety tips for soldiers about spamming around corners.
Tips & Tricks Volume 5 - Medic Healing
- A little love for our healers as guest star creepin outlines the basic healing order, and why.

Now it's time for....


!!!PRO VIDEOS!!!

http://www.wegame.com/watch/i_can_see_a_new_horizon/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8pihxXqL1Y&fmt=22

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QeNL2nUquU&fmt=22

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Rq3JGd0F4c&fmt=22

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxgXD0vn7hc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UjGc7OM7HE&fmt=22

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O95rW0EIOg8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oikjF9ucLI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3uISHSBVJQ

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUhZyvO8VJY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS_wWFRW0Tw&fmt=22

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-uiwifRw8A

Post with any questions for clarifications.

Hey You & Quaz and Wally's
TF2PRO.COM / TEAM ZISSOU SERVER Donate!
Come test custom PA made maps and mods for the PAMTU (Contact an admin to join).
Server IP: 208.167.242.188:27015
Password: wang

Job's
Hyperbolic Drama Chamber Donate!
Normal server with SourceMod.
Server IP: 216.155.146.69:27015
Password: wang

JonXP's
JonXP's server Donate!
Regular vanilla server. No plugins whatsoever.
Server IP: tf2.finalmeasure.com
Password: wang

PMAvers'
House of Non-Conformity Donate!
Custom map server.
Server IP: 208.167.243.68:27015
Stats page
Download the Map Pack. 412 MB download.
Contents of the map pack (updated: July 1st-ish):

cp_coldfront_rc1
cp_indulge
cp_generator_b4b
cp_mainline_rc5
ctf_cloudburst_b3
ctf_landfall_a9
ctf_mercy_b5
koth_garbage_day
koth_lighthouse_rc5
koth_moonshine_rc
koth_persia_b4
koth_switcheroo_b3
koth_trainwreck_b1
pl_cashworks_rc2
pl_swiftwater_frc3a1

Extract to: Steam\steamapps\<your account>\team fortress 2\tf\maps
Password: wang



SICK OF 32 INSTASPAWN PUBS?
Try the Blacklist Updater
Follow the info in the link and it'll provide you with all the info you need to create a customized blacklist.

Want to chat about TF2 or other inane bullshit? Join the IRC channel!
irc.slashnet.org #paforums_tf2

Jelly Jiggler

i approve Lindsay's message

GET ON SERVER BABBIES

TrippyJing

Must...resist...urge...to play...

Midterm...in...the morning!

Undead Scottsman

Still looking for Ze Goggles, in exchange for any hat on Page 3: http://www.tf2items.com/id/undeadscottsman
Possibly 2 hats, depending on which ones.

undeinPirat

yay drop cap reset

now i can idle while i work and have it mean something!

TrippyJing

Who the hell posted Kara - Mister in the last thread? I can't stop listening to it now.

T4CT

I'll be on after I record

undeinPirat

it doesn't matter who did it in the last thread

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgKYfjHcLj0

i did it in this thread!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeQBPfxjN1s

Jintor

Love youse unde

LittleBoots

Wow, first page in and already off topic.

Molybdenum

That OP video is 800000000% more facestab than I ever get as spy
I mean, they're just sort of waving the knife at anything nearby and backstabs just happen.
even on the fastest connections I always have to be right up in people's business for the stabs to land, but apparently I've been playing spy wrong and you don't actually need a backstab animation to backstab someone?

SkutSkut

Still wanting a big kill for ma spyin anyone got one to trade? I have Frying Pan, Ellis Hat, some other stuff I guess.

NEO|Phyte

Found a series 2 crate, what are they worth on the trading scene?

Nerdgasmic

they are worth fifty hats

tofu

I can't believe we let a girl make the TF2 thread

How did it come to this

TrippyJing

is Lindsay a k-pop singer

it will be slightly more on topic if that is so

LittleBoots

ITT: Cooties.

proyebat

I like how the OP is in all one quote.

TheySlashThem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvdf5n-zI14

guar

Whichever admin started a vote to change the nextmap from harvest to freight should have their admin privileges revoked.

Kupi

Harvest is one of the very few maps that I actively hate. That and Dustbowl before I made the timing revisions to it.

Squirrel Rancher

The PA servers really, really, really need to change the voting so the options start at 4.

ebotastic

Can we steer clear of the Drama chamber for a little while? It's on a constant cycle of lag slowly increasing until the server crashes. I posted in the last thread I thought it was a memory leak causing it.

nealcm

keep going, undies

i support you

undeinPirat

ebotastic wrote: »

Can we steer clear of the Drama chamber for a little while? It's on a constant cycle of lag slowly increasing until the server crashes. I posted in the last thread I thought it was a memory leak causing it.

plus

honc needs some lovin

LittleBoots

Awful game this is.

Bruce Forsyth

LittleBoots wrote: »

Awful game this is.

Agreed.

Dys

undeinPirat wrote: »

ebotastic wrote: »

Can we steer clear of the Drama chamber for a little while? It's on a constant cycle of lag slowly increasing until the server crashes. I posted in the last thread I thought it was a memory leak causing it.

plus

honc needs some lovin

oh god yes

proyebat

So we played SNIPER vs SNIPER and HEAVY VS HEAVY

Clearly there is no winner

NOW TEAM SOLDIER HAS TAKEN THE LEAD

TrippyJing

FUCK

I just spent like...an hour finding and looking at TF2 comics

I need to study pronto

BlindPsychic

Ok guys I'm two scrap metals short of a hat.
Here's what I'm willing to give you:
A frying pan
Bucket of Yellow paint

or if you want to help me out, I need a matching pair for a pyro or medic item to make scrap

Deswa

I'll help you out.

UEAKCrash

Who just had a Sober Stuntman drop from idling last night? This guy.

Right after I finally traded for my Tricorn, too.

TrippyJing

Alright

Time to go fail this thing

Barrakketh

Found a pyro's beanie. 'Tis a shame that it didn't drop back when I wanted it :P

davincie

Ill trade my normal panama + some metal for a Vintage panama. If you see me online on steam just shout!

Hey You

Kupi wrote: »

Harvest is one of the very few maps that I actively hate. That and Dustbowl before I made the timing revisions to it.

Yeah, I'm not sure if I just tired of the game, but none of the maps are appealing and the ones on my hate list lately are Harvest, Nucleus, and Thunder Mountain. I would be ok with Thunder Mountain if it only had 2 stages, the third stage wears me down. Also, gravelpit needs more metal and health and is currently only fun to attack on (wise words from ebo).

Need more custom maps, but very short rounds of custom maps. I've tried to get people on Honc lately and for some reason, 90% of the maps that come up are Koth. I also find the maps go up into 6 or 7 rounds range sometimes and it's almost impossible to get enough people to rtv. I find anything over 3-4 rounds of a bad map makes people leave.

I would really like to see a bunch of random maps on there that go for very short rounds, like 2-3 max (1 round for ctf and plr). I like to think of trying new maps as I do picking up a sampler pack of beers. Sometimes I don't want the whole six pack, I just want to try a little sample to see if its good. If the beer is bad, I can finish it (because its beer) and move on to the next. Maybe even putting up a vote to extend the map 1 round would be a good idea (if 1 were no and 2 were yes on the vote,) to allow good maps to receive the justice they deserve.

Sorry for giving my 2 cents on how to run the servers, just trying to give some constructive feedback. :P

BlindPsychic

Ok I'll be on around 9pm tonight and I'll hook Uber up with the gold paint or pan for 2 scrap.


And I agree with hey you about gravelpit. Its one of the best maps construction-wise still, but I feel that some of the older maps really suffer from low metal or health supplies. They really weren't balanced for the increased metal intake that the lower ammo counts on the attacking classes caused. I feel like Gpit needs a medium health pack somewhere near C and maybe a little health/medium ammo pack behind the rock on B. For badlands they just need to make all the small ammo packs into big ones and maybe put small healths on top of the train cars in the center or on the little spires next to center.

Zen Vulgarity

I WANT A FEZZZZZ

savooipeerd

Squirrel Rancher wrote: »

The PA servers really, really, really need to change the voting so the options start at 4.

I've heard that this is technically impossible in sourcemod because of the way those menus works. So what the PA servers really need is the next best thing: a countdown warning you when a vote is about to start.

Roland_tHTG

That may be true but there is definitely a ... something that results with the weapon keys being spoofed with a message and keypress transparent so you can weapon switch before voting and then vote with other numbers.