TF2 Update - May 21st

[Sacrifice]

Maps

• Added new map, Pipeline. Pipeline is the first map in a new game mode named payload race, which uses two carts in each map instead of only one like traditional payload maps
• Added new arena map Sawmill
• Added new arena map Nucleus
• Added new community payload map Hoodoo

Sniper Changes

• Added new sniper rifle replacement, The Huntsman. Instead of a sniper rifle, you have a bow that allows you to move around faster while firing, and fire more quickly than the sniper rifle. Works better at medium range than the standard rifle
• Added new SMG replacement, Jarate. If thrown on an enemy they will take more damage for short period of time. Also extinguishes flames on yourself or allies
• Added new SMG replacement, The Razorback. Will protect you against a single spy backstab, and stun the spy for a short period of time. Comes with a 15% move speed penalty for the wearer
• Standard sniper rifle now shoots through friendly players
• Added 54 new Sniper voice lines
• Added 35 new Sniper achievements

Spy

• Added new revolver replacement, The Ambassador. First shot is very accurate and will cause a critical hit if it hits an enemy's head. Accuracy is poor for a period after that
• Added new watch replacement, the Dead Ringer. When armed, you will appear in all ways to die to the first damage you take from an enemy. You'll be cloaked for 8 second after taking this damage. Upon de-cloaking you'll make a loud, distinct sound
  Added new watch replacement, the Cloak and Dagger. Your cloak meter is only depleted when you move, so you can stay invisible indefinitely if you're standing still
• Spy name tags now show up properly when disguised as their own team
• Fixed a bug that would cause spectators to see disguise weapons incorrectly
• Fixed a bug where enemy spies disguised as friendly spies would have cigarettes that didn't burn
• Fixed a bug where overhealing disguised spies would show the wrong overhealing amount to the medic
• Made it more obvious on first person view model when your motion cloak is out of juice and you are partially visible
• Also made it more obvious on first person view model when you're bumped while cloaked
• Improved the way your disguise weapon is determined to make it clearer and fix a couple of rare issues
• Spies disguised as enemy spies now get a random mask to help complete the disguise, and their target id will be set appropriately
• Spies disguised as medics now have an Ubercharge: line in their disguise target info
• Spies outward facing "disguise health" now matches their disguise target when they first apply the disguise
• Spies can now pick up health kits for their "disguise health", even when uninjured
• Disguise UI doesn't show up in minimum UI mode (hud_minmode)
• Spies that disguise as a player using an unlockable now show that unlockable in hand
• Spies can now use enemy teleporters
• Added 70 new Spy voice lines
• Added 34 new Spy achievements

Scoreboard changes

• Dominations no longer get wiped when teams switch sides
• Dead players draw slightly darker in scoreboard
• Converted class labels to class icons
• All players now display the total number of people they are dominating

General

• Fixed a bug that would cause the scout's ball to regenerate at inappropriate times
• Demomen can now detonate their stickies while taunting
• Flamethrower's air burst now extinguishes fire on friendly targets
• Grenades and rockets deflected by a pyro under the effects of Kritzkrieg will now be criticals
• The Heavy and Sniper now have new custom death animations
• Fixed payload HUD not updating properly if you join in the middle of a match and the cart isn't moving
• Engineer's dispensers now give 20%, 30%, or 40% of player's max_ammo (for each ammo type) on each use, based on the level of the dispenser
• Added -sillygibs commandline parameter which will allow the non-violent gibs to be enabled
• Added a new taunt for the Kritzkrieg, which also heals for 10 points
• Improved the deathcam camera handling used when a player plays a custom death animation

 

[Sacrifice]

Couple of changes I found interesting:

- Spies can now use enemy teleporters
- Flamethrower's air burst now extinguishes fire on friendly targets

 

[Keero]

Airblast lubbin' is win!

I'm gonna give the game another week before I hop back on. Pubs are gonna be crazy. May I suggest going Pyro?

 

[The Mighty Gerbil]

The Good, The Bad and the whaaaaaat?!?!?!

Lots of the small edits are good things that needed to be done for a while ^^ and some are like they actually read my post in the steam forums (if not read my mind on some of the ideas).

On the other hand valve did cop out as I expected on the Spy's new weapons. I mean come on no knife replacement and the best weapon we get is a headshoting revolver that's like a total rob of the sniper. I know they have been crossing over classes with upgrades but I didn't think they would go that far (poor Whon T_T). Yes I know the sniper got urine and the razorback, which looks to be completely useless, but at least they do new and different things. The spies stuff does the same things in a different way. I mean the upgrades may be good weapons but they don't let you play the Spy much differently like other class's upgrades do :/. That headshoting revolver is going to completely negate the razorback too -_-. (oddly enough the spies updates seem to remind me of the Killzone 2 scout class that snipes and cloaks while still...)

I was watching the Team Fortress site for the past 2 hours expecting them to actually post the update was out or get an announcement via steam. I only found out it was actually out by this post and trying to use TF2. Now it's going to take 2 hours to update :/ . I would have had my game and our server updated otherwise, Gerbil FAILs T_T

 

[Keero]

Gerbil, ya need to put Pipeline as the only rotation, watch our numbers skyrocket.

"Tribe of Judah :: CRAZY CHRISTIAN PIPELINE 24/7 FUN"



Edit: Maybe not have crazy before christian though. xD

 

[The Mighty Gerbil]

Gerbil, ya need to put Pipeline as the only rotation, watch our numbers skyrocket.

"Tribe of Judah :: CRAZY CHRISTIAN PIPELINE 24/7 FUN"



Edit: Maybe not have crazy before christian though. xD

Sounds like a good idea Keero. Bakey has been asking about the customs too. For this week only I may change it to an all Payload server Pipeline, Badwater, Goldrush. I'll change it back to customs and other maps later though as I am getting tired of playing Goldrush and Badwater all the time (not that they are bad maps it's just I play them so much O.O).

The Team Fortress 2 site got updated now http://www.teamfortress.com/sniper_vs_spy/

Man no knife alternate what a let down :/ .

 

[Annath]

Mine also shows:

- You now find new and old items as you play, instead of through achievements

Whaaaaaaaaat? Is it random pickup now? Augh. ;_;

 

[Whon]

FINALLY my one big beef with sniping is hopefully fixed... I have lost so many kills do to teammates walking in my line of fire and stopping my shot from hitting...

I do wonder though why they didn't make a alternate weapon for the kukri

I also think the spies being able to use teleports of the other team is a bad idea, but that's just me.

 

[Bakey]

Added -sillygibs commandline parameter which will allow the non-violent gibs to be enabled

We totally need to enable this.

 

[The Mighty Gerbil]

We totally need to enable this.

I'm for it too and looked into enabling them in the past but never around to doing it (Fish has them enabled). With this command I'll need to contact gameservers and have them add it.

 

[Bakey]

We did that when we changed our default map over to pl_goldrush when Fudge was still running The Chocolate Shoppe. Gameservers had the command altered in like 2 hours or something?

 

[exodus]

- You now find new and old items as you play, instead of through achievements

anybody know exactly how this works yet? we saw a few show up last night on the server (pyro beanie was one).

 

[The Mighty Gerbil]

We did that when we changed our default map over to pl_goldrush when Fudge was still running The Chocolate Shoppe. Gameservers had the command altered in like 2 hours or something?

Request sent.

Ok I played ALL night long trying to get the new weapons and only got one new one, The Dead Ringer. Having listed to the chatter and made my own observations here are my conclusions about the update thus far...

The New Drop System: Everyone hates it and those who do like it are incredibility lucky. The old system had it's flaws but at the end of the day you were guaranteed to get a weapon if you did X achievements. Now weapons seem to randomly drop. After playing all night I got an extra set of boxing gloves, an extra Axetinguisher and two Dead Ringers none of which is what I wanted. I am still luckier than most of the people in the steam forums who got no new weapons or even a drop at all. This means it will actually take people longer to get weapons with this system than achievements (which btw seem very easy this time around). I really think that Valve is going to address this issue quickly though as so many people hate it. I don't know what they were thinking adding this system as it is. Unless there is a trick to it some poor sap (probably me) will be grinding forever just to get the one weapon he wants. Changing the system has not prevented large numbers of Spies and Snipers on the servers even though you don't need to be those classes to earn a weapon for them.

The Dead Ringer: At first I thought this was next to useless now I think its meh. What isn't mentioned in the blurbs about it is your defense goes up dramatically when it activates. While crit melees are a common thing to spies this weapon seems to negate them as I have not been crit'ed once with it on. Successfully using this thing seems to come down to "is it a newbie you are using it to trick?". If it's a experienced Pyro they simply keep flaming when you cloak and you die. It also gives off a much louder noise than the original cloak too making getting behind people require more space to decloak away from them first. What really makes it bad though is you can't cloak at will making you dependant on disguises to get behind enemies or deliberately running into enemy fire to trigger it (lame). While fooling someone with it and killing them is satisfying it's not nearly as useful as the original watch and it's harder to use overall. All it would take to fix is a manual activation button. I don't know if it would overpower it or not as it can still can't pick up metal, use dispensers to stay cloaked and it has two less seconds of cloak than the original one. I really want to use it for the "it's neat factor" but the old cloak is just plain better IMO :/.

As to things I've heard about the other weapons but cannot confirm...

The Huntsman: Fires in arc and has a more limited range than the sniper rifle. People seem to like it best. If you have a friendly Pyro's help you can light your arrows on fire and use them to light people on fire ^^ COOL.

The Cloak and Dagger: Incredibly short cloak time of approximately 6 seconds. If you move while cloaked it not only drains your cloak you shimmer too (sounds like Killzone 2 scout again, honestly are they copying that game to compete?). Apparently if you cloak crawl it doesn't shimmer but IDK if that's a bug or deliberate. It doesn't sound great like I hoped :/ but I will reserve judgement until I get one.

The Jarate: It seems effective for what it does that doesn't mean I want it -_-.

The Razorback: I've seen some snipers wearing it, so it's clearly visible. As such I still wonder what good is it?

The Ambassador: People do seem to like it but I didn't ask why. The headshot crit is apparently useless as it only causes damage comparable to a revolver gut shot. I am really mystified why people like it if it's slower, less powerful and less accurate after the first shot, I want one to find out whats so good about it.

I've also heard there are a few bugs for Valve to fix. Spies can taunt kill sgs and dispensers while invisible. Reportedly killing Engies and their stuff with one taunt. The Ambassador has also been able to shoot through walls.

The hats do look to be a nice addition but I only saw one in all the time I played making them the rarest. The Pyro's beanie is so apropos .

Unlike some of the if'y new weapons many of the new fine tunes are good...

Being able to shoot through your allies as a Sniper. T
Better Spy hud. T
The knife now changes position showing you if you are in backstab range.
The Heavies funny Sandvich sayings now work when you eat a sandvich.
Spies can use teleporters (I am waiting to see if I can tele-frag an Engy with his own tele )
Additional lines of dialogue to some classes and the Meet the Spy music has been added at start up.
Maps are ok and offer new art assets to use. Arena sawmill is the best of the bunch.
I am finding the new scoreboard a bit harder to read at a glance, except who is dead which is better.
New Spy crab dance FTW.

Anyway I will spam more info if I figure anything out. Hearsay is Valve is to announce how the new drop system works soon.

 

[Sacrifice]

I'm for it too and looked into enabling them in the past but never around to doing it (Fish has them enabled). With this command I'll need to contact gameservers and have them add it.

I only like the silly gibs for special occasions. I wish the Fish servers didn't have them on 24/7.

 

[The Mighty Gerbil]

I only like the silly gibs for special occasions. I wish the Fish servers didn't have them on 24/7.

I already sent in a request but maybe, after we've tried it for a few weeks, we can do a vote to see if people want it on the server.





After researching it some more The Ambassador apparently...

Pro: Penetrates and damages multiple enemies!
Pro: is accurate on the first shot but requires 2 seconds to become accurate again after words.

Con: Has no random crits!
Con: Does less damage than the normal revolver even if every shot is a head-hit!

It currently does no damage to structures but people don't know if that is a bug or not.

On other notes some people are idling in spec on for hours and getting the weapons just sitting there, bizarre.

 

[Omega Amen]

The Huntsman: Fires in arc and has a more limited range than the sniper rifle. People seem to like it best. If you have a friendly Pyro's help you can light your arrows on fire and use them to light people on fire ^^ COOL.

....

If our Snipers need a light, I will be more than happy to provide.

The Cloak and Dagger: Incredibly short cloak time of approximately 6 seconds. If you move while cloaked it not only drains your cloak you shimmer too (sounds like Killzone 2 scout again, honestly are they copying that game to compete?). Apparently if you cloak crawl it doesn't shimmer but IDK if that's a bug or deliberate. It doesn't sound great like I hoped :/ but I will reserve judgement until I get one.

Being probably the only major remaining Killzone 2 player on ToJ, that does not really sound like the KZ2 Scout cloak at all to me.

In KZ2, the cloak basically follows the rule more movement=more visible exposure. So walking/running around means the scout is completely visible to everyone. If he just moves his sniper rifle to adjust his aim then his rifle and arm are exposed briefly. If he is completely still, no one can see him, not even allies. The cloak does not shimmer when partially exposed either.

The cloak also affects the scout's vision with a blue tint and a slight fish-eye lens effect. The KZ2 cloak will also disable when the scout hurts an enemy, and it has a long recharge time.

The Jarate: It seems effective for what it does that doesn't mean I want it -_-.

I actually get a big kick out of it. I want to see it used more often.

The hats do look to be a nice addition but I only saw one in all the time I played making them the rarest. The Pyro's beanie is so apropos .

Ooooh, I want a beanie.

Also, about the drop vs. achievement system for obtaining new weapons.... Am I the only one out here who believes that Valve should, you know, just give you the new weapons from the start?

 

[Whon]

The Razorback: I've seen some snipers wearing it, so it's clearly visible. As such I still wonder what good is it?

Yeah, I noticed this too and it bugs me, cuz if the other teams spies know you are wearing it then they'll just shoot you. I would like to see them update it and call it the new and improved model smaller and concealed.

 

[The Mighty Gerbil]

I've played more...

Yeah, I noticed this too and it bugs me, cuz if the other teams spies know you are wearing it then they'll just shoot you. I would like to see them update it and call it the new and improved model smaller and concealed.

I haven't run into to many people wearing the razorback but the ones I have where easily dispatched via revolver confirming my hypothisis. They need to add a health or defense buff to it to make it worth using compared to the jarate and smg.

The big new is...

I NOW HAVE THE CLOAK AND DAGGER!
pardon me for a moment Mwhahhahahahahahhahahahaahahahah... Mwahaha! ok I am done.​

It works fairly well but the one map I tested it on was dark so that may not be an accurate test. It does follow the rule of showing you more the more you move (although I have not looked at myself to view it). In an odd turn of events it actually seems to regen quicker if you are cloaked and still rather than uncloaked and still, bizarre. Basically it comes down to finding the least checked area and waiting for your prey to come by. It's pretty sweet. I am going to be torn between this and the regular watch XD . Basically it turns the spy into a game of red light green light and you do a lot of crawling around. You can also use it to have pursuers overshoot your position as all you need is a little cloak to activate it. In the end the regular watch may win out as freedom of movement may be more useful in the long run but it will be interesting testing it.

I've also used the Dead ringer some more and when it cloaks your defense goes through the roof for those 8 seconds O.O. I think as more people get in the know of how it works it won't be that big a problem but as for right now all the newbies to it are dying quick. I should upload a demo it's rather amusing. I don't think this is a weapon that I could use continually to kill the same person but as a side-weapon it's looks to be better and better as I get used to it. It does have a graphical bug that shows the wrong watch on occasion though. I've also got 2 extras for people when trades are enabled .

 

[Whon]

If you get the huntsman I'll trade you the ambassador for it

 

[Keero]

So far, glad the Pyro got some more utility. (Even though I swore to go Soldier after I reset my stats). Putting out flaming buddies is pretty cool, they live with like, 20 health. Huntsman can be put on fire, and I read it CAN be reflected, but it's a slow launch and quick hit, but I don't have enough practice to be able to do that. The Jarate can be reflected, and it was very fun to use as a Sniper (got about 1/3rd of my kills with mini-crit bodyshots). Glad the Sniper rifle now has a crosshair, makes it easier to take down guys at close range. Dead Ringer is too loud for me to ignore, so I usually flame everything around me. The Spy still can be flamed when the fake body dies, so it's not that much of an improvement methinks. The Cloak and Dagger charges way too slow, but it is neat. Ambassador was OP'd before the patch, but I don't like it's sound effect. Sounds like cheap metal.

Dunno, patch just made me more paranoid. Now I HAVE to go Pyro.