Chipperz said:
You know, I've been thinking about this, after I tried playing on a few servers last night, and I would LOVE to hear some responses to these;
1 - Where's the "quick play" option? You know, just select what type of game you want to play and it shoves you into one with free spaces? Standard to all games circa 2001?
2 - If there are "500 user-made maps", where's the option to just play on the official, professionaly-made ones? I got stuck in a few last night that had one exit from the base which the other side just camped with AoE classes.
3 - Where the hell is the Assault Rifle class? It's another one of those FPS standards since the dawn of gaming. I asked in the TF2 group last night and got told "the sniper has an SMG?" I'm sure that's the closest answer, but... Damn, people!
4 - Why is there such a problem with Pyros? Currently, they're the class I have the most fun with, and if I can set fire to a few members of the other team before I die, I'll at least have helped more than being gunned down before I can set up a turret/prime the minigun/get into scope. I ran across a few Medics last night who refused to heal "the pyro noobs".
5 - If there's no balance difference between weapons (which is a lie, by the way), what's the difference between my "Level 10 Back Burner" and the guy who killed me's "level 64 Back Burner"?
1 - 6 clicks from my desktop put me in a game of Dustbowl. I have people playing TF2 on my friends list, so I could have done it in 2, but to join a random server took 6 clicks. The problem with shoving you in a random server is that you could end up on a server running non-official maps, with custom rules, on an extremely busy or a deserted server. By letting you choose from the list, you can practice your Spy on a server with 30 people, or your Sniping with 4 people.
2 - There are loads of servers which just play the official maps. If your team were getting screwed on a biased map, it's easy enough to type "rtv" and get the map changed. Or at worst, change servers. Also, when you're at the server selection, try typing "vanilla" in the tags. Those servers run nothing but vanilla.
3- The problem is that TF2 isn't as basic as that. By Assault Rifle class I'm guessing you mean a class that has a medium-long range, rapid fire weapon? The problem with this is that the Heavy has his minigun, the best rapid-fire weapon in the game, but his speed and range are his weaknesses. Likewise, the sniper has the best long range weapon in the game, but sacrifices peripheral vision, loading speed and close-range ability for it. Once you give a class long-range, rapid fire weaponry, what is their weakness? You mentioned the frustration of being pinned at a choke point by long range weapons, now imagine if they could spray and pray from that distance.
4 - Newb pyro's are known as "w+m1" pyro's. That is, they hold mouse 1 and run in with no plan, setting a few people on fire and then dying. The last thing a medic wants from a buddy are suicidal tendancies, as it will leave them vulnerable to attack. Watch some of the "How to play Pyro [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGIISxhYRYE]" videos [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwLfGunep2Q&feature=related] on youtube/tf2 wiki [http://tf2wiki.net/wiki/Pyro] for some pretty decent tips. If you've got the choice of setting 2 people on fire and retreating or setting 5 on fire and dying, you're better off only doing the two. It's great you have fun playing with the pyro, and I hope to see you burning people on the Escapist servers some time soon.
Also, as with any online game, you DO run across some idiots occasionally. I've had medics not heal me because I was wearing Bill's Hat (I preordered L4D2, I got a hat on TF2 for it). That's why finding people you enjoy playing with and adding them to your friends is a great idea.
5 - There is no difference between a "level 10 backburner" and a "level 64 backburner", the levels are a joking reference to the gear-loadout cliche of MMO's. It sounds to me like he caught you unawares, the backburner gives guaranteed crits if it hits you in the back, it's meant for ambush work rather than head-to-head fighting. There is a difference between the weapons, that's why they have different weapons. Sasha is the original Heavy's minigun, Natasha is the unlockable. Natasha gives less damage, but has a slowing effect. If you're fighting another heavy, Sasha's boosted damage will be more useful. If you're fighting a scout or firing at someone who has your intel, the slowing effect will be more useful. It's all about your style of play.
I hope I've been of some use? Any other questions, I'd be happy to answer.
