A week later, everyone is wondering just how I feel about all the goodies in the Heavy Update. Everyone. Just ask them.
Arena Mode
From time to time on this blog, I’ll make suggestions for stuff I’d like to see incorporated into TF2. My commenters make suggestions. People on the Steam forums make suggestions. Even on the official TF2 blog, readers are invited to make suggestions. I think I can say, without fact-checking, that no one has ever suggested a game mode that features not playing the game mode. “Hey, you know what would be great? If other people could play the game while I sit there not playing. That’s what TF2 needs: less playing and more sitting around waiting to play.”
That said, I’ve warmed up a bit to Arena Mode. A bit. Under some very specific circumstances.
First, small teams. Three, four, maybe five on a side, tops, with no one person vastly better than anyone else. In those cases, anyone can pull off a win, anyone can be the lone survivor, and the rounds are nice and short so if you do die early you don’t have to wait long to get back into it. I had some fun a couple nights with that sort of set-up.
Once you start getting into larger teams, like 8-on-8 or 9-on-9, it just feels like Counter-Strike to me. A big surge, some chaos, and then I’m dead, killed by someone I didn’t see coming. Much of the fun with small teams is trying to track down the other players, especially when there’s just one or two people left — you lose that with larger swarms until perhaps the very end of the round. The more players, the more likely I am to die sooner and the longer the rounds will last in general.
I know the advice headed my way: suck less. But I can’t. I can’t suck less, I can only suck the amount I suck, or more.
Second, I have to play on the new Arena maps to have fun: I really like Lumberyard and Ravine is pretty good. The maps that are revisions of existing maps, like Badlands and Granary, are just not much fun. They just feel like being in Badlands and Granary, two maps I like a lot in regular TF2 but just don’t do it for me in Arena.
So, Arena is fun for me but only if certain criteria are met. It’s never going to be something I seek out, but I’ll give it a shot under the right conditions.
Community Map: Steel
Obviously, I’ve been a fan of Steel for a while, and it remains probably my favorite map, custom or otherwise. There were a few small layout tweaks and some health and ammo redistribution for the official release, and I think maybe the overall time gained when capping a point is a little different, but nothing huge you’d really notice. However, there’s one change I absolutely love.
I was on the attacking team, and we were having trouble capping one of the first supplemental points. I went scout and rushed to point E, in hopes of luring some defenders away from the other point. Someone came and knocked me off E, and I fell into the pit, as I have so many, many times.
This time, however, I didn’t die. I landed right on one of the map tweaks.
That white pipe is new. If you happen to land on it, you can run out of the pit onto the lower walkway. Awesome! Plus, an engie (from either side) could run down the pipe to that little platform and build a stealth sentry. Great addition, and it saved my life. I later tried to purposely land on it and missed. Isn’t that always the way.
Badwater Basin
Badwater is great. Promising to be more open and less cramped than Goldrush, it gives players lots of room and routes to take while still featuring some exciting choke points. I think the real reason I like it so much is that it’s not a three-stage map. I like that the whole battle takes place without breaks and new stages; it gives it a lot of urgency and never feels like you’ve really dead-locked. Plus, Gold Rush still stalls in that first stage more often than not, whereas Badwater always seems to end with the cart either making it to the end or very, very near the end. The balance feels just about perfect.
Natascha
Honestly, Natascha and Sascha are pretty interchangeable. Natascha does less damage but slows attackers down, meaning they’ll be in your line of fire for longer, meaning you’ll do more damage to them. Ultimately, I feel like I get the same amount of killing done with either.
I do love Natascha’s sound effects — the spin-up and firing sounds are great, and pretty much for that reason alone I stick with the new weapon.
As for being slowed down when getting shot by someone wielding Natascha, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. It’s like getting a bit of a stutter step each time you’re struck. It’s subtle and not the annoyance I’d feared. And face it, if a Heavy is doing damage to you, you’ll be dead shortly either way.
Sandvich
I can’t lie: I really miss the shotgun. I used it a lot. But I just can’t go back.
The sandvich is amazingly useful — being able to heal yourself back up to full, provided you have enough time and privacy, definitely makes the heavy viable without his medic. And, hearing the nearby sounds of an enemy heavy chowing down is both funny and om-nom-nominous. You know he’s healing himself, but where, and can you find him in time?
If you do, and you kill him, he’ll leave behind his sandvich, a nice 50 point heal-a-meal for you. The heavy also has a bunch of new things to say (and sing) about his sandvich,which you might hear from time to time, another nice bonus. I just love that shit — that Valve not only added a sandvich to their game but had the actor come in and record new lines for the heavy to say in reference to it. That’s just plain awesome.
Killing Gloves of Boxing
I’ll never bare-knuckle again. Those crits are great, and though often you won’t have time to use them on anyone, occasionally you can string together a nice stack of kills, each feeding off the last. And the Punch-Out taunt is hilarious.
Only downside? If you’re wearing the gloves, you don’t get the:
Heavy Taunt Kill
Check out Tom’s well-documented quest for a taunt-kill. I hope every class eventually gets one — the spy’s cigarette-flick should immolate an enemy, the scout could certainly finger-bonk someone to death, and maybe the soldier could drop one of the grenades he’s juggling?
So, lots of great weapons, and combined with the new maps and the new mode I sort of like a little under certain circumstances, I’d say Valve managed to breath some new life into a game that I still haven’t gotten sick of playing. Best update ever.
48 responses so far ↓
1 PsychoDuck // Aug 26, 2008 at 11:09 pm
“DON’T RUN! IT’S JUST HAM!”
No way, he actually says this? I’m giving serious consideration to playing nothing but Heavy from now on, if only to hear this sound byte.
2 A Person! // Aug 26, 2008 at 11:13 pm
1. I agree, arena mode sucks.
2. Steel is ok, but more than 25 minutes of it just gets old.
3 Pulviriza // Aug 26, 2008 at 11:13 pm
I played badwater once, pretty fun, but not enough for any sort of impression. I also only have 4 heavy achievments.
4 Christopher // Aug 26, 2008 at 11:13 pm
I was on duel_store, and for some reason he would say a line after every bite of the sandwich. Ijust now looked in the game files and he’s got about 15 new sandvich-related lines.
5 feeble // Aug 26, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Nice sum up.
I thoroughly enjoyed having party mode enabled during the free/anniversary weekend.
I would love if they expanded this, such as a Pirate weekend, where people are given pirate hates or patches, and the text is translated into pirate lingo. Treasure comes out when they get shot/killed.
6 Nate // Aug 26, 2008 at 11:59 pm
I haven’t even heard any of the sandvich lines! (Of course, I never play heavy.)
I just love the amount of context sensitive sound bites in this game. Even after nearly a year of playing I still hear things I swear I haven’t before from time to time.
7 Nophysicalbody // Aug 27, 2008 at 12:24 am
I love the entire update in general. Though arena would be more fun with less sitting out. The heavy sounds are awesome. I love how they stole the natasha firing sound from hl2’s ar2 (the combine rifle). took me a while to notice. the sandvich is useful AND amusing, a great addition to the game. badwater is a bit dull, but plays well. lumberyard, ravine, badlands and grainery arenas are great fun to play, whilst the well reincarnation sucks, but that’s normal for a well map.
8 macho // Aug 27, 2008 at 1:32 am
don’t like the arena though I pretty much rule in tf2. Sandwich is fun, but I don’t think I’ll be using it often. Haven’t tried Natascha, but I don’t think I’ll be using her as well. And I’ve yet to get the gloves. Steel and badtwater - ok maps. Steel is excellent for spies, which is a really good thing :)
9 macho // Aug 27, 2008 at 1:34 am
Oh, I forgot to say that I love the update, though. Mostly because of the interesting achievements like Photostrelka :) That was one lucky guy, who saw an invulnerable taunt :)
10 Thermite // Aug 27, 2008 at 1:57 am
“YOU’RE A LOOSE CANNON SANDWICH, BUT A DAMN GOOD COP!”
I had to trudge through the voice files with GCFScape to make sure I heard that one correctly…
I dearly hope they add more voice files; I love the TF2 characters dearly.
11 Bootsie_B // Aug 27, 2008 at 2:00 am
I got that achievement. Fun times.
A couple of Red Heavies were having a picnic. I sneak up and POW one right in the FACE!
12 Joerdgs // Aug 27, 2008 at 2:25 am
Arena mode is pretty fun if you prefer some direct action.
13 Joe Snuffy // Aug 27, 2008 at 2:37 am
Well, I envy every one of you guys, my internet cap died about 5 minutes after downloading the patches. I need to obviously do less QQ and more pow pow.
14 Gimpy // Aug 27, 2008 at 2:39 am
Another benefit to natascha i only just noticed is that the slow down effect works on ubered people, nothing like slowing down an incoming uber to help your team out!
15 Aftershock // Aug 27, 2008 at 2:40 am
Apparently it was birthday mode on every TF2 server because it was the 12th birthday of Team Fortress.
The Heavy taunt has a fair bit of range on it, i got my first taunt kill from the lower ledge on the far right, in goldrush’s first stage, second half. I hit a heavy who was spraying from behind the wall next to the cart tracks.
I also got another taunt kill down the first section of the tunnel.
It seems, that even with the very slow firing time, its insta-kill power seems to be better than the minigun against other heavies who are spinning their gun and moving slowly. Provided you can hit, of course.
16 Smurfy // Aug 27, 2008 at 3:37 am
@13, that’s why you get an unlimited connection.
17 Don // Aug 27, 2008 at 4:07 am
Wonder if Valve will retrofit a taunt kill for the medic? Perhaps his bone saw tune could be used to explode an enemy’s head through resonance. Logically this wouldn’t be directional and would just kill any enemy within a given radius, it would be a pleasing irony if the medic could end up with the most lethal taunt of all. As this is a key forum that Valve obviously checks regularly for ideas I look forward to seeing this implemented real soon.
18 VenomKing666 // Aug 27, 2008 at 4:25 am
I really love Badwater basin, really Spy friendly, I even got 4-5 backstabs while we were on defense, there was like 3 heavies one demo and one heavy on the kart, it is so easy to go behind the fray of enemies in this map. I just plain love it.
19 Smurfy // Aug 27, 2008 at 5:00 am
The medic should have a taunt heal. Also, @18, so, 4 heavies?
20 n00bie51 // Aug 27, 2008 at 5:17 am
I didn’t notice the new white pipe down there! Thanks for mentioning it, dude. I’m going to be an Engineer and maybe put a Sentry Gun down there just like you said next time I play Steel.
Badwater Basin is awesome, because it’s way more Scout-friendlier in comparison to Gold Rush, and I love Payload maps and playing as Scout.
I enjoy Arena mode, and I can’t help but think it could be a really interesting addition to competitive gameplay if Valve could allow players to pick their team and such. I’ve always enjoyed the prospect of one-life rounds. But it definitely seems more CS than TF2 to me.
Something you HAVE to try out, Frohman: Try to get a game where everyone has to only use melee-only. It’s amazing win to Crit-Box four players in a row and enjoying the victory with a nice Krit-Sandvich.
About the Sandvich; I don’t use it anymore, and not just because it would only be suitable for pubs (which are all I play nowadays). It’s just that if you have a reliable Medic, there’s no need for it. And I’ve come across plenty of reliable Medics. I’m actually stock-piling them in my friends list. Also, whenever I kill someone with the K.G.B., it’s extremely handy to whip out the shotgun and Crit a Scout or two instead of revving up the primary.
I wouldn’t say you could use Sasha or Natascha interchangeable, though. I think I could also do the same amount of killing with either one, and I personally think Sasha is better, but Natascha is better against other classes, and I wouldn’t use it against other Heavies unless they had Natascha as well. Perhaps I shall go use the minigun on all the other Heavies who are using Natascha and pwn them. Of course, if you Crit with Natascha, it doesn’t matter. But whatever, I’m just rambling on.
I would agree that Valve has done a successful job extending the life-span of the game, but I still don’t approve of the huge effect class packs have on the game. I guess I’m a stubborn bastard who dislikes change in general.
21 Major McMuffin // Aug 27, 2008 at 6:06 am
I got the Heavy taunt kill last night, great fun. Then I tried to hadouken people as a pyro, because i don’t have that yet - I failed horribly every time. That said, I only hit the guy with a heavy taunt on the third attempt, I think he might have let me have it.
22 Smurfy // Aug 27, 2008 at 7:00 am
OK Chris, now do your George Bush one!
23 [TnA] Muffin // Aug 27, 2008 at 7:22 am
i just thought i’d add… if you are a scout and you pick up a heavies sandvich you get a 75hp boost instead of 50hp
24 rammingspeed42 // Aug 27, 2008 at 7:22 am
Yah, I think that after giving it a few more tries, Arena can be fun. But like twelve people on the server, tops. I’ve sat out a round, but it was when I first joined the server. It is a weird gaming idea tho; Valve puts you in the penalty box for sucking.
25 Khaotic // Aug 27, 2008 at 7:24 am
@ [TnA] Muffin: Gah, beat me to it.
26 Dan // Aug 27, 2008 at 7:52 am
Vhat vas that, sandvich? Kill them all? GOOD IDEA
27 FinalFrog // Aug 27, 2008 at 8:30 am
Career medic speaking, and I have to say I can’t stand when Heavies use Natasha for Offense. When taking on soldiers, demos, and turrets, Heavies I heal who use Natasha almost always get blown to pieces rather quickly.
When your on offense, getting people to stay in range isn’t a problem, it’s taking them out quickly that is. Yes it’s nice for the scout who tries to retreat, but when you’re inside the enemy base in 2fort that’s not what you should be worrying about. People don’t run away, they run at you because their respawn is only a short walk away.
IMO it goes Sasha = Offense and Natasha = Defense.
28 AlphaHawk // Aug 27, 2008 at 8:41 am
Yeah, best update yet for sure. Can’t wait to see what class is next for an update. Next one will probably be out in October or November.
29 E-Bass // Aug 27, 2008 at 8:50 am
Now theres one thing I don’t understand.
“The Hunted” was always my favorite game mode of TFC. Shepherding the VIP around, going ahead to check for snipers, watching his back, it was brilliant.
Now I heard Valve’s weak rationalisation for not including the hunted was…. (and I’m paraphrasing here) “It was a game mode too easily influenced by the respective skill of a key player. If the hunted was a good player it was great, if he was bad it was atrocious.”
Well aside from the fact that it was like that in TFC and it was still my and many others favorite game type speaks volumes for it. But surely Arena mode is the same thing? At least with a useless team in a respawning game you can still make a lone defense with a heavy or a game winning rush for the flag as a scout? With a useless team in Arena you just get rolled over each round by the superior forces in 2 minutes flat and don’t have a chance.
Basically what I’m trying to say is. Valve your rationalisation for not bringing the hunted back sucks. Bring it back now!
30 superflykiller // Aug 27, 2008 at 9:23 am
“sandvich and me going to beat your ass!”
he sings that!
31 Pentadact // Aug 27, 2008 at 9:34 am
@10 I also like “What’s that Sandvich? Kill them ALL? Good idea!”
32 Alexander // Aug 27, 2008 at 9:42 am
So far it seems every class won’t be getting a taunt kill, unless they go back and make on for Medic. Some classes just don’t seem right for it. You got spy wrong though, it will probably be the knife taunt that kills.
33 Swiss // Aug 27, 2008 at 9:55 am
I second/ third/ twentieth the movement to get my boy the medic either a heal taunt or a kill taunt.
34 Still Not Chris // Aug 27, 2008 at 10:28 am
If it’s a taunt kill, it could be the Medigun taunt, and his headbutt is what kills you.
Ooh! Ooh! New topic! Taunt Kill ideas for every class!
Soldier: You can hit someone with the shovel somehow while whacking it on your head? (Shovel)
Scout: The Point of Death (Bat)
Demoman: Ka-BOOOOM (Grenade Launcher)
Engie: No idea.
Sniper: When the throws his fist into the air (SMG)
Spy: Fencing stabs. (Knife)
35 zompist // Aug 27, 2008 at 11:18 am
As a new player, I’ve found ways to be useful on most maps, but not Arena. Even as a medic I get blown away too easily.
Badwater Basin is great… the fact that it’s one long course enhances the must-move-little-cart feeling, and there are interesting ways to sneak around the other team.
Fallout (a player map) is awesome with a large team. Splendid chaos, and since people are running around all over it’s a field day for a pyro with a backburner.
36 Bobicmon // Aug 27, 2008 at 11:24 am
The spy taunt wouldn’t make any sense. If he can already get instant kills from behind, then why would he want to do it with a four second taunt?
37 Pentadact // Aug 27, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Interesting that Steel is your favourite map, Chris. Ridiculously, I’m still learning it. Lately I’ve been playing on a lot of different ones, and come to the conclusion that cp_well is my favourite. Badwater may overtake it, but I can’t judge yet because Engies still haven’t had a chance to settle in and find killer Sentry nest setups. It took a long time for them to become truly impenetrable on Goldrush too, but now that they have that map’s dropped from being my favourite to not making my top three.
Well’s the only one where, when we’re losing, I can say “Alright, fuck this, I’m going to beat up the whole enemy team” and sometimes actually do it.
@Bobicmon - I don’t think the purpose of the taunt kills is to give the classes new viable attack options. They’re a joke.
38 Dorian Cornelius Jasper // Aug 27, 2008 at 4:37 pm
@23
That is both brilliant and hilarious. Valve really knows how to carry on the joke.
39 Cpt. Falcon // Aug 27, 2008 at 5:27 pm
I agree with you on everything but Natascha.
I just think it’s too weak, as I have to keep the weapon trained on the target to kill him, even at close range, as opposed to 2 seconds maximum with the minigun.
I label Natascha the same as Kritzkrieg: Useful in certain conditions, otherwise inferior.
40 n00bie51 // Aug 27, 2008 at 5:28 pm
It’s a taunt kill, Bobicmon, it’s not supposed to be practical. Plus, it wouldn’t have to be a back stab.
Personally, I never agreed with Valve’s decision to add taunt kills in the game, despite the fact they certainly have their own charm and attraction to so many people even though it’s minimal. I wouldn’t want them to make any more taunt kills either.
41 AlphaHawk // Aug 27, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Still waiting for a gif. image of you kill taunting someone with the heavy :)
42 [TnA] Muffin // Aug 28, 2008 at 7:00 am
*sings* “saaaandvich! saaandvich! Me and my! Saaaaandvich!”
43 Gothic // Aug 28, 2008 at 7:07 am
Gah. I just tried for the taunt kill for 2 hours straight and I suspect I have a bald patch somewhere now.
Any tips on how to get it easily (other than farming)?
44 sTeL // Aug 28, 2008 at 12:53 pm
@43 I just got my heavy taunt kill defending goldrush, 1st stage by waiting till they nearly had the kart on the last point (just about to cross over the ditch) and then jumping down amongst the large group of enemies surrounding the kart from the building overlooking the point, hitting G and hoping for the best - since it worked first time i’d recommend it as a good way to get the taunt kill :P I was sure i’d missed when a medic started needling my back and the heavy infront of me moved away and turned around but then -POW!, wonderful :) Worryingly it wasnt untill 10 seconds later that the achievement actually popped up, but still.
45 DM[死神] // Aug 28, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Arena Mode currently sucks because of:
-Sitting out - whats the point… specially when players are just joining the server for a new game (often there will be a 3 on 3 match with 10 players “waiting their turn”).
-Servers with more slots than can be played. ummm yeah that’s more waiting, it should just have the amount of slots so that every player is in the match and there are no sit outs.
-Lumberyard is pretty awesome…
On that note maybe there should be a hot potato mode with one instance of intelligence, whichever team holds on to the intelligence the longest in the period of time wins… unless they all get killed.
46 n00bie51 // Aug 28, 2008 at 5:46 pm
I don’t like the concept of sitting out myself; it’s meant to even the teams, but Valve didn’t force players to sit out in order to keep the teams even in their titles like CS or DOD. Arena plays too much like a game of match making on Xbox Live or something, y’know?
47 Xilnold // Aug 29, 2008 at 11:52 am
I don’t know if this has been mentioned, but the scout actually gets alot more health from dropped sandviches. a full 85.
48 n00bie51 // Aug 29, 2008 at 11:24 pm
It was mentioned by [TnA] Muffin in this story, but he says you get 75 HP, not 85.
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