Thursday 14 February, 2008

I've played this twice already and wow. Wow, because I had forgotten how hard it is go get "up to speed" in online FPS games. Sure, I can run around and shoot at the enemy, but I don't know the maps, don't know the objectives, and I don't know how to play each of the different classes.

For my first game I picked an engineer because it was the class that I started out with when I played Wolfenstein:Enemy Territory. I liked it because it didn't take me long to figure out what to do and I could help my team, as it where, without having really good aim. Bad idea for this game.

First of all, I thought that I would have to build things and that the locations of those things would be pre-determined. (ie, repair this bridge!) Not so. TF2 is a lot more flexible than that, allowing engineers to build anything essentially anywhere. That wasn't any good for me because I didn't know what places I should be building in. (ie, what's a good spot for the auto-gun?). Also, I realized that I didn't know HOW to build. (ie, what command/key?) Finally, I realized that you need to have "supplies" (points of some sort) in order to build. I haven't been able to figure out how you get these points but I did figure out how to build stuff. :-) Eventually.

Actually, I quickly switched over to medic and have figured that class out pretty well. I think.

In all, I look forward to playing some more and learning the nuances of each class...and each map! So far it seems like a very high-energy game.

Yeah, the Medic really is imo the most newb friendly class. No aiming, you stand behind your teammates (and therefore out of the line of fire) and it's generally pretty obvious when you're needed.

I simply cannot figure out spies, but I know a good spy is devastating.

When you go back to engineer, keep this in mind:
You need metal to build. You get the metal in exactly the same way you get ammo, with the sole exception of dispensers, which have unlimited ammo but limited metal.
Sentry Guns can be upgraded by hitting them with the wrench. Each swing puts 25 metal towards an upgrade, there are two upgrades which cost 200 metal each. Level 3 sentries fire missiles, which can hurt you if you stand in front of the sentry. It's worth it though - a level 3 sentry can kill a heavy even when a medic is healing him.
Teleporters are vital on control point maps, especially Dustbowl.

Thanks for the comments. I've played a bit more now and I've started to learn how engineers work. Yes, dispensers can be very useful. :-)

I am surprised however by how easily sentry guns are taken out...never by myself, but definitely by other players who seem to just blink and destroy them.