Blog Posts from "The Intelligence" - Gameriot.com

Valve readying new Team Fortress 2 toy? Enter the "Guard Dog"

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:38:27 -0400

Valve has either dropped the coolest "troll" post in TF2 blog history or we have something really awesome coming our way.

The latest update to the TF2 blog has mention of a guard dog. If you aren't up on the details I will give you a quick refresher. Someone created this awesome shop of a new class/weapon so to speak within in Team Fortress 2. Yesterday someone sent it off to Robin Walker and he noted it was "quite awesome". Today's blog update has letter from the infamous Saxton Hale of Jarate fame and president of MANN Co. noting that the "application is pending", "we will evaluate your invention" and that he looks forward to "working with you in the future".

The photoshopped page is pretty amazing and really has that Valve feel. While the nod in the TF2 blog today is probably a shout-out for work well done I can't deny that looking at it I almost want it in the game. It just looks like a complete blast. Jarate was implemented off a joke and later came to fruition in the game and Saxton Hale had his hands all over that one. Maybe we could actually get guard dogs in the game?

It is probably a long shot but I almost wouldn't mind seeing it as the oft rumored new class within the game. This could possibly even work as a new Engineer toy. To be honest I wouldn't even put it past Valve to have planted the forum user and created the idea themselves to see what the community thinks.

In all likelihood, again, this is probably just a thanks from Valve for this users awesome work. But this game is very community driven and if the response is positive just maybe? What are your thoughts? Would use or play guard dogs in TF2? Or is a completely stupid idea that "doesn't belong in the game" like so many regard Jarate?

When TF2 Gets Serious - 'Where's Ma Halo *****?'

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:29:32 -0400

If you managed to play some Team Fortress 2 today you may have heard about "Halo-gate". No this isn't a reference to that crappy console game that the kiddies go gaga over its about this little halo on the right. Yes, the good boys and girls of TF2 landed themselves a nice halo as a hat add-on.

Notice I said "good boys and girls". Those of you who thought it wise to use that nasty little "idle program" out there to try and earn yourself some hats and various other accessories just had their hands slapped by Valve with little warning. I myself never used it. I spent some time idle in in-game servers well before the weapon-drops were added but never the third party client. So now I have a nice little halo as you can above which ironically is my very first hat.

People who choose to use the idle program have had all their "illegally obtained" items (and I use that term loosely) taken from them as a form of just desserts. Plus they miss out on the halo-hat which was giving to 95% of the TF2 populace. This has angered the masses and they are out in force on the TF2 official forums *****ing and moaning over a hat that has zero substance within the game as if they were unfairly treated.

Were they? I don't think they were to be honest. In the "spirit of the game" clearly idling to give an advantage in random rare drops, while not down on paper as illegal, certainly seems against the whole concept from the get go. If its supposed to be random doesn't idling go against the point of it? If anything these people should be pissed at themselves as it was their own actions that brought this on. The really amusing thing is that a lot of these gamers who idled never even got a hat but lost all sorts of other accessories.

Valve never explicitly came out and said this idling was illegal or against the TOS and this forms the basis of many complaints in regards to this whole issue. The weapons are easy enough to get however and this punishment really adds up to a whole lot of nothing if you lost some of your items.

I will give the protesters some credit though, they are going about it in some creative ways. First up is the "Healers Against Halos!" Steam group who are a bunch of healers who are refusing to heal players with halos. With under 700 members there is a good chance you will never run in to them but be warned. That is how you protest people, screw e-petitions.

And if you are really feeling slighted you can always bust out this custom skin to remind yourself how "f--- you Valve" you really are...

Cheaters never win?

TF2 Classes Update Live - Hats Galore + King of the Hill

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:51:09 -0400

A massive Team Fortress 2 update has hit the Valve servers tonight though there are no new classes updates. Valve is calling this the "classless update" but there are still plenty of goodies to sort through.

The biggest news is probably the addition of "King of the Hill" mode which plays like Pipeline stage 3 on crack. Three minutes to completely capture the hill and it is pure insanity. You have to hold the point for three minutes after a short delay of the point being inactive. If the other team takes it over your time freezes and theirs continues on, so on and so forth. Definitely a cool mode and I hope it catches on. I still think Arena is the most underrated aspect of this game and me and a friend playing Arena together and dominating is some of the most fun I've had in this game. Shout out to J.Jelly!

There are 18 new hats as well for your customization joys. The Engineer in a cowboy hat looks completely awesome.

There are some significant changes to the game as well. Some quick thoughts:

- The pistol firing at a fixed speed seems like a slight nerf though I rarely use any class with a pistol.
- Sappers working on both ends of the teleporter makes it both easier for Spies to sap and Engies to fix them. Interested to see how this pans out long term.
- Critboost for capping the flag... um, wow? I need to get in and further test this out.
- Pipeline seems to be finally fixed which is great news for an awesome map
- The Sandman no longer stops ubers (thank you Valve, such a stupid idea in the first place)

Read on to check out the full list of changes below. Remember there are only three classes left, the Soldier, the Demo and the Engineer. The first two are two favorites of mine so I am itching to see what Valve has in store for us.

New Content:

Added King Of The Hill game mode.
Added custom animations played by the losing team during the post-win state. They are moved into third person camera to enjoy them.
Added lots of new hats.
Added koth_Viaduct.
Added ctf_Sawmill
Added community map Arena_Offblast
Added community map Cp_Yukon

Additions / Changes:

Added "Auto Reload" option to the multiplayer advanced options.
Clip-based weapons that reload a full clip at a time can now have their reloads aborted by firing.
Pistol now fires at a fixed rate, not based on the speed at which you press the firing button.
Added a color blind option to add a Jarate icon above enemies who are busy accepting a terrifying existence where they have no dignity.
Significantly reduced the amount of network traffic being sent.
Capturing the flag in a CTF game mode gives the entire capturing team 10 seconds of critboost.
Sappers attached to a teleporter automatically place another Sapper on the other end of the teleporter, if it exists.
Engineers wrenching a teleporter will repair the other end as well, and remove Sappers from both if they exist.
Disguised Spies no longer trigger On-Hit effects (like the Blutsauger's heal).
Removed self-inflicted minicrits. Fixes Jarate'd Soldiers/Demomen having ineffective rocket/grenade jumps.
Added an item panel to the spectator cam that shows non-standard items being carried by the player you're spectating.
Added an "Inspect" key that allows you to look at items being carried by your team mates.
Backpack improvements:

- Added drag & drop to move items around. Item positions are maintained on the backend.
- Added multi-select, allowing you to delete multiple items at once.
- Added a new key to the key binding page that opens your inventory directly to your backpack.
- Fixed mouseover panel being incorrectly position when the backpack first appears.

Cloaked Spies standing in valid backstab positions no longer raise their knife.Added current map name and gametype to the bottom right of scoreboard.Added class icons to tips on the loadout and loading screens.Improved visuals around flags when they're being carried by a player.Improved critboosted visuals, making it much clearer when an enemy has critboost.Updated the loading panel to show the game type under the map name during level transition.In-game chat dialog now supports full Unicode characters.Added BLU main menu background.Added response caching for some server queries to help reduce the CPU load from DOS attacks.Teammates no longer block friendly radius damage. Prevents nearby teammates causing rocket/grenade jumps to fail.Map Changes:

Update PLR_Pipeline

- Increased the starting advantage in the third round if a team has won the first two rounds.
- Fixed carts not continuing to the second round if they're capped at the same time in the first round.
- Fixed being able to shoot pipebombs over the starting gates in the first round.
- Fixed being able to open the doors in the first round before the setup time was finished.
- Fixed players getting stuck in some doors.
- Fixed players being able to get onto rooftops and out of the map boundaries.
- Fixed other minor bugs and exploits.

Update Arena_Sawmill

- Fixed DirectX8 bug where some models would not be visible.
- Fixed exploit with building teleporters outside of the map.

Updated CP_Granary

- Made a few changes to improve balance based on competitive community feedback.

Item Reworks:

The Force of Nature

- The enemy knockback now only `works in close range and behaves more like the Pyro's air blast.
- Enemies cannot be juggled by the FaN's effect.
- The self-knockback has also changed to respect the firer's view angle. Looking up while shooting will no longer propel the enemy upwards.
- Knockback is now scaled by damage done.

The Sandman

- A Scout will receive 1 point for stunning an enemy and 2 points for a long range stun.
- Stunned players now take 75% of all incoming damage instead of 50%.
- Übercharged players can no longer be stunned.
- Heavies spinning their mini-guns will continue to spin when stunned (whether the left or right mouse button is pressed).
- The minimum distance to stun a target has been reduced.
- The negative attribute has changed from "no double jump" to "-30 max health".

Fixes:

Fixed various issues around layout & presentation of items inside the Backpack and "X is carrying" item dialogs.
Fixed an exploit that allowed players to work around sv_pure.
Particle files are now protected by sv_pure.
Fixed critboost effect getting stuck on when you die while critboosted.
Fixed Timer HUD element backgrounds not being the correct color if you change teams during waiting for players.
Fixed a couple of issues with the way critboosts affected The Huntsman and the Spy's knife.
Fixed an exploit where you could reload The Huntsman faster than intended.
Fixed Heavy "civilian" exploit.
Fixed a set of exploits using the DXSupport config files.
Fixed r_screenfademinsize and r_screenfademaxsize exploits.
Fixed sentries firing at a fully cloaked Spy if they're still the closest target.

Community requests:

Added a HUD element for hybrid CTF & CP maps.

- Supports 1 or 2 flags, and any number of CPs.
- Mapmakers need to place a "tf_logic_hybrid_ctf_cp" entity in their map to enable it.

Added custom kill server log text "train" and "saw" for deaths caused by these environmental hazards.

Format: "%s<%i><%s><%s>" committed suicide with "world" (customkill "%s") (attacker_position "%d %d %d")

Added new "medic_death" event for server logs

Format: "%s<%i><%s><%s>" triggered "medic_death" against "%s<%i><%s><%s>" (healing "%d") (ubercharge "%s")
- healing is the amount the Medic healed in that life
- ubercharge (1/0) is whether they died with a full charge

Added "func_respawnflag" trigger entity. It will remove & return the flag if a flag carrier touches it, or if the flag falls into it.

The Failure that is the Sniper/Spy Team Fortress 2 update

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:27:43 -0400

I love me some Team Fortress 2. So explain to me why I am writing this and sitting in a idle server right trying to earn the new weapons at the same time? Because Valve screwed the pooch when it comes to this latest update. The Spy/Sniper update is positive overall but this new random drop idea is absolutely ****tarded.

The new maps are pretty awesome. Both payload maps, Hoodoo and Pipeline are a blast and the only serious flaw lies with Pipeline and the final round advantage needing to be reworked. The weapons are a mixed bag but generally fun. The Huntsmen is a right to use but pretty unpractical for a guy who snipes as well as I do. Jarate makes me laugh just as much as it did when I first read about it on April Fool's day.

That is a bunch of hours of play and idle time and I'm still short 3 new weapons and a Medic syringe. Don't even get me started on 4 KGB gloves...

The serious issue however is the random drops. This wasn't so much a bad idea in concept but in execution. Valve wanted more people to have access to the weapons (read: casuals) based on play time instead of earning achievements which quite a few people weren't doing. What this did however was put the hardcore crowd off as we now have to wait around randomly for new weapons. Previously we could work through achievements in have them in hours to a day or two. I probably don't have to sit in a achievements_idle server to earn this stuff but I don't have the time to play 16 hours a day to get the new toys. So I've been running on idle, alt-tabbed and minimized, trying to earn hats and new weapons.

Personally I don't have any problem with the hats being completely random. They do nothing for gameplay and they should be a reward based on play time. The new weapons however do alter gameplay and making them solely random takes away much of the fun of a new update.

On top of that we have repeats and no ability to trade with people yet. So have three cans of Bonk! and four sets of KGB gloves. Great, now what the hell do I do with all those? Trading is impractical because once you have everything, what is the point of trading then? Most of the people who get the hats will already have all the weapons making trading really pointless.

For the next update or a patch between now and then Valve needs to add the old system in with this current random system. Then we have the best of both worlds. Casuals get random drops and us hardcore folks can grind out new weapons via achievements. Isn't this logical?

If I wanted to play a game based on random drops I'd be writing about WoW...

*Update* Valve has since added in achievement milestones as well. QQ'ing does pay off gentlemen.

TF2 Sniper vs. Spy Update: JARATE IS REAL! (incoming free play weekend!)

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:34:03 -0400

Tell me this isn't bad ass. A jar of piss? In a Valve game? April Fool's come true! Check it out on the blog. I'll write more about this update shortly. I am in the middle of cooking tacos.

Tacos are done and they kick ass per usual.

The applications of Jarate are pretty awesome:

1. When tossed on enemies they take 35% more damage. If I was soaked in piss I imagine my defenses would probably go down as well.

2. Jarate disables a Spy's cloaking device. Electronics vs. Piss, I guess that makes sense.

3. Jarate can put out a fire on your fellow teammates. They may be pissed at you afterward but at least you saved their life!

I really gotta hand to it to Valve. I am saying it now, and screw the haters, but they are easily the best developers out there. The jokes, the blogs, the free updates, the amazing games; who can top that?

Here they make an awesome April Fool's joke with Sniper piss and everyone gets a kick out of it. Problem is everyone loves it so much that they demand it game. Of course Valve comes through in the end and actually delivers. Is there any other game that has used piss as a weapon? I thought maybe a Postal game may have, but those suck ass. Piss... of all things...

I am guessing the Razorback is the machete replacement and Jarate replaces the sub-machine gun. I am hoping this is actually reversed however. You could smash some Jarate on someone and then sub-machine gun them to death for quite a good time.

People over on the Valve forums are *****ing about this as if it detracts from the game and that is disgusting. Idiots. "Oh no, urine is so gross, whaaa whaaa". Screw off.

Side note, urine is sterile, for those not in the know.

TF2 Sniper/Spy Update - time for The Ambassador

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:22:43 -0400

The above image image may set off pacemakers and cause cold chills as it is the visage of awesomeness.

Thursday is D-day when it comes to the next Team Fortress 2 update. The Sniper and The Spy, new maps, new achievements and hats, yes hats. It should be loaded with new toys to play with.

One of those new toys is The Ambassador, the Spy's revolver replacement which apparently packs quite the wallop. It has the ammo count of the revolver but packs even more of a punch and features pin point accuracy. The bad news? A serious case of cool down after every shot so make them count. It is 8 pounds of beast and features a picture of your enemies mother (lol, Dyz send along a .JPG please). If this is that accurate I could see it being a new regular weapon especially at medium to long range distance.

Tomorrow then it seems we will get the last Sniper weapon and I am still pulling for a boomerang or something. That will wrap up the updates leading us to Thursday's release of the patch. Hopefully I can get some time with the update before I take off Thursday as I can't wait to get some new toys.

TF2 Sniper Update - What the hell, the Spy? Pyro's sex revealed!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:59:32 -0400

The . This watch allows the Spy to feign death so to speak, but not in that TFC way. After taking a non-lethal hit you get 8 seconds of cloak to sneak up behind would-be-killers as they check out your fake corpse laying on the ground.

This is going to be awesome. The only concerns are getting from point A to B in the 8 seconds if you are crossing enemy lines. Most good Spies almost exclusively use the cloak for movement and this could slightly hamper that. I am guessing this is the swap for the revolver but don't quote me on that.

The coolest update is Cloak and Dagger. This new cloak allows you to be permanently invisible! The only catch is you have to stand still to charge it. Metal doesn't charge it and only movement drops the meter. I could definitely see myself swapping this for the primary cloak which I imagine this replaces.

Props to Valve for the awesome surprise update. It looks like the weekend (maybe next week) is going to bring a whole bunch of Sniper and Spy play. After that run of months with no updates thanks to Left 4 Dead Valve is making up for it.

Oh... and for those of you that have questioned the Pyro's sex, even though I told you before, Valve slipped up today:

Valve has since updated the page but there is your confirmation, the Pyro is definitely a girl.

TF2 Sniper Update - The Aussie gets Spy protection

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:34:42 -0400

Yes, screw the Spy. I tend to think of myself as fairly mindful of Spies when it comes to sniping in Team Fortress 2. However they are still one of my few weaknesses when doing it. That and forgetting to drop the DPI on my mouse when I switch to Sniper. =/

The good news is Valve feels our pain. In an item swap for either the sub-machine gun or the machete (probably the latter) the Sniper lands himself a shield named The Razorback. The good news for you Sniper haters? It is only a one-shot-one-use item. It will defend you from a Spy backstab but then it shatters leaving you exposed. I don't see this being a huge asset for me as generally when I snipe I stay alive for quite some time and one protection from a Spy stab isn't going to give me a lot of mileage.

On top of defending you from the stab you can see those nice little wires on the back. This apparently give the Spy a 10,000 volt electric shock and forces a cool down on the Spy's knife. Looks like we may see more Revolver vs. sub-machine gun encounters.

I assume this is a once-per-life item. If you could constantly recharge it in spawn it may be a little bit too OP.

Thoughts on the latest Sniper upgrade?

TF2 Sniper Update - Look who has a new toy

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:03:22 -0400

Okay apparently Valve actually managed to surprise me a bit and has started the steady leak towards the Sniper update. The above is our favorite Aussie's new toy, ", because that is the best I can come up with right now, lol. Feel free to input some of your own.

The sniper update is expected either this week or next and it will also feature the new head-slot item update as well which I mentioned before.

Guess it is time to get in some L4D while I can. I probably won't put down TF2 until I get all of these updates.

Valve, what the f#@k are you doing to my TF2?

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 02:25:42 -0400

Ready for . Keep the randomness in the RPGs, they don't belong in FPS games as Crits are enough as it is.

The good news is Valve will be monitoring the community and player base when it comes to these changes so hopefully the people out there aren't okay with RPG elements cluttering up the best class based FPS shooter around.

P.S. Watch for my upcoming Sniper update suggestions!

Zooming in on the Sniper Update, Biggest patch yet

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:23:42 -0400

Now this is more like it. I rape as a sniper. Dyzz will come on here and try to talk how he is better, but he isn't. I am a beast when it comes to TF2 sniping and it has gotten me banned from numerous servers repeatedly.

Thus my excitement for the Sniper update rivals only the Demoman. Robin Walker confirmed on the TF2 blog that the real update is on the way. I can't to wait to see what Valve sends our way for our long-range-kill loving Aussie.

If you saw the Valve April Fool's joke you may have had a good laugh at the piss jar, aka Jarate. If not you can check it out here or on the right.

I didn't get my scout achievements yet as I kind of missed the whole "grinding session" with my friends as my video card was traveling back and forth between here and California. You can bet your ass I will be getting the Sniper stuff that week.

Walker announced that not only is the Sniper update on the way but there is another update before then which will apparently have new content for all the classes. The Sniper update itself is going to be the biggest update yet according Valve with multiple new maps and gameplay tweaks.

I am definitely excited. While the "holy grail" of The Hunted may not be on the way this is still excellent news.

I'll be sure to write up a projections list for new weapons for Qlimax's cousin, aka the Sniper. Look for it in the next week or two. So far my projections have been pretty solid, even picking some of the weapons almost spot on.

When this update hits all you slow ass heavies better look out, it is open season on the fatties.

The Scout is a wrap - Finally packing some heat

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:08:30 -0500

Last week the Sandman was shown off which I almost pegged in my Scout update preview. The next two items however I wasn't even close. Check out the new toys above and below.

First up is the Force-of-Nature double barrel shotgun featured above. I actually considered a more powerful shotgun when thinking of ideas but I didn't write about so I won't claim it. Besides this weapon also seems to be a form of movement as well. Apparently the gun offers a massive kick for those on the receiving end of the shells and if the Scout fires it in the air it will propel them further. It only holds two shells and reloads quite slow. Anything that makes the Scout viable on offense is a bonus in my book. Could this "boost" maybe be stacked on top of a double jump allowing even greater heights? I guess we shall see come later on this week when the update hits.

Over the weekend Bonk the energy drink was unveiled as well. I guess this is a pistol replacement which allows you a few-second "energy rush" with the drawback of a temporary slow down afterward. Not sure how I feel about this on the hypothetical front. It seems this would have limited appeal; quick caps, running from cover in the open back to cover, etc. It just doesn't seem all that viable in the battlefield. I thought Valve wouldn't make something useless but then I remembered Natascha on the Heavy update so I wonder.

A few more maps were shown off as well. Fastlane is getting a nice little update tweaking gameplay. On top of that CP_Egypt is being added to the rotation. The first time I played Egypt I hated it as it felt very unbalanced. Unless something has changed since then I don't see myself being a big fan of this map.

Tomorrow brings us one more update which is most likely the long rumored "new gameplay mode". I don't think we are getting The Hunted but if it is something exciting you can bet I will cover it.

This update will certainly drag my ass off Rainbow Six 2 and Street Fighter 4 and it will come just in time for my new 4850 x2 video card as well. I can't wait.

Scout update next week: Enter The Sandman

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:23:59 -0500

Even Valve isn't perfect.Â They have taken their sweet ass time with TF2 updates lately getting distracted by that "other game" featuring tons of mindless zombies.Â But fear not they are back to the red-headed step child that is Team Fortress 2.

Next week we will be getting the brand new Scout update, a joyous time indeed.Â The Scout was just becoming a regular character of mine before the preoccupation with Left 4 Dead and with the upgrades coming I have plenty of motivation to get back to our fun loving, bat wielding smart ass.Â

You can view the details over the next week on the new Scout update page via Valve.Â And for those of you who think I am not half genius I offer you this piece of sound information from my Scout update projections way back in June...

"I would like to see one of those massive over sized bats that we used to play with as kids, but made out of wood.Â Give it a much longer wind up time, mainly for slow moving to stationary objects, and .Â With the health boost this could be a solid weapon.Â Call it the Home Run Bat"

I almost called it.Â The baseball was an obvious nice touch above and beyond my project giving it better range but I had the attack on the money.Â It also tied in with my Line Drive prediction.

The removal of the double jump is a pretty big loss for carrying around this bat.Â It certainly will cut down on mobility for an increase in the offensive skill set.Â While double jumping isn't a complete necessity it does give scouts access to some areas that only explosive classes can reach.Â

Will it be something that would be used in league play?Â I doubt it, though I will let someone smarter than I in that regard answer that.Â Maybe Oplaid will stop by.

Can't wait to see what else Valve comes up with for the class the rest of this week.

Holy Snap! Another new TF2 mode on the way, more classes and Payload?

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:22:49 -0500

What makes TF2 so popular even to this day?Â What is in store for the game's immediate future?Â The Escapist recently had some sexy time with Robin Walker where they gleaned some new information in regards to one of our favorite first person shooters and some answers to the above questions.

Left 4 Dead has been on the forefront of many of our minds.Â The recent update to TF2 with some tweaks and patches put the game back on my radar and back in to rotation with Left 4 Dead.Â I probably balance my time between the two at about 60-40 in favor of the zombies at this point.Â

The good news is more content is on the way which will probably swing the ratio closer to even keel.Â The games continued updates and new content is surly the main reason behind its continued success and player base.Â They could easily roll the next 6 class updates until early next year and keep content fresh.

Robin confirmed with The Escapist that a new Payload map is in the works along with the expected Scout update.Â In addition to that more community maps are making the move into the "official rotation" giving server owners even more regularly supported warzones to split play time across.

The biggest news may be the addition of a new "mode" that is being added to the game.Â The last mode added was Arena which is still loved by me but underplayed by most of the community.Â Would it be beneath me to beg to Robin, the forums, or anyone that will listen for a "Hunted mode"?Â I will do just that if it will get me anywhere.Â The Hunted is what originally got me in to TFC and I really want to see it on this new engine.

More tidbits:

- More player classes are being considered, but nothing concrete yet
- Spy disguise becoming nearly useless in favor of cloak may be addressed
- Sentry guns are too "binary", work well vs. some classes, horribly against others

I really haven't thought much about new classes, maybe it is time for another Intelligence blog?Â The disguise option really is becoming worthless.Â Now that ammo fills up your cloak charge there is little reason to use the disguise unless your only intent is to sap structures.Â And I agree on the sentry gun issue.Â If my team ever has a sentry issue I just go Pyro and bob and weave or go Demo and reign down hell upon the Engy's puny constructions.

Glad to see this game is still very much on the forefront of Valve's priorities.Â Between this, L4D updates and Episode 3, that should be their order of operations.Â

TF2 is Alive! Scout pack coming, Update today!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:33:55 -0500

It has been quiet over here on The Intelligence as us faithful Team Fortress 2 fans took a back seat to the zombie horde and those goofy survivors, who I swear have a uncanny resemblance to the four president and vp candidates we just voted for.Â

Thankfully the Valve TF2 site has an update!Â Rejoice!Â The first good news includes and update coming in the new "few days".Â That could be Valve time however, as I don't see updates coming on the weekend.Â Â **

Improvements include:

-Â Level 3 teleporters, quicker cool down, meaning faster teleports.Â I am one of "those guys" who harp on the need for tele's constantly in game and this will make them even more valuable.

-Â Level 3 dispensers!Â Faster heals and more metal per second, great idea.Â I don't see this quite as valuable as the teleporters though on maps like Godrush and Dustbowl where action is faster and more intense it could be.

-Â Spies get a nice little upgrade, as if a good spy wasn't a beast already with those shady backstabs.Â Their cloaking ability now recharges as they pick up ammo.Â People have been asking for this for some time and it is a great idea.

-Â A bunch of hud improvements and particle effects are on the way as well.Â More info for the medic when he is hunting for the needy damaged teammates.

They plan on updated the Scout next.Â I discussed the Scout updates way back in July, but the game has changed since then so it may be time to revisit it with their new requirements; that he be more usable in Dustbowl and Goldrush.

A 360 update pack is in the works for all of you who bought the game on the "wrong platform".Â More news over at the blog so be sure to check it out.Â

This Spy tweak may get back in playing as Spy, it was the last class I was "training" on and I just wasn't clicking with me.Â The added stealth fix may help that out a bit.

Pulp Fortress! Samuel L. Jackson has nothing on Demoman, TF2 status

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:17:22 -0500

A month of work in the evenings and a love for Team Fortress 2 and Pulp Fiction bring us this fantastic bit humor, Pulp Fortress.

One of the most memorable scenes in that classic Tarantino flick done up Team Fortress 2 style.Â Figured a few of you may a good laugh at this.Â Unlike many machinma bits this one actually lines up mouth/face expressions to the dialogue which is a huge bonus in my book.

An update as far as Team Fortress 2 goes?Â I still play now and then but am anxiously awaiting the next update which apparently won't be out till next year.Â In the mean time I am apparently following "Valve's plan" as I play Left 4 Dead while I wait for TF2 updates.

I am still a beast when it comes to TF2, just ask w1rex about my dominating skills when challenged.Â

Hopefully the next class to get an update is the Scout as I have been playing with him a bit more in recent months even though it is nearly impossible to top frag with him.Â I wouldn't mind my trusty Demoman or Sniper either.Â

Team Fortress 2 Updates will start again Next Year

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:55:01 -0400

Yes The Intelligence is still alive.Â It has been a quiet couple of months on the Team Fortress 2 front.Â We should have been gearing up for another class update according to typical Valve time from the past updates (one every two months), unfortunately it seems there will not be a update this month.

Back in August the Heavy update came down the Steam tubes.Â It seems our next update won't come until next year according to Doug Lombardi talking to Shacknews.Â Valve has been too busy prepping and finalizing Left 4 Dead, leaving much of the TF2 crew busy on that game.Â Hence until L4D is wrapped up it seems Valve has their hands full.

I hope come next year we get a rapid succession of updates or maybe they will release a couple class updates at the same time because of the delay.

The Heavy update was alright, but it is definitely the least usable update out of all the classes in my opinion.Â The sandwich is really the only good benefit as the gloves aren't very practical and Sasha doesn't slow down enemies nearly enough.Â Maybe between now and the next release they can tweak these two weapons and make them more viable for in game use.

I actually haven't played in about 2 weeks because of the lack of updates and my disappointment over the Heavy update.Â I love Arena mode, as I mentioned before, but it seems I am in the minority and it is harder and harder to find quality Arena servers.

TF2 needs your love Valve, hurry up with those zombies and come back to your cartoony friends.

Team Fortress 2 Arena: Why you should be playing the pimp new mode

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:18:37 -0400

I case you haven't heard yet there is a new Team Fortress 2 game play mode called arena.Â I dropped the news early last week and I had no idea just how much fun it would be at the time.

TF2 Arena reminds me of a high octane version of Counter Strike and I have always loved CS.Â The concept is pretty simple.Â You play anywhere from 8v8 to 16v16 in your typical team based format.Â The key difference is there are no respawns.Â You may guess that is a lot like sudden but in reality there is quite a bit more to it.Â

Each team plays to "x" amount of wins in a row.Â The ultimate goal is to kill all of the opposing team or cap the point which opens up after a set period of time.Â Each time you successfully do this you get a win.Â If your team is too dominate and you win too many in a row (a server side setting, I've played 3 and 5) the teams are shuffled in what looks to be some sort of skill based algorithm and you start again.Â

Action is fast and frenzied.Â The point opens up after a minute or two and it is set in the center of the map opening up all sorts of strategies.Â Do you flank the other team and hope to catch them off guard?Â Â Have an engineer set up a potentially game winning sentry on your side of the point providing a nice surprise when the point gates open up?Â Play defense and hope to contain your side of the map gaining a numbers advantage for when you push to the cap point?Â These are just a few of the many basic concepts.

Ammo is very limited, unless you have a dispenser and health even more rare.Â This does two things great, cuts down on spam, and often has you retreating to any key base you may have for various supplies.Â There are no infinite lockers in spawn so engineers become a priority.Â Thankfully engineers hardware doesn't explode on death so you are rewarded by having someone actually play the class.Â

Ubers become incredibly key if you can successfully build one because odds are a decent uber session can wipe out a quarter to a half of the team.Â Generally I push for at least one medic per every 4 players leaving you plenty of chances to get heals and build uber and kritz charges.

Two of my least favorite maps, Granary and Well have been remixed into arena maps making them much more enjoyable and fast paced.Â Lumberyard, seen above, is the first of any default maps to feature the color green.Â Seems a bit silly I know, but this new motif looks great.Â Ravine which is up at the top is also a new Arena map.

This new mode plus all of the regular class updates with new weapons, the new maps being added to the game and regular support from Valve are reasons you should be checking out this game if you haven't yet.Â

You can check out Lumberyard here in this video even though this kid is fricken terribad...

The Heavy Gets Sandviches! Never forget your lunchbox

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:57:23 -0400

Meet the Heavy?Â Nope, meet the sandvich.Â The Heavy's third and final upgrade was just announced and the good is that he is now less dependent on a Medic.

Enter the sandvich:

The Sandvich is the Heavyâ€™s first unlockable. It tastes as good as it looks and heals 120 health. Like in real life, the decision to eat a Sandvich must not be taken lightly; The Heavy is completely vulnerable during the four second eating process, and his loud, happy sounds of vigorous chewing will draw enemies like tiny ant cowards to a picnic. OF DEATH. On the bright side, the Heavyâ€™s Sandvich supply is unlimited, so his only real concern is being caught short while enjoying this delicious edible device

Unlimited sandviches, I like this idea.Â They note he will have set his shotgun aside to eat the sandviches.Â I don't think they mean literally aside, I believe you will not be able to use the shotgun at all and will actually have to equip only the sandwiches in the load out menu.Â I guess we will find out tonight for sure.

Check out the sandvich in action!

http://steamgames.com/tf2/heavy/sandvichVideo.htm

Â

TF2: Enter Arena! All new game play mode!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:14:29 -0400

Team Fortress 2's new game play mode made its appearance online today at the TF2 Blog.Â Arena mode is the latest feature which be coming to the game tomorrow sometime during the day under Valve time.Â

"Arena features smaller maps that play out in shorter periods of time. The round ends once one team has no players left in the arena, or when the central capture point has unlocked and been captured. Rounds tend to be very fast and highly competitive, with an emphasis on your team's class makeup and your plan to counter the opposing team's class choices. Arena mode is great for smaller matches of three vs. three players, while still comfortably supporting huge knockdown twelve-on-twelve brawls."

Two new maps are being added for Arena mode, Lumberyard and Ravine.Â Plus Well, Badlands and Granary have had their middle points updated to fit into Arena mode.Â

Some of the details are a bit incomplete.Â Does this mean the Control Point versions of those later maps are now all Arena maps instead?Â Will there be Arena and Control Point versions of those maps in the default rotation?Â Lots of question to answer yet.

This new mode seems to have a ton of potential for competitive play as well as it really focuses hardcore on team play and not running off and doing your own thing as there is no respawns and you get one life per round, much like sudden death.

I can't wait to test this out tomorrow and if you want to join me be sure to PM me and add me to your Friends list as my crew and I will probably run a marathon session with this Arena mode and the Heavy update.

TF2: The Heavy shows of his 'Killing Gloves of Boxing'

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:41:30 -0400

The first weapon for the Heavy update has been announced and I wasn't that far off. I had the right idea, just not the same execution as Valve. My "knockout gear" idea is in a similar light as the "K.G.B." concept.

What does the new weapon add to the Heavy's arsenal? Any kill with the K.G.B.'s on guarantees 5 seconds of critical hits, multiple kills in a row with the gloves allow you to "stack" the crit time allowing for some serious Heavy damage. You can also switch weapons after earning this "crit time" and use another gun. Obviously using the mini after one kill with the K.G.B.'s would be silly, as you would waste the crit time spinning up the minigun. But using your shotgun or stacking a few kills you could get a decent period of critical fire.

We also don't know what the other two new weapons will be so it is possible that one or both may be more apt for use in combination with this new crit feature earned with the K.G.B. gloves.

I will keep you posted as the rest of the news breaks between now and Tuesday on these new Heavy updates. I asked for some dual assualt rifles, will I be close with my guess once again?

Team Fortress 2: Heavy Update & New Maps next Tuesday, 6 New Maps!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:22:14 -0400

Valve has let the big friggen cat with fists of steel and a big ass gun out of the bag; the Heavy update is coming next Tuesday.

I had some ideas a few weeks back on potential upgrades for the big fat man which you can check out in this previous blog post. Hopefully "knockout gear" makes the cut.

Valve discusses the upcoming update in their TF2 Blog and also links to the Heavy update page which will show off a new part of the update all week long leading up to the Heavy release next Tuesday. So we should see the new weapons between now and then.

The first part of the update revealed is the map cp_steel which you can see here and here. There are 6 new maps on the way, one being a new Payload map, 5 new maps for a "new game mode" and of course cp_steel which is a community made map.

How many game companies give you this kind of content for free? Pretty much no one. Hats off to these guys for incredible support and massive updates. It must suck to be playing this on a 360 right now.

If they add the hunted I promise to name my first born Civilian... kidding!

TF2 Video: What happens when 'Red' goes Bankrupt?

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:42:23 -0400

I just saw this a little a while ago as it has been making the rounds on the net today. Probably my favorite TF2 video so far.

If each team member on "Red" were forced to get new jobs, just what would their lives and the world be like? Pretty sad state of affairs it seems.

This video has fantastic voice acting and editing, a must watch for sure.

Team Fortress 2: My Upgrade Ideas for the Heavy

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:54:42 -0400

Valve has come out and stated that the Heavy Weapons Guy is the next in line for upgrades and achievements. The have listed goals on their TF2 blog in which they hope to achieve with the update to the Heavy.

- Make him less dependent on a medic, no cumulative add-on
- Shouldn't change his role by a large degree or infringe on other classes

If you play the Heavy class with any skill and efficiency you realize the learning curve is much higher than on first glance. The best Heavy Weapons Guys are the mobile sort, praying and spraying in one spot w/o a Medic is going to get you owned faster than you can say "backstab" or "headshot". Being able to time your mini gun spin ups and ammo use is almost just as key. Knowing when to back down, when to use corners and obstacles to obscure spin up time are both very important.

The Heavy and the Soldier are the premier assault classes. Making the Heavy capable of decent assault tactics without a Medic is a bit of a challenge. So lets see what we can come up with. And be sure to check out Bethryn's ideas as well.

We need the Heavy to ditch "Sasha" the minigun for an alternate upgrade. The solution? . As a last resort you switch to the fists, get a 50 health boost or a defensive upgrade for protection. Punches do 1.5x damage yet you punch more slow.

Pros
- Defensive/heath boost
- Stronger melee attacks

Cons
- One of my favorite ideas, it lessens his field of view, not as bad as a sniper scope, but you would see the headgear on the sides of your screen.
- No crits
- punch slower, more deliberate

I am pretty pumped for this update as Heavy is one of my favorite classes. Hopefully word starts leaking out some of the ideas Valve has in mind within the month. The updates have been coming every couple months so we probably have a month and half at least still.

Thoughts, ideas?

Digg it! http://digg.com/pc_games/Team_Fortress_2_Could_these_be_new_Heavy_Weapons_add_ons

TF2: My Ideas for Upgrades to the Scout, possible next update?

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:04:59 -0400

The Team Fortress 2 Pyro update has made waves across the game and increased Pryo use exponentially. It has finally started to die down in the servers I play at, though from the Steam Stats page you wouldn't know it yet.

I have a feeling they may be updating classes by the amount of time played, % of damage done, and points scored. Looking at the stats page I would guess the Scout, Engineer, or Spy will be next on the update list.

Today I am going to take a look at the Scout and try to guess Valve's plans for upgrading the Scout in the coming months.

The Scout has three weapons, a pistol, a scattergun and an aluminum bat. Plus he has the fastest speed in the game, and can double jump. With these points we make some good guesses on what is in store for the Scout.

Currently the Scout has the shortest lifespan in all of the game. Assuming Valve is seeking balance, I have a feeling we may see a weapon upgrade like the Pyro did with the back burner, which gives a 50-75 health boost. But there has to be some sort of drawback. I would like to see one of those massive over sized bats that we used to play with as kids, but made out of wood. Give it a much longer wind up time, mainly for slow moving to stationary objects, and allow to stun/freeze enemies for a few seconds. With the health boost this could be a solid weapon. Call it the . Instead of the ability to shoot SGs and people at long range with a gun, you gain the ability to slow your enemies down even futher. This could possibly allow for a 1.2x speed boost as well.

So these are my theories. I guessed close on some of the Pyro updates like a flaming projectile, and my Axe guess. Hopefully some of these Scout changes will become a reality.

Stop back by down the road and see how flawed or accurate my ideas are.

Team Fortress 2 Talk w/ Robin Walker, It's a Girl!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:51:19 -0400

Robin Walker, lead TF2 man at Valve was recently asked a bunch of questions courtesy of the users over at CS-Nation. Yours truly couldn't pass up the chance to ask some questions about one of my favorite games and a few of my questions were actually answered.

TF2 Pyro Update Fully Revealed! New default Air hose, new maps, Flare Gun and Backburner!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:22:06 -0400

The new Team Fortress 2 update we have been talking about is on the way tomorrow. I was curious to what the new major changes were in store for the Pyro that Valve had been talking about, and word is now out thanks to their press page.

The new standard alternate fire which is being added to everyone's lovable Pyro is a new air gun like feature. Press an alt fire button for your flame thrower and you will use a blast of air blowing away projectiles and even enemies. You can blow back rockets, or even split apart a healing medic and his target.

Now this is a pretty sweet idea. I can really see this making the Pyro much more useful and well rounded. I am curious to see the range of this gun and just exactly how powerful it is. Blast enemies into the field of view of a sentry gun, good times!

The other unlockable weapons have also been anounced.

1. We already discussed the Axetinguisher: Allows for critical axe strikes on enemies that are on fire.

2. The new flare gun: I sort of guessed this right, I thought flaming projecticles for the shotgun. It does allow you to light people on fire from a distance.

3. The Backburner: It removes the air blast, but allows for a 50hp bonus, and a promise of critical attacks from the back side with flame.

There a ton of new Pyro achievements which can be viewed over this way.

To top off tomorrows fantastic update, cp_fastlane, and cp_turbine are being added to the game, two fantastic community made maps.

It is a good time to be a TF2 player. Who else but Valve would give you such amazing content, all for free?

'Meet the Sniper', The Latest TF2 Video

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:24:22 -0400

Not quite as funny as the engineer or heavy, but still good stuff. I really loved the "V.I.P." reference from TFC near the beginning. I hope it is a hint at "the hunted" coming to TF2, but it is probably just a neat little easter egg.

Team Fortress 2: New Pyro Goodies Coming Thursday, New Maps, Meet the Sniper

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:45:33 -0400

Prepare for a whole mess of flaming spitting, junk in the trunk having Pyro's running around in Team Fortress 2 this weekend.

Valve has let the word out that this Thursday will feature the new Pyro achievements and weapon upgrades much like the Medic received a couple months ago. Not only will the Pryo get some new goodies, apparently the class is getting a revamp on the whole. Faster movement, longer flame range, higher damage rate, or the rumored "light multiple people on fire" bonus points could all be possibilites.

The only new weapon confirmed so far is the Axetinguisher which I posted a little over a week ago. Check out this post to get details on the new axe weapon.

By the way, I am still betting the Pyro is a female. Note the purse and the big rear end!

On top of all this good news we have a play for free weekend on TF2 thanks to Valve. Any of your friends looking for a new FPS game to check out? Be sure to direct them this way. Plus the "Meet the Sniper" video will be out tomorrow.

Shacknews is also reporting that will be included in this weeks update. This could be the best news of all. This is the first time community maps have made it into an official TF2 update, something that used to happen in the early Counter Strike beta days. If I had to guess, I would say Castle3/4 and probably Mach4. Mainly because those maps are already played by many TF2 leagues.

I will keep you posted as more details roll in.

Team Fortress 2 Titanic Karaoke: You have been warned!

no.spam@gameriot.com (Slapnuts) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 05:40:22 -0400

Do you have what it takes to be an Idol at Team Fortress 2 karaoke? These guys think they do, and the results, well, they speak for themselves. This is only slightly scary. I don't know if I should worry more about the server admins who apparently installed this feature, or the users who seem to love it.

Sounds like something that goes on at the Team Roomba server. If anyone knows what server this is, drop me a line.

*edit* Being the slow guy I am tonight, I actually checked the source video on vimeo and sure enough it was posted by Floor Master from Team Roomba.