TF2/General FPS question

[pejsaboy]

Don't worry, this isn't one of those "OMG! I is pwnt HELPZORZ!!!!1!!" threads.

But, after putting in about 20 hours in front of TF2 over the last 2 weeks or so I'm noticing zero improvement, and probably 95% of my kills can be attributed to luck. I'd guess 2% are actual hits when I happen to find someone not moving with their back to me, and 3% are the assists I make as a medic before I get hosed That said, I'm not usually at the bottom of the score list after I've been on the server for an hour, but I'm also not at the top unless all the good players have left, lol. If it matters, all of my playtime is spread across all the classes except spy and engineer. They've got too many options for me to tackle as of yet.

As an example of my lack of '$k1||z', I can get one-shot by nearly all the scouts no matter what class I'm playing, but I can't seem to one-shot anything from point blank range, much less kill it with a full clip of shells. I couldn't count how many rounds where I've emptied full payloads [if I lived that long] and not made one kill, it's pretty sad from where I'm sitting. I think my 'Most damage' score is at 1100-something with a heavy. I wouldn't really put much stock in my 'most kills' at 12, because I was heavying with 2 medics that already had ubers charged and waiting when I hit the capture point. That's not too common

I realize that most of the people who are dominating the servers play hours more than me everyday, but at what point do I have to sit back and realize that I'm not getting any better? Twenty hours isn't much, I know, but I don't want to lose 1-3 hours a day for the next 2 or 3 months before it clicks that online FPS games just might not be something I'm going to be good at.

 

[hUMANbEATbOX]

I'd say pick a class and stick with it. 20 hours spread amongst all the classes is really not much at all. If you pick a class and put 20 hours into it alone, you will start feeling a lot more comfortable in general and you will be able to notice a lot more going on on the battle field.

I have almost 400 hours into the game, 290 of which are on sniper if that gives you any indication. Although I pick sniper the vast majority of the time, I can also pick up any other class and have a go and do well, because I have observed so much as my main class. I know the tactics soldiers use to try and kill me, I know what works and what doesn't work.

Have you played any other FPS online?

 

[pejsaboy]

No, this is the first fps that I've played online. beyond that, I really haven't played a ton of single player fps either. I've blasted my way through the first Serious Sam a few times, I've got Doom3, Pariah, Halo CE, and maybe one or two other ones. And of course HalfLife 2. I haven't finished any of them, though only due to lack of time and then loss of interest after too much time has passed. They're tough for me on medium difficulty settings, but I generally don't get stuck for too long.

Aside from sniper [I get worked extra hard as a sniper, mostly by other snipers], is there a class you'd recommend starting with? I like the scout because it moves faster, but it seems that I'm even less accurate with it as a result of that.

 

[hUMANbEATbOX]

Scout is kind of a pro class, because he has little health and you have to have great twitch aiming, jumping/general movement skills. Kind of plays like sniper with the aiming part, especially if you play sniper by offensively attacking on the front lines as opposed to hiding in the back waiting for people to stroll by.

For someone new to the game, I'd say Soldier, Demo, Engy, Medic, Heavy...Probably in that order. All depends on your preferences. You want lots of kills? Solly/Demo. You want to learn the maps? Engy. You want to support your team and not worry about kills so much? Medic. You want something slow but deadly and deliberate? Heavy.

I'd recommend this thread at the steam powered forums. Tons of good video guides for most classes.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=639355&highlight=video

 

[Leviathan41]

Yeah, I would recommend starting with soldier as well. A couple basic tips I can offer: 1) Try shooting at your enemies' feet rather than trying to hit them directly, also, the higher you are above them the more area you have to shoot at their feet so get on top of things when possible and/or jump when shooting (at some point you can learn to rocket jump) 2) Don't neglect your shotgun when you run out of rockets and need to kill an enemy that is running away, it's more powerful than you think.

Once you get pretty good at soldier you can move on to another class. Find a class you enjoy playing and find a role that can help the team, even if you aren't the guy on top of the scoreboard, if you are helping your team win, you will have a good time.

As this is your first online FPS, it may take a little while to get used to everything, but things will come easier in your next online FPS. Good luck and have fun!

P.S. Just out of curiosity, what ping do you typically have when you play?

 

[ratbuddy]

Pejsa! Didn't I see you yesterday or the day before? I think it was an empty server just you and one other person, he was a medic IIRC, and I wondered why you were a scout - you seemed to be bumping off walls, was kinda funny

A good beginner class is probably soldier. They take a lot of skill to use properly but very little skill to use somewhat effectively. Those rockets work wonders when you fire them at peoples feet (don't aim for the body unless you are firing down at someone from a higher elevation) cause you don't have to really hit them to do damage, and often you can 'juggle' them, first rocket knocks them in the air, second one is waiting when they land

Medic is also a good beginning class. You can follow people around keeping them alive, and watch how the play their class. You will also see a lot of 'what not to do' stuff when playing medic

edit: Sheesh Leviathan, friggin read my mind!

 

[pejsaboy]

Yeah ratbuddy, that was me. Until you logged on there me and jeff the goat were just working on a couple medic achievements [he's my brother], but then I actually started playing. I'm not much better than what you saw with a scout, but I fare a bit better with something more stout

sounds like I'll stick with the soldier for a while since I have the most hours on that class so far, and it seems to be the most noob friendly Oh, and I'll check out those videos after work, thanks beatbox!

 

[UnrealAlex]

The demoman is the 2nd best killing class. It's tough at first, because lobbing the grenades isnt easy, especially on moving targets, but I've been playing it regularly now and kicking serious ***.

soldier is hard if you ask me.

 

[Oni]

Aside from sniper [I get worked extra hard as a sniper, mostly by other snipers], is there a class you'd recommend starting with? I like the scout because it moves faster, but it seems that I'm even less accurate with it as a result of that.

If you're just starting out I recommend the Pyro, as he's relatively quick and a good support class. You rush in with everybody else and just flush the area. Setting people on fire has a tendency to confuse them and make them easier to kill. He's also good for flushing out Spies.

I would also recommend The Heavy if you're just starting out, as he can soak up the damage as well as dish it out. He's another support class unit. He's slower than molasses in January, but he doesn't need to be fast. Once again, a spray the area approach works best with him.

Also, if you don't like movin' around much but love getting kills, then go w/ an Engineer. Build a turret and upgrade it, make a dispenser for your team, and drop a teleporter to keep the Heavies and other slow classes from lagging behind when assaulting.

 

[kayson]

Yeah I sucked at medic before the achievement pack came out. Then I put about 20 hours into it and im a pretty dam good medic. It takes time to get good. You might also want to think about changing your sensitivity. If you're having problems aiming, slowing down mouse movement might help.

 

[technoViking]

I agree demoman is a powerful combination and is great defensive and offensive.
I usually always sticky the points or carts and then switch to the other type of garnades and start owning face and as soon as someone steps near the cart and/or check point BLAM.

I still like the spy as my #1 class though its fun to be sneaky.

My greatest moment with the spy was back stabbing 4 heavies on the last point with like 5 seconds left and winning the game for the team it was epic in nature.

I never stick to 1 class though I switch to whatever the team needs the most which is usually, demomen, heavy's, soliders.
I think snipers are way over used, you only need 1 good sniper, not 4.
Same with engineers, you don't need 6 on a team.

But on dustbowel, we had 8 out of the 10 people engineers it was the greatest. They couldn't touch the point, that was just fun.

 

[ratbuddy]

But on dustbowel, we had 8 out of the 10 people engineers it was the greatest. They couldn't touch the point, that was just fun.

Eww, is that a custom map?

 

[pejsaboy]

Changed my mind on the soldier... prepare to be cremated in the near future

 

[technoViking]

Eww, is that a custom map?

lol I typed it and i was like thats not right but then didn't care and pasted it anyways

 

[Oni]

Changed my mind on the soldier... prepare to be cremated in the near future

Ahh, good choice on the Pyro. Remember, napalm sticks to kids.

 

[ratbuddy]

Ahh, good choice on the Pyro. Remember, napalm sticks to kids.

Also remember the flamethrower is a big flaming 'look at me!' sign and does less damage the farther you are away from someone. If you don't hear the sizzle, it ain't doing ****zle

Try and get as close as you can before lighting em up. They'll die faster and not run away as much..

edit: Heck, gonna play now it's been a few days. You can find me on 69.28.221.57:27015 Add [OCF] to your name if ya join!

 

[tom10167]

Hi I don't know anything about TF2 but CS:S, my first "real" FPS took MONTHS to get good at with lots of dedicated time. You start learning little things.

I'm still not expert or anything but a lot better than I was a year ago at this time.

It gets fun once you stop missing every. single. thing.

 

[Leviathan41]

Also remember the flamethrower is a big flaming 'look at me!' sign and does less damage the farther you are away from someone. If you don't hear the sizzle, it ain't doing ****zle

Try and get as close as you can before lighting em up. They'll die faster and not run away as much..

Yeah, come in on the enemies blind side when possible (coming in on top of them works well), then start burning and strafing around them. Then, if needed, retreat and finish them off with your shotgun. Also, don't forget to spy-check (give friendlies a quick burst from your flamethrower), if they catch on fire, they are a spy.

 

[Oni]

You've also gotta remember that even though enemy Pyros are covered in PVC they do not burn. When encountering an enemy Pyro, whip out your shotgun or fire axe and do some damage that way.

 

[hUMANbEATbOX]

You've also gotta remember that even though enemy Pyros are covered in PVC they do not burn. When encountering an enemy Pyro, whip out your shotgun or fire axe and do some damage that way.

The flamethrower still burns pyros, it just doesn't give the after burn as it would on other classes.

I'd have to say that overall the pyro is pretty limited in its uses. There aren't that many techniques to master, it is probably one of the more simple classes with a very low skill ceiling.

Yes there are people who are good with pyro and it is a blast to play at times, but if you are going to focus on one class it shouldn't be the pyro IMO.