October 2014 – Page 3 – The Daily SPUF

Making new players stick around a bit more

October 12, 2014 Medic 0 Comments criticism, trading

Team Fortress 2 isn’t as popular as it used to be. For the longest of times, it sat happily at the top of the most played games right now list on Steam, grinning like a lunatic. Now? Not so much. Both Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive have overtaken Team Fortress 2. They basically tripped it up and kicked it in the bollocks. Dota 2 is strong because of the HUGE fan base that already existed, plus cosmetics plus a competitive environment. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive builds off the popularity of the previous games and is a more modern shooter that… [Continue Reading]

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A Particularly Pudding-Filled Story

October 11, 2014 Medic 1 Comment cake, fun, story

This may or may not be part of a series. So you may want to read this first, then this. Then this one. Things had been quiet around BLU’s headquarters for a while, but it wasn’t until the machine disappeared that it got really quiet. Spy though enjoyed the quiet and detested the machine. It had a name, but Spy refused to use it. Yes, it had been insanely helpful, keeping robots and REDs at bay for months at a time just by thinking about it, and yes, before it mysteriously disappeared, it did help Engineer and Medic build a giant cannon… [Continue Reading]

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Simple ways Valve could improve offline mode

October 10, 2014 aabicus 0 Comments advice, request, suggestion

The offline bots will always make me smile. They have an earnest determination that really makes it seem like they’re trying their hardest to be the best teammates possible. Not that they’ll ever realize that dream, but good on them for trying. However, as numerous people throughout the years have noted, Valve has restricted them to stock-only for the duration of their existence, and any justifications for this restriction have slowly eroded as TF2 has evolved. Itemtest lets you equip a puppet bot with a number of working unlocks like Bonk! and Mann Vs. Machine bots use unlocks all the time.… [Continue Reading]

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PhlogistiCast updates: 2014 Saxxies and the fourth TF2 comic!

October 9, 2014 Dekky 0 Comments event, fun, interview, phlogisticast

Some say that one day at Valve is six years for the rest of us. Some blame this temporal distortion for the delay of certain games and DLC. Some have feared the PhlogistiCast has also defected to Valve Time. I am here to put your fears to rest. It’s not true. What proof do you need, besides two videos in one weekend?! That’s right, we’ve got two thrilling news videos up on our channel and waiting for your views! In the first I ask Nethero, esteemed SFM expert, about the 2014 Saxxy winners and his own experiences with the… [Continue Reading]

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Blood on the Water, almost – The new TF2 Comic

October 8, 2014 Medic 0 Comments comic, recap, sniper, TFC, update

So, we FINALLY got the next issue of the TF2 comic, Blood on the Water. And it’s been a bloody long wait. Rather insultingly, the blog post writer said that it was early, as the comic is now yearly. I’m assuming that’s a joke but you never know with these guys. For all we know, the last issue will coincide with Half Life 3 or 4 or something. Anyway, if you haven’t read the new comic yet, read it now, as this article is FULL of spoilers and I wouldn’t want to SPOIL things for you. No sir. Click here… [Continue Reading]

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Communication 101

October 7, 2014 Dekky 0 Comments advice, medic

Once upon a time, I would have assumed that people knew what was required to work in a team. What an assumption! It’s like some players can’t take the hint from Team Fortress 2. It’s not just that I see comrades ignoring the plight of their injured Medic. Or that I’m always the only Pyro or Engie in a group of six Snipers who refuse to change class. Thing is, I haven’t seen many players who are good at the one thing you need to keep a team together. That thing is communication. You see, the masterminds at Valve knew… [Continue Reading]

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A Particularly Cookie-Filled Story

October 6, 2014 Medic 0 Comments cake, fun, story

This may or may not be part of a series. So you may want to read this first, then this. The portal was only open for a moment. It crackled with electricity, before closing itself up again, leaving nothing but a small burn on the ground. Whatever had created the portal had already disappeared. Things had been going well for the BLU team for a change. With the robots invading, the RED team had been doing all the stupid work of looking after hat factories, while the BLU Mercenaries had been given the job of, well, lying around… [Continue Reading]

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The Pistol and the SMG: Unappreciated Pea-shooters?

October 5, 2014 Dekky 0 Comments defense, scout, sniper, weapon

In the majority of FPS games, your selection of weapons includes at least these three Faithfuls: the pistol, the machine gun and the shotgun. Your pistol is typically considered a back-up weapon, acquired early in the game and perhaps coupled with a melee option. Your machine gun is quite inaccurate but delivers lots of ouchies per second. Your shotgun is slow to fire and only effective at close range, but makes up for it by blowing your enemies’ heads open in one hit. TF2 is not the majority of FPS games. Just think about Soldier for a second. Valve could… [Continue Reading]

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A Particularly Muffin-Filled Story

October 4, 2014 Medic 0 Comments cake, fun, story

You may want to read this first. “Hm…” Nuhvok-Kal shouldn’t have been awake. But he couldn’t sleep. Not when there was that feeling in his body. Since he’d arrived in this messed up, backwards world, he’d get this feeling occasionally. He didn’t like the feeling. Luckily, it was easy to get rid of. He just needed some form of sweetness. Normally, he’d have the sweetness made for him. But it was dark. No one else was awake. He needed to do this himself. The first thing Nuhvok did was sneak down stairs. Everyone else was asleep, but not everyone… [Continue Reading]

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The pan is mightier than the sword

October 3, 2014 Dekky 0 Comments demoman, fun, pan, weapon

Whoever decided to add a Frying Pan as a weapon in video games was the greatest genius who ever lived. Forget that Newton guy, who supposedly discovered calculus and invented gravity. Forget Einstein, who supposedly completely re-jigged gravity and its connection with time. The individual behind the Frying Pan shall rise far beyond these men and be forever remembered by the famous spam-quote: “Stout shako for two refined!” That’s right, I’m here to talk about the Demopan this time. I’d call him a perfect mascot for the game. He’s utterly ridiculous in every way, but somehow so effective and hilarious… [Continue Reading]