aabicus – Page 44 – The Daily SPUF

WE ARE IN DAH BEEM

October 9, 2015 aabicus 1 Comment 2fort, criticism, game mode, invasion, player destruction, voice lines

There are a host of things I could say about tdm_watergate, but nothing compares to that damn voice. Actually the “WillFromAfar” emotive text-to-speech voice synthesizer from Acapela, probably used because the current voice actor’s strike makes it too difficult/pricey to find a real voice actor, much less Ellen McLain, it nevertheless succeeds at being completely obnoxious and out of place. First time I heard it I went to the mute menu to find out which person on the server needed to shut up forever. I’m not even sure why the mapmakers decided it was necessary for an audio file to… [Continue Reading]

Featured

Ode to the Sandvich

October 8, 2015 aabicus 0 Comments Gang Garrison 2, heavy, meet the team, sandvich

A delectable combo of lettuce and cheese, Tomatoes, an olive, and fresh bolognas. There’s no battle ailment you cannot cure When bestowed by the heavy whose heart is pure. The Sandvich might be the most famous weapon in Team Fortress 2. Like the Ubersaw, it has eclipsed its stock counterpart and become the unanimously-accepted default weapon of its slot. Outside of gameplay it has appeared as a Comic-Con collectible and as the star of its own Meet the Team video. And the whole team should love it; aside from the Medigun its the best healing weapon in the game, instantly replenishing the health of… [Continue Reading]

Featured

The Future of TF2

October 2, 2015 aabicus 0 Comments community, competitive

How’s that for a clickbait title! Let’s commit clickbait suicide and optimistically answer the question right off the bat: Yes, TF2 definitely has a future. Valve has mentioned more than enough pokers in that fire, whether that future is competitive matchmaking, community updates, or something else. I just don’t think it’s going to be the same as what we’ve been getting up to now. It’s not hard to see Valve themselves is updating TF2 less and less. Looking at the history of major updates reveals a parabolic arc where 2011 was the heyday and down the line we get less every year. Valve’s… [Continue Reading]

Featured

Valve Hype: The Long Game

September 27, 2015 aabicus 0 Comments comics, killstreak, MvM, Strange

Companies have different ways of generating hype. From the dregs of astro-turfing to the apex of ARGs, there are entire industries dedicated to stirring interest in a product and spreading a social media net as far as possible. Valve is in the lucky position of owning a number of long-standing franchises that have years and years of development time invested into them almost entirely in-house, and this lets them splurge on the most niche level of hype: the hidden foreshadowing. Whether intentionally or for testing/convenience’s sake, Valve has a number of cases where they’ve added something into a game that seems innocuous… [Continue Reading]

Featured

New Enemy Added to Payday 2

September 25, 2015 aabicus 0 Comments Not TF2, payday

The FBI Files update is live for Payday 2, and while the new stat-tracking website is amazing on a number of levels, players are mostly excited about the new bad guy who’s entered the battlefield. Captain Winters is the first police unit that comes with a unique name, unless you count Mr. Hyde the ubiquitous security guard from Payday:The Heist. Protected by his shield and surrounded by a phalanx of lookalikes, Cn. Winters summons an unending assault wave that only dissipates if the heisters exit their comfort zone and go kill him. I find this refreshing, because in a cover-based shooter like… [Continue Reading]

Featured

The Future for Decorated Weapons

September 23, 2015 aabicus 0 Comments cosmetics, crates, skins, weapons

Originally I wanted nothing to do with the new decorated weapons. I knew they’d make Valve another fortune of microtransaction money, but you don’t have to be Warren Buffet to realize that. I just thought they looked unanimously stupid, especially when the majority looked like someone plastered wrapping paper on them. Plus the rest of TF2 doesn’t have that scratched scuffed appearance, for the most part the buildings are clean and the weapons will have bright red bloodstains at worse. I’m sure it worked for CS:GO but just wholecloth porting the concept over without alterations seemed as phoned-in as the strange weapons… [Continue Reading]

Featured

Why your first round should be on 2fort

September 20, 2015 aabicus 1 Comment advice, Filler, maps, noob

I’m serious. I know 2fort is like the least-respected map in TF2, and a haven of bad map design and stalemates to end all stalemates. Where a single Engineer can indefinitely keep an entire team of demo-medics at bay thanks to the spawn points and chokeholds all favoring the defensive team to a horrific degree. But you know what? That’s not what you notice on your first round of TF2. You care about figuring out what this gun is you’re holding. How movement works. Why anyone plays people other than the giant Russian. And 2fort does a great job of… [Continue Reading]

Featured

6 Things I Miss From Payday: The Heist

September 16, 2015 aabicus 0 Comments criticism, mods, non-tf2, payday

This article is basically a sequel to Payday 2 and Things Lost in Translation, but it’s going to be a bit more nitpicky. Like, little things that aren’t big deals like the ones from the previous article, but they help complete the picture. I know I’m harping on Payday 2 a lot, but hell I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sequel that made so many tiny baffling changes that missed the mark. 1. The HUD Payday: The Heist has a great HUD that tells you everything you want to know without cluttering up your screen. Your health is instantly recognizable… [Continue Reading]

Featured

Giving the Third Degree the Third Degree

September 14, 2015 aabicus 0 Comments analysis, balance, medieval, melee, MvM, pyro, weapon

Move over ladies and gunboats, it’s the only straight upgrade in Team Fortress 2! Man, considering it’s the one unlock in the entire game with absolutely no reason not to equip it you would bet it must be the high-rolling undisputed king of its weapon class, right? Right? No. Turns out the Third Degree sucks. Its only upside is pointless on a class that spews penetrating particles that engulf every enemy in melee range. You wanna kill somebody that has a Medic? Airblast them apart and go to town on the poor German sod. Pulling out your melee is only setting yourself up for… [Continue Reading]

Community Announcements Featured

UFOs spotted! The End is Nigh!

September 12, 2015 aabicus 0 Comments aliens, rumor, scream fortress, update

There are aliens in TF2! There had been hints of a possible Invasion update for some time now, but Valve has actually done a great job of keeping this one under wraps, perhaps having learned from the toxic effect all the End of the Line hype had caused. Indeed, if Kritzkast hadn’t deflected the June trailer leak by pretending it was merely a community model pack, we would have had 4 months of absolutely nothing for the hype to do but fester. Well played, Valve. But now that actual UFOs are appearing in the skyboxes of the most popular TF2… [Continue Reading]