aabicus

I write articles! I also make games, release videos, voice act and lots of other cool things.

On Grenades

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    Let’s cut right to the chase: Grenades were famously removed from Team Fortress 2. Why? I’ll let Adrian Finol of the Hydro Developer Commentary speak for me: One of the main changes between Team Fortress Classic and Team Fortress 2 was the removal of thrown grenades. Most classes could carry a standard hand grenade along with a secondary grenade, tied more closely to the class. Team Fortress 2’s focus on unique class roles led us to notice that the standard hand grenade was a more powerful combat decider than some of the primary weapons. This made the classes… [Continue Reading]

On Double- and Single-Barelled Shotguns

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Not really TF2-related, but I thought I might take this opportunity to talk about a trend in shooters I’ve noticed. Loads of games seem to like giving you two shotguns, one of which is pretty much twice as good as the other. The Ur-Example is probably Doom II, which introduced as its only new weapon to the franchise a double-barrel shotgun, which was the first weapon in the game to have a clip you had to reload (which really cast an odd light on all the weapons in Doom I, I guess that pistol can carry 200 rounds without having… [Continue Reading]

TF2 vs. TFC: Who would win?

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A long time ago I made a thread just for funsies, Who would win in a fight; the TF2 team or the TFC (Team Fortress Classic) team? After fifteen pages and several necros, the consensus appears to be: probably TFC, but both teams have a lot of pros and cons on their side of the table. So, without further ado, I’m going to look at each of the nine classes from TFC and TF2 and compare which outclasses his counterpart. There are obviously a myriad of other factors like grenades, random crits, unlocks, and bunnyhopping that would have to be… [Continue Reading]

The Classic Spy

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He’s last in every class lineup, so it’s only fair to save the Team Fortress Classic spy for my final class breakdown article. The Classic Spy has a huge arsenal of toys and tricks available to him. Interestingly, he fills almost the same role as our spy but the tools at his disposal are almost completely different. The first thing you’ll notice is some serious firepower that our spy could only dream of. Super shotgun, hand grenades, nailgun…when push comes to shove I’ve seen a cornered spy simply shoot his way out of pretty hairy situations. 1) You can throw… [Continue Reading]

Team Fortress Classic Soldier and HWGuy

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The ultimate migratory classes for TF2 vets who are first trying the game. I don’t know what much to say about them, they play almost identically to their TF2 counterparts, and if you don’t change your playstyle in the slightest you won’t really go wrong. Here are some generic tips though: 1. Rebind your slot 5 weapon to slot 4. Just a suggestion, it really helped me. In TFC, there are actually 5 weapon slots, but no class uses more than 4 of them. I’ve never really understood the logic by which Valve chose each weapon to link to which… [Continue Reading]

Some Tips for Underwater Combat

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I love underwater combat, and a recent run of pl_underwater_rainy has given me a lot of practice with it. Here are some things I’ve learned about fighting in Davy Jones’ locker. (Also, apologies for the fuzzy pictures; it turns out TF2 Replay doesn’t like photos taken underwater.) 1) Understand which of your weapons don’t work underwater. This is pretty basic, but you don’t want to waste valuable time trying to fire your Huntsman or stun with your Sandman only to find out they don’t work. Rule of thumb, things that involve taunts don’t work, so no stun, no Holiday Punching,… [Continue Reading]

Advice for Playing TFC Scout

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TFC Scout has a lot in common with his Boston counterpart, but he emphasizes completely different parts of the Scout class role. Notably, he is even faster than TF2 Scout, but packs hardly a punch in combat. No meatshots, or moonshots, or really any sort of meaningful shots from this merc. Here’s what you gotta know: 1) You are a flagrunner true and true. Unlike Medic, who can flagrun, heal, infect, and kill all in the same life, you are a fragile speedster who better run away from everything. Your loadout is completely built around getting the heck out of… [Continue Reading]

Why Scout Needs a Nailgun

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In my article “5 Things I miss From Team Fortress Classic“, I gave the very first spot on the list to its nailgun. Every time I’m stuck as Scout seeing a sentry around a corner, but with no means of dealing with it myself, I wish Valve hadn’t taken my simple and easy way to get rid of that darn thing. The TFC nailgun is most comparable to the TF2 Syringe gun, with a major difference: no gravity falloff on the projectiles, meaning that they fly in a straight line forever like a rocket. This lets you deal basically a… [Continue Reading]

Poor Unloved TFC Pyro

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So what if every weapon in Pyro’s arsenal is rubbish. So what if TFC afterburn deals 2 ticks of damage for 4 ticks, a grand total of EIGHT damage before extinguishing itself. So what if napalm grenades are the only explosive grenades in TFC with lower damage output than regular hand grenades. You know what the pyro has that nobody else has? Personality. TFC Pyro is the only class in the game with idle animations! Occasionally, he’ll sweep his hand lovingly across the top of his flamethrower, or fiddle with the sighting reticule of his Incendiary cannon. He clearly loves… [Continue Reading]

Playable 8-Bit Team Fortress 2!

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If Team Fortress Classic isn’t retro enough for you, you need to try out Gang Garrison 2! Taking the other approach to being an old-fashioned TF2, GG2 takes the core concepts of our favorite team-based shooter and renders it in lovable 8-Bit form. All nine classes are present and playable, as are a number of the maps you’ve played and love. Rather tongue-in-cheekly, most of the names in TF2 have been changed to alternates, so you play it on Smoke sponsored by Faucet Studios, and your class choices include Firebug, Healer, and Constructor. The aiming style takes a bit of… [Continue Reading]