aabicus – Page 68 – The Daily SPUF

“Taunt Kills!” + Why the new Chemistry Sets are good for the economy

August 29, 2013 aabicus 0 Comments analysis, announcement, loadout, stranges, update

Literally the day I write a blog post mentioning a desire for a “taunt kills” strange part, Valve releases one! And that’s not all; some very interesting changes have been made to the trading metagame. You can now use “Chemistry Sets” to make strange cosmetics items which track points scored. On one hand, I question the use of such things when nobody will see a cosmetic in a deathcam, plus points are largely irrelevant, but on the other hand Strange Genuine Archimedes. This is actually very, very good for the economy, and here’s why: Step 1: A player obtains a… [Continue Reading]

Featured

(Blog posts about Strange Parts: 1)

August 28, 2013 aabicus 1 Comment analysis, criticism, engineer, loadout, request, stranges

So I was leafing through my inventory, trying to figure out how to make loadouts using some stuff I never wear. It was when I tried to make a stat-obsessed LARPer parody using the Merasmus hat that I tried to fit as many counters onto one loadout as possible. Did you realize TF2 now has items that track stuff in every single loadout slot? Using the above loadout (along with three strange weapons, with 3 strange parts each, and a strange PDA tool), you now can track: · The number of kills on your primary weapon ···Three other random stats… [Continue Reading]

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Why you should equip the High Five! taunt

August 27, 2013 aabicus 0 Comments class, loadout, strategy

The first time I equipped the High Five! I wasn’t doing it for a tactical benefit. I’m just a friendly guy who likes being able to interact with his teammates, and I enjoy offering a congratulatory High Five to my crit-boosted enemies during humiliation to distinguish the honorable opponents from the vengeance-thirsty hordes. But after a significant amount of time using it I quickly realized that the taunt had some very nice perks in the game proper. Here are three reasons you should consider stashing that rage-inducing Schadenfreude for some situational bonuses.

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Why the Short Circuit should be allowed in Medieval Mode

August 26, 2013 aabicus 2 Comments analysis, engineer, game mode, loadout, medieval, request, weapon

Remember when I covered Medieval Mode? It’s a great mode. Really fun for eight out of 9 TF2 classes. I’m reasonably certain you can guess which class gets shafted (and not just by arrows). Yes, poor Engineer has had everything he’s ever built stolen from him, and left to fend for himself with a plethora of melee weapons designed to augment nonexistent sentry guns. He basically shouldn’t exist as a choice, and for the most part if you play Medieval Mode, you’ll find that his representation on cp_degrootkeep is sorely lacking. (If there are engies, that’s usually a sign your… [Continue Reading]

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A Tale of Two Saws

August 23, 2013 aabicus 0 Comments analysis, comparison, history, loadout, medic, mourning, weapon

We here at spufblog pride ourselves on keeping our daily articles relevant and balanced between all nine of Team Fortress 2‘s classes, and I’d say that this week’s articles are shining examples of that. Let’s see…we had article about the Sticky Jumper….followed by an announcement about “Demoman vs. Demoknights,” followed by an analysis about Demomen vs. Demoknights…followed by a break-down of the Demoknight’s Half-Zatoichi… Okay, at this point you’re probably pretty positive I’ve never played anything but demoman. But that isn’t true, actually he’s not even my main. I consider myself a Medic. Problem is, I haven’t played him recently… [Continue Reading]

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How to Win cp_orange_x3

August 22, 2013 aabicus 0 Comments defense, demoman, guide, loadout, maps, strategy

Now, in my last Demoman vs. Demoknights post, I neglected to mention my personal favorite of the two demoman playstyles. Do I prefer demolitons man, or demoknight, or maybe even hybrid? None. My favorite demoman loadout revolves around the Sticky Jumper. The Sticky Jumper is addicting. Unlike the Rocket Jumper, it requires zero skill to use effectively (as opposed to a little skill) and it lets you keep your powerful Grenade Launcher and melee of your choice. This means you are perfectly capable of filling a viable role on your team; you have the absolute best mobility of any class… [Continue Reading]

Community Announcements Featured

Demoknights vs. Demomen, Season 2!

August 21, 2013 aabicus 1 Comment announcement, comparison, demoknight, demoman, event, SPUF

Hey everybody! Do you all remember the Demoknights vs. Demomen event back in February? Where the demoknights won in a landslide? Sure you do! We’ll its happening again! And this time, we’re adjusting the way people can enter the event; there will be no prior sign-ups. An hour or later before the event, add me on Steam if you’d like to join and talk to me. I’ll give the server password to the first 18 people in this fashion, meaning until then anybody has a chance of playing. This is to fix the recurring problem where people sign up a… [Continue Reading]

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In Defense of Medieval Mode

August 20, 2013 aabicus 1 Comment analysis, defense, demoknight, engineer, game mode, guide, loadout, maps, medic, medieval, scout, soldier, strategy, whips

Medieval Mode. You’ve heard of it. Sounds awesome. The Wiki page makes it look awesome. But is it awesome? … YES! Ignore the haters, this mode is great. I can have a barrel of fun on cp_degrootkeep (and a lot of custom Medieval maps, but those are way harder to find people playing.) As almost any class. Medieval Mode gets a lot of flak from most because it’s considered a “melee spamfest”, “void of all strategy” and “a horrific cluster♥♥♥♥ of arrows and demoknights.” And they may all have a point. But there are ways to play the game mode… [Continue Reading]

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Demoman Vs. Demoknights: A 1v1 analysis

August 19, 2013 aabicus 0 Comments analysis, balance, comparison, defense, demoknight, demoman, loadout, theory

There are two very distinct types of demomen: good ones and dead ones demoknights and demolitions men. Players have to choose between the two types early on, as it’s laughably easy to get your Chargin’ Targe with 5 demoman achievements, and odds are good that your next demoman weapon drop will be a sword. Lord knows pubs can’t seem to stop spitting them out on both teams, so even if you never play the class you’ll be intimately familiar with hearing the least subtle melee class on the battlefield, whose Tarzan-like cry usually precipitates a critical blade beheading you or… [Continue Reading]

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Why I Hate the Half-Zatoichi

August 18, 2013 aabicus 0 Comments analysis, balance, comparison, criticism, demoknight, demoman, loadout, request, soldier, weapon

Let’s get this blog off on the right foot; complaining about weapon unlocks! The Half-Zatoichi is a sword for Demoman and Soldier that behaves identically to the stock bottle except for 3 things: (1) killing someone with it heals you to full health, (2) not killing someone with it makes you unable to switch back to your other weapons, and (3) people wielding the weapon can OHKO each other. First. Let’s deal with the ‘honorbound’ downside. It makes this sword very annoying to use. The number of reasons you might not get the kill is staggering; perhaps a teammate steals… [Continue Reading]