Mod Showcase: The Hidden

Welcome to another episode of Mod Showcase! Brickinator’s back and this time we’ll be taking a look at The Hidden, a custom game mode that makes stalking people socially acceptable. The Hidden is inspired by a Source mod of the same name. It uses arena mode as a base and can be played on the usual arena maps. One team has one player who gets to be the titillating titular character and the other have to kill him. And wear his skin. The Hidden is forced to play as the Spy, but he has some very exciting abilities. Not only… [Continue Reading]

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Some reasons for you to use your microphone.

You jump into a game. What game? Any game, you’re not fussed. But you jump in, ready to push a cart and capture the control point, and it’s deathly silent. No, the server isn’t empty, in fact, there’s 23 players running around like maniacs. But NO ONE is talking. And that cart hasn’t moved for a good three minutes. Time to get the microphone out! What? You don’t want to? Then shut up and read this thread. Oh, and plug your microphone in.

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Using Cosmetics To Your Advantage

The largest element in TF2 that doesn’t affect gameplay at all are hats. You could argue that I could leave out ‘that doesn’t affect gameplay at all’ and still be correct. But anyway, since the Move That Gear Update this summer, the last link between cosmetics and actual gameplay was broken with the removal of the Polycount set bonuses. The only bonus these sets give you now is a merely cosmetic and merely visible tombstone after you kill an adversary. That said, cosmetics can still turn the tide of your battles and may even help your team! Here are several… [Continue Reading]

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Some Weapons with Surprising Synergy

Ever since Valve released the Axtinguisher, weapon combos have become a huge part of Team Fortress 2. From the Sandman/Cleaver to the Jarate/Bushwacka, Valve has released a number of weapons obviously designed to go together, and for that reason they do so very well. But sometimes there are weapons whose synergies are not so obvious, who were clearly built for widely different roles, and yet somehow they can combine to create a lethal combo to the keen player who can see untapped potential. Here are a few I’ve discovered throughout the years. 1. Beggars Bazooka / Righteous Bison The Beggar’s… [Continue Reading]

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Force-A-Nature: The Superior Scattergun

The Force A-Nature is a peculiar weapon. Seemingly underpowered, people constantly set it aside in their backpacks to collect dust or be converted into metal, but does it deserve this kind of treatment? I say ‘No, of course not!” The Force-A-Nature is different weapon, like the Quick-Fix. You have to think differently. Think mobility and disorientation. The FaN trades off six shots and a little damage for two shots, more pellets, knockback, and faster firing speed. At first glance, you may think “Why on earth would I use this? Six shots is much better than two, and knockback is a… [Continue Reading]

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How to Host Your Own SPUF Event (It’s Easy!)

The SPUF server has been home to many fun events over the years, from the juggernaut semi-competitive events like SPUF vs. SPUD and ever popular Gunslinger vs. Highlander series, to smaller sillier events like The Guillotine Games and tomorrow’s WAR Update Part 2. Have you ever had an idea for an event, but weren’t sure if you have what it takes to run it? My first event ever was the first Demoknights vs. Demomen, created by The Pyro King and abandoned by The Pyro King. I still wanted the event to happen and saw many others did too, so I… [Continue Reading]

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How to Survive as a Spy

Some of us (read: me), are not very lucky at spy. We tend to miss the backstabs due to random movement by the target, we struggle with chainstabs and trickstabs, and since we hate the dead ringer, we feel like we gimp ourselves as spies. Well, maybe that last one is only me, but oh well… To combat this lack of talent and luck in the backstabbing department, some of us learned how to survive and try again. There is nothing more frustrating than missing a stab and then immediately dying because the heavy or the demo we were aiming… [Continue Reading]

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PSA: You can rent weapons from the Mann Co. Store for free

This gets it’s own article because I didn’t know this when I was new to TF2, but man I wish someone had told me. You can get one free weapon of your choice in TF2 every week. HOW TO DO IT 1. Go into the Mann Co. Store. 2. Find the weapon you want to try out and click on it. 3. Click “Try it Out!” 4. You now have an untradeable, uncraftable, unmodifiable copy of that weapon for one week. You can rent one weapon a week (even the same weapon over and over) and you can do this… [Continue Reading]

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