guide

The Trials and Tribulations of Running an Event

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So some of you may know me as an admin for the SPUFserver. It’s a job that comes with a lot of pain because running a server is very hard work. However, it’s a job that can be quite a bit of fun, knowing that you are the god of the little TF2 universe stuck within that server.

SourceBans admin console
POWER! UNLIMITED POWER!

One of the interesting things I get to do is pop up on SPUF and offer to host events that are being floated around. I like doing this because events are a fun thing for the community to enjoy, but there’s a lot of work that goes into running them, and I thought I might share a little bit with those of you that might possibly be coming up with (and then proposing to my admin staff) events in the future.

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Some tough spots to get to (that aren’t that hard!)

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Heights and ledges are a major part of any map. Everybody who isn’t a scout, soldier, or demoman is going to find something that limits their movement, and learning to find a way around that is a part of every learning curve.

Except when it isn’t. Sometimes there is a trick to reaching faraway places. Here’s a few of them.

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Some Tips on Ultiduo

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Competitive Team Fortress 2 is an odd beast. On one hand, its goal is to quantify the most skill-based aspects of our beloved game to create an environment where the most skilled teams can prove it to their peers. Unfortunately, in order to do this they have to contend with the incredible amounts of unbalanced stuff that are hallmarks of the game; the unlocks are designed to be swapped out for the right situations, most of the classes are not designed to be played the whole time, and many of the maps give unfair advantages to offense, defense, or whichever team gains an early advantage. 6v6 deals with this by banning a fair amount of weapons and playing mostly 5CP, Highlander deals with this by restricting class switching and playing mainly payload.

Then there’s Ultiduo. One (specialized) map. One Soldier and Medic per team. The absolute core of the entire game. Can your combo beat the other combo when everything else is balanced to laboratory conditions?

Obviously this is not for everyone, but I’ve always had a blast playing Ultiduo. And considering its the third-most popular competitive format, I’m not alone. But since I can’t find anything on the internet giving advice on how to play it, I decided to write up a guide myself.

Picture from SalTV's Youtube channel
Picture from SalTV’s Youtube channel

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Some Tips on Sticky Jumping

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Hey all! We’re having some issues with Blog.com, so I’m making this post short, because I may be having to make extensive changes to the entire blog. So I’m going to give some advice on proper sticky jumping. This assumes you have some experience sticky-jumping, and would like to learn some tricks I’ve found for unusual situations.

Picture by DigitaxF3AR.
Picture by DigitaxF3AR.

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A guide to Shotgun Heavy

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Shotgun Heavy, AKA “Fat Scout”, is a method of playing Heavy by attacking and killing enemies with only your secondary and melee weapons. Not a supremely easy (or even very effective) strategy, it is more for use in the mindset of not entirely caring or messing around. As such, if you are in a situation that you playing Shotgun Heavy is a pure detriment to your team and is causing your team to lose, don’t do it; more, reserve Shotgun Heavy for times when you’re on a team that is good enough to where you can essentially do whatever you want, or you are on a server specifically for messing around, such as any dm server, hightower, pubs, etc.
Picture by FeelGoodInc.
Picture by FeelGoodInc.

How to Win cp_orange_x3

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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.

Picture by FeelGoodInc.
Picture by FeelGoodInc.

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 in the game, bar none. You can start capping the next point within seconds of the previous being capped. You can zip ahead, find the right spot, and rain explosive death down on the upcoming sentry nest. When all else fails you can fly over everyone’s heads, locate the enemy medic, and finish him off with an Ullapool Caber from nowhere.

How can I prove the Sticky Jumper is that good? Well, it’s the focal weapon of the only loadout I’ve found that makes it reliably possible to win cp_orange_x3.

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In Defense of Medieval Mode

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Medieval Mode. You’ve heard of it. Sounds awesome. The Wiki page makes it look awesome. But is it awesome?

Picture by FeelGoodInc.
Picture by FeelGoodInc.


…

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 strategically and aid your team in winning the round on a consistent basis.

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