Opinion on the direction that Valve is going with TF2?

[Helios]

It's been barley 24 hours since the latest update, and the steam forums are full of rage. Not because of the "broken unlocks" bug (which STILL remains on our servers AFAIK)...

Everyone is polarized about the new update system, people are saying that it's the best thing since Jesus, or that TF2 is turning into an MMO.

Personally: I like this new update system. As I said before, the headgear (aside from hinting that me and my mates of TFP's firing squad may get a very powerful rifle in the Sniper update), seems to indicate that Valve is leaning towards custom classes. The decoding of the GCF, in addition to leaking the names of the headgear (Tooth belt for Sniper, Football helmet for Heavy, and FRO FOR DEMOMAN 8D) also hints at more customizations. Some believe that weapons will no longer be earned by achievements, but "leveled up" through progress in game.

People are upset about this, but the fact is that customizations like this in FPS games is not a new concept.

In Rainbow Six Vegas 2, there is a system called A.C.E.S, which measures your skill in various fields of combat (read: Assault, Marksmanship, and CQB), and rewards you for progress. For example: you start off with an MP5 and 552 commando as your weapons, but level up in Marksman and you will unlock the MP7A1, the XM8, and the AK-47. Also in addition to your A.C.E.S score, you rank up with progress, getting access to new amour and clothing to customize your character. A comparable feature is the "perks" seen in Call of Duty 4, where you are able to customize your weapons, and unlock new abilities based on your performance in game.

Judging from the rave reviews and high sales of both games, I'm guessing that A.C.E.S and Perks have worked out pretty well so far.

Such a system would bring a new spin on gameplay for Team Fortress 2. I don't see what all the fuss is about, it's not entirely hard to grasp and understand: the better you do, the better weapons you get, right? And now you can customize your classes, so you can be as effective as possible on the battlefield.

However: I really hope Valve does not bring back grenades. I know they have been there since launch, due to them being scrapped in testing, but one of the reasons this game is fun is that there's nobody to constantly spam grenades around corners (unless yer a Demoman), and Valve talked alot about how removing grenades was a good choice, so I think bringing them back is a step backwards.

So what you think? I dunno about you, but I think that this is change we can believe in ;>

[Rayne]

The only change I genuinely don't like is the ability to delete unlocked weapons permanently. I just have a hard time believing that it's truly permanent, amongst other various little gripes with that idea that I need not mention.

[Purplecat]

My opinion?

People are thinking and worrying too much about this update, and lots of people on the official steam forums are overreacting about it. I don't mind speculation, but people whining about it turning into a World of Fortress is getting oold... especially since Valve's goal is to provide "sidegrades, not upgrades".

Oh, and some self-righteous people have removed their Sandman as a way to "protest" (yes people are still whining about it despite it's downplayed effect) despite that none can really check what unlockables you deleted and such...

[Ayeaka]

Perma-delete angers me. If your account's compromised, and whoever gets in deletes everything, then what?

Aside from that...I don't know. I've enjoyed TF2's 'either/or' simplicity, although I do hope each class gets a third round of sidegrades. I like flexibility.

But I loathe the idea of weapons leveling through in-game combat.

Great. So, basically, those of us with, you know --lives-- outside of the game will now be fucked over by those who sit around and play all day, (which I can only do on weekends.)

I don't like the idea of forcing someone to delete something, either, as weapons fill up, which I'm assuming will be the purpose of the new system, as new unlocks come out. What's been nice with sidegrades so far is, while they can be annoying to unlock, they don't give you an advantage over those without them, since you have to go all the way back to a locker to change them out (with the exception of the FaN, which fires FASTER than the Scattergun, due to the fact that it can fire both shots near-simultaneously. This I feel should be tweaked. Otherwise a good, solid sidegrade.) So, even a new player, if they have prior skill in FPS's, has the same chance as any other player, once they have time to get used to the game.
Sidegrades have shown an additional use to me. Say you get bored of one strategy as a class, and want to keep playing at it, but want something different for a while. So, change your flamethrower for a backburner, or change your pistol for Bonk... knowing you can undo this later.

Customizations, however... this I like. I'm hoping headgear turns out to be a series of small things that do little more than change appearance. I have the most HILARIOUS mental image in my head at the moment of various heavies bald, in helmet, and in mullets running around, whilst spies in berets sneak about in the shadows.

But I'm looking at the direction Soul Caliber took, making comparisons in my mind, and shuddering. I don't want TF2 to turn into THAT. Nor do I want it to turn into an MMORPG, which is another potential direction this may take.

[Mr. Munchlax]

I honestly don't know what to think of it. I'm just gonna wait and see what happens.

[Makaze]

[FourLetterWord]

i'm gonna wait and see how they implement it before judging

that "levelling up" stuff sounds plausible, anything valve can do to give players a sense of accomplishment or progress, they will do--it's the #1 area online fps games lack in

[CAPTAIN_BRUMBL3Z]

I just want them to learn some hard lessons form both the Heavy and Scout updates. While they provided the heavy with some decent unlocks, the synergy of shotgun VS sandvich to either minigun is very questionable, and while some people just prefer one to the other, a lot of the better heavies seem to swear by the shotgun because then your greater hitpoints create a great enough buffer that your shotgun can kill or scare off attackers due to the mobility. As to the scout, his updates truly did very little to help out in DB and GR and, IMO, drastically changed his role if someone dedicates themselves to using an appropriate mix of unlocks in either map (especially Dustbowl, of which the 3rd area's extremely cramped linear route is hell for scouts and spies alike, making him near worthless on offense without some REAALLLY good coordination). Further, use is very limited in his 2ndary and melee, the benefits in many many cases being far outweighed by the drawbacks (though the primary seems to be preference, I love the FaN myself).

Both packs are arguably failures, while pyro and medic were clear successes. They need to make sure they address synergy issues for the other packs as learned from the heavy update, and they need to ensure their goals are met without risking over/underpowering (Bonk is actually worth it on CTF maps rather consistently, from my experiences) and also ensuring that features they consider mesh well with the gameplay and not just because it works in other genres (seriously... a STUN!? idiots...)

[Purplecat]

Personally, Bonk still needs to be buffed.

The pistol is very useful. The drawbacks and aftereffects of bonk however are heavy, and limits the usability of it.

[Ayeaka]

I find myself using bonk quite a bit lately--primarily on maps with long, narrow, and winding chokepoints. If I know I can't escape otherwise, I can run around a corner, lose my enemy, drink Bonk, and get away. I've found it most useful on Badwater, and Egypt.

I can also use it to scout ahead and let my team know what's there. (Hm, scout ahead. Funny, that they'd name the class that, SCOUT....)

On solo sentries, I can, of course, direct fire to help take them down---I can also direct fire so that the knockback won't be too much for an uber coming in.

Otherwise? Yes. FaN angers me, personally. I see NO reason why both shots should be able to fire damned-near SIMULTANEOUSLY. Otherwise, it's a very good unlock, and I've played with it a bit myself--mostly at the start of maps, when there's that mad rush toward BLU's door.


Sandman? Eh.... I don't like it. I may play with it a bit more, since I've gotten a lot better at dodging WITHOUT jumping, but I really prefer my normal bat.