Team Fortress 2 - From Old To New 99
As the Beta period for the incredibly fun Team Fortress 2 winds down, the website Rock, Paper, Shotgun offers up several pieces on the title. If you played the original TF and want to know how things have changed, they've got an in-depth series of posts on the nine classes. If you're more interested in the evolution of TF2 as a concept, the first of a two-part interview with game designers Robin Walker and Charlie Brown highlights the long road between there and here: "The arc of TF2 is something that's probably familiar to a lot of amateur developers or designers. When we got here the first thing we built was overly complex, very hard core, almost impenetrable to anyone who wasn't familiar with FPSs in general. And as we found as we played it, wasn't more fun because of it. I think one of the things we've learned as designers over the time we've been here is to better preserve our ideas while still making them more understandable ... If I looked back at various designs in the different versions of TF2, then I think that's the thing that moved the most. We were always doing interesting classes, interesting weapons, but I think the thing we succeeded at the most, that we were failing at the most, was that nugget of acceptability relative to depth." As for the best class, I tend to agree with Jerry.
Transitioning from the late 1997 to 2007 (Score:5, Informative)
Back in 1997 when TF came out gameplay on the internet was very campy (literally) and very platform rocket jumping-esque. The original TF was a gem on Quakeworld because it provided more than just death match but rather a team cooperation game with different classes.
Eventually, I went on to other games like Tribes, Counter Strike, and DoD and when I saw that the game was going back to its roots I had doubts that gameplay would work anymore since for a while they seemed to be taking a whole new direction with a more realistic atmosphere like counterstrike.
But then I saw their art direction and rather than focusing on realism like counter strike, they made it look more cartoonish and platform jumpy which basically how things were back in 97 (Quake, Turok, and Tomb Raider were all out then).
Of course it could be just nostalgia.
Re:Fortress Forever (Score:2, Informative)
Re:can we start talking nerf/buff yet? (Score:3, Informative)
With the scout's double jump mid air switch direction maneuver there isn't any splash.. the scout is also so fast they can run right past the slow missle from a rocket.. the demo doesn't even have a chance since you have to hit them dead on with a nade, gl with that... the only choice for a soldier is aiming at his own feet thus taking a lot of splash himself, or stickies for a demo.
I'm saying a soldier or demo should not fear a scout.. a scout should fear a soldier or demo.
"Demos, meanwhile, are pretty strong, and keeping their splash damage under control is a way of keeping them from getting TOO strong and having their blind-fire/indirect-fire be too weighted."
they aren't "too" strong is my point.. their sticky bombs are fine.. it takes 2 to kill a scout, 3 to kill a medic, 4 to kill a pyro and 5+to kill a heavy, but you can group up to 8 so no biggie, if you hit someone with a nade while it is in the air it is like a rocket blast/splash.. but if it is on the ground and goes off it is really nerfed.. hardly any splash or damage.. i've seen snipers stand next to 3 nades going off at their feet and live.. wtf?
I'm not saying increase splash radius.. you should be able to dodge nades and dance around to avoid the splash.. but if someone just stands there with a nade at their feet there should be some repercussion.
if i had to give numbers.. if a demo nade hits me in air and i am demo my hp goes to 40s so that is like 135 damage max, if I stand on one i'm at about 135.. so 40 damage? or 1/3 because it is on the ground?
"Ubercharge could last longer, but I've seen it used amazingly well as it is, and it seems like one of those abilities that could easily get overbalanced and over-depended."
Well i only meant another couple of seconds (you can't ap as uber anyway), esp with the slowness of the heavies while firing, right now everyone hides for 5 seconds and it's over.
Re:This Game Needs More Maps (Score:3, Informative)