Fortunately, like the more known mistakes, I feel these mistakes are easily corrected should a more experienced person take the time to correct the new player. So with that in mind, here are some tips for any new player to take advice from, and I’m sure some of the more experienced players too!
Knowing the Class Roles
Valve does a fairly good job of communicating a great deal of this information to the player already, but I feel like a few intricacies of each class are lost outside of the vague descriptors of Offense, Defense, and Support. Knowing how a Pyro’s role in Offense differs from say, a Soldier’s, can make a big difference in how people will perform.
First of all, the Offense/Defense/Support class descriptors, while fairly accurate, I feel need a little adjustment as they reflect the game as released and also don’t show how one class can fill multiple roles. As such, I feel a more accurate listing would be something like:
Offense – Scout, Soldier, Demoman, Heavy
Defense – Pyro, Demoman, Heavy, Engineer
Support – Pyro, Engineer, Medic, Sniper, Spy
Since release, a Scout’s function has changed very little. His main role is darting in and out, attacking both players and point using his superior speed and maneuverability. Soldiers likewise should be the most straightforward offensive class with no real focus on attack or defense; he excels at killing people and has higher health so is a better fit for strict offense and keeping pressure on the front lines.
Pyros, on the other hand, while listed as an offensive class really shouldn’t be played in the same way as the other “offensive” classes. A Pyro’s main strengths come in his utility. One of the more complicated classes to play effectively, a Pyro, while able to get kills on unsuspecting players by ambushing or forcing people into bad situations, really excels at keeping people and spam away from key areas (a control point, a choke, a sentry gun) and protecting your team’s most valuable assets from anything that gets too close. The Pyro has a little bit of everything, but a strict pocketable class (meaning a Medic can rely on him for protection) he is not.
Demomen certainly excel at defense, but due to the high damage output of his primaries, he can also be one of the best offensive classes in the game in the hands of a skilled player. Heavies likewise fill both roles but more because they have been buffed with additional move speed and a tighter fire cone allowing them to more effectively push into areas. Placing their giant bodies into the middle of an area is actually a very effective way to clear the way for the rest of your team.
Engineers, while still a pure defensive class, now have the added flexibility of being able to throw sentries in forward areas much more easily, giving them many more support options in addition to the already supportive abilities of their teleporters and dispensers.
Medics have changed little since launch on terms of the role they fill (a clearly supportive one), and likewise Spies and Snipers fill much the same role of targeted elimination that they did before.
So, keep in mind next time you choose a class what the capabilities of that class are. While a Heavy may fall under the banner of Defense, it certainly isn’t the only thing he can do, and he often fills the main offensive role for many a team.
Rocket Jumping
Rocket jumping is the eternal topic of TF2 that continues to frustrate new players unfamiliar with the technique. Being all but a lost art to anyone that has never played a Quake or Unreal styled game, rocket jumping, while simple in concept, has a lot of room for improvement.
There are many complexities to the move I won’t go into, so instead I’ll just focus on a few quick ideas about rocket (and sticky) that jumping new players should be aware of.
First of all, this may seem obvious, but the goal behind rocket or sticky jumping is generally to either take the high ground or move forward faster. Moving faster has obvious advantages (speed, escape, etc), especially when paired with a Medic to negate the damage you take. Taking the high ground may seem a little unimportant to some players, but I can assure you that it is almost always better to be shooting down at something than up at it. Not only because the motion of shooting downward is much more familiar to most, but also because you will mostly be getting a surprise attack on opponents, have an easier time controlling distance from above rather than below (you can get to them, they can’t get to you as easily), but also because the ground you’re standing on is natural cover that people on the ground are not afforded.
In terms of the jump itself, the easiest way to perform a rocket jump is to crouch, jump and fire a rocket at your feet in unison. For beginners, looking straight downward will be the easiest to perform.
For more advanced players, be aware of a few aspects of your jumps. Firstly, the placement of your shot will greatly affect your trajectory. Shooting underneath you will propel you completely upwards, while say, shooting slightly behind you will propel you upwards and forwards as well. Secondly, the ideal rocket jump isn’t really one that nets the most distance but one that gets you to where you want to go at the minimum cost of health. Good rocket jumpers can make any jump, but great jumpers can do the same jumps taking no fall damage. Always aim to minimize the damage you cause to yourself. Lastly, you will need to practice! Learning to perform a proper jump with no experience will take hours to learn. Much like riding a bike for the first time, the movements will feel incredibly awkward and you’ll wonder why this is even worth it at all. Eventually, though, you’ll be flicking across the screen with ease and loving every second of it.
Power in Numbers
Something people do in literally every game I play is not stick together enough. Generally what people do when they spawn is instead of finding the Medic or another player to pair up with, they just try to flank the enemy regardless of what class they are. I’ll admit I’m guilty of this just as much as the next guy, but the important thing is to realize when you’re doing this and why it is a mistake.
Flanking is an important tool for catching a group off guard, allowing your team to push in either because of the distraction you’ve caused, the sentry you’ve destroyed, or the Medic you have managed to kill. Unfortunately when every player is doing this, a flank is less of a surprise attack catching the enemy off-guard, and more like your team running head first into the enemy one by one.
Almost always try to be around another player. Ideally, you want that player to be a Medic or another class that fills a similar role (Snipers with Snipers/Engineers, Offense classes with Offense classes) thereby increasing the chances for both of your survivals. It’s a simple idea that will do wonders for your team and an easily correctable mistake that I see all the time.
Playing for the Team
I understand that for new players class selection can be a daunting choice. Very often a new player already struggling with the various nuances of the game isn’t going to want to complicate things further by trying a new class out every day. This is understandable.
Understand, though, not only are you hurting your own team by becoming the team’s third Sniper, you’re honestly hurting your own chances. Quite simply, it’s easier to do better on a more balanced team. Being the Sniper on a team with a strong offensive and defensive backbone is much easier than fighting with the other 2 Snipers for headshots while avoiding the Pyro who finds his way into the Sniper deck every 30 seconds.
A balanced team is a better team, and a better team means that each individual player will generally perform better.
Additionally, take into account the map if you feel comfortable doing so when you make your map choice. Playing Scout on Dustbowl isn’t the most fun experience, just as playing Sniper on Upward is an amazing experience. Like your team composition, the current map can, to a lesser degree, affect your performance.
If You Don’t Know…Ask
The last bit of advice I want to impart is for anyone that is confused when they first play the game. Playing TF2 when it was almost completely original (early 2008), I was pretty confused by a lot of the workings of the game. That said, I can’t even imagine what a new player now must go through watching jars of urine fling across the battlefield as fish are swung in their face and Spies continuously “die” before their very eyes.
Aside from an odd obsession with hats and quoting the classes they play, TF2 players are usually a very friendly bunch when it comes to answering questions from an admitted new player. Just be courteous and make sure to indicate your newness, and I’m sure most people would be glad to help.
Failing that, of course, there is a wonderful official wiki you can check out that has all the information you desire when outside of the game itself.
The ever changing game of TF2 is certainly fun, but for even veteran players, the constant updates can be a bit much to take in all the time. So feel free to ask and use the resources at hand whenever you have a question. Using this advice and keeping steady with your learning of the little intricacies of each class and weapon, I’m sure you’ll be a pro in no time.
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