Dave 'dave' hopton begins a Series looking at 5 good reasons why competitive gamers should consider playing TF2

This column is the sole opinion of the author and does not represent the opinion of Heaven Media Ltd or the opinion of any affiliates.

Just the other day, my colleague Gonzo wrote in his regular column on the CSS scene that the TF2 community is one that has “a fanatical devotion that borders on the psychotic”. He's not wrong.

For many people outside the TF2 world, it can be quite hard to see what's so great about a game that's been described as 'cartoons with guns', that appears chaotic and unplayable, and a far cry from the ultra-realistic graphical environments of games like Modern Warfare 2. Lying underneath all the flame and insults however, is an online multiplayer game that's a truly unique experience to play and watch, and a game thousands of people love playing.

The purpose of this series of articles is to try and convey some of the reasons why the TF2 community is so passionate about the game it plays, and give some insight into why we love it so much. I write this with the intention of dispelling some of the myths surrounding the game, and in the hope that people who had previously dismissed TF2 when it was first released will try it again, and get involved in the competitive scene - especially in the run up to i39.

The Multiplayer Magic

I’m going to start big: I don’t think there’s a game out there currently that rivals TF2’s combination of teamwork, game-sense and tactical possibility in an online competitive environment. There - I said it. Call me whatever generic internet insult you like, but I promise you that whilst I'm obviously just a little biased, in writing these articles I've tried to be as fair and honest as possible. There are some down sides to TF2, just like any game, but there are lots of remarkable positives that often get missed and deserve to be promoted to a wider audience.

I'm starting this series off by looking at probably the most important aspect of the game – the game-play itself, which is determined by the 9 classes that define TF2.

The 9 Men

A combination of speed, power, stealth and surprise: The Pyro, Engineer, Spy, Heavy, Sniper, Scout, Soldier, Demoman and Medic

Meet the merry bunch of characters that make up the unique experience that is Team Fortress 2. Crafted by the creative minds at Valve, this assortment of figures that hails from all around the world brings to the table a range of skills that produce a balanced yet challenging game-play, promoting immense teamwork, ingenious tactics and sly game-sense.

Within the competitive scene, four classes in particular feature heavily for their ability to produce a high damage output, whilst remaining a dynamic, fast and efficient unit capable of tackling the various obstacles thrown up by ever-crafty opponents. The Soldier, Demoman, Scout and Medic combine to make a lethal force that can dominate a map, but all classes within TF2 play a vital role – something I'll explore in more detail later on.

The relationship between these players, each with particular jobs and responsibilities during a match, is absolutely crucial in determining how well a team can perform, and this is where my first area of TF2 game-play analysis comes in – teamwork.

Teamwork

As the name suggests, TF2 is all about the team. Without good teamwork, it's a guaranteed fact that a team will fail to do well, something true at whatever level the game is played. This dimension of TF2 is amplified when it's played competitively, and makes it a hugely enjoyable experience for any gamer that enjoys the immense satisfaction that well executed teamwork produces.

Unlike many other competitive titles, it's simply not possible for a single player to carry the rest of his team – it has to be a group effort. Whilst you may see a great spree of kills in a frag movie, 99% of the time this has been facilitated by other players on the team killing the enemy Medic, providing a distraction through a back-cap, or some crucial voice comms describing the opponent's health and position, for example. Consequently, more than many other games, great comms, individual discipline and in-game leadership are vital skills within competitive TF2 - a team has to be able to adapt to a new tactic, an unexpected class choice, or the innovative use of a map feature in order to succeed, something that makes the game that much more challenging and fun to play.

Team Dignitas – One of the best examples of great teamwork and discipline, resulting in some hardcore bro love and competitive success

This might not appeal to some people. Particular players dislike the idea that they individually can't take a surprise ace or single handedly win a game, but considering that some of the most successful teams in eSports history have been the ones who understand how each member of the side thinks and plays, and have grown together over months of hard practise, it's clear that teamwork is something all multiplayer games value, and a vital ingredient for success. Team Fortress 2 takes this to the next level.

Dave 'dave' hopton begins a Series looking at 5 good reasons why competitive gamers should consider playing TF2

This column is the sole opinion of the author and does not represent the opinion of Heaven Media Ltd or the opinion of any affiliates.

Tactics

It's the importance of teamwork and the class structure that I outlined at the beginning of this article that combine to form such tactical potential, especially within competitive TF2. Within the right scenario, the careful selection of any class can have devastating results and consequently teams from the very bottom of the competitive ladder, right up to the top, use the wide variety of weapons and class traits present within TF2 to take enemies by surprise, in order to secure a tactical position on a map or win an all important deciding round.

One particularly great example of the destructive impact successful tactics can have within TF2 is in the use of the Medic weapon, the Kritzkrieg. For those who aren't familiar, the Kritzkrieg gives the Medic the ability to give a player on his team the capability to do critical levels of damage to the enemy for 8 seconds. If a team doesn't spot that the Medic is using it, the fast rate of charge means that it can take an opponent by surprise before they have the standard Ubercharge ready, and wipe out an entire team.

The Kritzkrieg can be implemented at various stages during a match, both with great success or dismal failure if the enemy team is able to counter it, but one particularly great example of a brilliant tactical implementation of the weapon was pioneered by Crack Clan, who went on to become Power Gaming and who sadly called it a day last month.

Using an Engineer to build teleporters to transport the Medic to outside the enemy's spawn, Finnish Demoman 'hymzi' completely destroyed the team waiting to attack and bought his side valuable time on a map decided by the speed a team can take control points.

Another example of how the various classes within the game can be put to great use was demonstrated recently in a close game at the very top of the scene, between Team Dignitas and FakkelBrigade. Although normally a Scout, English player 'Fisshu' switched to Spy in an attempt to disrupt the dominant Dignitas side who were, at that stage, controlling the map.

Disguising as an Engineer, he carefully works his way around to the Dignitas Medic without arousing suspicion and back-stabs him, leaving the Dignitas team in a state of shock and in a perilous position. They are quickly surrounded by FakkelBrigade, who using their own Ubercharge, are able to wipe them out and take control of the map.

If I had limitless time, I would look into the absolutely lethal effect a quality Sniper can inflict, or the immensely effective defence skilled Pyro's and Engineer's can provide for a team, but there are simply so many possibilities that I would be going on forever. I hope however, that I have briefly explained why TF2 continues to stay so fresh and exciting to play – no game is ever the same, and with a host of classes and weapons to choose from, individuals and teams can develop tactics that test the teamwork and skill of the very best sides around the world.

Game-sense

By now, I hope it's fairly clear that TF2 is anything but boring. Teams playing competitively have to develop their teamwork and tactics for maps, weapons and classes to stand any chance of beating a half-decent side. As I mentioned before, solid teamwork is absolutely vital to achieve this, but on an individual level, game-sense is an especially important skill that players have to develop over time, and with the multiple battles being fought all around maps during a game, is something that makes TF2 that bit more challenging.

Whilst I would expect nearly every Cadred reader to be aware for what I mean when I talk about game-sense, for those who don't know, game-sense refers to the ability of a player to be able to adapt his play-style depending on what he expects the enemy team to do – reading situations and deciding on taking a particular position on a map, pushing or flanking at a certain time when he believes the opposition is vulnerable, predicting the enemy's movement and tactics, and generally making himself as useful as possible.

Use the force Luke: game-sense is an absolutely vital part of TF2

With so much going on in competitive TF2 match, the need for good game-sense is increased dramatically. Demands are placed upon players of all classes to be aware of when to advance or fall back, when to go and help their team and when to give up on a lost cause, and what fights to pick and avoid, that, combined with the mechanics of the game itself – it's highly important to know the respawn times of opponents, and the effect this will have on your attack/defence, for example – decisions become a fine balance of mental calculations that have to be taken in a split-second that can affect the whole outcome of a match, and take immense skill to do correctly. The fact that these decisions are never exactly the same means that players are continually developing their game-sense, learning and growing, and is one of the reasons why TF2 is so special.

We're Just Beginning

I hope this article has begun to inspire some of the Cadred community to try playing TF2, even if it's just on a casual basis. This is just the first aspect of the game I will look at, but I urge people in the coming weeks to try and spectate some of the top-flight listed in the Match Ticker, and start getting in to the game. Trust me, you won't regret it.