CommunityFortress

I interviewed Free, of MFU, and b4nny, of eMg, about the Uber Update. This first tidbits from Free are the result of a Mumble conversation, so I typed down what I could and paraphrased a lot. Free, if you'd like to clarify anything, shoot me an email or a message.

Mutated: Do you see yourself using the Reserve Shooter seriously?

Free: (again, paraphrased) The Degreaser, being the first weapon in the game with faster weapon-switch, completely changed the game for Pyros. The rise of Pyros, particularly in the highlander scene, came with Degreaser play, popularized by people like TMP. This could completely change Soldier play, but it doesn't offer any "fix" to the class like the Degreaser did. Soldier's based on airshots, spam, and zoning targets - this new shotgun shuts down jumping Scouts entirely, including the new triple jump. A pocket Soldier traveling with protection will be able to rock the Reserve Shooter. If Solid Snake can use the Targe, maybe Soldiers will be able to use the RS.

Mutated: What about the new Medic weapons? Will the Quick-Fix become relevant in HL play?

Free: The Overdose isn't specifically OP, but it's a great buff for the class. Hippocrates is fine and dandy, but it's not the goddamn UBERSAW, and a well-coordinated team will be able to work around it (or get the help of the Spy). The best the Quick-Fix will be is a solid sidegrade to the Kritzkrieg, perhaps more so in HL matches on certain maps.

Mutated: How do you feel about the changes to shield gameplay, and the new Demoknight set?

Free: I HATE SHIELDS. (Okay, he might not have said that per se, but that was his general tone.) The Targe is a little ridiculous, you can soak three to four rockets, which is a bit out of control. Solid Snake can rock it, but I hate the subclass mentality. Looking at Demoknights in pubs, they're rarely carrying their team - instead they're like Bonk Scouts, distracting the enemy, making a few plays on the sidelines, never in the clutch positions. I always rock default, though, as it's still the most reliable weapon set in the game.

Mutated: Any thoughts on the move to F2P? Any final thoughts on the Uber Update?

Free: (this is actually a direct quote) What I can tell you is this: TF2 is changing--here and now--and how that will affect the community has yet to be seen. The fallout won't be known for some time, good or bad, but if any sector of the community, from competitive to casual, thinks their niche will remain untouched, they're high as kites.

Next we've got an interview with b4nny.

Mutated: Do you think the new Scout pack, the Soda Popper in particular, will affect mid pushes - especially considering how fast it charges?

b4nny: Sure. In its current state, the Soda Popper charges by the time a scout runs to mid on most push maps. Although they can potentially shoot off around 10 minicrit shots before the meter depletes, I think it is most effective as a flanking tool. I feel like this weapon really promotes that kind of play style especially since the charge can be pocketed until the optimum deployment time which allows scouts to really take advantage of the minicrit damage on close range, high damage shots. ... As for the other weapons: The Winger seems like a balanced trade off. I'm still not sure about the Atomizer but my first reaction is that it is dizzyingly powerful with a pretty minor down side.

Mutated: Will the Reserve Shooter become relevant, and does the Disciplinary Action have a place as a Shovel or even Equalizer replacement?

b4nny: Once again, I see the Reserve Shooter as an extreme trade off weapon. While it may be great against jumpers, most of the time it is not dealing minicrit damage and the soldier would be better off with the standard shotgun for the extra ammo. The Disciplinary Action is actually more useful than the Equalizer because not only can the soldier run fast, but so can his medic or his heavy buddy. This can completely change the dynamics of a mid fight. Unfortunately, at that point it seems the only counter to it is itself. Personally, I hate being whipped. I'm perfectly fine running at normal speed. Seriously... don't touch me with that thing.

Mutated: Is the Overdose, sacrificing power for speed, balanced in its current form? Will the Quick-Fix be used in 6v6 or Highlander matches?

b4nny: Since medics are almost never worried about their damage output, the Overdose is mostly a straight upgrade. Even so, I think increased medic survivability is not game breaking. I've heard some people who pugged with the Quick-Fix proclaim it to be the solution to slow and boring matches. However, the weapon doesn't really win me over; I feel like it hurts more than it helps. First of all, the loss of overheals is huge. The team with Quick-Fix will almost always have less health at mid and have relatively weak flanks everywhere because of it. Second I just haven't been able to figure out when the Quick-Fix is actually better than having a regular Ubercharge. I'm sure there is some amazing obscure use for it out there that makes it much more situational than the Kritzkrieg.

Mutated: Interested at all in the positive changes to the Targe or the Splendid Screen at all?

b4nny: Despite the new ability to charge mid jump added to the Targe, it's still just a pub play toy (for me) or situational competitive tool at best (for others). I have never really given the shield(s) a serious chance because I simply don't think it's worth it to sacrifice a consistent damage dealing weapon for the risky and unreliable playstyle that you have to adopt to use the charge effectively. From my experience the Splendid Screen shield is probably worse than the Targe until combined with all of the 1001 Demoknights items when it becomes a truly hard to handle set (though again only in pubs).

Mutated: Give me some general thoughts on the move to Free to Play - will this positively affect the competitive scene?

b4nny: Well it probably wont hurt the competitive scene... In fact it could be an important turning point. I wouldn't be surprised if experienced competitive gamers from Counter-Strike or Quake Live finally give TF2 a second chance. Then of course the pubs are overflowing with new players and if even a small percentage of them naturally migrate to the competitive side of the game, that could be a relatively large influx of new talent into the scene. But probably the single most important factor is how the current players react. Luckily, I sense a new drive from a lot of the current players to get newcomers interested in the competitive scene. Promotion is so important. I was really excited when I saw that one of eXtv's recent casts got tens of thousands of views in just a day and I hope we can see that more often. However, don't expect anything overnight. Hopefully the scene will show significant signs of growth by the end of the year, but it's definitely starting already. I've already heard of new organizations branching out to TF2 and more tournaments being planned simply because of the spark of interest that the F2P announcement brought.

So what'd we learn from this? Free, a Highlander Soldier, is on-board with the Reserve Shooter and a little Quick-Fix action. b4nny, a 6v6 Demoman, is impressed by the Scouts' power with a Soda Popper, but is scared of a little whipping. Common threads we can pull: shields are silly, still, for anything but a few clutch plays, and the competitive scene is a-changing for everyone, like it or not.