Instaspawn: That filthy stain on TF2 you can never wash off.
There isn’t anything more fun is there, right? Being able to go all gun-ho into battle constantly, running in, throwing a few rockets at anything you see move, only to blow yourself up and be able to do that again in a matter of seconds?
Unfortunately, many people have this mindset when playing this lovely game, and it is beginning to cause a large problem in the team dynamic and in the skill of the average player.
I played a lot of instaspawn servers for a good couple of months (this is the main reason why i have 80+ hours as scout) which generally consisted of 2fort and nothing else. Capping intel and bonking snipers was so sweet knowing I didn’t have to wait 15 seconds to respawn and do it again. It was a throwback to the good old days where I would constantly play Unreal Tournament, Deck 15 with instagib mutator, killing bot after bot until I passed out on my keyboard. Those were the days.
But after a while i got bored of only seeing 66% of one map, and decided to go and start playing real servers again. Boy was i shocked.
I forgot how to play. I would run out and pay no attention to any sentry placements, medic partners or stickies. I was blinded by the fast paced devil spawn that had been birthed within this game, and it had twisted me into it’s thick skulled pawn, endlessly running into oblivion without a care.
The main problem with instaspawn/fastspawn servers is that it detours the player from using proper defence strategies. It is much like the strategies used on the Western Front in WW1, you just keep throwing yourself in there until a dent is made enough to get closer to your objective. The spawning timers were set in game for one sole reason: To make sure people played the way the game was intended.
It is essential to learn how to be a defensive player, no matter what class you choose to play. In normal gameplay if you don’t defend properly, you’re slapped with a harsh respawn time. This is intended to make people learn from their mistakes and adapt to situations that arise in the game. It makes you more alert, therefore making you not only a better all round player, but it will significantly increase your skills in offensive situations.
The timers were also, as stated when the game was being released, to intensify the actual experience. It’s always so amazing when you’re defending and your team is nearly wiped and you’re waiting anxiously to respawn, watching the timer tick down as the other side gets closer to finishing their objective. It’s a feeling that I never really experienced in any other game, and coming back to it after so long was so rewarding. Being on the edge of my seat and jumping up and down while gaming is something i enjoy, much to the bemusement of my family and friends, or people who have ever been part of a lan with me.
I still play them every now and then, normally if I am waiting in line for another server, or just when there are no other decent servers being played. It’s my little secret shame of sorts, but I now know for the sake of not only my skill, but my overall gaming experience, it is something I should not indulge in too much.
Direction on June 6th 2008 in rants, team fortress 2
Stumble it!
madlep responded on 06 Jun 2008 at 1:49 pm #
To misquote Dijkstra: “It is practically impossible to teach good TF2 style to students that have had prior exposure to INSTASPAWN: as potential players they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration.”
Although I kinda love that WWI style suicide rush when playing as Pyro on instaspawn dustbowl
Bones responded on 06 Jun 2008 at 7:09 pm #
Very true
Nice article
Rosti responded on 06 Jun 2008 at 8:02 pm #
Have to agree - the sheer joy I’ve had from the opposite situation of Sudden Death confirms it for me.
Murdoc responded on 06 Jun 2008 at 9:30 pm #
are the new contributor guys just about rants?
once in a while a bit of a moan is ok, and i appreciate that you want to put a bit of effort into your posts as you have just been given the power rather than just a “Here is a cool video/comic” that someone else made.
But, please remember that Ubercharged isnt just about rants, its about those nice videos, and cartoons, and gary’s mod stuff etc.
The instaspawn thing is a good point and a do agree.
As long as it dosent turn into “NERF TEH DEMO!” or “ZOMG PYRO IS TOO WEAK!1″ then its all good.
madlep responded on 06 Jun 2008 at 9:42 pm #
Is ok Murdoc. I’ll still make sure those things get posted.
As for the new guys - It’s ALL about rants. That’s the whole point of ubercharged. As much TF2 angst as can be fitted on one site
/D/irection responded on 06 Jun 2008 at 9:45 pm #
I will post other things as i find them, but honestly, I don’t go looking. All videos and stuff I found, I found here. Madlep has that pretty well covered I think. If he wants to throw some funky Garry’s Mod pic in my articles, I won’t say no (mainly because I am horrible at GM).
I know, I’ve started on a negative foot with my first two articles, but by golly I just NEEDED to let the internet know about it.
Murdoc responded on 06 Jun 2008 at 9:57 pm #
Sweet, worry over.
Did the mac get fixed madlep? i saw you had been playing on the server via the little game-monitor.com thingie over there —->
I dont know what the lag on those things is like though because by the time i joined you had both gone and server was empty again
n00bie51 responded on 06 Jun 2008 at 10:13 pm #
Instant respawn times is for fragfest death matches like UT, Quake, or Halo. Not for TF2.
Dark Master responded on 06 Jun 2008 at 11:19 pm #
I’ve always hated instant respawn on the cp maps, because it makes it nearly impossible for the attacking team to win the game and you almost always go to sudden death, winner by points or just plain stalemate. I’ve never liked just blowing up my opponent over and over again, I’ve always prefered trying to win the game.
twotwothree responded on 07 Jun 2008 at 12:27 am #
Instaspawn maps are the death of the spy class. Nothing calls for deafet like murdering a medic — grinning to yourself while sneaking off to make %t the next fallen comrad in battle … when suddenly a frothing nutcase medic comes screaming out of the spawn point, bonesawing anything that moves while yelling ‘theres a spy here’ alerting everyone on the team to your presence.
More so when you finally dispatch that pesky engineer that did a ho-down everytime his sentry created a fine bloody mist of a companion … only to reveal that moments later not only are your sappers removed, you have been slain by the same murdered engineer that you moments before hand removed from existence.
No doubt there are those out there that are reading this and saying ‘wow you dumbass, insta spawn is great for a spy .. just cloak, do a run and if you die rinse and repeat’. Unfortunately this is the case. You can simply disguise, cloak and run. If you don’t make it — respawn try again. Its these same spy’s that come barrel rolling out of a corridor making a B-Line to a heavy wearing an engineers disguise. Or uncloaking infront of a pyro and spraying ‘I am not a spy!’ on the wall in the vain hope that perhaps, just maybe, the pyro reads the spray and thinks ‘wow, no spy would use that!’.
… hmm don’t get me started on spy ranting …
Hain responded on 07 Jun 2008 at 12:51 am #
I’ve seen a version of instaspawn : it is so instant that you don’t even get the death cam. You die, roll on the floor and click you’re in respawn. Those kind of instaspawns are kind of nice if you’re a spy or a sniper who found a good spot, them boys can’t figure out what hit them
/D/irection responded on 07 Jun 2008 at 1:15 am #
That is what I’m getting at. You don’t learn any new strategy, you just go to your same old spot, repeat the same thing you’ve done 32948275094375 times and get a couple of extra points.
It’s like grinding without levelling and almost a sin in this game.
John responded on 07 Jun 2008 at 3:01 am #
You want some neat videos? Allow me to recomend this guy: http://www.youtube.com/user/pharadox05
I especially like the Rat Race: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xg8uei3E0U
And for those who’s been living under a rock, I present 101 Uses For A Dispenser: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F89B463B3EF7805A
Pinko responded on 07 Jun 2008 at 3:13 am #
I don’t know if you guys have played any CAL matches, but there’s a twenty second respawn time on the attacking team (Or maybe it’s defending, been a few months).
That’s freaking ridiculous. Makes me mad just thinking about it. I didn’t learn anything from waiting there, I just ate some dinner.
I also don’t mind instarespawn, I think it’s just a different way to play the same game. I usually seperate the two and think of instant respawn servers as being an actually entirely different game, and vary my playstyles accordingly.
Anonymous responded on 07 Jun 2008 at 6:50 am #
Hmm, effects of a respawn time (15 sec +) versus Insta Respawn:-
Heavy:
InstaSpawn: Run in mowing down whatever you see. Rince, repeat. Likely to never release the fire button. Most I’ve seen just stand in a common pathway and spray till they run out of ammo / die. Also extremely likely to run around punching things.
Timer: Watch your ammo more cautiously. More aware of your medic ( this is your survival, 20 seconds could be life and death for your team ) More likely to have a dedicated medic that won’t run off to bonesaw something. ( partly cause the medic hopefully won’t be daft, partly cause your more aware of the respawn and know you need the medic to survive ) These guys are HARD to take down. And a big difference to the InstaSpawn version. (occasionally still runs around punching things)
Scout:
InstaSpawn:
Run around shooting things attempting to get point blank shots while swinging on two legs of your chair waving a fist and yelling ‘BONK’ at the top of your lungs for each kill. Likely to ignore the fact that dodging is a good way to prevent damage. Not uncommon to see one hurtling down a narrow corridor swinging the bat screaming ‘NEED A TELEPORTER HERE!!’
Timer:
More likely to strafe in with the scatter gun before jump/dodging your attack. Will avoid pyro’s flame range and will actually asist in capturing points / running intel back to base. Will still ‘Bonk’ people but usually when the situation permits it. Will actually ( GASP ) use the pistol and medium (long?) range to assist in damaging / killing.
Medic:
InstaSpawn:
Very likely to spend more time running around attempting to (uber)bonesaw things. Will end an ubercharge to bonesaw any spy’s that may be lurking or stealth bumped during the charge. Proberbly won’t bother healing you if you are on fire, especially if they are in a fight with someone half way across the courtyard vigirously spraying the syringe gun.
Timer:
Much stronger focus on keeping you ( and himself ) alive. Often is more effective at dodging, and understands that the beam does not have to be on you permanently to be effective. Will heal team mates that need it as well as keeping a heavy alive. And will communicate (theres a spy here!) with his partner, occasionally dispatching to actually spray the seringe gun to locate said spy, as opposed to spinning circles swinging the bonesaw wildly before returning to the partner in need of healing.
Soldier:
InstaSpawn:
The soldier is likely to run into combat (mele range) firing rockets wildly and often blows himself to hell. This is useful for a few reasons .. the first is the opponent doesn’t get the point, the second is by this point the soldier is proberbly out of ammo from spamming wildly anyway. This is the sort of soldier that doesn’t think twice about evaporating himself for the benefit of the team. Even if he’s carrying intel. ( likely being chased by a scout screaming ‘need a teleporter here!’ )
Timed:
Actually attempts to keep some range on the target. Uses rocket jumping in open areas to get arial advantage. Will still blow things up at point blank — but actually seeks out health and ammo when its low. (opposed to spamming ‘medic’) Understands the mechanics of spy checking. (I fire rocket, that friendly gets blown backwards but doesn’t take damage … must not be a spy. )
Theres plenty more … these are just a few. But I think everyones seen the difference. Lets face it — how often do you see a pyro on a 20sec respawn server run in flaming like an idiot, then gibs flying out of the doorway as a few rocket soldiers run out. I’d say not very often because that pyro spends most of his time sitting in the spawn waiting for another go.
Now, on an instant respawn server, that same pyro would already be running past you to get ‘revenge’. And no doubt to gather his missing teeth.
TwoTwoThree responded on 07 Jun 2008 at 6:51 am #
^^ Thats me. Came up as Annon. /sigh
madlep responded on 07 Jun 2008 at 12:32 pm #
@Murdoc - nope, not fixed yet. I did manage to get TF2 installed on another PC at the office, and a few of us were back late there last night drinking and gaming. I was on then, but then the map changed, and I had to download it. It was taking ages so I went to download it directly from FPS banana. Then I had a few more drinks while I was waiting. Then a few more, and I forget exactly what happened after that. I do know that at some point I went out and got a chicken burger from Nandos, and somehow managed to get in a taxi and make it home in one piece.
BathrobeAssassin responded on 07 Jun 2008 at 2:40 pm #
A lot of truth there, /D/irection.
I play mainly on 2Fort and Dustbowl– not that I dislike the other maps, but that my favorite class is the Spy(ololololo). I tend to act way more agressive and take unnecessary risks (bumping into foes, cloaking in plain sight) when I know I don’t have to wait to bum rush the opponents again.
Each mode has its own appeal for the strategic and Rambo player in you, so I don’t think Valve was wrong to put it in.
After all, there’s always another sever out there.
…Even if it’s goddamn 2Fort again.