Are Spies Better After the Update?
Lately I have started to pick up my favorite class, the Spy. I had figured that the update would make the Spy’s life harder. However, after playing a few matches, I find that I’m doing my best as spy for the first time in half a year. This seemed improbable, but after careful deliberation I came up with several reasons why this may be so, in order of least to most likely.
Less experienced Pyros are running about.
For my fellow oldies, remember when the game first came out? Pyros ran blindly at people, tried to catch up to people with the flamethrower instead of the shotgun, and tried to take out level 3 sentries by running right at them. This isn’t saying that the people playing are newbies, but since the game’s classes play so differently, they aren’t used to playing how the pyro should be played.
Some experienced Pyros have stopped playing Pyro.
This seems less probable, but it’s actually not. A lot of people stop playing a class once the updates come out. They get mixed in with all the achievement farmers and less-than-stellar players, and choose to stop playing until the hype wears out. When the Pyro update came out, it is possible the usual Pyros moved on to other classes, liked them, and played them more. This kept them as Pyros less. Combined with the last idea, this makes a lot of bad pyros and not enough good ones running about, making my spying a lot easier.
The updates have changed the Pyro’s mindset.
As a Spy, I use some dirty tactics. If I’m on a second floor, and someone is chasing me, I’ll run forward until I cloak completely, then jump off the ledge. Before the update, many Pyros chased after me, since one of the main factors of being a Pyro is spy-checking by lighting people on fire. However, after the update this seemed to have changed. With the new updates, Pyros focus more on lighting people’s backs on fire than them in general, or even blowing them halfway across the room with the airblast. The pyro has taken more of a selfish role of attempting killing than just to light things on fire and hope for the best.
Pyros and Spies are no longer near each other as much.
If you think hard, you’ll think about the Backburner. It’s a weapon that crits whenever facing someone’s back. A crit flame from the back will cause most deaths before the victim is able to turn around. Even Heavies will eventually die with the Pyro at low health or from afterburn. Seems like an autokill, like the Spy’s knife. Since it requires hitting from the back, the Pyro needs to loop around behind enemy lines and hit enemies as they walk out, backs turned. If that sounds familiar, replace “Pyro” in the last sentence with “Spy.” Pyros are no longer where they were before the update; skulking around their base and taking out people behind corners. Since they are no longer in their base, Spies can run around with less fear of being lit. This makes the Spy’s life easier, since the main factor keeping Spies out of the enemy’s base in 2fort was the Pyros. However, this applies for any map.
TPMX on August 7th 2008 in pyro, spy, team fortress 2
Stumble it!
Mr.Kaboom responded on 08 Aug 2008 at 12:43 am #
Yepp, i totaly agree with you TPMX. Btw the pick is epic xD hahahaha what a creepy move
General Balls responded on 08 Aug 2008 at 12:50 am #
The Pyro update certainly has brought the best out in Spies. I’ve recently gotten back to playing Pyro full-time, and the great majority of Spies are the good ones. It’s actually a good challenge finding them and taking them out (which has suddenly gotten a bit easier with the advent of the axtinguisher).
The rush of new Pyros seems to have scared away all the low/mid class Spies, and left behind the survivors, the ones who know what they are doing. Most of the ones I’ve been burning lately are really quite good, with only a few hopeless ones thrown into the mix.
arsenaliv responded on 08 Aug 2008 at 1:04 am #
I agree totally with The General. All I want to know is what is up with the new Front stab thing with the Spies. Its happening more and more.
Sanns responded on 08 Aug 2008 at 1:23 am #
What’s funny is that you’re implying the pyro (anti-spy) update actually indirectly buffed spies, and I think we can predict the spy update will probably indirectly nerf them. (More noob spies running around -> more enemy spy-checking + less friendly assault classes = harder for experienced spies to be effective.)
b4dboyz- responded on 08 Aug 2008 at 2:08 am #
Spy is my MPC and I love playing it after the update. I think it’s because the pyros are used to never getting backstabbed so they let their guard down a little more than other classes.
GenRancour responded on 08 Aug 2008 at 6:48 am #
This doesn’t really apply as much with the new Backburner update. There is a defining line between the foolish Pyros and the good ones.
General Balls responded on 08 Aug 2008 at 9:00 am #
Arsenal pointed out something that occurred to me as well. Facestabs are becoming a hell of a lot more common nowadays. I wonder what they changed to have that happen? Or maybe it’s just Murphy’s Law acting up again. :/
Brainiac27 responded on 08 Aug 2008 at 2:17 pm #
I agree that the backburner opens up a new style of play for the Pyro. I remember after I got the backburner, I played a match of Granary. Using my days of playing spy to get around everyone, I was able to destroy any offense from behind without much resistance.
Poke responded on 08 Aug 2008 at 8:52 pm #
General: I think this has to do with my theory of facestabs. I think about 80% of called out facestabs are actually legitimate stabs used by quick reflex or just incredibly lucky spies (i’ve had some luck on a guy who was spinning randomly while spy checking), but on the other side of the ping delay may appear as illegitimate. This added to the addition of better spies in play recently, and you see more “facestabs”.
Even if not, if i recall correctly, the folks who are not the best spies usually don’t do things like quickstabbing or leaping stabs (to quote that movie), but focus on the old “smoosh against someone’s back, use long animation and hope he doesn’t notice you”. Those players are far less likely to facestab.
TPMX responded on 09 Aug 2008 at 12:02 am #
@GenRancour: Regardless of the +50 health, or whether foolish Pyros are running around in the opposite base, they’re still there. And when they’re there, they aren’t in their base spy-checking.
I also have noticed a lot more facestabbing. Maybe something in the Backburner’s trigger to start critting caused a change with backstabs too.
RedBear responded on 10 Aug 2008 at 5:14 pm #
well steam nerfed the backburner and it no longer has health benefit
guessing they want them to stay back and spy check more …
TPMX responded on 11 Aug 2008 at 12:46 am #
@RedBear: …Who just won the award for not reading?
skyeslipstream responded on 14 Aug 2008 at 7:15 am #
TPMX: “Who just won the award for not reading?”
Skye: “Ooh, ooh, ooh, pick me, I know!”
…Ahem.
That little script, I see how what you’re getting at. I have always enjoyed playing the Pyro as he was my favourite from the start, so this update has changed the class (though it has saddened me with people who have no f**king clue how to use him). As such, new players have taken up a new mindset that older players didn’t. Experienced Pyros prefer to ambush and flank their enemies while a wave of newer Pyros have taken up the odd tactic of running head first at a Heavy hoping to get a kill with the Backburner.
They don’t live long.
With this new mindset for the Pyro, the Spy has both advantages and disadvantages. Advantages have already been explained in the article of course, while the disadvantage is pretty obvious.
SPYCHECK! SPYCHECK!
God damn paranoid players. -_-
(PS: For those who didn’t bother reading all that, in a nutshell, I agreed with TPMX.)
(PPS: Despite the Suicide Pyros and the Paranoid Pyros, I still love the Pyro. He’s so damn goooooooood.)