You can’t not be biased.
In the world of Team Fortress 2, there are two kinds of players. The ones who play for fun, and…the others.
We all want to be the ones who play for fun. Really, we do! We try so hard! But some days…some days, the lines are blurred.
Now right about now, you’re likely saying “What? I’ve never complained about about Team Fortress 2 ever, ever!” and that makes you a GODDAMN LIAR. If you told me right now that you’ve never once been sitting quietly in your room, illuminated only by the glow of your monitor, quietly raging away while a single bitter, rage-filled tear slides down your twisted, mangled face, then you’d…wait, when did this become a brief synopsis of every day of my sordid little life? Moving on!
If you don’t believe me about the whole complaining thing, let me put it into perspective.
You’re an innocent little Heavy, going about your daily buisness of mowing down the little babies. Suddenly, you see a blue flash in the corner of your screen. “A SPY!” you bellow in your thick slavic accent. You whip to face him, only to be side-stabbed. Since you could see him somewhat in your peripheral vision, you shriek accusations of facestabs and gayhax over the microphone. The Spy is berated, muted, then kicked. Rather pleased with yourself, you wander onto the cap point and are immediatly turned into chunky noodle soup by some far-off Demoman.
Now, let’s flip the situation.
You’re a member of the proud, the few. You’re a Spy. Sneaking behind enemy lines is your specialty. You spot a Heavy, who is apparrently preoccupied with something in his pants. Sneaking towards him, you ready your knife to plunge into his soft, unsuspecting back. You expertly flip the knife in your hands, and…”WHAT?!” Your knife appears to be misinformed. Horrifyingly, the “backstab” did not strike at the correct angle, and your knife merely irritates the lumbering behemoth, who’s hoot of pain indicates that if he was not aware of your presence, he is now. As you desperately swing for the backstab that you know now know that you will never achieve, the bloated monstrosity slowly turns to face you, his multi-barreled gattling gun spooling in anticipation for soft, Franco-Spanish flesh to rend with boolets. After a few minutes of crying, you preceed to rush on to the Steam forums and call for nerfs.
Believe me, I understand. I understand raging. I understand wanting nerfs when I’m killed by the SAME FREAKING DEMOMAN EIGHT GODDAMN TIMES. But there is one thing that I understand that most don’t seem to. I understand how to SUCK IT UP. People seem to think that they’re the only ones playing this game, and they should always win. Well, if you always won, there would be no lows that would make those hard-fought wins actually enjoyable. So please, for the good of the game and what little sanity I have left, stop bitching and blow it off. You’ll enjoy the game far more, trust me.
And if you don’t, go play Halo or something.
sQUEAKYfOAMpEANUT on October 11th 2008 in heavy weapons guy, spy, team fortress 2
Stumble it!
Dr. Target responded on 11 Oct 2008 at 9:37 pm #
Quickest way to experience feeling rage, even if you’re the most upbeat player.
Play Spy. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will. Keep playing. Trust me.
FraktuRe responded on 11 Oct 2008 at 10:29 pm #
I love playing spy.
Somedays though, those backstabs just never register…
One time on badwater, I came up through the tunnel, there was about 6 people on the cart, all with their backs to me.
I took about 10 swings, and not one backstab even though most of them should’ve been. I raged.
On the other hand, if I blatently facestab someone, I often apologise. Just to throw in the added insult to injury
n00bie51 responded on 11 Oct 2008 at 10:31 pm #
Yeah, I doubt complaining makes anyone a better player.
SirMax responded on 11 Oct 2008 at 10:36 pm #
I find that I complain less about spy stuff than most people because I play engie too, so I get both sides of the power balance coin. They’re underpowered, they’re overpowered, etc…
It does mean that I think pyros are annoying though.
waebi responded on 11 Oct 2008 at 11:12 pm #
I love to play demoman on pubs
KILL ME WITH FIRE!
cardboardwarrior responded on 12 Oct 2008 at 1:35 am #
The only thing that really makes me RAAAAAGE is my all 3 of my frames per second. Watching yourself be blended without any real ability to aim or fight back is terrible.
TF2 is a crappy slideshow, I want to play it as a game. :C
Ledundead responded on 12 Oct 2008 at 1:43 am #
Only demomen make me rage.
Spenny responded on 12 Oct 2008 at 1:47 am #
I’M NOT RAGING
I NEVER RAGE YOU JUST RAGE BECAUSE YOU SUCK AND YOU SUCK SO MUCH YOU’RE USING HACKS TO BREAK MY BACKSTABS WHICH MAKES ME RAGE
The “Getting killed 8 times by the SAME Demoman” thing happens to me way too much.
Risk responded on 12 Oct 2008 at 2:31 am #
I make hand motions and quietly (because my dad sleeps in the next room) scream WTF?!?!?!?!1!111ONEONEONE!
I have TF2 rage issues, but I don’t post nerf topics on the forums…
Shrake12 responded on 12 Oct 2008 at 2:52 am #
Regular in game raging happens a few times to me, but I do in fact “suck up.” I don’t go onto the steam community forums to complain.
However, there is one thing that I weep every time I get to the main menu. I am playing the Playstation 3 version.
Why, good God why, did Gabe Newell make a PS3 version if all he was going to do with it was spite it. I understand he hates the console, but why does he hate us, the player? If it weren’t for my computer’s simple incompatibility with anything that moves faster than text, I’d have gotten the PC version. Not everyone who bought the PS3 are traitorous swine who should suffer the wrath of a Valve-PS3 boycott.
We’re just as dedicated to the series as the X-Box 360 players and the PC players. I’d suffer a million facestabs, demoman dominations, and griefer swarms for those updates, maps, and weapons.
I rage, rant, and weep for my Orange Box, and the PS3 label that lies upon it.
Pyrit responded on 12 Oct 2008 at 3:47 am #
I think it’s natural to get annoyed sometimes at things, like getting killed constantly by the same person (it’s sometimes what makes me disapprove of dominations, but then I realise it’s so satisfying to get revenge). I’ve never been to the Steam forums, but I know too many people complain about balance issues without giving any sort of alternative way or suggestions…
@Shrake12: It’s also the fact that I don’t think Valve has much control over the PS3 version, due to it being a port made by EA, so basically it’s up to Valve talking to the EA bunch about it, because they’re the only ones who can do anything to the PS3 one.
Valkyr responded on 12 Oct 2008 at 5:04 am #
So true.
Sypheros responded on 12 Oct 2008 at 6:15 am #
if you dont wanna get killed by the same demoman, stop walking over the patches of stickies and, y’know, weave when you run at them
but, when im actually playing, i forget to do that XD
DPyro responded on 12 Oct 2008 at 7:42 am #
To be fair, the spy stabbing really needs to get fixed. I’ve been facestabbed DIRECTLY facing the spy (not even side exposed) and I’ve had numerous backstabs count as silly slashes. It’s frustrating as both the spy and the victim.
Rubiximus responded on 12 Oct 2008 at 11:52 am #
I get pissed all the time, but it’s very rarely me thinking that something is overpowered. I just feel incompetent, like “man, all those spies could backstab me fine but I totally fail at it,” and then I go cry or something. Not kidding, sadly enough.
@cardboard: I know exactly how you feel. I’ve had my good comp fixed since July and I still experience joy every time I see TF2 run with 30+ fps.
goosemonger responded on 12 Oct 2008 at 12:37 pm #
This article puts into words EXACTLY how I feel.
If I’m raging, I usually try and turn it in to joy.
ie. I will express my rage in the most comical way possible.
I’ve been killed by ‘that demoman’ 8 times, but hes not over powered, just a good (also lucky) player.
I think this game is just about perfectly balanced. Infact I’m gonna go start a ‘Congrats on a great game’ thread on steampowered.
BathrobeAssassin responded on 13 Oct 2008 at 5:52 am #
I actually got waaay more frustrated on Halo than on TF2.
Akasen responded on 14 Oct 2008 at 12:40 pm #
I am one of those people who rage. Unluckily its not at the game but at myself. I play the spy most of the time and I question “Why did I do this?!” Whenever I do something extremely stupid like sapping both an engies Sentry and Dispenser. Other times its the question of why I keep playing spy on 2Fort when I should be going Pyro, Engie or Sniper. I never think of any class as overpowered and needing a nerf since this game was class based and all classes had their Pros and Cons. Though if I do rage its the pyro who dominate’s me all the time I am hunting down either with rifle or knife in the spine.
Nessmk2 responded on 20 Oct 2008 at 1:12 pm #
The spy-knife thing is less of a ‘nerf’ and more of a ‘fix the problem’. It doesn’t change the balance.
Don’t even get me started on insta-cloaking and stickybomb air-bursting, though.