Respect, bruv
You might’ve gotten a hint that this game is played co-operatively with a team. Well, teamwork is just half the story; a team will not work together well if they don’t respect each other. That Medic won’t want to Uber you now after all the times you’ve let him die, the Heavy won’t like you if you use the teleporter as a Scout.
If you think your own team is secretly conspiring to get you auto-balanced, look no further! Just remember these points and you’ll be home dry!
Thank Engineers and Medics
“Z-2″ should be most frequently used voice command you use. When being healed by Medics or if your saved by a dispenser, say thank you! I’ve come to notice that if you thank Medics for healing you, they’re more likely to heal you more (or even Uber you, depending on the situation at hand). Medics and Engineers are arguably the two most valuable classes any team can have (not a whole team of them, obviously). Make them feel valued.
There’s one great selfless act of kindness I’ve noticed while playing on CTF maps. When you make it back to your base with the intel, drop it in front of the Engineers in your base and offer him to capture it. Why? Most CTF map Engies will be sitting around the base all day, setting up sentries while waiting for a lucky chancer to get in, maybe getting a kill once every so often before their sentry is taken down by an Uber. By letting the Engy cap the intel, not only does it make you look like a nicer person, but it gives them a greater feeling of reward for their efforts in setting up sentries and teleporters for your team. Of course, you don’t need to do this for every capture you make, but if you ever feel as if the Engy is bored, you could make him happier. I’ve never seen anybody do this other than that one time a while back… Let’s spread the love!
Don’t use the teleporter if you don’t need to
Teleporters should mostly be used by Heavies, Soldiers and Engineers (to quickly return to their gear and repair). Never use a teleporter if you are a Scout. Don’t say this doesn’t happen; because it does. The irony is, on most maps, a Scout can get to where the teleporter is in the same time it takes a Heavy to wait and use it. Don’t fight for teleports, either. If you see somebody already waiting to use one, don’t push them off and steal it. Infact, if you’re waiting for a teleporter to charge and you see a Heavy walk out of the spawn, offer him to use it instead.
Don’t Hog the Medic
It’s perfectly understandable if you’re slowly burning to death and you want some assistance. But mashing ‘E’ won’t help. People forget how difficult a Medic’s job becomes when everybody starts shouting Medic, his screen slowly filling up with lots of little speech bubbles. If you are a low on health and you know a Medic is around, first search for health packs and if none are around, retreat back to safe ground, call then wait. Sometimes standing in front of a Medic will somewhat force him to notice your health and heal you. Afterwards, thank him and move on. Don’t demand him to heal you for the entire game and leave everyone else to die. I have been in games as a Medic when one person always demands me to be with them and as soon as I stop giving them health to help a burning Spy, he’ll yell at me for not giving him enough health. If you want the Medic to uber you, wait until he actually gets an uber first. No full healthed player should be priority over burning or injured teammates.
Don’t Blame your Team
Nothing is worse than telling your own team how crap they are. Not everyone has God-like powers and can do everything the way you want to; relax! Most of the time a team will do worse if they have someone yelling down their speakers at them than if they have someone encouraging them. You don’t need to be over the top about it, but saying things like “good job on taking down that sentry” can sometimes just make your team feel better about themselves, even if you lose!
Communication is Key
Of course, no team can be respectful or co-operative if they can’t speak to each other. Now, I’m not expecting everyone who plays online games to buy a microphone so you can share the many ‘wonderful‘ singing/raging talents you possess. If you don’t have or don’t want to use a mic, try to use voice commands instead. It’s very helpful to inform your team of Spies, or telling them of incoming ubers or attackers. Just don’t spam the commands; If you keep yelling ‘Incoming!’ or accuse everyone of being a Spy, your team will most likely not pay any attention to anything you say. The boy who cried wolf, ‘n’ that.
All you need to do is keep these simple tips in mind and you too can be the respectable, likeable citizen we all wish to be!
Now get out of my sight.
Pyrit on October 24th 2008 in community, demoman, heavy weapons guy, how to, scout, soldier, team fortress 2
Stumble it!
Jesse responded on 24 Oct 2008 at 9:59 am #
Need a dispenser here. NOW.
peanut responded on 24 Oct 2008 at 10:13 am #
Pyrit is credit to team
mew4ever23 responded on 24 Oct 2008 at 10:27 am #
Also: If you have a Medic on you, do not take that health pack. Medics can’t heal themselves you know. It wold also be good if you accidentally hit the “MEDIC!” key, you speak up that it was just a typo before a Medic shows up to strangle your at full health self.
Coming from an Engie’s point of view, spamming “Need a !” is one of the fastest ways to piss off an Engineer. You, spamming “Need a teleporter here!”: You seem to forget, I’m putting my life on the line to move you somewhere quickly. I will make one when and if I get the chance.
Himmelstoss responded on 24 Oct 2008 at 10:34 am #
But what if we actually do need a dispenser here?
Cubic_C responded on 24 Oct 2008 at 10:45 am #
This should be mandatory reading for console TF2 players. Seriously, I cannot tell you how many times i have seen Scouts trying to push heavies off the teleporter while spamming “MEDIC” and using a mic to yell at the team.
All at the same time.
Ah, the glory of TF2 on PS3
Risk responded on 24 Oct 2008 at 11:36 am #
I really wish more people would follow these rules of thumb.
I have been medic-ing a lot lately, and I’ve noticed that when I heal a soldier and he thanks me politely, I feel accomplished, and I heal that person more.
Kadoo responded on 24 Oct 2008 at 11:43 am #
dont u wanna wrench the scouts saying “need ah teleportah heah!??”
nfreader responded on 24 Oct 2008 at 12:27 pm #
This is possibly one of the most useful articles I’ve ever read here. I’m going to second Cubic_C here and even go on to suggest that EVERY TF2 player needs to read this. Over and over and over.
Also <3 Pyrit.
UberOgden responded on 24 Oct 2008 at 12:36 pm #
Excellent, Pyrit, the subtle humour and down-to-earth guidelines are well done. Now, if only somebody could do something like that for every single class, in detail…
Nabanaba
BathrobeAssassin responded on 24 Oct 2008 at 1:08 pm #
Great points, I agree with all of them. For the most part, I follow them myself, although I don’t always hit “Thanks!.” (That other soldier I am fighting takes priority, ya know.)
theminipanda responded on 24 Oct 2008 at 2:22 pm #
i like the visual aids lol.
Sypheros responded on 24 Oct 2008 at 4:06 pm #
Wow, I feel like I’m married to my team now… maybe some flowers and chocolates are in order, and maybe when I’m giving them a massage, it shouldn’t lead to sex.
‘Tis true though Pyrit, use the in-game voice commands to send a little love. I always thank the medics, but giving the Engie the Intel, Ive never heard of before, I really like it though. I don’t think ill ever cap again, so long as an Engie is defending.
Now I feel all warm and fuzzy, and a little gassy too.
Neuromante responded on 24 Oct 2008 at 5:50 pm #
Excellent post! I was about to write something like that to a Spanish HL2 webpage, so now I’m gonna link to this article and make a little translation ^_^
Scutum responded on 24 Oct 2008 at 7:54 pm #
It happened so much to me that as an Engineer, when I was killed near my Sentry/Dispenser/Teleporter by a random Pipe Bomb/Critical Rocket, and I want to use my own teleporter to get back to my stuff and repair them, alot people want to push me out of my own teleporter, resulting that everything is destroyed. Guys, the only reason an Engineer would use a teleporter is to get to his own stuff and repair it, not to get to the front lines fast.
Also, alot of times when I thank a Medic, the medic start to shoot at me for spychecking, no matter if I’m on his side or that I’m really a spy.
Gerkuman responded on 25 Oct 2008 at 12:56 am #
Just a point about the Team-Blaming thing. Does this mean we can still be critical about our team, as long as we balance it out with encouragement and praise? Because there are times you need to be blunt. XD
Zorgulon responded on 25 Oct 2008 at 1:55 am #
@Bathrobe Assassin
But after that soldier has been reduced to a fine paste, then a quick word of thanks wouldn’t go amiss :p
I agree 100% with this post- as a Medic of many hours I always heal everyone I can, but quickly draw up a table of favourites in mind, partly based on who says ‘thanks’.
As a console to PC migrant, I love the voice commands (only ‘Medic!’ is on the 360 version) and can’t understand why people don’t use them more. I for one am always saying “Good work!” or “Nice shot” to my heal targets.
A little politeness goes a long way…
Paper Shadow responded on 25 Oct 2008 at 2:51 am #
‘Thanks’ is one of my most said commands, behind ‘Medic’, ‘Spy’, and ‘Sentry Ahead’, and ahead of ‘Incoming’ and ‘Battle Cry’…
Though, without a mic, telling people stuff is hard. I remember pulling out of battle so a Medic could heal himself, and I remember waiting a while because I couldn’t say ‘Grab the Health’, and too lazy to type it. I also remember some awful/not that good players when I was Medic. That Heavy with the ‘E’ button in constant use, that Soldier who ignore my advice respectively (2fort, he got the intel and went up the spiral staircase. ‘No’ I said, ‘Sentry Ahead’. He went up the stairs, and I followed, keeping distance. After hearing sentry fire, he turned around. A good player would listen, but at least he wasn’t ignorant). But I keep playing Medic, because there is some good people who know the magic of ‘z+2′…
…And there is nothing better then killing noob pyros with my blutzagger. Good times…
hotdog888 responded on 25 Oct 2008 at 3:36 am #
@himmeltoss: lmao!
igor-qwe responded on 25 Oct 2008 at 3:53 am #
Perfect manual of behavior)
Many players think, then everyone owes them smth.
And yeah! Sometimes I’m tired of listening mic crap..
Headwoünd responded on 25 Oct 2008 at 4:37 am #
I always thank my medics asap, let others use teleporters as a fast class and even keep my mouth shut if my team members do not play well (the adverb, not the map. hurhur).
But I cannot help but despise the engineer class so bitterly, that I won’t ever ever drop an intelligence I carried around half a dozen hostile sentries in front of a fellow redneck turtler! °-°
It’s just too much of a pain to get that damn case home, and engineers are to blame for that. T_T
(May contain inappropriate whining. Reader discretion is advised)
But commending my more competent team mates as a medic sounds good, will keep that in mind.
Valkyr responded on 25 Oct 2008 at 4:55 am #
I do not demand that every player has to have hyperskillz. I start yelling at my team how much they suck when our last point is capped by an enemy spy and on of our pyros stands beside it and DOES NOTHING, LOOKING AT THE SPY, OBVIOUSLY NOT BEING AFK.
Otherwise, you are right.
John responded on 25 Oct 2008 at 7:35 am #
I love the voice commands. It’s so satisfying when you as a medic yell “I am the ubermensch!” with your soldier buddy replying “Roger that!”
Adam Reece responded on 25 Oct 2008 at 9:31 am #
We need many dispensers to dispense this URL.
Slipstream responded on 26 Oct 2008 at 3:45 am #
Be polite.
Be efficient.
Have a plan to thank everyone you meet.
Ha, that actually relates to this article quite well.
Notger responded on 27 Oct 2008 at 10:46 pm #
You are wrong, when you say that burning team-mates have a priority to be healed, instead of full-health mates.
Due to the way the medigun works, it is actually best to overheal first and then heal wounded comerades. That way, you can pump more health points into the team.
If you don’t believe me, check out tf2wiki.net and do the math yourselfes. Healing buddies that have been hurt recently is inferior to healing buddies that have been hurt not at all or a longer time ago.
Buff first, then heal (unless that hurt one is going to die without your healing)!
Anony1200 responded on 29 Oct 2008 at 8:45 am #
Well,if the teleporter goes to someplace like from BLU’s spawn to E in cp_steel or you’re on a long-way-to-battle map like Warpath,it’s at 100%,and no one else is around to use it,go ahead and teleport.
Expect to hear complaints by people too dense to realize no one teleported until several (insert units of time) later(not saying poster is one of those people),but let them complain.
Anony1200 responded on 29 Oct 2008 at 8:48 am #
Sorry,several units of time later after it’s at 100%.
me responded on 09 Nov 2008 at 4:29 am #
“I remember pulling out of battle so a Medic could heal himself, and I remember waiting a while because I couldn’t say ‘Grab the Health’, and too lazy to type it.”
I just shoot the health pack with my secondary weapon. Most people understand that.
General Goose responded on 13 Jan 2009 at 12:43 am #
I was an offensive Engineer on convoy once and was running back to the base carrying the intel, and a Scout told me to drop the intel. I did so, he ran to the intel room and dropped it, letting me cap it.
TF2 needs more players like this.