ShhhHHHH!DustyDrB said:
Don't go teaching them what Spy is meant for! Let them think spy is for 'instant killing' so they will be lucky to get a few back stabs while I am busy blowing them up.
Dealing with Spies (TF2)
- Thread starter galdon2004
- Start date
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Don't go teaching them what Spy is meant for! Let them think spy is for 'instant killing' so they will be lucky to get a few back stabs while I am busy blowing them up.
Well, I may not be an avid TF2 player, but from my time in the game the average plan went like this:
1: Realize there may be a Spy in the area.
2: BURN FUCKING EVERYTHING!!
EDIT:
1: Realize there may be a Spy in the area.
2: BURN FUCKING EVERYTHING!!
EDIT:
DAMN YOU NINJA! DAMN YOU!!protogenxl said:
Just to be clear; I was going from my base to the control point in the center where the action was at; not trying to sneak into the enemy base on my own.DustyDrB said:
Basically, MELEE EVERYTHING. If you think someone's a spy, melee them and you'll get your answer without losing any ammo. If you think a spy is around somewhere, check the room with a fast-firing weapon like the pistol, SMG, minigun, etc. That'll get you knowing where most spies are.
Also, to prevent stabs you have no warning of, quickly turn around alot and don't stop moving. It helps to get used to a high sensitivity so you can do an instant 180 if you need to.
Also, to prevent stabs you have no warning of, quickly turn around alot and don't stop moving. It helps to get used to a high sensitivity so you can do an instant 180 if you need to.
In these situations I would advise to stick close to your team mates while on route to the front line. You where most likely not signaled out by this spy, though it can happen, but simply a easy target for a smart spy picking off reinforcements before they become a problem to his team. The only thing I can think of in this case is the likely hood you where alone for the most part that made you a obvious target for his goals.galdon2004 said:
As a soldier reinforcing the front line, use rocket jump every chance you get. Even if it is nothing more then to boost you forward a few additional feet, that is a few feet the spy will have to run as well. There will be med packs along the way so don't worry about the health lost. If you even become very good at it... well look on Youtube for examples of air based acrobatics that I, after hundreds of hours, still can't do with a soldier. Get good at that, because that is where the soldier shines: death from above.
What it boils down to:
That's only if the Spy is on your own team or when he's hit.bahumat42 said:
You must be one of these FTP'ers. I bought the game so I don't know how to feel about the influx. I think people being jerks and elitists are going too far, but I can't help but feel miffed I paid for something that you didn't. But I can't really hold it against you that you didn't.galdon2004 said:
Now as for your problem, eventually you'll learn what behaviors are suspicious for your team mates. You can melee check everyone, or shoot everyone (these are honestly not bad ideas, SERIOUSLY, discretion is the better part of valor) but keep playing the game enough and you'll just be able to pick up on what behavior patterns are fishy or unusual for your team mates. A heavy for instance who is strangely silent and not firing his gun off every 3 seconds is probably a spy. Likewise, a medic not healing, or an engineer with seemingly no purpose where he is should raise your flags. There is no reason a medic will not heal at all times as he tries to get his uber ready.
Bottom line: play the game more, Get experience. Best trick there is to spotting spies.
It's not easy but look for irregularities. Friendly engie running back from front lines? Spy. Team mate loitering around and not firing gun? Spy. Shimmering effect from cloak? Spy. You can bump into a team mate? Spy. Because of the high learning curve for the Spy, there are very few good spies. The very good ones act like their a part of your team perfectly. Most can't. Once ou learn to pick out the irregularities, you can usually kill them.
What he said!silver wolf009 said:
I usually play as a "support" Pyro, so I burn everyone, light hunters arrows, put out fires...
Last time, I've had 5 dominations on spys only... My ratio is is about 30 kills per one backstab, so you don't have to worry if they kill once in a while.
If it's any consolation; I've read that FTP'ers get trade and inventory restrictions. I figure in general it'll be a sore spot especially for people who bought within the month before it went free though.Ghengis John said:
I can usually tell when a spy is in disguise already; it's mainly the cloak that gives me trouble. Going to try to listen hard for it; sadly apparently AIs in offline training avoid spies and snipers so I can't train against them without being in a live match.
Their are usually several routes that are not commonly used, go down the ones with narrow passages especially, because spies can't go throuhg you, and if you fight them face to face, they are screwed.
I say this from experience as a spy.
I say this from experience as a spy.
Any ally that is running directly towards you and is at full health is probably a spy. A newbie spy. Set him on fire, or jarate him, and watch him flail around like a lunatic with the knife once his cover's blown.
It's important to remember that spies are harmless when invisible. They can't attack until they decloak, so you don't have to worry about being killed by an invisible guy. Just watch for strangeness on your own team. If you see the same guy walk past a doorway twice in three seconds, it's not a glitch in the Matrix, it means one of them's a spy. If you see a front-line class like soldier or scout hiding in a corner somewhere, shoot him to be sure.
If you encounter a spy in the field, remember to constantly face him. Always backpedal, don't run past him, because then his knife has a clear opening to your immensely vulnerable spine. And finally, don't underestimate the revolver. It's the third most accurate weapon in the game after the sniper rifle and rocket launcher, and three or four hits will kill most classes. Don't stand there firing and let yourself get hit.
Keep moving, keep him in your sights, engage him at range, and watch the bullets.
It's important to remember that spies are harmless when invisible. They can't attack until they decloak, so you don't have to worry about being killed by an invisible guy. Just watch for strangeness on your own team. If you see the same guy walk past a doorway twice in three seconds, it's not a glitch in the Matrix, it means one of them's a spy. If you see a front-line class like soldier or scout hiding in a corner somewhere, shoot him to be sure.
If you encounter a spy in the field, remember to constantly face him. Always backpedal, don't run past him, because then his knife has a clear opening to your immensely vulnerable spine. And finally, don't underestimate the revolver. It's the third most accurate weapon in the game after the sniper rifle and rocket launcher, and three or four hits will kill most classes. Don't stand there firing and let yourself get hit.
Keep moving, keep him in your sights, engage him at range, and watch the bullets.
1: Listen for the sound of a decloak. This is the most important one of all.
2: Check your back CONSTANTLY. Obviously you can only do this when you're not in the middle of a fight but whatever.
3: If there's no bad guys shoot at teammates/spy hidey holes(you will learn where spies like to hide with practice)
4: Play spy to learn how they play, this is the quickest way to figure out the telltale signs of a spy in the area, and to learn how to see through disguises. Disguises are pretty much garbage though so they shouldn't give anyone any trouble.
5: Watch the killfeed. If a teammate near you got stabbed you should probably be wary of a spy in the area.
6: Be careful going around corners/up stairs/past small gaps as these are prime spots for a quick stab. Just keep your back away from the area where a Spy could potentially be.
7: Watch for randomly disappearing health kits/ammo as they're a sure sign of a cloaked Spy.
8: Use voice commands or better yet your mic! Alerting your teammates to the Spy dramatically decreases his effectiveness and makes your life much easier. If your teammates take care of the Spy for you you don't have to worry about them for a while.
9: Get an unusual hat, preferably an extremely obnoxious/unique one. I went for a Festive Tree because it sticks out like a sore thumb and no one wears it making it very easy to find Spies disguised as me, even at a distance or when I just catch a glimpse of them around a corner. Spy disguises won't reproduce the effect of an unusual hat, it will just look like the default hat. This only really works if teammates are smart enough/play with you enough to notice that you wear an unusual hat but if they do it makes disguises even less of a threat.
Congratulations. If you follow these simple steps you are completely Spy proof when not engaged in combat. In combat there's always going to be a slight chance of getting stabbed as it's impossible to always be watching your back when you have to worry about the Spies teammates. The most important steps to follow in battle for combating Spies are:
1: Kill him before the battle starts. Proper spy checking before hand means the Spy will be busy respawning/unable to get in position for when combat actually starts. Kill him enough and he might switch to a different class or start avoiding you altogether.
2: Listen for the sound of a decloak. Seriously, can't overstate how important this is.
3: Move erratically. You should be doing this anyway to dodge bullets/projectiles and not get Snipered.
4: Turn your back towards areas a Spy would have a hard time getting to. This is map dependent but very effective.
5: Stick with teammates. A Spy has to completely expose himself to kill someone, and if a teammate catches it they will most likely make short work of a Spy. One because he sucks at direct combat and two because people fucking hate Spies. I've seen people stop chasing a Medic just so they can kill the Spy that got caught out in the open.
6: If your team simply sucks and is getting destroyed by Spies just go Pyro and flame the shit out of everything and everyone. On some maps a single Pyro can make an infinite amount of Spies completely useless. You shouldn't have to resort to this as Spies are pretty crappy against good players and not much of a threat in comparison to other classes but it's a last resort that's there if you need it.
2: Check your back CONSTANTLY. Obviously you can only do this when you're not in the middle of a fight but whatever.
3: If there's no bad guys shoot at teammates/spy hidey holes(you will learn where spies like to hide with practice)
4: Play spy to learn how they play, this is the quickest way to figure out the telltale signs of a spy in the area, and to learn how to see through disguises. Disguises are pretty much garbage though so they shouldn't give anyone any trouble.
5: Watch the killfeed. If a teammate near you got stabbed you should probably be wary of a spy in the area.
6: Be careful going around corners/up stairs/past small gaps as these are prime spots for a quick stab. Just keep your back away from the area where a Spy could potentially be.
7: Watch for randomly disappearing health kits/ammo as they're a sure sign of a cloaked Spy.
8: Use voice commands or better yet your mic! Alerting your teammates to the Spy dramatically decreases his effectiveness and makes your life much easier. If your teammates take care of the Spy for you you don't have to worry about them for a while.
9: Get an unusual hat, preferably an extremely obnoxious/unique one. I went for a Festive Tree because it sticks out like a sore thumb and no one wears it making it very easy to find Spies disguised as me, even at a distance or when I just catch a glimpse of them around a corner. Spy disguises won't reproduce the effect of an unusual hat, it will just look like the default hat. This only really works if teammates are smart enough/play with you enough to notice that you wear an unusual hat but if they do it makes disguises even less of a threat.
Congratulations. If you follow these simple steps you are completely Spy proof when not engaged in combat. In combat there's always going to be a slight chance of getting stabbed as it's impossible to always be watching your back when you have to worry about the Spies teammates. The most important steps to follow in battle for combating Spies are:
1: Kill him before the battle starts. Proper spy checking before hand means the Spy will be busy respawning/unable to get in position for when combat actually starts. Kill him enough and he might switch to a different class or start avoiding you altogether.
2: Listen for the sound of a decloak. Seriously, can't overstate how important this is.
3: Move erratically. You should be doing this anyway to dodge bullets/projectiles and not get Snipered.
4: Turn your back towards areas a Spy would have a hard time getting to. This is map dependent but very effective.
5: Stick with teammates. A Spy has to completely expose himself to kill someone, and if a teammate catches it they will most likely make short work of a Spy. One because he sucks at direct combat and two because people fucking hate Spies. I've seen people stop chasing a Medic just so they can kill the Spy that got caught out in the open.
6: If your team simply sucks and is getting destroyed by Spies just go Pyro and flame the shit out of everything and everyone. On some maps a single Pyro can make an infinite amount of Spies completely useless. You shouldn't have to resort to this as Spies are pretty crappy against good players and not much of a threat in comparison to other classes but it's a last resort that's there if you need it.