Dealing with Spies (TF2)

[Zarthek]

I do 2 things to counter spies in most cases, and I add an extra countermeasure if I'm raging at them. Since I usually play a soldier, I roll with the vanilla rocket launcher and spycheck everything that moves.. and some things that don't. Secondly, listen, unless they're using the Saharan spy set (and if that's the case, god help you) it's pretty easy to notice if you pay attention and know what to listen for. 3rd, Pyro spam with my Backburner which I named "W+M1".. makes them so mad =D

 

[Jinx_Dragon]

Spies using the CnD usually suck, and camp one spot like babies while waiting for an easy kill, or nothing.
They usually are wasted slots on the team, and if you die to one, then you just know their team is one man down.

That isn't true at all. I use the Cloak and Dagger most of the time as a Spy (and, again, I'm a CTF player mainly). You can be a great help to your team just by getting inside and reporting what you see through the team chat. I can tell my team what the enemy's base defenses are like, what the weak spots are, etc. And then I can assist them when the attack starts. Grabbing the intel a bit early to draw enemies away from their main defenses, then have my team come in behind me to clean up while the enemies are distracted. You'd be surprised at the amount of havoc you can cause as a spy by grabbing the intel, walking a bit, then dropping it and decloaking. I can basically lead enemies into a trap.

ShhhHHHH!

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.

 

[protogenxl]

I think you should all Meet the Spy Checker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR04zoJurSI

 

[silver wolf009]

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:

I think you should all Meet the Spy Checker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR04zoJurSI

DAMN YOU NINJA! DAMN YOU!!

 

[galdon2004]

Unless you are a spy yourself, you shouldn't be attacking the enemy base by yourself.

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.

 

[blankedboy]

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.

 

[Jinx_Dragon]

Indeed I have not been playing too long, which would be why I'd be asking for some advice. So I can hopefully get better. One problem is invisagriefing. Last match I played, and I know this is probably not the norm, but the spy seemed to decide to be my stalker, i don't know if there's some sort of achievement for killing the same person repeatedly, but this guy decided completely unprovoked to constantly kill me while i try to run between the spawn point and where all the fighting goes on. (in a match where the given area has only one exit from the spawn zone)

Being perma-invis I didn't even have a visible target to randomly shoot at to check for; and the spy can see me turn around and shoot behind me, and get out of the way. Not being one to quit a match in mid progress because ragequitters stink, I had to deal with an unending cycle of getting backstabbed before getting to play with seemingly nothing that could be done about it.

I heard that there are tale-tell sounds that alert you to their exact pinpoint location, but I either don't have an ear for it, or this is greatly exaggerated.

Anyways, what I'd like to know are some good anti-spy measures that work well for invisible spies rather than disguised ones that one could reasonably learn.

Edit: got some more replies while typing XD going to read the rest of the points now; i'm not ignoring any advice.

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.

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.

 

[Cowabungaa]

What it boils down to:

really I'm the first to say that even invisible spies can be seen?
Its only a slight shimmer, in certain situations, but with an acute eye you can pick out a cloaked spy if their being thick.

That's only if the Spy is on your own team or when he's hit.

 

[protogenxl]

EDIT:

I think you should all Meet the Spy Checker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR04zoJurSI

DAMN YOU NINJA! DAMN YOU!!

YES!!!!!!!!

 

[Mathak]

-Get a Pyro suffering from paranoia on your team (ie, any pyro with more than 10 hours played)
-Watch all the spies change their class after they got burnt out of their hidey-holes for the nth time.

Also, keep your back to the wall.

 

[F'Angus]

Well the main noob solution is Pyro and W+M1

 

[Ghengis John]

I tried looking it up; and typically locate answers that don't answer, or find threads in which some guy with half a brain has the same problem as me, and starts a thread ranting and raving like a crazed lunatic that makes anyone who actually agrees with him look so bad nobody probably WANTS to agree with him.

Anyways, spies. They give me a hard time, and I don't see much way to stop them short of pyro spam. The reason is not however their disguise ability that can be seen through by checking their life to see if it is exactly half full or shooting every team member to spy check.

The problem I have is with spies using the motion-sensitive invisibility.

The motion sensitive invisibility allows you to stay invisible constantly, and recharges while you are not running. In this case, there seems not to be anything TO check, and it's a waste of ammo to turn around and shoot a rocket behind me every 10 seconds.

Often, I've had times where I'm running forward, turn around to look behind me; nothing no enemy or ally, turn back forward, then pause an instant to aim at something or glance in a room before bursting in, and get backstabbed the instant I slowed down despite there being nothing behind me when i looked a second ago.

Is there any weakness that spies using this kind of cloak has that I can use effectively?

As for if I think spies are overpowered; I suppose I do in at least the sense that it is the only class out of 9 that you have to specifically worry about at all times regardless of what you are doing.

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.

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.

 

[ModsDeleteThisAccountPlease]

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.

 

[icyneesan]

Play as pyro. W+M1 EVERYTHING!

 

[mare84]

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!!

What he 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.

 

[galdon2004]

I tried looking it up; and typically locate answers that don't answer, or find threads in which some guy with half a brain has the same problem as me, and starts a thread ranting and raving like a crazed lunatic that makes anyone who actually agrees with him look so bad nobody probably WANTS to agree with him.

Anyways, spies. They give me a hard time, and I don't see much way to stop them short of pyro spam. The reason is not however their disguise ability that can be seen through by checking their life to see if it is exactly half full or shooting every team member to spy check.

The problem I have is with spies using the motion-sensitive invisibility.

The motion sensitive invisibility allows you to stay invisible constantly, and recharges while you are not running. In this case, there seems not to be anything TO check, and it's a waste of ammo to turn around and shoot a rocket behind me every 10 seconds.

Often, I've had times where I'm running forward, turn around to look behind me; nothing no enemy or ally, turn back forward, then pause an instant to aim at something or glance in a room before bursting in, and get backstabbed the instant I slowed down despite there being nothing behind me when i looked a second ago.

Is there any weakness that spies using this kind of cloak has that I can use effectively?

As for if I think spies are overpowered; I suppose I do in at least the sense that it is the only class out of 9 that you have to specifically worry about at all times regardless of what you are doing.

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.

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.

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.

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.

 

[Safaia]

I'm a sniper and a medic so I've accept that I'm going to die a lot and mostly from spies (or other snipers). However taking out cloaked spies as they are making their way to my base never loses its appeal.

 

[Sizzle Montyjing]

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.

 

[xbox hero]

I [HEADING=1] REALLY CANT ANSWER TO A NOTHER TF2 THREAD! [/HEADING]

Backstabs galdon 2004 and clockes...