Help me enjoy TF2

[F4LL3N]

Firstly, I did do a search on the topic. But I didn't really find an answer.

So I downloaded TF2 over night and just played for about 20 minutes and I'm tempted to uninstall it. I know I haven't really given it a chance, but I'm not sure I want to. It kinda seems like the Unreal Tournament series, just not as good.

What's so good about it? Some people say they have 8 gajillion hours on it but I'm bored after 20 minutes. Some points to add:

-I'm a console gamer. I hate FPS on PC, plus I was using a mousepad. So that doesn't help me.
-I'm more into realistic shooters, i.e. Call of Duty. Although I'm sick of FPS all together lately.

Yeah I know. Why did I bother downloading it! Well, it's supposently a great game and it's free.

So anyway... Is there anything in particular that could make me enjoy it(what got you hooked)? I'd probably give myself another hour of gameplay before I never touch it again... I want to get into it because I've read that it's really balanced and there's an emphasis on team work.

p.s. During my search I read something about finding items and crafting. What's that about? I only played 2 matches against bots with standard (and what appeared to be horrible classes - I tried them all except Spy).

 

[arsenicCatnip]

I got hooked on TF2 because I had friends who played and taught me to play. It's a very fun shooter because it doesn't take itself entirely seriously, and the item drops (as in, once you die you find a random item added to your 'backpack') make it interesting because I can make things I can't find.

I've made a lot of friends playing TF2, and it's so much fun to get people together and just play for hours

 

[SilentCom]

As far as I figure, people like to play TF2 because it's not a very serious game and people like to screw around and shoot each other into bouncing little giblets. Yes it can be fun in a Garrys mod meets Battlefield kind of way. I haven't played it in like a year so it is likely very different from when I played.

 

[Space Spoons]

It's a pretty great game, but only if you're into certain kinds of shooters. Specifically, arcade-style shooters that huck realism out the window in favor of over-the-top silliness. It's hard to get further away from realism than TF2, in all honesty (though the game's bullet physics are impressive).

From the sound of it, the game is pretty much the opposite of what you look for in your FPS games. No big deal, really, considering you got the game for free. Just uninstall it and move on.

 

[Taxman1]

-I'm a console gamer. I hate FPS on PC, plus I was using a mousepad. So that doesn't help me.
-I'm more into realistic shooters, i.e. Call of Duty. Although I'm sick of FPS all together lately.

Some games are just meant for other people.

 

[F4LL3N]

Hmm. I did enjoy when I lost the game and I was running around waving my hands in the air. Although I don't think that's enough to get me hooked. Also the 'Meet the Medic' video was pretty epic.

The item drop/craft thing seems interesting. I'll have to look into that.

What gamemode is the most enjoyable?

EDIT: It was 10gb, which is a nice chuck of my downloads for the month. I want to try and get a couple of days out of it.

 

[Erana]

My questions are these:
Did you play with nice people?

What are your computer's specs?

Did you play with more experienced players?

Which classes did you try?

Hmm. I did enjoy when I lost the game and I was running around waving my hands in the air. Although I don't think that's enough to get me hooked. Also the 'Meet the Medic' video was pretty epic.

The item drop/craft thing seems interesting. I'll have to look into that.

What gamemode is the most enjoyable?

Capturing. Capturing points, the intelligence... Its generally agreed upon that team efforts have a stronger and happier sub-community going on than deathmatch players...

With TF2, Deathmatch is pretty much either spy or sniper, with those quick-skopey people just trying to nail you first thing, or spies trying to sneak up on the snipers undetected.
OK, not always. But chances are, you're going to get the Team Fortress 2 experience from something that more greatly emphasizes the team aspect.

 

[puff ball]

for me with the exception of solider none of the classes clicked the first time i played as them it took a while watching other real life players and how they used them to understand the possibility each individual class has.

 

[Murphly]

First I have to say this, you MUST play with a mouse if you're going to get into FPS gaming on the PC. If that's not an option for you, uninstall and stick to the consoles, it's just not viable to play that way (or if you force it, you'll have carpal tunnel in a week =P)

My suggestion to you for your "final hour" of TF2: Play the capture the flag map "2Fort2". This map offers the quintesential TF2 experience while still being familiar to someone who has played the classic FPS games. Also, try out the engineer class and build a turret in your base and defend it. This will get you into a class that's perhaps a little less stressful and offers more time to settle in, as opposed to running out as a confused spy/scout and getting pwned over and over.

The game has A LOT to offer and is one I've kept coming back to since it was released. The items/crafting are an interesting update to an already fun game -- essentially the more you play the more you'll receive random items for the various classes. Some of these items you'll keep and equip (offering either stat bonus, some twist to its functionality, or just aesthetic appeal), or you will combine them with other items to craft new ingrediants or items to use. It's a way to 1) keep people invested in the game and 2) Support their new micro-transaction focus.

However! One last thing to stress: Don't go thinking that being a microtransaction-based game means that if you can't shell out the cash then you'll forever be disadvantaged. I've only bought a couple gag/cosmetic items, everything else is super easy to earn/craft over time.

Once you have a good sense of the game (and a mouse!!!) try one of the capture point maps. They're frantic and fun and show off the more active side of the game.

That's my piece, hope you can find a way to enjoy it! I imagine it'd be pretty awesome to pick up a free game and discover you love it! If not... at least you didn't pay for it!

Add me on Steam if you want to play sometime: Murphly

 

[Konatacalypse]

Firstly, I did do a search on the topic. But I didn't really find an answer.

So I downloaded TF2 over night and just played for about 20 minutes and I'm tempted to uninstall it. I know I haven't really given it a chance, but I'm not sure I want to. It kinda seems like the Unreal Tournament series, just not as good.

What's so good about it? Some people say they have 8 gajillion hours on it but I'm bored after 20 minutes. Some points to add:

-I'm a console gamer. I hate FPS on PC, plus I was using a mousepad. So that doesn't help me.
-I'm more into realistic shooters, i.e. Call of Duty. Although I'm sick of FPS all together lately.

Yeah I know. Why did I bother downloading it! Well, it's supposently a great game and it's free.

So anyway... Is there anything in particular that could make me enjoy it(what got you hooked)? I'd probably give myself another hour of gameplay before I never touch it again... I want to get into it because I've read that it's really balanced and there's an emphasis on team work.

p.s. During my search I read something about finding items and crafting. What's that about? I only played 2 matches against bots with standard (and what appeared to be horrible classes - I tried them all except Spy).

1# I was a console gamer for most of my life, and I just started play on the PC last winter. It took me a weak of playing to get used to a mouse and keyboard, but know I can't stand controllers.

2# TF2 is liker a Pixar movie made for prison inmates. If you don't like the look of the game then just uninstall.

3# The best way to get in to the game is to play with a friend, or just stick to one class for awhile.

4# Crafting, and items are nothing you should bother with unless you are sure you want to keep playing.


If you want anything else just PM me.

 

[The Lawn]

I play exclucively on one server with my friends.
It's full of reletively skilled players so it wouldn't be begginner friendly, but its full of funny, polite and people who are generally more than willing to help people learn.

Also, the bots are reallllllyyyy dumb. And the training thing is useless.

If you really want, add me on steam (the_lawn I should be home within a couple hours of posting this) and I'd be happy to show you some pointers and lead you in the right direction with any class.
But you should probably get yourself a mouse.

I have played well over 2000 hours of TF2 and it's terrific fun, especially if you play with people you know.

 

[F4LL3N]

I played against bots and my laptop specs are below average, but this is one of the few games that run smoothly.

I'm going to look for my mouse and give it another go (against real people). CTF is possibly my favorite gamemode of all time, so I'll give that a go.

One thing I can't do is stick to a single class. For me, the only thing that keeps a FPS from becoming boring is learning the maps and trying out new weapons/classes.

The game didn't seem overly hard, even though I lost. I was cleaning house with the heavy class.

 

[dollopofmayo]

What's so good about it? It's silly, fast-paced, and is easy to pick up and play and incredibly difficult to master. I've been playing long enough that people new to the game have almost no chance against me but there are still tons of people out there who can put me out to pasture and there's almost nothing I can do about it.

-I'm a console gamer. I hate FPS on PC, plus I was using a mousepad. So that doesn't help me.
-I'm more into realistic shooters, i.e. Call of Duty. Although I'm sick of FPS all together lately. That's certainly not going to help at all. I would honestly not try to push myself into playing the game then. Maybe take a break from FPS games altogether for a while and then come back to it.

So anyway... Is there anything in particular that could make me enjoy it(what got you hooked)? I'd probably give myself another hour of gameplay before I never touch it again... I want to get into it because I've read that it's really balanced and there's an emphasis on team work. The reason I got into it was because some people I knew played it on a server of their own, and they were cool and nice to n00bs. A good server can make a big difference. To the credit of public servers tho, most people seem to not be huge morons. They're out there but 99% of the people playing seem to be there just to have fun.

And yeah, if you work as a team, you will go so much further than if everybody just strikes out on their own all the time in small groups. This applies to all modes of the game.

I would say that the game is very balanced. There are pretty much counters to all classes (spies for heavies, scouts for demomen, etc) and two people of equal skill levels usually have a good shot against each other no matter which class they use.

p.s. During my search I read something about finding items and crafting. What's that about? I only played 2 matches against bots with standard (and what appeared to be horrible classes - I tried them all except Spy). Bots are and are not a good measure of what real people will act like. For one, bots have a thing where the closer you are to them, the better their accuracy. In actuality when you get close to a real person they usually have a harder time hitting you with most classes, that I've found.

Crafting is where you turn your unwanted items into different items, to boil it down to the simplest form. Since you're new, you're not really going to build up a huge stockpile of stuff to craft with for a while, but when you've got duplicates of items you might start smelting them into metal, which can then be combined with other items to make new stuff.

FYI all items in the game can be randomly dropped, including hats, with the exception of a few items. But there's nothing except for purely cosmetic trinkets that you can't otherwise get in the game either through trading or crafting or getting lucky.

As for the mode that's most enjoyable, that's up to you. My favorite mode is king of the hill and my least favorite is capture the flag, with everything else somewhere in between.

 

[Mauro Carrizales]

I stopped playing TF2 after since the free update came out. All my clan servers were at capacity.

 

[Murphly]

I stopped playing TF2 after since the free update came out. All my clan servers were at capacity.

That has DEFINITELY been annoying!

 

[Valiance]

Here's all you need to know...

Spoiler: It gets better.

<img src="http://i.imgur.com/f0YkJ.png" /img>

Take your time, start with easier classes like the Medic or Heavy, and stick with it for a few rounds...

Try capture point or arena first.

 

[bl4ckh4wk64]

People make the excuse of its not a serious game. That depends on the people you play with. I play DoD with some really awesome people that don't take it serious, but on other servers it seems like people live or die based on a game. It's not the game that makes people like it, it's the players. why I've never liked TF2 that much is because I never really found that many great people to play with.

 

[JordanXlord]

Trust me...just play more and if you like a class look up a video on how to play him.

now i am a Awesome player

 

[Katana314]

You played against BOTS!??

Play online. Bots are an extra that came out a long time after release. TF2 is not built as a singleplayer game. Everything is so much faster-paced in MP.

Also, watch some frag videos to watch how awesome it can get. Some examples I might suggest to save you time:

 

[KarlMonster]

Yeah, its a little rough to start with, because the game can go very fast. Don't be afraid to tell your team that you don't know the map.

Figure a good way to bind your primary and secondary - and get comfortable switching between them. Just doing this much will help a lot. Understand which items have alternate fire modes - demoman and pyro have the must-knows.

Play as the Medic. Every TF2 server I've ever played on was short on Medics, and every TF2 player loves an attentive Medic. Or an inattentive medic. Or a picture of a Medic. So long as the Medic shows up one time out of five, and saves your sorry ass, there will be forgiveness to go around.

And you know what? I still can't get the rocket jump either. You'll be just fine.