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TF2 for Noobs: Vol 2

Date:	14.05.2010
Author:	Hazey
Links:	• Original Article

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RECAP

Ladies, gentlemen, assorted others, I humbly welcome you to Volume two of TF2 for Noobs, a look at the competitive side of Team Fotress 2 for the new and inexperienced eSports fan. In our first edition - which you can find here - we took a rather broad view of the game, comparing it to some familiar landmarks in both professional sports and other eSports, as well as covered some of the basic tenets of the game. Before we press forward, I feel I must apologize to any of the non-CS fans that are also scanning their way through this meandering prose. Many of the references I dish out are CS-based since the two games have a great deal in common, but such references are admittedly useless to, say, the RTS fans who are constantly refreshing myEG.net for more EG.Grubby coverage zwinkern

Unfortunately, both the gameplay of competitive TF2 and my own lack of competitive-RTS experience make it a little tougher for me to cross-reference the two genres in such a way, so for that I apologize - though I hope you continue to read these articles and come to understand this little game we play.

And so, with the basic concepts of TF2 now firmly in hand, we move on to some specifics of the game - namely, the different map modes that are played and how they dictate the different approaches teams must take.

CONTROL POINT MAPS: BADLANDS, GRANARY, OTHERS

Though a direct descendant of Capture the Flag-dominated games (Team Fortress Classic, Quake TF), the Control Point format has emerged as the central map-type for competitive play in TF2 and is the prevailing version of the maps out there - much like 'de' emerged as the competitive form in CS. All CP or 'push' maps consist of 5 points on a mirror-image layout, with the mid-point acting as the line of symmetry between the 'Red' and 'Blu' [sic] teams. This of course justifies the emphasis on that first, mid-point battle we spoke of last time, which gains the victory an advanced respawn from which they can continue the attack. Though a fundamental component of the game, the rules that govern a push map (caps moving up respawns, etc.) are a little too rudimentary for our concern, so if you find yourself a little lost I once again happily direct you to the Steam Store where you can grab a copy of TF2 and learn the basics in one of the many available pub servers.

Ultimately, the most critical part of a map's design is respawn placement - no matter how grand or detailed a command point is, if the respawn is too far or too close for either team the point instantly becomes either undefendable, or impossible to cap. Though opinion will vary from person to person, the map that has proven to be the most balanced and fair is cp_badlands, which has seen many of the greatest TF2 matches and requres the greatest amount of skill and teamwork. Think of it as the de_dust2 of TF2 maps. A close second to badlands is cp_granary, another well-balanced and competitive map that is a little more defendable with it's tighter choke points, but lacks the attack options and flanking routes that badlands offers.

Push maps reward speed and mobility, as well as coordination between teammates when it comes to pushing choke points: If you can out maneuver your opponent and coordinate your combo-push with some flanking scouts or demo, you'll find yourself capping a lot more often then the other guy. Keeping your opponents contained and in front of you is key, for even one enemy scout who slips behind you is a threat to that grand concept we spoke of before, your team's uber. As stated before, a great deal of time on push maps is spent spamming choke points and smothering any attack the other team makes, while your scouts or demo or even sometimes your roaming soldier try and catch the other team off guard with a surprise attack or flank, always aiming for the enemy medic (well, almost always).

STOPWATCH MAPS: GRAVELPIT

Of all the matches that took place at the ESEA LAN, it was matches of the stopwatch variety that seemed to confuse the newcomers the most. While there are a couple custom attempts, the only real stopwatch match worth mentioning is another original-release map, cp_gravelpit. Based on the old-styled Attack/Defend model in TFC, gravelpit works like a race against the clock, with both teams getting one turn on offense (Blue) and defense (Red) which together constitutes a single round. The map is composed of 3 points - A, B and C - with both A and B 'open' to capture from the beginning of the round, while C is only capture-able after A and B are taken.

The map is ultimately designed for offense to succeed - Blue has a distinct advantage in respawn timers and spawn proximity (to A and B, at any rate), so it becomes less about who-can-outcap-who, and more about who can do it the fastest. Blue's attack time is recorded via Valve's Tournament Mode timer - so Team X will spawn on the Blue side, wait out the 1 minute of 'setup time' that Red (Team Y) is automatically given to prepare their defense, then launch their attack. Once Team X has succeeded in capturing C (or, as sometimes happens, Team Y successfully defends), the teams will swap sides and Team Y will now take their turn of attacking. Whomever has the fastest time will win the round (1 point), and the whole thing will start over again as the two sides play out best of three.

The uniqueness of the stopwatch format is a refreshing change in the normal push-map rotation, since it calls upon a different set of skills from the competing teams. Yes, good aim and DM skills are obviously still at work, but since there's no way for Red to recapture a point once it's taken, the defense become an all-or-nothing venture that leads to some interesting strategies on both sides of the contest. A team's ability to stall, suppress and smother the other's attack is key to Red's defense, and once again it all ultimately comes down to the Medic and his Uber. Former ESEA-Invite Medic Jake "jk" Kaupp once noted that gravelpit is easily the "hardest on the Medic, since he has to both know everything that's going around him, but never expose himself to potentially be picked by the other team." The loss of a Medic's Uber (or Kritz) instantly cripples any attempted push (or defense) by either team, and has a profound effect on the round timer which, in this map form, is what ultimately matters.

KING OF THE HILL, CAPTURE THE FLAG MAPS: VIADUCT, TURBINE

About a half-year ago, Valve released a new map format called King of the Hill, which works exactly how you'd think - one Capture Point, 3 minutes of countdown-time for each team, and a whole lotta killing on either side. The competitive scene got its first taste of KotH last season with koth_viaduct opening ESEA Week 1, and was instantly a success - the constant action of the mapmode lead to more eye-popping, highlight-reel battles that once again offer a refreshing change to the run-of-the-mill push maps, and have lead to a permanent place for KotH in the competitive rotation.

Capture the Flag, on the hand, continues to sour with the community as many complain when ctf_turbine (the most commonly played ctf_map) comes up in the rotation. While a classic in the overall Team Fortress genre, the form has yet to really work in TF2 and usually leads to one team turtling (played very, very defensively) and 40-minute matches ending in a 1-0 or 2-1 score. Though there is hope that a new, more user-friendly map will re-invigorate the form and breathe new life into a classic mapmode, for now ctf will continue to be a fringe form for the competitive game.

That wraps up Volume 2 of TF2 for Noobs - be sure to check back in for Volume 3, which will delve deeper into the basic class structures of the competitive game and why the Pyro should just be removed from the game (kidding! ...sort of).

Writen by
everett "rk" wells,
Team EG Staff

Location of original article here

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