TF2 Workbench @tf2workbench - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag (2024)

TF2Workbench: Signs of life

Told you I'd check in on February 1st!

So, I'm not really feeling like I can feasibly start updating the blog this month, but I'm thinking I'd like to make at least a start at resuming regular updates. I've managed to build up a decent store of ideas that I'd like to consider.

As I'm sort of soft-rebooting the blog, I'd also like to experiment with new types of posts. Map balance (per my November Dustbowl post) is something I'm definitely interested in doing, but I was also thinking of pursuing stuff along the lines of "game tips" to encourage newer TF2 players. That'd certainly be a bit of a departure from my standard, although I know it's been received pretty well in the past.

For a next check-in, expect to hear from me in early March. Hopefully I'll have a nice set of posts ready by that point!

January hiatus

Note: I accidentally queued this to post in the far-flung future and didn't figure it out until now. Sorry!

Well, I said I'd check back on January 1st, didn't I? (Note: I did say this, but as mentioned above, time has no meaning to me anymore).

At the moment, I'm still not feeling up to working on the blog; life is extremely busy and for the moment I've been interested in other games than TF2. I'm sure I'll be back - just not sure exactly when.

For now, expect to hear from me on February 1. I'll see you then!

TF2Workbench: December hiatus

Oh no, he put "hiatus" in the title!

Good news: it's just for December. I'll check back on January 1st, and until then I'm always accessible here and on Steam.

I've found that:

Work is taking up a lot of my time, especially as I try to move up to a more permanent position. I love my job, don't get me wrong, but it takes a lot of energy.

I've felt a general lack of inspiration lately re: TF2, and I'm realizing that I may have treaded most of the ground that I can tread regarding new weapon unlocks. My November post about Dustbowl was well-received, and I'm planning to do more posts about map balance in the future. But for now, it's time for a brief reset.

Thanks for understanding (if you do, in fact, understand). I'll see you January 1st, 2024.

It's beginning to look a lot like Dustbowl

This is something a little new for the blog that I'm hoping will be enjoyable. I'm going to talk about individual maps in the game, especially those known for being unbalanced. What better way to start things off than with Dustbowl, one of the original six maps?

Dustbowl tends to be very difficult for the attacking team to win. This is in large part due to the way the map is set up. Let's take a look at some key spots on the map.

As we go through these pictures, I'll ask you to bear one thing in mind: if a team has to go to somewhere, the goal is to minimize the damage they take while getting to the point. This is something that is a major problem on Dustbowl: there are many areas where BLU will have to expose themselves to sentry fire, explosive spam, Sniper shots, and more if they want to even have a chance to kill the defending team.

The first major struggle for BLU team is getting to the first point. All three spawn exits lead to wide areas of open ground leading up to the capture point. RED can easily shelter in the building, but there's very little cover for attackers to benefit from, meaning they take a lot of damage as they rush up.

Approaching the second point can be tricky. BLU has great holding spots in the mineshafts just before this area, where it's almost impossible for RED to root them out. But to approach the point, they have to take one of two routes: through a narrow, straight stairwell directly into the RED hold, or across a wide swath of open ground that's easily visible from RED spawn.

Second stage, first point. It's quite difficult for BLU to get inside the house leading to the point, and RED can resist them fiercely by spamming into the narrow corridors. The main path also gives RED the height advantage, particularly while they hold the shed near the front, which lets them bombard all BLU spawn exits.

After the first point, BLU has to go through a couple of choke points, most of which emerge right in the heart of RED defenses. Defenders can set up on the patio this photo is taken from, but they can also build fortifications on top of the mineshafts, allowing them to hit emerging BLU players from both sides.

This area is BLU's best bet for taking the next point. They can come out the one-way door on the right and go into the building, which has ammo and health reserves. But it's an enclosed space, meaning RED can spam the entrances with explosives. At least it gives the attackers an area to hole up in.

This isn't the hardest point to take on Dustbowl, but it's easily second-hardest. The building to the right of the image has a height advantage and narrow windows from which RED can fire out on BLU spawn. Behind the building is a great place to build dispensers and sentries. And the path near the top-middle of the image is just outside RED spawn, giving the defenders easy control of a sightline that BLU will have to walk through to reach the point.

This straightaway is between the first and second points on the final stage. BLU turns left into a long corridor in which they have little cover, while RED has a height advantage and can easily spam the corner. To boot, see those windows at the very back? Those are very easy for RED Snipers to hide in and take shots at attackers. It's common for Dustbowl to end with the BLU team unable to advance past this corner.

This is why the last point of Dustbowl is the hardest. BLU has very few options for the attack; the main route is straight and has no cover. There's a flank route on the left side of this image, but it requires crossing the main path, which means crossing a RED sightline. An alcove on the right is an easy holding point for defenders. The only other flank route requires attackers to pass through a wide-open ravine that is in full view of defenders, who will have the high ground.

ConclusionIf I had to pick one thing that makes Dustbowl difficult, I'd say it's the open spaces. Because BLU has to take points, they always have to move through these spaces if they want to progress. But because there's so little cover, they are forced to take damage as they move. This is an attacker's disadvantage, and on other maps, it's mitigated by giving them more cover, including (often) a high-ground position and more viable flank routes. Dustbowl:

has little cover for attackers;

has few flank routes;

has extremely narrow flank routes that are open to defending spam.

For the uninitiated, I recommend the delightful early-TF2 meme "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Dustbowl." (Maybe don't listen to it in polite company.)

Is Dustbowl unbalanced? Yeah, sure. But - and I want to stress this - it can still be fun. It's not like every match on Dustbowl is a guaranteed RED win, and individual players can have really great moments regardless of which side they're on.

And what's even more important is that Dustbowl was one of the first maps. Valve and many, many community mapmakers have been practicing their art for over 15 years now, meaning that, if you start on Dustbowl and move through maps in chronological order, you can feel how much designers (both Valve and community) have improved. When you're on Dustbowl, there's nowhere to go but up.

Direct grenade

18 November

The Soldier has the Direct Hit, so it's no wonder that one of the more common suggestions for a grenade launcher is one that mini-crits blast-jumping (or knocked-airborne) targets. Curiously, this has never been added, even on the Direct Hit-ish Loch-n-Load. Why might that be?

(+) Getting an airshot is a great moment, and having the positive feedback of a mini-crit feels wonderful. It's a huge high moment for the person who hit the shot. This is a big part of why we'd want this grenade launcher in the first place.

(-) Grenades are harder to aim than rockets, and grenade launchers can't take projectile speed attributes without altering their effective range, which can really disrupt enemy players. So a grenade launcher with +70% projectile speed is a no-go - although you certainly don't need that to hit airshots.

(-) The Direct Hit's airshots are not its only selling point and are mostly icing on the cake for advanced players. What users will notice the most are the other attributes: the projectile speed, blast radius, and damage. As we've discussed, the projectile speed has to be toned down a lot, and as I noted in the Direct Hit post last month, high-damage point-blank explosives can often frustrate opposing light classes.

So if we're to design a grenade launcher that can get mini-crits, we'll want to include something else to make it really unique - but we probably won't be able to do a high-speed, high-damage build like the Direct Hit.

Hey, wait: there is a grenade launcher that can get mini-crits. It's the Loose Cannon, and it's really fun to use. Is there another way to do our mini-crit launcher while still using regular grenades?

Mini-Crit Grenade Launcher(+) While blast jumping or knocked airborne by an explosive: grenades mini-crit(-) -25% blast radius(-) -25% clip size

I've found that the only thing as satisfying as an airshot is landing grenades when you yourself are in the air, whether it's a stickybomb jump or an enemy rocket that knocked you airborne.

(+) This weapon gives huge positive feedback for the user and rewards them for cool tricks, but it's also not terribly hard to activate.(+) Because the mini-crit boost disappears once you touch the ground, there's no reason to spam grenades while airborne, hoping that you'll get a mini-crit later.(+) Because of the high health cost of sticky jumping, this weapon has pretty clear limitations that the enemy can play around (although the Sticky Jumper does sort of offset this).(-) 135 damage on a direct hit is a lot, especially since it one-shots light classes. Granted, the Loose Cannon can do this too, but it usually is more predictable because it doesn't often come from above.(-) There's no visual indication that grenades are mini-critical, which means opposing players can't as easily tell how much damage they're about to take.(-) Like the Air Strike, a lot of playing with this weapon is trying to get yourself in situations where you can use its upsides. This isn't necessarily a bad thing because of how easy it is to reap its benefits, but it doesn't necessarily add as many new interactions as the Loose Cannon.

Overall, I'm hopeful about this idea, mostly because I love doing a high-speed bombing run and landing a few grenades before I'm gone. But I also acknowledge that it might not be the most enemy-friendly weapon out there, which could really make or break the design. I wouldn't mind hearing what you think about that!

This post has been reserved

About two years ago, I tried to overhaul the Reserve Shooter, but ultimately couldn't come up with a design that could work well for both the Soldier and Pyro. I'm gonna take another crack at it. Let's start by giving some details on the Reserve Shooter:

It gives great positive feedback if used well because of the satisfaction of landing a tricky shot and getting mini-crits for it.

But it is far less useful on Pyro than Soldier, because the Pyro has no ways to force enemies to take the mini-crits.

In either case, we have to reckon with the fact that most players don't like having their movement controlled, especially not when they die because of it. This is a primary reason why the Reserve Shooter (especially on Pyro) has been nerfed so much.

The first and easiest solution would be to bring back mini-crits on airblasted enemies. This might be viable because of post-Jungle Inferno airblast mechanics, which are much more forgiving to be hit by and as such might not be as frustrating for targets. But since you're here for interesting ideas, I'll suggest a bigger change:

(+) Knocks user back if fired while airborne

This makes the weapon more versatile, and I feel it improves the user experience.

You can now get the benefits of increased mobility on the Pyro without having to equip the Detonator or Thermal Thruster. It's not a huge jump, but it's always fun to have more mobility, and you have more control over this than you do over whether opponents blast-jump at you.

With the Soldier, using the Reserve Shooter mid-rocket jump can help you move unpredictably and adjust your direction midair.

The bad news is that the weapon still plays differently for Pyro and Soldier. It's less pronounced than it was before, but there are definitely differences, and the Soldier can almost certainly get better utility from it. However, that's not to say it isn't fun on both classes, which is the most important thing.

Some users may not want the airborne knockback, since it makes it harder to fire indiscriminately while airborne. However, I'm betting that this is a relatively unlikely situation.

As I've alluded to before, it's very hard to make a weapon that works the same for two very different classes while still being unique. In this suggestion, I'm not trying to make a weapon that's equally good for Soldier and Pyro; I'm trying to make a weapon that both classes can enjoy using. It may not be exactly there yet, but I think this is an improvement.

The Wall

A few years ago, I designed a version of the MvM projectile shield for regular gameplay. In that post, I focused mostly on mechanics without talking about how the shield would feel for its users and their opponents. This time around, I want to talk more about that gameplay experience.

Mechanically, let's assume that this shield is identical to the MvM one at its first level, with the exception that it doesn't damage enemies who touch it, just bounces them back. We'll consider it as an alternative to the Ubercharge, building with healing done and lasting roughly 8 seconds.

(+) This shield gives great high moments when used in coordination with the rest of your team. When the whole team stands behind a strategically deployed shield, it's a powerful moment for everyone. I really can't underscore how awesome it is.

(+) The design of the shield is intuitive, meaning enemies will know exactly how to deal with it: going around. This is also best accomplished with a coordinated team, encouraging smart counterplay.

(+/-) Flamethrowers can go straight through the shield, giving Pyros an opportunity to serve their team in a unique way. However, it also isn't terribly intuitive to the user, who doesn't get the immediate impression that they should beware Pyros in particular.

(+/-) Because the shield turns with the Medic, a lot is riding on that Medic's ability to move their cursor around. Small movements can make or break your team. This isn't a deal-breaker - compare it to a Heavy having to pay attention to where they're looking - but is worth keeping an eye on because of how powerful the shield is.

(-) Because the shield blocks enemy movement, it has the potential to turn tight spaces into fish-in-a-barrel scenarios where enemies flat-out can't advance for 8 seconds. Most maps have flank routes to prevent this, of course, but deploying the shield is still a powerful defensive tool, especially because it can also protect your sentries. We want to make sure it isn't like fighting a stone wall.

The way that I've implemented the shield right now (at its first level, not the ultra-wide version that you can buy in MvM) seems pretty manageable. We might consider tweaking its ability to block enemy players, but other than that, I think the projectile shield could be a really interesting Ubercharge alternative. We've seen how awesome it can feel to use it in MvM - now let's bring that to regular gameplay!

TF2Workbench: November 2023

It's November, but you already knew that, probably. If you're reading this blog, you're probably a well-put-together, competent adult who always knows what the date is.

November 4: Projectile shield reduxNovember 11: Reserve Shooter againNovember 18: Airshot grenade launcherNovember 25: Dustbowl difficulties

Diabolus ex machina

If you see a red or blue line fading out of the air, usually accompanied by a death scream, it's probably the Machina. I discussed this weapon a long time ago, but it seems time to give it an update.

Machina(+) +15% damage when fully charged(+) Fully charged shots penetrate players(-) Cannot fire unless zoomed(-) Fires tracer rounds

You might also be familiar with the fanfare that plays for the whole server upon scoring a penetration kill. It's good fun to replace the sound file with the intro of your favorite pro wrestler. Anyway:

The tracer shots are an excellent design choice because they require players - both users and enemies - to think. Almost anything that encourages players to think about the game is a good attribute.

Although the Machina gets its best results with fully-charged shots, it can be just as useful as the other rifles without charging. This keeps your gameplay options more open than, say, with the Classic.

The extra damage on charged shots doesn't usually make a difference against players who are at or near full health. There are a few specific cases against specific weapons (mostly the Vaccinator and Battalion's Backup) where the bonus damage makes a difference, but for the most part, opponents aren't suffering unduly from facing the Machina.

As discussed above, the extra damage on charged shots isn't often all that useful for the user. A regular 450-damage headshot is enough to kill most targets, meaning the Machina's bonus damage (total of 518 on headshot, 173 on bodyshot) only changes the outcome against a few specific targets using specific weapons. Moreover, it's difficult to guess exactly how much health a wounded player has, making it hard to tell when the Machina will make a difference.

Because the Machina gets its bonuses only with full charge, it encourages you to stay zoomed in for longer periods of time, which can be boring and sometimes dangerous. However, it's worth noting that it doesn't at all require you to do this, and there's a definite risk/reward dynamic associated, making it more of a choice than a mandate.

As I've alluded to, most of the Machina's issues are situational and don't really make it such a bad weapon. There are a few places where it's a little bit clunky, but overall it offers a reasonably pleasant experience for the user and their opponents. There is, however, a thing that I'd like to experiment with at some point:

What if all Machina shots pierced enemies? This is a huge upside and would certainly change the way the weapon plays, but would also be able to hit targets who were using the otherwise-valid strategy of hiding behind teammates, giving them an unpleasant shock.

That's notwithstanding other things we could give to the Machina instead of piercing and bonus damage. There are a lot of possibilities out there, but sometimes it can be tricky to come up with sniper rifles that are fun for both the user and the opponent. I'd welcome ideas if you have any!

Spelling spree

If you're anything like me, you've spent the last week and a half playing the Scream Fortress maps. And if you're anything at all like me, you giggle like a hyena whenever you use a magic spell. If you're actually me, you deleted your spellbook ten years ago when you were new to the game and now can't use the spellbook pages you get from every new pumpkin.

My traumas aside, I notice that several of my friends aren't super fond of magic spells. Although it's obvious that they're objectively wrong, I figure I might honor their sad little feelings by talking a little bit about the good points and bad points of each magic spell.

TeleportThrow an arcing projectile that teleports you to its hit location. Gives minor healing and does minor damage to hit targets.(+) Teleportation is always a fun way to get around the battlefield.(+) The slow projectile speed gives enemies a way to play around it, and of course, the user only gets two charges per spellbook.(-) It's so incredibly buggy that it's restricted to only be usable on Helltower, which is funny.

FireballThrow a fireball that deals 100 damage and sets enemies on fire in a large radius.(+) It's super, super satisfying to use.(+) Although it's powerful even at long ranges, it has a travel time, which makes it easier to see coming.(-) The damage combined with afterburn is significant, especially because the caster gets two charges at once and can spam them quickly.(-) The hitbox is hard to predict and is much larger than the projectile itself looks.

BatsThrow an arcing ball of bats that deals moderate damage, causes enemies to bleed, and knocks them high in the air.(+) It's a fun and useful disrupting option with a nice visual effect.(-) Like with the fireball, its hitbox is a little hard to predict, meaning you might get caught up in it without meaning to.(-) Players rarely like having their movement controlled for them, especially so dramatically as being thrown up in the air.

Pumpkin BombsThrow a pumpkin, which then splits into six mini pumpkin bombs. If a team member shoots them, they will all explode, dealing damage to all enemies nearby and to the one who activated them; if an enemy shoots them, they will disappear.(+) As with all high-damage explosives, it is very satisfying and can be used both offensively and defensively.(+) There's an element of strategic planning to when and where you place your pumpkin bombs.(-) Teammate frustration can occur if they keep detonating your bombs or hurt themselves while doing so.(-) Instant kills are rarely received well - but it's really hard to not notice the pumpkin bombs, so this rarely comes up.

JumpJump high into the air, healing yourself a small amount and lightly damaging enemies when you lift off.(+) The mobility is great, and since you can use it midair and get two charges, you can execute fun midair tricks.(-) Because not all classes can use it well and not all maps are designed with it in mind, this spell has limited utility. Sometimes your best option is just going to a low-ceilinged area and using it for health.(-) If your jump reaches its full height, you will take fall damage, which always puts a damper on things. It often feels like being punished for enjoying a spell that begs to be used.

UberchargeUbercharge yourself and nearby allies for a second and overheal all targets up to double their max health.(+) One of the few spells that encourages team coordination - it is more effective the more players you use it on.

InvisibilityMake yourself invisible for ~8 seconds. If you attack, this invisibility ends. Small self-heal on use.(+) There are so many interesting ways to use invisibility. For example, did you know that Demomen can place stickies, go invisible, and then detonate the stickies without revealing themselves? It's a spell that allows for tons of creativity.(-) Enemies tend to get a little more paranoid when this spell is in play, and the game can feel a lot more hectic, for better or worse.

Rare Spell: MONOCULUS!Summon a team-colored Monoculus that stays in one location and shoots rockets at nearby enemies. Disappears in ~15 seconds.(+) This goes for all of the rare spells, but they're quite satisfying to use.(-) There's no effective counterplay for Monoculus, since it can't be destroyed and can't be moved. Its rockets also fire too rapidly for Pyros to reflect - the only way to deal is by avoiding it or dodging them.

Rare Spell: SkeletonsSummon a troop of team-colored skeletons that attack enemies. Skeletons disappear in about 30 seconds.(+) Enemies can directly counteract this spell by killing the skeletons, meaning it has reasonable counterplay.(-) Skeletons tend to be hard to hit because of their odd hitboxes and jerky, almost laggy movements, which makes them a frustrating foe.

Rare Spell: Small YourselfMake yourself tiny and grant yourself a speed boost and infinite air-jumps for ~10 seconds. Significant knockback vulnerability while active.(+) The mobility given by this spell is really a joy to use, especially because some maps have pathways built specifically for it.(-) It can be very hard to see a tiny mercenary coming, and even harder to hit them while they're bouncing around - but their attacks will still deal full damage, making them a serious threat.(-) When the smallness wears off, the spell has a tendency to kill players if it thinks there's not enough room to become big - which, unfortunately, occurs when they're on most sloped surfaces.

Rare Spell: Electric OrbThrow a slow-moving projectile that picks up and carries nearby players, damaging them over time.(+) I've said it before and I'll say it again: the rare spells are super satisfying to use. It's also nice that this one can bounce off walls, which gives you some unique options for its use.(-) As mentioned before, players don't like having their movement controlled, especially when they can't break out of it and take significant damage while it's happening.(-) As with several of the projectile spells, it can be all too easy to get sucked into the hitbox when it doesn't appear that you're in danger.

Rare Spell: Meteor StormThrow a projectile, which summons a swarm of meteors where it hits. Enemies in the burst will repeatedly take heavy damage until the meteors dissipate in about 3 seconds.(+) Super, super satisfying to use. You can wipe a control point with this thing. Almost certainly the most powerful spell. It's so fun as to feel almost dirty.(-) Hard to deal with - it's often a guaranteed death sentence for the targets, and it'll block that area until it dissipates. Like with other spells, it can also be tricky to tell the radius of the effect.

Huh. Maybe my friends do have a little bit of a point. A lot of Halloween spells can be frustrating to play against and don't have much counterplay. There'd have to be changes implemented if they were ever put into "serious" gameplay.

At the same time, I like them. Granted, I can be hit by a meteor storm or whatever and wiped out in a second, which is a shame. But I can also do that to my enemies. For me at least, the frustration I feel when hit by a spell is a lot less than the happiness I feel when I get to use a spell. I hope it's the same for you, but I understand not everyone enjoys TF2 in the same way!

Phlogellation

"This is makin' me feel... really dirty."-my friend !!, on his seventh Phlogistinator kill this life

Regardless of how you feel about it, there's no denying the damage a Phlogistinator Pyro can do. A crit-boosted flamethrower, after all, does a lot of damage.

Phlogistinator(+) Build Mmmph by dealing fire damage [about 300 to fully build]. At full Mmmph, taunt to get an 8-second crit boost for this weapon.(+) Invulnerable and immune to knockback while Mmmph taunting(-) No random critical hits(-) No airblast

Speaking of how you feel about it, I happen to notice that the Phlog gets some flak. Hey, even from me sometimes. It can really sting to get rolled over by a critical flamethrower, and it hurts even more when the rest of my team gets caught in the same. What's to do?

Going on a Phlog rampage is a very high moment for the user, letting them make a massive, violent impact on the course of the game.

The necessary taunt animation gives several classes an easy way to counter the Phlog, such as by lining up a headshot or placing stickybombs near the taunting Pyro. This means you can't abuse the taunt as a get-out-of-jail-free card.

On the other hand, it can be hard for many classes to stop a Pyro from charging them once the taunt is complete, causing a feeling of helplessness.

This is compounded because even a little bit of critical fire does serious damage, meaning it's often impossible to get away from a Phlogistinator without getting hurt - if you survive at all.

If a Pyro activates their Mmmph behind a corner, it makes the taunt much easier to execute safely. Opponents may feel like they had no warning or ability to stop the Pyro from charging them.

This isn't an intentional design choice, but way the invulnerability works can also be a little buggy (link is a video about an exploit/dirty trick known as Phlog-cancelling), which can further frustrate those on the receiving end.

As an effect of having no airblast, the Phlog loses the complexity and nuance that come with that feature - although it has a good amount to offer in its own right.

What's to do? Well, I considered either of these two attributes:

(-) -20% movement speed while using Mmmph(-) -10 health per second while firing using Mmmph

I ultimately think that both of those don't really address the root problem and instead just punish the user. A more interesting solution would be changing it so that instead of crits, the Phlog grants mini-crits to the user and teammates in a radius, much like the Buff Banner.

This is less instantly fatal to the enemies, giving them a chance to fight back.

It encourages team play and can ultimately be more fulfilling than just killing.

On the other hand, it might be even more powerful than the current Phlog in terms of how it impacts the game. This might necessitate changes in other areas (such as effect duration or damage to charge).

It also kind of steps on the Buff Banner's toes a little.

One other thing that might be a helpful change would be changing the charge so that it only builds with flamethrower damage, or have it build with all damage done. Currently, it only builds with fire damage, meaning there's a strong incentive to choose flare guns over shotguns. Depending on how this works, it might also be worthwhile to reevaluate how much damage is required to charge it (noting that the Buff Banner requires 600 to charge).

So how do you feel? Would changing crits to radial mini-crits help the Phlog overall, or would the problem remain? Should I pursue a more aggressive change?

It's a direct hit!

Sometimes dubbed "the best melee weapon in the game," the Direct Hit kind of plays against type for rocket launchers.

Direct Hit(+) +25% damage(+) +80% projectile speed(+) Mini-crits targets knocked airborne by explosions, grappling hooks, or the Thermal Thruster(-) -70% blast radius

The skies aren't safe, and neither is the ground: a Direct Hit rocket has a base damage of 113, and in close range, it can deal enough damage to one-shot light classes. A mini-crit will deal at least 151 damage, making it very dangerous to most blast-jumping enemies.

The Direct Hit can give delightful positive feedback to a skilled user because of how satisfying its shots are to land.

It plays very differently from any other rocket launcher, giving it a unique niche and letting users diversify their gameplay.

However, being caught in a Direct Hit explosion can be brutal for a target, especially if it feels like almost random firing. I've seen frustration from light classes who happen to get blown up suddenly in close-range combat - a little like how taking a Sniper headshot at point-blank range is a very unpleasant surprise.

Because the rockets fly so fast, they are more difficult to dodge and as such can threaten at longer ranges. While regular rockets can be safely avoided at middle range, dodging a Direct Hit is more difficult to do, meaning that within its effective range, you don't dodge so much as make your opponent miss by messing up their prediction. Although this is handy for Direct Hit users, it means that opponents have to be much more wary.

In short, the Direct Hit is a pretty cool weapon that sometimes can feel frustrating to its victims. If I were going to tweak it, I'd add the following attribute:

(-) Not affected by damage ramp-up

This means that close-range shots no longer deal bonus damage, meaning there's no more one-shotting light classes. 113 damage is still a hefty chunk and can make a difference in a lot of situations, but approaching a Direct Hit is no longer such a risky proposition.

I've heard a lot of very different interpretations of the Direct Hit and its problems or lack thereof, but this is my take. If you have a different opinion of the weapon, I'd be really curious to hear what you have to say, whether it's from the viewpoint of a DH user or a person who loves/hates fighting against the thing.

I want my diamond back

If you've played against a Spy, you've probably seen the Diamondback. It's an awesome-looking revolver that stores crits with each backstab or sapped building.

Diamondback(+) Stores 1 guaranteed critical shot for each backstab or building destroyed with Sapper attached(-) -15% damage(-) No random critical hits

I've also noticed that it's sometimes received with frustration by many victims. Why's that, and does it need a change?

The Diamondback provides a powerful positive feedback system for its users, who are rewarded handsomely for playing well.

It's possible for enemies to guess how many Diamondback crits a given Spy has simply by watching the kill feed (although this does require a high level of attention and/or good team communication). This transparency is good and lets all players understand the capabilities of the Spy wielding the Diamondback.

The reduced damage makes it so that even critical shots are not one-hit kills, which is important to give players a chance to fight back.

On the other hand, the Diamondback can fire a perfectly accurate shot at any range, pinning enemies with 102 damage from across the map. In 2017, the Ambassador was reworked (see Spy section) to keep the Spy's range more predictable, but the Diamondback wasn't.

This is compounded by the Diamondback being hidden from enemies while the Spy is disguised, meaning that shots can come with very little warning.

I'd argue that the chief issue with the Diamondback is how suddenly it can strike enemies for large amounts of damage. To ameliorate that, I'd suggest adding the following to its attributes:

(-) Critical damage is affected by range

One other thing I was considering would be a more complex attribute affecting how easily a Spy could camouflage themselves:

(-) Holding a crit-boosted Diamondback causes your current disguise's weapon to appear crit-boosted

This is a nicely versatile attribute that can affect gameplay in so many situations!

Most often, it's a liability for the Spy, who will appear more suspicious if they're actively holding the Diamondback while disguised. This gives them a choice to make, and opposing players have a chance to capitalize on the information they receive.

In some cases, this can even add authenticity to a Spy's disguise - for example, if they're disguised as an Engineer with the Frontier Justice.

If you want to play mind games, disguising as a friendly class with a crit-boosted weapon can be fun. Watch enemies run from a crit-boosted "Soldier."

However, we should acknowledge that there are a few semi-common visual glitches related to crit-boosting, which can make some people's weapons appear boosted when they really aren't. This is more an annoyance than anything, but does make identifying Diamondback users a little more unpredictable.

It does not do very much to prevent sudden Diamondback attacks, since it's possible to swap to the gun and then fire. This takes very slightly longer than just having the gun out, but it's not a lot of time.

This is very minor, but it might encourage more Spychecking of teammates who appear with crit-boosted weapons, making Frontier Justice users and the like stoke paranoia in their allies.

These are reasonable pros and cons, although I find myself really liking the mind games of the whole thing. If we're focusing mostly on ameliorating the "surprise Diamondback" factor, it might be best to stick with the range-falloff attribute. But that's not to say this other one isn't worth discussing!

TF2Workbench: October 2023

If the universe really loved me, I could rewind time and buy a Strange Kritzkrieg while they were still relatively cheap. But I can't, and that's terrible.

It's October 2023, and I am old. To make me feel older, I'm going to do re-analyses of several weapons I haven't talked about in years.

October 7: The DiamondbackOctober 14: The Direct HitOctober 21: The Phlogistinator returnsOctober 28: The Machina

Camp Grenade-a

Early in development, each TF2 class had their own unique grenade. Medic had healing grenades, Pyro had incendiary grenades, and so on. Valve eventually cut these. In the developer commentary, designer Adrian Finol explains:

"Team Fortress 2's focus on unique class roles led us to notice that the standard hand grenade was a more powerful combat decider than some of the primary weapons. This made the classes more similar in combat - not a desired effect."

He continues:

"In addition, when we looked at some of Team Fortress Classic's map stalemates, they often resulted from large amounts of grenade spam. Two cases were particularly problematic: that of players throwing grenades repeatedly through doorways, hoping to kill any enemies who might be there, and players on the verge of death throwing all their grenades in rapid succession, hoping to get a kill after they die."

Well, it seems like they later found a way around that: giving you only one grenade at a time, and not making any directly damaging grenades. For what is Jarate but a disgusting grenade?

By that definition, the Pyro, Scout, and Sniper have single-use grenades that they can equip as secondary weapons. I'd like to imagine more grenades, designing with Finol's commentary in mind.

Heavy GrenadeHeavy secondary weapon(+) Throw to splash teammates with a substance that causes them to take 20% less damage for 8 seconds(-) 22-second recharge(-) Starts uncharged and cannot be refilled at resupply lockers

This item promotes team support and coordinated play, which is always something we want to see.

Although the effect is powerful, it has clear limitations because of how much time it takes a Heavy to switch weapons and spin up their minigun.

On the flipside, the effect could contribute to slower games because of how it makes teams harder to kill.

There's also no way for enemies to really play around it - even reflecting it with the Pyro's airblast is unlikely because of how it targets friendlies, not the people who could reflect it.

Let's pause that and move on to another class.

Engineer GrenadeEngineer secondary weapon(+) Throw to splash buildings with machine oil. Friendly buildings become more effective [Sentries +25% fire rate, Dispensers +50% healing, Teleporters -50% recharge time] for 8 seconds. Enemy buildings take equivalent penalties and take 10 damage per second during the duration. [The debuffs can be removed with one Wrench hit.](-) 22-second recharge(-) Starts uncharged and cannot be refilled at resupply lockers

A versatile item is always a nice thing, giving you more options in many situations.

Since enemy Engineers have a way to counter it, it also gives enemies some agency. Spies and Cow Mangler Soldiers can also counter it if it's used to buff friendly buildings.

However, we need to note that, like the Heavy grenade (and Jarate/Mad Milk/the Gas Passer) it can slow the opposing team's progress.

Its debuff function puts more pressure on Engineers to keep their buildings safe, making an already-difficult job more stressful.

Using the buff function is easiest if you stack your buildings close to each other, which is usually a risky play that can harm your team. On the other hand, this might not be a bad thing, since it gives you the risk/reward dynamic to make choices on.

As we wrap up this post, I think it's fair to comment on one thing: grenades, even non-damaging ones, can slow down the game. Jarate, Mad Milk, and the Gas Passer can keep players out of the fight while they wait for the effects to wear off, and buffs like the ones we've discussed here can make a hold harder to break.

However, we can't veto an idea just because it slows the game down; it's entirely fair to make an attacking team face some resistance as they push. The key is in making it so they have ways to deal with that resistance.

The Blutsauger reimagined

Although the Blutsauger is not a weak weapon, it's an unpopular one because of how easy it is to abuse. A life-steal syringe gun demands to be fired, after all, and any time spent shooting is spent not healing your team.

Blutsauger(+) On hit: restore 3 health(-) -2 health regenerated per second on wearer

Out of curiosity, I'm going to fully reimagine the Blutsauger, building from the blueprint of the Crusader's Crossbow.

Blutsauger CrossbowUses the same physics and mechanics as the Crusader's Crossbow(+) On hit teammate: Grant a speed boost [duration scales up with range, from 2 to 8 seconds](+) +25% holster speed(-) Cannot heal teammates

This is a generally useful buff ability that doesn't need to be impeccably timed, so it could see a lot of use and be helpful for supporting the team.

Players often like to move quickly and efficiently, meaning there's a strong positive feedback when they're hit by a bolt, even if they're not getting healed.

Slow-firing weapons like the crossbows tend to have strong positive feedback when they hit, as compared to rapid-fire weapons like syringe guns. Ever hit someone (teammate or enemy) with a crossbow shot from across the map? So satisfying.

However, it faces the constant problem that it does not build Ubercharge, and so the opportunity cost of not equipping the Crusader's Crossbow is significant. I designed it to be easy to whip out, fire, and swap back, but the time spent switching and shooting does add up.

Teammates also have to deal with not getting ranged heals, which - even if the speed boost is satisfying - can be frustrating.

Is it perfect? Gosh, no, and I wish I could come up with a more appropriate effect to give. I'm looking for something that can be generally useful and doesn't require more than a brief shot by the Medic, which makes things like "increase healing received" difficult to implement. Overall, though, I'm pretty pleased with what we've got here.

Sidearm sidebows

Firing the Sniper's SMG usually feels a little bit like you're a faceless soldier in a horror movie, frantically and erratically spraying bullets at an implacable foe. Hand me a submachine gun, and I will instantly turn into an Imperial Stormtrooper.

But what if you could miss more dramatically instead? I want to convert the Huntsman into a secondary weapon.

Secondary HuntsmanStats relative to vanilla Huntsman(+) +33% reload speed(+) +50% ammo carried(-) Cannot headshot(-) -30% damage(-) Affected by damage falloff

It has nowhere near the stopping power of the regular Huntsman, but it's an acceptable self-defense weapon. Actually, we have to make sure "acceptable" isn't too powerful, since SMGs are usually around "mediocre" instead.

The real hurt here is the ranged damage falloff. At best, you'll be doing 84 damage on a fully-charged shot at close range. Uncharged shots can do up to 35. That's generally weaker than a shotgun, which is what we're aiming (pun intended) for.

With all the work I'm doing to make this a weak weapon, you might be thinking, why bother making this? Couple reasons:

Slow-firing weapons often feel better to use and play against, especially when fast-firing weapons would feel weak or impotent (see: the SMG).

Projectile physics give an inherent learning curve (pun also intended), especially with the charge mechanic of the Huntsman. This gives players more depth than your average SMG. (This is why I don't just give the Sniper a nerfed shotgun).

Granted, these may not seem like solid justifications to you. But I think I might enjoy using this secondary in tandem with my rifle. Am I underestimating the number of people who like to use the SMG? If you're an SMG enjoyer or Huntsman hater, I'm sorry.

...So, last question: do I tag this as secondary, primary, or both?