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Team Fortress 2 Engineer update: The failed experiment

Z

Zombie James

Banned
http://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=3539

repairnode.jpg


The first was a new building internally known as the Repair Node. We gave Engineers the ability to replace any current building (teleporter entrances and exits were considered one building for this) with the Repair Node instead.

While deployed, the Repair Node would draw from a pool of energy to fix damage to nearby buildings. When the node ran out of energy, it would stop repairing and regenerate up to full, creating a window of opportunity for the attackers. When sapped, the Repair Node's repair function was disabled for the duration of the sap.

The goal of the Repair Node was to solve a perceived problem in the Engineer's play experience: always having to be tied to your base. The Engineer often has little to do after his base is built and fully upgraded except wait for the inevitable Spy sapper attempt, or for the battlefront to reach the base. The Repair Node was meant to buy the Engineer time if he wanted to range out to gather metal or harass the enemy with his shotgun.
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Nice little insight into the design process. Really looking forward to the engineer update, it's my best class :P
 
From the sounds of it, I guess we won't be getting anything as outlandish as the sword and shield for the demo with the new engie update. Still excited to see what they come up with though.
 
I'd be more interested if the engie update was a flashlight with a wide beam that could expose disguised or cloaked enemy spies (to replace the shotty or pistol).

OR

a leaf blower that acts a bit like the pyros compression blast (something you could hold) that could blow back stickies, rockets, ubers, etc. (to replace the shotty)

Slow recharge off dispensers so the engie couldn't just sit there and spam.
 
roMonster said:
a leaf blower that acts a bit like the pyros compression blast (something you could hold) that could blow back stickies, rockets, ubers, etc. (to replace the shotty)
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A shop vac would be cooler. Suck up stickies and other explosives, and shoot them back. :D It'd need some serious balancing but it could be an interesting concept for defensive play.
 
EmCeeGramr said:
oh my god the spy & pyro video linked in the blog post
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Do you not read the TF2 thread in the online forum?

CHICKA CHICKA OHHHHHH

*edit*

Also, I could see them doing something like with the sniper -- the huntsman is presumably "worse" in terms of killing fewer people and resulting in a lower score, but it's really fun to use in my opinion. So some people use it anyway. Then again, judging from this news post they not do anything really unusual with the engineer. *shrug*
 
roMonster said:
I'd be more interested if the engie update was a flashlight with a wide beam that could expose disguised or cloaked enemy spies (to replace the shotty or pistol).

OR

a leaf blower that acts a bit like the pyros compression blast (something you could hold) that could blow back stickies, rockets, ubers, etc. (to replace the shotty)

Slow recharge off dispensers so the engie couldn't just sit there and spam.
Click to expand...
Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
 
BigBlackGamer said:
engy needs something to stop demoman.
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honestly i'm glad the demoman can whipe out a bunch of buildings, many a game of payload my team have been blocked at the end by like 3 well placed turret's. without a demoman it would of been a nightmare taking them all out.


can't wait for this update, second most played class although i try to avoid it because i become obsessed with making really ballsy teleporter exits.
 
I'd love like, a projectile turret that can shoot down bombs and rockets. Or, in a similar vein, a shield generator. You can walk inside to shoot/sap it no problem, but it deflects projectiles.

Just in general, new buildings plz!:D
 
What a terrible item, glad that didn't make the cut.

I want a Perfect Dark style laptop gun.
 
roMonster said:
I'd be more interested if the engie update was a flashlight with a wide beam that could expose disguised or cloaked enemy spies (to replace the shotty or pistol).
Click to expand...

I had an idea like this except it was basically an IR sentry camera. Sets up like a sentry but off a wall, scans like a sentry and if a spy runs through it they get exposed. The cameras in Bioshock are a good example, if a spy got past them they could get sapped.

If they're not adding new buildings then it's unlikely and the flashlight is more interesting. I cant see any engie not taking it though, it would add some utility as well and not necessarily tie an engie to his base. Spies would have a hard time with a flashlight and pyro around.
 
Well Valve has identified the problem that playing an Engineer is too much of an insular experience focused on small sections of a map. Hopefully they'll realize they need to have a way to make the Engineer a more mobile class.

I'm surprised they even got around to making a semi-unique model for this. The last thing the Engineer needs is to be more hands-off.
 
EmCeeGramr said:
oh my god the spy & pyro video linked in the blog post
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Andrew Kepple/TMST has been putting out crazy awesome comics and animations for the last ten years or so. This is actually on the less surreal end of his range.
 
Dance In My Blood said:
Well Valve has identified the problem that playing an Engineer is too much of an insular experience focused on small sections of a map. Hopefully they'll realize they need to have a way to make the Engineer a more mobile class.

I'm surprised they even got around to making a semi-unique model for this. The last thing the Engineer needs is to be more hands-off.
Click to expand...

I personally hope they make a build for an offensive engineer, I love playing the engie when I rush into their base and manage to plant an encampment. Either way, should be interesting to see this pan out, it'll be tough to actually give the engineer an alternate playstyle and have them both be viable.
 
Dance In My Blood said:
I'm surprised they even got around to making a semi-unique model for this. The last thing the Engineer needs is to be more hands-off.
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Give him a tripod mounted machine gun that he can quickly set up. However, it's not automatic like his current one. This one he has to aim and fire himself.
That way he could be semi-offensive, and be a little more active.
 
Whatever they do I hope they figure out a way to release it without making every server turn into 12 vs 12 engineers for the first week.
 
I want the engineer have something like a remote controlled mini-sentry on wheels that he can drive around through a videoequipped remote control.
To balance it out they should make the controls ranged, so that the engineer himself has to stay in a specific perimeter close to the mobile sentry which could expose him to enemies if hes careless.


+ Engineer get to have a more active role in battle
+ can be used for offense and defense

- the mini sentry shouldn't be too strong
- make a specific sound so enemies may know of its presence when close


Level 2 and 3 of the mini sentry enhance firepower and speed.
 
It would be interesting to see an anti-projectile sentry. Maybe some type of EMP that disables grenades and rockets within a small AOF. It would still be vulnerable to regular bullets or needles and would only have 1/2 attack power against people.

Best eng update in the world though would be a dispenser that gives out hats and new weapons. Do it Valve!
 
Raging Spaniard said:
Yeah cause Engies dont dominate every map already ...
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Well, you might be right in the first month of release, and against incompetent players who don't understand the concept of ubers or demos.
 
Ah man I've totally been neglecting TF2 recently, need to get back in the swing of things ready for this update!
 
They should let the engy build a portable wall :D

Or give him an RC helicopter to bother people with while he's stuck at base
 
Wii said:
They should let the engy build a portable wall :D

Or give him an RC helicopter to bother people with while he's stuck at base
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Yeah, something remote sounds good. Something with small risk/reward but just fun to play around with.
 
Would be fun if they would let the Engie build springboards so that every class can make jump as high as a rocket jump. And make it explode after a certain number of use.

It would probably mess too much with class balance in certain maps though.
 
Evlar said:
Yeah, something remote sounds good. Something with small risk/reward but just fun to play around with.
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From what they said, they want to get engineers to leave your base instead of letting them do stuff away from their base, from their base.
 
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