TF2 - spy tutorial

[JTsyo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d87QCn_cafI

Wish I was skilled enough to pull off the moves.

 

[Born2bwire]

Spies certainly can be lethal. I'm not good with them. I haven't put much time into them and most of all I haven't worked out a quick key binding that works for them with my gamepad and mouse.

EDIT: Man, this guy is just brutal.

 

[Zenoth]

Very nice video, useful techniques. The only one I myself use when playing as a Spy is the quick-stab from the sides of my targets as they pass by me, and unfortunately for them it counts as a back-stab, even though it clearly isn't a back stab.

And the video shows the very obvious hit-box issues that Valve has yet to fix which in turn often makes the good and even the bad and lucky Spies look like cheaters, despite not being their fault at all (issues that make a stab register as a back-stab when it's not, and issues that makes any stab not registering as a back-stab at all, go figure).

 

[ShOcKwAvE827]

Being spy is so fun on newbie servers. But when the other team is loaded with trigger happy pyros, it gets so challenging.

 

[clamum]

Nice tutorial. Might try playing more Spy after checking this out... I'm frickin terrible at him now.

 

[KeithTalent]

That was pretty great. Some interesting stuff I'd never really thought of, though to be honest I rarely play the Spy anymore because I'm pretty terrible.

I may need to give some of these tactics a whirl tonight though.

KT

 

[marmasatt]

Funny, all the comments on this thread. I am also simply a terrible spy. I've only got a few hours in, but my high is literally like 2 kills per life or something. I just can't get it right what things you can use while your invisible, what you can't. I go to bust out a weapon and I can't use it because I'm invisible, etc. And what the techniques are for planting the zappers. Or even the good places to hide to regain your stealth, etc. I just can't kill anyone. ....

 

[potato28]

I have never been able to get the hang of being a Spy, but that showed me a lot. Seems that the Spy is the most complex class...

 

[fierydemise]

Originally posted by: potato28
I have never been able to get the hang of being a Spy, but that showed me a lot. Seems that the Spy is the most complex class...

I don't think the spy is any more complex then any other class, they all have their intricacies the difference is the spy is less forgiving because it doesn't fight well and is often deep behind enemy lines if you screw up you're dead.

Originally posted by: ShOcKwAvE827
Being spy is so fun on newbie servers. But when the other team is loaded with trigger happy pyros, it gets so challenging.

As one of those trigger happy pyros a few words of advice, I will spycheck everyone on my team without so much as a second thought (once on 2fort I spychecked a scout carrying the flag before I thought "oh wait he can't be a spy") however if I have to go out of my way to spycheck you I probably won't. So even if you are a great actor just avoid pyros because I'll spycheck you anyway, if you see one run the opposite direction (but don't look obvious doing it). Also remember invisibility != invincibility too often spies go invisible and just keep running in the same direction at which point finding them becomes easy.

 

[Ichigo]

Spies are grossly underpowered. In pubs, not so much since noobs will fall for his tricks but experienced players shouldn't have any troubles. I haven't been killed by a spy in ages.

 

[TheVrolok]

That guy is great.

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: fierydemise
As one of those trigger happy pyros a few words of advice, I will spycheck everyone on my team without so much as a second thought (once on 2fort I spychecked a scout carrying the flag before I thought "oh wait he can't be a spy") however if I have to go out of my way to spycheck you I probably won't. So even if you are a great actor just avoid pyros because I'll spycheck you anyway, if you see one run the opposite direction (but don't look obvious doing it). Also remember invisibility != invincibility too often spies go invisible and just keep running in the same direction at which point finding them becomes easy.

aye. I eat spies when playing pyro (as I should). When I'm walking out of the base it's puff-puff-puff on everything. I think my biggest weaknesses with spies is when I'm just not paying attention (jump off battlements of 2fort and head across bridge without a quick 180 + puff)

Spy checking is best when you memorize what is NOT a spy. Doing a raw spy check with a run through can get you stabbed pretty quick, or get a nice .357 shell in the eye.

Interesting video, but frankly if you play long enough you can get 10min worth of impressive clips with anything.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: Ichigo
Spies are grossly underpowered. In pubs, not so much since noobs will fall for his tricks but experienced players shouldn't have any troubles. I haven't been killed by a spy in ages.

Exactly. On my server you never have an engineer standing there with his back exposed while upgrading a sentry. The pyros DO check behind themselves. The scouts don't backup, they side jump or just swing around. My server has hosted some amazing spies and they're all looking hapless these days.

Early on, you could dominate with spy. Now that people have learned their tactics and gotten better overall, it's getting really tough to end up with a decent score.

Jumping down and stabbing somebody is a tactic? Really? Uh, thanks for that one. Also, watch as he is always finding these soldiers running out of spawn by themselves. That's either a very low pop server or he's far from the action where he's actually needed. Your job is to help your team win and that often means suiciding to take out an ubering medic or entrenched engie or a demo who has a chokepoint stickied. Killing the gimp who just died and respawned 40 times is doing nothing but giving you good clips for youtube.

I have some advanced tactics, I invented, that still catch people off guard, but they are all map specific and require a lot of work and time for a still decent failure rate.

At this point I mostly play demo except on certain maps where I can utilize some of my personal advanced tactics or when the other team has really good snipers who need to be kept honest.

 

[imported_Imp]

Originally posted by: Smilin

Originally posted by: fierydemise
As one of those trigger happy pyros a few words of advice, I will spycheck everyone on my team without so much as a second thought (once on 2fort I spychecked a scout carrying the flag before I thought "oh wait he can't be a spy") however if I have to go out of my way to spycheck you I probably won't. So even if you are a great actor just avoid pyros because I'll spycheck you anyway, if you see one run the opposite direction (but don't look obvious doing it). Also remember invisibility != invincibility too often spies go invisible and just keep running in the same direction at which point finding them becomes easy.

aye. I eat spies when playing pyro (as I should). When I'm walking out of the base it's puff-puff-puff on everything. I think my biggest weaknesses with spies is when I'm just not paying attention (jump off battlements of 2fort and head across bridge without a quick 180 + puff)

Spy checking is best when you memorize what is NOT a spy. Doing a raw spy check with a run through can get you stabbed pretty quick, or get a nice .357 shell in the eye.

Interesting video, but frankly if you play long enough you can get 10min worth of impressive clips with anything.

If I haven't been backstabbed, I usually just flame around a bit when playing pyro. Once I've been stabbed, I go crazy and spray everyone and even every passage or staircase. However, I get lazy after a while and stop. The worst thing you can do as a spy is run into people. Once something "unsmooths" my motion, I start spamming with any class.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: Imp
The worst thing you can do as a spy is run into people.

That's actually what's ruined it the most. People now "spy check" by bumping into people and if you sidestep even a little, they chase you until you die or they've put a half dozen shots into you to make sure.

 

[TheVrolok]

Originally posted by: Smilin
Interesting video, but frankly if you play long enough you can get 10min worth of impressive clips with anything.

QFT. The video is definitely great and the guy is definitely good. Each example he uses, however, was I'm sure carefully selected. He NEVER seems to be near more than 2, or maybe 3 people at once, and he's apparently playing on servers where very few people spycheck. Any game I play in at least one or two people are unloading 1 shotgun/pistol blast into anything that moves or just running around trying to bump into you. He picked the best clips of a lotta hours of gameplay.