So it was all true. The Sniper update for TF2 has indeed been infiltrated by the Spy, Valve’s URL for the new content now changed to “/spyupdate”, the “/sniperupdate” address now gone. What on Earth does it all mean?
Well, first of all the first three pages of Sniper update info are still there, so it’s safe to assume he’ll still be seeing his new bits and pieces come Tuesday. But it seems the Spy is now joining him, with his first two updates revealed today.
First there’s the Dead Ringer Spy Watch, a brand new golden pocket watch. As many speculated last night, this is a device designed to create a ‘feign death’ move. Activated once the Spy has received a non-critical hit, he cloaks for up to eight seconds, while a fake corpse collapses to the ground.
Then there’s the Cloak And Dagger Spy Watch, a regenerating cloak device. Stand still and it will refill your power gauge, only draining when you move.
These are the two items selected from the Spy’s Dapper Rogue Catalogue, “Catalogue for the Gentleman Rogue”. Others featured include a suit made of macrofilm and a ski mask grappling hook. Of all those mentioned, perhaps the only other realistic option might be the flamethrower lighter.
So yes, everyone who saw the Spy’s incredibly occasional appearances behind the Sniper on yesterday’s update, and then made the intuitive leap to believe this some sort of elaborate Spy-based stunt revealing a secret Spy update… good grief, your paranoid lunacy was right for once. Surely endorsement like this cannot be productive. But did the Spy write the postcard? Are there lies within the lies? Are the secrets to the truth behind the Mayan codes in the source of the update site? Only more feverish speculation can decide.
Update: Kudos to DF7 for his grabbing this from the TF2 front page earlier, with the slip (?) reference to the Pyro being a girl.
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God bless you Valve!
It’s a shame that the Spy’s new options are so cloak-centric. I wish they’d buff disguises. Being stabbed by the guy you’ve been healing for the last minute generates much merriment for all involved, whereas being suddenly stabbed in the back by The Predator as you’re plodding back to the frontline is no fun at all.
Wow.
I haven’t felt THIS out of the loop since…well, the last time. What IS this game that it’s practically developed a sub-culture all its own???
You multiplayer gamers are CRAZY. *taps side of head repeatedly*
Speaking as a lifelong cardholding pyro, (and no, I’m not going into the whole gender issue thing here – that’s between us and our GPs), I can’t see how feigning death is going to be particularly beneficial for spies against us.
All we have to do is continue spewing an arc of flame around the area where the spy has died and we’ll catch any devious little miscreants using that watch instantly – unless Valve are planning on making them invulnerable for a few seconds as well…
And yes, how they handle the whole death message thing should be very interesting. Either we’ll get points for not killing someone or it will be blatantly obvious that our target is pulling a fast one.
And will this be any use to spies against sentries? If they get caught in the line of heavy artillery fire, there’s no way they’d be able to escape using that watch, surely? Unless, again, they are given a few seconds of invulnerabilty.
Not that I’d put it past them. They are dirty, sneaky, rotten little buggers after all. Burn ‘em. Burn ‘em all.
Looking forward to seeing how this all pans out next week…
Wonder if we might see a similar dual update for the engineer and the demoman if this double helping of unlocks works well.
Huh, and there was me thinking they were just teasing “Meet the Spy”.
Love the little touches they’re putting into this update and, like unique_identifier, am hoping the Camera Beard™ becomes the Spy’s new headgear.
Both at once, or was the Sniper Update nothing moar than a clever ruse?
Baccarat 450,000km away? That’d be the MOON wouldn’t?
Moonbase maps please! :)
Must play TF2 again. Valve sirs, wear your money hats with pride.
Take a look at the source code of the webpage of the spy update.
“!– Spy sappin’ mah update //–”
Excellent.
Deadringer a possible replacement for the sapper? I think it would make sense. It would remove his ability to destroy the engineers “toys” and increase his ability to avoid being attacked by other players. Cloak + Dagger just looks like a watch replacement.
Whoa, this is awesome. I love Valve. <3
I suppose this answers one of the questions about the Razorback – it doesn’t necessarily have to replace anything. It could be an optional extra (which I might not go for, at those rare times I play sniper I like to have mobility).
xtort: we get it, you don’t like it.
The sniper is a spy!
One of the best things about this update is the new art direction for the maps… finally, valve decided to try something new.
You know what? Later today there will be screen grabs of a mysterious figure behind the spy. He strokes his improbably thing moustache, and strikes the spy in the back in the neck with his umbrella cane…
;-P
Female pyro? I dude by the name of superaldo’s way ahead of you :P
http://www.superaldo.com/files/pyro/pyro_girl_ingame.jpg
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=847163
I’m surprised that RPS didn’t mention this a few weeks ago http://www.gamepolitics.com/2009/04/30/it039s-ugly-valve-sues-activision-activision-threatens-sue-valve Valves back in court.
Did anyone else notice that all the products on the Spy’s page are made by Saxton Hale, whose job title is “CEO, Australian”? Maybe its just a coincidence (after all, it is “MANN CO.” and that stereotyped Australian manliness works perfectly for the joke), but perhaps the sniper and the person selling the spy his gear are in some way related (like, perhaps, Saxton Hale is the Sniper’s dad). I have no idea what that would mean, but I thought it was interesting.
Saxton Hale sells gentlemen items to gentlemen. TF2 really is a Gentlemen’s club, after all. Hence the MAN in MANN CO.
I don’t think Saxton Hale is related to the Sniper. Him and his company are just fuelling the war between corporations, ’s all.
I just noticed this on the TF main page:
All those conspiracy theorists on the TF forum couldn’t have been right all along, could they? Pyro’s going to be inconsolable now.
So Pyro is not only a she, but has a thing going on with Sniper??
EDIT: Arg, main post stealth updated!
The key difference here is that the spy is not feigning death: he’s getting an instant replica corpse while he cloaks and moves away.
Wow, Valve is seriously into brainfucking the community, they uploaded “Meet The Spy” video on Youtube and then removed it after a couple of views.
I’m so thrilled, despite all the serious business talk they still have ametuerish, immature nature of ye’oldé game designers.
The dead ringer sounds awesome, I can get away most of the time with just the normal cloak, and they know I’m escaping. If they even have a seconds hesitation, believing me to be dead, I’ll be able to make an escape. Sounds like it will be quite useful if you friendly disguise, and then get shot by somebody, they will never expect it.
Meet the spy videos up folks, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTj6tauY1JU&fmt=18
Tf2 porn? So this is why the updates take so long…
Is the Scout’s mom the Pyro?
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
Fugging awesome. Just… awesome.
Valve has done it again..
I love their sense of humour..
Absolutely pure epic..
I love valve and TF2 team.. Actually i got to go and buy a valve&tf2 t-shirt :)
It’s not a slip mention of the Pyro being a girl, Valve has been doing this for a while now, randomly referring to the Pyro as he or she. Sort of like they did with Ed from Cowboy Bebop.
Valve has a terrific sense of humor and a real nack for running jokes.
but on the tf2 trading cards the pyro is called a he….
Some folks claimed that there wont be a “sniper update” and this is all a joke..
Lol, it looks like there is..
I hope it is not a joke :)
Anything may happen in valve…
I hope the Pyro is a Man because then when i play as him they will start making jokes saying the pyro is a women class are YOU a women? Dammit if he was a robot that’d be AWESOME!
OH SH!T i figured it out! Sorta, The Pyro is the snipers mother.
what the hell are you doing posting on this old dead article?