Comments on: Sniper Update Day 3: Things Get Mysterious

By: Emilio

Emilio — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:26:42 +0000

The spy isnt dead, its a dead ringer. Also the rectangle on the snipers back is the quiver for the huntsman.

By: Holy Crap! Its a Spy

Holy Crap! Its a Spy — Sat, 16 May 2009 23:03:45 +0000

Awesome! Let hear it for conspiracy theorists. Wait to hang in there! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Spy update All The Way!

By: Zortov

Zortov — Sat, 16 May 2009 18:32:33 +0000

What I want to know is whether this means that the Sniper update is a hoax. Are they still releasing the bow and shield or is the spy taking over?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:01:16 +0000

i jizzed when i saw the spy update

By: mikey

mikey — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:30:29 +0000

http://www.teamfortress.com/spyupdate/

You guys were right :)

Oh and my friends screen was sapped also

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:46:12 +0000

Spy Update?

By: CommanderZx2

CommanderZx2 — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:45:54 +0000

http://www.teamfortress.com/spyupdate/ go there now!

By: Alliteration

Alliteration — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:36:02 +0000

Okay it seems that it is already gone, but for a bit the Day 3 update page was pretty drastically different. There was a bunch of foggy smoke stuff instead of the map. All you could see was the dead spy, the sniper, and the spy de-cloaking behind him.

Edit: Okay apparently refreshing the page a few times brought the image back. Just hit F5 a few times.

Edit Edit: Bah, my amazing discovery has been trumped! See below.

By: Erlam

Erlam — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:29:13 +0000

“I’m talking about how spies are used in competitive play, not on pubs.”

Who the hell uses spies in comp play?

By: BooleanBob

BooleanBob — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:32:00 +0000

I saw a great idea over on the steam forums which solves both the problem of it appearing to be of extremely limited (and situationally-specific) use, and the question of what purpose it serves when actively selected in the weapon menu in-game.

Basically, when the rifle/bow or kukri is equipped, the shield is on the sniper’s back, discouraging spies. But equipping the shield swaps it to the sniper’s front, where it can be used to block incoming enemy fire. This allows an isolated sniper a degree (maybe 50-100pts) of damage mitigation in the face of an oncoming attack while allowing him to make a break for safety (partially compromised, of course, by the weight of the shield). It also helps the fragile sniper retain a presence in key areas he needs to help his team-mates control (helping blu snipers find a ‘fit’ with the offensive role).

The trade-off of speed + no offensive capability + the loss of the SMG (which despite the complaints of many, is one of the better mid-range weapons in the game, yielding fruit against onrushing scouts, pyros, engies, medics and spies if skilfully used) would be an effective trade-off, and thus the item would (in-line with the other secondary unlocks’ purported intentions) encourage players to play the class in a different way. As it is, I worry the razorback only encourages snipers to set up camp as far away from the fighting as possible, much as they always have.

Also, the idea of whipping out the razorback as a cocksure heavy bears down on you with his meaty fists aloft, allowing a punch to connect! – only to hear the sweet sound of bacon sizzling… that’s pretty much got to have universal appeal, right?

By: Smurfy

Smurfy — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:49:04 +0000

If there really is a Spy Update coming out as well, then Valve have got this update out in record time.

By: Serenegoose

Serenegoose — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:45:15 +0000

the shield is not a very good update, in my opinion. Since you can kill a sniper so very quickly with a revolver, it is sometimes my preferred way of doing so. Stationary scoped snipers all but can’t react quickly enough to stop the spy, and their SMG is considerably weaker than the spies revolver, which will easily kill a sniper in 3 shots (4 at most, which is very easy to do when the sniper is immobile for at least some of it, surprised, and injured from the off because you’ve got the first shot. I don’t think I’d want any of my weapons to be replaced with that shield. so it’s a good thing it’s optional. :) I don’t know how it could be given more utility though, because the basic premise isn’t all that bad.