I usually prefer Backburner, but sometimes if situation needs it I switch to normal Flamethrower. When I last time played on FRCF server people might have noticed that I switched between Backburner and Flamethrower quite a lot mostly depending on the amount of soldiers on enemy team.
I'm so bad at deflecting projectiles that I always stick to the Backburner for the extra damage.
I'm so bad at deflecting projectiles that I always stick to the Backburner for the extra damage.
I'm good at deflecting them, but not so good at hitting anything with the deflected projectile. Though, I did once get a crocket kill almost entirely by accident, on the soldier who fired at me.
People still don't get the pyro's airblast ability. I've separated so many medics from their heavies and torched them, or thrown people off cliffs, or killed soldiers with their own rockets, it's kinda sad. On a side note, this is why I never use the Backburner.
Psst, Backburner can airblast, too. It just costs more ammo. (In your defense, it was a fairly recent change.)
I'm all about the Degreaser. It means I can safely walk around with the flaregun out, allowing me to respond to all enemies while still being able to reflect most projectiles at a moment's notice or get in an opportunistic puff and sting or quick spy check.
People still don't get the pyro's airblast ability. I've separated so many medics from their heavies and torched them, or thrown people off cliffs, or killed soldiers with their own rockets, it's kinda sad. On a side note, this is why I never use the Backburner.
Psst, Backburner can airblast, too. It just costs more ammo. (In your defense, it was a fairly recent change.)
No, I know it can airblast, but because a blast costs so much ammo, I can't effectively puff and burn on it without being tied to a dispenser or the resupply.
I'm generally enjoying the degreaser too. That weapon switch function is really nice, especially for picking off people running away with the shotgun. I haven't tried the Detonator yet.
Also, what does everyone think is the Scout's best primary weapon? The Force-a-Nature, Shortstop or Soda Popper? I'm liking the versatility of the Shortstop, but it doesn't have the blasting power as the scatterguns.
Also, what does everyone think is the Scout's best primary weapon? The Force-a-Nature, Shortstop or Soda Popper? I'm liking the versatility of the Shortstop, but it doesn't have the blasting power as the scatterguns.
Honestly, the regular scattergun. I find all of the scout's ancillary scatterguns run out of ammo too fast for me, especially because I can't hit the side of a barn with him.
My favorite nonstandard gun is definitely the Soda Popper. On maps with plenty of hallways (any ctf map, really), I can build up mini-crits and then run around with the pistol out until someone crosses me. Then I blow 'em away with crit cola.
Also, what does everyone think is the Scout's best primary weapon? The Force-a-Nature, Shortstop or Soda Popper? I'm liking the versatility of the Shortstop, but it doesn't have the blasting power as the scatterguns.
As much as I use force-a-nature lately, I really like the Shortstop - sure, doesn't have the blasting power, but you can run up and put 4 shots in someone super fast, or pop at them from a distance and still get hits.
One thing that was suggested to me that works most of the time is to keep the crosshairs locked horizontally (move up and down to hit targets above you, but otherwise keep them still) and move YOURSELF to aim.
I use the Force of Nature because I use the scout to take out enemy medics and engineers or dive nosefirst into the payload on defense. Effective? Maybe not. Hilarious? Definitely.
I tend to use the Shortstop mostly, since it has better range than other Scout primaries. It also shares its ammo pool with the pistol, meaning it functions best when using a drink in the secondary slot.
'Course, I've been having a hard time staying connected to the backpack server lately, for some reason, so I've been using the standard scattergun a lot, too!
I use the Force-A-Nature because I play Scout wrong and actually try to aim. :P
No, that's very much the right way to play Scout - you're quite good at it - but the Force-A-Nature only does 8% more damage per shot than the Scattergun. The only advantage of the FaN is that you can unload two shots before an enemy with the Scattergun can, but otherwise the larger clip of the Scattergun is a pretty big advantage.
The Shortstop is actually pretty good; it deals ~80% of the damage of the Scattergun per shot but it fires quite a bit faster, so it actually puts out good DPS. You still have to get in fairly close to use it effectively though, due to spread and damage ramp-up.
On the whole, I'd say the standard Scattergun is the best, but the others are decent alternatives.
In general, the most important thing to remember as a Scout is that you have to get close to deal real damage, but when you do you can take out most enemies in 2-3 shots. Generally it's best to shoot them with the secondary pistol if you're not close, since it still does decent damage at medium-long range.
Yeah, I just like popping guys up in the air and trying to kill them before they land. I should get used to using the normal Scattergun if I wish to be of any use during the scrim.
Yeah, I just like popping guys up in the air and trying to kill them before they land. I should get used to using the normal Scattergun if I wish to be of any use during the scrim.
Don't kid yourself, you'll be one of the best players in the scrim with a FaN because your aim is quite solid. I'm generally too scared to play scout when I'm against you :P
I'd say that Force-A-Nature is justified on maps where you can knock enemies off things, but otherwise the Scattergun is preferable.
Because of experience I can say that FaN can be useful against Pyros as well. At least I always hate it when Scout blasts me away greatly lowering the usability of my Flamethrower.
Because of experience I can say that FaN can be useful against Pyros as well. At least I always hate it when Scout blasts me away greatly lowering the usability of my Flamethrower.
That does help, but it's not really needed against Pyros unless you're cornered. Otherwise, the Scout has a pretty good advantage against the Pyro if he pistols at midrange first to wear the Pyro down. After that, a single shot from the primary weapon should be enough to finish the job, if need be.
The scout doesn't make sense to me; I can't play him at all. The demoman is almost as bad.
The scout has three distinct playstyles; I call them annoying scout, objective scout and kamikaze scout. They aren't as cut-and-dry as below, but generally speaking...
Annoying scout runs around with his pistol out, the shortstop at hand and the Sandman at the ready. He sits at the bottom of the scorecard, but he doesn't really care too much about that, because what he does is make it very hard for the other team to stay organized. He fires his pistol into groups of enemies, baiting them to leave the safety of the group, and picks on lighter classes so they have to bail on their friends instead of supporting properly. He kills engineers trying to set up, pokes at medics from the flanks, and makes heavies turn around at inopportune times. He generally throws wrenches into enemy plans, and can be a critical part of a good team.
Objective Scout carries Bonk atomic punch and maybe the Sodapopper. He's going straight for the cap and the intel every time, avoiding fights at every oppertunity and throwing himself directly at the objective. These are the guys that break stalemates. They carry weapons that will let them put down an enemy quickly so they can get out of dodge and onto the point.
Kamikaze Scout is like a tiny hyperactive missile straight into the heart of the enemy group. He carries the Force of Nature and crit-a-cola, and this is where the the Boston Basher comes into play. His sole job is to kill the fuck out of single targets. He finds a nice vantage point, waits for the enemy group to pass overhead, then gets in their midsts in a whirl of shotgun blasts and flashing baseball bats. Because of his speed and the unexpected angle of approach, a good kamikaze scout can take out vital members of the enemy team and leave them in chaos. Of course, as the name implies, it's a one-way trip.
The demoman is kind of straightforward. You have Demomen and Demoknights.
Demomen are the hardcore defensive class; they lay stickies on doorways, objectives or paths to and from the objective and blow up anyone trying to get through. Their grenade launcher is basically a weapon of self-defense with a few useful utilities besides. You need to run straight for your own defenses rather than towards the enemy. Think of him as midfield, to use a soccer term; you hang out somewhere between the rest of the team and the engineers.
Demoknights swap out their stickies for shields, and are similar in role to Kamikaze Scout; get up in the enemy's business and chop til you drop. The melee focus and their charge gives them lots of crits for pretty fierce DPS provided they can make it into the enemy lines, and in the demoknight's hands the grenade launcher is a tool of disruption before the charge rather than self-defense; throw a bunch of grenades at the enemy's feet to blow them apart and throw off their aim before you swoop in and start removing heads from necks.
A good scout should be a mix of the first two scout play styles mentioned above, I'd say. Above all, the scout is precisely what it says on the tin - a scout. The key to scout is to be everywhere at once, except where the enemies are looking, and know what your enemies are doing. Because of your speed, you get to pick your fights, and that's the key - float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Make sure the enemies don't see you coming, because a single rocket could mean the end of you. If an enemy gets to low hitpoints, run in and finish him off. If you can sneak up on a medic without being seen, the medic is dead before the enemy team knows what happened, and that means they don't get an uber for a long, long time. There's no need to run in as the Kamikaze Scout does - instead, use your movement speed to stay alive so that you can pick the right time to attack.
It's basically essential to have two scouts on a 5CP map with no setup time, such as Granary or Badlands, because the scouts' movement speed is a massive advantage.
Demomen are the hardcore defensive class; they lay stickies on doorways, objectives or paths to and from the objective and blow up anyone trying to get through. Their grenade launcher is basically a weapon of self-defense with a few useful utilities besides. You need to run straight for your own defenses rather than towards the enemy. Think of him as midfield, to use a soccer term; you hang out somewhere between the rest of the team and the engineers.
The thing to note about the Demoman is, he's extremely vulnerable to scouts, and so you've got to have backup in case they come for you - so midfield does make sense. Their movement speed makes it easy for them to dodge his rather slow-moving attacks, and get in close and blast him to death. The same goes for the Demoknight too - as long as the Scout dodges your charge, you pretty much can't catch him, and you're going to get Scattergunned to death.
However, if you're playing a 5CP map without setup time, then the Demo plays differently. Because of sticky jumping, the Demoman can get to the middle point even faster than scouts do, and so it's important to do this so that you gain control of the area before your enemies do.
LOL folks, I understand the mechanics and strategy behind those two classes. However, my coordination and mentality does not mesh well with playing those characters.
Comments
Also, what does everyone think is the Scout's best primary weapon? The Force-a-Nature, Shortstop or Soda Popper? I'm liking the versatility of the Shortstop, but it doesn't have the blasting power as the scatterguns.
My favorite nonstandard gun is definitely the Soda Popper. On maps with plenty of hallways (any ctf map, really), I can build up mini-crits and then run around with the pistol out until someone crosses me. Then I blow 'em away with crit cola.
'Course, I've been having a hard time staying connected to the backpack server lately, for some reason, so I've been using the standard scattergun a lot, too!
The Shortstop is actually pretty good; it deals ~80% of the damage of the Scattergun per shot but it fires quite a bit faster, so it actually puts out good DPS. You still have to get in fairly close to use it effectively though, due to spread and damage ramp-up.
On the whole, I'd say the standard Scattergun is the best, but the others are decent alternatives.
In general, the most important thing to remember as a Scout is that you have to get close to deal real damage, but when you do you can take out most enemies in 2-3 shots. Generally it's best to shoot them with the secondary pistol if you're not close, since it still does decent damage at medium-long range.
I'd say that Force-A-Nature is justified on maps where you can knock enemies off things, but otherwise the Scattergun is preferable.
Annoying scout runs around with his pistol out, the shortstop at hand and the Sandman at the ready. He sits at the bottom of the scorecard, but he doesn't really care too much about that, because what he does is make it very hard for the other team to stay organized. He fires his pistol into groups of enemies, baiting them to leave the safety of the group, and picks on lighter classes so they have to bail on their friends instead of supporting properly. He kills engineers trying to set up, pokes at medics from the flanks, and makes heavies turn around at inopportune times. He generally throws wrenches into enemy plans, and can be a critical part of a good team.
Objective Scout carries Bonk atomic punch and maybe the Sodapopper. He's going straight for the cap and the intel every time, avoiding fights at every oppertunity and throwing himself directly at the objective. These are the guys that break stalemates. They carry weapons that will let them put down an enemy quickly so they can get out of dodge and onto the point.
Kamikaze Scout is like a tiny hyperactive missile straight into the heart of the enemy group. He carries the Force of Nature and crit-a-cola, and this is where the the Boston Basher comes into play. His sole job is to kill the fuck out of single targets. He finds a nice vantage point, waits for the enemy group to pass overhead, then gets in their midsts in a whirl of shotgun blasts and flashing baseball bats. Because of his speed and the unexpected angle of approach, a good kamikaze scout can take out vital members of the enemy team and leave them in chaos. Of course, as the name implies, it's a one-way trip.
The demoman is kind of straightforward. You have Demomen and Demoknights.
Demomen are the hardcore defensive class; they lay stickies on doorways, objectives or paths to and from the objective and blow up anyone trying to get through. Their grenade launcher is basically a weapon of self-defense with a few useful utilities besides. You need to run straight for your own defenses rather than towards the enemy. Think of him as midfield, to use a soccer term; you hang out somewhere between the rest of the team and the engineers.
Demoknights swap out their stickies for shields, and are similar in role to Kamikaze Scout; get up in the enemy's business and chop til you drop. The melee focus and their charge gives them lots of crits for pretty fierce DPS provided they can make it into the enemy lines, and in the demoknight's hands the grenade launcher is a tool of disruption before the charge rather than self-defense; throw a bunch of grenades at the enemy's feet to blow them apart and throw off their aim before you swoop in and start removing heads from necks.
Above all, the scout is precisely what it says on the tin - a scout. The key to scout is to be everywhere at once, except where the enemies are looking, and know what your enemies are doing.
Because of your speed, you get to pick your fights, and that's the key - float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Make sure the enemies don't see you coming, because a single rocket could mean the end of you. If an enemy gets to low hitpoints, run in and finish him off. If you can sneak up on a medic without being seen, the medic is dead before the enemy team knows what happened, and that means they don't get an uber for a long, long time. There's no need to run in as the Kamikaze Scout does - instead, use your movement speed to stay alive so that you can pick the right time to attack.
It's basically essential to have two scouts on a 5CP map with no setup time, such as Granary or Badlands, because the scouts' movement speed is a massive advantage. The thing to note about the Demoman is, he's extremely vulnerable to scouts, and so you've got to have backup in case they come for you - so midfield does make sense. Their movement speed makes it easy for them to dodge his rather slow-moving attacks, and get in close and blast him to death. The same goes for the Demoknight too - as long as the Scout dodges your charge, you pretty much can't catch him, and you're going to get Scattergunned to death.
However, if you're playing a 5CP map without setup time, then the Demo plays differently. Because of sticky jumping, the Demoman can get to the middle point even faster than scouts do, and so it's important to do this so that you gain control of the area before your enemies do.