Team Fortress Classic | Survival Guide | General TFC Guide

The TFC Survival Guide: General Guide

Contents Getting Connected

Connecting to a game, no matter how you do it is a snap. If you prefer to use the Half-Life in game interface, see our Quick Start. The other way (and one of the most popular) is to use GameSpy, a quick, easy, and free server browser. Install is a snap, once your completely loaded, Select "Half-Life" then click on either "WON Master" or "GameSpy Network" and refresh. Double click on the TFC sever you want and presto! Your in. To make things even easier grab the TeamFortress Classic Tab.

Choosing A Class

Where do you want to go today? Errr, I mean, what class do you want to play today? Yes, some classes are better for you than others. Here we will attempt to choose the class best for you!

Scout
Fast. His combat skills are the lowest in the game, but his speed is extreme. If you like the rush of avoiding rockets and running away, this class is for you! The scout will not get very many kills, but people playing scout do get to enjoy the sensation of escaping with the flag a lot. A good scout is a man with good dodging skills.

Sniper
If you have a fast connection and low ping, this is a good class for you. The sniper is always a very high fragger, most of the time a sniper will often make it to the top. Obviously, a sniper needs good aim. The sniper is the class who benefits most from a low ping. The sniper is strictly defense, so do not expect to get to many flag captures. If you are the kind of guy who likes to shoot accurately, and dispense minimum ammo, this class is for you! If you don't want to shoot with accuracy, see section labeled "Big fat guy with chaingun" aka "Heavy Weapons Guy"

Soldier
A very popular choice, and for a good reason. Pure combat power. The rocket launcher is often the favorite weapon of a lot of games. If it is your favorite weapon, then this may very well be your class. The soldier can work well with any connection. A soldier gets to enjoy both enemy base cleaning and defense. The rocket jump is also "fun". If you like playing a heavily armored man with powerful rockets, play this. You should take note that this is the TFC soldier, not a No Limit still soldier, but this class still makes the other say Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Demoman
Awesome class! The sensation of blowing a pipebomb above that evil soldier is better than... never mind, we won't go there. If you enjoy playing with explosives, this is your class! The demoman can be played well with any connection, you don't even need to aim, because you have detpaks! Detpaks are fun! The demoman will play both offensive and defensive roles, although he excels a lot more at defense. If you like strategy and defense, this class is for you, although you should also check out the engineer. A demoman needs patience, specially when waiting for players to walk into his pipebomb trap. He is also the choice of the spammer! Starting out with two mirv grenades is grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat!

Medic
You can be a doctor! You won't even have to go to medical school! The medic is a class that can be played well with all connection speeds. The medic takes time to master, some of the advanced skills such as conc jumping will take a lot of time to master. A medic can play both offensive and defensive roles. Infecting unsuspecting enemy snipers is a lot of fun! You also get to humiliate your enemies by killing them with a medikit, or slice them with your super nailgun. Do not expect to be killing everyone from the start with this class, it will take actual skill :). If you are willing to fully learn this class, you will not be disappointed.

Heavy Weapons Guy
(aka Big fat retired policeman that ate too many donuts and carries a chaingun that does not need to be aimed) Now this is a newbie favorite. Powerful, the most armor in the game. His weapon is also AWESOME! He was pretty bad in TF1, but in TFC he is a great defensive class. He is too slow to be offensive. The chaingun does not need to be aimed. Aimed is not the word. Point and hit fire is the word! If you are a newbie, this is a great starting class because of his armor and easy to use weapon. Do not think that he is not a good class because he is a newbie class! A good Heavy Weapons Guy can be very lethal, specially on defense. Since he has the chaingun, and tons of armor it does not really matter how much lag you have. If you like carrying a big intimating gun, this class is for you. He might be fat, but he is pretty phat too! (hehe, just had to squeeze that in)

Pyro
A real fire starter! This class can be played by any connection. He has a good amount of armor, and a nice fire spitting grenade. You even get to set your enemies on fire with your flamethrower, or incindiary cannon. He does not always frag that highly, because he will often not kill the people. He softens them up, then the next person gets the frag. Do not let this discourage you playing this class! A good pyro can still get high frags. Pyros are better on offense than defense. The pyro even comes with a nice looking flamethrower! If you like fire (who doesn't?), then this class is for YOU!

Spy
Bond. James Bond. Too bad there are no women/bond girls in TFC, but hey, at least he carries a big knife. The spy is for people who like the concept of brains before brawn. Befriend your enemy, then destroy him with one quick swipe. Poor unsuspecting snipers! A VERY fun class to play. He can even play dead, which is great fun, specially when the enemy actually assumes you are a dead body. His gas grenades are fun too! This class can be played with any ping. He is definitely one of the most fun classes to play in TFC, but he also has his purpose. To outwit the enemy! If you like strategy and thinking, this is a good class for you. Or maybe you just like fooling and laughing at how dumb the enemy is? Then pick this class!

Engineer
The favorite choice of laggers! The engineer can be played well with a very high ping because of his sentry gun. The sentry gun will never lag, and it is powerful too. His EMP grenades are great against heavy classes too! His gameplay also involves thinking and strategy. Yes, there is strategy in placing a sentry. This class is easy to play, but once mastered, he can be very deadly! An experienced engineer can prove invaluable to a team's defense. Did I mention the sentry looks nice? You even get a spanner! What a deal! No really, the engineer is a good class for anyone.

Hand-Fired Weapons

What would TFC be without guns? Well, I guess they could make a Jeopardy version of TFC. It would be kind of like Win Ben Stein's Money with soldiers. Luckily , we will not have to play anything that bad because TFC has guns! Here is a reference to all of them, from worthless and weak, to powerful and destructive.

Crowbar
A weapon that is worthless and weak. Not only is it a crowbar, it is a military crowbar! I'm telling you, these defensive budget cut backs... Use this weapon only when out of ammo, truly desperate, or if you want to be fragged.
Damage:Very Low
Speed:Fast
Range:Very Short
Good Looks Award:Its a crowbar! Hey, at least it looks shiny!

Knife
This is not a butcher knife, its more. Its a big spy knife. If you hit them in the back, they will in most cases instantly die. It also does a good amount of damage in the front or side. A good weapon, too bad its range is very short!
Damage:High (Very high in the back)
Speed:Medium
Range:Very Short
Good Looks Award:Nah. MacGuyver's pocket knife would be the ultimate. That knife even has a build in BFG1809486060!

Medikit
A humiliating weapon to be killed by. It can be used by the medic to heal allies, or infect the enemy. An infected person slowly loses health, and can spread the disease to an ally by coming in contact with them. A fun weapon! Go infect all those snipers on the deck and watch the epidemic start!
Damage:Heals teammates, infect enemies (low damage, but keeps on damaging until they either die or get healed by a medic)
Speed:Medium
Range:Very Short
Good Looks Award:THE MEANEST LOOKING WEAPON IN THE GAME!!!!!! Nah. Just kidding. At least it looks like a medikit, and its fun humiliating someone by killing them with it.

Shotgun
Shotguns. The redneck weapon of choice. This weapon has medium range (and that is at the most) and low damage. Use it only if your other weapons are too short ranged, or they need to reload, or if you are out of ammo for the rest.
Damage:Low
Speed:Fast
Range:Medium
Good Looks Award:Nope. There was a pak for TF1 that made it a sideways held action movie pistol... Now that would be fun!

Super Shotgun
A worthy upgrade to the shotgun. You actually want to use this gun. It has medium range (and that is definitely the most) and medium damage. Two point blank blasts can take out a sniper! Use this if you are reloading, or if your other weapons are worse at close range (such as nailguns).
Damage:Medium
Speed:Medium
Range:Medium
Good Looks Award:Looks good. Nice black combat style finish, but I still think a classic bubba double barreled redneck gun would be better.

Nailgun
The carpenters choice! Gets the job done quickly. Low damage, but very fast fire rate. This is the best weapon for some classes, such as the scout. Nailguns are in my opinion not better than the super shotgun, so if you have that gun, use it instead!
Damage:Low
Speed:Very Fast
Range:Effective at any range, but targets tend to step out of the line of fire at long ranges.
Good Looks Award:Looks like a WWII era "grease gun". It does not fit the nails it shoots, I would much rather have the stapler gun!

Super Nailgun
The same as the nailgun, but more super! This weapon is powerful, shoots fast, but eats ammo. Only the medic carries it.
Damage:Medium
Speed:Very Fast
Range:Effective at any range. See nailgun.
Good Looks Award:I would still rather have the super stapler gun.

Tranquilizer Gun
A tranquilizer dart firing gun. Shoots slowly, and has low damage. When you hit an enemy they will slow down. They slow down more than enough for you to run past them, their firing rate also slows down a bit. The spy carries this gun.
Damage:Low (slow down effect)
Speed:Slow
Range:Since it shoots slow, it is very hard to hit at far ranges.
Good Looks Award:Looks nice with the silencer!

Assault Cannon
A big mean chaingun! There is no need to aim it, just point and shoot. It takes a bit to start firing, and when you are firing you move slowly. This weapon is very deadly at close range, and still damaging at medium range. A great scout stopper (assuming they don't run past before your gun warms up). This weapon is fun, and lots of it!
Damage:Medium (thats per bullet, but it shoots a LOT of them)
Speed:Very Fast
Range:Not very effective beyond medium
Good Looks Award:This weapon wins my award! It is AWESOME looking! It even looks intimidating when another player holds it! Kind of reminds of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2.

Rocket Launcher
A rocket launcher. A classic. Fires big menacing rockets. Too bad it only holds four of them! This is a lethal weapon, and a very versatile one. Only the soldier carries it. You can use it to rocket jump, which can get you into many places quickly. A great overall weapon!
Damage:High
Speed:Medium
Range:Any range, but long range rockets are easily dodged.
Good Looks Award:It looks nice and military. Although I think a Q2 style launcher would fit better, but why not just have a cow launcher?

Railgun
Han Solo would be jealous! The engineers weapon, it shoots green bolts of energy. The bolts go through walls! The damage is a bit toned down from TF1.
Damage:Medium
Speed:Fast
Range:Any range, but easily dodged since the bolts are very visible.
Good Looks Award:Han Solo's Heavy Blaster pistol looked better! Now a lightsaber launcher, thats an idea! Why not just replace the engineer with a jedi? Nah, it might be too hard to tell Darth Vader's team color.

Flamethrower
Burn baby burn! Disco inferno! It is an undocumented feature, singing that song will make this weapon do quad damage. Ok, so it wont, but hey, it will light people on fire! It shoots a stream of fire. Once it comes in contact with an enemy, they light on fire. When you are on fire it is a bit harder to see. Other pyros cannot be set on fire. A nice close range weapon, the enemies will keep burning even after you stop shooting them!
Damage:Medium (fire damage also)
Speed:Constant Stream
Range:Short
Good Looks Award:Looks good! Its kind of like a super soaker 10000Zx, or whatever they are up to nowadays.

Incideary Cannon
This weapon should be titled "the weapon which name I cannot spell." Either way, it is a flame rocket launcher. The rockets travel slower than ordinary rockets, and leave a big nice red trail. Once it hits the ground, it will light anyone within its large blast radius on fire. The damage is not that high, but the fire does keep burning.
Damage:Medium (fire damage also)
Speed:Slow
Range:Any range, has a nice blast radium.
Good Looks Award:Looks like the normal rocket launcher. Why couldn't we just have a flame slingshot?

Sniper Rifle
This weapon is slow, but powerful. The longer you charge it up, the harder it hits the target. It emits a red dot that will turn more solid the more you charge it. Very powerful, but needs accuracy. If you are the enemy and see this dot, RUN AWAY!
Damage:Low to Very High (depending on charge time)
Speed:Slow
Range:Very Long, instant bullets
Good Looks Award:Modeled after an H&K Assault Rifle, looks very nice. Its too bad Valve ignored my .44 Deer hunting Rifle suggestion. (ok, so I never sent one)

Auto Rifle
This is another mode for the sniper rifle. It shoots full auto, and does low damage. The bullets are instant.
Damage:Low
Speed:Very Fast
Range:Very Long, instant bullets
Good Looks Award:See Sniper Rifle

Grenade/Pipebomb Launcher
This weapon has two variations, like the sniper rifle. Grenade launching mode and pipebomb launching mode. Very powerful, but short range. You can detonate pipebombs in midair, or make a trap with them. A great gun!
Damage:High
Speed:Medium
Range:Short
Good Looks Award:Looks sleek! A big pipe with a trigger! I still insist there should be at least one slingshot in this game!

Grenades

Grenades are you friends! Use them to add power to your attacks! All good players can properly use grenades. Here we will go over all the grenades, and their pros and cons.

Standard Grenade
You standard issue, fragmental grenade. Many classes carry this grenade. It creates a simple big explosion, and has a very good amount of power. The power is twice that of a demoman launched grenade. You can also use it to grenade jump into interesting places!
Damage:High
Special Effect:None

MIRV Grenade
The ultimate in power. This grenade explodes with the power of a standard grenade, then spawn 6 other grenades equal to a demoman grenades. Lethal. The choice of spammers every where!
Damage:Extremely High (counting all grenades)
Special Effect:Spawns other grenades

Nail Grenade
This used to be a great grenade, but it is toned down in TFC. This weapon will spit out a lot of nail everywhere! Use it to guard places for a few seconds, and to throw into crowded rooms. Very useful against less armored classes.
Damage:Low (per nail, spits out a lot of them, and explodes at the end)
Special Effect:Spits out a LOT of nails

EMP Grenade
Al Gore invented this grenade, along with TFC and the internet (see Spud Boy's complete waste of time for more details)! This grenade is carried by the engineer, and is rather interesting. It detonates ammo. The heavier the class, the more damage caused. Useful against soldiers. It has no interesting special effects, it just explodes.
Damage:Low to High (depending on class)
Special Effect:Detonates Ammo

Napalm Grenade
This grenade throws fire everywhere. Thats simple, there is not much more to it. The field of fire is large, and will cause people to start burning.
Damage:Low (fire damage)
Special Effect:Fire

Concussion Grenade
A very irritating grenade, but thats only for your enemy! When you get hit by this, it will make your screen go strange and remove your ability to properly aimed. Concussed enemies are a lot easier to run past or kill. Too bad they do not cause damage.
Damage:None
Special Effect:Concussion (Screen moves, aiming is off)

Caltrops
The choice of the ninja, but the Valve people couldn't hire any cheap genuine ninjas. So they gave them to the scout. You drop these on the ground, and anyone who steps in them takes low damage and slows down. Perfect for making an escape.
Damage:Low
Special Effect:Slow Down

Gas Capsule
Thrown by spies. This produces a green cloud of gas particles. Anyone who enters it start hallucinating. People who hallucinate will see and hear things that do not exist, making them confused. You should keep in mind that this does not remove their ability to aim like a concussion does.
Damage:Low (While in gas cloud)
Special Effect:Hallucination

Special weapons

Special weapons are fun! From sentries to detpaks, they are helpful. Here we will cover the non-hand held and non-thrown weapons. Let us get started! After all, time is money, specially if you live somewhere where you pay per minute. Then again, mo money mo problems. Hmmm...

Sentry Guns
Build and maintained by an engineer. Sentries are big automatic guns. They have 3 levels. Level 1 is not very lethal. Level 2, adds more health and faster fire rate. With level 3 you get more health and rockets. A level 3 sentry is lethal and can take out a scout in a blink of an eye. It is also formidable against heavier classes. The engineer should always maintain and guard his sentry, for smart enemies will try to get into positions where the sentry cannot see them. Sentries are very useful for defense.

Now then, how do you setup and effectively maintain sentry guns? Assuming you are an engineer, go into your special function menu and select build sentry gun. You can only build it if you have enough metal. Now you will start building it. It will start facing you, from where you built it. The first thing you must do now is rotate it the right way. To do this, hack at it with your spanner and choose rotate until you get it just right! Another thing to do is fill it with ammo, you should always keep your sentry full with ammo. Now, after you have built the sentry, you must upgrade it. Go and get more metal, then hack at the sentry with your spanner and choose upgrade. Then do this once more, and you will have a lethal rocket launching sentry. Do not forget to fill the sentry gun with ammo, specially rockets. Now all you have to do is stand by your sentry, and watch it kill your enemies. You should guard it carefully, because enemies will often try to get into positions where the gun cannot shot them. Keep in mind that sentry guns do not have very long range either. I also do not think I mentioned this, i better mention it since some people may wonder what metal is. To get metal, just get ammo from the resupply room.

Dispensers
Built by engineers. Judging by the name, you can probably guess what it does. Your teammates can get ammo and armor out of it, very useful. It can also be remotely blown up. Let it charge up, and when that scout tries to run by... BOOM! No more scout, just pieces!

Dispensers are easy to build, just go into your special engineer build menu and choose build dispenser. You can also detonate it from there. Keep in mind that enemies can blow up your dispenser by shooting it too much.

Detpaks
Demomen carry detpaks. Well, actually you can carry only one detpak. A detpak is a large timed bomb that you set on the ground. You can set the good ol' ticker to either 5, 10, or 20 seconds. It has a huge blast radius, and will instantly kill any enemies inside it. It will also shoot your teammates across the level, so be sure to warn them! Some levels have special detpak features, such as the rock. On the Rock map you can open the tunnel with a detpak. Detpaks can often get 2 or 3 frags, and in some cases 4 or 5. Great fun!

Detpaks are easy to set, and need not to be maintained. In the TFC key setup, you should have set up keys to drop them. Just hold it in, and after a while your detpak will set. Once that is done, RUN AWAY! While setting a detpak, you can cancel it by letting go of the button. Keep in mind that scouts can disarm detpaks by standing on it, and looking at it.

Maps

The flexible map code is one of the most unique features to Team Fortress. The original Quake Team Fortress wasn't even released with any "official" maps because TFS wanted the users to experiment with all the different maps available. The limit of gameplay style is only hindered by the creativity of the map maker. Mods even like CS have a limit of gametypes that need to be individually coded, in TF/C, the map maker can do it all with entities. Valve has some good maps, but the TFC community has made some maps that are even better.

If your looking for user made map reviews, you'll want to bookmark these two sites:
- Team Fortress Map Complex
- JMC's TF Map Zone

We have an entire Maps Section here at PlanetFortress, as always, it is located in our wonderful TFC Database.




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