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Team Fortress 2 Closed Beta to Test Pro Tweaks
by Nick Breckon, Aug 03, 2009 3:22pm PDTValve has started a Team Fortress 2 closed beta test, with the goal of balancing the game for competitive matches, according to TF2 developer Robin Walker.
"The TF2 Beta is something we've just started running," said Walker to Shacknews. "It's aimed at filling a hole in TF2's iterative development model."
European and American competitive TF2 clans are being recruited for the beta, which will incorporate changes to the game ahead of an update's release to provide Valve with valuable balancing data.
"To iterate effectively, we need to be able to measure the impact of our changes," he said. "Up until now we've been successful at measuring that impact on the non-competitive TF2 community, because we have good internal proxies for it--the TF2 team itself, plus other internal and external playtesters. Our proxies for the high end competitive play aren't as good, and that's lead to us making some design decisions that have hurt it."
Walker pointed out that the beta does not represent a shift in Valve's approach to the casual community.
"This doesn't reflect any change of our attitude towards non-competitive TF2 play, it's just going to give us more data," he added. "We'll continue to talk and listen to the non-competitive TF2 players, as we have done in the two years since we shipped. The more data we have, the more effective we'll be as we continue striving for design choices that work for all TF2 players."
European TF2 clan FokkelBrigade says that a small group of top European and American teams have been selected for the beta, and that the first stage is focusing on tweaking the Sandman bat-and-ball unlockable, a weapon routinely banned from competitive TF2 play. Rumors of a fire-repellent suit for the Spy are also circulating.
Walker has previously expressed a desire to "get more insight" into what Valve can do for the competitive TF2 community.
"I'd like to build some more bridges to organizers within the competitive community, which is something we've tried to do but still continue to have trouble with," he said in a recent CommunityFortress interview.
Comments
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With that being said, a focus on balance would really help the game a lot. I remember when the AWP in CS could shoot through 3 walls and peg/kill the target. Toe shots also did the same thing. If TF2 is their new competitive focus as CS once was years ago, then tweak away. Give the medics back the ability to poison the other team, that's all I ask :).
Those guys can't make up more than 20% of the player base, why do they even have a say in how the game is developed?
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An unbalanced game designed by Mr Casual will have a couple of strategies that overpower everything else - in which state you are not really 'playing' anymore you are just grinding on autopilot. Good examples of this is aircraft in BF2, and grenade spam in COD4.
The only people complaining here are the ones that aren't actually playing, just grinding the most lazy strategies, and are afraid to actually become engaged and think a little while playing.
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A game balanced for progaming is an optimum game. It means that people will be playing for a long time. People who play the game the most get the most say, what a concept.
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The engineer is the first casualty. Each sentry is the same, so there is no skill curve associated with it. Good players know what it takes to bring down, they know how to coordinate, and medics / ubers are common (I think 2 medics per team is the standard?).Offensive engy can work on a pub, but a soldier / demo / heavy & medic can take down a level 1 or 2 sentry no problem. An engy can't keep up with the flow of 5 CP maps. Teleporters are unnecessary since scouts don't need them and offensive classes stick w/ their medics. Dispensers are less necessary with ample medics are fewer players sharing the ground drops. Now, a pro team does typically field 2 scouts, which would make you think the engy would be useful, but I guess that's not enough utility to offset the drawbacks. I have no idea how valve could make the engy work.
Without engies, the spy is just a backstabber. A small team that talks and sticks together is less likely to be susceptible to a spy.
Without sentries to defend or spies to discover, the pyro becomes pretty much useless, not to mention he gets owned by the other offensive classes. They're also the nuisance class so I can see why pros would have no problem keeping them out of the game.
I don't think there's a way to "fix" TF2 for pro gamers, although a few tweaks couldn't hurt. The classes that aren't played are support classes that don't gain relevance in a 6v6, 5 CP format.
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