Grand Thumb Fortress!

[Wrestlevania]

In case you weren't aware, Xbox LIVE is going down on J. Allard! this Tuesday for "up to 24 hours". Which means no Grand Thumb Auto this week.

Instead, we've decided we'll give Team Fortress 2 a run for its money! I've never played it, still, so we're going to pile on Steam at 9pm BST this Tuesday.

Everyone is welcome. This isn't just for those that play GTA each week, we want everybody who'd like to play to come along and make up the teams.

Knowing how fun our weekly riots through Liberty City are, I have high hopes for adding mini guns and turrets into the mix.

[toblix]

There are fire trucks in this, right?

[Wrestlevania]

Will you settle for a flamethrower instead?

[Scratch]

Shame I own TF2 but have never played it. Still if I get off work early, maybe I'll join in. Don't expect much from me though.

[James]

If nothing goes wrong, I'll be there.

There are fire trucks in this, right?

As Mr. V alluded to, there is fire, but not much in the way of trucks. Not to worry; here is an in-depth guide to mastering the former.

[LOPcagney]

Ah, love the pyro.

My favorite quote, stolen from someone's spray, is: "Build a man a fire, he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

[Wrestlevania]

Shame I own TF2 but have never played it. Still if I get off work early, maybe I'll join in. Don't expect much from me though.

Exactly the same for me, which is why I thought it'd be fun to try it (finally).

We should probably have a regular TF2 night as well to be honest.

Edit: I've just realised the last time I played a TF game was Team Fortress Classic back in '99...

[James]

Edit: I've just realised the last time I played a TF game was Team Fortress Classic back in '99...

I remember trying that a few times on my horrrendously expensive and horribly slow connection, and finding lag a real problem. My main memory is that the red dot laser for the sniper was huge and if someone was aiming at you sometimes it would get in your eyes and make everything red. At least, I think that's what was happening. Also, I liked the VIP mode and wished it would come up more often, even though all I did was die. ESCORT MISSION! YESSSSSSSSSS!

Actually, all I did in any mode was die. I sucked at that game even more than I do at TF2.

[DanJW]

We should probably find a server ahead of time. I find it really hard choosing a server these days, even with Valves new ranking system.

Man, pyros hurt me. I'm sure they tweaked the damage again while I was away from the game, so that even heavies seem to get burned up instantly. No other game has such an effective 'terror' class; their biggest weapon is causing the opposing team to scatter and flee like small frightened woodland creatures.

[Wrestlevania]

We should probably find a server ahead of time. I find it really hard choosing a server these days, even with Valves new ranking system.

Can I hastily delegate this complex task to you, Dan? I would be almost as useless as JamesM.

[ysbreker]

Didn't tonsko have his own TF2 server? If that fails I might be able to scrounge up a private server we can use.

[Nachimir]

I'm not sure I can make it. Meant to be planning something with friends, and not sure how long it'll take. Should be around for at least a bit before 11 though.

[Nick]

You have the game but never played it!? You crazy fools! TF2 is one of the best FPS games there is. In fact it's one of the best games there is.

[Liveware]

yeah i just joined the thumbs steam group. and does anyone know why live is down because i heard that it might be for the update that is going to add Facebook and twitter. but it probably isn't even though that would be quite cool.

[Patters]

yeah i just joined the thumbs steam group. and does anyone know why live is down because i heard that it might be for the update that is going to add Facebook and twitter. but it probably isn't even though that would be quite cool.

I think it is, so they can update the links or whatever needs to be done. However it won't be out till Autumn.

[Wurtsi]

You have the game but never played it!? You crazy fools! TF2 is one of the best FPS games there is. In fact it's one of the best games there is.

Yes. You can count on me to show up.

[ysbreker]

Just a reminder. T minus 66 minutes till shoot out blast off. I propose we meet up in steam chat. I might be able to arrange a private server so I'll give out the IP + pass there.

[Grippage]

yseguy eh?

[Wrestlevania]

So I downloaded TF2 last week, haven't ever played it and then tonight it complains it can't find a specific model when loading a level and crashes out.

Ran a file integrity check in Steam, the result of which is Steam is currently re-downloading the entire game from scratch.

Really fucking angry. Bring back cartridges!

[James]

TF2 was good, but we were on a server with a slow map rotation that people seemed to be dissatisfied with and apparently no way to override it, so people started dropping out, making things undesirably spacious. So a few of us switched over to L4D, and although my team lost every round after the second one (I think), it was a very good game, and I have to commend the opposing team's co-ordination (at least some of it had to be intentional). How much (if at all) were you guys voice chatting? I'd be interested to know how much it matters. As silly as I feel repeatedly calling out for help, the fact that half the team got ambushed by hunters and pinned until they were incapacitated before I (and presumably Wrestle) realized there was anything wrong illustrates that it is sometimes necessary to announce all this stuff (and I have to admit that I pay more attention to voice chat than text chat).

Anyway, good games all. I'm getting to really enjoy being the tank when I get the chance.

Are any of you guys interested in doing some Survival at some point? The lack of progression can make it a bit more repetitive and less satisfying than the main game, but I suspect that it might be quite a good training tool (although whether it's improved my abilities at all is debatable). If I'm honest, a large portion of why I ask is that it's easier with more human players, and often it's just me and my L4D-obsessed friend, who plays Survival pretty much exclusively. We get annoyed at the AI for being supremely daft.

Also, I wouldn't be averse to another TF2 game some time, if perhaps we could arrange to use a server that we can at least cast votes on.

[toblix]

I thought TF2 sucked, and L4D was awesome. Our team was constantly chattering, discussing tactics and giving feedback on each other's performance. We split the team into smaller, more flexible groups of two or three depending on zombie type and we always had at least a couple of different plans prepared before any of us spawned, each one tailored to what we judged to be the most probable developments any given situation would take.

No, we didn't chat at all. There was this one guy who said something a couple of times, and then I said something, but I'm not sure my mic was on.

[James]

So it turns out your team is just more skilled at the game and sexually accomplished than mine! Great!

[toblix]

Well, I don't know about skilled.

[James]

Shit to a lesser degree?

EDIT: Every time I look at the coffeh woman in your avatar my first thought is that she's some kind of murderer or sociopath or something.

[DanJW]

We were mostly silent. I had my mic, but I only squealed into it out of sheer panic whenever I got mobbed.

The scores were pretty close I thought. Our team rarely actually made it to the safe room (I will never forget my 200m black-and-white hobble along the train tracks, only to have my neck snapped in the safe room doorway. I didn't even know there was a neck-snap sound effect up until that moment).

As infected we did have a few lucky double-pounces and things like that, where two or three survivors got pinned at the same time. Something like that can finish off a team pretty quickly.

It was a great game anyway. I'd love to play Death Toll versus at some point (the only campaign I haven't played as infected) but some survival mode could also be fun. The TF2 was good for a while, but I can only take that game in small doses it seems.