CaptainFish

Team Fortress 2 Co-op! Mann vs. Machine

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I'm super sad about the queue and that I can't just start up a match and play with a couple people or by myself for training. I just want to goof around, but I guess that's not really the system MVM is built on.

edit: Also, I can't just buy a ticket with through the steam store? I need to buy at least $5 of itchy and scratchy money? I know this is how games work, but for some reason I hold Valve above this stuff, I guess not. Anyway, not to be that guy on the internet, looks like I can hand out some free tickets to friends.

edit2: I can't read, a ticket is good for one game? holy crap, good on you valve, but I'm a cheap bastard so I'm out after this $5 is consumed. I get that content isn't free and that's super cool, but free mode, at least right now, seems to be unplayable without waiting 30 min, I'd rather give them $25-$40 for this "expansion" to play whenever and however long I want than do $1 a ride... that stuff, even if it's cheaper in the end, turns me away.

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I found that going into the server browser and setting filters to only show secure, mvm servers was the best way to get into a game. Although the player count usually misrepresents the number of actual players, and most servers are password protected, add to this general server problems such as lag and auto-kicking it can take awhile to get it to work. But I managed to get into a game after ~15 minutes.

The mode itself is pretty fun and I can see myself playing TF2 exclusively for it from now on. It is the closest thing we have had to reining in the out-of-control destruction of style that TF2 originally had.

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Its exploiting people who are invested in the game. Valve makes a lot, its not like they are fighting to survive. I think if the hats were $1-2 each they would still make plenty of money.

By invested in the game I think you mean want cosmetic items. I just think of Mann Up Mode as a key for a chest/crate. You can still play the game (albeit with queues. I haven't experienced them myself as I just played on the Rock Paper Shotgun server with a bunch of guys from the steam group chat).

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I just think of Mann Up Mode as a key for a chest/crate.

Which is O.K, but as it stands right now, that isn't what it is. Right now Mann Up mode is "Do you want to play this game right now or do you want to watch a the UI for an hour?" unless I am completely misunderstanding the setup for this game, in which case, I'd say their UI or information could be a little more streamlined to help me get into a free game right now.

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Its exploiting people who are invested in the game. Valve makes a lot, its not like they are fighting to survive. I think if the hats were $1-2 each they would still make plenty of money.

It's business. It's capitalism. If people are willing to pay, you price it that way. Supply and demand, only in this case it's all demand. It seems more like you have a problem with capitalism in general than virtual hats in particular, which is another argument entirely.

And, once again, no one HAS to pay for anything. Almost everything in the game is obtainable without paying for it, and almost everything that's not available for free IS because you can trade for it.

You're weird.

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It seems more like you have a problem with capitalism in general than virtual hats in particular, which is another argument entirely.

Knock it off.

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I need to buy at least $5 of itchy and scratchy money? I know this is how games work, but for some reason I hold Valve above this stuff, I guess not. Anyway, not to be that guy on the internet, looks like I can hand out some free tickets to friends.

Exactly. I always expected more then that crap from Valve as well. And I feel the same way about paying per match/for limited time items. I much rather pay up front then each time, even if it is more expensive.

It's business. It's capitalism. If people are willing to pay, you price it that way. Supply and demand, only in this case it's all demand. It seems more like you have a problem with capitalism in general than virtual hats in particular, which is another argument entirely.

And, once again, no one HAS to pay for anything. Almost everything in the game is obtainable without paying for it, and almost everything that's not available for free IS because you can trade for it.

You're weird.

Im just gonna stop talking to you because you are ridiculous.

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So i still need to wait thirty minutes to play, and every now and then it crashes. but in the mean time. dose any one have any strats for this. i still have not played a single match

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Very fun times, even though I didn't make it past the fourth round. The sounds on the new mode are just awesome. Just needs shorter queues and a patch to fix the "parents calling in the middle of a match" bug.

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Knock it off.

Well, okay, I guess! Wasn't tryin' to start nothin'. 'Pologies all around.

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I just tried playing a few rounds with a friend and some randoms. It's unbelievably frustrating when there is dead weight on your team. This engineer kept building sentries in the worst places possible. You feel committed since the queue time takes a while, but it's just not worth the hours of pain.

Also, screw any uber'd bot that can carry the bomb. Most frustrating unit ever.

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Also, screw any uber'd bot that can carry the bomb. Most frustrating unit ever.

Yeah, my first game I played as a pyro and figured I'd max damage and burn time on my flamethrower since it's huge groups of bots so lots of AoE should be good, but I ended up maxing my air blast asap.

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so i waited for a server with my friend for 40 mins, got into a game and then it just crashed within 2 seconds. Great. But im gonna try again tonight

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I just got into a game and and I don't really think it's as fun as regular Team Fortress 2. All the dynamic with each class being dangerous and interesting in their own ways, and people working together and being sneaky is all gone. It's just a bunch o health bars that you grind down. Some of em have way more health and that's annoying.

Getting stuck in one of the rounds wasn't fun, cos when you respawn you don't think of a way to change tactics or outsmart the other team, like I like to do in TF2, I just ran ahead and desperately crashed into these guys with giant health bars.

Killing each robot isn't fun like killing each person in TF2, cos I kill about 20 robots every round. They're just cannon fodder. When I die it's just like "oh I guess that was the rocket that ticked my health passed zero", which is nothing like how I usually play Team Fortress where dieing is always a little bit fun because players have so much personality in how they're playing.

I LOVE Team Fortress 2 and I LOVE Gears of War horde mode, I've played like a hundred hours of both. But man this is so not doin it for me.

Oh also my framerate crumbled to dust, but y'know, that's on me.

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So, my experience is pretty poor so far on how they handled the matchmaking system.

But good news! I've made a Team Fortress 2 - Mann vs. Machine Simulator! It runs right in your browser! Try it out:

http://vaughnroyko.com/mvmsimulator/

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Yeah, using the automated tool is an exercise in futility.

Here is the best way to play MvM:

  1. Manually search for a server.
  2. Enter "mvm" in the map name field.
  3. Join a server with fewer than 6 players.
  4. Enjoy MvM

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So I played MvM for the first time. Played for 2-3 hours, beat all three maps and it was really fun. Playing it is quite 'passive', so I realize not everyone is going to like it. Since you're playing against bots that more or less follow a pre-determined path, you don't need to be on your toes quite as much compared to regular ol' TF2.

I played as an engineer with the mini-sentry item most of the time, plus I bought the "extra disposable sentry" upgrade. In addition, I had the Frontiersman shotgun (that gives you crits for kills and assists your turrets had scored before they were destroyed). That one map had a wave of 150 scouts. My sentries were well positioned and I kept replacing them as soon as they were destroyed. At the end of the wave I had over 40 crits in store. I was ready to give the next wave a world class fuckin', but of course I got sniped before I could spend all my crits.

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I'm not really sure about MvM yet. I played for a couple hours on a private server, made it to the final wave then everyone "got tired" and had to leave. The pacing kind of sucks. I'd much rather not have everyone "ready up" in between rounds and just make it more frantic. Also, the map I did play on felt REALLY small. Basically two "rooms" next to each other.

Plus, all the waiting sucks to get into other servers. I've heard people buy tickets to Mann Up, and still not get in to play quickly.

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I'm not really sure about MvM yet. I played for a couple hours on a private server, made it to the final wave then everyone "got tired" and had to leave. The pacing kind of sucks. I'd much rather not have everyone "ready up" in between rounds and just make it more frantic. Also, the map I did play on felt REALLY small. Basically two "rooms" next to each other.

Plus, all the waiting sucks to get into other servers. I've heard people buy tickets to Mann Up, and still not get in to play quickly.

The announcer saying "hurry up and get ready before the next wave arrives!" set a cool sounding precedent in my mind between rounds, which was immediately deflated by the revelation that "the next wave arrives" when everyone on your team has pressed F4.

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I'd much rather not have everyone "ready up" in between rounds and just make it more frantic. Also, the map I did play on felt REALLY small. Basically two "rooms" next to each other.

It's more handy on bigger maps, especially if you're a Heavy who has to hustle back for upgrades or an Engineer who needs to reposition your stuff before the next wave.

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It's more handy on bigger maps, especially if you're a Heavy who has to hustle back for upgrades or an Engineer who needs to reposition your stuff before the next wave.

Then they need to do something else. It's not fun for the slow-ass heavy to have to walk back to the beginning of the map to buy upgrades, then get back to where he's supposed to be stationed for the next wave. It's even less fun when you're someone waiting for the heavy because you've already completed what you wanted to do.

edit: I don't know why they didn't just allow the buy screen from anywhere, ala Counterstrike.

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