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How can I improve myself competitively?
posted in Mentoring
1
#1
14 Frags +

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E41K5YjZieI

Most of you know me as the guy that started playing TF2 LITERALLY 2 weeks ago, made content and started his comp. team, now I actually have a game that I played on my stream today, and that is a 14 min scrimmage round against a team that was Iron. We are an Iron team as well!

Some things people told me during the stream:

1) Use Mad Milk more often.
2) Stick with the team, even as a Scout.

That's what I mainly saw from the chat, and I played as the Scout. He's my most played class with nearly ~10-11 hours!

I'd love to know if you guys can give me pointers and tips on how I can play better and improve my gameplay, thank you :D

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E41K5YjZieI[/youtube]

Most of you know me as the guy that started playing TF2 LITERALLY 2 weeks ago, made content and started his comp. team, now I actually have a game that I played on my stream today, and that is a 14 min scrimmage round against a team that was Iron. We are an Iron team as well!

Some things people told me during the stream:


1) Use Mad Milk more often.
2) Stick with the team, even as a Scout.


That's what I mainly saw from the chat, and I played as the Scout. He's my most played class with nearly ~10-11 hours!

I'd love to know if you guys can give me pointers and tips on how I can play better and improve my gameplay, thank you :D
2
#2
11 Frags +

I've mentored highlander Scouts in the past so, I may or may not take the time to watch it through later.

Quick things:
-If you're constantly chatting to yourself "oh i shouldn't have done that i'm so bad!", you're not listening to your team. you need to quiet down.

-Don't repeatedly suicide into them on offense. You've got to wait until the opportune time to push, or your life is wasted. The scout can be a powerful class when played well, so you should try and stay alive whenever possible.

I know you're trying to appeal to viewers, but I don't think your viewers want you to talk constantly for the entire video, and your team could certainly use you to actually listen to them.

I've mentored highlander Scouts in the past so, I may or may not take the time to watch it through later.

Quick things:
-If you're constantly chatting to yourself "oh i shouldn't have done that i'm so bad!", you're not listening to your team. you need to quiet down.

-Don't repeatedly suicide into them on offense. You've got to wait until the opportune time to push, or your life is wasted. The scout can be a powerful class when played well, so you should try and stay alive whenever possible.

I know you're trying to appeal to viewers, but I don't think your viewers want you to talk constantly for the entire video, and your team could certainly use you to actually listen to them.
3
#3
6 Frags +

um watch POV of other tf2 players

um watch POV of other tf2 players
4
#4
6 Frags +

Keep on practicing, every time you play competitively (and occasionally on pub servers) you will learn something new. It could be something vital to your development as a player or it could be a little tidbit that you can stow away and use some other day.

Keep on practicing, every time you play competitively (and occasionally on pub servers) you will learn something new. It could be something vital to your development as a player or it could be a little tidbit that you can stow away and use some other day.
5
#5
14 Frags +

1) In the beginning when the doors open, don't be scared just go to the cart, all you do is push the cart on pl so it doesn't matter if you die. If you die to stickies you clear the way for more important people.
2) Don't just sit around and push side flanks that are cluster fucks. If it looks like you'll get mulched by a soldier you probably will. (top left @ 1st point). ALWAYS BE DOING SOMETHING and that means pressuring cart not tagging the heavy being healed for 15 dmg
3) Don't bait your team on the cart, your job is to push the cart not the other way around, just back on and off the cart so they can't ignore you, but if they put too many people on you, you're free to run away.
4) DM, your aim will get better with time and practice. Dm/mge or just keep playing

5) Milk honestly isn't that important. I'll probably run pistol 3/4 of the time.

6) Communicate with your team instead of just talking to your stream. I know you're streaming but the team needs to know what you see instead of just reassuring yourself that you're the MILKMAN.

1) In the beginning when the doors open, don't be scared just go to the cart, all you do is push the cart on pl so it doesn't matter if you die. If you die to stickies you clear the way for more important people.
2) Don't just sit around and push side flanks that are cluster fucks. If it looks like you'll get mulched by a soldier you probably will. (top left @ 1st point). [b]ALWAYS BE DOING SOMETHING[/b] and that means pressuring cart not tagging the heavy being healed for 15 dmg
3) Don't bait your team on the cart, your [b]job is to push the cart[/b] not the other way around, just back on and off the cart so they can't ignore you, but if they put too many people on you, you're free to run away.
4) DM, your aim will get better with time and practice. Dm/mge or just keep playing

5) Milk honestly isn't that important. I'll probably run pistol 3/4 of the time.

6) Communicate with your team instead of just talking to your stream. I know you're streaming but the team needs to know what you see instead of just reassuring yourself that you're the MILKMAN.
6
#6
5 Frags +

Try not to talk over your mumble comms, everyone understands you're trying to appeal to viewers but comms are the most important thing in highlander.

Try not to talk over your mumble comms, everyone understands you're trying to appeal to viewers but comms are the most important thing in highlander.
7
#7
4 Frags +
Kapoww1) all you do is push the cart on pl so it doesn't matter if you die.

This can be true, but not 100% of the time in payload. Feel free to die if it accomplishes something, but you should never just be throwing your body at them because you feel like it.

[quote=Kapoww]1) all you do is push the cart on pl so it doesn't matter if you die.[/quote]
This can be true, but not 100% of the time in payload. Feel free to die if it accomplishes something, but you should never just be throwing your body at them because you feel like it.
8
#8
-3 Frags +

mge

mge
9
#9
6 Frags +

I usually run the pretty boys pocket pistol unless the enemy pyro is ridiculous; the extra health is so good. Before you go into any fight get your medic to give you a full buff, and try to only choose fights that you can win (they wasted all their ammo, or you have health/positional advantage). Just focus on pushing the cart on, that's your most important job on payload; more advanced stuff such as ubering into them will come at higher levels. Don't suicide into the cart unless it's right at the end and you want to keep it from moving back, but a dead ringer spy can do that easier. But yeah, get healed a lot, listen to your teams damage calls and work off of that; value your life.

I usually run the pretty boys pocket pistol unless the enemy pyro is ridiculous; the extra health is so good. Before you go into any fight get your medic to give you a full buff, and try to only choose fights that you can win (they wasted all their ammo, or you have health/positional advantage). Just focus on pushing the cart on, that's your most important job on payload; more advanced stuff such as ubering into them will come at higher levels. Don't suicide into the cart unless it's right at the end and you want to keep it from moving back, but a dead ringer spy can do that easier. But yeah, get healed a lot, listen to your teams damage calls and work off of that; value your life.
10
#10
3 Frags +
smoboKapoww1) all you do is push the cart on pl so it doesn't matter if you die.This can be true, but not 100% of the time in payload. Feel free to die if it accomplishes something, but you should never just be throwing your body at them because you feel like it.

*** sorry if this wasn't clear
Yes, don't throw your life away. In the context of the initial opening of the doors, you basically have no effect on the destruction of the sentry + the pop of the enemy uber in which case it's okay to die.

If you see a good chance to make a good trade (demo/medic/heavy) or get a lot of dmg, kills etc. Then you are free to throw your body at them. There is a lot of grey area that you'll pick up as you play and decision making that is questionably right or wrong. That being said, I make a lot of questionable (even wrong?) decisions but I can dm my way out which makes them seem "ok" (What I like to call tf2pug-syndrome).

[quote=smobo][quote=Kapoww]1) all you do is push the cart on pl so it doesn't matter if you die.[/quote]
This can be true, but not 100% of the time in payload. Feel free to die if it accomplishes something, but you should never just be throwing your body at them because you feel like it.[/quote]

*** sorry if this wasn't clear
Yes, don't throw your life away. In the context of the initial opening of the doors, you basically have no effect on the destruction of the sentry + the pop of the enemy uber in which case it's okay to die.

If you see a good chance to make a good trade (demo/medic/heavy) or get a lot of dmg, kills etc. Then you are free to throw your body at them. There is a lot of grey area that you'll pick up as you play and decision making that is questionably right or wrong. That being said, I make a lot of questionable (even wrong?) decisions but I can dm my way out which makes them seem "ok" (What I like to call tf2pug-syndrome).
11
#11
2 Frags +

Scout is all about making good decisions and DM. Don't matter how good your decisions are if you can't hit shots and doesn't matter how good your DM is if you make stupid decisions (well, in higher levels anyway).

Really when you've only got 11 hours in the game you should just play the game more, understand the mechanics and realise what you can and cannot do as a class. And hit more shots. Pub more, read the wiki (especially the standard stuff like damage, dps, health, unlocks).

As for people telling you to use different loadouts... Meh, stock is fine for scout, if you can't do much as a standard scout you're not going to be contributing much more running milk. Better to focus on the fundamentals of hitting scatter shots and dodging damage than be stuffing around with unlocks.

Entertaining viewers and playing to get better require two different approaches to playing. Play in your own time and use your brain power to think about the game instead of trying to entertain.

Don't expect much improvement until you hit 100 hours on any given class when starting out. Don't be discourage but there are people with 1000 hours on scout and still improving and people with 4000 hours in the game and still improving.

Scout is all about making good decisions and DM. Don't matter how good your decisions are if you can't hit shots and doesn't matter how good your DM is if you make stupid decisions (well, in higher levels anyway).

Really when you've only got 11 hours in the game you should just play the game more, understand the mechanics and realise what you can and cannot do as a class. And hit more shots. Pub more, read the wiki (especially the standard stuff like damage, dps, health, unlocks).

As for people telling you to use different loadouts... Meh, stock is fine for scout, if you can't do much as a standard scout you're not going to be contributing much more running milk. Better to focus on the fundamentals of hitting scatter shots and dodging damage than be stuffing around with unlocks.

Entertaining viewers and playing to get better require two different approaches to playing. Play in your own time and use your brain power to think about the game instead of trying to entertain.

Don't expect much improvement until you hit 100 hours on any given class when starting out. Don't be discourage but there are people with 1000 hours on scout and still improving and people with 4000 hours in the game and still improving.
12
#12
4 Frags +

don't read your stream chat while playing

don't read your stream chat while playing
13
#13
0 Frags +

you just need to play more to get game sense

P.S. - next try 6's

you just need to play more to get game sense


P.S. - next try 6's
14
#14
0 Frags +

I haven't watched the video, but I know you're new to competitive and play scout, so I'm going to just give you a few words of advice for playing overall and playing scout. Note: I'm only a player who's never made it out of open, albeit having at least 3 different opportunities to. I'm not the smartest player, or the best scout. What I say will potentially be either common sense to anyone with enough experience or stuff that I have learned myself through playing.

The most important piece of overall advice I feel like I can give a new player is this...

You should always ask yourself if what you're about to do is the right decision or not. If you honestly believe it is and can explain to yourself why, bring it up in Mumble (or whatever VOIP you use) and see if your team gives you the OK. If you believe your decision will hurt your team more than help them, don't bother bringing it up and keep thinking. If you can't come up with something quick enough, ask your team what they would like you to do.

The best decisions come from a team who think together.

As for playing scout, I have never played it in a highlander based scrim/pug, but I can't imagine it being much different than sixes, on the unfortunate exception of it being much less useful. Whatever the case, hopefully what I say helps even just a little.

Don't chase kills, at least not alone. This seems like it would be more of a necessary thing to understand in a mode where there are more people on the opposite team, and those extras being perma-stupid classes. Though chasing kills and successfully bringing down the target & retreating helps your team, the odds can easily be stacked against you. Many factors come into play when regarding chasing frags and whether or not it's okay to. Remember: Competitive TF2 is mostly a game of teamwork and situations. While it's completely possible to have the exact same situations, odds are you'll experience many new situations in between a previous situation and it being repeated.

While that last part isn't something only tied to chasing frags, it's still something completely relevant to the game itself and something you should understand early on. But anyway, it's good to understand how far you can hold W before you're honestly overextending for what can easily be a burden on your team. The way I personally look at it is: If you turn around and can't see at least two people on your team (one can work but 2 is much more assuring), then you're more than likely way too far ahead.

If you can't get the pick, don't worry about it. As long as you're not dead after failing, you're not really hurting anyone.

The next piece of advice I can give is something that over time I've placed higher and higher on my list of the most important pieces of advice to give a new player, or just a player seeking general scout help. This would be to stop caring about your DM. Now don't get me wrong, completely not caring about your DM isn't something you should invest in doing. What I mean is, don't let it control you. Don't obsess over how good your DM is. Yes, high DPM (Damage Per Minute) is literally always a good thing, but trying to force it is playing selfishly. If it happens, it happens. Just play. Your DM will improve by just playing. Yes, you should practice your DM, but like I said, don't let it control you.

And finally, movement. I'm not really sure how to give solid movement advice for scouts playing in highlander, considering there are more classes who can nonchalantly ruin your movement by clicking one button. But the general idea of good movement is to try and be unpredictable. The trick here though, is that you want to be predictable to the other team, but having a clear and thought out vision yourself. Certain movement patterns are better for facing certain classes, while they may or will be a detriment to you against others. For example, mashing your strafe keys against a pyro or heavy is the worst movement based decision you could make. However, doing so against, say, another scout, can quite often be helpful.

Use props. I'm sure this is easily something that transfer from sixes to highlander. Props are there for a reason when you have double jump capabilities. Don't let that second jump go to waste or only be used on mashing spacebar in front of someone on the other team. You're wasting potential by doing that. Some props don't even need both jumps, but that only opens many other opportunities.

That's all I can really say. There is more I could try giving advice on, but it will probably end up being advice that may not transfer between the different ways of playing competitively. That and I'm just really tired :P I hope I was helpf

I haven't watched the video, but I know you're new to competitive and play scout, so I'm going to just give you a few words of advice for playing overall and playing scout. Note: I'm only a player who's never made it out of open, albeit having at least 3 different opportunities to. I'm not the smartest player, or the best scout. What I say will potentially be either common sense to anyone with enough experience or stuff that I have learned myself through playing.

The most important piece of overall advice I feel like I can give a new player is this...

You should always ask yourself if what you're about to do is the right decision or not. If you honestly believe it is and can explain to yourself why, bring it up in Mumble (or whatever VOIP you use) and see if your team gives you the OK. If you believe your decision will hurt your team more than help them, don't bother bringing it up and keep thinking. If you can't come up with something quick enough, ask your team what they would like you to do.

The best decisions come from a team who think together.

As for playing scout, I have never played it in a highlander based scrim/pug, but I can't imagine it being much different than sixes, on the unfortunate exception of it being much less useful. Whatever the case, hopefully what I say helps even just a little.

Don't chase kills, at least not alone. This seems like it would be more of a necessary thing to understand in a mode where there are more people on the opposite team, and those extras being perma-stupid classes. Though chasing kills and successfully bringing down the target & retreating helps your team, the odds can easily be stacked against you. Many factors come into play when regarding chasing frags and whether or not it's okay to. [b]Remember: Competitive TF2 is mostly a game of teamwork and situations.[/b] While it's completely possible to have the exact same situations, odds are you'll experience many new situations in between a previous situation and it being repeated.

While that last part isn't something only tied to chasing frags, it's still something completely relevant to the game itself and something you should understand early on. But anyway, it's good to understand how far you can hold W before you're honestly overextending for what can easily be a burden on your team. The way I personally look at it is: If you turn around and can't see at least two people on your team (one can work but 2 is much more assuring), then you're more than likely way too far ahead.

If you can't get the pick, don't worry about it. As long as you're not dead after failing, you're not really hurting anyone.

The next piece of advice I can give is something that over time I've placed higher and higher on my list of the most important pieces of advice to give a new player, or just a player seeking general scout help. This would be to [b]stop caring about your DM.[/b] Now don't get me wrong, completely not caring about your DM isn't something you should invest in doing. What I mean is, don't let it control you. Don't obsess over how good your DM is. Yes, high DPM (Damage Per Minute) is literally always a good thing, but trying to force it is playing selfishly. If it happens, it happens. Just play. Your DM will improve by just playing. Yes, you should practice your DM, but like I said, don't let it control you.

And finally, movement. I'm not really sure how to give solid movement advice for scouts playing in highlander, considering there are more classes who can nonchalantly ruin your movement by clicking one button. But the general idea of good movement is to try and be unpredictable. The trick here though, is that you want to be predictable to the other team, but having a clear and thought out vision yourself. Certain movement patterns are better for facing certain classes, while they may or will be a detriment to you against others. For example, mashing your strafe keys against a pyro or heavy is the worst movement based decision you could make. However, doing so against, say, another scout, can quite often be helpful.

Use props. I'm sure this is easily something that transfer from sixes to highlander. Props are there for a reason when you have double jump capabilities. Don't let that second jump go to waste or only be used on mashing spacebar in front of someone on the other team. You're wasting potential by doing that. Some props don't even need both jumps, but that only opens many other opportunities.

That's all I can really say. There is more I could try giving advice on, but it will probably end up being advice that may not transfer between the different ways of playing competitively. That and I'm just really tired :P I hope I was helpf
15
#15
1 Frags +

Going to keep this simple.

I think the 2 biggest things I saw:
1) Communication, communication, and communication - Tell you team where there is a danger and what it is. Such as you saw the spy a lot and did not say a thing. You could have said "spy is around cart" or "soldier is on our med". Things like that.

2) Gotta push that cart. Always look to support while you are pushing. On offense you got to do your best to keep the cart going. So tell others that you're down and cannot push so others know to fill in that gap. If there is something blocking you from pushing, tell your teammates what it is so you can get that support.

Going to keep this simple.

I think the 2 biggest things I saw:
1) Communication, communication, and communication - Tell you team where there is a danger and what it is. Such as you saw the spy a lot and did not say a thing. You could have said "spy is around cart" or "soldier is on our med". Things like that.

2) Gotta push that cart. Always look to support while you are pushing. On offense you got to do your best to keep the cart going. So tell others that you're down and cannot push so others know to fill in that gap. If there is something blocking you from pushing, tell your teammates what it is so you can get that support.
16
#16
5 Frags +
v3kzzdon't read your stream chat while playingsquidDon't read stream chat and play hl lol

blue names = plus frags

[quote=v3kzz]don't read your stream chat while playing[/quote]
[quote=squid]Don't read stream chat and play hl lol[/quote]
blue names = plus frags
17
#17
-7 Frags +
Moyv3kzzdon't read your stream chat while playingsquidDon't read stream chat and play hl lolblue names = plus frags
[quote=Moy][quote=v3kzz]don't read your stream chat [b]while playing[/b][/quote]
[quote=squid]Don't read stream chat and[b] play hl [/b]lol[/quote]
blue names = plus frags[/quote]
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