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Why did Valve nerf Ambassador so harshly?
1
#1
0 Frags +

Ok I really don't understand this. The diamondback was pretty much a straight upgrade with a faster firing speed and easier to use because you don't have to go for headshots. Why did valve nerf the ambassador to shit when it took skill, but leave the diamondback alone?

Ok I really don't understand this. The diamondback was pretty much a straight upgrade with a faster firing speed and easier to use because you don't have to go for headshots. Why did valve nerf the ambassador to shit when it took skill, but leave the diamondback alone?
2
#2
83 Frags +
naturespiritvalve
[quote=naturespirit]valve[/quote]
3
#3
-13 Frags +

yea just reinstalled after a few weeks break and the amby nerf is pretty crazy, it would be fine if the falloff was less harsh (maybe like 80 dmg farthest distance)

yea just reinstalled after a few weeks break and the amby nerf is pretty crazy, it would be fine if the falloff was less harsh (maybe like 80 dmg farthest distance)
4
#4
48 Frags +

Spy Mains

Spy Mains
5
#5
15 Frags +

if the diamondback is as good as all these spy players have been saying it is for the past 4 days, just use it

if the diamondback is as good as all these spy players have been saying it is for the past 4 days, just use it
6
#6
2 Frags +

because pubbers don't like getting punished for walking in straight lines

tbh it's better this way, don't need to treat a spy like a sniper in terms of sightlines and positioning etc

because pubbers don't like getting punished for walking in straight lines

tbh it's better this way, don't need to treat a spy like a sniper in terms of sightlines and positioning etc
7
#7
74 Frags +
Getawhaleif the diamondback is as good as all these spy players have been saying it is for the past 4 days, just use it

If we wanted a game that played itself we'd be on over.gg.

[quote=Getawhale]if the diamondback is as good as all these spy players have been saying it is for the past 4 days, just use it[/quote]
If we wanted a game that played itself we'd be on over.gg.
8
#8
20 Frags +
Getawhaleif the diamondback is as good as all these spy players have been saying it is for the past 4 days, just use it

because its banned in hl

[quote=Getawhale]if the diamondback is as good as all these spy players have been saying it is for the past 4 days, just use it[/quote]
because its banned in hl
9
#9
1 Frags +

the ambassador was the only fun thing about spy tbh

the ambassador was the only fun thing about spy tbh
10
#10
refresh.tf
21 Frags +
jynxedthe ambassador was the only fun thing about spy tbh

It still exists, only now you can't 2shot every class except heavy from across the map

[quote=jynxed]the ambassador was the only fun thing about spy tbh[/quote]
It still exists, only now you can't 2shot every class except heavy from across the map
11
#11
38 Frags +
nopetbh it's better this way, don't need to treat a spy like a sniper in terms of sightlines and positioning etc

I agree, in high level play it's basically a second sniper, look at the logs of the ETF2L grand finals last season: http://logs.tf/1831456
Blu's spy got the most headshots, and both spies got less than 30 backstabs in 123 minutes. I feel like Valve just wants spies to be 'spies' again instead of a second sniper. What I mean is that the ability to read your opponents and strike at the right time (gamesense) is completely gone with the old ambassador. And again it takes skill to be really good with the ambassador, but that's not the point of the spy class (according to Valve).

[quote=nope]
tbh it's better this way, don't need to treat a spy like a sniper in terms of sightlines and positioning etc[/quote]

I agree, in high level play it's basically a second sniper, look at the logs of the ETF2L grand finals last season: http://logs.tf/1831456
Blu's spy got the most headshots, and both spies got less than 30 backstabs in 123 minutes. I feel like Valve just wants spies to be 'spies' again instead of a second sniper. What I mean is that the ability to read your opponents and strike at the right time (gamesense) is completely gone with the old ambassador. And again it takes skill to be really good with the ambassador, but that's not the point of the spy class (according to Valve).
12
#12
-1 Frags +

Only complaint I have about the new amby is there either should be no maximum headshot range, or a sound to let you know that you're out of headshot range, but you're hitting a headshot.

The amby is still really strong, people are just upset that they can't use it at long range, which is what Valve and pretty much everyone else wanted.

Only complaint I have about the new amby is there either should be no maximum headshot range, or a sound to let you know that you're out of headshot range, but you're hitting a headshot.

The amby is still really strong, people are just upset that they can't use it at long range, which is what Valve and pretty much everyone else wanted.
13
#13
-15 Frags +

They gave pyro a long-range option, I don't see why spy doesn't deserve one.

They gave pyro a long-range option, I don't see why spy doesn't deserve one.
14
#14
10 Frags +

idk the amby on its own always felt fair. it was more the combination with the (old) DR that made it a bit too easy to sit out of range and shoot as much as you like without getting punished for it. Since the DR got obliterated they didn't have to be so harsh on a weapon that requires considerable skill too

idk the amby on its own always felt fair. it was more the combination with the (old) DR that made it a bit too easy to sit out of range and shoot as much as you like without getting punished for it. Since the DR got obliterated they didn't have to be so harsh on a weapon that requires considerable skill too
15
#15
7 Frags +
4hpidk the amby on its own always felt fair. it was more the combination with the (old) DR that made it a bit too easy to sit out of range and shoot as much as you like without getting punished for it. Since the DR got obliterated they didn't have to be so harsh on a weapon that requires considerable skill too

Pretty much this. People are vastly overstating the skill it takes to sit way behind people and take free shots at their heads. After that first blog post this summer I said they should just attach a cloak nerf to having the amby equipped. They ended up nerfing both the gun and the (DR) cloak though.

[quote=4hp]idk the amby on its own always felt fair. it was more the combination with the (old) DR that made it a bit too easy to sit out of range and shoot as much as you like without getting punished for it. Since the DR got obliterated they didn't have to be so harsh on a weapon that requires considerable skill too[/quote]


Pretty much this. People are vastly overstating the skill it takes to sit way behind people and take free shots at their heads. After that first blog post this summer I said they should just attach a cloak nerf to having the amby equipped. They ended up nerfing both the gun and the (DR) cloak though.
16
#16
-13 Frags +

The DR nerf was overkill. They overshot the finish line with that one. Should've made all ammo packs give the amount of a small ammo pack for a start and see how it fairs but for now this cloak is dead.

The DR nerf was overkill. They overshot the finish line with that one. Should've made all ammo packs give the amount of a small ammo pack for a start and see how it fairs but for now this cloak is dead.
17
#17
21 Frags +

The DR is so bad and no one uses it. But if you use it, everyone will think you have actually died! It's a huge buff!

The DR is so bad and no one uses it. But if you use it, everyone will think you have actually died! It's a huge buff!
18
#18
38 Frags +
kmoo0105The DR is so bad and no one uses it. But if you use it, everyone will think you have actually died! It's a huge buff!

valve playing 9d underwater backgammon

[quote=kmoo0105]The DR is so bad and no one uses it. But if you use it, everyone will think you have actually died! It's a huge buff![/quote]
valve playing 9d underwater backgammon
19
#19
-18 Frags +
nopevalve playing 9d underwater backgammon

arguably the best post since pankey #freepankey

[quote=nope]
valve playing 9d underwater backgammon[/quote]
arguably the best post since pankey #freepankey
20
#20
5 Frags +

because they didn't listen to the explicit feedback of nearly everyone in the "solicit feedback from tftv" thread that nerfing both the ambassador and the dead ringer at once was a bad idea. nerfs should be incremental and slight, but since valve touches this game once every eighteen months, they have to make sweeping changes every time. generally speaking, this is the problem behind every buff/nerf we have disliked for the last five years.

because they didn't listen to the explicit feedback of nearly everyone in the "solicit feedback from tftv" thread that nerfing both the ambassador and the dead ringer at once was a bad idea. nerfs should be incremental and slight, but since valve touches this game once every eighteen months, they have to make sweeping changes every time. generally speaking, this is the problem behind every buff/nerf we have disliked for the last five years.
21
#21
0 Frags +

The stock revolver is better at 'sniping' than the ambassador, so it's absolutely useless. They did the classic overnerfing. Good they nerfed the shit out of the DR, but they did it wrong again.

They should just remove all the retarded bonuses except the damage reduction, and then readd the ammo pickup, and then u get away if ur good. The Ambassador range should be at least doubled so that u can still snipe people but your not so far away from the action that nobody knows where u are. This way good players will get rewarded for good aim, and bad players wont get headshots from miles away on targets who are standing still.

The stock revolver is better at 'sniping' than the ambassador, so it's absolutely useless. They did the classic overnerfing. Good they nerfed the shit out of the DR, but they did it wrong again.

They should just remove all the retarded bonuses except the damage reduction, and then readd the ammo pickup, and then u get away if ur good. The Ambassador range should be at least doubled so that u can still snipe people but your not so far away from the action that nobody knows where u are. This way good players will get rewarded for good aim, and bad players wont get headshots from miles away on targets who are standing still.
22
#22
8 Frags +

If you wanna frag from far away play sniper smh, sniper spies are hyperaids and the amby now works fine: if you are good you 2shot things that you get in fights with and if you are bad then just use another pistol

The DR was shit already though so I dont really get the nerf

If you wanna frag from far away play sniper smh, sniper spies are hyperaids and the amby now works fine: if you are good you 2shot things that you get in fights with and if you are bad then just use another pistol

The DR was shit already though so I dont really get the nerf
23
#23
21 Frags +

if you want to play as a skill-based aiming class who operates by shooting heads at long ranges, i have some good news for you about the class located right next to the spy on the select screen

if you want to play as a skill-based aiming class who operates by shooting heads at long ranges, i have some good news for you about the class located right next to the spy on the select screen
24
#24
7 Frags +
Jason_HeyThe DR nerf was overkill. They overshot the finish line with that one. Should've made all ammo packs give the amount of a small ammo pack for a start and see how it fairs but for now this cloak is dead.

Playing a Payload pub(or any map with a bunch of ammo packs, really, but Payload has it the worst) against a DR spamming spy was usually a nightmare. They never died, they just surfed from ammo pack to ammo pack and having to drop everything to chase down this one spy across the entire map with his speed boost so he doesn't farm Diamondback crits of your tard teammates was not fun to play against. The most important concept when it comes to whether to buff or nerf a weapon should be "is it fun to play against" and not purely "is it fun to play as." Shame the diamondback also went untouched, there's a lot of weapons that just went unnoticed by Valve.

[quote=Jason_Hey]The DR nerf was overkill. They overshot the finish line with that one. Should've made all ammo packs give the amount of a small ammo pack for a start and see how it fairs but for now this cloak is dead.[/quote]
Playing a Payload pub(or any map with a bunch of ammo packs, really, but Payload has it the worst) against a DR spamming spy was usually a nightmare. They never died, they just surfed from ammo pack to ammo pack and having to drop everything to chase down this one spy across the entire map with his speed boost so he doesn't farm Diamondback crits of your tard teammates was not fun to play against. The most important concept when it comes to whether to buff or nerf a weapon should be "is it fun to play against" and not purely "is it fun to play as." Shame the diamondback also went untouched, there's a lot of weapons that just went unnoticed by Valve.
25
#25
-3 Frags +

I wonder if the issue with Spy isn't just that the revolver unlocks offer too much of an incentive to play a style that only tangentially involves backstabbing people, but also that backstabbing is underpowered conceptually in a high-HP game like TF" where you have lots of opportunities to look behind you even in tenser situations.

Even the Dead Ringer is more about being annoying than being effective, and "skill-based" plays using elevation are generally very easy to read even by mediocre players. Outside of another movement speed buff -- and corresponding revolver nerf -- I can't think of a way to push people into the covert ops gameplay Valve seems to envision with the Spy anymore.

I wonder if the issue with Spy isn't just that the revolver unlocks offer too much of an incentive to play a style that only tangentially involves backstabbing people, but also that backstabbing is underpowered conceptually in a high-HP game like TF" where you have lots of opportunities to look behind you even in tenser situations.

Even the Dead Ringer is more about being annoying than being effective, and "skill-based" plays using elevation are generally very easy to read even by mediocre players. Outside of another movement speed buff -- and corresponding revolver nerf -- I can't think of a way to push people into the covert ops gameplay Valve seems to envision with the Spy anymore.
26
#26
-4 Frags +
Collaidejynxedthe ambassador was the only fun thing about spy tbhIt still exists, only now you can't 2shot every class except heavy from across the map

Well if you could do that already that would be fine because that is a very hard thing to do.

[quote=Collaide][quote=jynxed]the ambassador was the only fun thing about spy tbh[/quote]
It still exists, only now you can't 2shot every class except heavy from across the map[/quote]
Well if you could do that already that would be fine because that is a very hard thing to do.
27
#27
24 Frags +

I've played against many amazing spies who did not use the Dead Ringer and were fully effective with the the default invisiwatch/cloak 'n' dagger. If you main spy and were solely dependent on the Dead Ringer, I'm sorry to say you were dependent on a crutch.

In highlander, I think most people would agree that Acooma was one of best spies to play. His ambassador aim, especially for the time he played, was so far ahead of any other spies at the time. In his matches against really low level teams, you can just watch the guy just destroy teams by spamming the DR and ambassador (this isn't even the most impressive showcase of his aim, he has many great clips I'd recommend watching). Yet against higher level teams, he would usually run invisiwatch and focus more on getting backstabs than use his impressive amby aim/dead ringer.

The second paragraph is purely meant to drive the point that spies can be insanely good still by actually getting good with the weapon that actually lets them instakill enemies. My spy awareness isn't as good as it use to be, but still currently playing highlander there's still plenty of spies that are good with timing and not needing a crutch to use to get behind enemy teams.

About the ambassador, I think it's pretty pointless to how most spies use it. I think it's incredibly solid unlock to the point of being broken in situations that involve you just trying to get away or perhaps any 1v1 situation but spy being such a fragile class him having an unlock that can help him escape those for having decent aim is pretty fair. Having it used as a second sniper though is just flatout annoying. That -102 damage actually practically means nothing against most teams that know what they're doing. That health can get healed up in almost a second via crossbow, or it just about gets rid of a buff on the more aggressive classes. It barely slows down pushes. The second sniper thing was almost only useful on pubs where healing was fairly irrelevant or where players had no idea what good game fundamentals are (if you are going to contradict me with the Acooma clip please keep in mind the skill gap between mTs and the team they were playing in that match. Acooma could've been doing anything he wanted and would've looked godly. I chose that clip to just help showcase his skill with the unlocks)

I mostly agree with the nerf Valve gave the ambassador. Make it good at actual sensible ranges that a spy should be in. The best thing I can think of is to fix that distance a little bit? Most spies have been complaining that even in fair ranges they haven't been doing enough damage with a headshot. In general though I agree with the direction that Valve are going with the weapon.

I've played against many amazing spies who did not use the Dead Ringer and were fully effective with the the default invisiwatch/cloak 'n' dagger. If you main spy and were solely dependent on the Dead Ringer, I'm sorry to say you were dependent on a crutch.

In highlander, I think most people would agree that Acooma was one of best spies to play. His ambassador aim, especially for the time he played, was so far ahead of any other spies at the time. In his matches against really low level teams, you can just watch the guy [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5IDhCvVqpo]just destroy teams[/url] by spamming the DR and ambassador (this isn't even the most impressive showcase of his aim, he has many great clips I'd recommend watching). Yet against higher level teams, he would usually run invisiwatch and focus more on getting backstabs than use his impressive amby aim/dead ringer.

The second paragraph is purely meant to drive the point that spies can be insanely good still by actually getting good with the weapon that actually lets them [b]instakill enemies.[/b] My spy awareness isn't as good as it use to be, but still currently playing highlander there's still plenty of spies that are good with timing and not needing a crutch to use to get behind enemy teams.

About the ambassador, I think it's pretty pointless to how most spies use it. I think it's incredibly solid unlock to the point of being broken in situations that involve you just trying to get away or perhaps any 1v1 situation but spy being such a fragile class him having an unlock that can help him escape those for having decent aim is pretty fair. Having it used as a second sniper though is just flatout annoying. That -102 damage actually practically means nothing against most teams that know what they're doing. That health can get healed up in almost a second via crossbow, or it just about gets rid of a buff on the more aggressive classes. It barely slows down pushes. The second sniper thing was almost only useful on pubs where healing was fairly irrelevant or where players had no idea what good game fundamentals are (if you are going to contradict me with the Acooma clip please keep in mind the skill gap between mTs and the team they were playing in that match. Acooma could've been doing anything he wanted and would've looked godly. I chose that clip to just help showcase his skill with the unlocks)

I mostly agree with the nerf Valve gave the ambassador. Make it good at actual sensible ranges that a spy should be in. The best thing I can think of is to fix that distance a little bit? Most spies have been complaining that even in fair ranges they haven't been doing enough damage with a headshot. In general though I agree with the direction that Valve are going with the weapon.
28
#28
2 Frags +

Perhaps I'm full of shit on this, but from my perspective it just seems like NA teams have a lot more aggression than EU teams. Because of this, to me atleast it seems that Invis-backstab plays are a little easier in that there is more chaos and opportunity. EU has a tendency to sit still until the very moment of the push, leaving little room for error on the Spy's part. It mostly feels like suicide plays.

Again, I could totally be talking bollocks on that.

But I think as a concept atleast, the Dead Ringer makes sense. I don't believe there's anything inherently wrong about Gunspy, as you trade gamechanging plays for some consistent damage output. As a Spy I think it's nice to have that option if you're having one of those games where you just can't seem to achieve anything with conventional play. I mean, you pretty much have to use it for Gunspying, as nobody competent ever really buys that you've died.

Personally I feel that the Amby nerf is a little harsh. At the absolute max range you're hitting 50 damage headshots, and past that you're not even hitting those. In a sense, the stock Revolver is a better long range weapon than the Amby. Imo there shouldnt be a range limit, and I think we should be doing 70 damage headshots across the board.

Also no I won't use Diamondback. It's a retarded weapon that should be removed. Rework it into a niche or something. Enforcer was retarded, then they nerfed it, and now it's bad for everything except wrecking Vaccinator Meds, which is fun af.

Perhaps I'm full of shit on this, but from my perspective it just seems like NA teams have a lot more aggression than EU teams. Because of this, to me atleast it seems that Invis-backstab plays are a little easier in that there is more chaos and opportunity. EU has a tendency to sit still until the very moment of the push, leaving little room for error on the Spy's part. It mostly feels like suicide plays.

Again, I could totally be talking bollocks on that.

But I think as a concept atleast, the Dead Ringer makes sense. I don't believe there's anything inherently wrong about Gunspy, as you trade gamechanging plays for some consistent damage output. As a Spy I think it's nice to have that option if you're having one of those games where you just can't seem to achieve anything with conventional play. I mean, you pretty much have to use it for Gunspying, as nobody competent ever really buys that you've died.

Personally I feel that the Amby nerf is a little harsh. At the absolute max range you're hitting 50 damage headshots, and past that you're not even hitting those. In a sense, the stock Revolver is a better long range weapon than the Amby. Imo there shouldnt be a range limit, and I think we should be doing 70 damage headshots across the board.

Also no I won't use Diamondback. It's a retarded weapon that should be removed. Rework it into a niche or something. Enforcer was retarded, then they nerfed it, and now it's bad for everything except wrecking Vaccinator Meds, which is fun af.
29
#29
-13 Frags +

im not a spy main ive only used it in casual, but 102 isnt even a lot which justifies the infinite range it had. if i didnt hit it on a 125 class which was most likely a scout or a pyro chasing me, they just heal it back up and do the shit they were doing before it didnt even matter. if you are a scout its your own fault you got hit with it anyway. when i play against it i never get headshot even if the spy main is clearly some sort of weaboo virgin with a youtube channel.

it was by far the hardest weapon to do 100 damage with, on a class that without the dead ringer, insta loses any fight vs any class that isn't sniper/medic as long as theyre on your screen, to a point where shooting a spy just seems like wasted time and ammo that i could be using vs someone who could actually kill me. ofc this is just pubbing.

as someone who has only played vs spies in a pub scenario i dont get this gamesense mumbo jumbo at all its either you turn around and insta kill the guy or you dont and he insta kills you. its a really stupid coinflip, and nerfing the 1 other playstyle you could have with it, that was interesting to people who werent spy mains or didnt play spy at all, just makes the class a one dimensional coinflip, much more so than the other classes. spy is by far the most underpowered class right now, which is a shame given how its probably the most pubbed class. is it really that bad that it could do 100 damage from afar? and its not like they were just rattling them off only 1 shot was accurate that gave you time to get to a healthpack or dodge or kill them too. if theyre going through this route they should at least increase the accuracy of it, but that sounds like an actual issue and maybe wont even be as fun anymore cause at that point its just not as hard or rare anymore, but the class really needs some proper combat

also were not all acooma. ive never played vs a spy that could do anything annoying/significant with that gun to a point where it was noticable and like i said ive played vs tonnes of weebs and shit. its like saying we gotta nerf scout cause shrugger just ran at froyo with 9 hp so its just facking OP.

im not a spy main ive only used it in casual, but 102 isnt even a lot which justifies the infinite range it had. if i didnt hit it on a 125 class which was most likely a scout or a pyro chasing me, they just heal it back up and do the shit they were doing before it didnt even matter. if you are a scout its your own fault you got hit with it anyway. when i play against it i never get headshot even if the spy main is clearly some sort of weaboo virgin with a youtube channel.

it was by far the hardest weapon to do 100 damage with, on a class that without the dead ringer, insta loses any fight vs any class that isn't sniper/medic as long as theyre on your screen, to a point where shooting a spy just seems like wasted time and ammo that i could be using vs someone who could actually kill me. ofc this is just pubbing.

as someone who has only played vs spies in a pub scenario i dont get this gamesense mumbo jumbo at all its either you turn around and insta kill the guy or you dont and he insta kills you. its a really stupid coinflip, and nerfing the 1 other playstyle you could have with it, that was interesting to people who werent spy mains or didnt play spy at all, just makes the class a one dimensional coinflip, much more so than the other classes. spy is by far the most underpowered class right now, which is a shame given how its probably the most pubbed class. is it really that bad that it could do 100 damage from afar? and its not like they were just rattling them off only 1 shot was accurate that gave you time to get to a healthpack or dodge or kill them too. if theyre going through this route they should at least increase the accuracy of it, but that sounds like an actual issue and maybe wont even be as fun anymore cause at that point its just not as hard or rare anymore, but the class really needs some proper combat

also were not all acooma. ive never played vs a spy that could do anything annoying/significant with that gun to a point where it was noticable and like i said ive played vs tonnes of weebs and shit. its like saying we gotta nerf scout cause shrugger just ran at froyo with 9 hp so its just facking OP.
30
#30
8 Frags +

cp_orange is now playable again. can happily quit comp now and go back to what I was playing for 3 years straight.

cp_orange is now playable again. can happily quit comp now and go back to what I was playing for 3 years straight.
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