One subject that often comes up can be thematically called Imaginary Rules of Engagement, or, essentially, what the SPUF community views as the "appropriate" means of using a weapon/class. This thematic posting covers a range of subjects as varied as sniper bodyshots to the use of W+M1 by a pyro, as mentioned in my last post. I'm going to examine some of these I.R.E.'s in detail in this post, and why I think they're basically full of shit. Some can be researched in their own, as I can guarantee a quick search of the TF2 SPUF forum will result in finding several threads related to the issue, and others are more implied than really actively pursued by the SPUF faithful. Let's get started...
IRE #1: Pyro's mustn't W+M1
(I did cover this in my last post, so if I sound like a broken record here, I apologize) W+M1 means that the pyro approaches a battle with this flamer on, it's used as a insult to imply low-skill level. What it more likely implies is that the person killed is angry at being killed by what he/she considers a "noob" class, and they view themselves as worthy of a more "skilled" death. The problem for the pyro, of course, is that the flamethrower (whichever variant is used) is their main source of damage. That's why it's called a primary weapon. One that earns more kills on their secondary or melee weapon aren't using the class to it's full potential, and are likely limiting themselves to avoid being labeled as W+M1.
There are plenty of times when a pyro flaming away, either at a single enemy (oh noes! noob!) or a full group of enemies. For one thing, the flamethrower does more dps than the shotgun, flare gun, or melee weapon. Is the pyro expected to just let the enemy get away and endanger the rest of the team? No, I think not. You could, presumably, kill the same enemy with a shotgun, a weapon best used for enemies outside of the flamer's range, or the melee weapon, assuming you can HIT the bastard with it. At extreme close range, having to quickly move and fire/swing is, as can be expected under such circumstances, a hit or miss proposition. You'll miss with the flamer too, but you can improve your aim on the fly, rather than killing a whole clip in the attempt at killing a moving, dodging target. Another situtation is having to choose between chasing and flaming, or reloading a dry shotgun, a time consuming process. I'd rather the enemy were dead than kite me (or kill me) while I'm attempting to reload a shotgun. I kill them, I'm credit to team and can move on to the next thing, he kills me I'm feeding the enemy points, and clearing the way for them to work on their next objective.
Another situation involving spraying the flamer is when an group of enemies is encountered. One of the pyro's main strengths is the ability to completely disrupt an enemies advance. Even if you don't get any kills, a pyro can inflict pain and confusion on every member of a group, making the medic work overtime to get everyone healed and not on fire (a task he can't do for himself >:) ) before your team comes along and mops the floor with them. Sow enough confusion and you can kill several members of the group or even all of them. There is no other class with a comparable skill. Other classes can kill multiple enemies at once (soldier and demoman come immediately to mind) but can't create the confusion and panic that a pyro can. Try that using an airblast, shotty, or melee weapon.
If you've played TF2 you might have noticed I've ignored some of the pyros other abilities using various alternate weapons. I've done this on purpose, as the strategies I'm discussing can be accomplished by any loadout, not just particular ones. A degreaser and flare gun are a solid choice for dealing with a single enemy running away from you, as all you need to do is use a method known as the "puff and sting" involving lighting them on fire with the flamer and finishing them off with the crits from either the flare gun or axtinguisher, both of which crit when used on a flaming enemy. Incidentally, killing someone using that technique (despite it, like flaming and chasing, being a legitimate tactic) is also called a noob move.
IRE #2: Snipers must never, ever, bodyshot
This is another one that falls under the mistaken presumption that anyone that does it is a skill-less noob. Of particular note for this fallacy is anyone using the Machina sniper rifle, as at full charge even a bodyshot is enough to kill most classes without an overheal. The implication, of course, is any sniper who can't make instantaneous and consistent quick-scope headshots, is a waste of space and a noob player, and not a credit to the team. Never mind if he just killed a medic pocketing a heavy or a demo spamming sticky bombs. He's still a noob and should feel bad, and in extreme cases uninstall the game, donate their organs to science, and kill themselves.
Who the fuck really thinks like this?
It's been said before, but it bears repeating; a kill is a kill is a kill. Basically a dead enemy can't do any further harm to the team (until respawn, but still...) and thus the sniper has done his job. There's that, and there's also the fact that pretty much every single map is layed out in such a way to eliminate clear open areas that could serve as a sniper's hunting ground. Even on 2fort their one advantage of a clear bridge was eliminated early on by Valve placing a cover over the bridge, leaving snipers on the battlement to deal with not only other snipers but scouts crossing over the top of the bridge, rocket-jumping soldiers, and rampaging stick-jumping demomen. So if a sniper does manage to line up a shot on someone it doesn't last long, as enemies rarely stand still. Sometimes a sniper can manage to fire of a quick-scope headshot on a target such as a heavy, but pulling of a second one for the kill is unlikely to follow unless the heavy is just clueless.
A sniper is meant to be a long-range weapon to take out primary targets as efficiently as possible. Barring other circumstances, I'll take a sniper who'll bodyshot a medic to get the kill over one that will consistently miss or hold their shot during crucial moments in an attempt to headshot and feel "pro."
The only variation of this IRE that I'll accept as reasonable is the sniper only headshotting fellow snipers as a form of respect. The exception, naturally, is any sniper using the Sydney Sleeper, as it can't headshot.
IRE #3: The medic shalt only pocket/uber the following classes: heavy, soldier, demo. (Or: The pyro isn't an offensive class)
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| Run you fat bastard, RUN |
As a pyro "main" who has some clue about how to handle sentry nests and the like (I've cleared them out alone, without a medic, and with an active lvl 3 sentry breathing down my neck), it's infuriating to find a medic that will favor heals and ubers for one of those 3 classes, regardless of how badly they're doing. The presumption is (and not unfairly so, I'll admit) that those classes are best suited for taking out sentry nests or a large number of nearby enemies. Soldiers and demos are particularly useful for nest clearing thanks to their ability to inflict massive amounts of AOE damage.
This one is often self-imposed by the medic themselves, rather than by the community, but it brings to light an underlying criticism of certain classes; they are unworthy of the medics attention and of being central to an offensive push. To some extent, I'm inclined to agree. A sniper shouldn't be the focus of a push, as they have little in the way of any ability to deal with a crowd, engineers should be more concerned with denying an area to the enemy, and spies fall under the same category as the sniper.
But anyone denying that a pyro can make for a powerful uber push, well, simply isn't giving the class enough credit.
Of the three IRE's I've brought up here, 2 of them can readily be seen in just about every other post concerning pyro's and snipers on the SPUF forums. They're a plague on that group of malcontents, and even solid reasoning won't sway them from their firmly held belief. Which is why I'll post there, browse there, and occasionally inject my opinion, but I don't respect the community as a body, at least those that frequent SPUF heavily. Of those who carry large reputations (which are themselves a huge joke) and large post counts, I can think of maybe 1 or 2 that have anything intelligent to pass on to the community.
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