TF2 Tips

[[JiF]Sly Gambit]

First off the tips during load-up are remarkably helpful. However I think I'm starting to pick up on a few things that might help other people play different characters, play different maps, or generally just do better.

Good Pairs - a good pairing of players who communicate can be incredibly effective.

Pyro+Engy. The Pyro burns anything that comes near while the Engy's sentry gun keeps away anything that could hurt the Pyro.
Medic+Heavy. Duh.
Spy+Scout. Great for capping/grabbing flags defended by engineers. The Spy disables, the scout kills, and then the scout caps/grabs the flag.
Demo+Soldier. An under-rated pairing that can take on nearly any defense or assault.

Snipers
-Kneeling helps
-Keep your back to a wall. Spies can't backstab you if they can't get behind you.
-Try to stay away from any 'packs'. Snipers on the other team will be staring at their scopes at the action. If you're to their side they can't see you but you can headshot them.
-Keep your laser dot against a wall that they can't see, wait until they appear, and then line up for them. If your dot is angled where you think they'll appear they'll be able to see it and make sure they appear somewhere else.
-Concentrate on Snipers, Medics, and then Heavys last.

Demoman
-If you're defending use your secondary weapon to drop 4 bombs at the corners of a flag/briefcase and then use your other 4 bombs at a good chokepoint. Don't blow up the ones at the checkpoint - you just want to make the other team hesistate - and just flip to your alternate if someone is capping your flag or stealing your briefcase.
-Use the W button to flip to your other gun. It's faster than most other methods.
-If you're on a map that has 'standard' engy sentry gun/dispenser gathering points try to start tossing grenades over objects in that general direction.
-If you're attacking dispenser touching engy manned sentry guns concentrate on killing the engy or dispenser first.

Heavy
-Try to find a point where there's a big ammo case nearby (and a health case if you don't have a medic buddy). Then don't stop shooting.
-Aim for their heads. In heavy v. heavy battles that makes all the difference. Sure your gun is spread way out but it does average out in a circle and you're better off hitting their head 1 in 10 shots and their body 3 out of 10 than hitting their body 5 out of 10 and missing their head.
-If you're involved in a medic/heavy v. medic/heavy battle aim for the medic. Always. And don't move that much so your medic can stay hidden (behind you or even better behind a rock).

Engy
-DON'T LEAVE YOUR SENTRY GUN.
-Use your dispenser to block some attack angles at your sentry gun. Keep in mind the Sentry gun won't shoot through the dispenser so make sure it doesn't affect the field of fire.
-Keep your dispenser close so you can keep using your wrench on the SG w/o having to leave.
-If you're in a group with a lot of engys make sure you bunch your dispensers and your guns. Dispensers are more effective at healing and the guns provide cover against spies who want to disable the gun and then kill the engy while it's disabled.
-Set a teleporter entrance immediately upon leaving your base and then paint something right next to it.
-When you set your exit announce where it goes to your team. If you've done a paint job next to the entrance tell them 'The JiF Jar Teleporter goes to the Basement'.
-On sudden death matches always build your dispenser first, preferably near your base and away from all the action. Don't worry as much about keeping it near your sentry gun as sudden death matches usually don't see any kind of assault until you've had plenty of time to fix up your gun.
-Keep your back to a wall whenever your sentry is getting sapped. You'll be able to unsap it before the spy can kill you if you don't let him backstab you.

Scout
-Use your double jump judiciously. Sure it's fun but when you're airborn you're an easy target.
-Remember that your job is to get caps or flags.
-Use your shotgun or your bat against every character class except the Pyro. Against him either run or stay back and use your pistol. He's the scout's bane because you can't get close and then dodge/weave. He'll burn you and you'll realize how little life the scout has.

Pyro
-Ok. I don't know squat about him because I've played him for 2 minutes. However if scouts or spies are giving your team fits then he seems extremely effective at killing them. A Pyro/Engineer team is arguably more effective overall than a Medic/Heavy team.

Spy
-Decide if your goal is to kill people or to disable defenses. Then focus on that goal.
-If you're running into the enemy's area make sure you keep turning around, looking like you're being chased. Otherwise there's no reason why you should be running back into their area.
-If a sentry gun is manned by an engy make sure you wait until you'll be able to get behind the engy. Then disable the sentry, use W to switch to your knife, and kill the engy.
-An even better tactic, if you can pull it off, is to coordinate an attack on the position with a heavy/demo/scout/etc. or another Spy. In that case you need to disable the gun to signal the start of the attack and then the assaulting char can take out the engy. This is the safest and most effective route to take.
-Pick a class that you've seen on the other team. Engy is the favorite but most engy's hit each other on sight because they expect each other to be spies. Going with a Pyro, a Demo, or a sniper is usually more effective. Don't use a scout - you walk too slow.
-Choose your disguise early, cloak well before entering enemy territory, and then uncloak somewhere relatively secluded.
-Don't uncloak in the open. You will keep your 'haze' long enough to be spotted.
-Don't use teleporters. The red/blue glitter effect effectively disables your disguise/cloak.

Medics
-Find a Heavy.
-Hide behind the heavy.
-Keep an eye behind you both whenever possible. Don't let your heavy or you get backstabbed.
-If you can't find a heavy look for soldiers or demomen.
-If there is already a heavy/medic combo and you don't have a better option link up with them. Keep your health on the heavy but keep an eye on the other medic and heal him if he gets hurt. Try to not bunch with the other medic.
-If people are screaming for a medic and aren't hurt hit them with your needle gun or saw before healing them. They're probably a spy.

Soldier
-When shooting at snipers fire a shot at where they are and then pause a second before firing another shot at the same point. They will dodge one and most good snipers know not to poke your head out immediately. The timed delay helps.
-Your rockets can be shot outside of the range of sentry guns.
-When attacking manned sentry guns kill the engy first.
-Use your rocket jump only if you're sure there's health near where you're going to land.
-Only use your shotgun if you're out of rockets.
-Only use your shovel if you're looking for humor.

I'm sure I'll think of more. There are a couple tips for maps but I'll post those once I make sure which names go with which maps.