Trade TF2

TF2 Trading: Improvement

Posted on by Mei Satsuki

Competitive mode has been out for quite some time now and Team Fortress 2 players encounter some problems with regards to being able to compete properly in the new mode. For sure, any casual player like me who thinks more about TF2 trading, gets surprised on how to play competitively despite of the good performance we do in the casual quick play games. So yeah, competitive mode is a whole new arena for us and self-doubt is inevitable.

TF2 Trading: How to Improve

It all starts with the drive to improve. If you don’t have any of that, you will never survive or even enjoy the times you go into competitive play. First step is to accept you are not doing good then afterwards would be searching ways on how to improve. One way to search on how to improve is by asking people (or anyone really) for tips and tricks. Like this guy in Reddit, hajjr6 asked the TF2 Reddit on how he can improve his play with spy and engineer:

My best classes are shit (spy and engi) and anytime I play another class I do awful. I don’t know what to do, and I’m so fed up. Whenever I play Engi or spy in casual, I do extremely well.

Fortunately, someone answered him properly by commenting this:

As spy start working on revolver aim, stock revolver can do a decent 35-40 or so damage at mid range, and crits for 120. the big earner is one of the better sidegrades for its quick speed and combined with the deadringer can get you in to stab and out in no time at all. also, practice on baiting people with the deadringer, keep them distracted finding you and learn ammo locations to keep it up consistently, try for 3-4 deadrings every life or more

For engineer practice shotgun aim, shotgun spread is rather tight and with fast shot speed can do rather well close range on people whom might not notice you. running gunslinger is almost a must, for added health to survive and fast mini sentries for extra DPS. stock pistol for long range

TF2 Trading, TF2 Items, TF2, Team Fortress 2

With this, hajjr6 is on his way to improvement. How about you, do you need to improve? TF2 items will do nothing for you. Be like hajjr6. Ask away!

TF2 Trading: Last Part

Posted on by Mei Satsuki

Last time I shared to you, TF2 players and TF2 trading people, the last part of an amazing story about LoopsCode who achieved his dream with the help of actually playing Team Fortress 2.

TF2 Trading: Some Last Words

Well, we finished reading his story but he has some parting words and actually the moral of his own story. Here it goes:

So this is my story of how TF2 helped me achieved my dream of getting a job in Silicon Valley.

The lesson I learned is – just be a good person. Be a good person even under the veil of anonymity. You don’t know when it will bite you in the butt, or when it will literally help you achieve your dreams. Just do it!

tl;dr air shots and med picks achieve dreams

EDIT: I swear I wouldn’t do these type of “front page EDITs”, but damn, I woke up to 800 upvotes and a gild. Thank you all so much for receiving this so well. Frankly, I was pretty happy when I got 10 upvotes.. I’ll try my best to respond to each and every one of your comments, but if I miss you, I apologize 🙂

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This guy is very humble indeed. You know you will get so many blessings if you stay humble and do what you do.

There is one comment that I would like to highlights and it came from Jordanis. He said:

“The lesson here, folks, is make some friends.”

That’s true. You play an online game and just make an enemy out of every person you see won’t do you any good. Be humble and friendly always. Who knows, one of those people you bump to might be the closest one you will ever be. Which Kepgnar got right:

“Indeed, “playing TF2” didn’t get you the job, “knowing someone who worked there” got you the job. “playing TF2” helped you develop and demonstrate the skills to back up your referral.

Which seems to be the best way to get in somewhere, almost always.”

So yeah, whether it be giving away TF2 Items or just being friendly, the lesson is be good to everyone you meet and stay that way.

TF2 Market: Good Story Pt. 4

Posted on by Mei Satsuki

Last time I shared with you the third part of a very nice story. Here is the fourth part for you guys to enjoy as Team Fortress 2 fans and active TF2 market patrons.

TF2 Market: Continuation

I arrived at their office a few weeks later in beautiful California. I went through the rounds of interviews starting at 9 AM. After the seven and a half hours of interviews, of testing me everything from algorithms, data structures, building simple apps, asking me questions about design/UX/UI, career motivations, culture fit questions, and more, it was over. I was emotionally/physically/mentally exhausted, but I felt good. I even got to meet Messiah in person for the first time in two years, and he gave me a TF2 shirt. Even after meeting him in person, I still can’t put a face to his voice from Mumble. It’s just too unreal.

After I flew home, I went through one more phone technical interview with them, just to get more data. Considering they are a data analytics company, that made a lot of sense.

So after around 11+ combined hours of interviews, one day, my now-boss called me to extend me an offer. It was my first offer, from a company of my dreams, and after all those rejections! I don’t think happiness described it. After literally nine months of rejections after rejections, of reviewing those excruciating data structures and algorithms questions (which takes time away from me from developing great applications), of waking up knowing I still don’t have a job while friends around me were getting offers – it was finally over. It actually took me three days to fully process the mental load that it’s over.

I achieved my dream, but I didn’t do it alone. Playing TF2 actually helped me achieve my dream. Thank you Messiah, Borat, and the rest of the team for being such good people. I honestly can say I couldn’t have done it without them!

TF2 Market, Trade TF2, TF2, Team Fortress 2

Wow, Team Fortress 2 isn’t just a game. TF2 can teach some lessons that can be applied in real life. Amazing story. Trade TF2 or not, it’s still a great game. Hope you enjoyed this story by LoopsCode and learned something!

TF2 Trading: Good Story Pt. 3

Posted on by Mei Satsuki

Last time I shared with you the second part of a very nice story. Here is the third part for you guys to enjoy as Team Fortress 2 fans and active TF2 trading players.

TF2 Trading: Continuation

This is the third part of the (true) story of LoopsCode in Reddit:

Fast forward a few more months, the team sort of disbanded because we all had real life responsibilities to attend to (although no worries, we all shoot the shit on our Slack channel on a daily basis). I was talking to Messiah how I was graduating soon in June 2016, and whether he has any tips for me for job search.

Little did I know, Messiah, who I absolutely admire because he is also the main dev of a Steam based website, works in a company in Silicon Valley. I was absolutely flabbergasted. Recall, I’ve known him for around a year and a half by now, and this is the first time I knew about this. He keeps it very low key, a hint to his character. He asked me if I was interested in his company, which is conveniently located in the center of Silicon Valley.

Am I interested? Am I?? My life long dream has been to work in Silicon Valley. I think interested was an understatement. I was more like – fuck yes I am!

I honestly tried to apply for internships in this area all five years of my college career, with no luck each time. Being able to begin my career in the Valley would actually fulfill a long-time dream of mine.

Messiah put in a good word for me to the CEO of the company knowing what I did with the UGC Roster Verifier tool (and our fun technical discussions on coding and tech in Slack/Mumble), and I scheduled my first call with them.

One call led to another technical call. Then a third culture call. Then finally, I was invited to their office in the Valley for a full day of on-site interviews. I flew over from the East coast; everything was paid for. Was I nervous? Goddamn I was. At this point, I was rejected by a few companies already, and morale was at a new low.

TF2 Trading, TF2 Items, TF2, Team Fortress 2

Whoa, what happens next? Stay put for the next part as we continue on with his story! It’s as if winning a lottery of great TF2 Items.

TF2 Trading: Good Story Pt. 2

Posted on by Mei Satsuki

Last time I shared with you the first part of a very nice story. Here is the second part for you guys to enjoy as Team Fortress 2 fans and active TF2 trading players.

TF2 Trading: Continuation

This is the second part of the (true) story of LoopsCode in Reddit

As you all know, some teams would bring in unregistered ringers (often times higher skill divisions than what the current team is), imposters with the same name and display picture (played by a higher level player), or sometimes, the team leader just doesn’t know it’s against the rules. Prior to a match, there isn’t much time to actually check one-by-one whether the player on the team is really who they say they are, or whether they’re in the official roster. My team leader, let’s call him Messiah, knew that I was a software developer. He is also one. He expressed to me his frustration, and it clicked to me that maybe I should try to take a stab at solving this problem.

A few weeks later, the UGC Roster Verification tool (now offline) was born. Initially, only the players in the team used it. After awhile, I started sharing it on /r/tf2, /r/truetf2, the UGC forums, TF2Center forums, and more, and it kinda blew up. I recall over 1000 unique players used it, and for a kid like me, that was pretty insane. Hearing people’s thoughts on the tool prompted me to learn to gather user feedback, test for bugs, and ultimately implement new features to it. This was a great feeling, and it really trained me to become a better software and product developer.

 TF2 Trading, TF2 Items, TF2, Team Fortres 2

Wow, this is really getting pretty interesting, right? Were you guys able to use this UGC Roster Verification tool? Did this program also helped in terms of TF2 Items? Let us know if you did!

TF2 Market: Change of Scenery

Posted on by Mei Satsuki

It’s all bad news about Team Fortress 2 recently and these days have been no better either. No, let us not blame Blizzard with Overwatch. If there’s one we can point a finger to is to Valve and how they mishandled Team Fortress 2 in many different ways. With the overflowing news of all things bad for TF2, let us divert our attention to a good story that might never have happened if not for Team Fortress 2. Surely, this cannot be seen in the TF2 Market, so read on.

TF2 Market: Good Story

This is a post by LoopsCode in TF2 Reddit. I am merely sharing it to you guys!

This is a story on how TF2 got me a job in Silicon Valley, the place of my dreams to begin my career as a fresh new computer engineering grad.

This story started two years ago, when I was invited to sub as a Soldier in a UGC Silver Highlander team from a friend, his name Borat, I met in TF2Center. We played a few games while we chatted in Mumble, and in the first few games, we clicked pretty well. A few days later, this friend asked if I was interested in joining their team full-time as their main soldier for the upcoming season. I first hesitated, but eventually agreed because I thought the dudes were all very swell.

Fast forward a few months, we were deep into the weekly games. Our team didn’t have the best DM, or the best players, or even the best strats, but gosh darn, we had team work and good vibes. The group of guys were just great people that encouraged each other when things went south, and in general, made the sometimes-toxic UGC environment tolerable, and even fun!

Speaking of toxicity, this is how the story really started.

 TF2 Market, Trade TF2, TF2, Team Fortress 2

To be continued…

LOL. Look forward for the continuation everyone! Don’t trade TF2 yet!

TF2 Market: Team Composition

Posted on by Mei Satsuki

Now that there is a competitive mode in Team Fortress 2, the game’s play or meta changes. Team Fortress 2 was more of a casual game but now that competitive mode is one of the game’s mode, players should be more aware on how to cope with other players thus the importance of team composition. There were games that our team had no medic in them and caused the loss because noon was healing damaged teammate and it was frustrating. I was so frustrated that a cheap guy like me looked into the TF2 market and thought of buying something to relieve the stress. What more in a more serious mode in competitive mode. That’s why I am here to share with you guys on how to setup an optimal team by having a great team composition.

TF2 Market: According to Wiki

So I looked up for some write-ups on the proper team composition on competitive Team Fortress 2, because honestly I haven’t set foot in the mode in fear of getting frustrated again. Good thing TF2 Wiki provided some info on team composition:

The standard competitive lineup is made up of the following team composition:

  • 1 Medic
  • 1 Demoman
  • 1 Pocket, usually a Soldier
  • 1 Roamer, also usually a Soldier
  • 2 Utilities, usually both Scouts

The Medic and Demoman almost never change classes within a game. Depending on the map, either or both utilities might spend more time as other classes, especially on asymmetrical maps like Gravel Pit or Badwater. Soldiers most commonly remain Soldiers throughout the entire game, though the pocket sometimes switches to a Heavy, and other switches are not unheard of.

The combination of the Medic and at least one of his partners (generally a Soldier and a Demoman) is referred to as “The Combo”. The Combo will usually receive the Medic’s Übercharge, and represents a team’s location in a map. The Roamer and Situational classes will move around and look to gain picks, back-cap, or force the enemy medic to deploy an Übercharge to save himself.

TF2 Market, Trade TF2, TF2, Team Fortress 2

Trade TF2 for another game isn’t a good idea now since the addition of fresh content / new modes.

We will go further on this topic on my next article. Do you think this is the right team composition in the game? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

 

TF2 Market: Uh Oh

Posted on by Mei Satsuki

Bad news for Team Fortress 2 as their strongest competitor, Overwatch, has released trailers and news on a new character in the game and balances / fixes as well. As Team Fortress 2 just released their competitive mode and new quick match mode, Overwatch coincidentally (I would like to think) has new content. This will for sure affect the TF2 Market again.

TF2 Market in Danger Again

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PATCH FEATURES

New Hero: Ana (Support)
After being out of the fight for several years, one of Overwatch’s founding members is returning. Introducing Ana—a battle-scarred veteran who supports her teammates from a distance using a unique and highly specialized collection of weapons.

Ana’s primary weapon is her Biotic Rifle, which fires long-range darts that can restore the health of her allies or deal ongoing damage to her enemies. Meanwhile, her Biotic Grenade is perfect for a close-quarters clash, simultaneously healing teammates and injuring foes caught in its small area of effect. (Affected allies will also receive a temporary increase to all incoming healing, while affected enemies can’t be healed for a few moments.) And if the battle starts to get out of hand, Ana’s sidearm can fire a Sleep Dart, knocking her adversaries unconscious.

Plus, Ana’s ultimate ability, Nano Boost, empowers one of her teammates, granting faster movement, increased damage, and resistance to enemy attacks.

To learn more about Ana, click here.

GENERAL UPDATES

Gameplay

  • If a match goes into Overtime for more than 20 seconds, the fuse will now start to “burn down” more quickly
  • Players now respawn more slowly during Overtime (increased spawn time by 2 seconds)

 

Competitive Play

  • Competitive Play matches can now only have one of each hero per team. For more info, click here.

 

Miscellaneous

  • Added Ana as an AI-controlled hero in Practice vs. AI, Play vs. AI, and Custom Game modes
  • Timing on Zenyatta’s Rapid Discord achievement is more lenient
  • Targeted teammates now respond by saying “I’m with you,” when players use the “Group Up” communication
  • Renamed five sprays to avoid duplicate titles

You might say that this doesn’t concern Team Fortress 2. Absolutely the opposite. This greatly affects Team Fortress 2 because it fuels again the hype train in Overwatch. People will trade TF2 again for Overwatch because of this new character and changes. Hopefully this wouldn’t though because I have love for both games.

 

TF2 Market: Do You Know This Already?

Posted on by Mei Satsuki

We all have that favorite role in Team Fortress 2. We prefer this certain class more than the other classes in the game because we are so comfortable playing with that role therefore we perform best. I assume that most Team Fortress 2 players don’t know the every detail of the changes in the new big update for their classes like they do not know the trend in the TF2 Market. Do not worry, we will cover them here!

 

TF2 Market: Class Changes for Scout, Soldier and Sniper

With the help of a good Samaritan in Reddit, we got the changes for Scout, Soldier and Sniper. We will cover the rest of the lineup on the next write-up.

TF2 Market, Trade TF2

Scout

Crit-A-Cola

Added Marked-for-Death debuff for 2 seconds after the buff effect expires

The Soda Popper

Added “On hit: build Hype”

Removed “build hype by running around”

Shortstop

Added an Alt-fire attack — reach out and shove someone!

Removed +healing bonus

Reduced pushback vuln to +20% (from +40%)

Sun on a stick

Take 25% less damage from fire while deployed

Soldier

The Righteous Bison

Fixed a bug causing players to be hit by the same projectile multiple times, causing the damage dealt to vary wildly

Per-shot damage has been increased to compensate, resulting in slightly more damage on average

Point-blank deals 54 damage (previously 20-80)

Maximum range deals 24 damage (previously 14-56)

Slowed projectile by 30%

Projectile damage reduced by 25% for each enemy penetrated

Updated projectile impact sound

The Disciplinary Action

Reduced duration of speed bonus on teammates to 2 seconds (from 3)

The Rocket Jumper

Updated model/materials and sound

Sniper

Cozy Camper

Now requires a full charge to gain flinch resistance

The Sydney Sleeper

When fully charged, or when making a headshot, now applies Jarate in a radius

Scoped shots now extinguish teammates

The Cleaner’s Carbine

Removed hidden +10% damage taken multiplier while under the effects

The thought to trade TF2 for another game shouldn’t cross your mind because these changes brings a new excitement to the game. Look forward for the rest of the changes in my next post!

TF2 Market: Pyro In Us

Posted on by Mei Satsuki

On one of my articles, I said that Overwatch did a great job in creating characters with their own personalities and characteristics. Team Fortress 2 actually was kind of the first who did it in an FPS MMO setting. The different classes have different attitudes, mannerisms, etc. thus made them attractive in their genre which became a great TF2 Market.

TF2 Market: Great Analysis

There’s a fresh post in Reddit that is a great analysis on how we are all relatable to the TF2 characters especially the Pyro:

In Team Fortress 2, the nine classes are distinct characters, all with unique personalities and features. However, one of them is an exception: the Pyro. The Pyro wears a full-body suit that masks their every feature and muffles their voice. The only character trait we’re given is that the Pyro sees a very different world than we do. Instead of the violence, murder, and insanity, they see a world of rainbows, candy, and little cherubs. There’s no death in Pyroland, only happiness.

Furthermore, the Pyrovision Goggles item show that Pyroland might not be the product of insanity, but a half-virtual reality that transforms everything they see into something out of a children’s cartoon.

That’s because the Pyro represents the players.

Think about it. As players, we’re murdering people. We think it’s okay because they’re not real, because no one actually dies, but that still doesn’t change the fact that we’re virtually killing people for fun. It’s not a life-or-death battle to us, just something that we all share and enjoy. Not only that, but we even laugh at it; the comics and videos make death and brutality funny. We laugh at these grizzled mercenaries because they accidentally killed themselves, or had a fatal accident.

Furthermore, the Pyro was shown to be a very successful businessman, but would much rather be fighting, and lose himself in Pyroland. Just like how we can be successful in real life, but prefer to lose ourselves in video games filled with death and carnage.

TL;DR: The Pyro is an insane maniac because they represent us players. When we play Team Fortress 2, we’re not seeing it as it is, a horrific unending tale of violence and death, but a fun game to play. We enjoy the game, and we laugh at the comics and videos, all the while ignoring the fact that we’re enjoying virtual murder.

TF2 Market, Trade TF2

Pretty deep and relatable, right? This is one reason I won’t easily trade TF2 for any game (Overwatch is a complete exemption though, lol) because we can get deep stuff like this aside from enjoying the game.