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tf2workbench · 3 years

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Let’s settle this like gentlemen!

A week ago, I floated the idea of a grenade launcher that disabled primary weapons. While this is an interesting attribute, that isn’t the post to fully discuss it on. This post is.

Disabling a class’s primary weapon is extremely powerful, since it’s usually their primary way of interacting with enemies. A lot of classes carry a secondary weapon for this exact scenario, but remember that there are unlockable secondaries that replace the weapon with a passive, or at least not-a-weapon, effect. Examples would be the Heavy’s Sandvich, Soldier’s Buff Banner, or Sniper’s Razorback.

(As a note: “primary weapon” means the Scout’s Scattergun; Soldier’s Rocket Launcher; Pyro’s Flamethrower; Demoman’s Grenade Launcher; Heavy’s Minigun; Engineer’s Shotgun; Medic’s Syringe Gun; Sniper’s Sniper Rifle; and Spy’s disguise kit. For intuitiveness, I would have the Spy’s Revolver [ordinarily considered a secondary] fulfill this role.)

Because having your primary weapon disabled is rather significant, it shouldn’t be done willy-nilly, such that a stray bullet or explosion could do it. It also has to be within the range where the victim can do something about it. These traits point us toward a melee weapon.

Let’s start with the Pyro...

Dueling Melee Iteration 1 Pyro melee (+) On hit: Disables target’s primary weapon for three seconds (-) -25% damage (-) 50% slower holster (-) No random critical hits

(I vaguely remember an old custom weapon that did something similar. As I look around, it turns out it was the American Gothic from Advanced Weaponiser. I like the way those guys think.)

This allows the Pyro, a very close-range class, to ambush a target and incinerate them before taking a counterattack. It’s very handy, which is why I had to make the downsides so severe.

Of course, this isn’t a perfectly designed weapon, and may even end up being underpowered. There are other ambush options that 1) work better on groups and 2) kill targets even faster than the stock flamethrower. But let’s move on to another class: the one who inspired this post’s title.

Dueling Melee Iteration 2 Revolver (+) On close-range hit: Disables target’s primary weapon for five seconds (-) -30% damage (-) -30% firing speed

I know I said no ranged weapons, but this fit so well with the Spy that I had to. And, despite being a very cool concept, it didn’t work out so well. This allows you to salvage a botched stab (maybe). But is that something the Spy should have access to?

It’s also a good place to point out some inadequacies of disabling primary weapons: some classes don’t care. The Spy and Medic do far more work with non-primary weapons, while the Demoman is arguably more dangerous with his secondary. And the Engineer’s sentries don’t care what their creator can or can’t shoot. Of course, I could make it “locks targets to melee”, but that raises a different problem: it’s a way to stop Medics from charging their Uber, which is an absolute no-no for the flow of the game.

Is this attribute unsalvageable? Maybe. Is that gonna stop me from working with it? No!

Dueling Melee Iteration 3 Demoman melee (+) On hit: Disables target’s primary weapon for five seconds (-) -25 max health on wearer (-) No random critical hits

Make it a sword if you want. Heck, stick it onto the Claidheamh Mór if you want, because that weapon’s still having an identity crisis. This is highly suited for the Demoknight and, if you can get that close without dying, the Demoman too. Restricting attackers to close-range combat is something both variants of the class really, really like.

Because I’m full of ideas, let’s try another!

Dueling Melee Iteration 4 Scout melee (+) On hit: Disables target’s primary weapon for four seconds (-) -30% damage (-) 50% slower holster speed (-) No random critical hits

Like the others, really. The Scout benefits from a defenseless foe, although it’s probably more sporting to just dodge all their shots. He’s also very well-equipped to bonk some enemy in the middle of a push, giving his team an easy target. That’s why I put those significant downsides on the weapon, although they may not keep it from getting annoying - it’s hard to dissuade a Scout who wants to get into melee range, although skilled players can certainly stop the incursion.

What’s your opinion on this attribute? Who needs it most? Who absolutely does not need it?

#tf2workbench #tf2 #team fortress 2 #pyro #spy #demoman #scout #melee #primary

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