07-12-2009, 06:53 AM
Ok, now that the Sniper vs. Spy update has been out for a good two months now, it's time for me to evaluate the new equipment used by the two classes. First, I'll start off with the Sniper and his equipment.
The sniper's new item set is centered around three themes. The first is a change from sophisticated equipment to rather primitive and barbaric weaponry. The second is centered around countering the Spy and his tactics. And finally, the third is forcing the Sniper to come closer to the action, increasing the chance of pain, but rewarding him for doing so.
Huntsman: The Huntsman replaces the Sniper's rifle. Unlike the upgrades of the previous classes, this is an entirely new weapon, not a modified one. The HUntsman is a simple bow and arrow. It has no scope, and the arrow itself has to travel through space, albeit at high speed. Therefore, other players can see it and anticipate more coming at them. The strength of the arrow is determined by how long it's been drawn back, and, of course, where the target is hit. Headshots always deal a critical hit, and the bow works as a great fire and forget weapon, as you'll hear a loud piercing noise if you manage to hit your target, no matter how far away he is. The player holds down the fire button to draw back the arrow, and takes 1 second to fully charge. However, upon 5 seconds of drawback, the Sniper's hands will start to get jittery, and the accuracy of the shot will greatly decrease. To counter that, along with conserving the very limited ammo the sniper has at 12 reserve arrows, pressing the alt. fire button will cancel the shot. Enemies stuck with an arrow will continue to have it jutting from their body until they die, and enemies killed near a wall with the Huntsman will be stuck to the wall, similar to the crossbow's mechanics from Half life 2. Finally, friendly Pyros can light the arrow for you with their flamethrower, adding fire damage to the target when struck.
Grade: A+
The Huntsman is a fantastic new addition to the Sniper. It introduces a whole new playing style to the Sniper that works amazingly well.
Jarate: The Jar-based Karate. The weapon replaces the SMG, and is simply a jar of urine, created by the Sniper himself. You only get one shot with the Jarate, but after you throw it, you get refill in 15 seconds unless you run back to the gun cabinet. Ammo pickups do not increase the refill speed. It's thrown like a grenade followed by the Sniper shouting "JARATE!" "BOMBS AWAY!" or a few other quotes that can be heard by nearby enemies and allies alike. It has a range similar to the Demo's sticky an excellent splash radius (No pun intended), and any enemies hit with it will be saturated in a coat of warm pee. This includes enemy spies, who will have a dripping wet silhouette when cloaked. This weapon doesn't do any (physical) damage on its own, but it increases the damage done to the targets by 35%, indicated by a sound similar to glass cracking and a yellow "MINI CRIT!!" icon above the target's head. I believe this stacks with the normal "CRITICAL HIT!!!" for extra damage. Finally, the Jarate can also be used on allies to extinguish any fires they may have on them, including yourself, without the unpleasant humiliating effect it has on enemies
Grade: A+
As rediculous as this weapon may sound, it is a brilliant support weapon, especially when combined with the Heavy. My only complaint right now is that you do not gain any points for extinguishing fires on your allies, but hopefully that changes in future patches.
Razorback: Also occupying the secondary slot, replacing Jarate and the SMG is the Razorback, which is passively used. The Razorback can be seen on the Sniper's back as a Tribal Shield wired to a car battery. It functions as a one-time safeguard against backstabs, disabling the Spy's knife for a few seconds and shattering the shield. the Sniper gains a new one when they respawn or visit the gun locker.
Grade: D
Just short of 3 As across the board, the Razorback is not that great of a support item. It takes away the secondary slot and doesn't function the anti-spy role as good as the Jarate. A smart Spy would shoot at the Sniper instead, usually killing him within a few shots, long before most Snipers would realize they're being shot at from behind.
The Spy's equipment is a mixed bag altered several times in the newer patches. The idea behind the Spy's equipment was to blend him in better amongst the enemy, along with maintaining that concealment. The Spy's play tactics was based around raw skill and some luck, which is what this new equipment is centered around.
Disguise Kit: The Spy's disguise kit has been altered in this game to give the player more information about what they look like to the enemy. The hud next to their health bar will display who they're disguised as, including their name, their health to the enemy, as well as the weapon they're currently holding.
Grade: A+
The modifications to the disguise kit helps the Spy a lot, making it easier to predict who they are imitating, allowing a greater ease of access to current and future Spies alike.
The Ambassador: This high-class weapon replaces the standard revolver. Engraved with the image of the Scout's Mother, the Ambassador deals critical hits upon a headshot, but it is not enough to kill a fully healed anybody. It has very high initial accuracy with 0 spread, but after the first shot, the accuracy will decrease, not by a lot, but enough to make headshots very difficult. The reload is the same as the normal revolver, it has the same capacity, but the firing speed is similar to the shotgun, without the pumping involved.
Grade: C
The weapon isn't very good, but it's a stepup somewhat from the crappy revolver. It also looks a lot prettier, probably the coolest-looking weapon in the game yet.
Cloak and Dagger: The Cloak and Dagger is a new addition, replacing the current invisibility watch. This one gives the Spy unlimited cloak, provided they stay perfectly still, but once they start moving, the power starts to drain, lasting the same length of time the normal one does. Stopping will slowly regenerate the watch's power; picking up ammo crates will not regenerate power save for the gun locker. I also hear that moving with the cloak on will give away a silhouette to closeby enemies and allies.
Grade: B
The Cloak and Dagger is a tricky item to use. It's based on waiting and hoping an enemy Pyro doesn't come along and torch your ass. The regeneration time while cloaked is also rather slow, but it regenerates faster when uncloaked.
The Dead Ringer: The Dead Ringer is a stopwatch that activates upon the Spy being injured, even by fall damage, faking the Spy's death by generating a corpse on the ground and turning the real Spy invisible for 8 seconds or until they deactivate it. The Dead Ringer emits a loud static sound upon deactivation, alerting anybody nearby that you're not dead. Basically, it's a second chance at life. The Dead Ringer can be recharged by ammo boxes and the gun locker, but can't be activated again until fully charged. If an enemy kills the spy, it will also generate a fake kill reticule in the killbox in the upper right-hand corner for that player. The Spy also has to have the Dead Ringer out with the alt. fire button, and they can't attack while it's out. Of course, the enemy can't see that you have it equipped, so don't worry. The Dead Ringer also protects you from damage while cloaked, limiting damage to around 10%. Pyros again, are the crutch in this weapon. Ignited Spies will still be on fire even when cloaked, forcing them to run back to their side or face the killcam.
Grade: A-
This weapon isn't actually all that bad if you know how to handle it. Like the rest of the Spy, it also has a steep learning curve, so it's ill-advised to be used by a person inexperienced with the Spy.
The sniper's new item set is centered around three themes. The first is a change from sophisticated equipment to rather primitive and barbaric weaponry. The second is centered around countering the Spy and his tactics. And finally, the third is forcing the Sniper to come closer to the action, increasing the chance of pain, but rewarding him for doing so.
Huntsman: The Huntsman replaces the Sniper's rifle. Unlike the upgrades of the previous classes, this is an entirely new weapon, not a modified one. The HUntsman is a simple bow and arrow. It has no scope, and the arrow itself has to travel through space, albeit at high speed. Therefore, other players can see it and anticipate more coming at them. The strength of the arrow is determined by how long it's been drawn back, and, of course, where the target is hit. Headshots always deal a critical hit, and the bow works as a great fire and forget weapon, as you'll hear a loud piercing noise if you manage to hit your target, no matter how far away he is. The player holds down the fire button to draw back the arrow, and takes 1 second to fully charge. However, upon 5 seconds of drawback, the Sniper's hands will start to get jittery, and the accuracy of the shot will greatly decrease. To counter that, along with conserving the very limited ammo the sniper has at 12 reserve arrows, pressing the alt. fire button will cancel the shot. Enemies stuck with an arrow will continue to have it jutting from their body until they die, and enemies killed near a wall with the Huntsman will be stuck to the wall, similar to the crossbow's mechanics from Half life 2. Finally, friendly Pyros can light the arrow for you with their flamethrower, adding fire damage to the target when struck.
Grade: A+
The Huntsman is a fantastic new addition to the Sniper. It introduces a whole new playing style to the Sniper that works amazingly well.
Jarate: The Jar-based Karate. The weapon replaces the SMG, and is simply a jar of urine, created by the Sniper himself. You only get one shot with the Jarate, but after you throw it, you get refill in 15 seconds unless you run back to the gun cabinet. Ammo pickups do not increase the refill speed. It's thrown like a grenade followed by the Sniper shouting "JARATE!" "BOMBS AWAY!" or a few other quotes that can be heard by nearby enemies and allies alike. It has a range similar to the Demo's sticky an excellent splash radius (No pun intended), and any enemies hit with it will be saturated in a coat of warm pee. This includes enemy spies, who will have a dripping wet silhouette when cloaked. This weapon doesn't do any (physical) damage on its own, but it increases the damage done to the targets by 35%, indicated by a sound similar to glass cracking and a yellow "MINI CRIT!!" icon above the target's head. I believe this stacks with the normal "CRITICAL HIT!!!" for extra damage. Finally, the Jarate can also be used on allies to extinguish any fires they may have on them, including yourself, without the unpleasant humiliating effect it has on enemies
Grade: A+
As rediculous as this weapon may sound, it is a brilliant support weapon, especially when combined with the Heavy. My only complaint right now is that you do not gain any points for extinguishing fires on your allies, but hopefully that changes in future patches.
Razorback: Also occupying the secondary slot, replacing Jarate and the SMG is the Razorback, which is passively used. The Razorback can be seen on the Sniper's back as a Tribal Shield wired to a car battery. It functions as a one-time safeguard against backstabs, disabling the Spy's knife for a few seconds and shattering the shield. the Sniper gains a new one when they respawn or visit the gun locker.
Grade: D
Just short of 3 As across the board, the Razorback is not that great of a support item. It takes away the secondary slot and doesn't function the anti-spy role as good as the Jarate. A smart Spy would shoot at the Sniper instead, usually killing him within a few shots, long before most Snipers would realize they're being shot at from behind.
The Spy's equipment is a mixed bag altered several times in the newer patches. The idea behind the Spy's equipment was to blend him in better amongst the enemy, along with maintaining that concealment. The Spy's play tactics was based around raw skill and some luck, which is what this new equipment is centered around.
Disguise Kit: The Spy's disguise kit has been altered in this game to give the player more information about what they look like to the enemy. The hud next to their health bar will display who they're disguised as, including their name, their health to the enemy, as well as the weapon they're currently holding.
Grade: A+
The modifications to the disguise kit helps the Spy a lot, making it easier to predict who they are imitating, allowing a greater ease of access to current and future Spies alike.
The Ambassador: This high-class weapon replaces the standard revolver. Engraved with the image of the Scout's Mother, the Ambassador deals critical hits upon a headshot, but it is not enough to kill a fully healed anybody. It has very high initial accuracy with 0 spread, but after the first shot, the accuracy will decrease, not by a lot, but enough to make headshots very difficult. The reload is the same as the normal revolver, it has the same capacity, but the firing speed is similar to the shotgun, without the pumping involved.
Grade: C
The weapon isn't very good, but it's a stepup somewhat from the crappy revolver. It also looks a lot prettier, probably the coolest-looking weapon in the game yet.
Cloak and Dagger: The Cloak and Dagger is a new addition, replacing the current invisibility watch. This one gives the Spy unlimited cloak, provided they stay perfectly still, but once they start moving, the power starts to drain, lasting the same length of time the normal one does. Stopping will slowly regenerate the watch's power; picking up ammo crates will not regenerate power save for the gun locker. I also hear that moving with the cloak on will give away a silhouette to closeby enemies and allies.
Grade: B
The Cloak and Dagger is a tricky item to use. It's based on waiting and hoping an enemy Pyro doesn't come along and torch your ass. The regeneration time while cloaked is also rather slow, but it regenerates faster when uncloaked.
The Dead Ringer: The Dead Ringer is a stopwatch that activates upon the Spy being injured, even by fall damage, faking the Spy's death by generating a corpse on the ground and turning the real Spy invisible for 8 seconds or until they deactivate it. The Dead Ringer emits a loud static sound upon deactivation, alerting anybody nearby that you're not dead. Basically, it's a second chance at life. The Dead Ringer can be recharged by ammo boxes and the gun locker, but can't be activated again until fully charged. If an enemy kills the spy, it will also generate a fake kill reticule in the killbox in the upper right-hand corner for that player. The Spy also has to have the Dead Ringer out with the alt. fire button, and they can't attack while it's out. Of course, the enemy can't see that you have it equipped, so don't worry. The Dead Ringer also protects you from damage while cloaked, limiting damage to around 10%. Pyros again, are the crutch in this weapon. Ignited Spies will still be on fire even when cloaked, forcing them to run back to their side or face the killcam.
Grade: A-
This weapon isn't actually all that bad if you know how to handle it. Like the rest of the Spy, it also has a steep learning curve, so it's ill-advised to be used by a person inexperienced with the Spy.
![[Image: WalkingEye-1.jpg]](http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff85/Dark_Suzaku/WalkingEye-1.jpg)
No super-villain can resist the temptation of a Walking Eye.
