ROCKS

Ok,
so I feel that the tactics are still thin on this forum so I will put my 2 cents on the only thing I know how to write intelligently on. Heavy Weapons Guy. I would like to talk about rules of engagement. When does a heavy push forward and when does he "play it safe?"

I like to put myself into two strategic mindframes when playing heavy. Risk it all (my life included) in order to take out a target of important strategic importace or be that solid forward safe zone that people can work from to attack the enemy.

When in Risk it all mode the only thing that matters is the objective. Ill thrown my body at it with all I have. It may be a sentry gun (many times one can take them out as a heavy with no medic or uber if they are just around the corner), it may be a demoman who has stickied the control point and is tucked away in some cowardly corner or it may be a medic that I know will prematurely uber all over himself if aggressed upon. The point is position. I will pull out further from my safe zone, exposing myself to danger willingly just to get closer to that objective. I will go down in a blaze of glory BUT so will my objective.

The next rule is the forward defense mode. Here one picks his objectives carefully, peaking out to get a few licks in before tucking back away into the corner. Its rare that someone will actively hunt down a medic heavy who is hidding around a corner so it becomes a safe haven for the rest of the team. The next decision is moving forward intelligently so that that forward base keeps pushing the enemy back and moving forward. One must evaluate the risk of moving forward before though. Remember, if you fall, your medic and team are way more exposed to a rush by the other guys.

The 2nd rule is where guys like Captn Dude excel. He dies very few times in a games because he knows when to pull forward and when to pull back, he picks his fights very intelligently. This is a great way to keep that forward base alive for your team and thin out incoming baddies. However, never be afraid to loose your life if it means taking out a target of strategic importance. Hell, Ive even charged snipers once or twice with the shotgun blazing cause I knew it would open the way for the other heavies and team to move forward. Did I get rocketed and piped to death as I did it? Yes. But that sniper went down.

Concluding: the rules of engagement for a heavy are in many ways similar to most assault classes but with the heavy its too easy to get ahead of yourself and get too far forward in a berzerking blood rage, exposing yourself to an untimely death when it would have been best to push a little less far and be able to return to safely for a health recharge instead of 20 seconds of "got a little carried away on that one" spectator time.

One last thing. Uber charges: They are great and they make everyone flee with terror from you. But, If you have no important strategic target that you think you will take down (rule of engagement 1) and that uber is about to die, dont be stupid, pull back to safety. Uber does not mean kamikazi in Japanese.

Thats all folks. Please feel free to disagree, elaborate or just plain complain about something.

Fish #641

I'm hungry.

C.V. Soul

You failed to mention one skill that is critical to effective Heavy play but sadly absent in most players.
That, naturally, is taking good care of your Medic.
In order to be truly good at Heavy play (which I am NOT), it's important to have communication with the guy healing you as you charge or defend a base. Also, picking a spot to stand ground should depend not only on your cover, but on a seperate (maybe safer) place of cover for your Medic, who cannot defend himself as he keeps you alive. A good line of sight is always good once in a while, and a spy check is always a good choice especially when you're about to use an uber.
I may be wrong, but in my experience most people who fail at heavy often do so because (when they get one) the Medic always dies early.

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ROCKS

Well, this really was not supposed to cover that as it was more a thread on the rules of engagment but this is definitely true. Always keep your medic alive. If I see the medics life start to fall I am focusing on him. I tend to be a little paranoid at Heavy. I turn around all the time which can take my view off the front but I do it really quick. I will randomly spray out to spy check but in general its the Medics responsibility to "watch our backs." When I play medic I am never looking at the heavy cause that side of the map is covered by him. Im always looking behind me and if I see someone suspitions I alert the heavy.

TheFeniX

I've said this before: the shotgun is the most underutilzed weapon the heavy has. Fists are great for specific circumstances (like small room defense or choke points), but you're handicapped by a slow walk speed.

The mini-gun deals out destruction at a variety of ranges and can be used to injure players at a distance and make them fall back, but mobility is severely restricted. I can't count the number of heavies I've killed as engy by working corners and sticking my head out just long enough to get a shot off.

If you're playing any kind of fast-attack offense, the shotgun is the way to go. It's the same issue newer pyros have: over reliance on their primary weapon. A combination of the flamethrower and shotgun is the key to success. For the heavy, it's the same thing.

Nothing annoys me more than seeing a heavy/medic combo come out of the gates on dustbowl, immediately hit the uber, then sit there spraying rounds ineffectually with the mini-gun.

The heavy/medic combo is a roving "bullseye." Players immediately pay attention to the largest threat and there is nothing larger. Out of the gates, the medic should save the uber while the heavy pushes up with his shotgun. Once they make it past the front lines, they can then switch over to the MG and lay down destruction. While the defenders are focusing on them, the rest of the team comes in from behind. By the time the heavy and medic are down, the rest of the team is rolling in to mop up the unorganized defenders.

Back to my original point: when I see a HWGuy covering a long distance with his MG selected, rather than his shotgun, it makes me wonder about his skill with the class

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Fish #641

Uber pyros should be taking the first point in dustbowl anyways.

ROCKS

I agree with most of what you say. I always move to shotty when moving distances and approaching baddies when I need to cover ground. The rest of your points are also well taken.

However, dont underestimate the long distance stopping power of the MG. If you are covering a point and dont want to move from there, the MG can do some great long distance mayhem. Firstly, since an enemy feels a constant drain of life as long as they are exposed, it tends to scatter them and push them away. Another thing is when you start to crit, the long distance effectiveness of the MG becomes great. Ive taken down medics in the distance just by focusing the MG on them as they hop around their targets, trying to get close to us. There is no reload delay or time between shots. Lately If im not trying to get somewhere Ill use the MG for long distances.

Take warpaths center point. Instead of charging to the middle where scouts will take me down like a swarm of african killer bees, ill hang next to the concrete stub on the end spamming my MG at the enemy that tries to move to the point and the one on the other end of the bridge. This way they cant touch me and Im raining constant HP drain on them while my team works its magic and If I start to crit, watch out.

Then some sniper named Yoshi shows up and ends the reign of terror.

TheFeniX

You're preaching to the choir baby:
I'll never underestimate the MG at range, especially with the advantage of what I've labeled a "crit roll." It's just that many new heavies think of the MG as the end-all to their class. That perception needs to be removed.

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ROCKS

amen brother

Fish #641

I prefer the term "crit rage" because it gives you a reason to yell and get excited. It's the difference between: "Meh, I got a crit roll" and "CRIT RAAAAAGE!"

neoviper

Yes, I've found that shooting at range with the MG works well, when you don't have to move around much.

The main thing I do that helps me be effective with the heavy, is to make sure I'm close enough to then enemy when I start spinning so that they cant get away. this pretty much requires a medic, but most of the time you need one anyway if you're not on defense. I agree about how it is important to remain aware of your surroundings, else spies may try to backstab you/your medic, but sometimes you just have to hope no one comes behind you, for instance if you are facing down another heavy med, you will die if you turn around. Knowing when you have the chance to glance around, and when you absolutely need to be putting all your attention into an objective, is an important part of playing heavy. Now that I've said that, I realize how similar that is to what rocks described as risk it all mode. Regardless of whether it's been said before, knowing when your team needs a solid foundation, or when they need you to destroy the enemies defenses is very important. generally the time to push forward and damage the enemy is when your team already has a significant presence in the contested area, or when you see an exposed target, such as a sentry with no engineer guarding it, or better yet, when the defense is weakened enough that you can take the capture point/intel on your own. In most other situations you would want to play more defensively, but always keep an eye out for these kind of opportunities.