Team

Team RED

Team BLU

“

I joined this team just to kill maggots like you! Click to listen — The Soldier

”

There are two teams which a player can join upon entering a game: RED, and BLU. Spectator may also be joined to watch players of either team. If the teams have an unequal amount of players, the larger team may be unable to be joined, dependant on the server's settings. The players on each team may be displayed along with their score by pressing the "Tab" button. You may also switch teams by using the "." key, as long as your team has at least one more player than the opposing team. If a team is two or more players larger than the other, a team balance may be triggered, also dependant on server settings.

At this point, there are no plans to add any more teams than the default two, as was seen in Team Fortress Classic, though this may be added either by custom modification, or officially at a later date.

Ingame

When in a team, you will find yourself with a number of players with whom you must co-operate to achieve your overall objectives, be it fighting on Payload and Attack/Defend maps, where one team will typically be attacking while the other defends, or struggling to capture a flag or control point in a Capture the Flag, Control Point map, where both teams have equal objectives and the layout is symmetrical, with the only differences between the two sides being aesthetic.

Working as a team is critical in Team Fortress 2, as each class has various weaknesses which can be compensated for by the strengths or abilities of a different class. Some of the classes are designed around team play, such as the Medic, who, alone is useless, but with an adequate class to support, becomes a valuable asset which can turn the tides of a match.

Team Members

A team will consist of a mix of the game's 9 classes, the amount of which usually based on the demand of the map and the classes picked by the enemy team.

The Classes are as follows:

• Scout - Rapid Recovery

The Scout is an ideal choice if you need an objective done quickly; capturing points and moving carts twice as fast as his teammates and spiriting the enemy Intelligence away before they even know he's there. His petite stature and swiftness makes him a befitting class to provide distractions.

• Soldier - Shock & Awe

The Soldier is equipped with his Rocket Launcher and has stamina to spare, which makes him a highly versatile class for both offensive and defensive roles.

• Pyro - Pyrotechnics

The Pyro relies heavily on ambush tactics to catch opponents off-guard, due to the short range of the Flamethrower. One of the primary roles of the Pyro is the vital task of Spy-checking; a puff of flame will ignite both Cloaked and Disguised Spies, and the Pyro will then proceed to hunt them down with the same mercy and goodwill shown all his opponents — which is to say, none.

• Demoman - House Cleaning

Armed with his Grenade Launcher and Sticky bombs, the Demoman uses his only good eye and knowledge of the surrounding environment for well timed detonations that send enemies skyward, often in several pieces.

• Heavy - Mow Down

The Heavy is the heaviest class in Team Fortress 2, boasting the highest stamina, the biggest gun, and the slowest footspeed. His firepower is highly impressive, allowing him to quickly mow down opposing babies, cowards and teeny-men in seconds.

• Engineer - Area Denial

The Engineer chooses to build and maintain Buildings that benefit the team rather than engage in much direct combat. The Engineer's various gadgets include the Sentry Gun, an automated turret, the Dispenser, which replenishes the health and ammo of nearby teammates and Teleporters that quickly transport his teammates to the fray.

• Medic - Doctor Assisted Homicide

The Medic is the primary healing class of the team. While his Medigun is focused on an ally, wounded teammates will quickly regain health, while unharmed teammates' health will be temporarily topped up. While healing, the Medic's ÜberCharge bar will fill up until the weapon begins to crackle, at which point he can activate a deadly charge that either makes himself and an ally temporarily invulnerable or gives his patient 100% Critical shots for up to 8 seconds.

• Sniper - Precision Elimination

The Sniper prefers to hide in elevated or hard-to-see spots, where he can pick off slow moving classes like the Heavy with ease. The Sniper is also ideal for eliminating enemy Medics, giving his team a chance to advance.

• Spy - Uncloak and Dagger

The Spy uses his unique array of Cloaking watches, which allow him to render himself invisible and even fake his own death, leaving unaware opponents off-guard. His Disguise Kit lets him take on the form of any class, allowing him to blend in and sneak behind enemy lines before stabbing his unsuspecting 'teammates', quite literally, in the back.

Spectator

In spectator mode you can watch the match from the perspective of any of the participating players, or roam around freely. In this mode you will take up a server slot but not a player slot. You will also go into spectate mode during the respawn period, though if you enter spectate in this fashion, you will still appear to be on your own team, and a skull will appear next to your name on the player board (TAB). The spectator camera will automatically try and seek out a player with the same class as you to spectate until you appear at a respawn area. [1]

When spectating, you may use the primary and secondary fire button to cycle through different players, and the spacebar key to switch between a first and third person perspective, or go into "noclip" mode (fly freely around the map, passing right through everything).

Trivia

• While RED and BLU are an abbreviation of Reliable Excavation and Demolition and Builders League United, respectively, they were actually named after their founders and CEO, Redmond and Blutarch Mann.