VS Saxton Hale Mode (custom game mode)

Demonstration

“

Me, I'd rather get down there and tell them myself... with my BARE HANDS! — Saxton Hale on communication

”

The VS Saxton Hale Mod is a Juggernaut-style modification of Arena mode. The modification pits the TF2 mercenaries (RED) against Mann Co. CEO Saxton Hale (BLU). Armed with plenty of health and his bare hands, the player taking control of Saxton Hale must eliminate all of RED to win, while RED either attempts to kill him, or captures the map's control point (which can also be captured by Saxton).

Gameplay

The mod has the same base rules as Arena, in that there is no respawning until the next round. BLU however, is composed of just a single player as Saxton Hale. His traits include increased health, a few special abilities and he can only use melee weapons.

Many actions that would instantly kill a normal player, such as backstabs and taunt kills, will only deal a large amount of damage to the player playing Saxton Hale rather than killing him outright.

There is a small chance that the Vagineer, Horseless Headless Horsemann Junior or the Christian Brutal Sniper will be spawned instead of Saxton Hale.

Info about plugin

• Curret version: 1.1
• Needed SourceMod extensions: Attachables, TF2Items, SDKHooks, Socket
• Recommended maps gamemodes: Arena, koth, medieval.
• Plugin is avaliable to download from 31 dec 2010 on Random Fortress Forum. From 2 Jan 2011 - on Allied Modders Forum.

Abilities

Saxton Hale

• Superjump: The player must crouch on the spot, look up and release crouch. This will send him flying up into the air. This ability has a five-second cooldown.
• Rage: When Saxton Hale has taken enough damage, about 1,900, his rage meter will be full. Taunting with a full rage meter will stun all enemy players in close proximity. The stun effect is similar to that produced by the Ghosts in Harvest and the Horseless Headless Horsemann on their respective Halloween maps. Saxton Hale's taunt however, also affects Sentry Guns.
• Equalizer effect: movement speed increases as Hale becomes injured.

Vagineer

• Superjump: The player must crouch on the spot, look up and release crouch. This will send him flying up into the air. This ability has a five-second cooldown.
• Rage: When the Vagineer has taken enough damage, about 1,900, his rage meter will be full. By taunting with a full rage meter, the Vagineer will become ÜberCharged for 8.5 seconds. The Vagineer's taunt also slows the movement of nearby players rather than stunning them.
• Equalizer effect: move speed increases as the Vagineer becomes injured.

Horseless Headless Horsemann Junior

• Teleport: The player must crouch on the spot, look up and release crouch. This will send him to random enemy. This ability has a fifty-second cooldown.
• Rage: When the HHHjr has taken enough damage, about 1,900, his rage meter will be full. Taunting with a full rage meter will stun all enemy players in close proximity. The stun effect is similar to that produced by the Ghosts in Harvest and the Horseless Headless Horsemann on their respective Halloween maps. The HHHjr's taunt however, also affects Sentry Guns.
• Equalizer effect: move speed increases as the HHHjr becomes injured.

Christian Brutal Sniper

• Superjump: The player must crouch on the spot, look up and release crouch. This will send him flying up into the air. This ability has a five-second cooldown.
• Rage: When the CBS has taken enough damage, about 1,900, his rage meter will be full. Taunting with a full rage meter will stun all enemy players in close proximity. The stun effect is similar to that produced by the Ghosts in Harvest and the Horseless Headless Horsemann on their respective Halloween maps. The CBS's taunt however, also affects Sentry Guns.
• Equalizer effect: move speed increases as the CBS becomes injured.

Balance Specifics

Saxton Hale's (and the HHHjr's, Vagineer's and CBS's) health follows a formula based upon the initial number of players on RED at the start of the round. His health is calculated as [(n+250)*n]^1,155, 'where n is the initial number of players on RED'. For the HHHjr: when n>10, he has this formula: n=n-(n-10)/3.

Some weapons equipped by players on RED will be changed into their default counterparts or edited for balance issues:

• All classes: non-backstab melee weapons will always perform Crits, to reward the player for taking risks with close-range combat.
• Scout: The Crit-a-Cola gives full Crits instead of Mini-Crits.
• Soldier: The Battalion's Backup is replaced with a Shotgun. Jumper is not allowed (replaced with default Rocket Launcher).
• Pyro: Starts with 100 ammo.
• Demoman: The Chargin' Targe blocks one hit from Saxton. Jumper is not allowed (replaced with default Sticky Launcher).
• Heavy: Natascha can't be used. If a Heavy has it equipped it is swapped for the regular Minigun. Starts with 100 ammo.
• Engineer: Only small metal packs. Start with 158 metal. Recommended classlimit is 3.
• Medic: Spawn with 40 percent of charge. 150 percent after activation. Primary weapons is critical.
• Sniper: Jarate is not allowed (replaced with the SMG). Passive effect can stack on top of the SMG. All weapons perform Crits.
• Spy: A Backstab from the Knife deals roughly 10% of Hale's max health in damage. Upon a successful backstab the player is cloaked, and a message stating that Hale was stabbed is displayed to all players.

Strategy

Playing the classes

General

• Stick together! Teamwork here is vital.
• Try to attack Saxton from afar. He can only use melee weapons.
• Health is vital here. Saxton's punch does about 175 damage. If you survive, don't try to get lucky again.
• Taunt-kills only do 500 damage. Keep this in mind when attempting to taunt-kill him.
• Although Saxton can super-jump, keep in mind that there are some places where he cannot jump out of.
• Alert your teammates of Saxton's whereabouts at all times.

Scout

• The Sandman becomes an upgrade of the Bat as you will gain the power to stun, while Saxton can one-hit kill you even with the full Milkman set.
• The Force-A-Nature knocks back Saxton Hale. Try to aim him into chasms or away from vital teammates.
• As an emergency weapon, Bonk Atomic Punch can help you get away from close encounters.
• Bonk can also help stall and distract Saxton long enough for your team to attack him.
• Crit-a-Cola is quite useful for high damage Scouts as one hit from Saxton Hale will kill you without a Mini-Crit penalty anyway.
• On a team without Medics, Mad Milk will help your team get much needed health back from close encounters with Saxton Hale.
• Use the Shortstop or Pistol when Saxton is far away from you.

Soldier

• The Direct Hit is very useful for Soldiers with the Buff Banner as the higher damage output helps build rage faster.
• Use your Rocket Launcher's knockback to knock away Saxton Hale from your team.
• Spamming rockets can help distract Saxton Hale for a moment, helping your team attack him.
• In this mod, the Equalizer becomes more of an escaping weapon rather than a high damage weapon.
• The Pain Train becomes a very useful capping weapon as there are no possible sources of bullet damage.
• The Black Box is very useful on a team without Medics as it will heal you when you hit Saxton.
• Be sure to have a good healing source nearby when you use the Battalion's Backup, as Saxton Hale's punch does a lot of damage is likely to hit you more than once unless distracted by something else.

Pyro

• Be careful when using your Flamethrower, as Saxton Hale can pass through the flames.
• Your Flamethrower's and Degreaser's airblast can prove to be invaluable. Keep in mind however, that is has a short range.
• Some players cannot see Saxton Hale easily due to glitches, slow computers etc. Use your Fire to light him up for all to see.
• Beware of maps with water. Saxton can easily drop in and extinguish the afterburn.
• You only have 100 ammo to use. Keep this in mind when attempting to juggle or burn.
• The Flare Gun is very useful as it can burn Saxton from far away.
• The Axtinguisher becomes a risky weapon as you have to be very close up to him. Burning him will make Saxton aware of your presence.
• The Gas Jockey's gear's speed boost may prove to be useful in escapes.
• Although the Powerjack's health gain bonus becomes useless, the extra 25% damage becomes very useful.

Demoman

• The Loch-n-Load becomes a very high damage weapon, and is especially useful as most Saxton Hales prefer to take a brute force approach.
• The Chargin' Targe is more for defensive purpose, allow you to survive one hit. Do not charge tooward Saxton Hale as he can easily hit you.
  • Instead, use the Targe as an escaping weapon as Saxton cannot keep up with the Targe's speed.
• Consider equipping Claidheamh Mòr if using the Chargin' Targe because of the benefit of extra charge distance.
• Set plenty of stickytraps along map routes used by Saxton. This is where the Scottish Resistance comes in handy.
• The Eyelander becomes a downgrade from the Bottle as there is only one, ultra powerful, head to acquire. The longer range is countered by the Speed and melee range of the bosses, which is even greater than the swords.
• Spam grenades at Saxton to distract and disorient him.

Heavy

• Always have a Medic with you. You will be Saxton's main priority.
• You are the ultimate gunner in your team. Try not to go anywhere alone.
• On a team without Medics, take the Sandvich to help your survivability or the Dalokohs Bar to help your ability to stay fighting.
• Don't rely on your high health to survive. Saxton can beat you down in two well-placed hits.
• Sandviches can be dropped. Try to aim them at very wounded teammates.
• Consider carrying the GRU as your Melee to run away. Taking other Melees and use them for attack will only result in a dead Heavy,
• Stay close to a Dispenser or Amplifier; your guns will chew through ammunition easily.

Engineer

• Build your Dispenser first. Your team needs lots of ammo and health.
• Some servers allow you to build Crit-spensers (also known as Amplifiers) that allow anyone nearby to get Crits. Use this when you are in a very, very safe place.
• The Gunslinger gives you the ability to build mini Sentry Guns that takes less metal. Use them as a temporary defense or as an alert to see where Saxton is.
• Sentry Guns provide significant knockback. With sufficient Engineers, you may provide enough force to force Saxton to find another route.

Medic

• Use your primary weapon (which always Crits) to deliver much-needed firepower. Sometimes Medic is better than the Heavy due to the higher damage output.
  • However, don't try to use the Blutsauger to out-heal Saxton's punch.
  • The crossbow is useful if played on a large map, such as vsh_west or Watchtower. Use it as a Sniper weapon.
• Heal your teammates often, either by using Medi Gun or Amputator, depending on the situation and the number of patients.
• Don't use your Übersaw to build up your Übercharge unless Saxton is distracted or if you are trying to stun him with the Spinal Tap taunt.
• You start with 40% Übercharge to help you build it up.
• Do not hesitate to deploy your Übercharge on a teammate in danger.

Sniper

• Since all weapons Crit, your SMG will have a higher damage output compared a Heavy's Minigun. Use this to your advantage
• Your critical un-zoomed shot (or uncharged in the case of Huntsman) can deliver 150 damage. Considering the speed of Saxton Hale, it is in generally preferable to shoot him unscoped/uncharged, or go for plain body shots.
• As of now, your secondary is not "replaced" except in the case of Jarate. Consider equipping Darwin's Danger Shield.

Spy

• Always go for backstabs, as the knives do not Crit.
• Because Saxton Hale is always moving, using the Invisibility Watch to uncloak behind him is difficult to pull off. Instead, use Dead Ringer to ensure you survive his attacks.
• L'etranger is recommended as it allows the Spy to recharge his Dead Ringer faster and potentially survive an extra hit.

Playing the Bosses

General

• General etiquette is not to cap the point(s) as one of the bosses unless desperate; generally, that's when your health drops under 2000. However, should the opponents be heavily entrenched, cap the point to draw them out. On high enough health, actively attacking is expected when playing as a Boss.
• Remember that you are not invincible, especially on a small server with a small amount of opponents (e.g. if you only have one opponent your health is 500). If you can not charge forward, find another route toward their stronghold.
• Knockbacks will be your worst enemy. Deal with Pyos, Scouts, Engineers and Sentry Guns first because you go after other classes.
• On a server with large amount of players, feel free to use a brute-force approach against the enemy. Chances are you will catch one or two easily.
• Remember to use your taunt!(default "g") In general, you should use your taunt when one of the following was encountered:
  • Trying to catch the Scout, the only class that can outrun you.
  • Knockback clusters (eg Pyro and Scouts). They maybe smaller than a larger group, but they are your worst opponents as they prevent you from approaching. Kill them first.
  • A cluster of opponents, as well as Sentry nests. The taunt, aside from allowing the boss to quickly dispatch a bunch of opponent, also helps eliminate the knockbacks from the Sentry Guns.
• If the Engineer die, his buildings are also destroyed. Thus, if both his sentry and the Engineer are stunned, go after the Engineer.
• Superjump may be disadvantages in some situation; a cluster of well placed Sentry Guns can easily send you hovering above ground, making you a floating target.

Horseless Headless Horsemann Junior

• If you have low health, retreat to a safe corner (provided that your opponents are not capturing the point). Use teleport to surprise them before either giving your opponent a quick chop or scaring them with your taunt.

Vagineer

• Your taunt will only slow enemies, but it provides a lengthy ÜberCharge. When taunting, go after more damaging targets such as Heavies or Sentry Guns.

Trivia

• The Saxton Hale model is forced over a Soldier player, using the same animations and skeletal model. From the first-person perspective the BLU player will have a Shovel. Occasionally there are graphical glitches and the RED team will see a Soldier clipped into Saxton Hale.
  • Because of this it is possible to get Soldier, Demoman and Engineer's achievements while playing as Hale, the Horseless Headless Horsemann Junior and the Vagineer.
• There is a 2/15 chance a Vagineer will appear instead, and 2/15 for HHHjr.
• The Horseless Headless Horsemann from the Scream Fortress Event is remarkably similar to the Saxton Hale Mod. It follows the same format of a player or NPC with high health and damage levels, which must be destroyed by the rest of the players.
• Saxton Hale can still be damaged by taunts, but will only take 500 damage instead of being killed.
• He can still be stunned with The Sandman baseballs or if he is Huntsman taunted (Skewer) or is Übersaw taunted (Spinal Tap).
• On 25th Dec. to 7th Jan. Christian Brutal Sniper has chance to fight.
• This mod is similar to PwnShop's One.VS.All mod. Plugins were developed independed by different authors and using different methods.

Bugs

• It is possible for two players to spawn as Hale on the same team.

External Links

• Random Fortress Forum
• Official group
• Relevant SPUF thread
• Mod Credits
• News on Kotaku.com