PDA
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| PDA | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Basic Information | |
| Used by: | Engineer |
| Slot: | PDA1 (Construction PDA) PDA2 (Destruction PDA) |
| Availability: | Stock or Uncrate #50 (Strange) |
| Nameable: | Construction PDA only |
| Craft No.?: | No |
| Medieval: | No |
| Available Qualities | |
| Loadout Stats | |
 PDA |
|
| “ | I built that.
Click to listen
— The Engineer
|
” |
The PDAs are default weapons for the Engineer, consisting of the Construction PDA and Destruction PDA, which he uses to construct and destroy his various buildings respectively. The Construction PDA is a calculator-type device, whereas the Destruction PDA looks similar to a typical hand-held detonation device with a miniature screen and large red button.
These gadgets are not regular weapons as they cannot be used to attack; they mainly serve as a visual cue to the player and those that see the player's character. Therefore, switching between PDAs and the last weapon active does not result in the usual delay caused by weapon switching. While the player is using the PDA, a unique menu appears on-screen to allow the player to build or destroy available buildings.
Upon selecting one of the PDAs, a superimposed HUD appears in the middle of your view. Though it lists all four available buildings, only the highlighted choices will be selectable. Selection of the buildings is done through the preset numbered keys. Pressing the last weapon used key or primary fire key will cancel the PDA and return to the previous weapon. The Pip-Boy changes the look of the Construction and Destruction PDAs.
The selection keys will only function on the appropriate PDA under the right conditions. Should the player have insufficient Metal, they will be denied access to certain buildings on the Construction PDA, yet gathering Metal will re-enable the choices with the cost met. Conversely, the Destruction PDA will only destroy builds that have already been constructed. The Destruction PDA cannot be used to destroy buildings currently being sapped by the Sapper.
If a player chooses to construct an available building from the Construction PDA, the player model will then hold a Toolbox and the player will see a template on the ground in front of them showing the orientation of the chosen building. While the template is visible, secondary fire adjusts the building's orientation by 90 degrees counter-clockwise, whilst primary fire starts the build. The last weapon used button cancels the build.
Contents
Demonstration
Console Information
Note: The console versions do not have a separate Destruction PDA. Instead, both are handled by the Construction PDA, serving as a single PDA. After choosing the proper weapon slot to activate the PDA, the player uses the right trigger or 'R2' to construct the selected building if enough Metal is available, and the left trigger or 'L2' to demolish the selected building if it has already been built.
Strange variant
Update history
- Fixed some truncated strings in the destroy menu.
- Changed PDA menus to accept keys bound to "slot1", "slot2", etc., and "slot10" cancels.
- Fixed Engineer being able to detonate buildings that are being sapped.
- [Undocumented] Added Construction PDA slot to the Engineer's loadout screen.
- [Undocumented] Made the Construction PDA nameable.
- [Undocumented] Construction PDA and Demolish PDA now appear in backpack when viewing stock items.
- [Undocumented] Fixed PDAs using the wrong animations.
- Added Strange quality for the Construction PDA.
- [Undocumented] Added a white line above the names of the buildings on the PDA menus.
June 11, 2014 Patch #2
- Fixed the Engineer's build menu staying open after changing class.
Unused content
- The item schema contains a list of ranks related to 'Health Dispensed', intended to be used by the PDA's strange variant. However, it instead simply ranks up based on Sentry kills and uses generic names and values.
Trivia
- There is a PDA1 Token in
items_game.txt, but it is unused. Internally, the Engineer's Construction PDA and the Spy's Disguise Kit fall under this slot.- The PDA2 token is used for crafting the Spy's unlockable watches, which fall into the PDA2 slot, and can be made by crafting together 3 Spy watches. This is the only use for the token.
- Crafting 3 Unique Construction PDAs together or Rebuilding a slot token with one will not create a PDA1 token.
- The
tf_build_menu_controller_modeconsole variable can make the PDA act as both a build and demolish tool, like on consoles. - The Construction PDA is based off the Texas Instrument's Datamath Calculator that first appeared in 1971.
Gallery
Construction PDA first-person view.
Construction PDA RED first-person view with the Gunslinger equipped.
Construction PDA BLU first-person view with the Gunslinger equipped.
Destruction PDA first-person view.
Destruction PDA RED first-person view with the Gunslinger equipped.
Destruction PDA BLU first-person view with the Gunslinger equipped.
Toolbox RED first-person view.
Toolbox RED first-person view with the Gunslinger equipped.
Toolbox BLU first-person view.
Toolbox BLU first-person view with the Gunslinger equipped.
Construction PDA: Menu.
Construction PDA: Menu with the Pip-Boy equipped.
An unused Backpack icon for the Toolbox found in the game's files.
See also
| Weapons | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Scattergun | Rocket Launcher | Flame Thrower | Grenade Launcher | Minigun | Shotgun | Syringe Gun | Sniper Rifle | — | |
| Force-A-Nature Shortstop Soda Popper Baby Face's Blaster Back Scatter |
Direct Hit Black Box Rocket Jumper Liberty Launcher Cow Mangler 5000 Original Beggar's Bazooka Air Strike |
Backburner Degreaser Phlogistinator Rainblower Nostromo Napalmer Dragon's Fury |
Loch-n-Load Ali Baba's Wee Booties Bootlegger Loose Cannon B.A.S.E. Jumper Iron Bomber |
Natascha Iron Curtain Brass Beast Tomislav Huo-Long Heater |
Frontier Justice Widowmaker Pomson 6000 Rescue Ranger Panic Attack |
Blutsauger Crusader's Crossbow Overdose |
Huntsman Sydney Sleeper Bazaar Bargain Machina Hitman's Heatmaker AWPer Hand Fortified Compound Classic Shooting Star |
— | ||
| Secondary | Pistol | Shotgun | Shotgun | Stickybomb Launcher | Shotgun | Pistol | Medi Gun | SMG | Revolver | |
| Bonk! Atomic Punch Lugermorph Crit-a-Cola Mad Milk Winger Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol Flying Guillotine Mutated Milk C.A.P.P.E.R |
Buff Banner Gunboats Battalion's Backup Concheror Mantreads Reserve Shooter Righteous Bison B.A.S.E. Jumper Panic Attack |
Flare Gun Detonator Reserve Shooter Manmelter Scorch Shot Panic Attack Gas Passer Thermal Thruster |
Chargin' Targe Scottish Resistance Sticky Jumper Splendid Screen Tide Turner Quickiebomb Launcher |
Sandvich Dalokohs Bar Buffalo Steak Sandvich Fishcake Family Business Robo-Sandvich Panic Attack Second Banana |
Lugermorph Wrangler Short Circuit C.A.P.P.E.R Giger Counter |
Kritzkrieg Quick-Fix Vaccinator |
Jarate Razorback Darwin's Danger Shield Cozy Camper Cleaner's Carbine Self-Aware Beauty Mark |
Ambassador Big Kill L'Etranger Enforcer Diamondback | ||
| Melee | Bat | Shovel | Fire Axe | Bottle | Fists | Wrench | Bonesaw | Kukri | Knife | |
| Sandman Frying Pan Holy Mackerel Boston Basher Candy Cane Sun-on-a-Stick Fan O'War Three-Rune Blade Saxxy Atomizer Conscientious Objector Unarmed Combat Wrap Assassin Freedom Staff Bat Outta Hell Memory Maker Ham Shank Golden Frying Pan Necro Smasher Crossing Guard Batsaber Prinny Machete |
Equalizer Pain Train Frying Pan Half-Zatoichi Saxxy Disciplinary Action Market Gardener Conscientious Objector Escape Plan Freedom Staff Bat Outta Hell Memory Maker Ham Shank Golden Frying Pan Necro Smasher Crossing Guard Prinny Machete |
Axtinguisher Homewrecker Frying Pan Powerjack Back Scratcher Sharpened Volcano Fragment Maul Saxxy Postal Pummeler Conscientious Objector Third Degree Lollichop Neon Annihilator Freedom Staff Bat Outta Hell Memory Maker Ham Shank Golden Frying Pan Necro Smasher Crossing Guard Prinny Machete Hot Hand |
Eyelander Pain Train Scotsman's Skullcutter Frying Pan Horseless Headless Horsemann's Headtaker Claidheamh Mòr Ullapool Caber Half-Zatoichi Saxxy Persian Persuader Nessie's Nine Iron Conscientious Objector Scottish Handshake Freedom Staff Bat Outta Hell Memory Maker Ham Shank Golden Frying Pan Necro Smasher Crossing Guard Prinny Machete |
Killing Gloves of Boxing Frying Pan Gloves of Running Urgently Fists of Steel Warrior's Spirit Saxxy Eviction Notice Conscientious Objector Apoco-Fists Holiday Punch Freedom Staff Bat Outta Hell Memory Maker Ham Shank Golden Frying Pan Bread Bite Necro Smasher Crossing Guard Prinny Machete |
Golden Wrench Gunslinger Southern Hospitality Jag Saxxy Eureka Effect Golden Frying Pan Necro Smasher Prinny Machete |
Ubersaw Frying Pan Vita-Saw Amputator Saxxy Solemn Vow Conscientious Objector Freedom Staff Bat Outta Hell Memory Maker Ham Shank Golden Frying Pan Necro Smasher Crossing Guard Prinny Machete |
Tribalman's Shiv Bushwacka Frying Pan Saxxy Shahanshah Conscientious Objector Freedom Staff Bat Outta Hell Memory Maker Ham Shank Golden Frying Pan Necro Smasher Crossing Guard Prinny Machete |
Your Eternal Reward Conniver's Kunai Saxxy Big Earner Wanga Prick Sharp Dresser Spy-cicle Black Rose Golden Frying Pan Prinny Machete | ||
| Primary PDA | — | — | — | — | — | Construction PDA | — | — | Disguise Kit | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Secondary PDA | — | — | — | — | — | Destruction PDA | — | — | Invis Watch | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Cloak and Dagger Dead Ringer Enthusiast's Timepiece Quäckenbirdt | ||
| Building | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Sapper | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Red-Tape Recorder Ap-Sap Snack Attack | ||
| Taunt | Grand Slam | Grenade | Hadouken Armageddon Execution Gas Blast |
Barbarian Swing | High Noon | Arm Blender Guitar Smash |
Oktoberfest Uberslice Medicating Melody |
Arrow Stab | Fencing | |
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