VS Saxton Hale Mode

From Team Fortress Wiki
Revision as of 15:50, 18 March 2011 by Lancer anti-tank Rocket (talk | contribs) (→‎Bugs)
Jump to: navigation, search


Saxton Hale as he appears in the mod.
“
I'd rather get down there and tell them myself... With my bare hands!
— Saxton Hale on communication
 ”

The VS Saxton Hale Mode is an unofficial Juggernaut-style modification of the Arena gamemode. The modification pits the Team Fortress 2 mercenaries, against Mann Co. CEO Saxton Hale. Armed with plenty of health and his bare hands, the player taking control of Saxton Hale must eliminate all of the Mercenaries to win, while said Mercenaries either attempt to kill him, or capture the map's control point (which can also be captured by Saxton).

Gameplay

This mode is similar to Arena, in the sense that if a player dies, they will not respawn until the round has ended. Every player but one is put onto one team, leaving the other team with a single player, whom now takes the role of Saxton Hale. This player has unique stats as Saxton Hale, which include increased health, a special jump ability, and a rage taunt. However, this player can only use his fists (an invisible and modified Shovel) to kill the other players. 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.

In addition, there is a small chance that the player will take the role of the Vagineer, the Horseless Headless Horsemann Junior, or during Christmas and New Year, the Christian Brutal Sniper instead of Saxton Hale.

Gameplay Video

Info about plugin


Changelog

Changelog:
Version:1.27
  • Many bug fixes and code optimization.

Version:1.26

  • Added the second URL for auto-update.
  • Fixed problems, when auto-update was corrupt plugin.
  • Added a question for the next Hale, if he want to be him. (/haleme)
  • Eyelander and Half-Zatoichi was replaced with Claidheamh Mor.
  • Dispenser and TP won't be destoyed after Engineer's death.
  • Mode uses the localization file.
  • Saxton Hale will be choosed randomly for the first 3 rounds (then by queue).
  • Fan O'War repalced with Sandman

Version 1.25

  • Fixed silent HHHjr's rage.
  • Now bots (sourcetv too) will not be Hale.
  • Fixed invalid uber on Vagineer's head.
  • Fixed other little bugs.

Version 1.24

  • Fixed destroyed buildables associated with spy's fake death.
  • Syringe Gun replaced with Blutsauger.
  • Blutsauger, on hit: +3 to uber-charge.
  • Removed crits from Blutsauger.
  • CnD replaced with Invis Watch.
  • Fr.Justice replaced with shotgun.
  • Fists of steel replaced with fists.
  • KGB replaced with GRU.
  • Added /haleclass.

Version 1.23

  • Added Super Duper Jump to rescue Hale from pit.
  • Removed pyro's ammolimit.
  • Fixed little bugs.

Version 1.22

  • Now it's working. Also little optimize about player count.

Version 1.21

  • Point will be enabled when X or less players be alive.

Version 1.20

  • Added new Hale's phrases.
  • More bugfixes
  • Improved super-jump.
  • Coming soon: point will be disabled until last X living players.

Version 1.12

  • More bugfixes.
  • Now "(Hale)<mapname>" can be nominated for nextmap.
  • Medigun's uber gets uber and crits for Medic and his target.
  • Fixed infinite Specials.
  • Now gamemode's ConVars saves in file (addons\sourcemod\configs\saxton_hale_config.c fg)
  • And more bugfixes.

Version 1.11

  • Fixed immortal spy.
  • Fixed crashes associated with classlimits.

Version 1.10

  • Added hale_enabled convar.
  • Fixed bug, when all hats was removed...why?

Version 1.00

  • Release!!!

Saxton Hale Dialogue

For version 1.20 many new custom lines of dialogue were adding to the mod. These additional Saxton Hale responses take place during specific events.

Boss Characters & Abilities

Saxton Hale

  • Superjump: In order to use this ability, the player must crouch on the spot, look up and release crouch. After doing so, the player will propel themselves up into the air. This ability has a five-second cooldown before its next use.
  • Rage: When Saxton Hale has taken approximately 1,900 damage, 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 Ghost in Harvest and the Horseless Headless Horsemann. It's worth noting that Saxton Hale's taunt also affects Sentry Guns, as they are disabled for the stun duration.
  • Equalizer Effect: Movement speed increases as Saxton Hale (the player) takes on more damage.
  • Super Duper Jump: Only works in the pits and precipices. That is why the ammunition was again increased to Pyro. It was added in patch 1.23.

Vagineer

  • Superjump: In order to use this ability, the player must crouch on the spot, look up and release crouch. After doing so, the player will propel themselves up into the air. This ability has a five-second cooldown before its next use.
  • Rage: When the Vagineer has taken approximately 1,900 damage, his rage meter will be full. Taunting with a full rage meter will make the Vagineer become ÜberCharged for 8.5 seconds. The Vagineer's taunt also stuns the nearby players, similar to that produced by the Ghost in Harvest and the Horseless Headless Horsemann. The Vagineer's taunt, however; does not affect and disable Sentry Guns, but will affect Übercharged targets.
  • Equalizer Effect: Movement speed increases as The Vagineer (the player) takes on more damage.
  • Super Duper Jump: Only works in the pits and precipices. That is why the ammunition was again increased to Pyro. It was added in patch 1.23.

Horseless Headless Horsemann Junior

  • Teleport: The player must crouch on the spot, look up and release crouch. After doing so, the player will be sent to a random enemy. This ability has a fifty second cooldown before its next use.
  • Rage: When HHH Jr. has approximately 1,900 damage, 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 Ghost in Harvest and the Horseless Headless Horsemann. It's worth noting that the HHH Jr.'s taunt also affects Sentry Guns, as they are disabled for the stun duration.
  • Equalizer Effect: Movement speed increases as The HHH Jr. (the player) takes on more damage.

Christian Brutal Sniper

The Christian Brutal Sniper was a temporary character that served as a Christmas event from December 25, 2010, to January 7, 2011, although some servers still have him as a playable character. The character used the normal Sniper model, while holding the normal Tribalman's Shiv model with modified attributes.

  • Superjump: In order to use this ability, the player must crouch on the spot, look up and release crouch. After doing so, the player will propel themselves up into the air. This ability has a five-second cooldown before its next use.
  • Rage: When the Christian Brutal Sniper has taken approximately 1,900 damage, 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 Ghost in Harvest and the Horseless Headless Horsemann, as well as Saxton's in this mod. It's worth noting that Christian Brutal Sniper's taunt also affects Sentry Guns, as they are disabled for the stun duration.
  • Equalizer Effect: Movement speed increases as Christian Brutal Sniper (the player) takes on more damage.

Balancing Specifics

Saxton Hale's (and thusly the HHH Jr.'s, Vagineer's and CBS's) health increases based on the number of players taking part in the game. The health follows a formula based upon the initial number of players on the enemy team 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 the enemy team. For the HHH Jr.: when n>10, he has the following 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:

Remember however that balance specifics such as boss speed, rage taunt damage, rage taunt distance, and appearance of characters other than Saxton Hale may vary from server to server, as these specifics are adjustable via server console variables.

Strategy

Playing the classes

General

  • As this is a modified version of Arena mode, Arena tactics also apply here.
  • Stick together! Teamwork here is vital.
  • Try to attack the enemy from afar. He can only use melee weapons.
  • Saxton's punch does about 175 damage. This means that only the Soldier and the Heavy can survive a hit without a health buff. If you survive, don't try to get lucky again and seek help.
  • Taunts only do 500-600 damage. Because of this, taunt kills are rarely seen as a legitimate tactic.
  • Communicate! Alert your teammates of Saxton's whereabouts at all times.
    • However, resist the temptation to alert your team as a spectator. It isn't fair on Saxton.
  • Only consider capping the point when you are the last team member left and the boss has high health. It's general etiquette.
  • Never let your guard down. Saxton may sneak up behind you and quickly kill you.

Scout

  • The Sandman becomes an upgrade of the Bat as you will gain the power to stun. Because of the fragility of the Scout, Saxton can one-hit kill you even with the full Special Delivery set.
  • The Force-A-Nature knocks back Saxton Hale. Try to push him away from teammates or into a chasm.
  • As an emergency weapon, Bonk! Atomic Punch can help you get away from close encounters.
    • Get some distance between you and Saxton before drinking Bonk as, while drinking, you are completely vulnerable.
  • Crit-a-Cola is even more of a high-risk, high payoff situation for Scouts as one hit from Saxton Hale will kill you regardless.
  • On a team without Medics, Mad Milk will help your team get much needed health back from close encounters with Saxton Hale.
  • Despite being faster than Saxton, don't get too cocky when running away from him. He might get a lucky hit in.

Soldier

  • In this mod, the Equalizer becomes more of an escaping weapon rather than a high damage weapon.
  • If Saxton is too close, you can rocket jump to escape.
  • The Black Box is very useful on a team without Medics as it will heal you when you hit Saxton.
  • If you have a lot of teammates, consider equipping the Buff Banner to help deal some extra damage to the stronger Saxton Hale.
  • Using the Half-Zatoichi is an extremely foolish move because once you kill Saxton, it will not matter wheter or not you have full health. In additon, once you equip it, you will not be able to unequip it until you kill Saxton, which again will not matter because the round will be over.

Pyro

  • Your Flamethrower's and Degreaser's airblast can prove to be invaluable. Blasting Saxton Hale around can disorient him, allowing your team to get some easy shots in. In addition, try airblasting him into environmental hazards such as the saw blades in Sawmill or off a cliff such as the cliff in Lumberyard, it is a better idea to use the default Flamethrower because you do not need to switch to your Shotgun or Flare Gun that fast for you mostly just need the airblast of the Flamethrower.
  • Stay close to ammo resources, such as Dispensers and Ammo Boxes, as you will lose ammo very quickly when firing or airblasting.
  • Beware of maps with water. Saxton can easily drop in and extinguish the afterburn.
  • 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.
  • On a team without Medics, consider bringing the Back Scratcher for the health pack bonus.
  • An easy way to alert your teammates of Saxton's presence is to light him on fire. If he is on fire, he instantly becomes much more obvious. This is especially useful on some of the darker maps.

Demoman

  • The Chargin' Targe is more for defensive purpose, as it allows you to survive one hit. Do not charge toward Saxton Hale as he can easily notice and hit you.
    • Instead, use the Targe as an escaping weapon as Saxton cannot keep up with the Targe's speed.
  • Consider equipping the Claidheamh Mòr when using the Chargin' Targe because of the benefit of extra charge distance.
  • Set plenty of stickytraps along map routes used by Saxton. The Scottish Resistance can come in handy for this.
  • Alternatively, place a concentrated amount of Stickybombs where Saxton will come from. The Scottish Resistance's extra 6 bombs comes in useful.
  • Some servers give you Crits/Mini-crits after taunting. If you plan on defending a certain place, taunt before laying your traps. This will cause Saxton lots of damage as well as sending him flying.
  • If you are cornered, as a last ditch attempt, place sticky bombs near you and detonate them just before you get hit by Saxton. This will kill you, but will deal damage to Saxton at the same time.

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, consider using the lunchbox items for the Heavy, as health becomes a scarcity in this mode.
  • Don't rely on your high health to survive. Saxton can beat you down in two well-placed hits.
  • The Sandvich and Buffalo Steak Sandvich can be dropped. Try to aim them at very wounded teammates.
  • Consider carrying the GRU as your Melee to run away.
  • If you plan to just stick to one place, consider using the Brass Beast. Aside from the higher damage output, if you're constantly firing at Saxton Hale and you have a refillable ammo source, he will also be knocked back.
  • Stay close to a Dispenser; your guns will chew through ammunition easily and most fallen weapons will be taken accidentally by teammates.
  • If you get lucky, you may jam Saxton in a corner via your Minigun's knockback. At this stage, simply go to town with your guns until Saxton recovers.

Engineer

  • Build your Dispenser first. Your team needs lots of ammo and health.
  • Stay hidden in the initial few minutes until you have your Dispenser and Sentry Gun up, mainly because you will be one of Saxton's top priority targets.
  • In the Saxton Hale Mod, the Southern Hospitality is a direct upgrade to the regular Wrench, since it will always Crit and make Saxton bleed - although you probably won't be engaging in a melee battle with Saxton.
  • 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 enough Engineers, you may provide enough force to relocate Saxton.
    • This is especially useful against the Vagineer as his taunt merely Übercharges him and is still affected by knockback.
  • After building a Sentry Gun and Dispenser, you can build a Teleporter to use as an in-case-of-emergency escape if Saxton gets too close. Beware, however, as it takes some time to teleport when you are on the teleporter entrance.
  • If you die, your buildings will be destroyed. Keep this in mind when fighting Saxton.
  • Some servers have the option to replace Dispensers with Amplifiers, a machine that gives nearby teamates critical hits. Converse with your fellow Engineers to make sure you dont have only Dispensers/Amplifiers.
  • The Wrangler is useful in dealing a high damage output and for stalling Saxton if your sentry is put in a small tunnel or doorway.
  • Consider bringing the Jag for the faster build rate.
  • Your Sentry will stay stunned longer than players. If your sentry get's stunned, it is usually a good idea to bail out and rebuild your buildings from scratch.
  • If your Sentry gets stunned by Saxton's taunt, it will deal about half of it's health and you will not be able to repair it unless you haul and redeploy it.
    • When doing so, hitting it while it is upgrading itself will make you lose 21 metal as if you're repairing it, but the health of it will not increase.

Medic

  • ÜberCharge gains from needleguns can build your ÜberCharge extremely fast as you gain 5 percent ÜberCharge on each successful hit. Firing needles whilst backpeddling away from Hale can quickly build a full ÜberCharge.
  • Remember that you will be one of Saxton's priority targets, due to the fact that you can heal and ÜberCharge.
  • The Crusader's Crossbow is useful if played on a large map, such as Watchtower.
  • Heal everyone. Do not prioritize one class. With the exception of a Scout wearing a Sandman and a Spy wearing a Conniver's Kunai, any class fully buffed can survive a hit from Hale.
  • Heal your teammates often, either by using your respective medi-guns or the Amputator, depending on the situation and the number of potential patients.
  • Don't use your Übersaw to build up your ÜberCharge unless Saxton is very distracted or if you are trying to stun him with the Spinal Tap taunt.
  • Do not hesitate to deploy your Übercharge on a teammate in danger. One extra person could mean the result of the round.
  • Hales stun is your largest threat. However you are immune to it whilst ÜberCharged. Try to stay behind your team mates to avoid being stunned and be prepared to use your ÜberCharge to save team mates when they are stunned.

Sniper

  • Since all of your weapons have a critical boost, your SMG will have a higher damage output compared to a Heavy's Minigun.
    • However, your SMG has a low ammount of ammo so be careful of trying to shoot Saxton to death.
  • Your critical un-zoomed shot (or uncharged in the case of Huntsman) can deliver 150 damage alone. Considering the speed of Saxton Hale, it is in generally preferable to shoot him unscoped/uncharged, or go for body shots.
  • A possible, but risky tactic is to use the Sniper's Skewer taunt. The taunts initial thrust is coupled with a stun on the target, meaning you can quickly take down Saxton with the help of another Huntsman Sniper if both players lock him in a taunt chain. Beware, however, of Saxton's rage taunt.
  • Stay well away from Saxton. None of your weapons receive damage falloff meaning you can deal large amounts of damage to him at long ranges.

Spy

  • Always go for backstabs, as the knives do not deal Critical hits.
  • A sucessful backstab will decrease the health of the boss by 10%. Meaning, if the boss has around 1000 health and he started with 10000+ health he will instantly die.
  • 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.
  • Using L'Etranger is recommended as it allows the Spy to recharge his Dead Ringer faster and potentially survive an extra hit.
  • Saxton's rage taunt can reveal cloaked Spies. Cloaked Spies will remain invisible but a ring of ghosts will still float on top of their heads.
  • Using the Conniver's Kunai is generally a bad idea because it decreases the amount of fake deaths you can have consecutively while using the Dead Ringer.

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. Also it is ok to cap when it is just a Scout left and he is running away.
  • 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 about 500). If you can not charge forward, find another route toward their stronghold.
  • Be careful of chasms such as the pits in Nucleus as they are dificult to get out of them and, if you do escape, will take out a big chunk of health from you.
  • Another thing to be wary of are the other environmental dangers in the map such as getting trapped in a lift door or getting hit by a train. Some of these cannot be escaped from and you become more or less at your enemy's mercy.
  • Fire is your friend, especially if you have high enough health. It is effective in that you use it to charge your rage meter.
  • Knockback will be your worst enemy. Deal with Pyros, Force-A-Nature Scouts, Heavies, Engineers/Sentry Guns first before 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 more probable that you will catch one or two easily.
  • Remember to use your taunt! (default "g") Despite being a taunt, you can still move around and beat enemies to death. However, don't spam the taunt button as it will cause you to do a normal taunt. 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 (e.g. Pyro and Scouts). Even though they might be a small group, but they are your worst opponents as they prevent you from approaching.
    • 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 dies, his buildings are also destroyed. Using this knowledge, if both an Engineer and his Sentry Gun are both stunned, go after the Engineer.
  • If you find a teleporter, break it. it will either force the Engineer to go and replace it or deny said Engineer an escape route.
  • Superjump may have disadvantages in some situations; a cluster of well placed Sentry Guns can easily send you hovering above ground, making you a floating target; possibly until you die.
  • Using the Superjump to reach a Sentry nest and then instantly deploying your rage taunt before the Sentry Guns can respond will allow you to catch anyone up there off-guard.
  • If you manage to hit a Spy, chances are that they're using the Dead Ringer. If you suspect a Dead Ringer Spy, you can use your taunt to locate him or smash likely hiding spots.
  • If you fall on top of an enemy, they will be crushed to death. However, don't rely on this to eliminate the other team and only rely on it for unsuspecting enemies below you and the lucky kill now and again.

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 stunning them with your taunt. For players all they need to do is hit you with a melee weapon and you will pop out of them so try not to have anyone looking at you while you are teleporting so that they dont get there melee out.
  • Right before letting go of the crouch button before teleporting, press your attack button, as this will cause you to chop the person you teleport in to.
  • Remember that you cannot Superjump, so high places (such as the boxes on Granary) are relatively unaccessible, especially if there are Sentry Guns or Pyros that will knock you back if you try walking there.
    • In order to counter this, make sure you have a teleport charge ready, and hope that you will end up in the high place you were planning to go while simultaneously taunting to make sure no one can escape.

Vagineer

  • Your taunt will only stun players a small distance away, but it provides a lengthy ÜberCharge. When taunting, go after more damaging targets such as Heavies or Sentry Guns.
  • If you deploy the Übercharge whilst pinned by Sentry Guns, the Charge will protect you from them and allow you to land so you can take them out. Watch out for Pyros though, as their airblast is the Übercharge's only weakness.
  • Remember that your scare taunt has an extremely limited range. Only go for the scare taunt when you are very close to an enemy.
  • Be sure to take out Pyros who can easily airblast you into a corner for the duration of your ÜberCharge as it does not protect you from pushback by weapons.
  • Sentry Guns are the HARDEST things that Vagineer can encounter. Due to the fact that your scare taunt has a limited range, and because you cannot effectively disable Sentry Guns, always go for Engineers first, especially in maps such as Granary where the Engineer can build on top of the boxes.
  • Superjump can also be used when you run, but only in the leap.

Boss Model Application Method

Saxton Hale is a fully rigged (full skeleton) model that is then attached to the Soldier class via the head bone named "bip_head". This is in effect mimicking the process in which hat models attach.

Due to hat models usually only having one bone, they stay in one place, the Saxton Hale model however (having a fully rigged bone structure) automatically maps to the bones of the same name across the body of the relevant class. Then, using SourceMod (required to run VS Saxton Hale), the Soldier model is forced to become completely transparent by making the opacity of his texture to be "0" using built in commands. The same applies to each class and boss character model used in the mod. However, this can bring up a large amount of bone merge warnings within the console.

Bugs

  • Due to the nature in which the class models are forced to become transparent, occasionally SourceMod will fail to execute the command correctly, thus causing the attached boss model and the class currently being played, to be visible at the same time. This can result in Saxton Hale clipping into a Soldier Model of the team he is on, and the same for HHH Jr. but with a Demoman Model.
    • Alternatively, it can execute the Command on both the Mercenary and the Character, resulting in an invisible Boss, who can be difficult to track unless revealed in some way. Using the SourceMod Command sm_freeze <Boss' Player Name> twice may rectify this.
  • When Saxton is defeated, he may sometimes leave a Soldier ragdoll, or both a Saxton and Soldier ragdoll.
  • Darwin's Danger Shield seems to be prohibited. Despite this, the Sniper will be forced an SMG whilst still holding a Danger Shield on their back.
    • This seems to be the Case for the Razorback as well.

Trivia

  • If Saxton Hale is spawned on cp_well and hit by a Train it would deal a large amount of damage, but not enough to kill him.
  • In comparison, if the Horseless Headless Horsemann were to be spawned on cp_well, the train would kill him in one hit.

Gallery

  • A Sniper wielding both the SMG and Danger Shield.

  • A RED Vagineer.

  • A BLU Vagineer.

  • Saxton Hale Horseless Headless Horsemann Junior.jpg

    The Horseless Headless Horsemann Junior.

  • Saxton Hale.

External Links

v • d • e
Team Fortress 2 community modifications
Retrieved from "https://wiki.teamfortress.com/w/index.php?title=VS_Saxton_Hale_Mode_(custom_game_mode)&oldid=406495"