Sprays

This page refers to sprays painted on surfaces in the PC version. For the tool that allows you to spray an image onto an item, see Decal Tool. For items that can be sprayed by that tool, see Category:Sprayable items.

Sprays are a feature of the PC version of Team Fortress 2 that allow players to "spray" (Default: T) their own images on surfaces within a game server such as walls, ceilings, or floors instantly.

The image file can be uploaded to your spray list via the Multiplayer menu by selecting the spray of your choice to be imported from your steam directory. The image file must be in one of the following formats to work correctly: .jpg, .bmp, .tga or .vtf. All sprays must be below 256KB in size, or they won't show up in game.

They can be either enabled or disabled in the game's Multiplayer options tab, but how many are displayed at once, if any, is dependent on the value that mp_decals is set to by the server you are playing on. The value must be above 300 to show sprays, and the higher the value, the more sprays that can be loaded at once.

In-Game screenshots that have been saved using the games screen capture system (default key F5) are already formatted to be used as sprays but will most likely have reduced image quality and be illegible to other players.

Uses

Sprays are used by players for many reasons including;

To advertise clans or groups
Lighten up the tension of a match with comical sprays
To grief other players with unpleasant images
To leave their mark on the world using it as a signature
To entertain other players

The useful application of sprays in-game is almost non-existant, although they can sometimes be used to distract enemies by making them believe that there are certain obstacles in their way that in most cases would want to be avoided such as; crouching Snipers in the distance, Sentry Guns or Sticky Bombs.

Another use for sprays is for Spies to lay a trap for unwary opponents. A Spy equipped with a Cloak and Dagger will place a spray and then lie in wait for an enemy to pause to look at it then backstab them while their guard is down.