Sandman
| Sandman | |
|---|---|
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| Kill Icons | |
| Basic Information | |
| Used by: | Scout |
| Slot: | Melee |
| Released: | The Scout Update |
| Availability: | Unlock, Drop, Craft, Purchase |
| Tradable: | Yes |
| Giftable: | Yes |
| Craftable: | Yes |
| Nameable: | Yes |
| Medieval: | Yes |
| Ammo | |
| Available Qualities | |
| Loadout Stats | |
 The Sandman |
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| “ | Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hitcha. No, wait, yeah I did!
Click to listen
— The Scout
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” |
The Sandman is an unlockable melee weapon for the Scout. It appears as a wooden bat with a smooth grip, complete with a logo reading "The Sandman" engraved on the side. There is a band on the end holding a cracked section of wood together, presumably from the Scout beating someone a little too enthusiastically on a previous occasion. Accompanying the bat is an "All Ballers League" ball manufactured by "Ball Fortress".
In addition to sharing the attack speed and damage of the normal Bat, pressing alternate fire with the Sandman will cause the Scout to launch the baseball towards the enemy. Successfully hitting a target with the baseball will stun the enemy as well as damage them provided that they are a sufficient distance away. The further the ball flies before hitting the enemy, the longer the victim will be stunned, ranging from 1 to 7 seconds. If the enemy is hit with a baseball from extreme range, the victim will suffer a moonshot, identifiable by a cheering audience sound clip, and will be completely immobile for the maximum stun duration. If the Scout launches the ball short of the minimum stun distance, the ball will hit and inflict damage but will bounce off the enemy. The Scout is also only equipped with one baseball, which will reload after a 15-second interval indicated in the cooldown bar on the HUD.
Baseballs can be picked up off the ground, whether owned by the player or another Scout, or by visiting a Resupply Cabinet. Baseballs are not classed as ammunition and thus cannot be retrieved by picking up dropped weapons or Ammo packs. A baseball that does not hit an enemy will remain on the ground and disappear after 15 seconds, effectively the time it takes the Scout to gain a new one. After stunning an enemy, it will disappear much more quickly (after about three seconds), but can still be picked up and used again if acquired before it disappears. As a projectile, the ball will arc towards the ground, and can be reflected by an enemy Pyro. The ball can also hit and bounce off of enemy grenades, Jarate, Mad Milk and even enemy Scout baseballs.
Scouts carrying the Sandman will have a -15 max health points penalty, lowering their base health to 110. The weapon is therefore suited to support tactics, as it places the player at greater risk of death during combat.
With the Sandman equipped, the Scout can perform the Home Run taunt kill.
The Sandman is automatically given to any player who obtains 16 Scout achievements.
Contents
Damage and function times
Melee damage
| Damage and function times | ||
|---|---|---|
| Damage | ||
| Base damage | 100% | 35 |
| Point blank | 32-39 | |
| Critical | 105 | |
| Mini-crit | 47 | |
| Function times | ||
| Attack interval | 0.5 s | |
| Values are approximate and determined by community testing. | ||
Baseball
| Damage and function times | ||
|---|---|---|
| Shot type | Projectile | |
| Effect | Stuns proportionally to distance | |
| Damage | ||
| Base damage | 100% | 15 |
| Critical | 45 | |
| Mini-crit | 20 | |
| Function times | ||
| Attack interval | 0.25 s | |
| Recharge time | 15 s | |
| Values are approximate and determined by community testing. | ||
Demonstration
Crafting
Blueprint
| Class Token - Scout | Slot Token - Melee | Scrap Metal | Possible Results | |||||||||||||||||||
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As a Crafting Ingredient
| Sandman | Scrap Metal | Pain Train | ||
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| Sandman | Reclaimed Metal | Holy Mackerel | ||
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| Sandman | Tribalman's Shiv | Boston Basher | ||
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Related Achievements
Scout
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Soldier
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Update history
February 24, 2009 Patch (The Scout Update)
- The item was added to the game.
- Removed the damage reduction against non-stunned enemies on the new bat.
- Fixed the BONK! particles appearing in the air when the bat's taunt kill is used on a target.
- Players who are stunned by a Scout now take 50% less damage.
- Increased the minimum distance to stun a player with the Sandman.
- Fixed kill descriptions for Force-A-Nature & Sandman so server logs can distinguish them.
August 13, 2009 Patch (Classless Update)
- A Scout will receive 1 point for stunning an enemy and 2 points for a long range stun.
- Stunned players now take 75% of all incoming damage instead of 50%.
- ÜberCharged players can no longer be stunned.
- Heavies spinning their mini-guns will continue to spin when stunned (whether the left or right mouse button is pressed).
- The minimum distance to stun a target has been reduced.
- The negative attribute has changed from "no double jump" to "-30 max health".
December 17, 2009 Patch (WAR! Update)
- The Sandman now only stuns on a max range hit (when you hear the cheering).
- All shorter hits now force the enemy into the third-person fleeing state (also removed the damage reduction on them).
- Added recharge sound to abilities with a recharge bar.
- Updated the Baseball HUD indicator to stay on screen when full.
- Reduced the health penalty on The Sandman to "-15 max health".
- Fixed the Sandman being able to bat balls through doors.
- Added a slight speed reduction to stunned players.
- [Undocumented] The Sandman was added to the Pain Train's crafting blueprint.
July 8, 2010 Patch (The Engineer Update)
September 30, 2010 Patch (The Mann-Conomy Update)
- [Undocumented] The Sandman was added in the Holy Mackerel's crafting blueprint.
- Fixed server crash caused by a Scout using the Sandman on an enemy Scout who has used Bonk! Atomic Punch.
- [Undocumented] The Sandman was added in the Ullapool Caber's crafting blueprint.
- [Undocumented] The Sandman was added in the Boston Basher's crafting blueprint.
- This weapon was given a unique kill icon.
- [Undocumented] The Sandman was removed from the Ullapool Caber's crafting blueprint.
Bugs
- Rarely, if a player throws the ball at a wall where the Scout is in close range, if they pick it up off the ground, let it refill, or go to a resupply locker the recharge bar will be full but the baseball will be missing, resulting in it not being usable until the player dies.
- It is possible to perform melee attacks while stunned by the Sandman's ball.
- With careful timing and a run up, a player can knock a Sandman ball through setup round gates.
- The baseball will not damage buildings.
- In instances where the ball recharge meter is full and the Scout holds the ball ready, it cannot be launched.
Trivia
- The weapon's name refers to the Template:W reputed to induce sleep. It may also refer to baseball "sand-lots" — low maintenance, and often ersatz, public baseball diamonds common in urban environments, such as Boston.
- The in-game model and logo for the Sandman are based off of the "classic" Louisville Slugger baseball bats made by the Hillerich & Bradsby Company.
- Upon initial release, the stun ball was released upon attacking, unless very close to an enemy or solid prop. It has since been made into the Sandman's alt-fire feature, meaning the ball can be released at the opportune moment, as opposed to accidentally when attacking generally.
- If a Scout's ball is deflected at an enemy, stunning them, and that enemy is killed during the stun duration, the Scout will gain an assist for the kill, even if he himself is killed.
Gallery
First-person view.
First-person view without baseball.
Projectile.
Stun icon.
See also
External links
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