Teleporters
| “ | Thanks for ride!
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— The Heavy
|
” |
Teleporters, also known as Telemax Teleporters, are a type of building produced by the Telemax Corporation, a division of TF Industries, that can be constructed by an Engineer using the Build Tool. Two components make up a complete and functional Teleporter set: the Teleporter Entrance and the Teleporter Exit. Both ends appear as team-colored devices that rotate quickly to form glowing, circular pads.
Players who stand on a fully charged Teleporter Entrance are instantly transported to the corresponding Teleporter Exit in a flash of light and team-colored particles. After a brief period of recharging, another teammate can pass through. With the ability to transport teammates quickly over any distance, Teleporters are an essential component to any team not defending their front porch: when fully upgraded, respawned teammates can be back on the front lines many times faster than walking or even most special jumps. A team can easily have their offensive push or defensive setup crumble if they lack prompt reinforcements, while one with a judiciously-placed Exit can apply constant pressure and even sneak into an unaware enemy's territory.
When using a Teleporter after the Love & War Update, forms of bread occasionally pop out of the center of it, referencing Expiration Date. This bread has no use and disappears after several seconds.
Contents
Functionality
- Placement
The Teleporter Entrance and Exit each cost 50 metal (25 with the Eureka Effect equipped) to place with the Engineer's Build Tool (Construction PDA). While carrying and placing Teleporter ends, the Teleporter Entrance blueprint shows a large yellow arrow pointing down to the Entrance while the Teleporter Exit blueprint shows a similar arrow pointing up from the Exit. This is to visually distinguish the Entrance and the Exit while placing.
The Exit blueprint has an arrow labeled "Exit Direction". This arrow indicates the direction the exiting teammates face when they arrive at the Exit. By default, this arrow points away from the placing Engineer. However, the Teleporter Exit can be rotated by clicking the Engineer's secondary attack button before placing the building, with the blueprint arrow rotating to indicate the changing exit direction. The Teleporter Entrance can be rotated, too, although this has no effect on gameplay (except in Mann vs. Machine where the Entrance rotation controls the player's facing when teleporting in reverse direction using the 2-Way Teleporters upgrade).
- Construction
Once placed, the end goes through a construction animation during which the building's health increases, reaching completion at 150 health. When completed, a Teleporter Entrance is instantly charged and ready for teleportation if there is an Exit available and constructed, but subsequent recharges will take ten seconds (or faster as the Teleporter's level is upgraded).
- Upgrading
Once an Entrance and Exit pair is completed, the Teleporter can be upgraded by any friendly Engineer, using 200 metal to upgrade the set to Level 2, and an additional 200 to upgrade to Level 3. Upgrading a Teleporter decreases the Entrance's recharge time by approximately half each level. Upgrading also further increases the set's health (to 180 and 216).
Upgrading one end of the Teleporter automatically upgrades the other end. However, if one end is destroyed, the remaining end reverts to Level 1. Although the model itself does not change when upgraded, the particles surrounding the Teleporter become faster and more intense, and the sounds it makes increases in pitch and volume. Higher level Teleporters can be heard from farther away and the number of beeps each Teleporter makes indicates the upgrade level.
Equipping the Eureka Effect will reduce the cost to upgrade the Teleporter to 100 metal for each upgrades.
- Operation
A charging Teleporter spins with increasing speed until completely recharged. Once recharged, any one teammate (or enemy Spy) standing on or stepping onto the Entrance is immediately teleported to the Exit. The Teleporter then automatically begins recharging.
Players who have recently teleported are surrounded by a distinctive, glowing particle effect for eighteen seconds after teleporting. This effect can reveal a Teleporter location to the enemy. The effect is visible to the player when looking at their feet. Spies who are Disguised or Cloaked are not affected by this.
Players cannot normally use the enemy team's Teleporters. However, Spies can use enemy Teleporters, even while Cloaked or undisguised.
Standing on a Teleporter Exit when it is used by an enemy (whether it is an enemy Exit or a friendly Exit used by an enemy Spy) results in a fatal telefrag.
The building Engineer earns half of a point each time a team member other than himself uses his Teleporter.
Players who are carrying the Intelligence cannot use a Teleporter.
- Destruction
- Main Article: Building Destruction
Teleporters are destroyed when accumulated damage received by either end reduces the Teleporter health to zero. Destroyed Teleporters leave 50 metal worth of scrap on the ground (25 metal at each end), which can be collected by teammates for metal and/or ammo.
- Sapping
If a Spy places a Sapper on one end, another Sapper is automatically placed on the other end, if it exists. In turn, any team Engineer can remove both Sappers by destroying the Sapper on either Teleporter. Team Engineers may then proceed to repair either or both ends of the Teleporter system by using his Wrench. However, since the Spy can place an infinite amount of Sappers on either the Entrance or the Exit of the Teleporter, an Engineer may not be able to fully repair the Teleporter system before another Sapper is placed upon it. This will result in the entire system being destroyed unless the Spy is disposed of.
- Mann vs. Machine
In Mann vs. Machine mode, Teleporters can be upgraded at Upgrade Stations to increase their health and activate the ability to teleport in both directions, allowing one to stand on the Exit and teleport to the Entrance (in which case the rotation of the Entrance will affect the direction of players teleporting "backward"). Using an Upgrade Buildings Canteen will also instantly upgrade Teleporters to Level 3.
Demonstration
Teleporter Levels
| Level | Health | Cost (Metal) | Recharge time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Without Eureka Effect | With Eureka Effect | |||
| 1 | 150 | 50 | 25 | 10 seconds |
| 2 | 180 | 250 | 125 | 5 seconds |
| 3 | 216 | 450 | 225 | 3 seconds |
Related achievements
General
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Foundry
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Scout
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Pyro
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Demoman
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Heavy
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Engineer
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Update history
- Fixed bug with placement of Teleporters that could result in players being unable to move.
- Demomen grenades now collide with players and Engineer buildings after the first bounce, but still won't explode on contact
- Engineer buildings now explode when the Engineer dies during sudden death.
- Fixed scoring problem where destroying a buildable added a phantom point, not attributed to any scoring bucket but still included in total score
- Fixed some edge cases where grenades could go through player or buildings
- The Engineer's "build X" commands will now behave properly when bound directly to keys
- Engineers no longer earn points for using their own Teleporters.
- Fixed a bug in scoring Engineer building destruction.
- Fixed exploit that allowed players to teleport with the intelligence
- Fixed building bone merge cache from dormant entities. Fixes weapons in SourceTV attached to wrong bones
- Fixed the teleporter's player shaped particles not drawing.
- Sapped buildings now take slightly less damage from the Spy who sapped them.
- [Undocumented] Fixed model exploit in stage one allowing Sentry Gun/Teleporter to be placed behind chain link fence on Dustbowl.
- Added server log entry for buildings destroyed by their owner
- Changed Engineer buildings to detonate when a player disconnects instead of blinking out.
- Fixed Engineer being able to detonate buildings that are being sapped.
April 29, 2008 Patch (Gold Rush Update)
- Teleporter effect no longer shows up on invisible or disguised Spies.
- Fixed "times used" entry in Teleporters maxing out at 32.
- Mapmakers can now place Engineer buildings directly into a map, with an option for them to be invulnerable
- Teleporters can now be upgraded to level three. It will recharge faster the higher level it is.
- Added teleporter sounds for level 2 and 3 Teleporters.
- Fixed teleporter entrance/exit effects being drawn when they don't have a matching teleporter entrance/exit.
February 24, 2009 Patch (Scout Update)
- Added new sounds for upgraded Teleporters.
- Added a "player_teleported" game event that is sent when a player is teleported.
May 21, 2009 Patch (Sniper vs. Spy Update)
- Spies can now use enemy Teleporters.
- Fixed Spies not being telefragged when standing on an enemy teleporter exit with the Dead Ringer enabled.
- Fixed Teleporters not being buildable in some places where they should be (such as within the pit at the end of Badwater Basin).
August 13, 2009 Patch (Classless Update)
- Engineers wrenching a teleporter will repair the other end as well, and remove Sappers from both if they exist.
- Fixed being able to burn buildings that are in the water while standing outside the water.
- Fixed teleporting Spies getting stuck in enemy players standing on the exit.
- Fixed server log not listing telefrag kills as weapon "telefrag".
April 29, 2010 Patch (119th Update)
- Fixed Teleporters not reverting to level 1 when their other side is destroyed.
- Fixed Teleporter exit using the wrong particle effect.
- Fixed the Engineer being able to build more than 1 of each type of building.
July 8, 2010 Patch (Engineer Update)
- Engineers can now pickup & move their buildings.
- Fixed a server crash related to carrying buildings.
- Fixed a bug that allowed sapped buildings to be picked up by the Engineer
- Fixed a bug where players would go into reference poses when switching classes while carrying a building.
- Engineers can no longer pick up buildings while stunned or in loser state.
- Fixed a server crash in the player death code, related to building carrying.
- Fixed a server crash related to carrying buildings at round start.
- Fixed players picking up buildings before a round has started.
- Fixed a problem with not being able to pick-up buildings in Arena mode.
- Fixed a bug where Teleporters could be given more than their normal amount of health.
- Fixed Engineers being able to destroy sapped buildings by issuing the command directly in the console.
- [Undocumented] Several particle effects, including Teleporters, were altered to appear brighter. These changes do not apply to ATI graphics card users and some others.
- Fixed teleporter progress being displayed incorrectly after upgrading a teleporter while it was recharging
- Fixed being able to place buildings in nobuild zones
- Fixed Sappers attaching incorrectly to Teleporters that are still building
- [Undocumented] Teleporters now have an upgrade animation. If unconnected, its active rings glow for a moment as if connected. If connected, it temporarily appears disabled.
- [Undocumented] Teleporter Exits now point towards their Entrance.
- [Undocumented] Teleporters can no longer be wrenched during an upgrade animation.
- Fixed a bug where you could come out of a teleporter facing the wrong way in VR mode mode.
- Fixed an exploit where Teleporters could build up a large amount of health.
- [Undocumented] Bread props now sometimes spawn when using a Teleporter.
July 7, 2016 Patch #1 (Meet Your Match Update)
- Level 1 Teleporters now cost 50 metal (previously 125).
- Fixed Sappers sometimes only being applied to one Engineer teleporter.
December 21, 2016 Patch #1 (Smissmas 2016)
- Fixed not clearing the teleport condition for players who have their teleport interrupted before the teleport is complete.
- Fixed Teleporters teleporting players that respawn or change team during the teleport animation.
- This fixes an exploit possible when playing on some "instant respawn" community servers.
Bugs
- It is impossible to use an Entrance that is underwater, as the game will not see you as standing on top of it.
- If a Teleporter Exit is on a significantly sloped ground, within the bounding box of certain props (typically large and/or rotated), or has a physical projectile nearby, any attempts to teleport will instead destroy the Exit and leave the player on the Entrance. This appears to be a too-sensitive safeguard against getting stuck in objects by teleporting.
- Sometimes when a Teleporter is placed in a tight corner of two walls, any player that uses the Teleporter will travel through but be stuck at the Exit .[1]
- Placing a Teleporter Entrance at the top of a slope with the Exit in the spot on the slope directly in front of it (so that the Exit is beneath the Entrance ) will cause the teleporting player to get stuck in the Entrance and constantly teleport into the Exit .
- Rarely, a player will be stuck outside of the map if the Exit is destroyed while a player is using it.
- Teleporters in Mann vs. Machine sometimes apply the Building Health upgrade too many times, resulting in having more health than other buildings of the same level.
- Levelled-up Teleporters may attempt to and fail at teleporting players as they progress through their "upgrade animations".
- In rare cases, the Teleporter will appear sideways when built. This glitch does not affect the Teleporter in any way.
- Sometimes the Teleporter circle effects are upright instead of flat on top of the teleporter.
- If two opposite-color Teleporters are placed next to each other, a Sentry Gun the same color as the Teleporter nearest to it will not be able to target the further opposite-color teleporter. This can lead to players being teleported through and immediately being fired at by the Sentry Gun.
- Rarely, a Teleporter will get 1 or 2 Health points over the max limit of the level's health, which will count as Overheal on the Building.
- Sometimes this doesn't affect the other end of the Teleporter.
Trivia
- According to the Team Fortress comics, teleportation was invented under the effects of Australium.[2]
- The spawning of Bread props from Teleporters refers to the Love & War Update when the Engineer and Soldier were teleporting bread in the video, "Expiration Date".
Dimensions
- The Teleporter height is 130 Pixels tall (16.06 inches, or 1.34 feet).
- The Teleporter horizontal dimensions (from a top view) are 450 Pixels (55.58 inches or 4.63 feet) by 370 Pixels (45.70 inches or 3.81 feet).
Gallery
Icon for a hauled item being destroyed via the Engineer's death.
Destroyed Teleporter
References
See also
