The Hunted
The Hunted is a VIP escort game mode, made possible through the use of a server-side SourceMod plug-in for Team Fortress 2. It is based on the original Hunted map in Team Fortress Classic. The game mode is simple: the BLU team must escort the Hunted player over to each Control Point safely, while the RED team tries to kill the target and score a point. The player that is the Hunted is a lone Engineer on BLU. The only way to capture a point is to have the Hunted player present on it. If the Hunted player dies, both teams will respawn.
Contents
Overview
The Hunted mod changes many of the core elements and tactics of Team Fortress 2. Each team is restricted to certain classes, and the Hunted player can only play as an Engineer. The Hunted is only able to use melee weapons and is unable to construct any buildings. There are no adjustments to health, class speed, critical attack percentages, or other gameplay elements.
This game mode requires a high amount of teamwork on the BLU team, as failure is as easy as letting the Hunted get the slightest bit out of your sight. For the RED team, they are able to lie in wait for the Hunted or attempt to track him down and kill him in a face-to-face encounter. The next two sections will detail the strategies for each team.
Overall the idea is to think at a much faster pace than normal. Hunted relies heavily on teamwork, and so regular communication on voice chat with your teammates is important.
Because of The Hunted's set up, it only currently only works on CP maps. The recommended maps for this gamemode are:
Teams
BLU team
Available classes:
Playing as the BLU team
The BLU team is limited to much slower, but stronger classes. Their goal is to protect the Hunted from dying. If he does, they will respawn and have to try again. Below are possible strategies for each of the available BLU classes.
While many specific class strategies may still apply, certain things such as traditional "Pocket Medics" may take a back seat to the overall goal of keeping the Hunted alive.
The most basic, and obvious, strategy for BLU is to stay close to the Hunted and guide him through the map to the Capture point. While most people will let the Hunted lead the pack, it is generally smarter for most of the BLU team to lead. This tactic makes it easy to spot any Spies or Snipers before they have a chance to take out the Hunted. You should always be aware of the Hunted's location. Communication is also a vital key to success. Pyros will offer the most challenge as they have the most health, and they have the power to easily ambush and sneak up on the hunted. As we know, one getting up close to him can prove to be almost instantly fatal. When Spy checking, keep in mind the class restrictions. A Spy who is disguised as a class you cannot be, such as Pyro or Demoman, is clearly out of place. While it is an effective strategy for the Spies to disguise as an Engineer, a Spy who forgets to change his disguise weapon to the Wrench is very easy to spot.
Soldier
The Soldier is the second fastest class on the Bodyguards. Because of this you have some advantages over the RED team. Two key advantages are your rocket jumping and splash damage capability. The Soldier is capable of quickly moving forward, using Rocket jumps, and can eliminate any RED Snipers. If your luck enough, you can even get a glimpse at possible Spies preparing to Cloak or disguise. However, on the ground you are still a slow class, and because of that you are vulnerable to ambushes. Make it your job to seek out hidden Snipers who will be concentrating on finding the Hunted, and take them out. Stay slightly ahead of the team, as your rockets can cause a great deal of splash damage within small areas. Lastly, if possible, help Medics gain an ÜberCharge to save the Hunted in dire situations. You can help the Medic build up an ÜberCharge faster by damaging yourself with rocket jumps.
Heavy
As the Heavy you are the slowest class of the bunch, but you're also the most powerful. Because of this, the Heavy makes for a fantastic Bodyguard. Yet, because of your speed, your goal should be to stick close to the Hunted and watch carefully for Spies. Snipers are just as dangerous, but if Soldiers manage to eliminate them, they shouldn't be much of a problem. Your main advantage as a Heavy is your ability to kill approaching Pyros quickly. However, Pyros that ambush you can bring you down fast, especially with the Backburner. However, if you have a Medic, you should be fairly safe, and be able to send a train of pain towards RED.
Medic
The Medic is the fastest class of the bunch, but he is only slightly faster than the Hunted. While not very battle hardened, you still have the important job of keeping your team alive and the Hunted fully healed. As a Medic you have many options. You can choose to concentrate on the Hunted and never leave his side, or concentrate on the rest of you team to help defend the hunted. Either one can be a difficult task, mainly because most of your team is slower than you, while the Hunted is almost just as fast. With that mixture of speed, it can be difficult to help the entire team, so it's always wise to have two medics to aid in the fight. This problem can be avoided by either having the Hunted travel with the rest of the team, at the cost of slower progress, or having more than 1 Medic.
Another advantage you have is the ÜberCharge, which can really help the team clear out of a congested area or survive an ambush. It can also be great for keeping the Hunted alive in situations where running is the best option. Be careful for Pyros as they can air blast the Hunted out of your healing range. The Ubersaw is an even greater advantage, allowing you to gather an ÜberCharge faster by meleeing RED attackers, but it can also mean compromising your life, and leaving the Hunted wide open if no one else is around.
As the Medic you can't do much damage against any of the classes, and in most cases all the classes on RED are your worst nightmare. A Sniper can headshot you from a distance and a Pyro can ambush you, if you're not wary of your surroundings. While the Spy can also Backstab you, he is much easier to kill and is the perfect opportunity for an Ubersaw swing.
Playing as the Hunted
As the Hunted, you must rely almost entirely on your team. While you can attack with your Wrench, it won't do a lot of damage and is generally a last-ditch attempt at survival. This is most useful against Spies who will constantly be trying to backstab you or the occasional Sniper who comes in close to try to get a melee kill. Trying to use your Wrench against a Pyro, even if ÜberCharged, is almost always a terrible idea.
The best way to avoid death is to let your Bodyguards go ahead of you to clear a path and kill any Assassins who may be waiting for you to pop out. As an Engineer, you are much faster then your team, so in some occasions, you may need to wait for them to catch up or crouch while moving to move slower (as you currently can't walk in Team Fortress). You should never be alone as you are almost defenseless. When an area is clear, you can move up slowly and approach the capture point. You should always try to hide behind objects or other teammates for cover and stealth. Keeping out of sight is an important tactic, as RED Snipers will try to snipe you at any opportunity.
Most importantly, the control points in a map cannot be captured without you being present. Be sure to communicate with the rest of the team when you are going to make a push for a capture point, as the Assassins will try their best to stop you from reaching the point. As the top-priority player on the team, it is acceptable, if not encouraged, for you to take the Health packs in a map in order for you to survive.
RED team
Available classes:
Playing as the Red team
The RED team consists of much faster, yet weaker, classes. Their goal is to kill the Hunted, or just to clear a path to him. In some cases, you may be able to find him alone and an easy target. If the Hunted dies, you will be respawned and so will BLU. In some cases this may allow the Hunted to get to a goal much faster than you, provided he's not dragged down by his team mates.
Sniper
As a Sniper, you are dangerous from a long range, but lack power in close quarter combat. Because of this, your goal should be to stay far away from the action and wait for an opportunity to headshot the Hunted. As a Sniper you should also be eliminating the most important players on BLU, like troublesome Heavies or Medics.
Be sure to watch for the Soldiers. They can rocket jump to your sniping spots and take you by surprise. You should always be on the lookout for any Soldiers that try and do this, but that can also mean letting the Hunted slip past your line of sight.
Spy
A Spy can be either your best weapon or a useless team member, depending on the skill of player. Since most of BLU is slow, it's a field day for any Spy. In most cases you can play two kind of ways. You can be an offensive Spy, and backstab anyone one that comes your way on BLU, or you can play as a lookout. As a lookout, you can try to find the Hunted, and kill him discreetly without alerting his team mates. However if the Hunted has people around him, it may be just be better to tell your team where he is, and plan a strategy to get him.
Due to the limited class selections, you have few convincing disguise options. As only the slow classes are available to disguise as (and the Medic), it may be better to just Cloak and slip behind them.
Pyro
Pyros are a fantastic addition to the team, as they can do major amounts of damage to any member on the BLU team, or at the very least put them in a state of panic. As a Pyro ambushing is your best strategy. Because of how slow most players on BLU are, you can easily slip by in certain areas unnoticed. The Backburner is a great weapon to have against the BLU team. Mainly because it can deal great damage to any retreating BLU members. However, because of the increased ammo usage of compression blast, you won't be able to reflect the Soldier's rockets or defend against ÜberCharges as efficiently.
Heavies, while being slow, can easily take you down if not careful. Soldiers can be troublesome with their large splash damage capability, but this can be nullified with a well timed compression blast to their rockets that can hopefully kill the clustered group of Bodyguards and the Hunted.In general though, it is not a good idea to take on any of BLU in a one on one encounter.
See also
External links
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