Being a Spy takes finesse, and a willingness to go it alone behind enemy lines. Armed only with stealth, disguise and a desire to breed chaos, the Spy must balance careful maneuvering with maximum enemy damage. Whether you’re new to a game server, or already part of a clan, there are two main reasons most choose to deploy a Spy: to destroy a structure, or to take out a player on the opposing team. Many times, this player is the Engineer, whose structures can provide both offensive and defensive support. However, taking out a Medic who’s providing essential support to that Heavy bearing down on your base may well be a beneficial goal. A Spy is all about opportunity, and you’ll want to watch for openings that give your team the advantage.

Another reason to slip into the role of espionage is to intercept communications from the enemy – a well placed spy can tap into the voice chat of the opposing team on their TF2 server and share that information with allies. This is most useful during the setup stages, when players are planning their defense, and in the heat of battle, when new commands are being issued to try to out maneuver the opponent.

If you’re going to play a Spy, there are several key considerations before starting out. In general, you are going to want to have a specific target in mind, whether it’s taking out Engineer turrets, or getting rid of any pesky Snipers on the map. You want to be certain you know where you’re going and how to get there. Stealth only lasts 10 seconds – plan out a route to your destination that lets you take advantage of cover, and avoid drawing attention to yourself.

Once you’re behind enemy lines, take note – which class do they seem to have the most of? This is an important, if sometimes overlooked detail. When you don your disguise, you take on the persona of one of the members of the opposing team, right down to the name change. If they’ve only got one Engineer and you try to disguise yourself as that player, you’ll have to be especially careful not to be discovered.

Remember, as a Spy, it isn’t your job to actually mingle – you’ll want to get in, cause your destruction, kill your target, and then get out, fast. Bumping into an enemy, attacking, getting shot, and even changing your disguise will cause your image to ‘smoke’ briefly, and an observant player will quickly figure out the ruse.

Concentrate on players who are usually alone, like the Sniper, or preoccupied, like the Engineer, and you’ll have more success. Communicate with other members on your TF2 server – finding out enemy movement patterns and if anyone is headed your way. As a Spy, you want as few witnesses as possible.

If, at the end of the day, you find yourself unmasked before your plan can come to fruition – don’t try to fight it out. Run! The Spy’s revolver does decent damage, even when you are making your well-calculated retreat. Fire a few shots to keep your enemy at bay, then slip into stealth via your cloak and make your getaway. Chances are, your intended target will be more wary for awhile, but if you gain a good vantage point, you can still discover a moment of unguarded distraction that will let you make the kill before time runs out.

Tags: spy games, team fortress

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 7:00 am and is filed under Team Fortress 2 News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.