Informative thread on the updates.

[NERDRAGE]

So you don't have to go looking!

~CURRENT DEATH COUNTS~
(As of Dec 15th 7:18PM)

5,056,134 DEAD DEMOS
4,923,531 DEAD SOLDIERS

~DEMO UPDATES~
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/879/dsdsdsdsd.png
THE EYELANDER
A new melee weapon to replace the bottle. It's main perk is a bonus to health and run speed after killing an opponent with it, and this stacks up to 4 times. However, it doesn't do much damage unless you double it with the Demomans second update.

THE CHARGIN' TARGE
This shield replaces your oh-so favored sticky gun. However, it grants several very useful bonuses. Just by equipping it you get 50% fire resistance (HALF DAMAGE TAKEN FROM PYROS!) and 65% blast resistance (EVEN LESS DAMAGE FROM EXPLOSIONS!) But its true power lies in the alternative fire. When used, you rush at your enemy at a speed even scouts will have a hard time escaping. Not only this, but it does damage! Much like the sticky, you hold down alt fire for a different length charge. In addition, the shield ups the lethality of your new sword. If it's used in a medium charge, you're guaranteed a mini-crit. If used in a long charge, you're guaranteed a full crit.


~SOLDIER UPDATES~
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/879/dsdsdsdsd.png
THE DIRECT HIT
The main problem with the soldier is anyone aside from a firing heavy can easily dodge your rockets at anything but near point blank. Even if you hit their feet, your damage is pifitiful. Not anymore. This new rocket launcher loses most of your area damage (75%!) But in exchange it moves 80% FASTER and does 25% MORE DAMAGE. This means you can easily smack anything right in the face and blow them to pieces without having to play the jumping game. No more running for you!

[Kage]

I am so excited for the new Rocket Launcher that I am will have sex with it and if it shall blow me up, I will die a happy man.

[NERDRAGE]

Yeah, I'm gonna be a total dick with all of those, guaranteed.

[Cold Fusion]

Direct Hit is win for airshots.

I got to get better with my direct shots. Now!

[Call_Me_Dead]

I'm split about the direct hit.

On one hand, it encourages less spam and more skill, which is great...

On the other, with demos replacing their sticky mine launcher with the targe, and 25% more damage on rockets, soliders will be the new sentry killers.

[NERDRAGE]

I guarantee alot of demos will stick to their pissant sticky launcher.

[omgitsnewyork]

I am so excited for the new Rocket Launcher that I am will have sex with it and if it shall blow me up, I will die a happy man.

I smell a threesome in our future!

FUCKING PROPER UPDATE!

[Mr. Dorf]

I knew the Kage man would go bananas on this one. I like both demo and soldier but with this coming out, I will definately play a lot more soldier. Make it a foursome newyork. Ain't that a mean lookin weapon!!:)

[Juujuu]

Nice, been waiting to see what would come out, i can't wait for soldier's new rocket launcher!

[Kage]

Don't get me wrong, Demoman is a great class and requires a lot of skill to be really good at it with out spamming. I will try both classes after the update is officially released but my main focus is and will always be the Soldier.

[Call_Me_Dead]

*cough* rockets to a gun fight *cough* :tease::tease:

The balance of the new rocket launcher depends on the strength of the targe charge. It sounds like, at full speed, it should be able to throw out some HUGE burst, even without the eyelander crits. But will the charge be enough to burst down a sentry? Probably not, seeing as the gun would shoot him away right after and crits dont effect sentries...

And yes nerdrage I'm sure some demos will stick to the mine launcher, but without the targe the eyelander cant crit, and without crits you cant cut off many heads :P

And no one is commenting about the demomen catching up?? Cowardly maggot talk, I say!

[Meat]

I'm pretty impressed with how they dealt with the new rocket launcher. It helps out skilled soldiers incredibly. It'll definitely increase the gap between good soldiers and bad soldiers.

Doing some vigorous testing, it takes about 2.035 seconds for a rocket launcher to get from battlements to battlements. It takes the flare gun 1.150 seconds to do the same. Assuming they don't decrease the firing speed and being that the DH can shoot 80% faster, you're basically shooting four rockets that can 1-hit kill 5/9 classes at the speed of flare gun bullets in 2.5 seconds. In very close range, soldiers can already 1-hit scouts (125 damage) without the 25% damage increase. That means that at that same range soldiers can 2-hit heavies with the DH. I'm predicting an ambassador-like nerf in the future... probably decreasing firing speed.

Unlike the demo's upgrades, it will be interesting to see how the DH will change the meta-game of competitive play. Roaming, rocket jumping soldiers have the ability to assassinate medics in the blink of an eye if they're not careful now. At the same time, a pocket can airshot that rocket jumping soldier and kill him in one hit.

The demoman's upgrades, on the other hand, are going to end up like the huntsman. It has the ability to generate the most fun available a class can offer in a pub, but it will rarely (if ever) show itself in a serious competitive scene. After all the hype cools down, most demos will float back to their original weapons just as scout and snipers have done before them.


Also, @ callmedead,
I think Valve is creating the illusion that they're catching up. It wouldn't be as climatic if the soldiers were winning by a lot going into the final days. If the gap closes in even more today, then I guarantee this is the case.

[b00ts]

Not to detract from the whole conspiracy theory, but don't you think the release of new unlocks has something to do with the gap closing? I'm guessing people who were undecided on participating or just weren't very strong for either class decided to go for the new content when it came out. Once they started, they committed to unlocking the 2 new pieces of equipment over the 1 new one from soldier so far. If it were me, and this is just me, I would have switched to demo even though I used to play soldier MUCH more often.

Now given that would actually hurt the demos, me sucking as that class and all, but I'm guessing there are come competant people out there who thought the same way I did.

[Call_Me_Dead]

I'm a great scout and I use all the scout unlocks all the time >.>

And yeah they might be faking the numbers. To me, broadcasting the unlocks has nothing to do with the gap closing. The war ends thursday. They had to do it eventually. Plus, these are only the unlocks both classes get regardless of the war outcome. Seeing what I am getting whether or not I play more demo does not inspire me to play more demo :)

[omgitsnewyork]

Don't get me wrong, Demoman is a great class and requires a lot of skill to be really good at it with out spamming. I will try both classes after the update is officially released but my main focus is and will always be the Soldier.

Me too, but rest assured, I will never primarily be a Demo. Ever. I am constantly out shining Demos on the 2Fort server with a Kritzkrieg medic while they proclaim a Demo/Ubercharge combo will get the job done. Anyone who plays in the 2Fort server can attest to this.

But will the charge be enough to burst down a sentry?

The Targe is meant to be a sidegrade, not an upgrade. I would like to think they wouldn't make the Targe more powerful than it's replacement. Plus, the Targe sounds absolute beast mode if you can quick charge a sentry with a Kritzkrieg uber popped. In all actuality, I feel like the Targe, if it isn't going to be right off the bat, will one of the best new sentry hurters, not killers, in accordance to ground level sentries.

Unlike the demo's upgrades, it will be interesting to see how the DH will change the meta-game of competitive play. Roaming, rocket jumping soldiers have the ability to assassinate medics in the blink of an eye if they're not careful now. At the same time, a pocket can airshot that rocket jumping soldier and kill him in one hit.

The only league that matters, CEVO, I think, will not allow any unlocks to be used in competitive play. Leagues are most often in vanilla fashion. And with CEVO being the only surviving league worth anything for winning, I would highly doubt they will ruin their competitive market with unlocks. ESPECIALLY the Soldier/Demos unlocks being as they are the most used classes in competitive play.

Not to detract from the whole conspiracy theory, but don't you think the release of new unlocks has something to do with the gap closing?

This has been addressed on the Steam forums and is pretty much backed by the entire TF2 community. Incentive is a wonderful and horrible thing sometimes.

[Meat]

The only league that matters, CEVO, I think, will not allow any unlocks to be used in competitive play. Leagues are most often in vanilla fashion. And with CEVO being the only surviving league worth anything for winning, I would highly doubt they will ruin their competitive market with unlocks. ESPECIALLY the Soldier/Demos unlocks being as they are the most used classes in competitive play.

Cevo has been out for Tf2 since it all started. It has always allowed all unlockable weapons except for the sandman. All weapon unlocks are assumed to be permissible unless formally declared banned. You've never seen fan scouts or kritzkriegs in professional matches before?

Cevo is definitely not the only league that matters. OCZ, TWL, ESL, and many other leagues pop up on Cevo's off season. Remember, Cevo is only a season, so many alternative leagues are populated during this downtime. Also, all of these leagues listed allow unlockable weapons too.

I'm guessing people who were undecided on participating or just weren't very strong for either class decided to go for the new content when it came out. Once they started, they committed to unlocking the 2 new pieces of equipment over the 1 new one from soldier so far.

The demo and soldier unlocks are not released yet. They're just announced for tomorrow evening's update. Since both classes have announced unlocks and they are not released yet, I think that this wouldn't impact the numbers. It's a conspiracy I tell you!