TF2 Beta Mode: Robot Destruction

Robot Destruction and its one map, Asteroid, are apparently the "solution" to 2fort. There are several problems with 2fort, but the biggest is that it can be stalemated very easily. In a public game with three (or more) Engineers, attacking players have to win a separate battle for each sentry nest. The odds a group of attackers will overtake every enemy fades away quickly when you have to get all the way to their flag and back.

What's the Solution?

Robots.

Robots in their native, untextured, natural habitat

Robot Destruction's main new feature, Robots are essentially mobile point banks. In 2fort, an invasion of the enemy's base receives no points unless you make it all the way in and out. In Asteroid, you get a few points every time you manage to do 500 damage to a robot and scoop up its bits.

Melee may be the best way to kill them

Now a team can't just set up a base at their deepest position and wait there until the end of time. Unless they can defend all of their robots, campers will eventually lose.

There is one more new mechanic, stealing points by sneaking all the way into the enemy base and taking an object back to your base.

Some wild Pyros attempt to sneak the cores through the laser field

To accumulate points, the invader must wait around in the enemy base. It makes for an interesting dynamic. Every second you scoop up points in your backpack, more enemies are descending on your position. Do you run right away for 20 points, or do you try to win the game single-handedly by grabbing 150?

Unfortunately, Robot Destruction is not intuitive at all. Right now, hardly anyone knows what's going on. We can't really judge the quality of the mode until people learn the map, but it's definitely an improvement over 2Fort.

Dark Souls II

  Dark Souls II sure is shit compared to Dark Souls I. I like the way they improved connectivity, but that's just about the only improvement. In terms of art, most the game looks worse than Dark Souls I. The Dragon area and all the bits with water look pretty cool though.



Oddly, they made it much easier to do inter-player actions, in terms of co-op and helping people doing PVP, but they made PVP items so rare that you never get the chance to do it. I spent maybe five hours in the covenant to help people in PVP, and it never triggered. I'm glad I'm not a completist: you have to help dozens of people in PVP to unlock all the rewards.

Derpy

I didn't really care when they took out Derpy's name from that one episode, but I do disapprove of them choosing to take someone that had a mild eye problem, and deciding that she must be retarded.

I'm fine with her being a screw-up. Derpy doesn't have to be a genius; I don't like the connection between Physical Difference = Mental Disability.

Yes, I'm hitting this issue well over a year after this whole controversy has been forgotten.