Friday, August 15, 2008

Heavy Update

If you're me, you've been looking at the Heavy Update page eagerly. They've announced two of the alternate weapons, and a new map.

A common thread runs through each of the updates. The primary item for each class, (the flamethrower, the medigun, and now, Sasha), have poor replacements. The Kritzkrieg is almost universally mocked, the Backburner was only an improvement when it gave +50 HP, and Natascha's slowing effect probably won't compensate for the -25% damage.

I think keeping the primary weapon the same makes the classes more predictable. I approve.

PS.
The Achievements are laid out. They've cut short the tradition of getting a million "whatevers" for each class. Instead, the Heavy needs to get 1.000 assists. I wonder if the focus on getting assists for the achievements is due to the nature of the heavy, or due to the designers wanting to make it less rewarding to play like an idiot to earn achievements. If you're going for an assist, you need to 1. Be near allies, and 2. Shoot the enemy. If an ally of mine was grinding achievements like that, I honestly wouldn't mind.

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