The art of Espionage and War.

[? Frisky Dingo ?]

There have been many threads on how to play spy and what to do against other classes ect...but what actually makes an effective spy? Knowing your roll and by not deviating from what you are supposed to do makes you an effective spy. In this tutorial, I will be covering how I play spy and I with the new items that I use (AMBASSADOR, CLOAK AND DAGGER), lets begin with the basics and move into more complex stuff.

Managing your cloak and knowing where to hide

He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious -Sun Tzu

(Thanks to Captain Calle for this info.)

Cloak and Dagger info
Cloak duration while running: ~ 8 seconds
Cloak duration while crouch walking: ~ 60 seconds
Cloak recharge time while cloaked: ~ 30 seconds
Cloak recharge time while uncloaked: ~ 20 seconds

Here is an old thread I posted if you want to learn some shortcuts on diff maps.

http://edgegamers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=73842

There is no need to stay invisible through out the entire game, as tempting as that may be. By learning how to use this weapon properly it becomes a very deadly weapon. I will not expose all of my hiding places, but I will tell you some basic hiding spots that you can use that can let you escape death.

1. Learn the layouts of maps, learn escape routs and where the health packs are.

2. Use your cloak to get behind your opponants, to infultrate the enemy base and while hiding.

3 Do not, I repeat do not just stand in the middle of the hallway and expect not to be found. Instead why not jump on top of a box or a desk, its simple things like this that can keep you from bumping into an opponant or catching on fire and revealing your position.


Learn when to use your gun

He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious. -Sun Tzu

1. 2 headshots kills all classes but heavy, they take 3 headshots.

2 Do not try and stand toe to toe with many different classes. If your backstab fails run, do not stay and fight. Now that the AMBASSADOR has gotten a boost, learn when you should run away and use this weapon.

3 This weapon is perfect against those silly engi's who think they can hide behind their gun and no spy can kill them. I would suggest while playing spy to have instead of a cross hair, use a small dot instead. This makes it alot easier for me while I am aiming from across the map at an unsuspecting engi.

4. This weapon is also good against snipers with the razorback, sneak up to them and shoot them twice in the head and no need to worry about getting stunned.

Disguises

All war is based on deception. -Sun Tzu

1. Learn what disguises go where on the battle field.

2. Now that disguises have become alot more beleivable (they show thier own life bar, and life depletes if you get hit.) Know how to use them properly to infultrate and to exerminate your enemy.

3. Patients is the key, while disguised you may be tempted to kill a heavy or sniper and run. This can be tricky, especially if they suspect you to be a spy. Sometimes you have to take a couple of shots and act like you were not getting hit so that they trust you are not a spy. It is then that they will turn their back to you and you can kill them. Now this may not always work and you will get killed so it is a double edged sword, but worth it. Doing this can get you a huge chain kill and you can wipe out their entire team.

4. Know that enemy red spies disguised as friendly blue classes wont show their names when you have your cursor over them...so its easy to see who a spy is.

Different types of stabs

If your opponant is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak that he may grow arrogant. -Sun Tzu

Attack

The spy has alot of different types of attacks, for these I will post OMFGNINJA tutorials on how to execute them properly. Nothing has really changed except the timings. Practice them and use them to get the job done.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d87QCn_cafI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d87QCn_cafI[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJHwvTa2F6c"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJHwvTa2F6c[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AcdVsZSlbc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AcdVsZSlbc[/ame]


Other helpful tips

If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are near. -Sun Tzu

1. Learn and get in the habit of changing disguises after you kill someone.
2. After you kill someone or when stalking someone it is best to look behind you to make sure you are not being stalked.
3. Know that you will be killed, but do the most damage you can before that happens...if on fire, stab the nearest person next to you.
4. Be patient, know that you will not learn everything in 1 day...practice, practice, practice.
5. Talk with your team, let them know what the spies are disguised as and where the sentries are.

For veteran spies, this post will not be much help as we already know most of the in's and out's of spy habits. Either way, I dont mind the feed back. Hope this helps you guys out and please post any other helpful info you think may help. I will add more later, its breakfast time for my son...in the mean time this is what I came up with.

 

[Captain Calle]

Nice guide there Frisky. I bet it will help many Spies.

I looked at the cloak recharge times again since some people told me the Cloak and Dagger Spy Watch charges faster if you are cloaked.
And they were true. The Cloak and Dagger Spy Watch does indeed charge faster when you are cloaked. I was wrong.
It takes roughly 20 seconds to recharge if you are cloaked and roughly 30 seconds if you are not.
Ergo the cloak recharges 50% faster if you remain stationary while cloaked, as opposed to decloaking.
I am sorry for the confusion.


-Calle

 

[Sandman]

Pretty good advice on the new weapons, I don't find the CnD very effective, personally. I like to play a much more aggressive spy, rather than standing still waiting for a sniper/heavy to pass by the desk. The Ambassador is indeed my choice over the revolver now that they've fixed it, a very powerful gun that I can rely on baiting enemies with. Good reviews on the new weapons Frisky.

~Sandman~

 

[GulfXray]

This helps FD - just started playing the spy a few days ago....

 

[? Frisky Dingo ?]

Heres a vid of a fall stab I did yesterday. One of many diff types of stabs needed to learn to play spy. Watch in HD.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLm-rFxAKzE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLm-rFxAKzE[/ame]

 

[Anders]

Frisky, here is some stuff I learned from a guy called Wingspantt. He has great funny videos on YouTube.

Many people do not expect you to hide in the same place twice. Like, if a sniper finds you, and hits you, run away, and return to the same place. This has saved my neck many times.

You should also wait until all enemies have passed before striking. (This is a no brainer)

Do not panic. If you do get behind an enemy, and there are some behind you, do not look behind you, just find your exit/hide point, backstab, and make your escape. I often go in their direction, they don't expect that.

If you are on a map like BlackMesa, and a pyro knows you are on the bottom of a staircase, I often hide at the base of the stairs in the corner, or on the barrel next to them. When the pyro exits, do not uncloak. The Pyro is still checking around, wait until he proceeds down the ramp to uncloak and backstab.

If an enemy is at low health, it is best to shoot them, other than taking a chance with a backstab, because with low health, they are more alert.

Hope this helps.

 

[zippy258]

Nice guide man!

 

[? Frisky Dingo ?]

Pretty good advice on the new weapons, I don't find the CnD very effective, personally. I like to play a much more aggressive spy, rather than standing still waiting for a sniper/heavy to pass by the desk.
~Sandman~

This is where you are wrong, I am a very agressive spy for those who have played on my side and those who ive killed can tell you that. The C&D has made it alot easier for me to get behind who I need to kill 5 or 6 guys and then rinse and repeat. Its just on how you use it and the changes you need to make in order to become an agressive spy with the C&D. Before I reset my stats my max chain kill was 17 backstabs in a single life...and now the more I practice with the C&D The closer I get to that same chain kill in a single life, atm I have 12 backstabs in 1 life and Im climbing.

 

[Cut Chem!st]

For some reason the more and more I play with CnD the more I dislike it, I guess its just me and to each his own. Good guide frisky, better than a lot of guides i've seen with the new weapons. Will help the newer spies.

 

[D-Tektive]

wow frisky...i guess you love the CnD lol

 

[bobtheworm]

I love the cloak and dagger because there are so many places to hide that people just don't check. I killed a guy twice yesterday and he never came that way agian. I killed yankee twice in the same spot even though he spy checked me the second time and didn't find me. Cloak and dagger makes me a better spy.

 

[? Frisky Dingo ?]

I will try to keep adding to the thread when I can guys, hope all this helps. Posted a few extra helpful tips.

 

[? Frisky Dingo ?]

Added a new disguise tip #4.

 

[Cut Chem!st]

Added a new disguise tip #4.

You might want to add on-to it that when you go up to a enemy spy that is cloaked or disguised it will still show the little-visual flip the knife upside down qeue for a backstab.

 

[DRaGZ]

This isn't a constructive comment or anything, but I noticed that a lot of people who write Spy guides love referencing Sun Tzu. Which I find amusingly ironic because the only TF2 character to date that has mentioned Sun Tzu is the Soldier, who is a pretty good backstab target.

Oh the irony.

 

[Spitfire'd]

I loved playing spy when I first got into this game. It is a trick class that requires a lot of patience but my favorite moments in this game have come from those runs where you just stay alive and kill several people.

I hopped into our servers yesterday and was absolutely thrilled to finally get the Cloak and Dagger, which has made the spy incredible to play as.

The spy is still a patience class (A minute to learn, a lifetime to master) but holy cow the Cloak and Dagger makes it so much fun (and easier in my opinion). I can't wait to get the Ambassador.

All Sun Tzu quotes are invalidated in war games because Sun Tzu's idea of supreme excellence comes in winning without fighting (just kidding, several tactics still apply).

 

[Sandman]

This is where you are wrong, I am a very agressive spy for those who have played on my side and those who ive killed can tell you that. The C&D has made it alot easier for me to get behind who I need to kill 5 or 6 guys and then rinse and repeat. Its just on how you use it and the changes you need to make in order to become an agressive spy with the C&D. Before I reset my stats my max chain kill was 17 backstabs in a single life...and now the more I practice with the C&D The closer I get to that same chain kill in a single life, atm I have 12 backstabs in 1 life and Im climbing.

Heh well i'm sure it can be used in a more "aggressive" style of spying, but it seems to me, thats not what its designed for. It was intended to be used for more of a smaller area to play in, because of the short invisibility time your forced to sneak around in a more confined area. I find the regular watch and the Dead Ringer much more effective for more mobile spies, rather than standing on top of a box or a desk. I also find the inability to take ammo crates for cloak an extreme turn off. I know it wasn't always like that, but I like most more experienced spies have changed their play style to thinking ahead to what path your going to take that passes by ammo crates. The Dead Ringer doesn't allow you to cloak at will, to a certain extent, but if you feign in front of 5 or 6 people uncloak at a nearby location, the group would be expecting you to still be in respawn time giving you an increased chance of a group not spy checking. All-in-all I do see how a player could use the CnD for a more "aggressive" style but I think it serves its purpose more for a "camping" play, due to the oppurtunities of the other two watches. But to each man his own, we all don't play the same, which is what TF2 is all about :thumbup:.

~Sandman~