Useful Class Tutorial Videos

[brianblack]

So, I was thinking to myself that we really don't have anything to show new players how to play all the classes that we love and cherish. There are plenty of YouTube videos showing the how to's and a fair number of advanced uses for both the normal weapons and unlocks, but (in my head) no one knows where to look! Now they can just come straight here. Imaginary problem solved. Please lend me a hand with classes I don't play! People who know me are very aware of my disdain for vanilla demoman and my clumsy soldier play.

Also, I've expanded and included Ubercharged articles that are focused on providing constructive instruction, as opposed to pointless whining.


Scout
EvilDaedalus' videos are pretty much the standard for the basics of Scout, Pyro, and Spy. It's really a shame that he stopped making videos (as far as I know), since they give a good analysis of the class in question. They do not cover any of the unlocks, as the unlocks for classes came out after he made his tutorials. The Scout tutorial focuses on how to handle the hit-and-run class, and matches him up against the other classes on a 1v1 basis. It also includes some extra techniques, such as weapon heckling and sentry circling and edging.
Part 1:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRSW0Y1SgoA
Part 2:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j59kujK004o


Soldier
Parts 1 and 2 of Pway a Weal Cwass by Pandapoops. Part 1 gives demonstrations of the skills needed by people who desperately need to play soldier ALL THE TIME. Various ridiculous Aerial shots ensue.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI29xEnfTzI

Part 2 demonstrates the uses of the new soldier weapons, including the personally hated death-pick. Ties the skills used in the original video very well.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYC0zYUUB_A


Pyro
EvilDaedalus' Pyro Tutorial. Covers flanking and ambushes. Be sure to note that since this is pre-update, you'll see no airblasting. This is actually better for beginning pyros for this reason. Use these techniques with the backburner for tremendously better results than W+M1. Gives a 1v1 class comparison to give tactics for fighting everything from soldiers to scouts. See Scout section for extra information on his tutorials.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGIISxhYRYE

An excellent compilation of some of the better 'name' pyros, including Don Newman and Huey Lewis by magnetro2k, these will give you some great starting tips on how to airblast, where and when to reflect rockets and pipes, reflect-rocketjumps, and my ever-popular puff+sting combo (which, for reference, I learned from Huey Lewis). Generally, these videos are worth a watch if you want to use the class to become a more frustrating bastard of a human being.
Part 1:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8-00nwyK9Q

Part 2:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sItvlagESxM

And, Part 3:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZnxcjxLick


Demo
An Ubercharged article from Thingy Person demonstrating some of the values and uses of the Scottish Resistance.
www.ubercharged.net/2010/02/01/how-to-resist/


Heavy
A very beginner-based tutorial by RandomEngy for using the heavy more efficiently. A lot of the tips are of the "I knew that already" type, but for anyone completely new to the game, it never hurts to have something...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z66iWDH_lgU

An Ubercharged article written by Druss that includes a video from da_sud demonstrating that a heavy is indeed useful without a medic.
www.ubercharged.net/2010/02/12/revolutionary-strategies-a-heavy-guide/
(Just Video)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fGZOW5RZdg


Engineer
BenHurrrrrrrr has an excellent video describing how to play an engineer, and includes methods for offensive engineering, surprise sentries, and general notes for not being a Devry engineer sentry placement. Also an unrelated note: Did you know you can rotate blueprints with the right mouse button before deploying them with the left mouse button?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYsZ3tLpVMs


Medic


Sniper
Kojaimea has a great tutorial showing the intricacies of the point-and-click adventure class. Really, there's not a whole lot to it since it doesn't describe the unlocks, but it's still good for the new player... right?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee2LHDFAhRc


Spy
EvilDaedalus' Spy tutorial. This video is great for getting the basics of infiltration down using the default invisibility watch. Again, pre-update, so you'll only see the default watch and revolver. Also, this video is before Valve removed the full backstab animation, so some of his techniques for getting quick stabs is no longer necessary. See Scout section for extra information on his tutorials.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-qD30EOO-o

OMFGNinja's set of spy tutorials are definitely worth taking a look after getting the basics down. Tons of clever spy tricks to get the most of your slippery snake. Unfortunately, it does not cover the unlocks, but a lot of the methods lend themselves well to the other watches.
Part 1 covers "Stalking, Quick-Stabs, Leaping Stabs, Pyros, Scouts and Engineers":
www.youtube.com/watch?v=d87QCn_cafI

Part 2 covers "Mind games, Shortcuts, and Spawn Camping":
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJHwvTa2F6c

Part 3 covers "Solocaps and extra examples of how to combine techniques":
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AcdVsZSlbc


This Soul Birdhouse will remain perpetually in evolution, and I will update the main post with additional helpful information that I find or that people leave in comments! If things get too out of hand, I'll build topics for each class' tactics to break it up. (Repeated from top)Please lend me a hand with classes I don't play! People who know me are very aware of my disdain for vanilla demoman and my clumsy soldier play.

[.: sora]

Taken from another thread, ubercharged.net has tutorials for the classes who see a lot of time in competitive play (Scout, Soldier, Demo, Medic), with a quick guide touching on the others. Even if you don't play competitively, they're great articles for those looking to step up their game a bit. :]

I'll grab the links in a bit for those who are lazy.

[brianblack]

ubercharged is where I pulled a lot of these from. Good site, when it's putting out useful articles. Anymore it's a lot of random complaining or tedious stories.

[scrambles]

Ubercharged is an excellent site, for everyone form beginner to pr0. I highly recommend visiting there; you can skip the rants if you really want to, but they are good rants!

Here is the url since you are more likely to visit there if I post it.
www.ubercharged.net/

Edit: there is a "How to play tf2" tab near the top of the page.

[brianblack]

The "How to" tab hasn't been updated in months. There are tons of videos that have been shown there that you'd have to cycle back through 10 pages of blog to find the damn things. I figured I'd develop our own help section, then break each class down with our own brand of know-how, borrowing from outside sources as necessary. I'm planning on writing a 'how to play pyro' article here in the near future. (Oh noez! All my seekrets!)

[brianblack]

Updated with Scottish Resistance, Soldier videos, and Heavy Shenanigans.

[Jeziah]

Here, use some pypro tips I developed last year. I don't know how much of this was covered in those videos, but it's still worth saying:
When encountering other pyros, ALWAYS backpeddle while flaming (if they are dumb enough to run at you). If they are running towards you while you are running away, then your flames will have a longer relative (to yourself) range. Also, because flame damage is based on particle (actually invisible entities that run with the particles) lifetime not distance, your fire will deal much more damage than the other pyro's could, because they have the benefit of a higher relative speed. Furthermore, because you are moving away from enemy pyro's flames, they have a lower relative speed, and will have a shorter relative range and do less damage when they reach you.
The exception to the advantageous relative speed/damage of the flame in the above scenario occurs when the enemy pyro manages to get close enough before the firefight starts to deal maximum damage. Then the odds are even, but for one thing; maneuvering.
By taking the defensive position, the backpeddling pyro leads the fight. The offensive pyro will always try to follow the other to keep him in the flame; the defensive only need point ahead, because the other will always be right where he leads him. This means that the defensive pyro can strafe while keeping the offensive pyro easily in the flame, but the offensive pyro must constantly be trying to compensate for the other's movement by aiming ahead of his path, which can be very difficult with the visual noise of 2 flamethrowers in his eyes, especially when the battle is close and fast. With the benefits of higher relative range and damage as well as a a supreme advatage in maneuvering, the defensive pyro can take on an enemy pyro and not lose much, if any, health.
Note that this tactic doesn't only apply to enemy pyros, but any player of any class dumb enough to charge a pyro.

Now, what to do when you have to take the offensive:
Take out the shotgun. Do not charge the pyro, unless he is far away; always move perpendicular to his line of sight, parallel to his movement. Back up when he backs up. If he takes a charge at you, switch to the flamethrower and see tip 1.

If you do not use the shotgun, or must move forward:
Try to run around him, while staying out of range. If you can get yourself in a position where you are both strafing parallel to each other, you can try to get him to follow you (see tip 1), or you can close in and just succeed at keeping him under your fire for longer than he keeps you under yours. If you can move in very fast and swerve around behind him, you can usually get him to follow you into your flame.
Its very important to note here that fire does not gain sideways momentum. If you are strafing to the left and you shoot off a flame, it will go straight out, even if the particles tend to look like they move with you. Because of this, and especially when engaging at mid-flamethrower range while strafing, you must compensate more than you'd probably think to land hits.
The best way to stop an enemy pyro from gaining a position over you when he attempts to take you on like this is to move strafe to stay in front of him and keep backing up. If you can't stay in front of him, you can't lead him into your flame.

If you are in a corridor and must move forward or are without the shotgun when taking the offensive:
Try to be unpredictable, and good luck.