Well, so far the Engy Update might not have changed gameplay in general on a relevant scale. But certainly it has changed the way people play the class. And from within the diversity of (new) ways to play Engineer a new school of engineering gameplay appears to become prevalent. I’ve dubbed this type the “Play-It-Safe Engineer”.
The introduction of movable buildings has created a lot of new strategic possibilities to the Engy. On maps with dynamic gameplay (A/D, PL, 5-CP) he is finally able to keep up with the action without having to destroy his buildings first.
Another advantage of that new ability is that an Engineer can build and upgrade a building – especially a sentry – on a safe spot and then move it into a hotspot and might have a good chance to get it working before the opponent can destroy it, while before it would have been highly unlikely that an Engy would have been able to erect and groom a sentry on such a spot.
Especially the latter has prompted a new school of thought. Since the Engy can easily move his building it’s no longer necessary to expose oneself (and one’s efforts) to any dangers and risks. So a lot of Engies have started to set up their buildings on a safe spot, usually well away from the actually hot spots of the conflict. This can easily be right outside the respawn or – for example – on the 2nd point of a 5-CP-map. There they wrench away, get their entire stuff ready and once they consider the moment opportune they will bravely move their buildings forward.
Granted, this stance towards the engineering profession is not entirely new. And in some instances it might even work for the team’s advantage, in a way.
Before the Engy Update this type of engineer was the one who would immediately start building his sentry and dispenser on the 2nd CP on Dustbowl (for example). Why bother defending the first CP which in most cases can’t be hold anyway, risking being killed and subsequently struggling to erect a proper defense on the 2nd point? Sounds logical, doesn’t it?
Of course there’s a flaw in that kind of thinking: On a map like Dustbowl (or Badwater, Goldrush, GravelPit etc.) the main idea is not to stop the opponent on a preliminary point, but to slow him down, to make him waste as much time as possible so that the time left to defend the final point – the point which eventually decides over victory and defeat – is as short as possible. [1]
The Engineers buildings – all of them, though most importantly the sentry – are invaluable contributions to slow enemies down. The enemy has often to sacrifice ubers to bring it down, spies might shift their focus to engies (instead of heavy classes) and in many cases no opponent can simply step onto the CP, hoping the stay alive long enough to cap it.
Not providing this means simply to piss away a tactical advantage and to make the attack unnecessarily easier for the opposition.
And yes, I have been in games where the already set up defense on the last point saved a match because the enemy was able to rush towards the final point very quickly. But I think I’ve been in more games where the enemy was able to cap the last point shortly before the time limit was reached because they were able to spend too much time on attack runs. [2]
Before the Engy Update dynamic maps like 5-CP were never ideal scenarios to play Engy. But with movable buildings and mini-sentries this has changed. Now an Engy can make a difference on a hot spot. He can buy time on a 5-CP-map, but also effectively support momentum (resp. help to prevent reversal of momentum). The impact differs a bit from map to map, but the fact remains. The offensive Engy might not get many kills, but he can provide distraction and – with a little luck and/or skill – garner tons of assists. With that he can be very helpful, though not in a very noticeable way. And I admit, since the Engy remains a fairly weak class he will get killed a fair amount of times. BUT, an offensive engy can do his share to win a game.
However, the Play-It-Safe Engy does not. He acts defensively, always behind (friendly) lines; securing, but not pushing. Such an Engy will at best help his team not to lose, but he does very little to help it to win.
He might have his moments when the tide of conflict is turning against his team and his buildings help keeping the incoming opponents at bay. Then again, with a bit more offensive behaviour the own team might be the one doing the pushing instead of defending.
Who knows, maybe too many engies are still trapped in the mindset of a primarily defensive and immobile class. But perhaps these are simply representatives of the kind of players who are either looking for easy success (I’ve ranted about those before) or are more concerned about their kpd than the fate of their team.
I have little respect for the Play-It-Safe Engineer. And these days I see far too many of them ...
Come on, you cowards! Put your sentry in a spot where it can hurt people! Not in one where the sentry won’t be hurt ...
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