PropHunt guide

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Abraham
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PropHunt guide

Post by Abraham »

In this guide ill try my best to include the following things :

Useful binds/commands
Useful items to use on certain classes (Feel free to post your suggestions since I personally am not too familiar with certain classes)
Advices on how to improve your self to become a better player
Simple info about the gamemode it self
PropHunt specific rules and what each rule is about

If you see a newer player that is asking for help, you can direct them to this thread by asking them to type !phhelp or /phhelp into in-game chat.
Alternatively you can ask them to type !help or /help > What is PropHunt? > Pressing 1 leads the player into this guide.
Keep in mind this requires cl_disablehtmlmotd to be set at 0 instead of 1.

I'll start with the info :
So as you could guess, PropHunt is a gamemode where you hide as items on one team, and hunt for them on the other. RED team hides, while BLU does it's best to catch all the props, on BLU if you choose the Pyro as your class, you can fly by jumping and using your flamethrower as a jetpack, notice that using your weapons will deal damage to you. Everytime you get a kill, your health refreshes, how ever if you fail to kill someone you can always go for healthpacks or walk over the ControllPoint, the CP refreshes approximately every 45seconds and resets your health on touch. The gravity is slightly lower than in normal tf2, and it makes a few things a lot easier to do such as rocketjumping and stickyjumping. Every kill you get on BLU team increases your speed a little bit, when you reach your max speed you should be as fast as a scout.

In the start of every round there is a 10second startup time that you can use to choose your class and/or possibly get a better spawn point. To do that on BLU you can either rapidly change your class to a scout, or type kill in console. As long as there are spawnpoints avaiable, it should give you a new spawn.

After the 10seconds starts another timer that lasts for 30seconds, during this time the BLU team is stuck to their spawn while the RED team hides. On certain maps you can see outside of your spawn on BLU team and use that in your advantage, try to keep an eye out for props that try to hide near your spawn.

On RED you'll be forced to play as Scout, as a scout you'll have the ability to double jump and therefor reach some spots in pretty much every map that you wouldnt be able to reach with only one jump, it also gives you a lot better chance to escape the hunters incase you get found. If you manage to survive till you're the last on your team, you'll get your current scout loadout in your use to be able to fight against the hunters, going out right after you get the gun gives you the opportunity to snatch some easy kills for that the hunters are covered in jarate for a little while after its the last prop alive. Try your best to memorize where the healthpacks are located on each maps, will save you a lot of trouble and saves your life in a lot of situations.

On RED you can switch your class by typing !propmenu or /propmenu (Preferably /propmenu for that it doesn't show up in chat and therefor wont spam it incase you choose the wrong prop and have to open up the menu again). You might want to consider binding the command into a key by typing the following command into console.

Code: Select all

bind "key" "say /propmenu"
or if you want to make sure you dont accidentally use the chatbind on otherservers you can do it as a console command bind by typing this into console.

Code: Select all

bind key propmenu
It'll give you the chance to change your prop a lot faster and therefor it will increase the chance of you being able to re-hide incase you get found and have to run away. Notice that each map has their own set of props, except for the pyro model, controllpoint and the ghost model that are added to the propmenu on everymap. You can also lock your prop in place by simply left-clicking (notice this wont work if you're the last prop and you have the gun.)

When you're hiding as a prop, you might not want to use the spots that your prop seems to fit in the best. Most good, or even half decent players have learned to memorize the maps and will find you in a blink of an eye. Most of the times the props that survive last have been hiding somewhere up, so try your best to find spots that are high up so you can't be so easily seen and that you wont be accidentally burned into. Smaller props are preferred, but notice some props are invisble from one side and you can most definitely use that in your advantage, great examples being haypile, controllpoint, locker and the computerwall(s), most people still stick to the good old bucket or a frog. You can also use the bigger props for your advantage if you're good at running for that all the props have the scouts hitbox, the bigger the prop the harder it is to find the hitbox.

A few tips for running as a prop :
Always make sure you're not running in a straight line, doing so will most likely get you killed. You're going to want to learn how to airstrafe (pretty simple, while in air do not use W nor S, move your character from one direction to another by using A and D as well as your mouse). Spamming your crouch key can also confuse some people, when you crouch midair your prop moves up and down making it slightly harder to hit the prop. You're also going to want to make sure you're not predictable, example if you're burning, you might not want to go straight for a healthpack for that some players will instantly go straight towards it in the hopes of you doing the same and get an easy kill, you'll want to strafe around a bit making them wonder if you're not going for the healthpack after all, giving you just enough time to snatch the healthpack and continue running away. As soon as you get behind cover, it might help you to escape whom ever is after you if you change your props (Binding propmenu into a key will definitely make this a lot faster and easier to do.)

On BLU team your job is to find and kill the props. Useful hints I can think of at the moment are that learn to memorize the maps, it'll be a huge advantage when playing against newer players who like to hide in simple spots where it seems like their prop would fit in just fine. You're also going to want to learn to look up a lot, I know this sounds obvious, but surpricingly enough a lot of people dont do this, giving the props that are hiding high up a lot better chance at winning. You'll also need to learn how to predict the people's movements, example if a prop runs into a hallway that has more than one doors, you might want to consider going to the door where the prop is most likely going to run out from instead of running after it into the hallway, of course if you know that the hallway is narrow and that the prop doesnt have too much space to run in, you might want to go after it and try to get it with a flare or some other ranged weapon.

About the classes :

You can choose from 7 classes, them being Pyro, Soldier, Demoman, Heavy, Engineer, Medic and Sniper. Scout and Spy have been banned for that they would give a massive advantage in certain situations. A lot of weapons have also been banned for them being extreamly over powered in the game mode, ill get to some of the weapons more specificly while telling you about the loadouts.

The "best" loadouts for each class (In my personal opinion):

Pyro : The most overpowered combo would definitely be Degreaser, Flaregun/Detonator/Scorchshot and the Axtinguisher/Postal pummler. Personally prefer Flaregun from the given secondaries. This combo is extreamly good for that you can switch from one weapon to another extreamly fast and get some easy kills with them. You'll always want to go after the prop with the degreaser first and then simply instant switch to the axtinguisher (if close range) or the flaregun (if longer range). The flaregun deals 90dmg to a burning player no matter from which direction/distance you hit the prop from, while the Axtinguisher deals 195dmg to a burning player.

You might also want to use the stock flamethrower if you're the type of player who likes to m1 a lot. It deals a lot more damage than the degreaser and can also kill a prop in the matter of seconds if burned consistently. Another weapon you might want to consider using is the neon annihilator, this weapon can be extreamly overpowered in maps that have a lot of water in them for its ability to deal 195dmg to any player who is wet.

Soldier : The best weapon set for this class is most definitely the Rocketjumper, Mantreads and a Marketgardener. The rocketjumper does no extra damage (on top of the 10dmg you take per use) and can be used into travelling longer distances extreamly fast. While rocketjumping, you can use the marketgardener to deal 195dmg while in air to get an insta kill, and the mantreads you can use to land on people and deal 3x the fall damage to who ever you land on. You might also want to try out the basejumper, even if its being deeply hated by most of the players, it can be extreamly useful for people who are not that good at rocketjumping, notice that on our server the basejumper deals 3dmg on deploy and after that 3dmg per second.

Notice that on both of the classes the reserve shooter has been banned for that it would be extreamly overpowered in the gamemode.

I personally dont play pretty much anything else but Pyro and Soldier, but ill try my best to share my thoughts on the best loadouts for the rest of the classes as well.

Demoman : The charge 'n targe/Tide turner, Ali baba's wee booties/Bootlegger and Scotsman's Skullcutter for it's increaser range and damage. You might also want to consider using the basejumper as well as the stickyjumper for this class.

Heavy : The Shotgun/Sandvich, Holiday punch (or any other melee weapon that has the ranged tauntkill). The ranged tauntkill on the melee weapon gives you the advantage of catching unaware props off guard and getting an insta kill on them. All of the miniguns have been banned from our server for them being extreamly overpowered in the gamemode.

Engineer : I really dont know anything about playing engineer in prophunt, I personally think its a rather useless class. For melee weapon id suggest Southern Hospitality for the bleed damage (Feel free to throw in suggestions of the "best" loadout for the class). You can only build teleporters and a dispencer in the gamemode, sentryguns have been banned for obvious reasons. On engineer make sure you dont build by cp or that you dont block any healthpacks/ammopacks/doorways with your buildings, doing so will get you in trouble with the admins.

Medic : All teammate healing weapons have been banned from the gamemode, excluding the crusaders crossbow, but even with that you can't heal teammates on our server. The best loadout in my opinion would definitely be the Crusaders Crossbow and the Ubersaw. Crossbow gives you the opportunity of reaching people in spots you cant reach so easily with other ranged weapons and that you cant jump into, ubersaw I just like for pretty much no reason at all.

Sniper : Huntsman/Fortified compound, Jarate and Bushwaka. All of the sniper rifles have been banned from the game mode for them being too overpowered in it, same goes with the SMG's. The bushwaka I like the most from the melee weapons for that you can always use the combo of throwing a jarate on an enemy then hitting them once with the bushwaka, all minicrits are instantly transformed into normal crits with the weapon, giving you the opportunity to get yet another instakill.

An extra tip for soldiers/demo's:
When Rocket or Sticky jumping, if you are doing so on a map that has shallow bodies of water such as Venice, Kakariko, Sawmill, Mountain, etc, use the water to your advantage. Landing in shallow bodies of water negates fall damage, and on top of such, blast jumping from said bodies will provide you with a very significant boost to your jump when done correctly.

Now ill finally move on to the useful chat and console commands for the gamemode :

The propmenu !propmenu or /propmenu
You can right-click to change between 1st and 3rd person on RED team, left-click allows you to lock your prop in place.
Nominate maps by typing nominate, !nominate or /nominate into chat.
Typing RTV into chat allows you to Rock The Vote on a map that you personally dont like to play on, or if you just dont feel like playing them.
You can check your rank by typing !rank or /rank, or if you feel like showing off you can use !statsme or /statsme for the entire server to see your rank.
Typing timeleft into chat allows you to see how much time is left on the current map, you can also do this by pressing TAB/Sarkain and checking it from the scoreboard timer.
Typing nextmap will allow you to see what map is going to be the next one (only works after map vote).
Typing kill or explode into console will kill you, you can use this in your advantage if you want to get a better spawnpoint. Using this to prevent your self from dying to someone will end up getting you banned. Using the command is not recommended after roundstart.
Typing snd_restart will allow you to disable the map music incase someone puts it on, or the map has a looping soundtrack that you personall dont like.

Incase you happen to see hunters as props there is a simple way to fix this. It happens once in a while if you're having internet issues. You can fix it by typing the following command into console

Code: Select all

record demo; stop
Here's an example of the glitch :
Spoiler
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PropHunt specific rules and explenations to the rules :

1) No ghosting :
Spoiler
What is ghosting? Ghosting for prophunt is the act of revealing, or hinting towards a prop's location or identity when you are on RED, or dead on BLU.
Note: Saying what prop you are is also ghosting. The rule goes "Red or Dead, ghosting is prohibited."
Saying things to your team like "how did you get in there/how did you get up there/they won't find you up there" are common and classic examples of team ghosting you can hear usually on mic. Of course, they're hinting towards a direction, making it easier for hunters to find a hard prop, since they now know they just have to look somewhere high up as the prop could be invisible from below. Our server also doesn't approve fake ghosting example saying you're a bucket while in real you're a frog.
2) No building blocking :
Spoiler
Building blocking is when you're an engineer and you build close to cp, on top of healthpacks/ammo packs or just in a narrow hallway/doorway blocking the way from the props. This can be extreamly annoying if you're being chased and you get stuck on buildings while trying to escape.
3) Don't suicide just because you dont wan't to play on a certain team/against certain players :
Spoiler
By this we mean you're not allowed to suicide if you dont like playing on one team just because you're bad on that team or that the enemyteam has players that you dont like hiding/hunting against. In a more simple way, play the game like it's supposed to be played, you wont get any better by avoiding certain players or a certain role.
4) Don't suicide to prevent yourself from dying to another player :
Spoiler
If you've been found, you're not allowed to suicide nor reconnect with the intention of escaping death. This is not only extreamly childish and annoying, but can also be abused to gain higher ranking on the server.
5) Do not camp the ControllPoint :
Spoiler
Camping CP on our server is forbidden. It's extreamly frustrating and annoying when you're running away from hunters and in despreat need of health and you run to the CP only to find someone camping it in hopes of an easy kill as well as making it harder for you to reach it.
6) Griefing as a prop :
Spoiler
This rule falls under ghosting. As a prop you're not allowed to run inside nor close to another prop with the intention of getting them killed. You can hide inside other props only if you're the same prop as they are and even then preferrably only if they're cool with it.
7) Do not delay rounds/no friendlies allowed :
Spoiler
You're not allowed to intentionally delay the rounds by being friendly with the last prop alive. Now I personally enforce this rule lightly and only when its 1v1 situation left, it can be very frustrating for some people to just sit there and watch you share a pool with a prop while there are others waiting to play.
NOTICE THAT CERTAIN RULES ARE ENFORCED DIFFERENTLY BY DIFFERENT ADMINS, ID LIKE TO POINT OUT THE RULE ADMIN'S WORD IS FINAL. THIS MEANS IF AN ADMIN TELLS YOU NOT TO DO SOMETHING, YOU ARE TO LISTEN TO THEM AND QUIT FOOLING AROUND.

I hope this guide is helpful and not too confusing and please let me know if I forgot to add something.
Last edited by Abraham on Sun Aug 07, 2016 1:40 am, edited 15 times in total.
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CorgiBear
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Re: PropHunt guide

Post by CorgiBear »

This guide is for nerds B)

Actually it's good advice..
Last edited by CorgiBear on Sun Aug 07, 2016 2:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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sambawarkiddo
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Re: PropHunt guide

Post by sambawarkiddo »

Great guide.

a few extra things I feel are worth noting:

GHOSTING.
What is ghosting? Ghosting for prophunt is the act of revealing, or hinting towards a prop's location or identity when you are on RED, or dead on BLU.
Note: Saying what prop you are is also ghosting. The rule goes "Red or Dead, ghosting is prohibited."
Saying things to your team like "how did you get in there/how did you get up there/they won't find you up there" are common and classic examples of team ghosting you can hear usually on mic. Of course, they're hinting towards a direction, making it easier for hunters to find a hard prop, since they now know they just have to look somewhere high up as the prop could be invisible from below.

An extra tip for soldiers/demo's:
When Rocket or Sticky jumping, if you are doing so on a map that has shallow bodies of water such as Venice, Kakariko, Sawmill, Mountain, etc, use the water to your advantage. Landing in shallow bodies of water negates fall damage, and on top of such, blast jumping from said bodies will provide you with a very significant boost to your jump when done correctly.
Last edited by sambawarkiddo on Sun Aug 07, 2016 3:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Haku*
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Re: PropHunt guide

Post by Haku* »

No spy, Inferior gamemode

A helpful guide which has some generally good advice for the game anyways like not running in straight lines and not be predictable.
And the best way to learn how to play prophunt is to play prophunt and have some fun. :) Good job Abra!
Last edited by Haku* on Sun Aug 07, 2016 12:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Abraham
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Re: PropHunt guide

Post by Abraham »

Thanks for the feedback people!

Updated the guide with PropHunt specific rules and explenations to them. Hopefully didnt forget anything, if I did how ever, do feel free to message me or post here!
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hisiglemic
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Re: PropHunt guide

Post by hisiglemic »

Hey abrah I've gotta say your guide is pretty good but I have a tip for engi
You can use the southern hospitality to deal bleeding damage to the props which can result in low health and a propgiveaway
one day I will meet Gaben
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Abraham
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Re: PropHunt guide

Post by Abraham »

hisiglemic wrote:Hey abrah I've gotta say your guide is pretty good but I have a tip for engi
You can use the southern hospitality to deal bleeding damage to the props which can result in low health and a propgiveaway
Updated.
Last edited by Abraham on Mon Aug 22, 2016 1:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: PropHunt guide

Post by Abraham »

Updated rules 3 & 4.
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