TF2- Mannpower Mode Beta

Smissmass 2014 has come and gone and I'm happy to report that I did not get kidnapped by Old Nick to work at his South Pole weapons and hats manufactory. Instead, I have had the privilege of firing up Team Fortress 2 and enjoying this Smissmass miracle of a TF2 update with some friends.

New weapons- wow! A metric shit-ton of hats- can't say I didn't see that one coming! A new game mode- Mannpower beta!

The main feature of the new game mode are the permanent powerups that players can find and utilize throughout the maps. From the TF2 blog, here they are:

• Strength: Double damage for all weapons. Distance damage fall-off immunity.
• Resistance: Reduces incoming damage by 50%. Immune to critical hit damage multiplier.
• Vampire: All damage dealt is returned as health. 25% damage resistance. Max health increased by 40%.
• Warlock: 50% of damage received is reflected back to the attacker (reflected damage cannot directly cause death). Max health increased by 50%.
• Haste: Double weapon firing and reload rate. Double clip size and max ammo count. Movement speed increased by 30%.
• Regeneration: Ammo, health and metal regenerate. Rate of health regeneration inversely proportional to max health.
• Precision: Greatly reduced bullet spread. Distance damage falloff immunity. Rocket and grenade travel speed increased 250%.
• Agility: Movement speed increased by 50%. Grapple speed increase. Jump height increased by 80%. Instant weapon switch.
• Critical Hit: Temporary full crit power for 30 seconds. Respawns in the same place after 60 seconds.

Players are only allowed to have one powerup active at a time (with the exception of the Crit boost powerup), powerups drop on death, and there aren't enough of these for everyone; maintaining control of the powerups is crucial. Due to the race for the powerups, they reminded me of the big guns in the Halo games that everyone rushes to grab for a huge advantage in a fight. It emphasizes map knowledge and being able to reach the powerups quickly, but after that everything falls apart as balance becomes horribly skewed once the initial powerups are picked up.

Let's take a look at Vampire. 100% of the damage you deal returns as healing, you block out 25% of all incoming damage, and your max health becomes increased by 40%. These numbers and upgrades are absurd. Why does this powerup even offer damage block when damage block is the hallmark of the Resistance powerup? Why does Vampire offer a max health increase; 100% damage to healing isn't enough? Now let's assume you've just joined a server. There is a Vampire Pyro running around with 245 health, all your weapons have an intrinsic 25% damage reduction versus that monster, and the Pyro can grapple hook to optimal positions and deal/heal 153 damage/health per second.

Did I mention they added a grapple hook item for this game mode? It's an all-class item that everyone gets and allows the user to traverse the map like never before. The days of worrying about mobility are over; you can get anywhere with these grappling hooks. You can't use weapons while grappling, but it's a small price to pay for access to flanks and escapes.

I'm surprised that the developers released such a chaotic and unpredicted game mode. There are crazily overpowered combinations of powerups and weapons that remove a vast chance of counter-play from the player on the receiving end. It's fun to use the powerups; it should be fun to fight against them, too. There are so many variables to consider (class stats, weapon stats, and now powerups) that balance of powers is difficult to reach. I can only imagine the vast numerical changes or overhauls that will hit this game mode.

The powerups shouldn't be permanent. Why can't the powerups be like the powerups in Mann-Up mode where they activate for a short duration upon use? Or spells from Halloween events for that matter? The spells were short and plentiful enough that you could really use them to genuinely outplay or counter-play someone. Oppositely, the powerups are just straight up amps that when coupled with certain weapons, form god-like beings that are frustrating to deal with. Perhaps the powerups can be a one-time use (or cool-down based), ten second ability that can be activated when needed?

Mannpower Mode came out of nowhere into a seemingly untested beta state. The powerups don't offer much counter-play and could probably use a rework. The grappling hook undermines core aspects of the game and feels like a gimmicky server Source Mod. Maybe I'm being too harsh- after all, this is still a beta. Admittedly, Mannpower Mode stupid fun and that's a good part of what makes Team Fortress 2 great. How long can that stupid fun last? You can decide for yourself.