In TF and TFC you could still fake your way through...in TF2 that�s over.

A battle without a strategy, or without the knowledge of strategic principles is a battle that�s basically dependent on the good will and lack of skill of your opponent, A commander in TF2 should go into battle with a carefully set up plan: which squad is going to do what and when.

Games in TF2 have the potential of being larger in scale then with TF/TFC. The suggestion is to also use this option as it opens up quite some new possibilities in the realm of strategy. Furthermore, the interviews up to date with Mr. Walker have indicated that this is the intention. I will therefore base myself on using teams of more then 5 people.

This would also mean a reorganization of playing method. When playing with a bigger team, you will have to divide them into squads. Then it should be considered whether an officer class can be put in charge of every squad. These officers (or people appointed as squadleaders) should be involved in the setting up of the attack plan. This will mean that there will be a greater dedication to the succeeding of the strategy.

1. Practice a battle or a compaign with your officers if possible, alone if necessary. Discuss the various positions and for every sector formulate defensive and offensive setups. This may look like much work, but after a few times you�ll find yourself saying to your men: �standard bridge defense�, and they run to specific positions allthough they have never been there before.

2. Before a match, practice the exact strategy you want to apply with your team. Issue orders and let your team go through the motions. This you will have to do a couple of times, as most of your teammembers are new to the waypoint system, and the way TF2 deals with ingame information. Another benefit is that this actually visualise for your men what you intend to do. When Operative A is told that he has to pull a switch in building X, and then open a door in Building Y it will remain fairly abstract to him. If you have gone through the motions a couple of times already, he will know what is expected of him. If necessary, during a practice game, turn all officers into instructors so that the player gets visual assistance (through the laser pointer).

3. The most important assignment within the game is the securing of the entry point. A squad or person (engineer?) should be assigned to this, so that no unexpected surprises will jump on the operative when he enters the theatre. It is unclear at this point whether entrypoint defense will be up to the team or that natural defenses will be available. If the latter be the case, the strength of these natural defenses should also be researched. The second most important assignment is to hinder or destroy the enemies supply lines. This might sound funny, but apparently the maps within TF2 will be bigger. Therefore an enemy will have to set up some sort of supply for his forward troops. If supply lines/supply points are discovered these need to be taken and enemy troops in the area neutralized. This will extend your radius and limit the enemy�s.

4. One of the most important pieces of advise coming from the �Blitzkrieg�: always return fire. TF2 will have some more hindrances with regard to visibility. This in effect means that you might not always be able to see your opponent. However, experience has shown that running for cover will cause the enemy to take a few frags before, hopefully, being fragged.