Sentry gun dedication range

[~kev~]

Was the sentry gun dedication range reduced in 2.1? It does not seem to be picking up targets as fast as it did.

While playing in Aardvark last night, I set my sentry gun up on the bridge over looking the entrance. As long as the enemy stayed to the far side of the entrance, the gun did not detect them. One guy ran through the entrance, through the lasers that were off, grabbed the flag, back through the entrance and the gun never detected him.

[Jester]

When SG will entire map shoot?

[mervaka]

whats a dedication range?

[~kev~]

Originally Posted by mervaka

whats a dedication range?

I guess I spelled it wrong - "detection" range should be the proper spelling.

Its the range in which a sentry gun will detect an enemy.

[reaper18]

Hm, i didnt think the sentry was ready for a commitment

[mervaka]

i dont think it's changed. we just released a lot of 'open' maps recently. waterpolo really sucks with SGs.

[MonoXideAtWork]

SG definitely FEELs slower to react. I don't think the range has changed much. I know the sentry no longer auto tracks players that have moved outside it's range though. AMEN.

[Segundo]

I have only just started this game when 2.1 came out, I saw it on Steam before going to buy TF2. Ill let you know, it put money back in my pocket, keeping me from buying TF2. I dont play engineer a lot, but I never can keep the sg up, or past level 1. it keeps dieing and I have to go back for more ammo. It seems for some reason very weak.

[Adamido]

Originally Posted by Segundo

I dont play engineer a lot, but I never can keep the sg up, or past level 1. it keeps dieing and I have to go back for more ammo. It seems for some reason very weak.

Here's a tip.
1. Build dispenser near spot when you're going to build a sentry.
2. Go back for cells.
3. Build sentry.
4. Get cells from dispenser
5. Upgrade it to level 2.
6.Go back for ammo.
7. Get level 3.
8.????
9.PROFIT!!!

If it fails, then you have to think about :
- Where did you bilt your sentry? Is it a safe spot , or rather exploitable area?
- Do you wrench your sentry when it gets damaged?
- How is it attacked? By rocketing soldier, nailgunning scout or maybe a piping / mirving demoman? Dependind on this, place your sentry in adequate spot. Good spots are places where :
a) your sentry can return fire to nailgunners
b) it can't be piped from a corner
c) it protects important area.


Have fun!

[Skanky Butterpuss]

placebo effect. range didnt change. the only thing that changed with regards to range is if it locks onto you, it wont stay locked on to you regardless of how far away you get from it (no more tracking you across the entire yard).

[squeek.]

Originally Posted by Adamido

Here's a tip.
1. Build dispenser near spot when you're going to build a sentry.
2. Get 30 cells out of the dispenser
3. Build sentry.

As long as you have 200 cells before you build the dispenser, this will work. Also, overcharge your railgun as much as possible.

[Mr. Happy]

Originally Posted by Skanky Butterpuss

placebo effect. range didnt change. the only thing that changed with regards to range is if it locks onto you, it wont stay locked on to you regardless of how far away you get from it (no more tracking you across the entire yard).

Thank the lord!

[chilledsanity]

I dont play engineer a lot, but I never can keep the sg up, or past level 1. it keeps dieing and I have to go back for more ammo. It seems for some reason very weak.

They are very weak. They have the weakest health out of any FF patch, they usually don't protect the engineer against splash damage or knockback, making them even harder to keep up. I'm not sure why they keep getting weakened, right now they're harder to keep up than any TF game I know of.

On the plus side, the Hwguy can now take over 33% more damage than a level 3 sentry gun AND can move AND has much better range!

[Agent Buckshot Moose]

SG lost like 10 HP.

[Ihmhi]

Actually, I believe it was 5 HP, and only level 3 lost that 5 health.

They seem weak because their damage is down overall and they don't really have ground push anymore.

The dispenser generating ammo faster (and actually starting with ammo in it), the railgun cell generation, and the 3 second SG build time (instead of 5 second) all conspire to allow you to build Sentry Guns faster.

[Gator-]

Originally Posted by mervaka

whats a dedication range?

lol

[chilledsanity]

The amount of health the sentry lost in 2.1 is the difference between 3 and 4 rockets hits, which is the #1 killer of sg's for me as it is. Now I'm able to take them out with ease as a hwguy, which is fun for the hwguy, not as much for the engineer.

The larger point is the sentry gun has lost a lot of health since 1.0, even if it's not as much between 2 and 2.1. I realize some of this was to make up for detection, but it feels overkill. In TFC it used to be if you were crouched behind your sentry repairing it, no one would take out your sentry unless:
1. They killed you first
2. They barraged it with so much force you couldn't repair it fast enough (Mirv, sniper shot, multiple grenades, etc.).

Now 90% of the time I can just shoot the sentry with a rocket, which knocks the engineer back from the rocket, and finish it off that way. So yeah, the difference between 2.0 and 2.1 on sentries staying alive is not much, but it's significant between FF 1.0 and especially TFC.

[squeek.]

Originally Posted by Ihmhi

their damage is up overall and they don't really have ground push anymore.

If I remember correctly, SG lvl 3 health went down 10 since last patch, but it is still either slightly above or at the TFC level. Level 1 health went down 5, and level 2 stayed the same.

Once rockets don't bounce engis around when they are behind their SG's, you guys shouldn't have anything to complain abut. Until then, find some creative way to dodge them rockets.

[[AE] 82694]

Oh thats gonna make some sollys cry.

[Firefox11]

Or use the old Nailgren / Rocket + Grenade combo from TFC... Or even move the Engineer shooting the wall behind the SG >_>