All things stabby and otherwise spy related. I intend to post Team Fortress 2 spy videos as well as promote the general use of the spy.

If you're looking for spy tutorials, please start with watsyurdeal's first video:
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
He has an excellent ongoing series on how to play the spy in general and also how to use specific weapons.

While spy tutorials HAVE been done in the past (see above), they normally give you techniques that work but don't give you the "why they work" bit. My degree is in psychology and I think it'd be a fun challenge to create a spy guide not only giving the spy techniques but the psychological "whys" of why techniques work. Further, using this same knowledge, I wish to provide some new techniques or improve further on already existing techniques. While learning is easier when we're reinforced for good application of technique, it's hard to remember to use the technique in the first place if we don't know why we use it (and therefore WHEN to use it).

My username is in no way related to Reddit.

My steam profile:
http://steamcommunity.com/i...

My Backpack:
http://tf2b.com/?id=Monsieu...


Q & A

1) "I haven't heard of you before recently (fall, 2011). As a spy fan, shouldn't I have heard of you before? Oh, PLEASE tell me you're not a free to player!"

That's because TF2 didn't exist to me until it went F2P. I was a Free-2-Player! Gasp! It's true. I had to learn a lot very quickly. Fortunately the job market is terrible and I've had the luxury of playing Team Fortress 2 like my food, housing, etc., depended on it. I've become drawn almost exclusively to the spy. Typically, I like "tacticool XD" shooters and had avoided arena-Quake-Doom-Halo-type games because I didn't usually like the style of them. I originally tried TF2 purely to get the well-spun hat for Rift, and when the game went F2P, I thought "why not, I can get the hat for free". My same lust for hats clearly kept me playing TF2. I'm joking. I actually ended up falling in LOVE with the gameplay while trying to get the requisite achievement. I haven't played Rift since. Ironic.

2) "What's your interest in the spy class?"

This is simple and complex. In short, spy is the most interesting to me because of his playstyle. In an FPS where twitch aim is normally king, he is a class in which brain can triumph over brawn. I've always liked that. My degree is in psychology, but I probably don't like the spy because of psychology. Rather something leads me to be both interested in psychology AND the spy. They're only related because of some other outside factor that leads me to like both. I'm a thinker. I like slight of hand, mind games, and foolery.

3) "Where do you play? I want to stalk you."

Normal -- oh... and then you ruined it by being creepy. Anyway, I normally play on Lotus servers and Pro TF2 servers. I avoid Valve servers. Feel free to add me and stalk me.

4) "Do you always play spy?"

NO. Any good spy will tell you that the number one piece of advice is to know when to play spy. If your team is over saturated with spies, it's not only bad for your team but bad for YOU to play spy. Sometimes I stick with it for the challenge, but if I suffer, my team suffers. It's a goal oriented game and my team matters more than I matter.

5) 'When you're not a spy, what are you?"

While I prefer spy in 100% of all cases, I can't always play him (see above). When I have to switch, I'm usually demoman, pyro, medic or engineer. Demo feels the least linear of the alternatives, but again, I care about winning. Thus, when we NEED a class, I'll play it.

6) "u gib hats"

That's not a question. I'm not sure what that is. Go away. Since you didn't ask a question, I'll provide my own: Why didn't I turn off the trade alert notifier? A: Because I'm apparently a moron. Where are you people from anyway? Why do you ALWAYS use that "sentence"?

7) "Will you trade hats?"

That's better; you know English. I do trade. I trade a lot less than other people, but I know all of the prices for everything. You won't scam me. If you honestly want to trade, check my backpack linked above. Everything on page 2 is normally for trade. Currently, I'm not looking for anything except metal and nametags/description tags.

8) "Why won't you join [my, our, this] clan? For some reason, I take that personally and hate you for it. You are SO GOOD and I'm totally not making this question up myself!"

Anyone who knows me knows I won't join a clan. In short, the cons generally outweigh the pros. The entire process of applying is often degrading and I don't like proving myself to anyone. The pros of being in a clan are normally the exact same as being AROUND a clan (playing on their servers, etc.) and thus don't require joining. The only definitive pro to joining is getting the clan tag. The tag does nothing functional except "prove" something (that I don't care about) and is largely something traditional/ceremonial and those things are lost on me. If nothing else, consider me not good enough.

9) "What does your name mean? Why did you name yourself after the color purple? Alternatively, why so much purple?"

It means "The Mauve (purple) Gentleman" in French. Simply, purple is my favorite color. It's regal and classy. It takes a man to rock purple. Deal with it. :)

10) Unusuals? What do you think of them?

As a spy, I would rather not wear an unusual because it draws that much more attention. The only unusual I would dream of wearing is a purple plasma Charmer's Chapeau but there are, I think, 5 of them in the world. If you want to donate one, I'd love you forever.

Note: My humor is dry and sometimes easily misunderstood as rude or offensive, maybe even condescending, if not read in the right tone (and tone's hard to convey on the internet). Before taking offense to anything I write or say, please assume I'm being unfunny before thinking I'm being a jerk.