Flashfire Update
Hello and welcome, everyone, to Spring! Today we’re excited to bring you the FLASHFIRE update, complete with tons of attention for our resident skeleton, Marx, and our resident unknown, Pyro, along with two new maps and a handful of other touch-ups!
BUG FIXES
> Removed the text from the Sandvich’s description still erroneously stating that the recharge system has been changed
> Fixed the Pseudonailgun’s damage bonus not functioning
> Fixed the Atomizer removing Scout’s airjumps when equipped
> Fixed Marx (Melf’s Magic Poison) being teleported to the center of the map when spawned in a wall
> Instead, he will be awkwardly embedded into the wall. Look at what your reckless use of magic has done to him.
> Fixed Marx not returning to the Earth when switching classes, teams, or using the resupply locker
General
> Added koth_manners_avenue_b3 to the map rotation
> Welcome to downtown Mann Francisco, mercenaries! Care to watch a movie? Well, so would the other team! Fight for your spot in the (completely nonexistent) line to see the next (utterly bombing flop) flick! Ride local (stationary) urban transit! Observe the magnificence of the most well-made horse statue in America!
> Added cp_method_b4b to the map rotation
> Sometimes there’s a method to the madness. Not this time! Mann Co. has themselves a giant laser hidden in one of their data processing centers, and it’s up to you to blow it up before we figure out what they’re even using it for! This arena is just like Gravel Pit, just attack A, B or both points before moving onto C.
> Added navigation meshes to all official Valve maps
> Please let us know if we missed any map that still needs a nav mesh! You’ll be able to tell by Marx being completely unwilling to move or attack under any circumstance, he’s picky like that.
> Expanded the descriptions for class changes to properly describe what certain effects, such as Uncloak and Dagger, actually do.
> Expanded the Dead Ringer’s description to properly describe the changes made to it
> Previously, the description referred players to our wiki page due to character limits, but we found a way to make it fit without missing any details.
> Added a HUD element to the Melf’s Magic Poison to show Marx’s current effective health
> Altered the description for Melf’s Magic Poison to display Marx’s effective maximum health, 125
> Previously, the description stated that he had 60% damage resistance. While correct, most players could do nothing with this information, as they do not know the base health of a medium skeleton (50).
BALANCE CHANGES
> Mann Co. (Vanilla Changes)
> Mad Milk
+ Increased lifesteal percentage from 33% to 35%
> The Mad Milk will now give the same amount of healing as the Concheror buff does.
> Fan O’War
+ Reverted damage from -94% to -75%
+ Re-added “Crits whenever it would normally mini-crit”
> These changes felt unnecessary and made little difference, and we’d like to reduce the amount of such changes present in our server.
> Direct Hit
+ Added “+15% damage vs buildings”
- Added “+15% damage to self”
> We’re allowing the Direct Hit to 1-shot mini buildings again, because it just felt wrong for it not to. While we think the damage bonus vs. players can be very unfun to play against in the right hands, lowering it would harm the weapon’s identity. Instead, we’ll lean into it by making it more costly to use for traversal or as a ‘melee’ weapon.
> Pyro
+ Added “Flash-Fire: While melee is active, gain +10% movespeed unless weapon description specifies otherwise”
> Most players agree that there is often very little reason to deploy your melee. Valve originally intended to make Pyro a flanking or ambush class, but never gave them the baseline tools required to do so, instead relying on adding new weapons like the nearly-always equipped Powerjack. We intend to approach both of these issues with this one simple change, and to give Pyro more options involving mobility and melees.
> Scorch Shot
+ Reverted self-damage force from -100% to -35%
- Re-added self-damage
> It no longer felt necessary to take away the Scorch Shot’s blast jumps, given the weapon is no longer overperforming nor picked very often.
> Manmelter
+ Re-added “+50% projectile speed”
- Removed “Reload or Special attack: Use stored shots to gain speed boosts”
> This ability felt out of step with the rest of the weapon’s design, and would likely fit a new weapon altogether better than being added to the Manmelter. In compensation, it once again has pew-pew laser speed, for all 0 players that had the muscle memory of using the vanilla Manmelter! You’re welcome!
> Gas Passer
+ Decreased charge time from 30 seconds to 20s
> Fire Axe
- Removed “+50% primary ammo”
> We would like to move somewhat closer to how Valve balanced stock weapons, in that they would only make changes that affected the entire slot (such as adding airblast to flamethrowers) rather than only changing the stock weapon itself.
> Other Pyro melees will be balanced such that the Fire Axe remains competitive for the melee slot as the most simple, reliable, and safe choice to use for the Flash-Fire bonus.
> Axtinguisher
- Re-added “-35% holster speed”
> Homewrecker
- Added “No Flash-Fire”
> We are currently working on a rework to this weapon, and hope to come to a good place with it soon.
> Backscratcher
+ Re-added “+25% damage”
> We have some more small buffs planned for this weapon, but it felt prudent to return its damage bonus, since it relies on last-hitting to get the most out of its healing.
> Powerjack
+ Increased movespeed bonus from +15% to +20%
+ Removed “20% damage vulnerability on wearer”
- Added “Marked for death while active, and for a short time after holstering”
> In tandem with increasing the active movespeed for most other Pyro melees, the Powerjack has been ‘extremified’ to be even faster, but more risky to use than they are.
> Sharpened Volcano Fragment
= Eternal Afterburn has been renamed to Hellfire
- Added “Flash-Fire movespeed bonus is halved”
> More changes to come soon.
> Neon Annihilator
+ Removed “-33% damage”
- Added “-25% damage vs players”
- Added “Flash-Fire movespeed bonus is halved”
> We felt this penalty was unnecessarily high, and did not need to apply to non-player enemies.
> Hot Hand
- Added “No Flash-Fire”
> Slap for speed, silly.
> Craft Co. (Custom Changes)
> Pseudonailgun
+ Removed “-40% reserve ammo”
> It didn’t feel right that the most difficult to aim primary for Scout was also the one with the relatively smallest ammo reserves.
> Endless Carnage
+ Removed “-25% movespeed while active”
+ Increased firerate from -25% to +60%
- Added “-70% damage”
- Added “No Flash-Fire”
> Swing your axe like a maniac!
> Sharp Shooter (Melee)
- Added “No Flash-Fire”
> More changes to come soon.
