The sad case of Steel Trap

[K716]

Good work Valve on making Steel Trap.

Nobody good plays it.

You will be missed.



















I've been wanting to play Mech Mutilation for a long time now. Nobody worthy plays it. TC/ME/GG I've done already.

[Frau Jules]

What's your normal playtime/server location? I'd be up for a go at it, but if not others might.

[K716]

Depends on the day, but I default to West Coast Valve servers. I usually find myself playing in European servers (Luxemburg/Stockholm) for GG though, that's where all the people in my friends list get matched up to.

Being Steel Trap, I see no reason why it can't be done with 5 competent people though. CAR_ says that he may or may not have done Disintegration with 4 people, that sounds like a good challenge for me.

[76561198187540455]

People say ST is difficult like OS. But I can try. We can just do it in 4 people.

[sigsegv]

I've 5-manned all 3 Gear Grinder missions in the same day with a good group of players. It's actually fun because you have to really carry your own weight and give 120%.

I'd imagine that with good players, Steel Trap is doable with 4, maybe even 3. Have a good sniper, plus an aggressive pyro, an engie, and maybe a damage scout or spy.

Been a long time since I've played Steel Trap though so my memory of the difficulty level is a bit foggy.

[itsgalf]

Disk Deletion's final wave is probably the hardest of Steel Trap

Data Demolition only has the 1st wave with the Giant Sandman Scouts that may be tough. It doesn't have any uber medics

The 3 wave Mannworks mission (Mecha Mutilation?) can be painful since the waves are long and drawn out, so if you lose towards the end of a wave it's frustrating. The last wave is only tough when people can't take out the uber medics properly. Soldier + crit canteens was usually the solution to that mission back then.

[K716]

Let's see:

Done Crash Course with 3 people --
Did the last wave of Big Apple Invasion with a Scout (me), Engineer, Heavy and Medic --
Desperation with 5 people (practically, as the two randoms we got were useless Soldiers with no banners and didn't do much damage) --

that's about it for me. I've done 3/4 of the missions, just want to do Mech Mutilation and then just replay the rest of the missions for something different to play. I have full confidence it can be done with 5, Oil Spill with 4 and all of "Normal" with 3 people. For missions with 3 people, it'll either be Scout (or spy) and Engineer, the last class is a wild card between Pyro/Heavy/Demoman.

[kafkaesquePariah]

I've done most steel trap with 5 people, just because no one runs it late at night. I was new to mvm and if I remember right no one on my team was exceptional either. I was racking up most damage as an engineer. You can easily do it with 4, I think. But I only done it once and don't remember much. With 6 people, you can all use mess around loadouts, with 4 its the only way to make it challenging. 5 people is probably the sweet spot for steel trap.


Anyhow, if you're running it late (eastern timezone), and need an extra person - I'd be up for it.

[Quenquent the babysitter]

The main reasons no one play on Steel Trap are :
- You just get a strange weapon for completing the tour
- Missions are pretty old
- You have to do 6 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ MISSIONS to get your tour done
- There's 2 other Advanced tours that are more interesting

Oil Spill have the same problem, exepted that this is the only Intermediate tour

[76561198187540455]

Originally posted by kafkaesque pariah:

I've done most steel trap with 5 people, just because no one runs it late at night. I was new to mvm and if I remember right no one on my team was exceptional either. I was racking up most damage as an engineer. You can easily do it with 4, I think. But I only done it once and don't remember much. With 6 people, you can all use mess around loadouts, with 4 its the only way to make it challenging. 5 people is probably the sweet spot for steel trap.


Anyhow, if you're running it late (eastern timezone), and need an extra person - I'd be up for it.

Originally posted by CAR_:

Oil Spill and Steel Trap is basically 5 people cluelessly running around while the sentry does all the work.

[K716]

Well, Steel Trap is not something you would not want to complete for loot -- 6 tickets per tour. It's a milk run Tour -- something you replay the missions over and over again for just fun.

The chaps I did most of my Steel Trap missions with were goofing off with dual-medigun ubersaw chaining. By bodyblocking, continous ubercharges, upgraded swing speed and ubercharge duration, you can do quite well.

[Alias]

Compared to newer missions it also is far too calm for advanced. Mecha has a very constant stream of bots, 2cities has subwaves which are stronger. Both simply beat the old missions on both sides.

In steel trap with 6 players you can just fall asleep and it still will mean the bots get killed as soon as they drop down.

And even though the loot is poor for mann up, in bootcamp its underplayed aswel. The missions are just boring, even compared to 2cities which already is too easy. 2cities at least has additional hazards which add variety.

[Radioactive Panda]

Originally posted by Alias:

Compared to newer missions it also is far too calm for advanced. Mecha has a very constant stream of bots, 2cities has subwaves which are stronger. Both simply beat the old missions on both sides.

In steel trap with 6 players you can just fall asleep and it still will mean the bots get killed as soon as they drop down.

And even though the loot is poor for mann up, in bootcamp its underplayed aswel. The missions are just boring, even compared to 2cities which already is too easy. 2cities at least has additional hazards which add variety.

sub waves that are stronger???? what.......

[Alias]

Allmost every subwave that 2cities has in the maps beats any wave of an advanced missions. And many times those old waves contain 2 situations (2 subwaves i would call them although effectively they still are close to just 1).

Where in bigrock the damage hazards are far less existant than in 2cities its mainly based on getting a higher damage output. Which as soon as its high enough makes the map very easy. But its damage output ensures that bots dont get killed too fast. It remains more interesting on that part.

In 2 cities once bots get further surviving them is harder. They have more buffs and other hazards like knockback that realy get noticed. This damage hazard makes the map more interesting on the less skilled teams. And most important: variety.

Just compare decoy advanced to rottenburg intermediate. The number of giants on intermediate already is higher. the hazards they bring already are stronger. The only thing that makes decoy harder would be its lenght. which an engineer on rottenburg is already able to counter.

The old maps can quickly get a new update that instantly makes it harder at low effort: support engineers.
It can be lazy but as noticed on decoy #3 engineers are very effective at making a mission harder. Yet if you look at the subwaves in there they are already easier than many of the regular decoy missions.
And it also solves 1 thing: the mission will feel less outdated as it contains 1 of each class again.
Even expert missions could need engineers on that part.

[CactoCactus]

i can't even join steel trap for some reason

[(っ● ‿ ●)っ]

Originally posted by CactoCactus:

i can't even join steel trap for some reason

so sad