Writing unlocks is something I do a lot here at On The Subject of TF2. In real life, I do it all the time. Almost subconsciously, I tend to turn everything into a TF2 weapon at some point or another. It's just something I enjoy doing. I'm not the only one, either: the SPUF forums are soaked in a hip-high slurry of weapons ideas. About forty somebodies have an idea every day for a new weapon that should totally be in TF2, and while I don't think anybody seriously thinks their ideas are going to totally get picked up, everyone always really hopes. It's like auditioning for American Idol by walking past Simon Cowell's house and singing really loud. Every day.
Anyway, I just wanted to kind of write out my process so I could get some perspective on it. These aren't actually in any order.
Keymapping
Building a mechanic means remembering how keymapping works in TF2. Most weapons have access to M1 and M2, so you can have a primary and secondary fire. Hold M1 is also an option, but the only use of it I've seen is charging stickies for greater distance. Some weapons have special activation on taunt, but those abilities are generally expensive. I try to avoid taunt action for personal preference. Get creative! Some weapons could interact with your other action keys, especially the crouch and jump keys.
The Demoman and the Spy are unique, in that they have specific weapons bound to M2 that trumps everything else. The watch, the stickies, and the charge are all universally activated on alt-fire, no matter what weapon is out. That means that primary and melee weapons can't use M2 for these classes. I think that presently, the Soldier is the only class with zero alt-fire abilities across every unlock.
Bars + Benefits
Lots of weapons have bars these days. Some weapons--like Jarate, Bonk, or Mad Milk--use them in place of ammo counters, to let you know when it's safe to use that weapon again. Others have them as incidental meters, showing you how far your sticky will fly or how much damage your sniper rifle has charged. The final and most common bars are charge bars. They reward you for doing something specific:
Have A Plan
There are lots of potential goals in TF2 that a new weapon can reach. Expanding a class's role in combat, or drastically changing their playstyle, introducing a new mechanic, patching a balance gap, or just being fun... your unlock should do something like this. That said, do not try to raise skill ceilings. You can introduce new skill trees, but making a class harder to play (and then giving them extra benefits for mastering the more difficult moves) is not the best goal, since it doesn't introduce any new skills other than "coping with unnecessary problems". Downsides shouldn't be arbitrary limitations, is my point.
Additionally, stat-stealing is fine if you have a plan. Think the Blutsauger would be fun for the Scout? You can't just steal the stats, explain what you're doing and why the scout deserves those benefits.
Be Fun For Everyone
Make sure your design is fun.For me, "fun" means making interesting and unique choices and getting interesting and unique results. It's pretty common to design unlocks that counter specific scenarios, but the more specific the scenario, the less likely you are to carry that weapon in your loadout. Having something that's fun to use will make it more accessible than something that counters a specific scenario, especially if that scenario only lasts for a few seconds. Nobody's going to carry around an anti-banner to defeat that one soldier that's carrying a banner. But somebody might decide that carrying around a support banner is better than using a shotgun.
Generality
Weapons should be general, in my inexpert opinion. I don't like weapons that fit into very narrow scenarios. The Pain Train only comes out when you're attacking on CP maps. The Razorback only comes out when you're getting harassed by a spy. They have their place, but I don't like them and generally try to avoid writing them. Unlocks that only work in certain gamemodes are best avoided. However, if a weapon is better in a specific game mode or map type, mention it. "This weapon is better for the small maps typical of Arena Mode". "This weapon is useful for vertical maps like Egypt."
Anyway, I just wanted to kind of write out my process so I could get some perspective on it. These aren't actually in any order.
Keymapping
Building a mechanic means remembering how keymapping works in TF2. Most weapons have access to M1 and M2, so you can have a primary and secondary fire. Hold M1 is also an option, but the only use of it I've seen is charging stickies for greater distance. Some weapons have special activation on taunt, but those abilities are generally expensive. I try to avoid taunt action for personal preference. Get creative! Some weapons could interact with your other action keys, especially the crouch and jump keys.
The Demoman and the Spy are unique, in that they have specific weapons bound to M2 that trumps everything else. The watch, the stickies, and the charge are all universally activated on alt-fire, no matter what weapon is out. That means that primary and melee weapons can't use M2 for these classes. I think that presently, the Soldier is the only class with zero alt-fire abilities across every unlock.
Bars + Benefits
Lots of weapons have bars these days. Some weapons--like Jarate, Bonk, or Mad Milk--use them in place of ammo counters, to let you know when it's safe to use that weapon again. Others have them as incidental meters, showing you how far your sticky will fly or how much damage your sniper rifle has charged. The final and most common bars are charge bars. They reward you for doing something specific:
Have A Plan
There are lots of potential goals in TF2 that a new weapon can reach. Expanding a class's role in combat, or drastically changing their playstyle, introducing a new mechanic, patching a balance gap, or just being fun... your unlock should do something like this. That said, do not try to raise skill ceilings. You can introduce new skill trees, but making a class harder to play (and then giving them extra benefits for mastering the more difficult moves) is not the best goal, since it doesn't introduce any new skills other than "coping with unnecessary problems". Downsides shouldn't be arbitrary limitations, is my point.
Additionally, stat-stealing is fine if you have a plan. Think the Blutsauger would be fun for the Scout? You can't just steal the stats, explain what you're doing and why the scout deserves those benefits.
Be Fun For Everyone
Make sure your design is fun.For me, "fun" means making interesting and unique choices and getting interesting and unique results. It's pretty common to design unlocks that counter specific scenarios, but the more specific the scenario, the less likely you are to carry that weapon in your loadout. Having something that's fun to use will make it more accessible than something that counters a specific scenario, especially if that scenario only lasts for a few seconds. Nobody's going to carry around an anti-banner to defeat that one soldier that's carrying a banner. But somebody might decide that carrying around a support banner is better than using a shotgun.
Generality
Weapons should be general, in my inexpert opinion. I don't like weapons that fit into very narrow scenarios. The Pain Train only comes out when you're attacking on CP maps. The Razorback only comes out when you're getting harassed by a spy. They have their place, but I don't like them and generally try to avoid writing them. Unlocks that only work in certain gamemodes are best avoided. However, if a weapon is better in a specific game mode or map type, mention it. "This weapon is better for the small maps typical of Arena Mode". "This weapon is useful for vertical maps like Egypt."
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