XCOM Spy

In this new segment, I aim to introduce each TF2 class as an XCOM soldier, complete with ranked abilities. Today, we're looking at the Spy. Hey, XCOM players! If you have any opinions about the balance on these abilities, let me know in the comments section.

Spies are cloak-and-dagger units. Armed with decoys and tons of cloaking technology, these units are invaluable for high-risk infiltrations.

Squaddie Rank Ability: Hologram
Creates a holographic projection of a randomized ally which can be controlled remotely. Lasts 2 turns unless destroyed. Spies using this ability are considered invisible unless out of cover or flanked.
 
Corporal Rank Ability 1: Silent Killer
Spies don't alert enemies while dashing


Corporal Rank Ability 2: Sneak Attack
Attacking with the pistol doesn't break cloak



Sergeant Rank Ability 1: Observational Intel
Grants three additional tiles of vision.

Sergeant Rank Ability 2: Field Recon
Grants +5% critical chance when attacking enemies that have been autopsied
Grants +5% critical chance when attacking enemies that have been interrogated 

Lieutenant Ability 1: Sabotage Arms
Close range ability disables the victim's primary weapon for three turns.

Lieutenant Ability 2: Dummy Fire
Holograms can suppress targets, although their attacks do no damage
 
Captain Rank Ability 1: Cloak and Dagger
Allows the Spy to carry 2 extra invisibility charges while wearing Ghost Armor

Captain Rank Ability 2: Dead Ringer
Cloaks the spy upon receiving reaction fire.
 
Major Rank Ability:  Hard Light
Holograms have a 50% chance to reflect incoming damage

Colonel Rank Ability 1: Sneaky Bastard
Confers +20 defense

Colonel Rank Ability 2: Smug Bastard
Confers +10 Will per enemy killed

Spy Buildings

Part of my MvM building project, this is the logical conclusion for building weapons for every class. The Spy is a tricky class because of his covert nature. He's exactly what you'd expect from a spy--he should be ready to quit the territory at the drop of a hat. Sorry about the slow updates lately, I've been swamped with school work.

Offense:

The Flipped Asset
This mine-like building will snap up an approaching robot and spin it around, forcing it to fight its former comrades. It'll attack just like it normally would, albeit without moving. A Flipped Asset is not considered destroyed until the robot that it captures dies. Giant robots are immune but take damage from a Flipped Asset.


Support:

The Web of Deceit
Generates a field that distracts the bomb courier. Bomb couriers in range of its effect  that are not within a set distance of the real Bomb Target will head towards the Web. The WoD loses HP for every second a bomb courier is caught in its radius and cannot be repaired. Sentry busters will be distracted, but tanks cannot be persuaded to change course.



Transportation:
The Blind Spot
Generates an invisibility field. Allies will be ignored by enemy AI unless they fire an offensive weapon or are bumped into by a foe.

Viewer Workshop: Thunderchin

Thunderchin gets props for being the first person to comment on this blog. I've seen his work before on the SPUF forums, so there's extra props there. Check out his blog here. Anyway, as promised I plan to promote ideas I like from the comments section on Fridays, in a segment I call Viewer Workshop. I might even talk a bit about ideas, offer suggestions and such.



The Medic
Offensive/Support/Transportation is all in one Building. Think of it as a Dispenser that can overheal. As it heals, it builds up a meter of its own. Also as it heals, it doles out speed boosts to whoever it heals. When this meter gets full, it becomes a planted Buff Banner except with full crits instead of minicrits.

An all-in-one building that offers overhealing, speed buffs, and eventually full crits. I've dubbed it the "Comprehensive Coverage". It's a full support machine from a full-support class. I like it.


The Spy
Offensive: Decoy Generator
Generates holographic decoys of the friendly team to help draw fire.
Support/Transportation: Team Invisibility

I'm a known proponent of team invisibility in general, so of course the team invisibility machine gets earmarked as a good idea. Of course, it's one I think is so valuable it could even be extended into the multiplayer arena, so that would be interesting to see.

The Injury Update!

Now for a fake update about being wounded!

The Scout

The Big Hurt

Level ouch scattergun

Painslayers

Level 1 Painkillers (secondary)

While in use, heals the scout for 30HP and kills ramp-up on incoming damage for ten seconds.

While worn, the scout cannot be overhealed.

Tiny Tim

Level 1 Crutch (melee)

Improves returns from health kits by 15%.

-50% Damage

Hat: The Baseball Bill's Sports Shiner (a black eye)

The Soldier

The Tenderfoot

Level 5 Leg Casts

Deals damage to anyone within ~40HVU upon landing a rocket jump (groundpound)

+10% self-damage

Hat: The Spirit of 76 /The Hedwound

A stylish head-bandage recalling a famous painting by the same name

The Pyro

Another Burn Ward

Level 10 Flamethrower

Wearer shares any healing his victim gets until the fire is extinguished.

The Mental Exercise

Level 10 Imaginary Axe

party blowers and confetti on kill

Hat: The Invisible Person

A well-bandaged head in two styles!

The Demoman

The Hurt Launcher

Level 2 Grenade Launcher

The Company Health Plan

Tier 3 Scotch

Self-damage heals over time

+10% bullet vulnerability

Hat: The Double Eyepatch

Vision is for menn who don't rely on skill

The Heavy

The Medkit

Sandvich reskin

The Reverse Heimlich Maneuver

On kill: allows you to throw enemy ragdoll at opponents

-25% attack speed

Hat: The Sour Tooth

A toothache wrap

The Engineer

Sorry, Engineer fans!

The Medic

The Blood Drive

Level 10 Syringe Gun

Allows the medic to earn ubercharge for nearby non-medigun healing

-25% damage

The Suppository

Level Cough Bonesaw

Crits from behind

-50% base damage

this is a joke

Hat: Surgeon's cap

The Sniper

The Lobotomy

Level 5 Sniper Rifle

Pierces targets

+.5s charge time

Sample Seven

Level 2 Urine Joke

Splashed allies earn temporary health regen

Hat: The Reminder

Bandage over cheek-scar, numerous additional bandages on face

The Spy

Insurance Fraud

Level 5 Sapper Replacement

"Sapped" enemies share 10% of their healing with you

Surgical-Grade

Level 2 Scalpel

Hat: The Sympathy Solicitor

A neck brace

The Engineer:

Unlike Valve, I was kidding before.

The Workplace Accident

Level 3 Nailgun

Minicrits on headshots

-25% Damage

-50% Clip

The Quarpal Tunneler

Level 2 Right-hand cast

Allows engineers to walk through their buildings

-25% swing speed

Hat: The Clumsy Carpenter

A cracked version of the standard hardhat with nails in it

Meet the Test Subjects

Scout

Challenge: aerial faith plate

The scout sits at an aperture brand folding chair, leaning back and resting his feet on the table. He's wearing the standard Aperture jumpsuit with the sleeves cut off plus his dogtags, headset, and cleats.

Interview: "Yeah. I finished the tests. All of 'em. Perfect score. Yep. Didn't take any brain smarts or nuthing. They gave me this cube thing? Bam, I incinerated it. No problem. Listen pal, I can solve tests. I can solve any test, any time, no problem. Yeah, they tried giving me these dumb looking boot things when I came in here and I said "No way are you putting those girl shoes on me, nerd!" And then I gave him a noogie. You know what I'm saying? This guy does, ha ha ha."

Test Footage:
The door to the room opens, and the scout comes out, arms outstretched, mugging and strutting for an imaginary audience. He stops mid-gloat, noticing that the room is mostly empty of objects and completely empty of people. Cautiously he scans the whole room while backing up, only to step onto an AFP, which then launches him into the far distance. At the far end, another AFP activation can be heard, and one of the scout's shoes comes flying back and knocks over the camera.

Soldier

Challenge: Thermal Discouragement Beam

The soldier is dressed in an aperture jumpsuit, Long Fall boots (in a slightly more masculine style) and a test helmet that hides his eyes.

"How do I feel about this challenge? What is this, girl scout preschool? I am a man, and MEN do not talk about their feelings. Men do things with their hands, like build PROUD NATIONS or BIRDHOUSES. Do not test me, science man, I will not be--Oh! Sixty dollars? I'm in!"

The soldier tumbles into the middle of the testing room floor as though he were diving for cover, and lands in the middle of a nearly empty chamber. Quickly he takes stock of the elements in the chamber. Thermal Discouragement Beam generator. Two weighted discouragement beam redirection cubes. The Thermal Discouragement Receiving Port. After thinking carefully, he fires four successive shots. The first portal drops a redirection cube under the Thermal Discouragement Beam, rerouting it to another discouragement cube, into a portal on the wall and out to the Receiving Port. Standing direction in front of final receiver, on fire, is the Soldier.

As he crumples, the portal gun drops out of his hand, rolls through the open door, and the "test completed" success bell is heard.

Spy
Challenge: Turrets

The Spy is wearing an inexplicably classy Aperture jumpsuit with the sleeves rolled down and buttoned. He has a boutonniere on the lapel, and somehow retains his balaclava and cigarette. His pants are rolled up at the knee, revealing the Advanced Knee Replacement and a pair of wing-tip shoes. While speaking he dismisses one smokable and lights another.

Interview:
"Am I to believe you will be administering a test? And during this test, you will allow me to be alone in a series of rooms which may grant an invisible man who is not me access to unguarded industrial secrets? Top shelf."

Test Footage:
The primary testing area consists of a small antechamber with a security camera and aroom with several turrets (a genuinely ridiculous amount), arranged in a crowd that leaves a path between two doors. There's some conversion gel splashed on the floor. The spy enters the room, and immediately uses the portal gun to dispatch a nearby security camera. Glados' signature complaint regarding vital testing apparatus is heard. The Spy peers around the corner. One turret asks "Hello?". The spy ducks back into the lee of the door, activating his invisibility watch and chuckling softly.

Completely invisible to the viewer, his movements are implied by the movement of the camera. Quickly, he enters the room, the camera moving laterally to suggest he's strolling casually and mark his progress. There's an overhead shot of the scene, with the many, many turrets' targeting lasers staring straight ahead. A close up of the conversion gel puddle being disturbed, with a few footprints trailing out of it, then a close-up of a turret.

The turret is staring straight ahead, then blinks and looks down, its eye following the apparent progress of the footprints. There's an overhead shot again, only this time one of the sentries is following the footprints with its tracking beam. Slowly, ominously, the tracking beams begin to converge on a space near the footprints.

One of the turrets quips "Goodbye" and the scene fades to black over gunfire, and a gentle thump.