Since last major release, the Force-A-Nature was tweaked to act more like the air-blast on the Flamethrower. But now, after this tweak, the FaN gives your triple jump a little extra kick to it. It lets you get much more air, it seems.

All you have to do is aim down at 25 degrees, and shoot. Enjoy the video.

So the new (18) hats are out! And after seeing them, they are much better than the first batch. First off, here is the scouts first new hats.

(Click for full view)

The Golf cap is now my favourite hat for the Scout. I never did really like the Baseball helmet, although this new one is pretty awesome.

And here are the other new hats for the other classes!

(Click for full view)

I’m loving the spy’s beard! So have fun with these new hats, and also have fun trying to find them!

As you know, the first classless update came out today. With some juicy content we can all love! First off, King of the Hill is brilliant. It’s like Arena mode, but with respawning in the same round, which was well needed since the Arena maps are very fun, even if you aren’t a fan of Arena Mode. To find out more about the update, just go here.

But for the Scout, he got some changes that were a surprise, and some, not so much as a surprise.

• The Force of Nature

- The enemy knockback now only `works in close range and behaves more like the Pyro’s air blast.
- Enemies cannot be juggled by the FaN’s effect.
- The self-knockback has also changed to respect the firer’s view angle. Looking up while shooting will no longer propel the enemy upwards.
- Knockback is now scaled by damage done.

The Sandman- A Scout will receive 1 point for stunning an enemy and 2 points for a long range stun.
- Stunned players now take 75% of all incoming damage instead of 50%.
- Übercharged players can no longer be stunned.
- Heavies spinning their mini-guns will continue to spin when stunned (whether the left or right mouse button is pressed).
- The minimum distance to stun a target has been reduced.
- The negative attribute has changed from “no double jump” to “-30 max health”.

And the Scout has 2 new hats. But know one knows for sure what they are. Although, on the new Blu menu background, he seems to have a Golf cap on.

Where’s the other hat? Maybe his other hat, isn’t a hat! Day 1 of this update, had a picture of him without a hat.

I hope it is, since he looks damn fine without a hat, but the Golf cap does looks pretty sick on him.

We will start off with software. Software will probably help you the most to get better performance. I know of 2 software applications.

One is called “Vista Anti-Lag” AKA VAL. VAL is a small application which runs in the background preventing Windows Vista from lagging your wireless network. Now, I haven’t used this, mainly because lag isn’t a problem for me, and if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. However, my friend has used it and said it works great, and gets the job done. It also has an average of 5 stars on Wakoopa from 3 reviews. And I would like to think it’s Windows 7 compatible.

Another great piece of software, that I’ve actually used it called “Game Booster”, which works very well, and easy to use. It’s designed to help optimize your PC for smoother, more responsive game play in the latest PC games with the touch of a button, Game Booster helps achieve the performance edge previously only available to highly technical enthusiasts. It works by temporarily shutting down background processes, cleaning RAM, and intensifying processor performance.

As for FPS configs, which are configurations used to disable no-essential effects. Not my favourite choice, but most of them do work. This is one of the best configs that I have used/come across.

http://www.gotfrag.com/tf2/forums/thread/322476/

Instructions on how to use them are given on that page too.

Introduction:

Unlike most of our other primary unlocks, the force-a-nature is a drastically different from the Scattergun. The Kritz, Natascha and Backburner all basically function in the same way as their original counterparts and if you know how to use the original you can use the sidegrade. A lot of people who are scout fans have been treating the Force-a-Nature in the same light, which is understandable, but has lead to them to toss it aside and label it as useless. I am a multi-classer and have found that to use the Force-a-nature you need to draw from lots of different aspects that you may or may not have learned from other classes and they aren’t as simple as ambushing vs. not ambushing.
To use the Force-a-nature, you’ll have to relearn your twitch sense, learn a couple tricks and in general be creative. But once you do learn, you’ll end with a gun that’s much more powerful then the scattergun indoors and during ambushes.
The Basics
While with the Scattergun, you want to make every shot count, it’s even more important here because you only got 2 shots. The trick here is, to make the first one count and to be as close as possible, if you get one good hit with one of the shots, the other one becomes a freebee. This means you need to take much more time lining up the first shot at any skill level which is hard to get used to. Most new FAN scouts make the mistake of firing the 2 shots as fast as possible and while they may hit, they may not do maximum damage which is bad for the FAN. As you get more skilled the time you take to fire the first shot will become smaller and smaller and soon you will find that you can defeat most 125HP classes in the blink of an eye if you run into them around the corner which is very satisfying.
It’s basically juggling, only you can do it with a scattergun. You’ll want to immediately shot your enemy in the air after they are up but but thankfully, mastering the scout’s equivalent of an airshot after successfully getting off a first shot is easy and you just need to know where the enemy will pop up and you need to move as close as you can while they are still in the air. You basically follow the same rule as the first shot only it’s easier.
Using the FAN won’t insure that you 2-shot every enemy even if you think you had a perfect shot and you’ll need to know when to use the pistol and when to reload. Basically if you think you can finish him with the pistol then do it (possibly while retreating), if not reload and try the above again. If you are reloading, then you may want to try peeking or quick-covering which I’ll explain later in the tricks section.
Also try to stay on the ground when using the FAN unless you plan to use the knockback to your benefit,
Ambushing
I’m not going to go too much into detail about this because every class learns this in some form or another and the fan isn’t much different even if it benefits from enemies that don’t know your there. Basically approach the enemy and do all of the above basics. The great thing about FAN scouts if they excel at killing medics in a crowd.
While everyone is distracted (including the medic) run straight up to him and get as close as possible and unleash you 2 shots, then run like hell when everyone realizes what you just did. It’s easy to pull off if you get a good angle to work from just be warned that you probably won’t be able to deal with the backlash after and you should probably use a FAN jump to escape.
Tricks and Tips
Here a couple vital tricks you’ll need when carrying the FAN.
Peeking: Like all classes, the scout can peak by firing both barrels then moving back into cover to reload, the FAN complements this. You can knock a heavy in the air and wound him and go back into cover before he can turn around. This works great against high HP enemies and groups of enemies.
Quick Cover**: or QC for short. QC is like peeking in reverse. Instead of firing quickly and going back into cover and reloading, QC is firing both shots and using something temporarily as cover for the duration of the reload and coming back to the fight with a new clip. ANYTHING can be used for QC, walls, bricks in the middle of the battlefield, trees, allies, even other enemies; just as long as you can’t see the enemy shooting at you for the duration of the reload (which isn’t too long actually). You can use this technique to easily make up for FAN’s weakness and even clear groups with it.
FAN jumps: Fan jumping is at it’s easiest, simply aiming down and firing to get a little upward boost. It’s nothing amazing but you’ll be surprised what that little height will get you to. It’s also worth noting that while the FAN does get you everywhere the double jump will with the Sandman equipped, it won’t replace it during actual combat.
Shoving: You can shove enemies using the FAN in a similar fashion to the airblast. If an enemy starts rushing towards a control point your trying to capture, push him away with the fan, the extra second could come in handy. It’s also useful for knocking back enemies while retreating to give some extra time (especially against heavies). There are all kinds of uses for the knockback including pushing enemies down cliffs, into walls, into allies, away from allies, away after rocket/sticky jumping. Basically if a situation comes across where you can use it, feel free .
Vs specific classes.

• FAN scouts: It comes down to who can land a good first shot first.
• Scatter Scouts: This is a difficult enemy in the open. In close-quarters-combat, you’ll win most of the time, but outside if you can’t get a good shot in time he’ll destroy you. Best to avoid if your not confident you can hit him.
• Soldier: MAGGOTS!!! This is your primary enemy due to the fact that you can’t jump to avoid splash damage now. You might be able to jump over his head with the double jump, fire 2 shots and run away finishing him off with the pistol but that’s about it. Most of the time shove him away with the FAN and run away.
• Pyros: Your much better then your Scattergun brothers at killing this enemy. Even if it means going into flamethrower range for a second blast him twice with the FAN, finish him with the pistol if you land 2 good blows, laugh and run to a health kit. Even in CQC it should be easy if you don’t stay in the flames too long.
• Heavy: If you can peek or attack him when he’s not looking, you can unload a few clips into him and destroy him (this works surprisingly well indoors) otherwise don’t bother. Shove and run away. If your trapped within Natascha’s deathgrip at medium range your only hope is a sandman stun or a helpful ally. Otherwise not much of a difference.
• Demoman: Easy as always. Should die after 2 shots, if not after a few pistol shots. As long as you can make it close to this enemy you should be able to kill him provided he isn’t god with nades.
• Medic: Your main target as always. If you can ambush them, you’ll be able to kill and run before the patient can understand what’s going on. If they pull the Blutz on you then back up and use your pistol, it actually hurts up close. Again not much difference.
• Engineer: Same as always, if he’s behind his sentry don’t bother if not kill him
• Snipers: Like every 125hp class, he’ll go down in a flash if you can get to him. Same techniques used, rush him, zig-zag and use the pistol and finish him quick. Only thing you need to worry about is that knife if you get too cocky.
• Spies: You can spycheck with the FAN . If he is knocked back if you blast him, he’s a spy, if not he’s an ally. Easy pickings if he’s found out. Just watch you back if your standing still for some reason >.>
• Groups of enemies: Go from one QC spot to the next after firing your precise shots. If your good enough you might be able to take on small groups with some minor distractions.

Other Sidegrades:
Pistol vs Bonk!
Use Pistol, no exceptions. If you want to use the bonk use the Scattergun because you NEED the pistol if your holding onto the FAN.
Metal Bat vs Sandman
This is more of an interesting choice. On one hand, the Sandman does go nicely with the FAN since you can pull off double jump OUTSIDE of combat but on the other hand the double jump is a heavy price to pay for the Sandman’s stun. The Sandman is more of a get-away tool now and it is useful against ubers. Overall go with your favorite and ask questions based on the situation (do I know a specific fan jump I want to be able to do? Do I need to be able to stun ubers?)
Really Short version for Lazy people
-Unlike a Scattergun wait to shoot the gun till when you know you’ll hit the target and knock him into the air before firing DON’T fire your 2 shots like you would your 6.
-Duck under cover quickly while you reload this is called Quick Cover and getting used to it will drastically improve your FAN game (if you read any part of my guide read that!)
-Avoid engaging Soldiers
-Avoid engaging heavies unless you can peak at them
-Use the force’s pushback to your advantage
-The FAN thrives in Close Quarters Combat
Final words
Thanks for reading this guide and I hope you can use it if you want to give the FAN another try. It’s a difficult weapon to master but in some situations it can be more deadly then it’s counterpart while giving you a bit more mobility and a cool knockback.

By: Gunner_Guardian (Source)

Special thanks to Gunner_Guardian for such great tips!

So Valve recently had some Beta servers going in the TF2 world, and it appears Valve has shown some love to the Scout, showing-off at least 4 updates with him. Those changes are.

Good to see they haven’t given up on the Scout or the Force-A-Nature. It’s also good to see that these updates are getting tested more, to help create more balanced, and bug-less features.Even though the Sandman has Double-Jump now, I’d still prefer not having a 1 rocket kill me. I love my plain and simple aluminum bat.Thanks for these updates, Valve! RIP Pistol Script. You were so young, but your time is up.

Well, the news is: Project: Bonk! is the largest TF2 Scout fan group on Steam Community. Project: Bonk! is also evolving, just not in member wise either! We have a new logo, and a new tag! We also plan on contacting the popular spy group “Elite Spy Group” aka “[ESG]” in becoming partners. After all, can’t Scouts and Spies all get along?

Well, we currently have over 158 members! Beating “Team Fortress 2 Scout” also known as “E.P.S”. They have 138 members as of right now, and appears to be a Spanish group. So thanks to all the members of Project: Bonk! The staff really appreciate your loyalty, and company. You all help build a better future for the next generation of Scouts. If you have any ideas on helping us grow, feel free to get in contact with us. You can fine me on the Steam group if you need to contact us, my name on Steam is “Soaked.”

As for the new Project: Bonk! logo, I’m glad it came out so well. After a few hours of work and not slacking, I’ve finally come up with something that is up to my standards. While designing it, I’ve tried to keep the TF2 style in it, while adding a fresh look on it. Although the original size isn’t very big, I hope to create a much larger logo, for future projects, and a better resource. I was also aiming for it to be easy to identify while scaled down to even 48×48, which worked out quite well.

We also have a new tag. Since Project: Bonk! is a community and not a clan, we thought it would be better to be put at the end of the name. Since “prjktBnk!” didn’t really go well at the end, we decided to switch it up a bit. By making it more friendly in space, and multiple tag wise. Most clan tags go in front of your username, so if you’re in a clan, it’s easier to use the tag. Since it’s at the end, and takes up only 4 characters. Which will not only benefit you, but will also benefit the community.

And last but not least, as I mentioned before, I’m going to contact the leader of ESG to see if they would like to partner up. So that we can help each other grow, and become stronger communities. ODR66 is also going to help us, my blog posts will also show up on their site. Thanks ODR66!

It’s also good to not be the first player there when a Scout, since then you can go under the bridge, and pop out the other side, and blast the enemy from behind. But eh, we all have a different tactics that we use at different times.

This way also requires the Force-A-Nature. So, sorry to the Scouts who stick with the Scattergun. Like they say, the Force-A-Nature is for mobility, and the Scattergun is for killing.

(Video from our friends at Scout Blog)

Many people think the FaN doesn’t come close to the scatter. Or that the Force-A-Nature is a nub weapon. If it sucks, then why would nubs and noobs use it? Wouldn’t they rather use a better weapon? I guess you could argue that it helps protect/keeps you alive longer. But what’s so wrong with that?

I’d say the Force-A-Nature isn’t as good as the Scatter in the killing department, but not always is the Scouts plan to kill everyone he meets. The Force-A-Nature has more depth than just to “push people in to pits, etc”. I use it to protect me teammates, by pushing the enemy away, or go around the enemy and push them in to my teammates for them to finish him off.

The Force-A-Nature is also great for mobility. 2fort, you just have to triple jump across the water, so you don’t have to take the high-risk bridge. Also, most people don’t expect that move. There is many more ways to use it to get to different areas. Some areas, you can do with just double jump, but the triple jump can help you get there more efficiently.

And coming back to when I said “but not always is the Scouts plan to kill everyone he meets”. The Force-A-Nature can usually help you more if you’re going to a control point: Push enemies that are a threat, that get in your way, on a control point: To push the enemies away, so you can keep capturing the point.

So that’s why the Force-A-Nature is just as (almost) balanced as the Scatter. You just have to use it differently. For better mobility, better distracting, etc.