Heavy Confirmed as Next Class Update
Zips @ 8:00 pm pdt - team fortress - 5 comments - new!
It seem as though the rumors are true. The Heavy will be the next in line to receive a class update in Team Fortress 2. This means new achievements and unlocks for the Heavy and pal, Sasha.
We've found that the best method of working objectively is to have clear goals up front. Once we've got clear goals, we can throw a bunch of ideas up on the board and measure how well each idea achieves those goals. Often the work of testing those ideas against the goals causes us to further refine or clarify the goals.
The blog entry is a lengthy one. You should hit the break here to see the Goal, the thought processes, and the tentative solutions to the problem of how to create unlocks for the Heavy.

Goal: Make the Heavy more viable when he has no Medic to pair with.

Constraints

It shouldn't have a cumulative effect when being healed by a Medic as well. Heavy/Medic pairs do pretty well as it is.

It shouldn't significantly change the Heavy's role, relative to other classes. In particular, it shouldn't significantly encroach on another class's role.

It should be understandable for both the user and the player it's being used on.

Extra

How much work is it? How many new models, sounds, effects, etc?

Does it deepen the Heavy's skill curve? Is it easy to learn? Hard to master?

Is it an interesting tool to choose relative to the base Heavy weapon it's replacing? What scenarios can you envision in which each is useful? What arguments can you raise for why each is better than the other?

How often does the Heavy need to think about it? Is it something he uses once every 5 minutes, or is it something he needs to be constantly thinking about? A greater impact on player decision making is generally a good thing.

How many other features of the game does it affect? Often, the best ideas are "economical", with a small set of required actions, but a wide set of resulting effects.

Finally, keep in mind the skillset required to be a good Heavy. He doesn't really rely on fine aim, since his minigun has such a wide spread, instead relying on more tactical skills, like these:

Being in the right place before he starts firing, because he has little ability to move while firing.

Good anticipation of enemy behavior, for both the above point and because his minigun needs to be spun up before firing.

The ability to estimate the amount of damage he's taking. It takes time for the minigun to spin down, so he needs to be able to know when it's time to retreat several seconds before his health has run out.

The ability to keep firing at a target while still keeping an eye out for other dangers, in particular Snipers & Spies.

As Gabe mentioned in his lengthy response to an email recently