You'llNeverWalkAlone wrote:It certainly can be helpful to be able to hear ambient sounds, including the dialogue from nearby people, but I find that the sound of gunfire and explosions drown out much of that. Unless no one else is around, I can't say that I can hear the footsteps. Do I just need to adjust my sound?
Possibly. It can be an advantage to have sound cranked, and it can be an advantage to have sound low. I prefer to have my game sounds reasonably low and my incoming voices reasonably high, because once you know what you're listening for, you'll be able to hear it at pretty much any volume your ears get used to. Footsteps don't occur on all materials, but things like wood are great for it.
The wrangler has been good for me for 2 things: the added protection when my gear is getting attacked (either during build or in an uber) and for hitting people who are too far away for the gun to target on its own. Other than that, I don't use it. I've gone to using the pistol when I have the mini, but when I use the regular sentry I'm usually in a defensive position and want the shielding. I've found that placing the sentry down and then switching to the wrangler allows me to protect it for that length of time it sets up. It inevitably draws fire, which hopefully gives my team time to deal with the attacker, and I still have a level one after the attack is finished.
A Wrangler is good for those things you describe, and its use then becomes a function of playstyle. I personally don't believe in putting a gun up in places where "out of range" is a possibility, as it's too great a vulnerability in most situations. In places where my team controls the "out of range" area (it's backwards or lateral from my gun) that's different, but having an out of range enemy position is just asking for trouble. The shield does also provide protection against an attack, but so does tanking the gun. I suppose that part is entirely preference, and a little luck regarding what class attacks you.
The idea of going on an empty server to check out the sounds is a great one, thanks.
You bet
Something worth doing in the long run is putting some serious time in to playing the class(es) you want to improve at countering. My two primary classes are Pyro and Spy, born rivals. Putting in 400+ hours as spy has done more for my spy-hunting ability as Pyro than the 1100+ hours in that class by itself would. I know nearly every hiding place, nearly every route, and nearly every standard spy trick on most of the stock maps, because I spy there myself. Engy is my third class at only around 270 hours, but I feel like my gameplay as engy is somewhat better than my hours suggest, largely because I've extensively played two of the three best anti-engy classes. Any time you're setting something up, you should be asking yourself "how would I destroy this as an enemy?" Find spots where the answer is "I don't know."
Another important thing - if your SG gets destroyed, don't rebuild in exactly the same place. Predictability makes destroying an SG easy as heck. You don't have to totally relocate, just move a couple lengths to one side or the other, or closer to or farther from a wall. When the attackers come back, the split second additional time it takes them re-aim at the new location (most will come out immediately going for the previous spot) is enough for your gun to swing in to action and clear them out. I often will move my gun around even if it isn't destroyed, changing it's position a few meters after every enemy push, so they never know quite where it will be.