Every now and then when playing TF2, I see a spy who seems to be able to stand right in the middle of a small group of enemies, whether in disguise or in stealth, and doesn't seem to have any problems staying with the crowd and not getting bumped.
However, it seems that when I (and the majority of spy players) are in a crowd of enemies in disguise, someone bumps into them and they are discovered. What are some good tactics for judging when a player is going to back up or suddenly turn towards you? What's a good way to avoid bumping into them without making obviously suspicious movements?
The moments I am most interested in are those times when you aren't ready to backstab anyone, and you want to wait until the group gets into a firefight so that you can more easily pick them off and escape… I don't seem to have too much problem moving in for a kill, just staying with the group without being bumped.
Best Answer
I think a key thing as spy is to avoid groups completely. If you reduce the chances to bump into someone then it will make life easier.
I think spies work best when they are trying to pick off the people at the back of the lines, whether it's people running from spawn, or engineers or people going back for health. Kill, cloak, hide.
If you're in a situation where, when cloaked, you're trying to get through a group of enemies, either following, or running through the front line to get behind the enemy, then I highly recommend jumping from side to side. Being able to reduce the area of possible contact with an enemy is the key.
When disguised there is a little bit of timing involved, as well as a clear plan. You need to look like you have a definite movement, nothing gives away a spy as someone just running around after another person. If you attack when they are attacking then it's easier to blend in and not look suspicious.
I do my attacks as spy in a forward motion. Cloak, get in behind the lines, disguise, decloak, run forward with the enemy attackers and attack. No matter the result, I push through to my team-mates, heal and resupply. Rinse and repeat. Obviously if your using the cloak and dagger or dead-ringer then it's different.
There is a huge slice of luck involved with tracking and pushing through as a spy as people are a little unpredictable and sometimes you just get unlucky.