When comparing Team Fortress 2 vs SMITE, the Slant community recommends Team Fortress 2 for most people. In the question“What are the best multiplayer games on Steam?” Team Fortress 2 is ranked 8th while SMITE is ranked 46th. The most important reason people chose Team Fortress 2 is:
The game runs on Windows, OS X and Linux machines.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Cross-platform
The game runs on Windows, OS X and Linux machines.
Pro Pretty good VR support and options
To enable VR support, type -vr in console.
TF2 has 8 modes in which to control the game. They can be changed with the command vr_moveaim_mode in console. They offer choice in what combination of aiming and steering should be coupled to the rift and mouse and introduce the concept of dead zones - an area of the screen that controls differently when aiming or steering within its bounds than outside them.
Typing vr_calibration in console gives access to adjusting interpupillary distance (distance between eyes). You can get that information from an optician or use the calibration tool to help figure it out and set it there.
Calibration will help set accurate render point (camera position) and reduce nausea.
Pro Fair free to play model
This game is mostly pay-to-gain, as in to get more weapons. You can randomly get things, though. You can use the things you randomly get to be also used in crafting recipes to make other things.
Pro Includes Mann vs. Machine, a ridiculously fun co-op mode
Mann vs. Machine is a co-op mode in Team Fortress 2 that is comprised of gameplay in which 6 players team up to stop AI robots from deploying a bomb. Though not the central gameplay of Team Fortress 2, it is a mode that allows for co-op play to be enjoyed with the characters of the game.
Mann vs machine works quite well over LAN and is very fun to boot.
Pro Hectic FPS gameplay that utilizes 9 distinct classes, each with lots of varied items
TF2 has 9 playable classes - Scout, Soldier, Pyro, Demoman, Heavy, Engineer, Medic, Sniper and Spy. This allows for a range of playstyles. For example, the Heavy, starting with 300 health (going up to 450), wielding a machine gun and usually assisted by a Medic, will be commonly found on the front-lines soaking up lots of damage and pulling the enemy team's focus; at the same time the Engineer will try and avoid direct battle as much as possible, providing infrastructure (teleports, sentry, dispensers). Add to this hundreds of weapons for each class providing different stats and you have an impressive amount of variety in gameplay.
Pro Tons to do in the game with plenty of game modes and plenty of community mods
TF2 has more than 10 game modes, plus variations on those, as well as community mods that offer a wide range of objective-based play. Classic game modes include Capture the Flag, Control Point, King of the Hill and Payload. There's also Mann vs. Machine, a co-operative game mode where you play against waves of AI controlled enemies.
Pro Engaged, active, fun, and creative community give the game a welcoming feel, even for outsiders
The TF2 community is know for actively engaging in different TF2 related activities. They create shorts using the source filmmaker, sell items via the steam workshop, build real-life sculptures, etc.
Pro Completely free to download and play any existing section of the game
The game can be downloaded and played for free, allowing anyone to try it out. There are some items that can be purchased with money, but those are optional and only decorative.
Pro Offline LAN support is pretty easy to implement
As long as users have logged in to offline mode on Steam before trying a LAN connection, LAN will work. Which could be an area of confusion, but luckily is easy enough to do if you know you need to do it.
Pro Fun and humorous gameplay with graphics and sound that fit with this theme
This game has a history of over-the-top characters, visuals, voice-overs, and various other items, which altogether create an amusing world both within the game and outside of it as well. You get a feeling a lot of thought has gone into the development of the characters as well as the world they live in. For a genre that is often filled with drab characters in a drab world, it is refreshing to see something so well fleshed out.
Pro Characters are derived from mythological gods
Instead of imaginary champions and heroes, Smite derives its characters from ancient mythological gods from around the world. The roster currently consists of 92 gods from the Norse, Hindu, Greek, Roman, Mayan, Egyptian, Chinese, Celtic, and Japanese mythologies.
Pro 6 great game modes and a rotating match of the day
Smite has 6 game modes and all of them are extremely popular:
- Arena. A 5v5 death match, no lanes or objectives. Arena is best for people who prefer intense combat over strategy. Good for impatient but independent players.
- Joust. A 3v3 mode, with a single lane and monsters camps on one side, and an objective lair on the other side. Surprisingly focused on teamwork, despite small teams. Everyone has a role to fill, and learning how to adjust your play for your two teammates is half the battle.
- Conquest. The typical 5v5 mode, three lanes, jungle, towers, objectives. Conquest is the standard MOBA game mode, requiring lots of communication.
- Siege. A 4v4 objective push map slightly similar to Joust, but instead of small skirmishes it has massive battles. Two lanes definitely add chaos to the mix.
- Assault. A 5v5 ARAM (All Random All Mid) mode where everyone gets a random hero and has to fight on a single lane. You'll often get unevenly balanced teams but nobody ever gets upset because of the sheer fun of the game mode.
- Clash. A 5v5 mix between Conquest and Arena modes.
Additionally, there's the Match of the Day (MOTD) feature. It takes a random game mode each day and gives it a twist. This includes having no ability cooldowns, not being allowed to use basic attacks, being able to character swap and more, which can sometimes be a lot more fun than the regular game modes.
Pro Account progression doesn't affect in game power
Pro Fun and fast-paced, third-person MOBA action
Pro 3rd person view is a unique twist on the genre
The 3rd person view used in SMITE is a big change from the top down views normally used in a MOBA. The game also utilizes analog controls, unlike the traditional point-to-move system of traditional top down MOBAs. This creates a large blind spot behind the users character and also makes sneaking behind someone for stealth attacks a viable option.
Pro Hi-Rez approaches the SMITE community for feedbacks, brilliant ideas and mechanics they could use in the game
The company behind SMITE, Hi-Rez studios, actually listens to community feedback and looks for potential ideas and mechanics provided by the community. For example, the Odyssey ultimate reward in 2014, was nominated by players. The SPL Ticket Announcer Packs rewards were also picked by the community. And some in-game skins are actually created by players. The Harajuku Neith skin, The Ba5s Drop Janus skin, the Opera Bacchus skin, were all conceptualized by Smite players. And the most recent one, the Demon Bull King mechanic, which disables the towers and phoenixes in Joust to prevent camping, and the addition of the Japanese Pantheon to the game, were taken from community feedback as well.
Pro Titans bring a twist to the standard MOBA formula
Unlike the immobile and passive bases of other MOBAs such as DOTA 2 and League of Legends, SMITE features mobile structures called Titans, which defend themselves and their teammates.
Pro Features three ranked modes
Smite features 3 ranked modes, mainly the 1v1, the newly added 3v3, both of which utilizes the new Joust map. And the 5v5, on the Conquest map. All of which features experienced players and intense matches to satiate your search for glory and honor in the league of Smite.
Pro Updates often
Smite receives new characters, maps, and balance patches quite often. So you can expect a steady stream of content to keep the gameplay fresh.
Pro Great community events in the form of Odyssey event and Smite World Championship
Every year, SMITE releases an Odyssey event months before the Smite World Championship. Over the course of several weeks, cosmetic items are released every week until the start of the SWC. These cosmetic items will be available for purchase some time after the SWC and will be branded as "Exclusive Skins" after the event. Every purchase in the Odyssey contributes to the SWC Prize Pool. Players can obtain limited edition items when they purchase a certain amount of items. For example, the Archon Thanatos, and Ragnarok Force X Thor can be obtained by the player when they have purchased all the Odyssey Items. Additionally, every item purchase will grant an Odyssey Chest roll that can be claimed in the rewards center. This chest can contain god skins, ward skins, and voice packs . There is also a slim chance that the chest will grant exclusive in-game items.
Pro You can use the VGS for efficient communication
SMITE uses the Voice Guide System (VGS), which is the most efficient way to communicate in a competitive game to date, providing keyboard shortcuts for preset voice commands.
For example, pressing the keys V>F>1 would send out a message saying "Enemy missing left", which means an enemy has disappeared from the left lane. While pressing V>B>F would send "Enemies at the Fire Giant'" or in simpler terms, the enemies are trying to take the objective. These simple shortcuts are very convenient, allowing you to quickly exchange information with your teammates without losing focus on the game.
Pro Beginner friendly
You get five free gods of every role at the start to help you learn the role you want. You can learn the game basics and mechanics in the Practice mode and the Jungle Practice map where all gods are available for you to try and experiment with. The community is also friendly to new players. You won't have a hard time adjusting to SMITE's mechanics and gameplay.
Pro Provides a lot of incentives to play the game often
You have the daily quests which rewards you favor and gems (in-game currency). So you don't have to worry logging in daily, like its previous predecessor, the daily log-in reward.
There are gem events, which is a limited period of time in which players can get gems (valued in game currency). There's a First Win of the Day reward (FWOTD). Rewards every time you win a match, insane sale discounts. Also, Hi-Rez employees sometimes give away in-game freebies in their Twitter account.
Pro The least toxic community for a MOBA
The community of Smite is the nicest in the MOBA genre and has many members who are ready to provide help and coaching to new and less experienced players.
Cons
Con Random critical hits add a significant luck element into the game and push certain types of players out
In most 'public' servers, an option called 'random crits' (short for 'random critical hits') exists by default. This allows a random percentage of your shots to multiply damage by 3 for a shot, and also remove the damage drop-off over range. This 'feature' gets increasingly more annoying as you get more experienced, as you will die more often than your opponent having x3 or more damage over you, actively making their experiences and wins less meaningful. Some classes are especially burnt by this. Medics don't use weapons often, Snipers only have secondary weapons and melees, and Spies only have their revolver (and most sidegrades of that revolver remove this ability entirely). Quickplay (a feature most newbies use to get a match) also disables these servers from appearing in the list, so there are very few 'nocrit' servers because many don't know they exist.
Con Free accounts are slightly limited
Free accounts do not get rare and cosmetic items nor as many storage slots for items.
Items are relevant as free accounts can only hold 50, while the game has much more than 50 pieces of equipment (that affect gameplay), let alone 50 weapons. While a premium account player can react to almost all situations with a counter item, with only 50 slots a newbie probably won't have or even be able to access it. A full inventory also means a free player will have to miss out or delete exclusive event items and cosmetics just to play the game as full as they can.
A free account is upgraded when any item is purchased with real money from the store.
Con Third person camera limits your view of the battlefield
Your camera is locked behind your character, so you won't have an overhead view or be able to view the entire battlefield like in most MOBAs. This makes communication much more important since you can only react to what happens in your line of sight. Without proper communication you won't be able to set up regular plays you could do in most MOBAs.
Con Excessive snowballing on certain characters
If not countered or shut down early, some characters can become extremely strong, making a comeback for the other team virtually impossible. This is especially annoying for new players since they'll have to learn it the hard way.
Con Community is toxic
Try playing ranked and at least 1 person will throw the game on purpose, sit in base, or feed on purpose. The games community is honestly horrible. I have played more games where a person purposely throws lately than games that don't.