It's only a crutch, it limits your ability to do other things you'll eventually want to do when you get better. Practicing it vanilla for a month and getting them solid is better than using a script for 4 months until you want to learn how to ctap and then you realize you can't even rocket jump without a script.

It's best not to use them, you kind of lose control of your jumps and get into bad habits. I use default keys for jumping: M1 for shooting, space for jump, ctrl for crouch, WASD for movement.

you can have more dynamic jumps without scripts

Scripts seem to force you to jump in a certain way every time, which limits flexibility when you need to do something else. I use default keys, but I have +duck on LShift instead of LCtrl because my pinky finger has the dexterity of a french fry.

I heard mackey used some sort of script, don't know the specifics of that though.

I used one for a while. When I stopped using it I got WAY better at jumping, and way better at soldier.

Start doing jump maps (assuming you don't do).. a whole month on a jump server would severely improve your jumping abilities.

It's like playing jump maps with !regen on.

(Don't do it unless you don't care about improving.)

I'm still able to ctap with a duckjump script (I still have crouch alone bound to Ctrl), and I find myself doing jumps much more consistently than before I started using it.

this is actually a common misconception, if you used one right you should be able to do anything outside the realm of ctaps and maybe some speedshots. lack of creativity/variety comes from the fact that people using jump scripts generally don't have a very intrinsic understanding of jumping.

ps I'm not advocating the use of scripts, they're bad

I have heard of a lot of players binding +jump,+duck to spacebar, and I don't see anything bad about that even though I choose not to use it.

Like most binds, it will make some aspects of your life easier, but its not necessary to be good at tf2.

I don't really support the use of scripts but everyone saying they limit your ability to do "dynamic" jumps are 100% wrong. If you use them properly you can reach a consistency (particularly for ctaps) which cannot be reached from practice or experience otherwise. That being said, jumping in competitive tf2 is pretty flexible and the difference of a few units you may be missing out on will make no difference.

I started out playing soldier with only a jump script(mostly because it wasn't my main), and it worked pretty well; however nowadays I utilize both to be as effective as possible on soldier. I feel like the script makes less specific rocket jumps less of a factor when optimizing my reaction time(for example, bombing on a medic right as you notice a fault in the enemy team's positioning), and then for everything else I do it the default way.

It really depends on how far you are trying to get in terms of being good.

If you just want to pub, might as well use it.

If you want to play competitive, but not be a really great jumper (as in wonderwall, wonderland etc.) you don't want to use the jump script, but I would recommend the crouch jump script.

If you want to become a great jumper, go full vanilla.

I started using a crouch jump script a few years ago. I am right handed but I play lefty, and I have a goofy set of controls. The script makes it easier to hit jumps but I can l live without it. At the pax LANs they always do their TF2 tournament on provided PCs. You can use your own kb/mouse but you can't install any drivers or configs, so when forced I can play without it. I've seen some really crazy scripts that, with the press of a button, turn you 180 degrees, aim down, crouch jump / fire, turn another 180 degrees, aim up. THAT is a crutch. Having a little script for crouch jumping is ok IMO

So do you mean a jump scripts as in you press space and do a crouch jump or as in binding mouse 2 to shoot jump and crouch? For a few weeks now ive been trying space is crouch and jump and now im back to stock binds and i haven't felt a differences, Im able to do jumps using a scripts and not and never really deviate to much.

I have mouse4 bound to fire, shoot, and crouch. To rocket jump, I swing my mouse then I press 1 button instead of 3 (not including wasd). If that's considered a script, then I honestly don't see what the problem with it is. I can do left wall jumps, double jumps, boosts, and anything else that would ever be necessary. My binds don't affect my air strafing at all either.

You can't ctap with it

the problem with the duckjump bind/script is that your model is a lot easier to hit in the air.

yeah, rocket jumping scripts aren't really a crutch but you do the exact same rocket jump all of the time and you're a lot easier to hit in the air.
source: mackey

the problem with the duckjump bind/script is that your model is a lot easier to hit in the air.

yeah, rocket jumping scripts aren't really a crutch but you do the exact same rocket jump all of the time and you're a lot easier to hit in the air as well.
source: mackey

when you say "exact same rocket jump", is it the same because a normal player "messes up" the timing slightly on the button press on every rocket jump which alter his path slightly each time?

When you say more predictable as in the speed of your jump? You can change the speed and angle height anything, by were you look and how then you the delay from jumpcrouch to shooting.

No. What he means is when you use a "duck-jump" script, which is typically just crouch and jump bound to spacebar your jumping style becomes very predictable.

Also, your actual character model is easier to hit because he is in a crouching position while flying through the air.

If you don't juse a "duck-jump" script, then when you do your initial jump and let go of crouch, your character model has a skinny profile, meaning you are essentially standing in a straight position in the air (as opposed to crouching)...this makes you harder to airshot and makes your strafe pattern harder to predict. Also, if you hit the crouch button again while in the air (after initially releasing it) it will screw up your character model and will make you even harder for the other person to airshot you.

This is what he means.

So your saying if i rj and dont let go of crouch ill be easier to hit?

Correct, I have been using a duck-jump spacebar script for a long time now...and am trying to go back to the old-fashioned way.

It's hard to go back when you've been playing a certain way for so long.

My advice to OP is to just forget about the scripts.

aren't you supposed to hold the crouch button while in the air anyways so that you can airstrafe?

Why wouldn't you just release the crouch-jump button after rocket jumping? Also your statement of being easier to hit while crouched in the air is completely untrue, the only difference it makes it that projectiles/bullets will push you around more if you are hit.

Just an FYI, when you crouch in game it brings the lower portion of your model upwards as opposed to your head/upper body downwards, although the change in the appearance of the model doesn't accurately represent this. This is why recrouching in midair can make it difficult for opponents (particularly snipers) to hit you since the model and hitbox become separated to a certain degree.

Doesn't make a difference. Except if your doing a skip

Shift for crouch (easier to press) and mousewheel to jump ever since my spacebar started sticking.

Here's a config for practicing on regular maps.

//========
cl_showpos 1
mp_respawnwavetime 0
sv_cheats 1
bind mouse4 noclip
bind mouse5 "impulse 101"

clear
echo bind mouse4 "setpos x y z; setang x y z; impulse 101"
//========

You can use showpos to set your position and angle for a quick reset to practice specific jumps, which is more useful for practicing rollouts. Just make sure to add +5 to the z angle so you don't clip into the floor.

Also, replace mouse4 with whatever key you don't use, my cfgs reset my binds every time I change class so it doesn't matter for me.