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Infinity Elite

August 20th, 2008 admin No comments

Infinity Elite

Get Better At Fps Games

Some tips to improve your skill in FPS games (courtesy of www.shotgundance.com)

First-Person Shooters can be very unforgiving on those who are new, or simply aren't into FPS as much. Here are some tips for you guys that should help.

Know the weapons and equipment

You probably heard the old saying "Use the right tool for the job", and when it comes to what weapons and equipment to use, that saying is just as true. Everything has strengths and weaknesses. Any given weapon or piece of equipment shines when used right, and sucks when used wrong. In your games, to be able to know whether you're using the correct "tool for the job", you need to know both what each "tool" is used for, and what it's not used for. In other words, you must teach yourself the ins and outs of all weapons and equipment in a game. Use Google, YouTube, GameWikis, or your own personal experimentation to get the information. Some good things to know are how long it takes something to reload, how much damage that something does per-shot, and how to handle whatever special properties the something possesses. In a nutshell: Know the capabilities of all weapons and equipment in a game. If you don't know something, you've got some homework to do.

Know the maps

You wouldn't travel somewhere without knowing the way. So why would you stumble around an unfamiliar map? Not knowing the map puts you at a fatal disadvantage right off the bat. Even someone with a name like xKILLERx would get a few frags off you because you don't know what camping spot he's been hiding in since the game started. To avoid this, you need to study the maps. Start up a local game, and simply roam around and observe how the map is laid out. Try to figure out potential high-traffic areas, camping spots, and sniping spots. Also take special note of any weapon/item pickup locations. Once you have a rough draft of the map in your head, start playing to see how accurate your observations were, and refine them as you learn. Also, Google up some YouTube videos and overhead maps that were created by your fellow players, and see what they have discovered about a map. In the end, you'll have an intricate map in your head that will guide you exactly to where you want to go. In a nutshell: Not knowing the map = you getting pwned. Run around a map in an empty server to see how its laid out, then pick up the details while playing in live servers.

Don't stay in newbie servers

When you're first starting out and trying to get the hang of the game, it's fine to mess around in the newbie servers. However, one trap that players fall into is that once they do get a hang of the game, they get too comfortable with all the easy kills. Although it's fun to dominate newbies, you're going to develop bad habits that will get you dominated when you run into players that are more capable. Ideally, you want to stay in servers where the players are more skilled than you. Although you will get smacked around a little at first, you will quickly become aware of things that you were not aware of before. This is how you learn, and become more skilled. In a nutshell: If you're pwning everyone, you're not learning. Stop wasting your time, and start playing against more skilled players. Also, don't be afraid to get dominated. Every elite player that may dominate you was once dominated over and over by the elites of his time before he became that good.

Be environmentally conscious

No, I'm not talking about that plant-a-tree stuff. I'm talking about understanding and interpreting what you see and hear in-game. All weapons, equipment, player actions, and events have distinct sights and sounds to identify them. They can give you a ton of game-winning information if you only took heed of them. For example, say "Gun A" makes a BANG sound when fired, and can kill very quickly. Next, say "Gun B" made a PANG sound and is somewhat weak. Knowing this, what would you do if you started to hear BANG BANG BANG from around the corner? You would probably locate some cover and prepare for a serious fight, since you hear your enemy is using "Gun A", and don't want to be easily caught in his crosshairs. If you heard PANG PANG PANG, you would probably charge and attack the enemy, since you don't have much to fear when facing someone with a weaker gun. Either way, just by hearing the sound of a gun being fired, you were able to determine a course of action that bettered your chances of success. In the first case, you entrenched yourself in anticipation of your enemy's stronger gun, so you would be better able to avoid his highly-damaging fire. In the second case, you determined that it was reasonably safe to charge and scored another frag on a vulnerable enemy, bringing you one frag closer to winning. Another important sound to listen for is footsteps. Footsteps don't come out of nowhere; they come from players, so be alert when you hear them. In a nutshell: Understand what every single sight and sound is and where they all come from. They are not there for show, but to inform you of something.

Don't be predictable

When you first play a new game's single player campaign, the computer-controlled enemies can give you a challenge. However, as you continue to fight them, you begin to notice that they do the same things over and over again. Before you know it, you're throwing bullets at where an enemy is going to be. Not very challenging anymore eh? It can be said that a big reason that those computer-controlled enemies are easy is because they're so predictable. In the multiplayer context, this is no different. Being predictable will bring death to you as sure as you bring death to those hapless computer controlled enemies in the single player campaign. If you just took a beating, and are desperate for health, don't make a bee-line for the nearest health pickup with an enemy around. You would be guaranteeing your death. Don't attack from a favorite spot if you can help it, enemies will soon start counting on you to show up from that spot. One very helpful trick is to change up your play-style, try a different gun, try going Rambo, and five minutes later try going hyper-cautious camper. In a nutshell: Don't.. "HAH! GOTCHA! I'm not done yet!" You were ready for the end of this section weren't you? No? Forgive my lameness then. Anywho, In a nutshell, (for real this time) Don't allow the enemy to predict you. Keep your enemy guessing as to what you will do.

Be aware of any glitches, cheats, or exploits

Human nature is to take the path of least resistance. For some players out there, this is no different. They download or develop an auto-aimer cheat, a see-through-walls cheat, and even speed cheats that allow them to run around like sonic the hedgehog on red bull. They want an instant advantage over everyone else without putting in the hundreds of hours of game-time, and this is their way to obtain that advantage. Cheaters are a reality of online gaming, and you are virtually guaranteed to run into one sooner or later. The wisest thing to do when encountering a cheater is to jot down his ip address or ID, and send it to the server admin's email address so he can take action, then promptly join another server. Cheaters and their cheap tricks suck. However, not all cheap tricks come from cheating. A hotly-debated gray-area is exploits. Exploits are programming errors in parts of the game that can be "exploited" to ones advantage. For example, in Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2, broken glass allows you to see through smoke-grenades like it was never there. Obviously, this makes smoke grenades useless on you if you use this exploit. It's not meant to be, but until Infinity Ward fixes this programming error, it is part of the game. I don't condone using any sort of exploits, but I do condone you be aware of any. Make sure to do some research on some of the exploits and cheats that are out there, so you won't be caught off-guard when you encounter human nature. In a nutshell: Cheaters and Exploiters suck. Be ready for them by educating yourself in how they cheat and exploit. Google and game wikis are your friend. (On an side note, some people believe that the very movement techniques I mentioned are themselves exploits, since you are by definition exploiting a flaw in the way a game is coded. This is where I draw the line. Movement techniques enrich the game experience by giving you a potentially rewarding skill to learn, and many games are even purposely coded to allow for these techniques. )

Know the movement techniques

In any given game, we have W A S D, crouch, jump, and perhaps a sprint or prone button. We all use these buttons to control our in-game avatar. However, there are usually more ways to get around than just pressing buttons. Take quake deathmatch as an example. By constantly jumping in an ordered fashion, you can propel yourself to double or even triple your normal foot speed. Search for it on youtube so you can see it in action. Cool stuff eh? Virtually all games have movement techniques like bunnyhopping, and it would serve you well to know them. Being able to quickly outmaneuver your enemy gives you an enormous advantage over them, because you can engage and disengage them at will. Is a fight going badly? Use bunnyhopping to retreat and they will never catch up. Is an enemy trying to retreat? Use bunnyhopping to chase them down with ease. Not only do movement techniques give you an advantage over those who don't know them, but they also allow you to keep up with someone using these techniques themselves. Take the time to do a little research on what movement techniques are present in your game, and take the time to practice them. You'll thank yourself when you're literally running rings around everyone else. In a nutshell: Search for and practice any movement skills present in your game. They will give you an edge.

Take care of all of your chores first

When playing a game, it's important to focus all your attention on it. You don't want any distractions messing with your head when you're trying to read your enemy's next move. Now, this may sound funny in an article talking about video games, but feeling guilty and worrying about you not walking the dog, or doing your homework, studying for a test, or finishing that report for your boss takes your mind off the game, where it should be if you want to do well. Take care of all this stuff BEFORE you start playing. Not only will you feel good about not having to worry about anything, it will reflect in your gameplay. Having no worries means you have 100% of your brain to use torwards kicking your enemy's ass. In a nutshell: Don't allow real-life responsibilities to take your mind off the game. Take care of them in advance, and you'll notice an immediate difference.

Check out a book by Sun Tzu named "The Art of War"

One book that everyone should read, but especially for a gamer, is Sun Tzu's "The Art of War". This book is regarded by many, many people to be the bible of warfare. Every single military force in the history of mankind has based much of their thought-process off this book. Although it's know as the bible of warfare, the lessons that this book has to offer are good for far more. This book can also be very helpful in life, school, work, and any competitive pursuit. In our case, a competitive pursuit like computer games. It can make for a lengthy and tricky read, so if you're short on time, Google up a condensed version of it. You'll be amazed at what you learn. In a nutshell: Google Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" and read whatever you can.

Be an eternal student

"There's always something new to learn." and "Knowledge is power" Those are other sayings you may have heard before, and they're as true in improving yourself at a game as anything else. You are already making a good first step by taking the time to read this collection of tips. However, don't let it stop here. Search for videos of the pro gamers and try to follow what they're doing, and why they're doing it. Google up some guides and wikis on various game topics, so you will be better informed. Record yourself in-game, and then observe yourself. While you observe yourself, ask yourself: "What could I have done differently?" "What could my enemy be thinking?" "Why am I in this position?" "What mistakes did my enemy make?" "What mistakes did I make?" "What could my teammates be thinking?". I know I may be jumping around a bit, but all of this is there to just give you an idea of what to think about. It all just boils down to one thing, and that is never stop learning. Benjamin Franklin said it best: "He who stops getting better, stops being good". In a nutshell: Don't stop learning, and use whatever resources you have at your disposal to educate yourself.

by Skubicki of shotgundance.com

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