Part 1 - Basic Deathmatch Tactics |
Chances are, if youve played the single player missions in Quake 2, you already have some basic combat techniques for success in a firefight. While many of those skills can transfer over to deathmatch, some dont or some require alteration. Heres a rundown on the basics
Runnning
If someone were chasing your with a double-barreled
shotgun would you be walking or running? Running, of course! So
the same holds true for deathmatch in Quake 2. Running should be
second nature in a deathmatch game. So second nature in fact I
recommend turning on Always Run in the Options
menu. This way you dont have to hold down the
"shift" key to make your character run. This can make
tight maneuvering on cliffs and ledges tricky, but the positives
far outweigh the negatives. Just remember that a slow moving
target is a dead duck.
Quick Tip |
When you have always run on you can still walk at normal speed by holding down the shift key as you walk. |
Jumping
Jumping is a very versatile tactic in deathmatch. Sporadic
jumping is good for dodging gunfire and missiles as well as
throwing off an enemies targeting. If youve managed to back
an enemy into a coroner or a wall a great tactic is to jump on
top of them and then look down and unload (gunfire that is) on
their head! Once you start playing deathmatch games youll
see a lot of jumping going on. Most of this is for a good reason:
it helps save your life and confuse your opponent.
Strafing
Strafing, or side stepping as it is also known, is simply moving
to your left and right (on the setup I gave you strafing is the A
and D keys). Simply put, if you arent
strafing you arent going to be successful in deathmatches.
Strafing is primarily useful for dodging gunfire or rockets.
Being able to strafe and shoot at the same time is a great, and
deadly tactic. Practice strafing as much as you can!
Ducking/Crouching
In single player Quake 2 crouching is used primarily to get under
short obstacles. Thats probably all you should use it for
in deathmatch as well. In the first deathmatch game of Quake 2 I
played I noticed several players using a tactic of ducking and
firing at the same time. This may seem smart but 9.9 times out of
10 it isnt. Ducking slows you down, opens you up to easy
fire, and only works against people who dont use the mouse
for looking up and down (so not many people).
Swimming
Taking the battle underwater has its benefits and drawbacks in
deathmatches. Its much harder to maneuver effectively
underwater in Quake 2, which can help balance a fight between a
wounded player and a healthy one. On the other hand good players
are just as effective underwater as above. Pressing forward and
looking in the direction you want to go will take you there
faster when swimming. Pressing the jump button (space bar
usually) will make you swim up towards the surface - very
important!
Shooting
Shooting will be covered more in the next page but there are two
important points we should cover now. First the crosshair can be
useful for aiming but you should remember that it's not 100%
accurate. Meaning just because you placed the crosshair on a
target doesnt mean your shot is going to hit it. Still I
use the crosshair and I recommend you do too. Second, constant
shooting can be effective in scarring of would-be foes, but it
also alerts others to your position - which isnt good if
youre trying to slip past a person or group of persons
unnoticed.
Talking
You can chat with other players in a deathmatch by pressing the T
key, typing your message, and then hitting enter. Your message
will be broadcast to all other players in the level. For the most
part you wont be doing much chatting because it takes up a
lot of time and opens you up as an easy kill. If you do have to
talk try to find a dark place to hide first. Of course if someone
should find you while you're typing, my condolences. If you start
typing a message and change your mind hit the Esc
button before you send it to cancel.
Camping
Camping, also known as "sniping," is the
tactic of sitting in one area of a level - usually concealed or
above the other players - and waiting for hapless victims to walk
by and then blasting them. This may seem like a good idea but it
is NOT! Camping wont bring you many more frags in the end.
What it will bring you is the spite and ire of all the other
players. They will hunt you relentlessly and ridicule you
verbally before (and usually after) you change your ways. All I
can say is just dont camp!
Those are the basic tactics to a Quake 2 deathmatch. Weapons are as vital as tactics though so let's learn about the weapons in Quake 2. Click the link below.