Some quick tips for new DOD:Sers and maybe a refresher for the vets.
We all know the game, so I won?t spend time describing it. The game is a fun mix of both standard FPS reflex with a good deal of strategy and more importantly, team play.
I?m just throwing out some random ideas, tactics, things to think about when you play.
Maps
- As with any FPS game, knowing the map is crucial. It gives you good camping spots, preplaned routes to get to flags, knowing where the enemy is coming from. Get to know the maps. Follow groups of people around to see where they go and how they move about the maps.
- Learn to use your minimap to see if there are friendlies up ahead (typically means the area is safe and quicker travel can be done). You also see your team mates who died, thus meaning an enemy is around the corner.
Flags
- Some flags are single capture flags (1 person to take them) others require 2 or more. The multiple cap flags are usually game changing flags. If your team can cap (and more importantly hold) these flags, you are almost assured a win. Focus strategy on capping these flags early, having MGs or Snipers cover these maps while your team continues to move on.
- Flag caps and kills are just as important. You need to find the best priority for each depending on your team?s progression on the map. While caps are great to win the map, killing an enemy slows their offensive progression as they keep having to respawn. Find a happy medium for both yourself and your team.
Weapons
- Each weapon is very different and offers a different style of play. From quick reflex riflemen, covering fire MGs, assault SMGs and so on. Pick one that you are comfortable with and play with it for a while, giving you a chance to get to know the maps and the game play. Changing weapons over and over will only ensure that your weapon knowledge progression is longer.
- Learn the different sounds of the guns. You can tell, without seeing, if an MG is nearby, if there is an Ally coming up those stairs with a Bar, just by the sound the gun makes.
- An unloaded weapon is a useless weapon. After you have killed someone, specially when using an assault or support weapon, you will need to reload, and this should be your first priority. Do not reload in the area you fought in, do not reload when running around a corner. Reload in a safe place, behind cover.
- Remember this? when you kill one person, there are strong chances that there are a few more right around the corner. Strong teams play together and rarely roam solo.
- MGs and snipers are often in the same place on all maps. Learn to avoid these places and flank them, giving them a swift punch in the head or smack of the shovel to kill AND humiliate them.
- PRIME YOUR NADES!! I cannot say this enough. Too many times I see an enemy nade thrown my way and I have more than enough time to move. Even as a deployed MG, I can undeploy, get up, and move, avoiding a kill and taking only minimal damage. When you first click to unclip the nade, hold that nade 3-4 seconds before tossing. This ensures that when it lands, it explodes right away.
Movement
- Use your sprint key to go from cover to cover. Avoid the open spaces as much as possible, resting when you are moving through cover
- Keep distance between you and your allies. If you are running through an alley, there is no point to grabbing your friend?s butt. Chances are if an grenade blows, you both die. If an enemy assault or MG is there, you will both die from their spray. I?m not saying using them as a human shield is key, but keeping your distance to allow for good movement is key for team work.
- Going prone is not the best choice unless you are playing an MG. Crouch is your friend. The time it takes to go to and from prone and ready to shoot usually means instant death for you. There are times where going prone and waiting for an enemy to go by is a good tactic, but when on offense, use the crouch over the prone if you need to better your aim. The better players learn to fire without even crouching.
- Learn to move with cover, going along walls that limit the enemy?s ability to see you. Standing in a doorway is NOT cover. Doorways are more often than not a choke point, where plenty of people will run through and rocket guys will likely aim for.
Classes
( I can only comment on the two classes I know, but the tips may help any class)
Assault
- When playing assault, use your smoke! Smoke nades are what make an assault class essential, partially or totally blinding the enemy, providing cover for your movements. You ARE the front line and you will often be in the enemy?s line of sight. A dead Assault player who didn?t use their smoke at some point is not using their class to the full potential.
- Toss smoke nades around flags, near your exit and entry points into covered positions, where an MG typically has a line of sight. Make sure you wait 3-4 seconds for the smoke to be in effect. It takes a few seconds for the smoke to build and fully cover the area.
- A regular nade can be a poor man?s version of a flash nade. While the effects are just visual and the enemy?s crosshairs haven?t really moved, screens will shake when close to a nade thus providing some visual cover. So if you don?t have a smoke, throw a regular nade to provide a short flash disorientating your enemy.
Machine Gunner
- The best places allow you to cover popular choke points (usually near the multiple cap points). Don?t expect to cover 4-5 choke points, focus on 1 or 2. If you are covering to many places, you will be easily sniped or shot by a rifleman who doesn?t need much time to single you out and shoot you. Aim for limited crosshair movement.
- After killing a wave of enemy, plan on changing positions. If you stay in one place too long, the enemy will often find a way around you.
- Don?t be afraid to move that MG up! Too many people hang back and cover non-essential caps. Sure, its great for your kill death ratio, but keep moving the MG up to smart cover positions and your team will benefit. Wait for friendlies to come by and follow them up the field of battle. However, do not go too far that you will be an easy kill. The last thing you want is the enemy to get a hold of your weapon!
- Use your own flags and the minimap as an indicator as to the enemy?s progression. If your team has a flag to your left and you are not covering the choke point, once the enemy takes it, undeploy, take out that pistol and wait for them. Chances are they are coming for you and will expect to see your back, not your pistol.
Its a game
- Remember to have FUN! Its a game people. We all win at times and lose at times. We all even get OWNED at times. Its all for fun. Getting angry over a game is pointless.
- Don't leave because you are losing, that will only make others leave and result in a quick and dead server
- If your team is dominating the other team, feel free to change sides. While we all love to slaughter the enemy, you will see that changing teams will bring up player moral and it often takes 1-2 people to help a losing team win and make a competitive and fun round for all.
We all know the game, so I won?t spend time describing it. The game is a fun mix of both standard FPS reflex with a good deal of strategy and more importantly, team play.
I?m just throwing out some random ideas, tactics, things to think about when you play.
Maps
- As with any FPS game, knowing the map is crucial. It gives you good camping spots, preplaned routes to get to flags, knowing where the enemy is coming from. Get to know the maps. Follow groups of people around to see where they go and how they move about the maps.
- Learn to use your minimap to see if there are friendlies up ahead (typically means the area is safe and quicker travel can be done). You also see your team mates who died, thus meaning an enemy is around the corner.
Flags
- Some flags are single capture flags (1 person to take them) others require 2 or more. The multiple cap flags are usually game changing flags. If your team can cap (and more importantly hold) these flags, you are almost assured a win. Focus strategy on capping these flags early, having MGs or Snipers cover these maps while your team continues to move on.
- Flag caps and kills are just as important. You need to find the best priority for each depending on your team?s progression on the map. While caps are great to win the map, killing an enemy slows their offensive progression as they keep having to respawn. Find a happy medium for both yourself and your team.
Weapons
- Each weapon is very different and offers a different style of play. From quick reflex riflemen, covering fire MGs, assault SMGs and so on. Pick one that you are comfortable with and play with it for a while, giving you a chance to get to know the maps and the game play. Changing weapons over and over will only ensure that your weapon knowledge progression is longer.
- Learn the different sounds of the guns. You can tell, without seeing, if an MG is nearby, if there is an Ally coming up those stairs with a Bar, just by the sound the gun makes.
- An unloaded weapon is a useless weapon. After you have killed someone, specially when using an assault or support weapon, you will need to reload, and this should be your first priority. Do not reload in the area you fought in, do not reload when running around a corner. Reload in a safe place, behind cover.
- Remember this? when you kill one person, there are strong chances that there are a few more right around the corner. Strong teams play together and rarely roam solo.
- MGs and snipers are often in the same place on all maps. Learn to avoid these places and flank them, giving them a swift punch in the head or smack of the shovel to kill AND humiliate them.
- PRIME YOUR NADES!! I cannot say this enough. Too many times I see an enemy nade thrown my way and I have more than enough time to move. Even as a deployed MG, I can undeploy, get up, and move, avoiding a kill and taking only minimal damage. When you first click to unclip the nade, hold that nade 3-4 seconds before tossing. This ensures that when it lands, it explodes right away.
Movement
- Use your sprint key to go from cover to cover. Avoid the open spaces as much as possible, resting when you are moving through cover
- Keep distance between you and your allies. If you are running through an alley, there is no point to grabbing your friend?s butt. Chances are if an grenade blows, you both die. If an enemy assault or MG is there, you will both die from their spray. I?m not saying using them as a human shield is key, but keeping your distance to allow for good movement is key for team work.
- Going prone is not the best choice unless you are playing an MG. Crouch is your friend. The time it takes to go to and from prone and ready to shoot usually means instant death for you. There are times where going prone and waiting for an enemy to go by is a good tactic, but when on offense, use the crouch over the prone if you need to better your aim. The better players learn to fire without even crouching.
- Learn to move with cover, going along walls that limit the enemy?s ability to see you. Standing in a doorway is NOT cover. Doorways are more often than not a choke point, where plenty of people will run through and rocket guys will likely aim for.
Classes
( I can only comment on the two classes I know, but the tips may help any class)
Assault
- When playing assault, use your smoke! Smoke nades are what make an assault class essential, partially or totally blinding the enemy, providing cover for your movements. You ARE the front line and you will often be in the enemy?s line of sight. A dead Assault player who didn?t use their smoke at some point is not using their class to the full potential.
- Toss smoke nades around flags, near your exit and entry points into covered positions, where an MG typically has a line of sight. Make sure you wait 3-4 seconds for the smoke to be in effect. It takes a few seconds for the smoke to build and fully cover the area.
- A regular nade can be a poor man?s version of a flash nade. While the effects are just visual and the enemy?s crosshairs haven?t really moved, screens will shake when close to a nade thus providing some visual cover. So if you don?t have a smoke, throw a regular nade to provide a short flash disorientating your enemy.
Machine Gunner
- The best places allow you to cover popular choke points (usually near the multiple cap points). Don?t expect to cover 4-5 choke points, focus on 1 or 2. If you are covering to many places, you will be easily sniped or shot by a rifleman who doesn?t need much time to single you out and shoot you. Aim for limited crosshair movement.
- After killing a wave of enemy, plan on changing positions. If you stay in one place too long, the enemy will often find a way around you.
- Don?t be afraid to move that MG up! Too many people hang back and cover non-essential caps. Sure, its great for your kill death ratio, but keep moving the MG up to smart cover positions and your team will benefit. Wait for friendlies to come by and follow them up the field of battle. However, do not go too far that you will be an easy kill. The last thing you want is the enemy to get a hold of your weapon!
- Use your own flags and the minimap as an indicator as to the enemy?s progression. If your team has a flag to your left and you are not covering the choke point, once the enemy takes it, undeploy, take out that pistol and wait for them. Chances are they are coming for you and will expect to see your back, not your pistol.
Its a game
- Remember to have FUN! Its a game people. We all win at times and lose at times. We all even get OWNED at times. Its all for fun. Getting angry over a game is pointless.
- Don't leave because you are losing, that will only make others leave and result in a quick and dead server
- If your team is dominating the other team, feel free to change sides. While we all love to slaughter the enemy, you will see that changing teams will bring up player moral and it often takes 1-2 people to help a losing team win and make a competitive and fun round for all.
