5(+1) rules to actually be a competent deathmatcher
want to be the envy of your friends? want to win, regardless of lag? want to not be made fun of despite the fact you die literally every five seconds? buy read this guide. it might help.
no promises.
want to help other people shoot you better? submit your own rules! just be warned that people are going to use the ideas against you.
Rule 1: Know your weaponthis rule is far more then just knowing which end the bullets come out of. when you find a new weapon, fire a few 'test shots' first to see if there's anything particularly special about it. alot of bits like wall-piercing bullets, reload systems, critical hits and other 'gimmicks' are very helpful in certain situations but some people are unaware they even exist.
if you can't find any gimmicks after the first go, fiddle with the buttons on your keyboard and mouse to see if anything happens. if it still continues to show no signs of interest, test it on someone
Rule 2: Head 'em off at the passthis rule is older then radio. have you ever heard of that cowboy saying "let's head them off at the ___"? turns out that's a very very smart tactic. if you spot someone who hasn't spotted you, try to find a good place to 'jump' them: for instance, if you see a person walking through a small maze, get through it faster and meet them at the end. surprise is useful: and loving fun.
alternately you can get a buddy to 'lure' them into a spot, where you can proceed to jump the target. to each his own, i guess
Rule 3: Notice patterns- try to keep out of them yourselfalot of people subconsciously follow routines in deathmatches: for instance, they always go for the big gun, they always flank, they only use shotguns, etc: this is a weak spot. borrowing from Rule 2, it's easy to anticipate where someone is going to go and when if you recognize what they do
of course, if they don't HAVE a pattern, this rule is moot, and the topic is actually called 9 rules to actually be a competent deathmatcher. noticing your own patterns and getting out of them is a good way to keep yourself from getting nailed by this
Rule 4: Get the jumpnow, you think i've already told you this: "BUSHIDO BUSHIDO YOU ALREADY TOLD US HOW TO SURPRISE THE ENEMY AND GET THE INITIATIVE!"
this isn't about that.
literally 'getting the jump' (that is, attacking from a higher position on a map) is an incredibly good tactic: should the enemy notice where the fire is coming from, you can back up and let the ledge act as cover, or hop down and letting luck and gravity do the dodging for you. this is a more defensive rule then anything else.
Rule 5: No eye contact!the french have a term for 'fighting without tact': ironically, it's called melee, which has more tact involved in this game then most other fighting styles. in this passage i'm going to use 'melee' as the french meaning, not the close-and-personal weapon category
anyways, you remember how in pokemon games the rule was if you and another trainer's eyes met, honor dictates you have to have a pokemon battle? largely the same thing goes in deathmatches. if two players were to both notice eachother at the same time, tact is gone: a melee breaks out, and the fight becomes instinctive and luck-based. thus, avoid eye-contact at all times: merely being able to see another player's face decal is enough to know you're in his vision cone, and that he can see yours.
Related Note: How to get out of a meleethere are only 2 ways to get out of a melee (besides dying): escaping, and hiding long enough for the 'heat' between the two of you to die down. by that, i mean ducking behind cover long enough for the other guy to actually have to come and FIND you- if you have a shotgun or SMG you can easily get the jump on the enemy should he approach, or alternately, you could just leave.
Bonus Rule 1 (6): Utilize knockback knockback is a really underlooked portion of deathmatching. here's the gist of what you need to know, what you should know, but nobody does: knockback is your
friend.
generally knockback is only really useful if you're at an incredibly close range- to actually use it, you must first plow the enemy off the ground. this is easiest done by simply ducking and opening fire. use this technique to increase the gap between you and the enemy.
or blow them off a cliff. whatever.
