[TIPS]

> ## Control

> Learn to use the mouse effectively. The combination of mouse and keyboard control is the most efficient way to navigate in Quake. Using the keyboard for body movement and the mouse (with +mlook on) for view control or aim, makes target acquisition and tracking quick and lethal. The ability to easily look up and down while running, jumping, or strafing etc. gives you the best "situational awareness" during gameplay. If you don’t currently play this way, start. It takes some practice, but you’ll find your frag count increasing as you get better at it. You can always tell who’s playin the old "Doom" style. They usually don’t know what hits them until its too late. So if you want the satisfaction of doing one of those "seeing two snipers hiding in a dark corner jumpin off the third story ledge spinnin a 180 gettin a double-gib while switchin to the perforator and hittin the ground runnin the other direction maneuvers", then practice +mlook! Nuff said. Also, editing your Quake config. file to include key bindings and alias’ that give you quick access to common commands, etc. can make life a lot easier. Downloading and using the "Bounty Hunter"config. script can make this painless. Get it here. Docs included.

> ## Movement

> Keep in mind that most of these tips apply to those of us who are limited to a 28.8 connection to the net and have to accept lag as part of the game. It sucks, but you must learn how to adapt your gameplay and adjust your timing to the ever-changing lag.

> Moving (While not engaged): A moving target is much more difficult to hit than a stationary one. Don’t stand still and wait for a target to come to you. You’ll either end up standing around while everyone else is busy increasing their frag counts, or make yourself an easy target (You don’t have to lead someone who’s standing still, even with a 300+ ping). I probably spend 90 percent of my time running in a game (except in CTF), stopping once in a while to wait for an item to respawn or to pick off a couple of predictable "route runners" from an advantaged sniper-spot. I don’t consider this to be "camping" because when they come looking for me, which they will do, I’m gone. This is just a good way to get a couple of frags and make the "route-runners" paranoid the next time they go by.

> You also have to adjust for lag in your movement. Delays in jumps and turns can turn you into easy frag-bait if you end up spending a lot of time getting hung-up on door frames or trying to jump onto a ledge, as you then become a stationary target, not to mention looking like one of "Jerry’s Kids". Just pretend like you’re driving in the snow or "ice skating". Lead your turns like you lead with your shots. Avoid critical jumps that could involve taking the risk of "visiting the volcano god" or "gulping a load of slime". Unless these jumps are necessary, try to find a different route.

> Moving (During an engagement): Everyone has their own style, so I can’t tell you exactly what to do, but here’s a couple of things that work for me. If you find yourself outgunned in the open, try to move erratically in circles around your opponent. Keep this up until he either runs out of ammo for his "big gun" or gets dizzy and frustrated and hits a nearby wall with a rocket becoming "bored with life". Running directly toward or away from him makes you an easier target. This strategy has little effect against good LPB’s, but modem players will have a hard time turning fast enough to acquire, lead, and fire before you are already 90 degrees further around them. Switching directions is also confusing for them, sometimes allowing you to get a clean shot off in the process. Remember, playing the lag is shooting where your target will be, so if you’re the target, don’t be predictable. They can’t hit you if they don’t know where your going to be.

> Learn to run backwards: This is very effective when you are being pursued as it allows you to return fire while still moving the direction you want to go. Great results if equipped with the RL or GL. Lay down a popcorn trail of pineapples or paste your pursuer with a rocket. Even better results if you round a corner and then spin around and run backwards. Your eager opponent charges around the corner expecting to see your back, but instead sees the ugly end of your rocket launcher or a little path of "presents" you’ve left for him. Surprise!

> Rocket Jumps: If you can pull one of these off with modem lag, you’re a better man than me. It just don’t work. So don’t waste your time writing an alias for it. If you want to get to those hard to reach spots, play CTF.

> One last thing on movement control: If you absolutely have to go to the bathroom during a game, do it after you’ve been fragged or between level changes. Not when you’ve just scored the 200 armor and the RL. A serious Quake player prepares himself for combat prior to starting. Drinks, munchies, etc. within arms reach for those precious few seconds between levels or when the dreaded phone jack appears. Ack! A tip on the phone jack: Remove your hands from the controls as soon as possible or when it finally disappears you will find yourself emptying your entire ammo supply into walls, teammates etc. as you move aimlessly about for what seems like an eternity!

> ## Weapons

> Proper weapon selection can make or break you in the Quake arena. Use the right or "best" available weapon for every situation. I see players every day who spend 10 minutes trying to get the RL (Rocket Launcher) only to blow themselves up 10 seconds later after firing point-blank into a wall, or worse yet, point-blank into a teammate. I’ll make this simple. Do not use the RL in confined spaces. The blast radius on this thing is what you might say "large", so don’t fire at anything that is fairly close to you. This would include walls, floors, ceilings, objects, and most importantly, teammates. Suicides are negative frags and an embarrassment (i.e. fallin down gettin on the ski-lift) for the serious Quake Gladiator.

> Rocket Launcher

> The RL, when properly used, is the weapon of choice for most deathmatchers. Accuracy is not as important as it is with other weapons. This is a definite advantage on the Internet, as game lag and frame-rate (at least for most of us 28.8’s) often doesn’t allow for many dead-on shots. Especially when you’re up against a couple of LPB’s. Try to always fire at the floor beneath the feet of your opponent, or in hallways, the walls or ceiling work as well. Normally, a well placed floor shot will take them out or knock them around enough that you can get another round off before they get their bearings. Each game on the net will be a little (sometimes a lot) different in lag time. Lead your opponent accordingly. If they’re movin, don’t fire "at" them, fire where they will most likely be when your weapon finally discharges. Nuff said.

> Super Nail Gun (Perforator)

> The "Perforator" (Super-Nail Gun) is also a great choice. It has some serious take-down power and is a perfect companion for the RL. If you have both of these available, you can rack up a serious frag count. Use the RL for medium/long range and switch to the SNG for up close and personal. Once again, play the lag with the perforator as well. Unless you are chasing your opponent in a straight line or he’s comin head on, lead your target. Option two: Strafing back and forth while sprayin nails will usually always pay off. The only problem with this method is that it can deplete your ammo supply in short order. Key words here: Short Controlled Bursts. Be patient. Don’t start doing the old "Dogfight Routine" while sprayin your entire 200 rounds into everything but your opponent. For those of you new to Quake, I’ll explain. The Dogfight Routine happens all the time. Usually involves two guys (more like 2-16 guys) who chase each other around in circles like fighter aircraft, tryin to get the advantage or the "back door shot". Most of the time (ping times being equal) the involved parties run completely out of ammo, default to axes, and continue until one gets a couple of lucky dead-on hacks. Try this instead: Cap off a couple of rounds, switch to the axe, and let him think he’s got an easy kill. When he stops to draw a bead on you, switch back to the nailgun and mow him down. Next time he sees ya break out the axe, he’ll think twice. The RL and Perforator are your best tools in Quake. Learn to use them properly. Next lesson: Pineapples 101.

> Grenade Launcher

> The grenade launcher (GL) is not a primary weapon of choice, at least for modem players. Lag makes it practically impossible to hit moving targets with the GL. It does however, have some very effective uses as a "specialty weapon". Works great when you find yourself high above one of those "mosh pit" areas, (usually in the vicinity of the RL respawn) where a pineapple shower can silence the five to ten guys doing the shotgun/axe dogfight below. You can also root out even the best campers with a few well placed bank shots (just like playin pool). Another handy use is for layin down a "popcorn trail" of pineapples while running backwards. Almost always takes care of that guy pluggin you in the back while your running toward bigger and better things. Let me reiterate the "while running backwards". Nuff said.

> Nail Gun

> The regular nailgun or what I call the "nailgun starter kit" is only slightly better than the single-barrel shotgun when it comes to take-down power. Not anything to write home about. If it happens to be on the way to where I’m going, I’ll grab it.

> Double-Barrel Shotgun

> The double-barrel shotgun is better than the nailgun. Reload time is high, but point-blank, it packs a mean punch. Two shots at point-blank will cut almost anyone down. Great for point-blank back shots into the dude with the RL, who’s so busy blasting at every dark corner hoping he’ll get lucky, that he doesn’t even realize your there until you’ve dropped him like a bad habit.

> Single-Barrel Shotgun

> (Insert Default Squirt-Gun Image Here)

> The single-barrel shotgun is great for long range sniping and laying down cover fire. But face it, its no match for any of the big guns. Like the old saying goes, "don’t take a knife to a gun fight". As soon as you respawn, head for the closest available "weapon of choice".

> Lightning Gun

> Usually ammo is pretty scarce and with the lag, its hard to sweep as fast as your opponent can move. So I would recommend you don’t get yourself fragged ten times tryin to get it. If you happen to run into it, its great for running down hallways cutting down everything in your path or getting several opponents in view under water and fryin the whole batch (yourself included). If you end up with positive frags, or have a chance to cook that LPB that’s been in your face all night, sometimes suicide is appropriate.

> Axe

> Last but not least, the axe. What can I say. Its not efficient whatsoever at killing your opponent, but its always there. Sluggin it out "Neanderthal style" with axes and comin out the victor is one of the most satisfying experiences in Deathmatch Quake. Might have to change the saying to, "Sex, Axe Kill, and Rock-n-Roll"!

> ## Level/Map Knowledge

> Practice them until you know every nook and cranny of every level. The best way to do this is to play deathmatch by yourself. Don’t make the same mistake I did. As soon as I got the full release, I hopped right into one of those 16 player gib fests on a level I wasn't familiar with and had no freakin idea of where I was, or where I was going. Got smoked for two straight hours runnin around with the shotgun looking for the RL. Couldn’t figure out why everyone else had one. If you don’t know where the weapon/ammo/health/power-up respawn locations are, you’re just cannon fodder. You have got to be able to hit the ground runnin. No matter where you respawn, you should know what route to follow, and what is worth grabbing along the way. By the time you get to the end of your route (providing you make it that far), you should have good health/armor and a few "weapons of choice". Now run your route again. Only this time you got the juice. Keep yourself topped off with health/armor/ammo as you run your route and frag away.

> ## Listen

> Learning the distinctive sounds of each level is equally important. Sound is sometimes better than sight! You can tell where your opponent is, and where he’s heading, just by listening to the sounds of elevators, doors, power-ups, weapon pick-ups, jumping...well, you get the picture. The is one area that can give you the edge in an otherwise equal match. Note: Smaller maps with large numbers of players throws this tip pretty much out the window. It is some help, but normally your speakers are smokin during a full tilt "mosh pit" battle and the sound just kinda comes from everywhere.

> ## The Quad Power

> The Quad Power: If you got it, you’re the man, if you can avoid becoming "bored with life". If your opponent has the Quad, along with a "choice weapon", run. Option two: Follow him at a distance and pick up his goodie bag when he "becomes bored with life".

> ## The Pentagram of Protection (666)

> If you can grab it, this is the time you get to play superman with the RL! Kinda like a frag shopping spree. No holds barred, in that LPB’s face with the RL! YEE HAW! Better yet, in that LPB’s face with the axe when he’s got the RL. Take his toys away from him, cause you won’t get many chances like this.

"These tips are based on my experience in playing net Quake. Take them for what they are, my opinion. If you have something to add/disagree with, send me some mail!"

B_Hunter-Xeno