Multiplayer tips for most of you

Ya know, I play multiplayer quite a bit and usually on public servers. I see new players making the same mistakes over and over again. I decided to take a moment here and write some tips for you guys. If you get your ass handed to you on a regular basis this is for you. If every now and then you accidentally kill someone and get yourself a point then this is for you. Read carefully.

1. Know Thyself

In the lower right corner of your screen is your health and armor values. Know them and understand what they are telling you. If you have 0 armor and 20 health, you should not be running into the face of that guy with the rocket launcher with your Marine Standard Issue Pistol. You need armor, health and a better weapon. Avoid every other player until you acquire this stuff.


2. Know the Map

Don't just run around maps blindly over and over again. When you find a rocket launcher, spend some time in the area of the rocket launcher and see where all the exits lead. By doing this you can more easily find you way back to it. Spectate better players and they will show you where the secrets are also.


3. Armor, armor, armor

Armor is what will keep you alive. Armor is probably the most important thing on any map. By having armor, you can usually take that first rocket blast to the face and have enough health left to find out where it came from and either get the hell out of the area or fight back. Armor is what gives you the privilage to make that decision. You should always be on the look out for armor shards and you should be visiting armor spawn points on a regular basis.


4. Get a Better Weapon

Your pistol is not your main weapon. I've seen more people come at me with thier pistol while I'm gunning them down with rockets, chainguns, plasma guns and shotguns than I care to count. Why, oh why, are you charging me with your pistol? Your pistol is a last ditch weapon. It's also good for shooting out lights and opening secrets but if you can't play well enough to even survive you shouldn't worry about that stuff.


5. Run! Hide!

Look, the game is based on points. The more you kill, the more points you get. The more you die, the more points your opponent gets. If you can avoid being killed, you deny your opponent points. Every point your opponent doesn't get is one more point you're not loosing by. Does that make sense? It is not cowardly to run, it's smart. The better you become at evasion, the better player you become. You should always try to avoid fights you weren't prepared for. Know where to run. Zig, zag, try to loose your opponent. Know where to replenish supplies. Never fight unless it's on your terms.


6. Always Fire First.

When I spectate I see a lot of you find some really crafty hiding spots. You sit there and you wait, and you wait, and you wait and when someone runs by you charge at them with your pistol and your T-shirt. Then you die. Hiding and ambush is a valid tactic, but it will not do you any good if you don't accomplish the other things I already mentioned. Once you have your 100 health, your 100+ armor and some decent weapons, THEN hide. You need every advantage you can get.

Those are pretty much the basics. There are some others, but I won't go into detail. They include turning weapon autoswitch OFF. Turn on always RUN. Learn to hop around a little. Watch and play better players. Learn the game. When someone beats you ask for pointers.

Occasionally, there is a server called "Wolves Den" or "The Wolf Den". Stop by, look for Darkonas or Endureth. We will give you tips if you want them. We want better players. The server is usually up from about 8pm to midnight Eastern time.

-E

To add to that -- here's some other stuff.

The weapon balance in this game is quite borked. This is going to sound like a total cop-out, but it is 100% true. If you play against someone who's at the top of one of the several online ladders, or watch the ggl.com coverage of QuakeCon 2004's DOOM 3 1v1 tourney, you will see everyone going by this rule of thumb.

Rocket launcher > all. Period. The chaingun is also used, but only about half the time that the rl is in use. Grenades are also very powerful, but of course, they are only used in specific situations, like spamming the Mega spawn point in dm2, or using it as a retreat weapon (especially avoiding spawnrape immediately after respawn). But yeah, rl is THE weapon, and that's all there is to it.

Also, time item respawns. Gaining control of the map is the name of the game. If you can control the armor respawns by timing them and outsmarting your opponent so that you get it, not them, you're chances of survival multiply significantly. This also goes for megahealth, berserk, and on some maps, even the weapon respawns.

Armor spawns every 20 seconds. Be there, or he will be.

Berserk spawns every three minutes.

Not sure on this, but I think all health pickups (not including megasphere) and weapons spawn every 20 seconds.

One more thing, then I'm off to bed --

Spawnrape like the devil. When you hear your enemy respawn, track him down as quickly as possible. If you can't get straight to him, predict where he's going and cut him off. Spawn raping is back in this game, and it's a key element of map control.

Well at least the rocket launcher can be used to kill other players now.

1. Pay attention to the "dark" parts of the map, CAMPERS GALORE - better to be safe than sorry

2. If you punch someone you steal a random weapon.

3. Listen close, you didnt buy the surround sound system just for the SP did you? You can hear enemies easily as well as all the lifts and whanot they set off

3.2 by that same token, YOU should learn to WALK, set off machines and go the opposite way, fire guns (particualrly rockets and grenades, because they make a louder sound where they LAND not where theyre fired.) RANDOMLY and so on, to confuse the other player.

4. use the barrels, theyre easily as powerful as any grenade or splash-damage rocket hit. also notice they can be rolled around and placed in REALLY unconvienient places... heh

5. It has to be repeated... STOP USING THE PISTOL. Remember you *start* with 2 grenades, and the maps arent that big that you can never just run the other way looking for a weapon. Some poeple are confused by the fact that the game doenst tell them that they have a weapon (spoiled by Quake 3 probabaly hah), pay attention to where the weapons are in the first place and you wont have that problem.

sadly the Rocket launcher is extrememly overpowered... bite the bullet (pun intended) and give in to the temptation to use it all the time, just dont forget about the shotgun and chaingun

UPDATE: *******

Caco-Puff said:

Well at least the rocket launcher can be used to kill other players now.

Are you joking?

EDIT: Clarification -- The rocket launcher is one of the most powerful weapons in DOOM/II. In fact, I use it probably the 3rd highest amount of the weapons I use. And I know this will sound arrogant, but I'd be willing to bet money that I can beat 90% (if not more) of the players on this board in DOOM II map01. Point is -- rl in the originals is an awesome, awesome weapon. So I guess you're not talking about those...

In Quake (QW) rl is just about the only usable weapon, so I know you can't be talking about that... In Quake II, rl was still important, but perhaps not quite as important as in previous id games.

Quake III, it was the all-around weapon, used for probably a slight majority of all frags.

And in DOOM 3, we're back to QuakeWorld, as far as rl use goes. So -- what are you talking about? Unless you're being sarcastic, which you likely are :), I find pretty much no merit to saying that there was a time in history in the DOOM series or even Quake series where the rl wasn't racking up tons of frags.

Good point about the shotgun...its a real good close range weapon that deals alot of damage that way. Espesially when you come up behind an opponent.

Come join us in The Wolf Den, looking forward to meeting you all

Some may find it interesting that one close range shot from a shotgun can kill someone with full health and 100 armor. :)

Mogul said:

Are you joking?

EDIT: Clarification -- The rocket launcher is one of the most powerful weapons in DOOM/II. In fact, I use it probably the 3rd highest amount of the weapons I use. And I know this will sound arrogant, but I'd be willing to bet money that I can beat 90% (if not more) of the players on this board in DOOM II map01. Point is -- rl in the originals is an awesome, awesome weapon. So I guess you're not talking about those...

In Quake (QW) rl is just about the only usable weapon, so I know you can't be talking about that... In Quake II, rl was still important, but perhaps not quite as important as in previous id games.

Quake III, it was the all-around weapon, used for probably a slight majority of all frags.

And in DOOM 3, we're back to QuakeWorld, as far as rl use goes. So -- what are you talking about? Unless you're being sarcastic, which you likely are :), I find pretty much no merit to saying that there was a time in history in the DOOM series or even Quake series where the rl wasn't racking up tons of frags.

Map 01 perhaps,But i've always perferred the SSG to the RL,Unless of course your talking about camping that hallway in Map01,Like every idiot i've ever met does.It may be good for a small map,But it's nothing a Plasma Rifle or SSG can't do in such a small area.Plus the lack of mouselook in the orignal game meant you couldnt aim for someone feet.

Caco-Puff said:

Unless of course your talking about camping that hallway in Map01,Like every idiot i've ever met does.

Yeah, every idiot like Ocelot, DevastatioN, and BahdKo. This place really needs an emoticon for rolling eyes.

Mogul said:

Yeah, every idiot like Ocelot, DevastatioN, and BahdKo. This place really needs an emoticon for rolling eyes.

I don't mean firing a rocket or 5 down,I mean standing there for a good 5 minutes just holding down the fire key,Make it damn near impossible to get anywhere.

Mogul said:

This place really needs an emoticon for rolling eyes.

Hate to burst your bubble, but there's a reason why Doomworld doesn't have emoticons.

heh

At any rate, the rocket launcher has always been useful. :D

well imo the shotgun is as good and effective as the rocket launcher in the right hands, and the rocket launcher in the wrong hands can be fatal. From my experiences, rocket launcher in wide areas, if you want the blast damage to reach just one person or multiple ppl, the shotgun is about as powerful as the rocket launcher at close range, small areas, good for hunting ppl down in corridors imo, best to use also if someone else is using the same weapon as they also will try get into close range, so if they survive or dodge your rockets and coem in close with a shotgun, id quickly hit 3 and gets yours out, jumping up and down (keeping your aimer on them mind) also makes you a more tricky target, i liek to jump into ppl with the shotgun and shoot them.

Another tip, if you come accross heavy rocket launcher users, that seem to kill you and others with just that weapon, try figure what areas on the map there weakist with it and get a 'inclosed-area friendly' weapon out to take erm out.