Practice, lots. Practice with people better than you, watch how they play.
Get into a clan, move to a better clan as soon as you can. Don't make the mistake of thinking the clan you are in are going to get better if you put more effort in.
Positioning, movement skill, threat prioritising, use of sound.
Know the game inside and out, don't be a gentleman. Some clans in the recent tourney agreed Onos on 3nd hive, just play within the game parameters and win.
Don't worry too much about getting an amazing keyboard and mouse, a mid-range keyboard and mouse are fine. DO buy a really good headset, personally I have some BOSE headphones (£150) that are designed to have sharp clear sound as it is meant to be heard. Basically they don't crank up the base to make it sound 'cooler', or compensating for crap sound quality. I can hear a mouse fart from 100meters away.
Sound is one of the most underrated things by new players.
Best setup you can afford. Make sure the monitor you buy is either an IPS (great contrast/blacks/rich colours!) or FN panel display. FN is best for response time, but I love IPS as it makes everything look awesome. FN is cheaper.
Default settings! Always. WASD always, don't think ESDF or some other crap is going to make you play better. Unless of course you are left handed and use arrows or have crazy claw hands.
That is everything you need to know that I can think of currently.
swalkSay hello to my little friend.Join Date: 2011-01-20Member: 78384Members, Squad Five Blue
<!--quoteo(post=1991758:date=Oct 15 2012, 05:39 PM:name=Runteh)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Runteh @ Oct 15 2012, 05:39 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1991758"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Don't make the mistake of thinking the clan you are in are going to get better if you put more effort in.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> I would easily disagree on this one. Of course your team can improve and get better. All it takes is practice, and lots of it.
Haha, I didn't mean it like that Swalk. Just some teams are more casual, but you feel inclined to play with them because you have good friendships with everyone. Which is totally fine! But you'll probably not get to a high level doing so.
I played with a casual clan that ended up becoming very good over 1/2 years, but because half of the team started off being more casual we always had 1 or 2 players in matches who just were not up to par and it really shows.
Sometimes you feel like you can compensate for this with the better players, but if you want to play at a higher level you just need to get into the best teams with the best players who put in the time.
I could have played with a higher skilled team, but I enjoyed the friendships and didn't want to leave.
ARC for instance, probably always field their best team. I'm sure they are all very much committed.
I just worded things poorly, basically you can't compensate with your skills for a team that doesn't have them or put the time in to improve them.
I remember garfu posted an image of a score he got in the ns2stats.org thread and his resolution is like 1280x1024 or something weird. Anything to have that slight edge right?
<!--quoteo(post=1991449:date=Oct 14 2012, 05:37 PM:name=male_fatalities)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (male_fatalities @ Oct 14 2012, 05:37 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1991449"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->So much bad advice in this thread.
LOL at the guy who thinks changing settings is cheating. What a retard.
There are no pro settings in NS2, what you want is consistency and to remove visual impairing 'features'
- /maxfps 60 (have to do this every map change). As your fps fluctates, your sensitivity fluctates. You want to lock your fps at what your computer can consistently hold. Then muscle memory takes over - Custom xhair (use workshop) - No shadows, atmospherics - Go into the .lua files and make sure marines/skulk/gorge/lerk/fade/onos fov value is set to the same on everything. FoV affects your sensitivity, so you want it to be consistent. - There used to be a mod which minimised the HUD and removed the red/minimised sound volume when your damaged. I don't know if it gets passed through consistency anymore though.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Remove visual impairing 'features?' Pretty much the definition of cheating.
You shouldn't be punished for running high settings or benefited for running low settings. If you get a benefit from running lower settings, that's a huge problem with the game which should be looked into.
While we're at it, let's remove camouflage, silence, ink, gorge spit on the HUD, sound dampening when low health. Heck, let's remove shadows including the burned-in shadows and play like CS:S on low with everything perfectly visible/audible.
It doesn't really matter though, as it seems developers don't care about the visual differences between settings: <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?showtopic=121638" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/in...howtopic=121638</a>
So, if you want to be competitive in NS2, I guess you play on low. Too unfortunate about that useless shadow map and shader work put into the engine...
Visual differences in the PC market aren't anything new though; the visual configs for CS:S for example, which made everything in the game at maximum brightness. Heck, even allowing a gamma slider on consoles gives players unfair advantages in stealth/shadow-heavy games - unless, of course, you put it to the max like everyone else and make the game look like crap ;-) .
I guess if you want a real even playing field, you go to a physical tournament where you can use the same hardware and settings. Anything else is exploitable :-) .
<!--quoteo(post=1991674:date=Oct 15 2012, 07:02 AM:name=Shaker)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Shaker @ Oct 15 2012, 07:02 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1991674"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->UWE has already decided what you can and cannot modify. Who exactly are you presenting your argument to? No one in this thread has presented anything out of those boundaries...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Actually they've decided hardly anything. They've given server admins consistency checks which they can turn off, and no way for a client to check which consistency checks are on on a given server (in the server browser for example, something like "pure servers only" on source games). There's also no VAC, and nobody's quite clear on how mods are going to be whitelisted if at all. At least you can filter out modded servers in the browser though, which is really nice.
<!--quoteo(post=1991940:date=Oct 15 2012, 11:34 PM:name=HeatSurge)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (HeatSurge @ Oct 15 2012, 11:34 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1991940"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->So, if you want to be competitive in NS2, I guess you play on low. Too unfortunate about that useless shadow map and shader work put into the engine...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That's applicable for pretty much every competitive game ever and while it rarely comes into actual play in most games, it's that 1% cases where low settings might help you see something better as well as getting higher FPS.
So for casual players and pubbers, those rare cases are not as important as having all the visual fluff and nice atmosphere. It's like choosing a comfortable chair over an ergonomic chair that maximizes your work output, and it is best left to the player style on what's comfortable for him.
I'd personally say that shadows on might help you spot aliens moving around in certain rooms, but it really depends on how many FPS you're comfortable with.
<!--quoteo(post=1991940:date=Oct 15 2012, 04:34 PM:name=HeatSurge)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (HeatSurge @ Oct 15 2012, 04:34 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1991940"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->So, if you want to be competitive in NS2, I guess you play on low. Too unfortunate about that useless shadow map and shader work put into the engine...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I dont mean to burst your bubble buddy but that kinda thing has been going on for a very long time. Every pro starcraft 2 player plays on the lowest settings possible except for stephano I think cause he's a baller. When everything is on the line you want every edge you can get.
Not really bursting my bubble as much as disappointing me, especially in regards to the opacity of the atmospherics which is an incredibly easy fix (flashlight beams).
And no, I don't think competitive people in e.g. the quake or UT series ran low settings. It's just unfortunate that in stealth/shadows games it never really works as intended.
Lol @ coltcolt..... Adjusting graphics is a nessesity of PC gaming, if we were playing on an Xbox sure we can all be on a semi level playing field but this is pc gaming, a default setting that everyone could run at 60fps would well would look like ns1. As far as cheating, most games don't come with cheats available in the menu, but hey this is UNkowns first game right I'm sure they will remove all options/settings/scripts/mods with 1.0
<!--quoteo(post=1991979:date=Oct 16 2012, 08:08 AM:name=HeatSurge)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (HeatSurge @ Oct 16 2012, 08:08 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1991979"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->And no, I don't think competitive people in e.g. the quake or UT series ran low settings.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> Nope quake players like myself played on even lower settings <img src="http://erajorma.wippiespace.com/ql/cfg.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<!--quoteo(post=1991979:date=Oct 16 2012, 07:38 AM:name=HeatSurge)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (HeatSurge @ Oct 16 2012, 07:38 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1991979"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->And no, I don't think competitive people in e.g. the quake or UT series ran low settings. It's just unfortunate that in stealth/shadows games it never really works as intended.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You talk so much bull sh!t mate. Quake gamers play in lego land... stop making stuff up.
Go watch a fpvod from quake con, they play with single texture walls and fluro green player models.
Lowering settings to have an edge in competitive games is really common. Just to further prove the point, in TF2 it's pretty common to use FPS configs (to lower most settings and get the max fps possible and less visual "noise"), same as is to play in directX 8 (for that same purpose) and modifiying the level of detail (LOD) settings through the drivers to get textures even more flat than it's normally possible (and it's a generally a standard among the highest division players in the US, Europe and South America):
I think some guys here are lacking some sirlin... <a href="http://www.sirlin.net/ptw-book/how-far-should-you-go-to-win.html" target="_blank">http://www.sirlin.net/ptw-book/how-far-sho...-go-to-win.html</a>
Since most players are too busy being amazed by how uninformed ColtColt is I'll weigh in with some tips.
1) Disable mouse acceleration. This way when you panic, you won't miss. You want the mouse distance moved to always result in the same turn rate no matter how fast you move that mouse.
2) Get a good mouse. Anything less than a G400 is a terrible idea. Actually, anything other than a G400 is a bad idea. Those expensive SteelSeries Sensei's and G500s have 5 percent hardware acceleration. This is a bad thing. Stick with a G400 or a razor.
3) Positioning is more important than accuracy. Learn how to always spread the distances between you and the alien as marine. As an alien, well learn patience.
4) As a marine never run backwards, always use strafe to dodge like you're a bull fighter. Also, scream "SPACE MARINES!" in to your microphone whenever you get a kill. The louder you are the better your aim, and more importantly all your team mates will get a 33 percent boost in accuracy.
5) Always bait, I mean support, your team mates. Constantly check radar and figure out when someone is coming, or where a team mate needs help. As a marine, make sure you always trade a player. If an alien scores a frag he better immediately be revenged killed.
Comments
Aim better.
Watch competitive games.
Practice, lots. Practice with people better than you, watch how they play.
Get into a clan, move to a better clan as soon as you can. Don't make the mistake of thinking the clan you are in are going to get better if you put more effort in.
Positioning, movement skill, threat prioritising, use of sound.
Know the game inside and out, don't be a gentleman. Some clans in the recent tourney agreed Onos on 3nd hive, just play within the game parameters and win.
Don't worry too much about getting an amazing keyboard and mouse, a mid-range keyboard and mouse are fine. DO buy a really good headset, personally I have some BOSE headphones (£150) that are designed to have sharp clear sound as it is meant to be heard. Basically they don't crank up the base to make it sound 'cooler', or compensating for crap sound quality. I can hear a mouse fart from 100meters away.
Sound is one of the most underrated things by new players.
Best setup you can afford. Make sure the monitor you buy is either an IPS (great contrast/blacks/rich colours!) or FN panel display. FN is best for response time, but I love IPS as it makes everything look awesome. FN is cheaper.
Default settings! Always. WASD always, don't think ESDF or some other crap is going to make you play better. Unless of course you are left handed and use arrows or have crazy claw hands.
That is everything you need to know that I can think of currently.
I would easily disagree on this one.
Of course your team can improve and get better.
All it takes is practice, and lots of it.
I played with a casual clan that ended up becoming very good over 1/2 years, but because half of the team started off being more casual we always had 1 or 2 players in matches who just were not up to par and it really shows.
Sometimes you feel like you can compensate for this with the better players, but if you want to play at a higher level you just need to get into the best teams with the best players who put in the time.
I could have played with a higher skilled team, but I enjoyed the friendships and didn't want to leave.
ARC for instance, probably always field their best team. I'm sure they are all very much committed.
I just worded things poorly, basically you can't compensate with your skills for a team that doesn't have them or put the time in to improve them.
LOL at the guy who thinks changing settings is cheating. What a retard.
There are no pro settings in NS2, what you want is consistency and to remove visual impairing 'features'
- /maxfps 60 (have to do this every map change). As your fps fluctates, your sensitivity fluctates. You want to lock your fps at what your computer can consistently hold. Then muscle memory takes over
- Custom xhair (use workshop)
- No shadows, atmospherics
- Go into the .lua files and make sure marines/skulk/gorge/lerk/fade/onos fov value is set to the same on everything. FoV affects your sensitivity, so you want it to be consistent.
- There used to be a mod which minimised the HUD and removed the red/minimised sound volume when your damaged. I don't know if it gets passed through consistency anymore though.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Remove visual impairing 'features?' Pretty much the definition of cheating.
You shouldn't be punished for running high settings or benefited for running low settings. If you get a benefit from running lower settings, that's a huge problem with the game which should be looked into.
While we're at it, let's remove camouflage, silence, ink, gorge spit on the HUD, sound dampening when low health. Heck, let's remove shadows including the burned-in shadows and play like CS:S on low with everything perfectly visible/audible.
It doesn't really matter though, as it seems developers don't care about the visual differences between settings:
<a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?showtopic=121638" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/in...howtopic=121638</a>
So, if you want to be competitive in NS2, I guess you play on low. Too unfortunate about that useless shadow map and shader work put into the engine...
Visual differences in the PC market aren't anything new though; the visual configs for CS:S for example, which made everything in the game at maximum brightness. Heck, even allowing a gamma slider on consoles gives players unfair advantages in stealth/shadow-heavy games - unless, of course, you put it to the max like everyone else and make the game look like crap ;-) .
I guess if you want a real even playing field, you go to a physical tournament where you can use the same hardware and settings. Anything else is exploitable :-) .
<!--quoteo(post=1991674:date=Oct 15 2012, 07:02 AM:name=Shaker)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Shaker @ Oct 15 2012, 07:02 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1991674"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->UWE has already decided what you can and cannot modify. Who exactly are you presenting your argument to? No one in this thread has presented anything out of those boundaries...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Actually they've decided hardly anything. They've given server admins consistency checks which they can turn off, and no way for a client to check which consistency checks are on on a given server (in the server browser for example, something like "pure servers only" on source games). There's also no VAC, and nobody's quite clear on how mods are going to be whitelisted if at all. At least you can filter out modded servers in the browser though, which is really nice.
That's applicable for pretty much every competitive game ever and while it rarely comes into actual play in most games, it's that 1% cases where low settings might help you see something better as well as getting higher FPS.
So for casual players and pubbers, those rare cases are not as important as having all the visual fluff and nice atmosphere.
It's like choosing a comfortable chair over an ergonomic chair that maximizes your work output, and it is best left to the player style on what's comfortable for him.
I'd personally say that shadows on might help you spot aliens moving around in certain rooms, but it really depends on how many FPS you're comfortable with.
I dont mean to burst your bubble buddy but that kinda thing has been going on for a very long time. Every pro starcraft 2 player plays on the lowest settings possible except for stephano I think cause he's a baller. When everything is on the line you want every edge you can get.
And no, I don't think competitive people in e.g. the quake or UT series ran low settings. It's just unfortunate that in stealth/shadows games it never really works as intended.
Nope quake players like myself played on even lower settings
<img src="http://erajorma.wippiespace.com/ql/cfg.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
You talk so much bull sh!t mate. Quake gamers play in lego land... stop making stuff up.
Go watch a fpvod from quake con, they play with single texture walls and fluro green player models.
<img src="https://dl.dropbox.com/u/11430411/Imagenes/lowlod.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
I think some guys here are lacking some sirlin... <a href="http://www.sirlin.net/ptw-book/how-far-should-you-go-to-win.html" target="_blank">http://www.sirlin.net/ptw-book/how-far-sho...-go-to-win.html</a>
Also that read on "the even playing field in gaming" seems interesting but a little long; I'll read it eventually though.
1) Disable mouse acceleration. This way when you panic, you won't miss. You want the mouse distance moved to always result in the same turn rate no matter how fast you move that mouse.
2) Get a good mouse. Anything less than a G400 is a terrible idea. Actually, anything other than a G400 is a bad idea. Those expensive SteelSeries Sensei's and G500s have 5 percent hardware acceleration. This is a bad thing. Stick with a G400 or a razor.
3) Positioning is more important than accuracy. Learn how to always spread the distances between you and the alien as marine. As an alien, well learn patience.
4) As a marine never run backwards, always use strafe to dodge like you're a bull fighter. Also, scream "SPACE MARINES!" in to your microphone whenever you get a kill. The louder you are the better your aim, and more importantly all your team mates will get a 33 percent boost in accuracy.
5) Always bait, I mean support, your team mates. Constantly check radar and figure out when someone is coming, or where a team mate needs help. As a marine, make sure you always trade a player. If an alien scores a frag he better immediately be revenged killed.