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How To Be A Better Counter Strike Player By Anthony Cole Introduction Counter Strike is a semi-realistic counter terrorism mod for the retail game Half-Life. Currently in it's eighth version, it has become the most played first-person shooter on the internet today. However, this can be intimidating to newer players. Where do I begin? Why do I always end up dead? What guns are the best? Well, that's what I'm here for. Here are a few tips and tricks that I've learned in my hours upon hours of playing. Tactical Overview A good Counter Strike player, more so than most other first-person shooter, is dependant on tactics. Tactics in many cases is more important than individual skill, though that too plays a factor. Here, kills are not as important as team victories, and few players go with no deaths. The only way to win is to work together. General Tactics Counter Strike is a team game, more so than nearly all other first person shooters. Working as a group is extremely important, especially in large games, where running into groups of four or five opponents is fairly common. Always try to find a couple of guys who seem to do well and run with them. Most people appreciate the backup. Always give the person a little bit of space when you are behind them. There is nothing worse than taking fire and trying to backup, only to find that someone is directly behind you, preventing from moving and more often then not getting you killed. Also, when you are backing someone up, don't hide behind a box when they are getting shot at, even when it's one-on-one. Most of the time, a couple lucky bullets will take out whomever you're trying to kill, many times without taking any damage at all. Above all else, try to change up what you do. If you hide behind some boxes on one round, you can bet that the next few rounds your opponents will check that spot. A real good plan is to hide in one spot, then find some spot that gives you a good view of that spot next round. You can usually catch someone looking away, and that's when you start shooting him. Hostage Maps Most CS maps are hostage maps (usually designated with a cs_ at the beginning of the map name). In these, the CTs assault the Ts and sometimes try to rescue the hostages, but for the most part just try to kill the other team. For the most part, the Ts have the advantage, since they usually spawn near where the hostages are and have an opportunity to hide or find the most strategic spots. However, they also often times run out and fight the CTs head on, trying to catch them off guard. CTs, on the other hand, always have to charge in and assault the opponents. Obviously, this is in many ways disadvantageous, and here more then any other map the CTs have to stick together. Many times, the Ts will separate to find the best hiding places. When a couple of CTs run in, most of the Ts will shoot at the first one to come by, allowing the following CTs take him down. Bomb Maps For the most part, bomb maps (de_ ) are the exact opposite of hostage maps, but there are differences. Here, the Ts are on the attack, trying to bomb one or two different sites on the map, while the CTs must defend. However, the way they attack and defend are usually different. In bomb maps, one of the Ts starts the round with a bomb, which he or someone else must plant in specified bomb sites on the map. Unlike the hostage maps, it is often a good idea to send the bomb carrier off by himself, to sneak around and plant the bomb right away. When the bomb has been planted, the CTs have a limited amount of time to go and diffuse it. The CTs are often confronted by a dilemma; which bomb site do you guard? Usually, the majority go to one site, while a couple make there way to the other one. If the Ts hit one site with a lot of guys, then it is a 50-50 chance it will be the weak one, and they'll be overrun. Also, every CT should buy a diffuse kit, which cuts the diffuse time almost in half. Assassination Maps There is only two goals in assassination maps (as_ ); CTs protect the VIP, and the Ts try to kill him. Everything else has little to no importance as a target. As a T, it's usually a good idea to ignore everyone except the VIP, and just go for him, regardless of how many other CTs are around him. As a CT, you should always stay near the VIP. Make sure there is someone both in front of and behind him. And if you become the VIP, make sure you don't run into a room unless a couple of CTs have already have gone through. And be careful! Escape Maps Nobody really plays these maps, because they are way to one sided in favor of the CTs. The Ts are unable to purchase any weapons from the start; instead they must find the gun room and try to get something decent to use, though it's really hard when there are a lot of players on the server. The Luck Factor One inescapable fact of all multiplayer games is that some people are just lucky. And in a game where a single head shot can kill you, it stands out even more. My advice: Don't let it bother you. There is always someone that's luckier than you are, so just let it slide. Conclusion In the end, the best way to become a good Counter Strike player is to play it. So, in order to start getting 80-3 kill-to-death ratios, be prepared to give up at least 30 hours a week minimum. But trust me, it's well worth it.	Counter Strike Dictionary Not sure what a Ho is? Here is a list of terms that might come up in a game of CS, just so you won't be confused. CS - Counter Strike CT - Counter Terrorist T - Terrorist Ho - Hostage Llama - A lame player, one who does cheap and low-down tricks to get kills. Mod - A modification to another game. Example: CS is a Half-Life mod. Camping - Sitting in one spot, waiting for someone to pass by you to shoot them in the back. Common llama tactic. Weapons Overview One of the big differences in Counter Strike to other first-person shooters is the fact that you buy weapons rather then find them lying around. However, this brings up the question: Which gun should I buy? Here is an overview of each category and the strong guns in each. Pistols Pistols are for the player on a tight budget. This is common early on or if you die a lot. Usually, the pistol you start with is enough (USP for CTs, Glock for Ts). The USP is especially powerful for a pistol, and the Glock, though weaker than the USP, holds 20 bullets a clip, which is enough if half the bullets land. If your aim is good, moving up to the Desert Eagle can be a good choice. Though it only carries seven rounds in a clip, it's power makes up for this limitation. Three well-placed shots can bring an opponent down in no time. Accuracy with pistols varies with the speed you shoot them. Take time to aim instead of just throwing as much ammo as possible, and you can survive many encounters. Shotguns There are two shotguns in the game, the pump and the automatic. The pump, though powerful, is probably one of the worst weapons in the game because of its low rate of fire. The automatic shotgun is just as powerful and a lot faster, though with a clip of only seven, one must be careful and conserve ammo, because both shotguns have to be reloaded one shell at a time, which is terribly slow. With both guns, try to get as close as possible and aim for the head. If your close enough, one shot can kill your opponent, or at least wound him quite a bit. Sub-Machine Guns Sub-machine guns are probably the most accurate guns in the game, but trade off power in the process. One of the most popular guns is the MP5. It has good accuracy and a high rate of fire. If your short on cash, but don't like to go pistol, go with the MP5. A step up from this is the FNP90. Though it costs a bit more, the addition of 20 bullets in the clip makes a big difference. With all the Sub-machine guns, try not to just hold the button down when fireing. Instead, tap the fire button a bit. It will increase your accuracy a great deal, and doesn't affect your rate of fire. Rifles Rifles are the bread and butter of CS. If you got the money, you buy a rifle, no questions asked. All the rifles behave in different ways. The AK is the cheapest, most powerful, but least accurate gun in the game. The Carbine is similar to the AK, but is much more accurate, though not quite as powerful. The SIG and the AUG are very similar, thought the SIG appears to be just a little better than the AUG in both accuracy and power. Use the zoom function of both; it lowers the rate of fire, but increases the accuracy. All four of these pull up when recoiling. Pushing forward on the mouse helps to counter that. The remaining rifles are sniper rifles. The AWP is the most powerful gun in the game; any shot to the body or head is an instant kill. The remaining guns are also very powerful, requiring only one well placed or two random shots to take down an oppenent.
engl3930 > staging server >how to > How To Be A Better Counter Strike Player
Copyright © 2001 Anthony Cole. Questions and comments to arcole1@cslab.bemidjistate.edu Last modified January 31, 2001.