Cygon

I like competition.

Guys I've added a new mod to the mixed that I'm testing out and I'd love if you guys would try it out if you get a chance. It is called the PODS mod, and it is a preview of the new Crash Site game mode from Crysis 2 multiplayer. It is still a bit rough (this is a beta run), but I think the basics are working. I'm a bit worried about server stability, so if any of you more smarterer guys have a chance to look at it I would appreciate it. Basically there is an Alien Energy Pod that acts as a capture point (the proto type facility). It has a small capture radius and a short capture time. Every couple of minutes the Pod moves to a different location on the map (4 locations in total) in a somewhat random pattern. When a team is in control of the Pod, energy is accumulated just like an energy site. The team with the most energy at the end of the game wins. The current map that I have it running on is Steelmill. I could add it to almost any IA map (had originally made it on Graveyard but it was too small IMO), but I think Steelmill is a good sized and fun map that balances out pretty well. If anyone shows a decent amount of interest in this mod I may add it to a couple of other maps (quarry, maybe refinery without the PS elements, and I could even add it to a vehicle map like savanna if we could ever get enough ppl). If not its no big deal to me I just thought you guys that are excited about Crysis 2 might want to try out this "preview" of crash site. I have this in the cycle with the other maps so you'll have to stick around for a bit to try it out . Also if you have time I'd love to figure out why I can't get Facing worlds ctf back up on the server. I'm still taking requests on what people want and don't want in the rotation for those of you that are still playing. :/

5. Strafe vs Crouchvs Prone vs Bbunny hop In this lesson we will go overwhen to use which shooting method during an encounter with the enemy. Generally speaking it is best to use any ofthese methods over just standing and shooting. That will not get you very far in crysis because players have time toturn around and shoot you back, and if they use a method that improves theiraim they will often get the kill even if you shoot first. It will take some experience to figure outwhen it is best to use which method, but here is a general guideline to get youstarted: - Bunny hopping andstrafe jumping can be used at very close range (5 to 10 feet in mostinstances). I find that if I am gettingshot from behind I can do a quick basic strafe jump and survive long enough toget some shots fired on the enemy, and I often survive and get the kill againstthe attacker if they are standing still. If I find myself indoors or very close range I may strafe jump aroundcorners (no speed enhanced) and use that as an element of surprise. Regular bunny hopping is only useful at about7 feet or less from my experience, but a strafe enhanced bunny hop that takesyou around the side of the player is more effective than a traditional bunnyhop at very close range. - Strafing (not strafejumping but regular side to side strafe) is effective from very close range toat least mid range depending on what weapon you have and what weapon your enemyhas. If your enemy is sniping just keepstrafing no matter what. If you areusing an automatic SCAR it usually is not as helpful to side strafe beyondabout 50 feet to 75 feet. Strafing withclose range weapons becomes even less effective after about 40 to 50 feet. The problem is that your accuracy isdecreased when moving so you will start to miss a lot of shots even when youraim is perfect. - Crouch is rarelyuseful. Prone is almost always the preferredaiming option for long range distances. The exceptions are when you have short cover and need to be a bit higherto get the shot off. - Prone is the mostuseful option for medium-long to very long range. Anything shot over 100 feet should be in prone for the most effectivekill IMO. It increases your accuracysubstantially, and it reduces the hit surface in long range situations, makingyou harder to see and harder to hit. Astrength enhanced prone shot can be helpful if the enemy hasn’t noticed youyet, but once they start shooting you should switch to armor because prone doesallow for easy headshots. Prone can alsobe useful when hiding behind gentle slopes or behind low cover. You can go prone and let your healthregenerate if you take a couple of hits and don’t think you can overcomeit. It is important to remember thatprone is very susceptible to flanking, so you need to be aware of the enemy ifyou use this method. Prone is also notvery useful in very tight or on uneven surfaces. Use it in flat areas with plenty of room oryou may get stuck in prone and be unable to stand up. This concludes lesson 5 on Strafevs Crouch vs Prone vs Bunny hop.

I might still be out of town but I can catch up Sunday evening.

1. PlayerMovement and Strategic Use of Environment Part 2. Strafe Jumping and Advanced Mobility Strafe jumping (or Circle jumping)is a slightly difficult maneuver to learn, but incredibly useful whenmastered. It allows a player to add acompletely new attack tactic to their game when utilized properly. It is also quite fun so I would recommendtrying to learn it even if you don’t plan to use it in combat. Strafe jumping is basically donein two directions: the left and the right. To do a basic Left Handed StrafeJump: - Holding down the SPRINT andFORWARD keys throughout the process. - Then JUMP and beginning holdingthe LEFT STRAFE key (A is default) while smoothly and slowly moving the mouseto the left (a left turn). This will allow the player to gainspeed while moving in a circular direction to the left. To do a basic Right Handed StrafeJump: - Holding down the SPRINT andFORWARD keys throughout the process. - Then JUMP and beginning holding theRIGHT STRAFE key (D is default) while smoothly and slowly moving the mouse tothe right (a left turn). This will allow the player to gainspeed while moving in a circular direction to the right. To enhance the basic strafe jumps,use STRENGTH, SPEED, or a combination of STRENGTH then SPEED modes to gain moreheight and distance. To complete a long distance strafejump from a ledge, combine the two directional jumps and do a left handedstrafe jump…then change direction and do a right handed strafe jump (this takesyou back to the direction you were first facing if done properly). Continue this back and forth process to makeextra long jumps. It is a bit hard to explain usingwords…so here is a video that illustrates a bit better: Thanks to sasstraliss for thisexcellent tutorial. If anyone doesn’t have my jumpmaps that would like to try them out just let me know. Strafe jumping is especiallyuseful when getting to hard to reach places quickly, and it makes it mucheasier to keep the all important high ground (especially in urban areas). I find that I can go from one side of the mapto the other without touching the ground in Refinery on a good day. This is especially nice if you want to jumpfrom a rooftop to the top of the prototype facility without going down thestairs and then back up the stairs. Itcan save time in so many areas. It is also useful in battlebecause you can use the speed and movement to flank an enemy. If done properly the attacker will not beable to follow the fast movement which gives you a chance to attack from theside or from behind. It also allows youto escape certain death in many situations. It also saves suit energy when used on the ground because none is usedwhen in air. Tactical Use of Environment This is an area that is veryimportant when playing skilled opponents, because they will surely use theirenvironment to their advantage. I canthink of many times where I played against poorly skilled shooters but havebeen killed repeatedly because of their use of the map. It is also an area that is difficult todescribe, because so much of it depends on each map and experience. It also combines all of the previous lessonson player movement. It combines tacticsthat include but are not limited to the following: camping, defending, attacking, flanking,using stealth, teamwork, an awareness of the enemies abilities and equipment,an awareness of your abilities and equipment, and a feel for each map and howit can be maneuvered through. Camping is not considered a nice tactic in a fps because of its general negative influence on gameplay, but it is an important strategy in certain situations and should be used when applicable. I do not recommend sitting in a corner and waiting for someone to walk by in Crysis especially, but I do recommend area camping when the battlefield is overcrowded and running through the map will surely get you killed. I do also encourage area camping when capturing and holding important areas in PS maps. It isimportant to realize that the enemies in crysis do not die quickly, so you needto be prepared for them to turn and shoot back at you when you shootfirst. It is also important to realizethat players remember campers and will hunt you down if you stay in one spot tolong. Keep moving around. Even if you are camping out the proto, keepfinding new places to defend from. Defending is similar but slightly different from camping. Defending is basically holding off an enemy when the enemy is consistently attacking an area or point. There doesn’t need to be a consistent attack from the enemy for camping to take place. Defending is more important in a PS, but could be applied to defending a bottleneck or a weapon in IA or TIA. Attacking is pretty self explanatory, but there are so many different ways to go about it in Crysis it can be the most complex of them all. I will not go into this because it is too complex, but it is important to observe what areas are advantageous to attack and which areas are easily defended. This will allow you to adjust your attack strategy based on the situation. You may need to wait for team members if the area is easily defended, or you may need to sneak around an attempt to attack from another angle. Flanking is a form of attack where you attack from the side or sometimes even from the rear. Usually you have a diversion in front and sneak in the side. However, in crysis, you can use a flank in the heat of battle by using strafe jumping and other advanced techniques. It opens up a world of possibilities for attack, but it also needs to be understood when you are being attacked as well for defensive and counter opportunities. Using stealth is important especially when flanking and camping, but it can be used in certain situations during a head on attack if teamwork is uses. Stealth doesn’t always mean cloak, sometimes just quietly moving through the shadows is even more effective. Teamwork is fairly self explanatory, but communication is difficult in crysis and rarely used. Therefore you must be observant of what your teammates are doing so that you can assist them when necessary, and stay near them when you plan to attack. An awareness of the enemies abilities and equipment is a tough one…especially in crysis because of the options to change weapons and attachments on the fly. But you should be able to get a feel for what other players are using. An example is claymores. Some people use them to death while others leave them alone. You can figure that out pretty quickly after you run over a couple from the same person in the same spot. So adapt and find a new tactic to account for what the attacker is using. An awareness of your abilities and equipment is straight forward. If you can’t jump across long distances…don’t try to fly across a huge gap. If you are not good at close range battle, don’t run right up to the enemy who has dual AY69 with lasers attached. Don’t forget to reload…regularly. Know if you have nades or not…you may need them as a last ditch effort. A feel for each map just takes practice and time. Sometimes it is good to spectate a new map for a few minutes before playing because you can get a good feel for it just by watching the other players for a minute. The rest takes time and practice. This concludes lesson 4 on Player Mobility.

Bump for dx10 info

Thanks Steel...it was good fun. I wish we could get enough people in for a few large maps but there just doesn't seem to be enough people to go around. I do wish we had a way to skip a map if there are less than 10 people because I would like to get harbor revisited back up...and maybe a couple of other mid sized large maps. Shadow I've just been keeping up with the mixed server...Wizid is still managing the Hahrdcohr . We'll do our best to keep it going...at least until C2 releases then I guess we'll switch.

Yes "easier said than done" applies greatly here. But, if you take it a little at a time and add what you can I'm sure it will help those that put in the practice.

4. PlayerMovement and Strategic Use of Environment (part 1) This may be the most importantlesson in the course. The mostsignificant improvement a player can make in most first person shooters comesfrom the realization and implementation of movement while firing rather than afocus on stationary movement while firing. The most significant improvement a player can make in Crysis wars willcome when the player becomes proficient in strafe jumping and high speedmobility. Becoming proficient in othermaneuvers can also have a significant impact on a players’ game in closesituations. I find that it is good practice to keep moving at all times when playing Crysis, even if you are moving in circles or side to side in one spot. At the very least this makes it difficult for snipers to get a clean shot and could give you a chance to counter them if they miss. If you are standing still they will likely get a head shot and you are finished. The only exceptions are of course when you are sniping or in vehicles, or when you are crouched or proned behind good cover. Here are the topics I will be covering in part 1 of this lesson: Strafing Use of Cover Use of cover while strafing How to utilize speed safely How to utilize strength firingsafely Strafing Please don’t confuse Strafing withStrafe Jumping. They are very differentskills. The most drastic improvement to aplayers’ skill level in most fps will usually come when the player becomesproficient in strafing while shooting. This basic tactic allows the player to “dodge” bullets coming from enemyfire in very close to medium range fire fights. The most simple strafe is a side to side movement done by alternatingthe left strafe (A) and right strafe (D) keys while holding the sprint keydown. You will be unable to aim withsights or scopes while doing this (while sprinting), so it is only useful atclose range (and is made more useful with the laser pointer to increaseaccuracy). It is not effective to strafewithout sprinting…so get used to holding down the sprint key. It can also be helpful to strafewhile in speed mode for short distances, but this can be counter productivesince you cannot absorb much damage. Itis usually most effective to strafe side to side a couple of times in speedmode then switch to armor mode while continuing to strafe side to side. This takes a good deal of practice to figureout what works best…and I find that no two enemies react the same to thesemethods. Some cannot react at all to aspeed strafe, while some will kill you much faster if you use it. However, it seems everyone has an equallydifficult time adjusting to a good normal sprinted side to side strafe(especially if the side to side movements are randomized to some degree). The trick to becoming skilled instrafing is learning how to keep a good side to side motion while independentlyaiming with the mouse (and having no interference from one to the other). This takes a good bit of practice, but it isimportant to remember that you will need to move the mouse in the oppositedirection that you are strafing to make up for the distance traveled in orderto keep the crosshairs on target. However, a close target will require a larger and faster mouse movement,while a farther target will require a shorter an slower mouse movement. You also must consider the movement of thetarget, so a shoot then react method is most effective with assault rifles. Use of Cover The tactical use of cover is veryimportant in most fps, and Crysis wars is no different. We often have a tendency to play in the opentoo much because of the tank mentality that the nano suit encourages, but it isimportant to utilize cover to stay alive. It is a complicated balance to decide when it is better to stay behindcover or when to charge in and attack full force. However, here is a list of recommendations onwhen to take cover. Take cover when: - You have inflicted damage onyour enemy but suspect that they have inflicted an equal or larger amount ofdamage on you. -Your enemy has the high ground. -Your enemy has a better weaponthan you. -You are outnumbered. -Your team mates are severelywounded and will offer little or no assistance. - Your enemy has an easilydefendable position (they have excellent cover). - You don’t know where you arebeing shot from. - Your enemy is more skilled thanyou. - You are out of ammo and need toreload. Use of cover in Crysis is a bitmore complex than that of other fps because of the mobility of the nanosuit. The suit often allows you toutilize cover that you might not be able to utilize in other games, but thesuit also allows your enemy to flank you more easily if you camp out behindcover to much. Therefore it is importantto move from cover to cover in order to keep the attackers off guard. Use of Cover while Strafing Once you have become proficient instrafing from side to side, it is very helpful to learn how to strafe in andout of cover. This is helpful whentaking cover behind boxes, palette stacks, containers, and especially walls andcertain doorways. The trick to masteringthis technique (assuming you are good at strafing and shooting at the sametime), is to randomize your movements so that you do not come out from behindyour cover at a predictable time (meaning that you need to consciously timeyour movements to throw off the attacker). How to Utilize Speed Safely It is important to understand whenit is beneficial to sprint in speed mode and when it is better to stick toarmor. It is never a good idea to runthrough the map in a straight forward line for long distances in speedmode. Eventually you will get moweddown. It is much better to sprint inspeed for short distances from cover to cover, from room to room, or from anopen area in the map to another open area in the map. It is good practice to run into an area orbehind some cover, quickly scope out the area, and if clear move on intoanother area. It is not a good idea to speedrush an enemy head on. It is much moreeffective to move in at 45 degree angles to the player in an attempt to flank them. It is not a good idea to run across largeopen areas when someone is surely there to shoot at you. At best case you reach cover with littlehealth (and energy drained due to overuse of the speed mode), then you aresitting on your heals trying to keep cover while your energy regenerates whilethe attacker moves in to finish you off. It is important to realize in nonspeed-modded servers to keep an eye on your energy bar when using speed becauseyou can drain it without realizing and have no armor to absorb damage if youget attacked. This is especiallyimportant when you are pushing hard at the enemy and over pursue. It is also important to keep inmind that running in speed mode gives off a fairly loud sound and makes you abeacon to your enemies when you overuse it. How to Utilize Strength Firing Safely Using strength mode to stabilizerecoil and improve accuracy is a risky strategy in the current build of CrysisWars. I find that more often than notits benefits do NOT outweigh the negatives. You’re unable to absorb damage with the nanosuit while using strengthmode, so it is rarely helpful to use it when in a gun fight with an enemy. However, there are certain instances(primarily long range) where the increase in accuracy usually outweighs thedamage that you might take. It takesexperience to find out when it is beneficial, but it usually requires that yougo in prone prior to quickly switching to strength. I will continue part 2 of this lesson soon with strafe jumping, advanced mobility, and tactical use of the environment.

2. Weaponsand Attachments I will be focusing my attention onthe assault weapons and side arms for this lesson for two reasons: 1. I’m not a sniper, so I wouldn’t be qualified to give good advice on thatsubject. 2. The majority of you kills and gameplay should be centered around assaultweapons because they are more effective in a wider range of warfare. I also need to make it clear thatI will be going over the weapons for Crysis Wars here, not Crysismultiplayer…the balance is much different. The primary weapons I will bediscussing include: SCAR FY71 SMG Shotgun The secondary weapons I will bediscussing include: Pistol AY69 The attachments I will bediscussing include: Laser/Light attachment Reflex site, Assault scope, & Sniper scope Grenade launcher Silencer SCAR The SCAR is without a doubt themost effective weapon in Crysis Wars. Itis slightly more effective than the fy71 in all situations that I haveencountered. It is significantly betterthan the SMG in all but very close combat, and there it is usually a tossup. It has high damage, low recoil, andgood accuracy up to long range. Recoil first eases up about 5degrees and very minimally to the left, but then drops back down to about 3degrees and on center. Therefore, youshould aim your first shot at the head or neck and quickly pull down to chestlevel for medium range shots (waste for long range) and then pull back upslightly to the neck for medium range (chest for long range). It is recommended to fire in bursts of 3 to 5rounds for long to very long range shots. Proning and using strength may be used in some cases for long to verylong range to help decrease recoil. Knowing when to do this and when not to will take experience via trialand error. Recommended use: This should be first choice for primaryweapon when available. Recommended attachments: Laser sight should be priority, followed byone of the three sights depending on the range that you might be firing. I prefer no silencer on a SCAR, but some likeit. FY71 The FY71 is a good mid rangerifle, and when the SCAR is unavailable I would make it my first choice unlessclose combat is imminent. Recoil is similar to that of thescar, but slightly larger on initial recoil and after it eases back down. The spread on the FY is actually smaller thanon the SCAR, technically making it more accurate. However, the recoil and lower damage make upfor this advantage, making the SCAR the preferred weapon in most cases. The FY also has a slightly quicker weaponreload if I remember correctly. I havenever found this useful in normal gameplay. Recommended use: As a backup to the SCAR or as primary weaponwhen SCAR is unavailable. Recommended attachments: Laser sight again, followed by one of thethree sights, and then the silencer if preferred (I actually like the silenceron the FY, can’t say why but it seems more beneficial). SMG The SMG is a good close rangerifle. It has 50 rounds instead of 40and a higher rate of fire than the other rifles. It is weaker in damage and worse in accuracyand recoil. Therefore it is effective invery close range fire fights or when you have multiple targets to take down andreloading could be the difference maker to get you killed. It is rare that it is preferred over theSCAR, but it does work well as a second assault rifle in close combat. The recoil on the SMG isstrange. It quickly climbs up and to theleft about 7 degrees, then moves back towards the center at about 4 or 5degrees. So you should aim for the rightshoulder when using the SMG if you want to have the best shot at landing someheadshots. Recommended use: As a backup to the SCAR or FY when closecombat is eminent, or in a few cases as the primary weapon when very closecombat is expected. Recommended attachments: Laser sight, silencer, then the reflex siteif used as a primary weapon. Ifsecondary I wouldn’t bother with the reflex because it isn’t very effective atmedium to long range. Shotgun The Shotgun is a good close rangeweapon if you are good with shotguns. Ittakes a different style of shooting to be effective with the shotgun. I have not personally seen anyone use theshotty to take down someone of equal skill that carried another assault rifleunless camping was involved. So if youprefer to camp indoors or in tight areas, the shotty is a good way to catchpeople off guard and bring them down before they have a chance to empty a fewrounds at you. The shotgun is much more accuratewhen fired with medium time intervals between shots. If you shoot rapidly you will miss badly(although at very close range this is less problematic), but if you shoot tooslowly you will die because of the stream of bullets that comes from otherassault rifles. To be effective with theshotty it is important to remember to aim then shoot, rather than shoot thenadjust like with the other rifles. I will also mention the secondaryfire mode here because I do recommend using it if your aim is not perfect. The shotty has a tight spread mode and a widespread mode. The wide spread mode has abetter chance at hitting, but at a loss of damage. So this is something you would need to playwith to see what works best for you. Keep in mind that the wide spread mode is not effective at medium tolong range, so be sure to get up close if you intend to use it. Recommended use: For fun or in the hardcore Recommended attachments: Laser and reflex sight. Pistol The pistol is pretty straightforward. I don’t generally recommendusing the pistol unless: - You are out of ammo on yourprimary weapon and the target is severely weakened. - You have dual wielding pistolswith a laser pointer attached. - You are playing hardcore I will also mention the secondaryfire mode for the pistol because some people find it very effective. The basic fire mode is single shot and rapidfire, the secondary fire mode is double shot with a slower fire rate. I typically use the single shot mode andtreat the pistol like other rifles…shooting constantly and adjusting my aim asI shoot. You will need to use the doubleshot mode like a shotgun and time your shots when the aim is on target. This takes a bit of practice but can beeffective is dual wielded and with lasers attached (even against other playerswith an SMG). Recommened use: As a secondary weapon or for aim practice. Recommended attachments: Laser, silencer if desired. AY69 I am not as familiar with the AY69as some people are, but I do know that it can be very effective when dualwielded and with laser attached at close range. In fact at very close range it may be the most effective weapon whendual wielded. I think it tops the SCARand SMG at very close range, but falls short somewhere between close and midrange. When available, I would chose thisas my secondary weapon behind the SCAR. If you plan to sneak up on an opponent, switch to the dual AY69 andambush them. I have seen it used veryeffectively when used by cloakers. Ifyou sneak up right behind someone in cloak (which is difficult because of the weaknesseswith the cloak), switch to armor quickly then open fire you can often take thetarget down before they have a chance to respond. The problem is that the weapon is veryinaccurate at short to mid range without a laser, so you have to be patient andget very close or wait and ambush as the target passes by. Recommended use: As a secondary weapon or as a primary whendual wielded in very close combat. Recommended attachments: Laserwhen not using cloak, silencer if desired. Laser/Light attachment Many people shy away from thelaser pointer because it gives away your position. However, I find that its benefits outweighits downsides in every situation except for when cloak is in use. It increases accuracy of all weapons(reduction of bullet spread but not recoil from what I can tell) by almost 25percent. Weaknesses: - It gives away yourposition, especially at night - It shows up when incloak, making cloak totally useless when a laser is in use - When running, itpoints at the ground unless you have the weapon inertia reduced to zero or at alow number A few recommendations to counterthe weaknesses of the cloak: - When running around or hiding switch to fists to keep enemies fromseeing the laser (especially at night), then quickly switch to your assaultweapon when you see an enemy (the main reason I set the mouse wheel down buttonto assault weapon shortcut, so I don’t have to scroll through a bunch ofweapons to get to the good ones) - Don’t use cloak unless you switch to fists or turn off the laser - Set your weapon inertia to a low setting to ease problem with having nocrosshair when running I have only found the light option to be helpful in zombies or in a small dark corridor. This can blind the enemy slightly giving you a slight advantage. However, it is only effective when the target is using certain graphical settings, so it is unreliable compared to other attachments. Reflex Sight, Assault Scope,Sniper Scope I’ll lump these three togetherbecause they are closely related. The reflex sight is mostlyeffective at medium range. It is usefulfor assault rifles and the shotgun, however, many find that the simple ironsights are just as effective when a laser is attached (at least at medium range). The reflex sight is preferred for indoor mapsor maps with ample cover and few wide open spaces. A good example would be a map like Coast. The assault scope is mostlyeffective at medium to long range. Irecommend it for assault rifles (especially the SCAR and the FY71), but not theshotgun. It would be recommended for amap like Quarry, where medium to long range shots are common but the secondzoom is rarely useful unless sniping. The sniper scope is useful frommedium to very long range. I recommendit for use with the SCAR or FY71 on long range maps like Mesa, or with the sniper rifle in almost any large map, but not for the SMGor shotty because the second zoom only reduces the ability to quickly adjust toa close up enemy. Accuracy is improved for allweapons when a scope is activated, but at the expense of not being able torun. Therefore, it is recommended to onlyuse these scopes at a medium to long range when being fired at by an enemy or in a proneposition where the enemy will have a more difficult time hitting when standingup. It is not recommended to aim downthe sights when in close to mid range, it is more effective to either move inand out of cover or strafe side to side while shooting. Grenade launcher The grenade launcher attachment isnot very effective in the current build of Crysis Wars. It is effective to launch one round to weakenthe opponents then switch to the second assault rifle and finish them off, butit takes too long to kill with the grenade launcher attachment alone. Silencer The silencer is an attachment thatdoesn’t seem to have a great advantage in actual weapon performance, but itdoes reduce muzzle flash and weapon sound, so it has its benefits when tryingto remain undetected or if you have trouble aiming with the distractionsinherent to certain weapons (FY71 for me). It is a matter of personally preference in my opinion. I generally remove it when using the SCAR butleave it when using the FY71 or SMG. Iusally add it to the AY69 but leave it off of the pistol, but it is up to youwhat you feel most comfortable with. This concludes lesson 3 on weapons and attachments.

Hehe you hit the nail on the head on the reload while running issue. All you have to do is stop holding sprint key long enough to press the reload or customization buttons (but you can continue moving normal speed), and then start pressing sprint key again after the animation is started and you are back at it. Technically you can do this with certain weapon zooms too if I'm not mistaken (although not effectively)...but I'll go into further in the advanced section on some of that stuff. Be patient my friend. I'm trying to move quickly through the weapons (more of an overview) because the details are not so important (maybe for another lesson) so I can get to the good stuff, but I just haven't had much time. Lol Ray these lessons are for you too my friend. But after all...as long as you are having fun does it matter what the score is? I just find it is more fun to get some kills rather than always dying.

Well technically that isn't possible...but I will go over the next best thing in Advanced tactics.

Lol I wondered if that was you in there ...you and your cast of names .

2. Utilizingthe nanosuit to its fullest The most important (and possiblythe most difficult) part of Crysis to master when compared to other fps gameshas to be the nanosuit. It is what setsthe game play apart from other games, and I know it has given many of you fitswhen trying to stay competitive against other players. It isn’t enough in Crysis to just have goodreflexes and aim, or even just to know your surroundings and how to use them toyour advantage. The maneuverability ofthe nanosuit outweighs both of the other major gameplay skills combined. Obviously we don’t need this section forHardcore mode, but it is critical to understand the modes for normal gameplay. The nano suit of course is broken into4 main functions: Armor (default) Speed Strength Cloak Cloak: All of these modes are effectivein certain situations. However, contraryto most people’s beliefs, cloak is the least effective suit mode inmultiplayer. It is highly successful insingle player but only has a limited range of uses in multiplayer. Cloak has four glaring weaknessesthat should be addressed. A playershould be aware of these at all times if he intends to utilize this suitmode. Cloak emits a loud buzzing sound to the enemy while limiting the hearing of the cloaker. In Crysis wars this sound can be heard up to about 60 feet away (about 20 meters), and anyone with a good headset or surround sound should be able to locate a cloaker within a few feet if the area is reasonably quiet. The lesson here: cloak is only useful for short periods where enemies are unable to pinpoint the location…or in noisy areas where they may not notice the buzzing. Cloak casts a shadow in any well lit area. This brings up one disadvantage to playing on low settings. You cannot see shadows which gives a cloaker a slight advantage. You can still hear the cloaker. The lesson here: cloak is only useful in areas where a shadow is cast on the ground. Cloak does not hide laser pointers or flashlights. This is especially important for those of you that cloak as soon as you spawn to keep from getting spawn killed. If you spawn with a laser (which currently you do in most servers via server mod), you are still a glaring beacon to the enemy. The lesson here: Don’t use cloak if you have a laser or flashlight on; make sure it is off before you cloak. Note that the rocket launcher laser does have a cloak skin on it, but it is not invisible (which is a strange feature). The fourth weakness is perhaps the most important. When you fire a weapon or melee while in cloak mode, all of your suit energy is instantly drained. This is where most beginners make a fatal mistake. They may get the first shot off, but that shot only drains a portion of the suit energy if the player is in armor. Meanwhile, the shooter looses all of his suit energy (essentially becoming weaker than the target). The lesson here: Switch to armor or another mode before firing when using cloak. Armor: Armor mode is the basic mode thatenables a player to absorb more damage than normal when activated. Unlike cloak, Armor has no glaringweaknesses, but only has one major strength…and that is its ability to absorbdamage. In armor mode you run slow, jumplow, and are not hiding from many people. But it is useful in many situations to utilize Armor when damage istaken from an enemy. If you can quicklyswitch to Armor from Cloak, Speed, or Strength, you can absorb about 2 more shotson average before dying. This is onereason why it is important to have Armor mode as a suit shortcut. It is helpful to have it on the keyboardbecause you can easily change to Armor while still aiming at a moving target. Strength: Strength mode is fairly straightforward. Strength aids in the following: Increase in jump height Increase in punch and melee strength Decrease in weapon recoil It is important to keep in mindthat (like Cloak and Speed), Strength mode does not absorb damage taken likeArmor mode does. Therefore it is notgood practice to over use Strength toincrease melee or decrease recoil. Strengthshould only be activated during punching or melee right before the attack. It is not advisable to run around in Strengthmode when punching because you will be unable to survive any punch taken. It is only useful to use strength to reducerecoil at large distances and when using the Hurricane (which isn’t veryeffective unless you are defending a tight area in most cases). Two other small weakness withStrength is that it makes a loud noise when used to enhance jumping, and itglows red when activated (especially noticeable at night). However, it is notas bad as cloak because the sound is not continuous and you are usually nottrying to be hidden when using strength. Speed: Speed is fairly straight forwardas well. Speed aids in the following: Increase in run speed (and strafejumping distance) Increase in the quickness ofvarious features such as picking up weapons and possibly reloading (althoughminimal) Speed mode also fails to absorbany damage taken like Armor mode does. Therefore it is often useful to switch out of speed mode when takingdamage to extend the number of shots taken before death. It is also not advisable to run in a straightline directly at an enemy because the bullets have a tendency to “pile up” onyou since you are coming at them even faster. It is better to run in speed for short distances, from room to room orarea to area, or from cover to cover. Speed mode has similar weaknessesto that of Strength in that it gives off a noise when you run in speed andgives off a whitish glow when activated. Once again it is rare that you are trying to remain hidden when usingspeed, and the glow is only obvious in the dark. I have put together a small videothat illustrates how Cloak, Strength, and Speed do not absorb damage whenactivated. This is why it can beimportant to switch back to Armor before or while taking fire. This ends the lesson on utilizingthe nano suit to its fullest. I will gointo further detail on how to utilize the suit in combination in some of the latterlessons so it is important to understand these basic principles beforethen. I will discuss how we can combinesuit modes to increase our mobility and attack/defend strategies in those moreadvanced lessons.

You guys are very welcome. I'll be adding the other lessons as I have time....but I figure this will take some time to digest anyway.

Crysis Wars 201 Instructor: Cygon I have heard on a couple of occasions that some of you guysmay be interesting in taking lessons or learning some tips on how to improveyour game in Crysis. I know Arcanage hasshown some interest in helping out with gameplay and it has been mentioned thatI could teach some strafe jumping since it is a helpful skill to be learned notonly for Crysis but for other fast paced shooters like Quake. I've been meaning to do this for a while, so I went ahead and written up some of my advicefor general game play as well. I’veentitled this “class” as a 200 level class because much of what I teach herewill be with the assumption that you are very familiar with Crysis wars andunderstand the basics. I’d like to break this up into a few lessons in order tokeep it organized, so here is a table of contents: Efficient keyboard layout, shortcuts, and mouse control Utilizing the nanosuit to its fullest Weapons and attachments Player movement and strategic use of environment Strafe vs crouch vs prone vs bunny hop Spectating and Practice Advanced techniques I may add more as I go or change some lessons around. 1. Efficientkeyboard layout, shortcuts, and mouse control Key layout and mouse control are critical for success inCrysis. The stock layout is not wellsuited to compete with the fast paced style of highly skilled players. -My personal keyboardlayout is as follows: WASDare normal forward, back, leftstrafe, side strafe Qis my strength mode shortcut Eis USE for me becauseI’ve been using that for years and never changed, normally F would be recommendedhere Fis Speed shortcut althoughI would recommend Efor most players Ris Reload Spaceis Jump Shiftis Run LAltis drop weapon LCtrlis Prone Cis set to Crouch and Armor mode shortcut. I’ll elaborate later. Pis buy menu Vis Change fire mode 4is buy ammo Gis switch grenade type -Mouse layout: LeftClick is fire Rightclick is nade throw Middlemouse button is Weaponcustomization Mousewheel up is scrollweapons Mousewheel down is Go toAssault Weapon Thumbbutton 1 is talk invent Thumbbutton 2 is the Weaponspecial function (zoom, iron sight etc) Middlebutton 1 is Weaponmelee Middlebutton 2 is in gamechat You will notice some odd choices here, and some of them Ihave changed during my time playing Crysis and some are things I’ve kept foryears. The important thing is that youhave the most important functions at the keys that are easiest for you toreach. The ones you don’t use much canbe anywhere as long as you remember where they are if you need them. The Crouch and Armor mode shortcut is an interestingthing. I use a game pad and the buttonsin the hand area are limited, so I combined these two in the Actionmaps so Icould reach all of my important keys with ease. It took some getting used to, and sometimes it hurts me in a firefight,but the upsides outweigh the downsides for me. If you are interested in “double binding” I can give you instructions,however I would not recommend it unless it is absolutely necessary due to thelimitations it has on the double binded functions. I placed the suit mode shortcuts in such prime locationsbecause of their importance in a fast paced style of play. It is important for me to be able to pressstrength, then jump, then simultaneously switch to speed in air while holdingdown W, shift, and either A or D while moving the mouse side to side in asmooth fashion in order to properly strafe jump in some situations. It is equally important to be able to switchback into armor mode to reduce damage in an instant. Some will find that it is easier to bind the suit modeshortcuts to extra mouse buttons instead of keyboard keys, and this is betterthan having the default middle mouse wheel system when strafe jumping isconcerned, and when changing suit modes during a firefight while trying to keepa good aim. I chose to put them on thekeyboard so that I can have no interference with my aim while changing suitmodes. It is equally important to haveno interference while strafe jumping. Soif you choose to keep the default settings, it is important to practice switchingvery rapidly to minimize the interference. -Sensitivity andmiscellaneous settings: Suitshortcuts: OFF Simpleiron sight: ON Smoothmouse: OFF Invertmouse: OFF Weaponinertia: Very low or off I would suggest playing on lower graphical settings if youwant to be competitive in Crysis unless you have an unbelievable rig. I tend to play on low to medium settings, andalways on all low settings when playing competitively. Occasionally I’ll amp it up to med-high, butit stutters just enough to put me at a disadvantage against skilled players. Some of the above options have little effect on the game,but these seem to work the best for me personally. It is much easier for me to aim with simple iron sights whena laser is used, or even when crosshairs are used. Some people don’t like this but I find itmuch better, especially with a laser attached. Weapon inertia is an unfortunate feature that allows you toadjust the weapon sway while running, to the point that it doesn’t move. It is helpful when using a laser to turn theinertia off because the laser always points at the center of the screen whilerunning rather than the ground. Itdoesn’t help accuracy or anything, but it allows you to see where the center ofthe screen is before you shoot so you do not have to adjust your aim after thefirst shot. Mouse sensitivity is a bit difficult because of differentdpi settings and everything, but it is generally recommended that you should beable to turn 180 degrees in game with one comfortable sweep of the mouse (about5 inches on the mousepad for me). Itcould also said that you should be able to move 360 degrees when you moveacross the mouse pad. I wouldn’trecommend using smooth mouse as it slows down the reaction time of your aim. Adjustable DPI settings on mice allow you to change thesensitivity on the fly in game. Thisallows you to decrease sensitivity when sniping to improve accuracy andincrease it when in tanks to improve response time. This is helpful if you snipe or use tanks…bothof which I rarely do so I don’t usually change my settings. Some claim higher DPI settings are preferableon mice, but I personally have not seen a great difference myself. Laser or Optic mice are a must, however. -Buy menu shortcuts (orload outs) for Powerstruggle: It is helpful to use buy shortcuts for PS to help speed upyour ability to get your weapons before getting bunker raped by the enemy. This can be accomplished two ways. The first is via the in game loadout sectionthat allows you to preset load outs that you can click on at spawn to selectyour weapons. The second method (thepreferred method) is to bind certain keys to buying certain weapons or loadouts. I find the num pad works very wellfor this. To do this you simply add the proper cfg files to yourCrysis wars/game/config folder. Here isan example of what the cfg should look like: File name: b_350scar.cfg Command lines: buy macs buyammo bullet buyammo bullet This file will therefore allow you to buy a MACS (code namefor scar), and two sets of ammo when you activate the file. To activate the file, you put a key bind into theautoexec.cfg file (also located in the Crysis wars/game/config folder) thatlooks like this: File name: autoexec.cfg Command lines: con_restricted = 0 r_displayinfo = 1 cl_sensitivity = 22 bind np_0 execb_100pistol.cfg bind np_1 execb_100smg.cfg bind np_2 execb_equip.cfg bind np_3 execb_350scar.cfg bind np_4 execb_300fy.cfg bind np_5 execb_sniper.cfg bind np_6 execb_claymore.cfg bind np_7 execb_mine.cfg bind np_8 execb_c4.cfg bind np_9 execb_frag.cfg That is my autoexec. So, when you press np_3 (num pad 3 key), the b_350scar.cfg file isexecuted, and the weapons/ammo is purchased in game. Side note: Thecon_restricted is required to allow the commands to work in game. r_displayinfo displays fps and other info onscreen in game. And cl_sensitivityrefers to the mouse sensitivity I use in game (please note that this is highlydependent on the DPI settings of the mouse). This concludes lesson 1 on efficient keyboard layout, shortcuts, and mousecontrol.

Yes a nice little coding that skips a map if the player count is less than say...10 would be a great feature. I'll remove harbor until further notice. Adding in Dust as a replacement.

It helps to have someone in server even if you are not playing at the moment. When I'm off of work I'll spectate even while I'm working in the yard or on stuff in the house just to keep the server showing up on the favorites. Helps a little.

Ok I've dropped Coast_CTF and swzbox...people just kept leaving when they loaded up. I also dropped Olympus because it was getting a bit old. I am adding harbor revisited back into the cycle...it takes forever with my upload speed, so that will probably be it for tonight. I am working on another close combat map called Contain that I will add soon to see how it plays. I can put it on the hardcore too if desired, because it will be something between cellar and some of these other aimmaps. Current cycle: Hang_em Poolday_v2 Arabic_city Harbor revisited Aimmap_v2 Force1

I got an invite also. My 360 is broken...and I don't have a gold account

CTF= capture the flag...except it is really just a modified PS where you capture a "proto" area that serves as the flag to win the round. I love PS maps like Refinery...but lets face it mesa is only good for a 32 slot server and we don't have that. Heck we had a full mixed when we had 32 slots and used TIA maps alot...then server crashes got bad and players dwindled. I have changed around a few things in the mixed to see how it goes over the next few days. Rotation at the moment: Hang_em (took out the hardcore mod and put back the normal weapons) TIA poolday_v2 IA swzbox (wizid suggested we put this vehicle map in to try out and to get some variety) IA arabic_city TIA aimmap_v2 (chaos in a box ) IA Coast_CTF (will leave in for the moment but most people ask to move to next map) PS (CTF mod) force1 (good map I vote it stays) TIA Olympus (not a bad map but the spawning can be unbalanced and irritating) TIA I can add stadium if ya'll want it...but I don't want to . We seem to be able to hold a few players with the smaller maps (mostly pros), but we can't seem to get enough to make a larger map fun so people leave when they come around in the rotation. The pros come in and run off the average player in the small maps, and then they leave when the large map comes up...so it is hard to get a good "Mix" with the current lack of player count in wars. Not sure what else we can do except put up the maps that YOU guys want to play and hope that we get some people in the server when we want to have some fun. So keep up the recomendations...and I need specific maps here people. I'm getting old and can't remember any of the old maps we used to run except for Sphere wars...which we can't get enough people in to play at the moment, so throw some names out there and we'll give them a try for a week at a time.

Oooh no stadium that map is laggy IMO. But yes force, aimmap, and poolday are good ones. I wouldn't be opposed to playing a little refinery on occasion if you could get a few regulars in there. If we are gonna go this route we need to set speed back to stock or less modded because small maps get crazy messed up with that IMO. Hopefully I'll get settled in my new house soon and have some time to frag w/ you guys some more

Just moved my rig to my new house and got it hooked up...except for the internet (using the miss's laptop for now). I'll get a router this week and I'll be back online to try out some of the prizes. Already using the headset from saturday...much improvement from my broken one that worked sometimes but only at full blasting volume . I used one of the rolls of the wire wrap while hooking up my rig...works nicely. Will have to make some decisions on some of the stuff on whether to ditch my old stuff and upgrade or donate them for the next tourney. Either way I'm excited to get back after being back and forth for several weeks...its tough to go without your rig for several days out of the week .

Wow I just received the 4th place grab bag (box) and wow...just wow. It is loaded with goodies. I didn't expect that at all. Wizid you are far to generous to have donated all of this stuff. That new pc would have been a great one, but I can't say I really need another pc. There are several things on this list that I have been saving up to buy because I really need them, but just haven't gotten around to it. A couple of them I have wanted for a while but couldn't afford. I'm really grateful. Here is the list of items recieved: -Cyber Snipa 2 Gamepad -Ripper Gaming Mousepad -i-rocks Backlit Gaming Keyboard -Office XP Pro -Windows Vista Ultimate -2 Zenith Cable and Wire Bundle Wraps -Logitec MX 518 Gaming Mouse -2 sticks of 2 Gb Ram -4 Gb USB 2.0 flash drive -Turtle Beach Earforce Z1 Headset -Logitec Webcam Here is a pic: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/503280/IMG_1251.JPG Thank you all for the hours of fun before and during the tournament. Special thanks to those of you who contributed to getting the tournament organized...and double thanks to the folks that donated prizes.

That was great fun. GG to all. @isidor3 We can consider that in the future. The only complaint I have is that the fun had to stop so soon. We could come up with a different format next time that extends the fun a bit longer into a couple of maps, and the combined score gets you in the finals. Much thanks to you guys that worked to put this together, especially Wizid. Without everyone's help we'd never have gotten this going.