~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _________________________________________ [ UNREAL TOURNAMENT GUIDE / WALKTHROUGH ] _________________________________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guide author: Orgulo Guide version: 1.9 Game version: Patch 436 System: PC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @-----------------@ TABLE OF CONTENTS @-----------------@ 1. INTRODUCTION |<--------------->| 1.1 INTRODUCTION 1.2 USING THIS GUIDE 1.3 CONTACT ME 2. GAME FEATURES |<---------------->| 2.1 MENUS 2.2 MOVEMENT AND COMBAT 2.2.1 MOVEMENT 2.2.2 COMBAT 2.3 ITEMS 2.3.1 HEALTH / ARMOUR 2.3.2 POWERUPS 2.4 WEAPONS 2.4.1 IMPACT HAMMER 2.4.2 ENFORCER 2.4.3 GES BIO RIFLE 2.4.4 ASMD SHOCK RIFLE 2.4.5 PULSE RIFLE 2.4.6 RIPPER 2.4.7 MINIGUN 2.4.8 FLAK CANNON 2.4.9 ROCKET-LAUNCHER 2.4.10 SNIPER RIFLE 2.4.11 REDEEMER 2.4.12 TRANSLOCATOR 2.4.13 AMMO 2.5 BOTS 2.5.1 FRIENDLY BOTS 2.5.2 ENEMY BOTS 2.6 SPAWN-POINTS 2.7 MAP FEATURES 2.7.1 DOORS 2.7.2 LIFTS 2.7.3 SLOPES 2.7.4 WATER 2.7.5 HAZARDS 2.7.6 TRAPS 2.7.7 TURRETS 2.7.8 TELEPORTERS 2.7.9 JUMP PADS 2.7.10 OBLIVION 2.7.11 LOW GRAVITY 2.7.12 BUGS 2.8 MISCELLANEOUS 2.8.1 BEFORE / AFTER GAME 2.8.2 DURING GAME 3. ADVANCED |<----------->| 3.1 USER.INI 3.1.1 ADDING BINDS TO USER.INI 3.1.2 BINDS: MOVEMENT AND COMBAT 3.1.3 MISCELLANEOUS BINDS AND COMMANDS 3.2 UNREALTOURNAMENT.INI 3.3 BOTPACK.INT 4. CHAMPIONSHIP LADDER |<---------------------->| 4.1 DEATH MATCH 4.1.1 OBLIVION 4.1.2 STALWART 4.1.3 FRACTAL 4.1.4 TURBINE 4.1.5 CODEX 4.1.6 PRESSURE 4.1.7 GRINDER 4.1.8 GALLEON 4.1.9 TEMPEST 4.1.10 BARRICADE 4.1.11 LIANDRI 4.1.12 CONVEYOR 4.1.13 PEAK 4.2 DOMINATION 4.2.1 CONDEMNED 4.2.2 GHARDHEN 4.2.3 CRYPTIC 4.2.4 CINDER 4.2.5 GEARBOLT 4.2.6 LEADWORKS 4.2.7 OLDEN 4.2.8 SESMAR 4.2.9 METALDREAM 4.3 CAPTURE THE FLAG 4.3.1 NIVEN 4.3.2 FACING WORLDS 4.3.3 ETERNAL CAVE 4.3.4 CORET 4.3.5 THE GAUNTLET 4.3.6 DREARY 4.3.7 LAST COMMAND 4.3.8 THE LAVA GIANT 4.3.9 NOVEMBER SUB PEN 4.4 ASSAULT 4.4.1 FRIGATE 4.4.2 HIGH SPEED 4.4.3 ROOK 4.4.4 MAZON 4.4.5 OCEAN FLOOR 4.4.6 OVERLORD 4.5 CHALLENGE 4.5.1 PHOBOS 4.5.2 MORPHEUS 4.5.3 ZETO 4.5.4 HYPERBLAST 5. CONTRIBUTORS / CONTRIBUTIONS |<------------------------------->| 6. VERSION HISTORY / UPDATES |<---------------------------->| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 @-----------------------@ | 1. INTRODUCTION | @-----------------------@ 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.1 INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hello and welcome to my guide for Unreal Tournament. I'm an ex-Assault player who competed for years in league and tournament matches, when not lurking around public and training servers. I'm not a great UT player but I do have plenty of experience (particularly in Assault) and I wanted to create a guide to share what I have learned with other people. This guide begins by going into detail about the various powerups and weapons available in the game, plus as many other gameplay features as I could think of; it next covers ways on how to customise UT to suit your own preferences and style; and finally it breaks down every map in the single-player tournament ladder, offering gameplay tips and advice on each. The guide is mostly aimed at those players who enjoy working their way through the single- player mode, but there is also plenty of information in here which may be useful even to online veterans. At any rate, whether or not you learn anything from this guide, I at least hope you enjoy reading it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.2 USING THIS GUIDE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please view this guide in a text viewer / editor with a set fixed-width font. Use the Find command (CTRL + F) with the numbered contents menu at the start of the guide, in order to quickly jump to the section you want. I have put the main walkthrough section of the guide towards the end, after all the other game information. I've had to use some abbreviations and acronyms when writing this guide: AS = Assault CP = Control Point CTF = Capture The Flag DM = Death Match DOM = Domination FC = Flag Carrier FPS = First Person Shooter HJ = Hammer-Jump LMS = Last Man Standing NZ = Neutral Zone OBJ = Objective R/L = Rocket-Launcher T/L = Translocator UT = Unreal Tournament ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.3 CONTACT ME ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As the game is now quite old, and since I now consider this guide complete, I have no intention of updating it in the future and will therefore no longer respond to feedback. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 !------------------------! | 2. GAME FEATURES | !------------------------! 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2.1 MENUS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Before you begin playing you'll want to customise your UT installation. Press Esc from the UT logo or intro movie to get to the game desktop. UT has a lot of menus and submenus, but most are self-explanatory. Here are some of the ones you might want to take notice of. Options > Preferences > Game ---------------------------- These options have a big effect on your game, and I'd recommend the following settings: Weapon Hand - Center This has a (small) effect on your aim and a greater effect on ripper-shots. Most right-handed players will prefer right hand to begin with, but centred is more balanced and is the choice of most online players. You can also hide your weapon altogether, which is the same as centre-handed. See section 3.1.2 for a bind which will enable you to change your weapon- handedness during games. Gore Level - Ultra-Low You might think gore is fun, but it isn't when it causes you to suicide. Splashing lumps of gore can often get in your way while you are firing - no fun if you manage to kill yourself with rockets or shock-balls just because someone's ear was bouncing in front of you when you fired. Better to turn it off. View Bob - 0% For optimal results push the slider all the way to the left so that your view does not bob up and down while you move. This will greatly improve your aim while moving. Game Speed - 100% This is the default - slower is too slow and faster is too fast. Dodging - On This must be enabled to allow you to dodge, an essential part of the game in combat and for general mobility. Dodging also affects your ability to be hammer-launched. Make sure it is enabled. Weapon Flash - Off If this is on your weapons will flash when they fire, especially the minigun. This can get very annoying and can distract you and obscure your view. Even when switched off, the minigun is still a little flash-heavy. Options > Preferences > Input ----------------------------- Auto Slope - Off If this is enabled, your view will automatically adjust itself so that your aim is always parallel to the surface you're standing on. You don't want your aim to ever move unless it's you that's moving it, so turn this off. Mouse Smoothing - Off This seems to introduce a barely perceptible inertia effect to any mouse movement, so that your aim will not stop immediately as you release the mouse. Anything which interferes with precise aiming is bad, so disable it. Mouse Sensitivity This is up to you, and will depend on your own skill levels and weapon choices, etc. My setting is 3.70: experiment with this value for yourself until you find one which suits you. See section 3.1.2 for a bind which enables you to switch between two different user-defined mouse speeds. Invert Mouse - Off This is the default setting, which will scroll your view upwards when you move your mouse forwards, and downwards when you move it backwards. The On setting is the inverse of this. Instant Rocket Fire - Off When this is enabled you won't be able to fire grouped rockets. Your rocket-launcher will only ever fire one rocket or one grenade at a time. Turning this off will let you choose whether you want one or many when you fire - since leaving this switch off gives you both options, go with that. Options > Preferences > Controls -------------------------------- This is where you set up your key binds. Fill in all the important ones, of course, but I'd also recommend assigning a key to the console at the bottom of the list. Pick one you will remember but are unlikely to hit by accident. I also suggest you choose a best weapon key (some people choose the middle mouse button). Options > Preferences > HUD --------------------------- This is another area you will want to customise to suit yourself, but your crosshair might be particularly important. Many of the better online players favour the small dot; I prefer a small red cross. Apparently, the smaller your reticle is, the better your aim will get with practise, but try to choose a colour in high contrast to the game environments so the reticle stands out more. Options > Weapons ----------------- This list lets you tell the game which weapons you prefer above others. This has a bearing on two things. One is the auto-switch weapons feature, which I suggest you disable. When enabled, it will refer to your weapons list every time you pick up a weapon you don't have on you, and if the new weapon is higher on the list than the weapon you are using, the game will swap automatically to the higher one. You will quickly find that you don't always want this to happen, especially if you pick up a weapon by accident - this can happen when you kill an enemy at point blank range and their weapon pops out and lands in your arms. The other thing is the best weapon key, which you should have assigned. Whenever you press the best weapon key, this list will come into effect. See section 2.4.11 for a reason not to put the redeemer at the top of this list. Try putting weapons which can cause you to accidentally damage yourself nearer the bottom of this list. See section 3.1.2 for a bind which will let you toggle between certain weapons. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2.2 MOVEMENT AND COMBAT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ @--------------@ 2.2.1 MOVEMENT @--------------@ In UT staying alive is nearly always more immediately important than killing off an opponent. Believe it or not, it's better to be running around with 10 health points and a full complement of weapons and ammo than it is to be one point down, running around with 100 health points, carrying only a pistol and a hammer, removed from the action because you respawned at a spawn-point. So what if you're low on health? That's what health is for - keeping you alive. So go and find some more when you get a second. Unless you're the last man who can possibly take down that enemy flag carrier, or you're one point away from winning a frantic 1v1 DM round, concentrate on preserving your own life first. The golden rule of UT combat is: keep moving. Both human opponents and bots will have a much more difficult time hitting you if you keep moving around. OK, the high-level computer bots know your movements even as you make them, and will compensate their trajectory of fire on higher difficulty levels. But this is infinitely better than standing still and shooting wildly. No-one could expect a new player to become a flitting, ethereal shadow of the night after only a couple of rounds, but at least start as you mean to go on, and get moving. I strongly, strongly recommend practising your dodging (make sure you've enabled it), especially if you're playing online games. Every decent UT player dodges almost automatically, as a part of both their A to B movement and their combat tactics. The worst thing you can do is stand still, and the second worst thing you can do is just run in straight lines. When you're not running you should be dodging, and when you're not dodging or running you should be jumping. Unless you're crouching, another useful component of combat. If you watch online players move around, you'll notice they spend a lot of time doing forward flips. This is a forward-dodge, and it is the best way to move forwards, both for speed and for avoiding fire. When you want to forward- dodge while running forwards, release your forward key at the exact same time as you press your left or right key. Straight afterwards, while your strafe sideways key is held down, double-tap the forward key and hold it down on the second tap so that you keep moving forwards, at which point you can let go of your strafe key. Practise repeating this pattern over and over until forward- dodging comes easily to you. When shooting at an enemy over a distance, crouching as you fire can be useful, especially if you're sitting on the edge of a cliff or a ledge. The crouch means you can't accidentally fall off the edge, and you can't be headshotted while crouching either. You also present a smaller target for your enemy's return fire. Unfortunately, on higher difficulty levels the bots actually find it EASIER to hit you when you crouch. You are faster than the computer bots when moving, as they run from A to B in straight lines, whereas you can dodge everywhere. You can also use the features and terrain of each map to your advantage: jumping high off moving lifts, dodging along sloped surfaces, hammer-jumping over hazards, using jumpboots to reach previously inaccessible places, etc. The thing that puts most new players off excessive movement is, of course, that it's much harder to hit a moving target if you are also moving around yourself. This makes it doubly difficult to score a kill, or even a hit, because you're having to compensate for both their movements and yours. This brings me onto to the second part of this section. @------------@ 2.2.2 COMBAT @------------@ Unless you enjoy running through practise session maps on your own (which might actually come in useful when trying to learn the layout of a new map in peace), this game is based almost entirely around combat. At some point you are going to have to learn how to aim and shoot some or all of UT's substantial array of weapons, while also learning how to avoid return fire from those same weapons. I've given the weapons their own big section in this guide. As I mentioned, it's more difficult to hit a moving target than a motionless one. Unfortunately, you will hardly ever come up against an opponent when both you and he / she / it is standing still and just shooting. Even snipers facing off against each other across long distances will be crawling from side to side, trying to pre-empt each other's movements. When it comes to hitting your opponents and avoiding their return fire, you should know that there are two types of weapon, which splits combat up into two areas. Instant-hit Weapons Combat -------------------------- This type of combat is easier if you're the aggressor, but harder if you're on the defensive. You cannot dodge instant-hit fire: your opponent either hits you or misses, dependent on their aim alone. Instant-hit combat relies on being able to hit an opponent where he is at that moment, which means that, the better your reflexes are as an aggressor, the greater the likelihood is of a hit. The best way to teach yourself this is learning how to snipe. The rifle is the quickest regular instant-hit weapon for taking down enemies, which means that the results are easier to see for yourself - whether you're hitting or missing. It's also very easy (especially against computer bots) to predict the enemy's line of movement and just place your crosshairs over a point which you know they'll be moving through. This way you don't even have to move your crosshairs, never mind your body. One good map for new players learning how to snipe is CTF-Face. Sitting on top of your base's roof and sniping endlessly at the respawning enemies will provide very good practise, especially since your opponents will hardly ever shoot back. Plus you have plenty of armour, health and ammo nearby. Once you get confident enough to start moving around while you fire, try a few rounds of instagib (enable the instagib mutator in the list before you start a practise session). This quickly teaches you all about your level of accuracy and whether or not it's improving, while also teaching you how to be quick on your feet and to use the cover of the map to avoid return fire. The minigun and secondary pulse beam are sort of halfway between the two types of combat in UT. To be effective with these weapons you have to have elements of both combat types in your repertory: hitting the enemy where he is currently, and also knowing where the enemy is going to be a second later so you can hit him there, too. The pulse beam is the easier to counteract - it has a maximum range, so just back away and you can avoid it completely. The minigun is far more difficult, especially since you can't see its shots in order to evade them. This works both ways, however - you can only tell whether you're hitting your opponent if your crosshairs are currently bang on target. And, since your target is probably moving around a lot, it's a work in progress to take him down. Don't be amazed if it takes you a long time to learn the minigun. Delayed-hit Weapons Combat -------------------------- This group of weapons is much bigger, and involves visible projectiles moving at various speeds (slower than instant, anyway). Though they're harder to get good at, they're also easier to avoid when one is being shot at you. If you're firing at someone from medium range, and that person is moving across your view at a steady pace, you are obviously not going to shoot your projectile at the point at which they start. Because by the time your shot reaches that spot they will be somewhere else. You have to predict where your opponent will be so that your projectile meets them there. So, this takes into account your current position, their speed of movement, the speed of the projectile you're about to shoot at them, and then other things like angles and elevation. The basic rule here is: shoot at where the enemy is going to be. Having said all that, this is the weakest form of offense in the game, other than melee, and is only ever really effective when spamming a specific place or in aiming to do splash damage rather than hitting the enemy directly. Splash damage is a side-effect of some of the weapons' fire: slime, secondary ripper, flak, rockets / grenades. These do not have to score a direct hit on an opponent for you to harm him (or kill him altogether), the shots just have to impact on a surface near enough to him for the splash radius to have an effect. Splash damage seems to be there in order to help players do damage when using delayed-hit weapons - the more splash damage a weapon does, the less accurate your shots have to be. Splash damage is the basis for spam - firing blindly and repeatedly at a point your opponents must pass through, but the most effective way to damage your opponents with splash damage projectiles like rockets and secondary ripper blades is to fire around their feet and let the splash damage do its work - actually trying to hit an enemy's body with such projectiles is almost always a waste of time (and ammo). To train in how to hit a target while moving, first go for immobile targets. Load a practise session with no bots, pick a particular piece of the map (a lamp post or a section of wall, whatever) and run, dodge and jump around in front of it while you fire various weapons at it. Get used to your own mouse speed and keeping your crosshairs fixed on the one spot while you jink around and jump up and down. And finally, the best way to practise hitting moving targets is to face off against bots. You'll learn about their movement speed and behaviour, which will make it more and more easy to calculate trajectories, etc. And you'll learn about keeping yourself moving, specifically to avoid their return fire. Keep practising all these things, and make sure your mouse speed is set up perfectly for your own playing style and speed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2.3 ITEMS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ These are bonuses scattered around the maps, which can help you against enemies or objectives. Some increase your armour or health; some boost your weapons or movement capabilities; some do other things. All of these pickups respawn at different rates, though the more powerful an item is, the less frequently it will reappear. They will all be lost if and when the player dies or disconnects from the server. If you are playing online and you are about to disconnect during a round, you might first try throwing any armour or shield-belts you are wearing on the ground, so that your team- mates can pick them up and make use of them. Vials, health packs and kegs all stack with each other, up to 199 health points. Armour and pads stack with each other, but not with themselves - each will reset its own effect to the default value. For instance, if you pick up a set of armour for 100 armour points, then lose 25 armour points, then pick up a second set of armour, your armour will reset to 100, not go up to 175. Note that weapons and powerups make sounds when picked up, potentially giving away your position to any opponent close enough to hear. Keep this in mind when trying to sneak through the enemy flag base or towards a valuable Assault objective. @---------------------@ 2.3.1 HEALTH / ARMOUR @---------------------@ Health Pack ----------- The basic powerup is the health pack, which is a square, white box with a blue cross on the top. Each health pack will boost your health by 20 points, up to a threshold of 100. If your health is at or above 100 points health packs will have no effect and cannot be picked up. Respawn rate: 0:18 Health Vial ----------- Health vials boost your health by a mere five points, though they can take your health all the way up to 199 if you collect enough of them. Try to pick up any nearby health packs before vials so that the vials can take your health past the 100 limit. Respawn rate: 0:27 Keg O' Health ------------- This is a huge, white and blue box which will add 100 points to your health, up to a limit of 199. Respawn rate: 1:40 Thigh Pads ---------- These give you an armour value of 50. Respawn rate: 0:27 Body Armour ----------- This gives you an armour value of 100. Wearing thigh pads and armour together will give you a combined value of 150 maximum. The higher your armour value from pads and / or armour, the fewer health points you will lose when sustaining injuries, so a high armour value is very helpful, while a low value is almost worthless. Respawn rate: 0:27 Shield-belt ----------- This is a shining, circular belt which will give you a (false) armour value of 150. Unlike body armour or pads, the belt does not act in conjunction with your health points, which makes its effect more like having 150 extra health points than armour points. Until your belt is completely destroyed, your health will not be reduced by taking damage. The belt confuses the effects of thigh pads and armour - picking up either pads or armour while you are wearing a fully powered belt gives you no armour bonuses, although you may still throw armour you are carrying so that your team-mates can have it. By all means pick up the belt as soon as you can, but just know that any pads or armour you are wearing will be rendered useless. Do not feign death while wearing a shield-belt. Respawn rate: 0:54 @--------------@ 2.3.2 POWERUPS @--------------@ UDamage ------- This is a rare but powerful item in the shape of the UT logo. It glows a metallic golden colour. Your shots will deal heavy damage to your enemies for as long as you carry it. Be careful not to harm yourself when carrying the UDamage: hammer-jumps are a very bad idea, and it's important to avoid splash damage from your own weapons. Some weapons benefit more from a UDamage boost than others - there is little point using bio, sniper, rockets or redeemer with UDamage, since these weapons can kill very quickly and easily anyway. The other weapons fare much better, notably the shock rifle which basically becomes an instagib rifle, and the pulse rifle's secondary fire. Try to avoid any enemies who are carrying the UDamage - their presence will be telegraphed by a purple glow and their shots will make a distinctive noise. The UDamage is another item which makes feigning death a poor tactical choice. Duration: 0:27 Respawn rate: 1:49 Invisibility ------------ This is even rarer than the UDamage. It doesn't make anyone totally invisible, as they can still be spotted by a vague glitter as they move. It does last longer than the UDamage, however. As far as I know, the Invisibility changes the accuracy rating of each of your computer-controlled bot opponents, causing them to have more difficulty in hitting you. This effect is pretty slight, however, and the best reason for taking the Invisibility in a single-player game is really to keep opposing bots from getting to it first. When playing against human opponents online there are other considerations to be aware of when using the Invisibility. You are more visible when you move because of the glittering effect, but if you stay still and crouch your opponents will have a tougher time spotting you. Certain weapons will also give away your position much more readily - rockets, pulse rifle, and so on - since they have a very obvious point of origin. The sniper rifle and enforcer are far less obvious, being instant-hit weapons; and by hugging a nearby wall you can even hide the shell casings popping out each time you fire. The impact hammer is an amusing choice while wearing Invisibility - watch your enemies begin firing frantically at walls while they try to pin down the source of the approaching noise. The shield-belt's sheen will be disguised by the Invisibility, but the glow of the UDamage won't, so try to avoid carrying both at once. The easiest way to take down an invisible opponent is to rely on splash damage weapons, particularly the rocket-launcher. Its lock-on feature still works and multiple exploding rockets do enough damage not to require any accuracy. Alternatively, just wait for the invisibility to wear off. Duration: 0:46 Respawn rate: 1:49 Jump-boots ---------- These boots will allow you to perform three very high jumps. You can do even greater jumps by using your hammer-jump bind off a floor or wall while you have the boots, although this is only true of grounded hammer-jumps to get you airborne - hammer-jumping off a wall while airborne and wearing boots will see no benefit from the boots. Jumping / hammer-jumping off upward-moving lifts will also take you much higher. It's also possible to rocket-launch yourself while wearing boots - jump off the ground just before you release two rockets at the floor, though make sure you are wearing plenty of armour. Boots do not stack with each other - each new pair resets your boot-jump limit to three. If you have boots on while you are moving through the air, your air control will be greatly enhanced; this is very useful when falling, but can be more of a problem if you are wearing boots while being launched, since the air control effect boots provide can actually kick in too early when travelling vertically, preventing you from reaching places you might otherwise have reached. It is almost always best to get rid of any boots you are wearing before taking a launch from a team-mate. Boots also increase your maximum dodge distance slightly, and enable you to have greater control over changing the direction of your dodge while you are off the ground. Boots also allow you to avoid taking damage when landing after a great fall - with shorter falls you will take no damage and with longer you will only take very little. Boots also disguise the normal footstep sounds, allowing you to sneak around far more easily - very useful in Assault or CTF. Boots plus Invisibility is a stealthy player's dream, but unfortunately they are hardly ever found together in Assault maps. Speaking of Assault, some maps might present objectives which can be bypassed by using jump-boots. For example, you can hammer-boot-jump over the 'Attackers are on the Roof!' message in AS-HiSpeed to prevent human defenders from being aware of your presence - it also helps if you disable the turret first by shooting at it (computer bot opponents are not fooled by either trick). If you are fast enough you can also use boots to get you out of otherwise inescapable danger. AS-HiSpeed provides another good example: if you are knocked onto the tracks while wearing boots you can quickly jump back onto the train before taking any damage. Boots have no effect on your movement while underwater. By assigning a walk key you can still retain the ability to jump normally even while wearing jump-boots - just hold the walk key down while jumping. Your boot-jumps will not be reduced by one when doing this. Respawn rate: 0:27 SCUBA Gear ---------- This will enable you to breathe underwater for far longer. It will eventually run out, at which point you will hear yourself gulp and the underwater counter will begin its 18 second countdown. If you surface while not wearing SCUBA gear you will take a loud breath, an audible giveaway to your opponents - the SCUBA gear will prevent this from happening. SCUBA Gear will remain on your body for its duration or until you die, whether you are underwater or not. Duration: 1:48 Respawn rate: 0:18 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2.4 WEAPONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The easiest way to learn how to use each of UT's twelve default weapons before you try the single-player ladder or an online game is to start a practise DM session vs. three or four bots. Pick a map with all available weapons, a mixture of open spaces and enclosed tunnels, as well as some z-axis angles (Deck16 is perfect for all of the above). Use godmode if you like, set weapons to stay and set the frag limit to 100 or thereabouts. This will give you plenty of opportunity to learn how each weapon works; what their strengths and weaknesses are; their range; their damage; their ammo capacities; as well as which ones you like and which you don't like. You can never have too many weapons, and your opponents can never have too few. Take every weapon you see, whether you need it or not, and steal every ammo pack (unless playing a team game). This is doubly important in online DM matches where weapons are set to respawn. You don't have to be good at every weapon to be good at UT, though it can only help. Everyone has a favourite weapon and their reasons for choosing it. Most of the weapons have characteristics which make them the best in certain situations, so it's a good idea to familiarise yourself with all of them, whether you like them or not. Most online players, especially DMers, like to have a bind for each of their weapons, so they can switch instantly to whichever one they want. A very useful trick when playing CTF or AS, games where tactical suicides are an important part of the strategy, is to double your ammo for a currently held weapon without actually picking up any ammo packs. For example, spawn at the beginning of an AS map and pick up the nearest weapon (e.g. a rocket- launcher). Swap to that weapon so you are using it, then hit your suicide key to kill yourself and drop the weapon you just picked up (which still contains its default ammo count). Respawn nearby and collect a new rocket-launcher, then also grab the one you just dropped - you should now have twice as much ammunition. This can be done repeatedly up to the maximum ammo capacity of the given weapon, although it can only be done with one particular weapon (since you only drop the 'in use' weapon when you suicide). This tactic is a great way for defenders to keep stocked up on ammo while staying around one particular spot, and is most effective when spawning at a fixed spawnpoint positioned very close to a weapon cache. All weapons have respawn rates of 0:27, except the redeemer, which has a respawn rate of 1:48. @-------------------@ 2.4.1 IMPACT HAMMER @-------------------@ This is a powerful melee weapon with multiple uses. Its main firing mode causes the hammer to charge while you hold down the primary fire button. When your charged hammer touches an opponent it will release, causing massive damage. Release the hammer while you are touching the floor or a wall and you will take heavy damage (although there are some surfaces which will cause your charged hammer to automatically release when they make contact, but which will not result in damage being inflicted - these tend to be static meshes like trees or certain AS objectives). To make most effective use of the hammer as a weapon you will have to rush your opponent down before they can kill you off or escape. Forward dodging is generally the best way to do this - impact hammer kills are almost guaranteed against unarmoured opponents if you manage to touch them while dodging. Sometimes your opponent may also be trying to hammer kill you back, which means you have to hit his body while avoiding his hammer. Either get behind him or side-dodge past him while hitting him with the hammer to stand the best chance of winning these duels. When defending yourself against a hammer aggressor it is best to simply crouch and keep your hammer pointed at him wherever he moves - he will find it nearly impossible to hit you without taking damage in return. Countering the impact hammer ---------------------------- This is simple - just stay outside of melee range of your opponent. Stay mobile (don't crouch or crawl), using side and back dodges to keep away. If your opponent is trying to pen you into a corner where they can kill you, remember you always have your own impact hammer which you can use to fend them off if your ammo is low or your aim weak. Hammer-jumping -------------- The primary fire can also be used to perform very high jumps, called hammer-jumps, which can be done by aiming your charged hammer at the floor and then releasing it as you press your jump button. Hammer-jumps also work off walls and lifts, and if you have boots when you perform your floor / wall jump you can get very interesting results. Try hammer-jumping up a wall then tapping your hammer-jump bind off the wall a second time at the top of the jump - you can often reach places using this method which just one hammer-jump wouldn't allow you to reach. The angle at which you are facing will change the direction and trajectory of your hammer-jumps. Releasing your hammer-jump when you are looking straight down at the floor will cause you to jump directly upwards, whereas facing the floor at an angle will give you more distance but less height, etc. This is also true of ripper-jumps. Hammer-jumping off walls might seem pointless, but in fact it can be very useful in certain situations, where you want horizontal distance with as little extra height as possible. For example, hammer-jumping off one of the slime tank walls in AS-HiSpeed while wearing boots can let you reach the roof of the next car without sending you too high up in the air and getting dragged back by the map's pull effect. Experiment with hammer-jumps off walls when you want to cover distance or traverse low obstacles without going high into the air. Each hammer-jump will cost you 54 health points, regardless of how long you charge your hammer for, or what angle you release it at, which means with no armour and 100 health you can only do one hammer-jump and still be alive afterwards. Increase your health and / or armour values to do more than one. Hammer-jumps are often quite effective for covering distance when performed just after dodging along or up a low slope - the slope can slide you along and enhance your dodge, and then an additional hammer-jump will benefit from the momentum. The secondary firing mode of the hammer is less useful, but will still come in handy at certain times. It's possible to deflect incoming projectiles by facing them and alt-firing your hammer just before they hit you. The missile will change its trajectory slightly and go past you on either side. This works on any visible projectile - slime, redeemer missiles, rockets, etc. It won't work on pistol, minigun or sniper shots. The alt-fire can also be used to slightly boost a normal or hammer-jump - face the ground and jump straight upwards against a wall, then alt-fire your hammer against the wall about halfway up the jump. This can be used to, for example, jump over the foxholes in AS-Overlord instead of having to run up the approach ramp - the lower the pitch angle of the alt-fire, the greater the boost to height. The hammer makes a distinctive noise while being charged and when being released, meaning that it is difficult or impossible to sneak up on opponents while it is charged. However, the sound a hammer-jump makes is the same as the sound made when the hammer is simply released (ie. just tap the primary fire). This allows you to fake out opponents within hearing distance, leading them to think you just hammer-jumped when in fact you didn't. They might hear the hammer release and rush to plug a gap somewhere else, clearing the way for you and your team-mates. This comes in handy in certain online Assault maps. See section 3.1.2 for a hammer-jump bind. Hammer-launching ---------------- The most interesting feature of the impact hammer was never meant to be a feature - Epic called it a bug and removed it in UT2003 and UT2004. It's called hammer-launching, and it can be used to propel a team-mate great distances across a map. This is a huge part of online AS and teams base entire map strategies around it. If you don't play UT online then you might as well skip this section. To perform a hammer-launch, aim your hammer at where you want your team-mate to fly to and click alt-fire just once (hold the button down while the hammer clicks). Once you have set your aim in this way, release the alt-fire button and press and hold primary-fire at the same time. Your hammer should now be charging, and a team-mate can then walk, jump or dodge into it to be launched to where you want them to go. The longer you leave your hammer charging, the higher or farther your team-mate can go (there is an upward limit on this of a few seconds). There is a myth among online players which says that the alt-fire must be clicked more than once for the launch to succeed, or that the number of alt-fires has an effect on distance - this is not the case, a single alt-fire will suffice, as long as the primary fire is pressed and charged immediately afterwards. The aim of the alt-fire does almost completely determine the direction of the successful launch, however. A player can even move into more than one hammer to be launched even greater distances - these are called double or triple hammer-launches. The player's team-mates must arrange themselves in such a way that the launchee will hit both or all three hammers just after leaving the ground. Hammer-launches behave differently depending on whether the launchee jumps, dodges or just walks into the loaded hammer(s) - jumps are generally used for height, dodges (particularly side-dodges) go for distance, and walking is only ever situational. Hammer-launches are unfortunately not much use in the single-player game, as bots can't be instructed to jump or dodge into your hammer; but occasionally you get lucky and a team-mate will hit your loaded hammer, sending him soaring through the air. Since the hammer obviously has multiple applications you can increase its efficiency by performing one action to cover three different contingencies. Before using the hammer for anything, try setting a hammer-launch with a single alt-fire (preferably in a useful direction for an AS team-mate), then charging the launch by pressing and holding your hammer-jump bind. Now that your hammer is charging you can use it to hammer-launch, hammer-jump or attack an enemy, depending on the situation. @--------------@ 2.4.2 ENFORCER @--------------@ This is your default weapon, which you will be given when you respawn. On some online servers you may find that if you pick up another one which an enemy or team-mate has dropped then you can carry and fire two pistols at once, one in each hand. If you prefer just using one (which is half as fast but far more accurate) just throw the pistol and pick it up again - you should now only be showing as holding one (it should remember your handedness preference). The gangster-ish alt-fire of the pistol is pretty useless - just stick with primary. The pistol is best used like a weaker sniper rifle. Its primary fire is accurate enough, though it only does 25 damage to unarmoured enemies. It's less effective if you just hold down the fire button and hope that some of your rounds hit your opponent - try not to treat it like a minigun, as its rate of fire just isn't fast enough for this. Go for single shots based on accuracy. The enforcer is rumoured to be capable of headshots but I have not been able to confirm this. Countering the enforcer ----------------------- Move quickly and unpredictably and your opponent should struggle greatly to hit you, what with the mediocre firing rate and less-than-pinpoint accuracy of the enforcer. Your own choice of gun should usually outrange and out-damage your opponent's pistol, meaning they should die before you do. @-------------------@ 2.4.3 GES BIO RIFLE @-------------------@ This is actually one of the most destructive weapons you can have. No matter how well-armoured an opponent is, he will not survive a full load of secondary-fire slime in the face. The secondary fire is by far the more effective of the two modes as an offensive weapon, while the primary fire is more of a battlefield tool. To fill the goop gun with slime, hold down the secondary-fire button until the gun stops charging. When you release the button the slime will fly out in one big ball, which will burst into smaller segments upon impacting on a (non- static mesh) obstacle. This spray will act like a temporary minefield for both you and your opponents. If a full load of slime hits an enemy, he will die without question. Although the primary fire is virtually useless against moving opponents, it can be used to coat an area with mini-mines. Pay attention to how you are laying down green minefields in tight corridors - laying cross-wise lines is not very effective, since opponents can just jump or dodge over them to pass unscathed. Try length-wise lines, zigzags or circles to make things much more difficult for them. The bio rifle is uniquely suited to spamming water surfaces since the small balls of slime float - paint the water entrances in AS-Oceanfloor with slime and your attacking opponents might find some difficulty in getting through undamaged. The bio rifle can also be used to (temporarily) lock doors, such as the set of double doors which the attackers in AS-Rook must pass in order to exit their spawn-rooms. Defenders can stand outside and shoot primary bio at the door seam to keep it closed for much longer, while also dealing splash damage to attackers on the other side trying to push their way through. The bio rifle is the only chargeable weapon in the game whose charge can be held while feigning death. Begin charging the gun, then feign death and hold the charge - you can then pop up and release the full load of slime to catch an enemy by surprise. The goop gun is just as lethal to you as it is to anyone else, so use it with care and never release a full load of secondary slime at point blank range. Countering the bio rifle ------------------------ As its range is poor and its firing rate slow, its primary projectiles are very easy to see and their trajectories easy to plot. Your opponent will either be trying to shoot all around you in a circle to coat the floor, or ahead of you to cause you to run into the mines. Keep jumping to minimise the risk of splash damage or moving into one of the blobs, and try to move outside the max range of the projectiles. Remember you can deflect the blobs with the alt-fire of the impact hammer, although this is tricky to pull off. You can also cause the blobs to explode by shooting at them - worthwhile if they are in a mess on the ground. If your opponent is using them to spam a passageway you need to pass through, this tactic is often best if you cannot attack the enemy directly. Slime-launching --------------- Since the slime does stationary splash damage, you can use it to launch yourself to a medium height; though you will take damage, so it's best to have lots of health or armour when you do it. Using CTF-LavaGiant as an example: try shooting two columns of primary-fire slime over the lower half of one of the sloped pillars around the outer walls of either flag base. Jump at the top of the bunch of slime just before it all explodes, and the simultaneous burst should propel you up and over the wall. This might come in handy for getting into your own base quick while carrying the flag, though probably not as handy as a simple hammer-jump. @----------------------@ 2.4.4 ASMD SHOCK RIFLE @----------------------@ This is one of the most popular UT weapons, and if you take the time to learn it then the payoffs can be huge, especially online. It's perfect for mid- and long-range combat, and it has three modes of fire instead of the usual two. The primary mode fires an instant blue beam which causes damage to an enemy, as well as knocking him backwards a few steps. It requires a high level of accuracy but - unlike the sniper rifle - it has unlimited range, and it can be used to knock enemies off edges or into hazards. The secondary fire produces a slow moving, blue ball which will burst on impact, causing damage to any enemies it hits. It also knocks enemies off their feet. Your shock-balls can be shot out of the air by your enemies, and you can do the same to theirs. But it's the shock-combo feature which really makes this weapon special and unlike any FPS weapon which ever came before it, as far as I can remember. Fire a shock-ball using secondary fire, then shoot the ball with the primary beam. This causes an extremely damaging explosion of blue, which can wipe out multiple enemies caught in the blast. Shock-combos can also be used to launch team-mates like a weaker rocket-launcher. You cannot damage yourself with your own shock-combo (eg. by running or falling into it) but if an opponent shoots your shock-ball while you are still close enough to it, you will take damage and probably die. You can likewise cause shock-combos by shooting out the shock balls of your opponents, though you have to be accurate enough to hit the very nucleus of the moving ball. The balls don't need to be shot with shock beams alone - try using the sniper rifle or minigun. Countering the shock rifle -------------------------- This is not easy, as the shock is such a powerful and versatile weapon. Against an opponent spamming shock balls it is best to counterattack with your own primary shock, potentially blowing up his shock ball as he releases it, killing him with the explosion. If your opponent is efficient at hitting moving shock-combos you will either want to get very far away or very close in, since combos have a minimum range which begins somewhere a few feet away from the person performing them. Versus primary shock, don't move in predictable lines and try not to jump - both of these options allow your opponent to more easily plot your movements and punish you. @-----------------@ 2.4.5 PULSE RIFLE @-----------------@ This is a typical utility FPS weapon - it's basically a crapper, slower minigun. Remember the green weapon from Doom, the one just behind the BFG, with the slow, green plasma rounds? This is that. The primary fire churns out green blotches over a distance, but they're easily dodgeable and are really only useful to chase down an opponent retreating along a narrow tunnel or for attacking stationary targets, such as AS objectives. At all other times, if you are using the pulse rifle you should be using its secondary firing mode, which produces a constant beam of green plasma which cuts through enemies, causing damage for as long as it's in contact with them. The beam has a limited range, which means to avoid it you just have to move backwards and away. At least the pulse beam is very much more visible and well-defined than the minigun. It inflicts much greater damage if you imagine it as a saw blade which you have to saw back and forth into the body of your enemy; whereas standing still and aiming the beam at an unmoving opponent will do less damage in the same amount of time - keep moving when you're using the pulse beam. In spite of its obvious drawbacks, the pulse rifle is probably the best weapon in the game for combat within its secondary beam radius. It's accurate, can't cause you splash damage, is very ammo efficient, and becomes an almost instant-death weapon when you're holding a UDamage. Don't overlook it in the small, tight maps and areas. Countering the pulse rifle -------------------------- Its primary fire is fairly easy to avoid and you won't often see it anyway. The secondary fire is the problem, but only if you are within range to be hit by it. If you are within this range, try staying still while returning fire - this is to eliminate the sawing effect, which should reduce the DPS values quite significantly, allowing you to live longer. @------------@ 2.4.6 RIPPER @------------@ This is the requisite gimmick weapon - there's at least one in every FPS game. Frankly, it's not that much use in combat - there are better weapons for almost every eventuality. The primary blades will ricochet off surfaces until they are ruined or until they hit another player. You can score headshots with the blades, but they're too slow-moving to be used accurately over distances. They provide a useful barrier at bottlenecks if you keep bouncing them off opposing walls, but the ammo goes fast and the blades do no splash damage - there are better spam weapons. The blades are also prone to bouncing back into your face unpredictably and causing you considerable facial damage. The secondary fire is like a weaker rocket, with all the same characteristics, except it's faster, yet can't home in. It can be fired at the feet of an enemy to do splash damage (the main reason to use it if you absolutely must) or bounce him into a hazard, or at the feet of a team-mate to propel him forwards. Again, though, the damage is low, and even a direct hit plus the splash damage is still poor at killing enemies or attacking AS objectives. Countering the ripper --------------------- Its random ricochets make it hard to plan for, but an always reliable response is to crouch to avoid an unlucky decapitation. If your opponent is firing directly at you, rather than trying to tag you with a ricochet, crawl around in circles while you return fire - this will give you a low profile against both direct hits and bounces. Remember that the ripper is at its most effective (at least directly) when the user is on the same level as their target, so if you are under fire from ripper blades get off your opponent's level and onto higher or lower ground to minimise risk. Ripper-shots ------------ One thing the ripper can do that other weapons can't is perform ripper-shots, which are sometimes very useful in AS maps. The idea is to sit in a certain spot and fire primary blades at such a place which will allow them to bounce a few times and eventually hit a destructible objective. This means that you don't have to get near the objective to take it out - you just have to know a safe place to sit with your ripper. Ripper-shots often have to be accurate right down to pixel level, but they're very satisfying when they work and when they win your team an objective or a map. The accuracy and success of ripper- shots are also influenced by which hand you're holding your weapon in - some work only with centre-hand, while others work only with right-hand, etc. The only maps in the single-player ladder where ripper-shots can be achieved are AS-Frigate, AS-Rook, AS-Mazon and AS-OceanFloor - experiment to find your own shots. See section 3.1.2 for a freeze mouse bind (for accurate ripper-shots). @-------------@ 2.4.7 MINIGUN @-------------@ Another basic weapon, inspired by the chaingun everyone loved so much from Doom. The primary mode is more accurate, but the secondary mode is faster and is the mode you should stick with unless you're firing over a very long distance. One method of minigunning is to hold down the secondary fire and try to draw circles around your target as he moves. It is a very hard weapon to master, but you will know when you've made it because the results can be spectacular - the minigun is seriously powerful if you can only harness its potential. Being shot with a minigun makes it impossible to dodge or jump - this is called 'lockdown'. This is also true of the secondary beam of the pulse gun. Miniguns use the same ammo as enforcers, although each weapon has its own ammo pack design. Countering the minigun ---------------------- Unless you can run away or quickly kill your antagonist, the only other advice I have is to try to counteract the minigunner's tendencies by simply crouching and staying still. It might take them a second or two to realise that they should stop drawing circles around you because you're no longer moving, which could buy you time to take them down. @-----------------@ 2.4.8 FLAK CANNON @-----------------@ This is the one that UT newbies flock to until they learn the other weapons. Its primary spread is large enough not to require great accuracy, and it does severe damage to anything in its path, at or near point blank range anyway. Primary shots can also be bounced off nearby walls so you can shoot around corners, although the flak fragments lose a lot of their damage potential this way. There is no better weapon in the game to be holding while running down a tight corridor with the possibility of enemies appearing suddenly in front of you - in certain DM maps the flak cannon dominates. The secondary flak-balls are extremely destructive and they fire in a fast enough arc to work pretty well at short to medium distances - flak-balls can actually reach quite far ahead of you if you angle your shot correctly. Both modes produce some splash damage which may end up injuring you if you're too close. Try looking for the smiling faces on the flak-balls just before they smack you in the head. It's possible to launch team-mates a short distance or height by firing flak balls at their feet, though this is generally not very useful. The flak-ball is great for destroying AS objectives, as a projectile capable of doing massive damage to very small areas. Since the flak-ball does splash damage and knockback, it can be used like an alt-hammer-jump or ripper-jump, but the damage you take is too great to justify the height or distance it achieves. Countering the flak cannon -------------------------- Within its zone of effectiveness the flak cannon is trouble - your opponent just needs one or two lucky hits to kill you. Unpredictable movement is everything until you can either escape or remove your opponent. You ideally want to move outside flak ball range to force the enemy to go to primary fire, which is much easier to sidestep and which is far less damaging at this range. Do not move into zones which can be filled with flak flechettes or flak-balls, causing splash damage - stay out in the open and away from walls. Jumping a lot will discourage your opponent from going with flak-balls, since those are most reliable when impacting on the ground around your feet. @---------------------@ 2.4.9 ROCKET-LAUNCHER @---------------------@ This one is popular for its versatility, despite its slow moving projectiles. It can fire rockets singly or in groups, depending on how long you hold down the primary-fire button. The launcher will automatically release its payload when six rockets have been loaded (although fewer can be released as required), so don't be facing a wall or the floor when they go off. Six rockets can kill anyone, no matter how well-armoured. The primary fire also has a homing missile mode - hold your crosshairs on an enemy for a couple of seconds and a target reticle will appear, letting you know that your rockets will lock on. Fire some rockets at the enemy and watch them follow him until he gets under cover or until they hit him. Enemy bots do not have to wait for their launchers to lock on at higher difficulty levels. If a rocket is homing in on you it can be made to lose its lock if you can get around it at a tight enough angle - its turning circle is not small enough to keep up with your movements, so move towards it and then sideways just before it hits. If you are shooting rockets at a submerged opponent (whether or not you are also underwater), try waiting for the lock, as your target has no way to dodge the homing missile, other than deflecting it with an alt-hammer. Rockets can only lock onto opponents - other targets, such as AS objectives or turrets, cannot be locked onto. You can alternate between spread fire and cluster fire with primary rockets. Load multiple rockets into the launcher and hold down the secondary button as they are released - this will produce a tightly-packed cluster of missiles. Note that a cluster of rockets can be used as homing missiles. Leaving the secondary button untouched will result in the rockets flying in a spread (this mode has no homing capability). The secondary mode throws up to six grenades, which will bounce along the floor or off walls until they explode - again, don't get too close. Grenades are a fantastic way to cover your own back, such as in CTF-Dreary where you can be running homewards with the enemy flag while bouncing grenades off every facing wall, so that they will bounce back behind you and hit the chasers. Grenades can also be bounced around corners or through holes to hit campers or AS objectives. The most effective way to kill with the rocket-launcher is simply to fire pairs of rockets at the feet of your enemies - this will take down any unaroured opponent and requires very little skill at aiming. Countering the rocket-launcher ------------------------------ Rockets fired around your feet are most likely the problem, since all other rocket-launcher projectiles are easy enough to deal with. As with flak-balls, jumping and staying off the ground as much as possible is important, and if you can close the distance to your opponent and get in his face you will discourage him from using the rocket-launcher at all, since at close range he is as vulnerable to its splash damage as you are. This is your best bet against an enemy loading up spreads of two or three rockets. Also, keep in mind that your opponent can't use this tactic if you are on higher ground, so try to get there if possible. Rocket-launching ---------------- Along with the impact-hammer, the rocket-launcher is one of the two main launching weapons in UT. Rocket-launches can send players soaring far across great distances in certain maps, which comes in very useful in Assault. Rocket-launches are pretty useless in DM and DOM, and are actually illegal in CTF leagues; but they're very much legal in Assault and, as with hammer- launches, clans build tactics around them in many of the league maps. Rocket-launches can be performed in different ways, but the premise involves firing multiple rockets at the feet or body of a team-mate so that the explosion propels them in a certain direction. Rockets can be fired at a teammate's feet in spread formation; or the launcher can crouch directly behind the player and fire grouped rockets into their legs / feet / buttocks / whatever. Each aim and stance and distance leads to different results, and a few pixels can make a big difference to whether a launch succeeds or fails. A combination of a launcher with an accurate aim and a launchee with smart air control can lead to disastrous results for an opposing AS team, and 'launcher' - both with hammers and rockets - is actually a specific team role for some clan players. I was a launcher and I spent hours and hours with some of my clan-mates in otherwise empty servers, practising precise aims for rockets and hammers; where to stand, where to look, where to set up the launch, what powerups the launchee should be wearing, etc. This might sound excessive, but good launches can - and do - literally win certain maps in seconds. The placement of rocket-launchers in AS maps helps dictate the availability of rocket-launches - before the attackers can rocket-launch they first have to reach the weapon and then get it to the launch site. For this reason intelligent AS defenders will (or should) avoid using rocket-launchers anywhere near known launch sites in case they die and drop the all-important weapon for their opponents to use. Unfortunately, and again like hammer-launches, rocket-launches are far less useful in single-player matches. You can occasionally succeed in rocket- launching an AS or CTF bot team-mate in a certain direction over a certain distance, but these opportunities are rare. Try a quick and optimistic rocket- launch if all else fails, but sometimes UT's path-nodes don't really work well with launches. For example: successfully rocket-launch a team-mate from the front of the castle up on to the roof in AS-Mazon, and the bot will just run all round the upper floor of the castle interior and drop back down onto the bridge at the front door. @-------------------@ 2.4.10 SNIPER RIFLE @-------------------@ The most powerful and overpowered weapon in the game, which is why everyone loves it. The primary mode is easy - just point the crosshairs exactly where you want them and the rifle will release an instant-hit bullet when you fire. The secondary mode allows you to zoom in through a scope, so that you can hit far off enemies with ease. Release the button when you have your desired magnification. Pressing the secondary button again will remove the scope view. I'd strongly recommend practising using the rifle without the scope in every game type. Believe it or not, it's often easier to hit a moving target without the scope than with it, especially if you're also moving while you shoot. Obviously the scope is useful and sometimes necessary, but the accuracy of the primary mode is phenomenal and no other weapon is better for instantly taking out any enemy from any distance with just one shot. Another note about the scope: it might be helpful to employ a bind which adjusts your mouse sensitivity downwards while in scope mode, since the increase in magnification has the effect of 'speeding up' your mouse movements. Use your sensitivity reduction bind each time you zoom in, for greater control and accuracy through the scope, then disable it once more when you zoom out or switch weapons. See section 3.1.2 for a freeze mouse bind. Try to aim for the heads of your enemies when you're shooting at them; and never hold the fire button down - only fire when your crosshair is over your target. Headshots can kill even armoured foes with one shot, whereas body shots require more than one hit on enemies with full health. Countering the sniper rifle --------------------------- Crouch and crawl as much as possible while moving - staying still will get you shot but standing will get your head shot off, so don't give your opponent opportunities. Stay in cover or else your death is only a matter of time. @---------------@ 2.4.11 REDEEMER @---------------@ This is the enormous nuke gun which you can find hidden in some levels, though it never turns up in AS maps. Firing its secondary mode will let you look through the camera on the end of the missile, and guide it through corridors and hallways until you decide where you want it to land. Just smash it into a wall and watch for the kill messages. The primary mode just fires the missile in a straight line until it impacts. The primary missile flies a bit faster than the secondary, guided missile - you can test this if you ever get two redeemer rounds (max) at once. Firing a redeemer does leave your body standing still and vulnerable to attack. The redeemer will kill you just as easily as it will your opponents, though it won't harm your team-mates (it will knock them sideways, however, or even launch them). To avoid damaging yourself you either have to be outside the blast radius when it explodes, or protected by something which comes between you and the centre of the explosion: even a lamp-post will do. I recommend NOT putting the redeemer at the top of your best weapons list, just in case you press your 'best weapon' key and fire off the redeemer before you realise you didn't bring out the rocket-launcher you were expecting to see, all because you forgot you picked up the redeemer. The redeemer is placed in between the rocket-launcher and the sniper rifle when using the next weapon key to cycle your weapons. Try secondary-firing your redeemer while you are using behindview. If you guide the redeemer missile into the back of one of your team-mates you can launch them some distance, though the direction and height will be unpredictable. This might be useful for attacking a base in a CTF map such as CTF-LavaGiant, though probably not. Redeemer missiles (friendly or otherwise) can be shot in mid-flight to make them explode harmlessly. You can also self-destruct (not detonate) your own secondary missiles by hitting the primary fire while they're still in the air. Team-swapping or suiciding will also cause your redeemer missile to fizzle out mid-flight, as will simply getting killed. The computer bots will never use the redeemer's guided missile - they will always fire the primary. Countering the redeemer ----------------------- The best solution is to shoot the slow moving missile before it can impact, but if this is not possible just make sure you get behind some form of cover - anything will do so long as it protects you from the centre of the blast. @-------------------@ 2.4.12 TRANSLOCATOR @-------------------@ On the one hand, the translocator isn't really a weapon: on the other hand, it is capable of instantly killing any enemy, no matter how heavily-armoured he is. Rounding down, this technically makes it as destructive as a redeemer missile, or a full load of slime, or six rockets. The T/L's primary use is as a means of travel. Aim your crosshairs at where you want the T/L to go, then primary fire the module in an arc. Once it's in place you can alt-fire to reappear at its landing spot. Clicking primary fire again will simply recall the module. A dropped module will disappear if the player who dropped it dies. Bear in mind that the direction you're facing in won't change when you activate your module - the direction you throw the module has no effect on this, which can be disorienting. The offensive capabilities of your T/L are invoked by firing the module into an enemy's face or body, then alt-firing as it impacts. You will get a message telling you you have telefragged your opponent. You can also telefrag people by laying your module down on the floor like a landmine, then alt-firing when you see an enemy walk over it; though this method is far more difficult and almost never works online, since - with a few exceptions - UT players aren't total idiots. You can disable the translocators of enemies which you see lying on the ground - shoot at them until the light on the top goes out. When your enemy tries to activate his disabled T/L he will die instead. T/L's can also be disabled by shooting them into oblivion or into hazards such as lava. The T/L as a weapon is especially useful in DOM - some players use nothing else for both movement and combat. I don't know if this is a bug or a feature, but a T/L module can prevent a lift from falling. Send a lift up and then dump your T/L underneath it. It should come down, hit the module and then rise again, and it won't stop until your T/L is removed. Be aware that activating a translocator does nothing to avoid fall damage: if you are falling from a height great enough to cause damage when you land, activating the T/L will just make you reappear and then get hurt. Also, you cannot reset potential fall damage by continuously throwing and activating a T/L in mid-air - it still stacks. Countering the translocator --------------------------- If your opponent is coming at you with an offensive T/L keep in mind they will not harm you at all unless they score a hit, at which point you are dead. If you can avoid getting hit you are in no danger, so keep moving and finish them off with a gun before they can tag you. T/L-launching ------------- The translocator can be launched by dropping the module then shooting at its centre with certain weapons. T/L-launches come in very useful in big, open maps such as CTF-Face or CTF-LavaGiant, when you just don't have time to run or dodge all the way across. Some weapons can launch the T/L a decent distance, though barely farther than a simple throw: primary shock-beam; secondary ripper shot; clustered group of rockets. Others can launch the module over a huge distance: landing a redeemer missile just behind the module will launch it very far; as will dumping a full load of secondary slime onto it, though the slime has to be pretty accurate to hit the module properly. You could also try dropping a full load of slime into a small area, then dropping your T/L module into the middle of it - sometimes you can get very interesting results when the slime bursts, the splash damage of each exploding blob combining to send your T/L a great distance, though the direction is unpredictable. Another great T/L-launcher is the shock-combo - stand at a ninety-degree angle to the direction in which you want to launch the module, then fire a shockcombo to explode just behind it. This also needs to be pretty accurate to get the flight direction right. But why do any of the above when you can simply use the impact-hammer? You can be extremely accurate and also achieve enormous distance; plus you always have a hammer, unlike with other weapons. Drop the module then crawl up behind it with a fully loaded hammer (you don't need to set a hammer-launch, just be facing in the direction you want the T/L to go). Once your crosshairs are pointing at the centre of the module and you are almost touching it on the ground, release the hammer - the release should send the T/L flying high and long. This is so effective you have to be careful you don't overshoot. Dropping your module onto an upward slope then launching it will let it reach slightly greater distances, though if the slope is too steep the module will only move about a centimetre. Another way of increasing the distance of a launched T/L module is to shoot it onwards while it flies, ideally with the instant-hit, extremely accurate sniper rifle. Try hammering the T/L from the tip of the red base roof in CTF- LavaGiant, then quickly switching to the sniper rifle and shooting the module three times in mid-air - if done properly this allows the T/L to reach the top of the central cliffs. If you see the dropped module of an opposition player, try launching it to somewhere ridiculous rather than disabling it. It's always nice to send your enemies to some totally useless location without their knowing. @-----------@ 2.4.13 AMMO @-----------@ Ammo packs all look different depending on the weapon, and they can usually be found near to their associated weapons in each map. Ammo packs will add a great many more rounds to each weapon you are holding, and can be picked up and stored even if you do not have the required weapon (up to a certain limit for each ammo type). When you die you lose all your currently held ammo and weapons. It is important in team games to share ammo with your team-mates - don't just grab every ammo pack you see, particularly if you are not even carrying the appropriate gun. Collect what you need and trust your team-mates to do the same - your team will be stronger as a result. This is especially true of rockets and sniper rounds in AS maps - both of these ammo types are at a premium. Rockets are useful for rocket-launches on attack and for spam on defense; meanwhile sniping is massively important in Assault, for both teams, as there is such an emphasis on long-range combat while repeatedly moving through open areas. Unlike many other pickups in the game, ammo packs make no sound when they are collected, so you can grab them without giving away your position. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2.5 BOTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The bots are your computer-controlled team-mates and opponents, and the more you play with them the more annoying they get. Their behaviour changes, depending on the chosen difficulty setting; at low levels they are so pathetic it's not true, whereas at the highest difficulties their skill level can be a problem, at least in terms of their ability to aim and to avoid return fire. Some features about the bots never change, however, such as how they move around in the maps. This is especially apparent when playing Assault or Capture The Flag - watch them run in straight lines, only jinking around when they come under fire. This mindless approach can be exploited if you can easily predict where they're going. Bots also occasionally get stuck in some maps: this is because their path-noding - the routes they are preprogrammed to take - doesn't cover certain areas. See section 2.7.12 for more information about this bug. @-------------------@ 2.5.1 FRIENDLY BOTS @-------------------@ Your team-mates in the team games are not so much team-mates as cannon fodder. They will always be less good at everything than you are (assuming that you've chosen a difficulty level appropriate to your own skill), except possibly actual combat. Playing alongside even Godlike bots can prove to you that, though they may be able to take down each other and you a lot more easily, they still stink at team-play. You should use your team-mates to draw the enemy fire while you work on completing the required objectives. Your team-mates are just as unlikely to succeed as the enemy are, since they all run in the same lines and react the same way to developments. You are your team's secret weapon - bots will never send their translocators into unexpected places, they'll never hammer-jump over large sections of the map to take shortcuts, etc. The only real difference between your team and the enemy is you. See Section 3.1.2 for binds which will enable the use of hotkeys to issue orders. Your bots can also be given orders through the Orders menu (F12). @----------------@ 2.5.2 ENEMY BOTS @----------------@ On lower difficulty settings enemy bots shoot at where you are: at higher levels they shoot at where you're going to be, and these are the shots which can hurt the most. The closer a high-level enemy is to you the easier it will be for them to hit you, though they seem to be extremely proficient with any weapon at any range. A moving target is always harder to hit, though, so bear this in mind and make the enemy work to kill you. In team games, the enemy bots' orders will be based on counteracting any orders you have given your own team, up to a point anyway. If you put all your bots on Defense, you will see a lot more incursions into your base by the enemy. If all your bots Attack, the enemy base will have a greater defense, and so on. When playing Assault or CTF it is easy to outwit the enemy team by using tricks and shortcuts. They never learn from experience and they always follow or defend the same paths, so exploit any holes in their defense for your own gain. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2.6 SPAWN-POINTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When you die in UT the round does not end for you (unless it's LMS and you just lost your last life). You just respawn somewhere in the map, with a pistol and a hammer, ready to return to the action. Spawn-points in DM and DOM are randomised, so that no player gets an advantage over the others. Each map has several preset spawn-points, and you will never know which of these the computer will send you to when you die. This is so that you can't just keep respawning next to the shield-belt or redeemer or whatever. It also means your enemies can't know where you'll be in order to get a cheap spawn-kill. Depending on luck and on the number of players in a map, you can sometimes be unlucky enough to respawn right in front of a heavily-armed opponent, though this is a double-edged sword. AS has preset spawn-points, sometimes called spawn-rooms, where you will always reappear when you die. In AS, which spawn-room you respawn in depends on which objectives you have completed so far: this is a big part of online play, particularly in custom maps. CTF is more randomised than AS, but not quite as much as DM or DOM. You will generally respawn inside your own base - sometimes in the neutral zone - but obviously you won't be respawning in the enemy base. Knowing each map will be greatly to your advantage, so that you always know where you are when you respawn and which way to go in order to reach the nearest weapon or powerup. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2.7 MAP FEATURES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Every UT map is different, and some are more interesting than others, but they all share certain essential features which you should familiarise yourself with to make your transition through each map easier and faster. @-----------@ 2.7.1 DOORS @-----------@ Most doors will open when you approach or touch them, though some are slower than others. Most doors can be held open just by standing in the doorway; while others can be held shut with slime (AS-Rook, for example). The final door in AS-HiSpeed can be locked by a defender with a shock-ball, though this is a bug. Some doors - notably in AS - must be opened by hitting a special button or completing an objective. The three upper doors in AS-Frigate, for example, will never open unless the attackers have completed the Hydraulic Compressor objective. And there are also secret doors which may be camouflaged or hidden in other ways. Some may need to be touched; some need to be shot; and others must be opened using a hidden button or lever. I've noted the locations of these doors as they occur in the different maps, as well as the method used to open them. @-----------@ 2.7.2 LIFTS @-----------@ These will take you between levels, and are usually very obvious to see. Depending on the speed at which a lift moves upwards, you can jump to a certain height while it is moving, allowing you to reach high platforms and ledges. If you are wearing boots or performing a hammer-jump off a lift, your height will be even greater. Some lifts need to be activated by levers, and I've noted these as they occur. Lifts will not harm you if you are stuck under them: they will usually move upwards again until the obstruction underneath them is removed. This failsafe can be - and often is - exploited by online players. AS-Guardia is much harder for the attackers if someone just camps under the final lift - particularly if that person is defnding the map against an all-bot team. See section 2.7.12 for a bug involving lifts. @------------@ 2.7.3 SLOPES @------------@ Sloped walls or supports can be dodged along or up to increase your speed or to reach places you would not be able to jump to. Dodge along a forty-five degree slope and you will slide along it all in the one movement. Side-dodge up a sloped pillar or wall to get to the top: the AS-Overlord foxholes and the pillar by the bio-rifle in DM-Liandri are good examples of this feature. Sloped surfaces can also help prevent the loss of health when falling from a height. If you are falling and you think you will lose health when you land, try using your air control to land on a sloped surface below you. Sometimes it will break your fall and save you some health, or even all of it. @-----------@ 2.7.4 WATER @-----------@ This is easily distinguishable from slime or lava, since UT water is always blue and transparent. Once you submerge yourself in water, you have 18 seconds to get your head above the surface again before you start losing health in measures of five points per second (armour will not protect you from drowning, though a shield-belt will). While you are drowning in water you will make a gulping sound with each incremental loss of health. This sound can give away your position to your enemies, another reason to pick up the SCUBA Gear. See section 2.3.2 for information about the SCUBA Gear powerup. Landing in water after a fall will enable you to avoid any health loss. Any projectiles will be slowed down greatly, which is handy since your sluggish movement necessitates more time to avoid them. You cannot dodge or crouch underwater: crouching will instead send you downwards. This can be used to quickly drop down through any water if you fell into it at speed - try dropping from the high points in DM-MetalDream into the water while holding the crouch button to see what I mean. The jump button will lift you up through water and holding jump will make sure you float with your head above the surface. Feigning death underwater has no effect. Weapon fire reacts in different ways when it hits the surface of water from above: grenades and flak-balls will slowly drift directly downwards before exploding, slime will float on the surface, etc. Try firing a slow-moving rocket upwards out of the water and watch as it keeps moving at the same rate through the air. Likewise, a slow moving redeemer missile is somehow a bit more intimidating than the normal kind. Any weapons dropped underwater will slowly fall to the bottom. There is a bug involved with water: when you are shooting from above the surface at a submerged opponent, shots which appear to be dead-on will miss. You have to instead aim somewhere slightly above and ahead of your opponent in order to hit them. For this reason some players, particularly in AS maps, will often choose to snipe from underwater, knowing they are harder to hit. @-------------@ 2.7.5 HAZARDS @-------------@ The best way to escape from a hazard before it finishes you off is to translocate out of there. You may have time and space to chuck your module to safety and save yourself, though some hazards are instant death: the lava in CTF-LavaGiant for example. Boots can also be useful for quick escapes, as I mentioned earlier. Under certain circumstances you may be able to hammer-jump off a vertical wall to escape a pit. @-----------@ 2.7.6 TRAPS @-----------@ These are very rare, but keep an eye out for them anyway. There's one in DM-Pressure and another in DM-Fractal. @-------------@ 2.7.7 TURRETS @-------------@ Also known as auto-cannons, tThese are just mounted guns, which will fire at the attacking team in (almost always) CTF or AS maps. They use the same ammo types and rates of fire as the normal weapons (except in AS-Mazon, weirdly), and you can temporarily disable them by shooting at them until they retract. They will only retract after taking a certain amount of temporary damage (they cannot be destroyed) but this damage can be hastened by trying to 'headshot' them - just aim for the top, as you would against an opponent. By disabling turrets in this way you can disguise your movements and confuse defenders. For example, a defender may be relying on the sound of the turrets firing in AS-Mazon to tell him when attackers are approaching the Front Door. That defender can be fooled into thinking that area is safe if an attacker manages to disable the turrets before hammer-jumping. AS-Overlord has a special mortar turret; though, unlike other turrets, it doesn't actually target anyone - it just fires at the same patch of ground at a constant rate. @-----------------@ 2.7.8 TELEPORTERS @-----------------@ These are shimmering balls of energy which will instantly transport you from one part of the map to another preset place. Some teleporters are two-way but most can only be used in one direction. Teleporters can be used in conjunction with a translocator to control two areas of a map simultaneously, which can be particularly useful in DOM maps. Teleporters can also be 'hammer-camped', which is a tactic used a lot online. Players can sit in front of an outgoing teleporter with a loaded hammer, so that opposition using the teleporter from the other end will hit the hammer before they can do anything about it. Similarly, it is possible to launch through teleporters, making it difficult for defenders to stop the initial launch. There are very few places in online AS maps where this is useful, but they do exist. The launch is set up just at the mouth (the entrance) of the teleporter, and the launchee is propelled through, so that by the time they are spat out the other side of the teleporter they are already in the air. There are certain pairs of teleporters which can catch you in an (almost) unbreakable loop, because both ends are sitting too close to walls. The two teleporters in DM-HyperBlast, for example: edge around the sides of one so you're facing into the back of it, then walk forwards into it. You will reappear facing away from the other one. Then walk backwards into that and you emerge where you started. The only things that can pass through teleporters are players, plus anything they are carrying. You cannot throw weapons, armour or translocators through teleporters. CTF flags can be carried but not dropped through teleporters. As with the translocator, teleporters will do nothing to save you from fall damage. @---------------@ 2.7.9 JUMP PADS @---------------@ These are basically immobile jump-boots. You can use a jump pad as many times as you like and it will always propel you up into the air and in the same direction. These are very rare in the single-player maps, but they can provide you with alternate routes when you do find them. Although it is possible to hammer-jump or alt-hammer-jump off jump pads for a huge height boost, the timing is so strict it's not really worth bothering with. @---------------@ 2.7.10 OBLIVION @---------------@ Oblivion is where you die by falling into some unknowable hazard area. It's not lava or slime or a trap or whatever, but you die anyway. CTF-Face, DM- Barricade, DM-Peak, DM-HyperBlast - these are all examples of maps surrounded by an area of oblivion. It's usually just a case of falling into space. Oblivion doesn't kill immediately, but it won't take long - escape it and its 'fatboy' effects by translocating away. @------------------@ 2.7.11 LOW GRAVITY @------------------@ Some maps contain low gravity zones which affect player movements while airborne (including dodges), increasing the time it takes to reach the floor, as well as extending the height and distance of all air-based movement. Ground-based actions, such as walking and crawling, are not affected. Jumps can go higher (but take much longer to complete) and any assisted jump (eg. boots, hammer-jumps, etc.) receive an inconveniently huge boost to horizontal and vertical distance. Jumps boosted in this way should generally be avoided in low gravity - an alt-hammer-jump is usually enough. The effects of low gravity disappear as soon as the player leaves the invisible zone. These zones do not affect projectiles fired from weapons, but they do affect other items, such as translocators and CTF flags. Combat in low gravity zones should be avoided, since any players inside are at a major disadvantage where movement is concerned. Really, the only benefits come outside of combat, such as the absence of fall damage and the ability to cross greater distances or reach heights more easily. @-----------@ 2.7.12 BUGS @-----------@ UT has very few bugs, but here are some of the ones you should be aware of. Bunny-hopping ------------- This happens very occasionally when a player presses jump at exactly the same time as they land after being propelled through the air, such as through hammer-jumping for distance or being launched. It has a skipping stone effect, allowing the player to lurch forwards much farther off the ground than a normal jump or dodge. It is very situational and hard to practise, because the angles and timing are so strict, but it is great fun when you can get it to happen. Hall of Mirrors (HOM) --------------------- This is a rendering glitch which occurs when textures or seams overlap on the surfaces of a map, producing an effect like shards of glass lined up side by side. It's rare in the single-player maps, but much more common online. You'll know it when you see it. Hammer-launching ---------------- If this is a bug (and Epic says it is, which is why you don't see it in UT2003 or UT2004) it might be the most useful glitch ever to appear in any online game. See section 2.4.1 for more information about hammer-launching. Lift / translocator bug ----------------------- This must be a bug, because it's too lame to be a feature. If a player drops his T/L module under a lift platform, the lift will not be able to stop moving up and down until the module is removed. This comes in handy in certain maps, especially in DOM and CTF. Lockdown bug ------------ This is the name given to the effect which rapid-fire weapons have on a player or bot. While being constantly hit by minigun or secondary pulse fire, it becomes difficult to move along any surface that isn't level or sloping downwards. You are also unable to jump or dodge, which makes it extremely frustrating to get shot while you're trying to run up a slope or a staircase. Lockdown technically takes effect every time a player gets hit by weapons fire, even by single hits; but it's only really noticeable with weapons which hit quickly and repeatedly, which is why it is such a problem when dealing with minigunners. Maps ---- Some maps have unique bugs, and this is a list of the ones I know of. I've mentioned the bugs in each map's respective section, and how to use or avoid them: DM: Fractal DOM: Cinder, Olden, Sesmar CTF: Eternal Cave, Last Command, November Sub Pen AS: High Speed, Rook, Mazon, Ocean Floor, Overlord Map completion / weapons fire bug --------------------------------- When a round ends in UT everything pauses until you click your primary fire button to change maps. However, you can continue to fire your weapons during this stage: when the scoreboard appears on the screen, switch weapons and press your secondary fire button. You can cycle through all the weapons you were holding when the round ended, firing your ammo until each weapon runs out. You can even zoom with the sniper rifle. Path-noding bug --------------- This occasionally happens to computer bots who have been propelled to an area where there are no nodes to tell them how to get out of there. In AS-Guardia, for example, sometimes the attackers can be accidentally bumped onto one of the boxes beside the Fuse, usually by secondary flak-balls. They will be unable to get down off the box until you shoot them off. You don't want your own team-mates getting stuck, so help them out if you see them trapped in a place with no path-nodes. If it happens to an opponent, however, leave them to it. Reconnect to ladder round bug ----------------------------- This happens when you use a bind - [key]=disconnect | onrelease reconnect - to disconnect from and then reconnect to a round in the single-player ladder, as opposed to a practise round. The game will not spawn any bots and the round will be unable to start. To restart a ladder round you have to do it manually, through the menus. Strafing bug ------------ This happens when you are strafing while trying to press too many other keys at once. I'm not sure if it depends on how decent your keyboard is, but it will cause you to continue moving sideways even when you let go of the movement keys. To get rid of it, press the strafe key again. Team change bug --------------- Once you give your bot team-mates orders, they will never deviate from them until you tell them to. This means you can switch to the opposition team, tell them all to hang around in a corner, then swap back to your original team, who should now have little trouble completing the map. Team change bug (Assault ladder) -------------------------------- Start an Assault round in the ladder on the attacking team, but try to change teams through the Player Setup menu. Nothing will happen until your attacking team completes the first round, at which point the second round will begin with you on the other team... who are now attacking. In this way you get to attack twice, though your second attack has to be faster than your first, so you might want to make a complete mess of the first attacking round if you're going to try this bug. Torture chamber --------------- Start the game, and press suicide at the UT logo screen. Maybe not a bug, but fun in a Dungeon Keeper sort of way. Wall bug -------- This appears on some vertical walls, and it happens when a player is falling while touching the face of the wall. The clipping bug can catch the player while he falls, which comes in very handy in drops which would otherwise cause the player to lose health. There are examples of the wall bug in many of the maps, but the most useful ones might be in CTF-November and CTF-LavaGiant. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2.8 MISCELLANEOUS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This section covers a few other things which don't really fall into any other category, but which you might want to know about anyway. @-------------------------@ 2.8.1 BEFORE / AFTER GAME @-------------------------@ UT Patch 436 ------------ I suggest you download and install UTPatch436.exe. Make sure you apply this patch with each installation of UT if you're reinstalling it. Keys ---- The first thing you'll want to do when you play UT for the first time is get your keys sorted out. You need to find a combination of keys which you can memorise and familiarise yourself with quickly, so that playing games is much easier and more fluid. You should be able to do anything in the game without even thinking about which key to press, because bots and online opponents will have a big advantage over any player who can't remember which key does what. Most players favour the ubiquitous WASD key combination (up, left, down, right, respectively). This is the standard for any FPS game, and it works well. Whichever configuration you choose, at least keep your keys close together and try to be economical. Xan Skin -------- You can apply the Xan robot skin and voice to your player sprite without bothering to beat Xan in the ladder. Go to the bottom of your user.ini and change: [Botpack.Ladder] HasBeatenGame=False to [Botpack.Ladder] HasBeatenGame=True The skin will now be available through Options > Player Setup. Open Tournament Ladder ---------------------- If you feel like fighting Xan Kriegor without having to battle your way through every other map in the tournament ladder, here's how. Find the section in your user.ini titled: [UTMenu.SlotWindow] If you have any saves already in UT then the first line will look something like this: Saves[0]=5\1\6\13\6\9\6\9\6\6\6\3\M\1\YourName If you copy and paste the above line into your user.ini (place it in one of the empty save lines and change the number in square brackets) this will allow you to resume a saved tournament in which all the maps are open (change YourName to whatever name you want to use in the above line). The numbers all represent different variables (skin, face, etc.), but the only one I know the function of at this point is the first one after the = symbol. In my example the first number is a 7, which represents Godlike difficulty. If you want an Inhuman save then change the 7 to a 6, and so on. Thanks to Headcase from UTA for help with this. @-----------------@ 2.8.2 DURING GAME @-----------------@ Console ------- The console is only useful if you need to type an unbound command directly into the engine. You won't use it much but you should still have a console key set up - don't put it too near your regular keys, in case you accidentally hit it. The console window does not pause the game, it just renders you immobile and helpless until you close it again. To input a command, type it accurately into the console and press Return to execute it. There are large lists of UT commands posted online, and I've included the ones I habitually use in the ADVANCED section, though most of them are actually bound to a key, as opposed to being a typed command. The console can also provide an in-depth record of all in-game events, more so than the shout box in your HUD. Shout Box --------- The shout box keeps you updated on important developments within the game, such as players killed, objectives taken, etc. It can be very important in team games if you need to keep an eye on your team-mates. For instance, if you know that a certain player is your last man flag defender in a CTF game and you see his death message in the shout box, you know tyour flag is in danger of being taken. It can also be used as a crude means of spying on the opposition: it is common when defending in Assault matches online to watch the shout box for the names of your opponents as they get killed. The reason is that if one of the opponents' names has not been seen in the shout box for some time (because they have not been involved in combat), it might mean that that player is sneaking or hiding somewhere away from the action, and that the defenders should look out for this, perhaps even reshuffling the defense accordingly. Voice communications software replaces a lot of the utility of the shout box in online play, but it still serves a useful function for in-game updates. First Blood ----------- This totally cosmetic feature will give you an audio message whenever you are the first person in the round to score a kill. This doesn't work if you suicide. Headshot -------- A successful headshot means instant death for your opponent. Even a bot wearing an undamaged belt can be killed with two headshots from a sniper rifle. Every time you score a headshot you will be notified of your supreme accuracy via a HUD message. As far as I know, the only weapons you can score a headshot with are the sniper rifle and the ripper (primary). Multi-kills ----------- This is another superficial but nice feature of UT, whereby a player gets congratulatory messages about consecutive kills. These messages will appear loudly across the player's HUD, as well as in the mini-consoles of all other players in the server. To get a multi-kill message you have to kill multiple opponents in quick succession (about two seconds or so maximum between each kill). Here are the various messages you will receive: Two opponents - Double-Kill! Three opponents - Multi-Kill! Four opponents - Ultra-Kill! Five opponents - MONSTER-KILL! Killing a sixth opponent will just repeat the MONSTER-KILL! message, and so on until you exceed the time allowance for the next kill. These messages can be altered in botpack.int - see section 3.3. CTF-Face is one of the best maps in which to practise your multis, provided you're a good enough sniper. Killing Sprees -------------- These are sort of similar to multi-kills, except that these are dependent on the number of kills you can get without dying yourself. Sprees, like multikills, will be shown on your screen and everyone else's, and the best way to get them is to kill lots of people while making yourself as unkillable as possible. Sniping and spamming are the obvious approaches, though good DMers can rack up the sprees with just a minigun and a lot of dodging. Here are the five levels of killing spree: Five opponents - Killing Spree! Ten opponents - Rampage! Fifteen opponents - Dominating! Twenty opponents - Unstoppable! Twenty five opponents - GODLIKE! Once you get to Godlike there are no further messages, no matter how far beyond twenty five you get. These messages are again customisable in botpack.int - see section 3.3. Headstomp --------- You can jump onto the heads of bots, friendly or enemy, and bounce around for as long as you can maintain your balance. An enemy bot will (very) gradually lose health while you're on his head, and you will likewise should an enemy land on yours. You can drop onto someone's head from above, or you can alt-hammer jump off the floor to stamp on him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 @-------------------@ | 3. ADVANCED | @-------------------@ 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: This section describes things not mentioned in the game manual or menus. This stuff can be useful online or offline, and most of it can make you a much more versatile player. If you alter anything within any of the following three system files, make sure you make copies of them before you uninstall UT. Otherwise you will have to redo all your settings and binds and so on the next time you install the game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.1 USER.INI ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The user.ini file (found in your UT system folder) is a UT system file full of commands which UT constantly refers to during every game. It's important that you don't change any bits of this file that you don't know the purpose of. On the other hand, you can insert special commands which weren't previously there in order to customise your own game settings. Open the user.ini file using NotePad or WordPad and you will be able to fiddle with it. The user.ini file is not ordered very well, so you might want to sort the [Engine.Input] section into an order which will let you navigate it more easily (this is the only section you'll really be modifying). I rearranged mine so that mouse commands came after the Aliases, then the number keys, then QWERTY, then NumPad keys, etc. This doesn't change the nature of the file, but it makes it much easier for me to browse through if I want to change things. The [Engine.Input] section begins with the Aliases, followed by mouse and keyboard commands. The Aliases section refers commands to sub-commands, and should not be altered arbitrarily. The key list underneath is simpler - each key or button is followed by a = sign, and then the assigned command is put directly after it. If there is no = sign after a key, that key will do nothing in the game. The Aliases all begin like this - Aliases[##]=(Command="... (where ## represents a one or two digit number) - and it's important to notice that each Alias has its own number. If you have two Aliases with the same number inside the [] brackets, you may experience problems. If you are copying and pasting one of my listed Aliases, please remember to put the Alias into a number which isn't currently being used. Unused Aliases look like this: Aliases[##]=(Command="",Alias=None) Paste each new Alias over the first available unused one, taking care to change the numbers to fit into the list. @------------------------------@ 3.1.1 ADDING BINDS TO USER.INI @------------------------------@ Binds are keys assigned to perform a specific function, and the easiest way to assign a bind to a key is by opening the user.ini file and putting the appropriate command directly after the = sign next to whichever key you want to perform that function. The Controls and Speech Binder menus accessible from the UT desktop will let you customise many of your key assignments, but the really cool ones are done through the user.ini file. I've listed here the binds and tweaks which have been useful to me both offline and online. Read my description of each one, then decide whether you think this bind might be one you'd like to use. There are many more binds, tweaks and console commands which can be typed into the console during a game or inserted into your UT system files, but you'll have to find them elsewhere. To use any of these binds or tweaks, please follow my instructions carefully on how to enable them. I've used ## in the Alias lines and [key] before the = sign in the key lines - my ##'s should be replaced with the correct Alias numbers and my [key]'s replaced with the appropriate key notations in your own user.ini. Example: You want to insert the hammer-jump bind into your user.ini. Your first unused Alias line is: Aliases[26]=(Command="",Alias=None) and the key you want to use for hammer-jumps is currently empty: B= My bind's Alias is listed as: Aliases[##]=(Command="onrelease jump",Alias=hammerjump) and the key command is: [key]=getweapon Impacthammer | hammerjump | fire Note the ## in the Alias and the [key] in the key command. So to assign my bind to your B key, your Alias line should now be this: Aliases[26]=(Command="onrelease jump",Alias=hammerjump) and your key command line should be this: B=getweapon Impacthammer | hammerjump | fire I hope the above example is clear enough. Copy any other text EXACTLY if you're copying and pasting from here into your own user.ini file. Turn off word wrap in your text viewer to make the lines clearer. Do NOT mess about with any of your UT system files if you don't know what you're doing. @--------------------------------@ 3.1.2 BINDS: MOVEMENT AND COMBAT @--------------------------------@ These are binds which might come in handy while you're in the middle of a game. In some of the binds and aliases I have added 'say #' commands, like this one for Stop Countdown: onrelease say #[TIMER STOPPED] This part of the line will present a big, white message in the middle of your screen, to let you know what you've just pressed. If you don't want these messages to appear with your commands, just delete these sections from the command lines. Weapon Toggles -------------- These are probably the ones you'll be using most, as a nice alternative to having to laboriously scroll through all your currently held weapons using the next and previous weapon keys. These binds also allow you to cut down on weapon bind keys by about half, meaning that you don't have to assign pistol to 1, bio to 2, etc. My binds are set up to alternate within pairs of weapons. I've paired rockets with sniper, and pistol with hammer, and so on. These are just my preferences - feel free to mess around with the pairings depending on what weapons you want grouped together. The second weapon in each command is always the first one the bind will select - assuming you have both weapons - so put your favourite from each pair as the second weapon - I prefer sniper over rockets so sniper is second in my bind. If you pair rockets with sniper and then press the bind when you only have the sniper rifle, the rockets will obviously never be selected. If you are holding neither sniper nor rockets when you press the bind, nothing will happen. When you have both rockets and sniper, the bind will allow to you toggle back and forth between the two. Hammer and Pistol: [key]=getweapon enforcer | getweapon impacthammer Bio Rifle and Shock Rifle: [key]=getweapon ut_biorifle | getweapon shockrifle Pulse Gun and Ripper: [key]=getweapon ripper | getweapon pulsegun Minigun and Flak Cannon: [key]=getweapon minigun2 | getweapon ut_flakcannon Rocket-Launcher and Sniper Rifle: [key]=getweapon sniperrifle | getweapon ut_eightball Redeemer: [key]=getweapon warheadlauncher Translocator: [key]=getweapon translocator Best Weapon ----------- I think you can configure this in one of the menus, but I'll include it anyway. This key will automatically switch to whichever of your currently held weapons is highest in the Options > Weapons list. [key]=switchtobestweapon Weapon Hand ----------- These binds will let you choose mid-game where you want your weapon to appear in your HUD - left, centre, right or hidden - this is referred to as 'handedness' (no-one calls it chirality). This makes little or no difference to your aim (unless you're doing ripper-shots), but some right-handed players would feel uncomfortable with a left-aligned weapon, and so on. Try to utilise at least two of these binds, since one bind alone will be redundant after just one use. Left Hand: Aliases[##]=(Command="sethand Left",Alias=lefted) [key]=lefted Centre Hand: Aliases[##]=(Command="sethand Center",Alias=centred) [key]=centred Right Hand: Aliases[##]=(Command="sethand Right",Alias=righted) [key]=righted Hidden: Aliases[##]=(Command="sethand Hidden",Alias=hide) [key]=hide Hammer-jump ----------- This automatic bind will let you perform hammer-jumps with 100% success, which isn't true of the manual jumps. To use it, hold down the assigned key until your hammer is charged a certain amount, then release the key while facing and touching a wall or floor. Hammer-jumps will allow you to reach great heights when you jump straight upwards, or large distances if you run backwards and release your hammer diagonally off the floor. Experiment off walls and slopes as well, especially when wearing jump-boots. Aliases[##]=(Command="onrelease jump",Alias=hammerjump) [key]=getweapon Impacthammer | hammerjump | fire Ripper-jump ----------- This is basically a halfway point between an alt-hammer-jump and a full hammer-jump. You lose less health than you do with a hammer-jump, but you don't jump nearly as high or as far. It comes in handy when you can't make a jump with alt-hammer but you don't want to lose 54 health points with a full hammer. Another advantage that a ripper-jump has over an alt-hammer-jump is that the ripper-jump will cost you fewer health points at the shallowest angle, since the secondary ripper blade explodes farther away from you, thus causing you less splash damage. This means that, in order to make a jump requiring distance rather than height, the ripper-jump is preferable to the alt-hammer- jump. Here are my comparisons, denoting number of health points lost: _______________________________________________ 0 deg 40 deg 75 deg Alt-hammer-jump 16 18 25 Ripper-jump 37 27 9 0 degrees = looking vertically at the floor 40 degrees = halfway between floor and max impact angle 75 degrees = max impact angle (any higher and neither weapon will impact) _______________________________________________ In other words, use the alt-hammer-jump for all but the angles farthest from the floor. Unlike hammer-jumps, ripper-jumps don't receive a boost from jump-boots. Aliases[##]=(Command="getweapon ripper | OnRelease jump | OnRelease AltFire",Alias=Ripperjump) [key]=ripperjump Behindview ---------- This lets you switch between first- and third-person perspectives. Third- person is useless for actual combat, but it does let you peek around corners. Try using it when you're flying a guided redeemer missile or looking through a sniper scope. You can set this bind up for two different keys, but here I've made it a toggle bind, so you can use one key to switch back and forth between views. Aliases[##]=(Command="behindview 1 | set input [key]= firstperson",Alias=thirdperson) Aliases[##]=(Command="behindview 0 | set input [key]= thirdperson",Alias=firstperson) [key]=thirdperson | firstperson Feign Death ----------- This lets you lie down and play dead. Doesn't work on computer bots and won't fool any experienced online player either. If you feign death while carrying the flag in CTF, you will drop the flag. You can be rocket-launched while feigning death, although you cannot use air control. Again, beware of carrying UDamage or shield-belt. You can still take damage while feigning death; and your opponents' shots will make the same noise as usual when they impact on your body, which will give away the fact that you are not really dead. [key]=FeignDeath Suicide ------- Essential in online Assault, and often useful in CTF. Use the suicide to move more quickly around the map, repositioning according to the latest developments (eg. AS objectives taken, returning quickly to defend your CTF base, getting a better spawn-point). [key]=suicide Walk ---- Lets you walk very slowly instead of running. Hold the button down while you want to walk. This is useful for traversing narrow ledges or whatever, though after a while you'll be good enough not to need it. [key]=walking Walk-jump --------- This is how to perform those skippy little half-jumps you sometimes see the computer bots doing while engaged in a shoot-out. Thanks to Supermic from UTA for this bind. [key]=walking | jump Mouse Speed ----------- This bind lets you swap between two or more different mouse sensitivity settings. It helps if you need to move your mouse slow when sniping but fast when minigunning, or whatever. It might also be useful when swapping between standard and zoomed sniping. I could set this bind up to have three or more sensitivities; but no-one will really be using more than two, so I just made it a toggle bind. I've used a value of 2.50 for the slow speed and 4.10 for the fast speed. Feel free to change these values to whatever suits you. The lower the number, the slower the mouse will move during the game (GUI mouse speed has a separate, unrelated value). Please note that the Aliases have [key] variables in them this time - these should be the same as the key you're assigning the bind to. Aliases[##]=(Command="set engine.input MouseX axis aMouseX speed=2.50 | set engine.input MouseY axis aMouseY speed=2.50 | setinput [key] fast",Alias=slow) Aliases[##]=(Command="set engine.input MouseX axis aMouseX speed=4.10 | set engine.input MouseY axis aMouseY speed=4.10 | setinput [key] slow",Alias=fast) [key]=slow My own user.ini has HUD messages included in the mouse speed aliases, to tell me when it's been changed and to what speed. If you want to see these messages when you change your mouse speed, make these your aliases: Aliases[##]=(Command="say #[MOUSE SLOW] | set engine.input MouseX axis aMouseX speed=2.50 | set engine.input MouseY axis aMouseY speed=2.50 | set input [key] fast",Alias=slow) Aliases[##]=(Command="say #[MOUSE FAST] | set engine.input MouseX axis aMouseX speed=4.10 | set engine.input MouseY axis aMouseY speed=4.10 | set input [key] slow",Alias=fast) Mouse Freeze ------------ This is one of mine, and it's useful for only one thing - ripper-shots. When you have your aim set up perfectly for a ripper-shot you can use this bind to make sure that you don't accidentally move your crosshairs even a fraction off the sweet spot. It does require that you have a bind set up to unfreeze your aim once you're done, otherwise you're stuck like that forever. Make sure you have one or more of the MOUSE SPEED binds listed above. As with those, you can set up another toggle for freezing versus unfreezing. If you're not doing ripper-shots in online AS, don't bother with this bind. [key]=set engine.input MouseX axis aMouseX speed=0.00 | set engine.input MouseY axis aMouseY speed=0.00 Bot Orders ---------- You can give your team direct orders without having to go through the F12 menu. Bind the following to separate keys to issue group commands instantly. All attack: [key]=speech 2 2 -1 All defend: [key]=speech 2 0 -1 All hold position: [key]=speech 2 1 -1 All cover you: [key]=speech 2 3 -1 All freelance: [key]=speech 2 4 -1 @--------------------------------------@ 3.1.3 MISCELLANEOUS BINDS AND COMMANDS @--------------------------------------@ These are commands which you will find more useful for practise sessions or just in general, rather than in the UT ladder or online games. Using them in the ladder would essentially be cheating, and they are all disabled in online games (except the disconnect / reconnect bind), which is why I've put them in a different section. God Mode -------- This makes you invincible. Pressing the key again will turn godmode off. [key]=god Fly / Ghost ----------- Typing: fly into the console will let you fly around during a game, though you will remain corporeal (you can be shot and bump into things). Type: ghost into the console either before or during a game. It basically disables clipping, which means you can move through walls and obstacles unhindered. Type: walk into the console to go back to the default movement. This will cause you to drop to the ground if you're currently flying above it, and it will cause you to die if you're currently ghosting around outside the confines of the map. My user.ini examples (toggling between 'fly / walk' and 'ghost / walk'): Aliases[34]=(Command="fly | set input 2 flightwalk | onrelease say #[WALK MODE]",Alias=flight) Aliases[35]=(Command="walk | set input 2 flight | onrelease say #[FLY MODE]",Alias=flightwalk) 2=flight Aliases[36]=(Command="ghost | set input 3 ghostlywalk | onrelease say #[WALK MODE]",Alias=ghostly) Aliases[37]=(Command="walk | set input 3 ghostly | onrelease say #[GHOST MODE]",Alias=ghostlywalk) 3=ghostly Slow Motion ----------- You can use this command to change the game speed while you're playing. The default 100% setting is: slomo 1 Numbers higher than 1 will increase the speed, and lower will decrease it. My user.ini example: Aliases[38]=(Command="slomo 2 | set input 4 speednormal | onrelease say # [SPEED: NORMAL]",Alias=speedfast) Aliases[39]=(Command="slomo 1 | set input 4 speedfast | onrelease say #[SPEED: FAST]",Alias=speednormal) 4=speedfast All Weapons / Ammo ------------------ This will fill each of your currently held weapons with 999 ammo rounds. [key]=allammo This will give you all weapons (except redeemer) with default ammo capacity. [key]=loaded And this will give you all weapons (except redeemer), filled with 999 ammo rounds each. [key]=loaded | onrelease allammo Stop Countdown -------------- This will stop the clock. It only works in games where there actually is a clock - Assault rounds or timed practise sessions. Note that it doesn't pause the timer, it disables it altogether, setting it to 0:00. Remove everything after 'stopcountdown' if you don't want the big white confirmation message. [key]=stopcountdown | onrelease say #[TIMER STOPPED] Connect / Disconnect -------------------- This lets you dump a game immediately without using the menus: [key]=disconnect This lets you dump a game then immediately reload the same map and settings without using the menus: [key]=disconnect | onrelease reconnect Be aware that there is a bug associated with this second command. See section 2.7.12 for more information. Summons ------- There are huge lists available online of things which can be summoned into UT rounds, including monsters, tables, chairs, weird weapons, turrets, etc. I've only listed five here, as things which you might find useful to spawn into a map to practise certain things like boot-jumps or self rocket-launches or whatever. These summons also work in online maps where you have server admin privileges, for the purposes of practise sessions. Rocket-launcher: summon ut_eightball Rocket-launcher ammo pack: summon rocketpack Shield-belt: summon unreali.shieldbelt Jump-boots: summon ut_jumpboots Translocator: summon translocator As I said, look online for many weird and wonderful UT summons. Try making your own summon binds using item or weapon names from your user.ini - [key] =summon minigun2, etc. Bots ---- Type these commands into the console instead of binding them to a key, as the first two need variables. This will let you add a specific number of bots to the game without having to restart. # = the number you want to input. addbots # This will let you boot one particular bot out of the round. x = the exact name (case sensitive) of the bot you want to remove. kick x Both the addbot and kick commands will result in the teams being shuffled around if 'balance teams' is enabled. This will let you remove all bots from the current game, leaving you alone. killall bot ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.2 UNREALTOURNAMENT.INI ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This system file can be found in the System folder, and can be opened with NotePad or WordPad. Don't mess about with this file, though there are a few small things you might want to change. Intro Movie ----------- Firstly, you may not want to watch that intro movie that looks a lot like DOM- Condemned every time you start UT. You can get rid of it and replace it with a simple UT logo which looks a lot better and doesn't take so long to load. Open unrealtournament.ini and look in the very first section - [URL]. Change the line which says: LocalMap=CityIntro.unr to this: LocalMap=UT-Logo-Map.unr Or, if you have completed some or all sections of the single-player ladder, you could show off by changing the line to: LocalMap=EOL_Challenge.unr or: LocalMap=EOL_Statues.unr Precaching ---------- Most players will be using Direct3D for their video rendering, and UT defaults to precaching to apparently make the visuals run smoother. This does result in longer loading times, however, and this feature can't be turned off via any menus. So look in unrealtournament.ini for the section called [D3DDrv.D3DRenderDevice]. Change the line that says: UsePrecache=True to: UsePrecache=False Coronas ------- You may also want to turn off the light coronas if they are annoying you (this is the glare from torches and lamps which sometimes blinds you a bit in some maps). Try changing: Coronas=True to: Coronas=False in the same section as the precaching if you don't want the coronas enabled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3.3 BOTPACK.INT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This file will not appear in your System folder until you open unrealed.exe and type 'dump botpack.int' into the console window at the bottom. Press Return and the file should appear - open it in NotePad or WordPad to play with it. Don't change things in here that look important: you can change the text descriptions and pickup messages and so on to customise your HUD and the interface messages. Killing sprees, multi-kills, weapon and ammo descriptions, bot descriptions, etc. are all easily changeable. I won't give you examples because it's pretty clear, and you'll want to pick and choose what bits you customise and what bits you leave alone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 <------------------------------> | 4. CHAMPIONSHIP LADDER | <------------------------------> 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: This section is meant to guide you through each compulsory map in the ladder, all the way through to the 1 v 1 match with Xan Kriegor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4.1 DEATH MATCH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please play the DM Tutorial map to learn about the basics of Death Match. To win a DM round, you simply have to be the first to score a given number of kills. Each kill will get you one point, whereas killing yourself will make you lose a point. Death Match is the worst game type for people who are less good at the actual combat than they are at other aspects of the game, since you have no choice in DM but to fight. It's not like LMS where you can just hide and let everyone else get on with it. The most frustrating thing about DM is that the weapons disappear when picked up, only respawning about thirty seconds later. The best way to win DM is therefore to get and keep your favourite weapon(s), while doing your best to control the powerups in the map. If there is a belt in the map, make sure you have it and no-one else does - likewise for every other powerup which can give one player an advantage over the others. DM maps, in case you haven't noticed, are often built to accommodate a circuit of powerups, and the good players know where these are and what areas of the map to hang around in so that they can pick them up when they appear. Some online players even use item timers which tell them how long they will have to wait until certain powerups will reappear. This is how critical the powerups and armour are in DM. Learn each map intimately if you want to win. You need to know the locations of every weapon (sometimes your favourites just aren't there when you need them) and every powerup in the map, otherwise your enemies will end up controlling you. You should also know of all the hazards, unless you like dropping off ledges into pools of slime, or accidentally dodging into oblivion, or running into booby traps. Choosing the correct weapon for each map and / or area is important too. Don't just run around with a flak cannon all the time - it won't help you in a wide open area against an enemy with a sniper rifle in the distance. Don't throw slime down in front of yourself in tight corridors; don't try shooting shockcombos in an area that's too small to allow them, etc. Conserving your ammo is also important - try to vary your chosen weapons if you can so that you always have alternatives available to you. Since the aim of DM is to kill, you won't win maps by avoiding combat. Camping or sniping can sometimes be useful, but not always. Don't just hide in a dark corner and hope people come to you - you have to go looking for them, because while you're waiting they're all running around scoring points off each other. Go and pick some fights - yes, you might die, but you also might score another precious point. T/L is disabled in the DM ladder, so you're going to have to use hammer-jumps to reach certain places instead. This isn't CTF or AS, so take all the ammo and all the weapons, whether you need them or not. Health packs should be treated similarly - if you have full health, walk up to a wall and alt-hammer yourself in the face. You will lose a little health and you can then pick up the health pack to replenish it; meanwhile your opponents are down one health pack. If all else fails for you in DM, pick up an R/L and a lot of ammo and just run around firing bunches of rockets at anything that moves. It's quite amazing how often this works - to hell with conserving ammo. Death Match Guides ------------------ I've arranged each map guide into sub-sections: --- PRACTISE NAME: This is the name under which the map appears when you load it into a practise session. Epic's Description: This is the map blurb which appears in the game's ladder. My Description: Some quick notes about what the map is like to play. FRAG LIMIT: The number of kills you must achieve to win. OPPONENTS: The number of opponent bots you will be playing against. BEST WEAPON: My opinion of which weapon is best for the map (from among the weapons found in the map). POWERUPS / ARMOUR: The locations of all the powerups found in the map. CONTROLLING THE MAP: The main guide section. Some general hints and tips about how you might want to approach the map. MISCELLANEOUS: Some incidental details and silly things about the map, just for fun. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @--------------@ 4.1.1 OBLIVION @--------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DM-OBLIVION The ITV Oblivion is one of Liandri's armored transport ships. It transports new contestants via hyperspace jump from the Initiation Chambers to their first events on Earth. Little do most fighters know, however, that the ship itself is a battle arena. --- This is a tiny 1v1 map, based in a ship which looks like it's flying through a wormhole. FRAG LIMIT: 10 OPPONENTS: 1 BEST WEAPON: Rocket-launcher POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- N/A CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- You're given shock, rockets and flak in this map, but in such small corridors and tight corners you can actually end up doing more damage to yourself than your opponent if you use the splash damage weapons. Run around the map picking up the health packs whenever you're injured and try to grab the weapons and ammo as soon as they spawn to prevent Blake from getting any of them. It's especially important to control the shock rifle because, apart from the enforcer, its the only instant-hit weapon available and if Blake can't get it he'll have a harder time hitting you. In a similar vein, when you get very low on health make sure you swap to a weapon that isn't the shock rifle, so that if you do die Blake doesn't get one for free. The flak cannon is hidden in one of the boxes. The rocket ammo is on the opposite side of the map to the launcher. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- N/A ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @--------------@ 4.1.2 STALWART @--------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DM-STALWART Jerl Liandri purchased this old mechanic's garage as a possible tax dump for his fledgling company, Liandri Mining. Now, Liandri Corp. has converted it into a battle arena. While not very complex, it still manages to claim more lives than the slums of the city in which it lies. --- Schmattle arena. It's a garage. FRAG LIMIT: 10 OPPONENTS: 2 BEST WEAPON: Shock rifle POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Thigh Pads: In the middle of the main hallway. Body Armour: On top of a box in one of the box rooms. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- All the weapons are close together in this map. The shock rifle and ammo are found at the end of the middle hall with the pads, and the box rooms on either side of the shock rifle contain a flak cannon (hidden behind boxes), a pulse rifle and a rocket-launcher (on top of the boxes beside the pulse gun). The rocket ammo is hidden in the box turned on its side. Try to hang around where the weapons are, and pick up the vials when they're available. You can reach the armour with a hammer-jump to the top of the box, though you can save yourself some health if you alt-hammer on to the top of the little red drawers at the wall then just jump over to the armour. This map would be much more suitable for the run-around-while-loading-rockets strategy if only there were more opponents. As it is, try to stay in the more open areas and throw some shock-combos at anything that moves. Since the weapons are quite close together you know where the bots will be spending most of their time, so plan accordingly. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @-------------@ 4.1.3 FRACTAL @-------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DM-FRACTAL LMC public polls have found that the majority of Tournament viewers enjoy fights in 'Real Life' locations. This converted plasma reactor is one such venue. Fighters should take care, as the pulse energy beams will become accessible through the 'Fractal Portal' if any of the yellow LED triggers on the floor are shot. --- Another tight 1v1 map, with a fiendish trap in the floor. FRAG LIMIT: 15 OPPONENTS: 1 BEST WEAPON: Rocket-launcher COMPLETION OF THIS MAP WILL OPEN THE DOMINATION LADDER POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Shield-belt: In the middle of the floor trap. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- You have to keep moving in this map - there aren't any hiding places. There are enough rockets available for you to be continually loading and releasing rocket spreads and firing them vaguely in Luthienne's direction, which is my suggested approach to this map if you're not yet comfortable with the shock. This is another map where it's easy to prevent your opponent from picking up a weapon. Keep an eye on the belt, and be sure to shoot one of the yellow floor panels whenever you see Luthienne go for it. It's best to use shock or enforcer for this, as they hit instantly, unlike the rockets. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- This level is made to seem like an infinite drop. Ghost up into the ceiling and through the hatch at the top before the level starts - you should keep going up and up endlessly, since there's an invisible teleporter just under the shield-belt. There is a weird bug with the trap. I caused Luthienne to fall through as she picked up the belt, and when she reappeared above me she was hanging still, just above the blue beams. She died eventually, but it was still odd. It is also possible to get through the trap without dying - you have to fall so you miss the beams, though you will die anyway from fall damage if you don't have the belt. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @-------------@ 4.1.4 TURBINE @-------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DM-TURBINE A decaying water-treatment facility that has been purchased for use in the Tourney, the Turbine Facility offers an extremely tight and fast arena for combatants which ensures that there is no running, and no hiding, from certain death. --- This is an annoyingly tight map full of ramps and corners and little alcoves. Choose your weapons carefully. FRAG LIMIT: 15 OPPONENTS: 4 BEST WEAPON: Rocket-launcher, pulse rifle POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Thigh Pads: On the bridge in the middle of the map. Body Armour: In the small tunnel above the chimney in the top of the map. Shield-belt: Hidden behind a metal panel in the wall around the corner from the lift with two pairs of vials at the bottom. Shoot the metal panel to open it. UDamage: In the low corner area with the flak cannon and the pipes in the wall. Hammer-jump onto the box to reach it. Invisibility: In the very top corner of the map, near the armour and minigun. Jump across the pillars and ceiling beams, or hammer-jump to reach it. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- This map can be difficult because it's so tight and there are too many combatants. You need to know where your favoured weapons are and find a decent camping spot. This level is also good for just running around constantly firing groups of rockets around blind corners, as long as you don't kill yourself. I prefer to pick up the shock and lots of ammo, then just camp at the top of the highest ramp, beside the minigun and the armour. Enough opponents come to the bottom of the ramp or run around in the hallway underneath it to make this a good place to rack up the kills. If you're a good enough sniper you can knock off quite a lot of enemies from the same spot. There's also health nearby and enough bots being attracted by the armour, minigun and Invisibility to keep up a good supply of cannon fodder for you. But the run-around-with-bunches-of-rockets approach can serve you really well here, too, though you can end up damaging yourself since the map is so tight. Try the secondary pulse beam if you're good enough with it. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- N/A ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @-----------@ 4.1.5 CODEX @-----------@ PRACTISE NAME: DM-CODEX The Codex of Wisdom was to be a fantastic resource for knowledge seeking beings all across the galaxy. It was to be the last place in known space where one could access rare books in their original printed form. However, when the construction crew accidentally tapped into a magma flow, the project was aborted and sold to Liandri at a bargain price for combat purposes. --- This is a bit calmer than Turbine, but with not quite as many powerups to help you out. FRAG LIMIT: 20 OPPONENTS: 3 BEST WEAPON: Shock rifle POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Body Armour: At the top of the double ramp near the shock rifle and minigun. Shield-belt: On the middle bridge. Invisibility: Hidden behind a secret wall next to the sniper rifle. Shoot the brown pillar to the right of the rifle to open the wall. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- The best way to win this map without putting much work in is to get the shock rifle, and preferably the belt, then find the armour and camp at the top of that ramp, firing shock-combos in the faces of anyone who approaches you. Don't spend too much time faffing about on the lifts or up at the top of the map - most of the action occurs in the middle levels near the belt bridge. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- There's a couple of secret rooms in this map: so secret you can't actually get into them. Use the ghost command to find them. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @--------------@ 4.1.6 PRESSURE @--------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DM-PRESSURE The booby trap is a time honored tradition and a favorite among Tournament viewers. Many Liandri mining facilities offer such 'interactive' hazards. --- This map is all gangways, lifts and pillars, and you can easily lose it if you spend too much time exploring. FRAG LIMIT: 20 OPPONENTS: 4 BEST WEAPON: Shock rifle POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health: In the water tunnel between the two pools up in the top of the map. Thigh Pads: On a single platform in the middle of the ceiling of the long pillar corridor. Jump across from the platform the lift takes you to. Body Armour: On top of a box in the box room. Shield-belt: In the pressure chamber. UDamage: In the pressure chamber. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- The keg just takes too long to get for my liking, so try not to run around the upper levels too much. The bots are almost always on the floor, scoring points off each other. The rooms are good for shock and rox, and the long hallways are conducive to sniping - in fact most bots will spawn in those pillared halls and so you can get quite a few kills by just spamming projectiles down them over and over. Make sure you keep taking the armour, and if you're going for the belt or UDamage make sure there are no bots nearby who might hit the white buttons on the outside of the chamber. Camping on top of the trap chamber with a shock rifle is a good idea, as there's loads of health up there and the area is popular with the bots. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- Catching someone in the pressure chamber does gain you a kill, though you will not receive any kill message on your HUD. There is a sniper rifle in this map, but I'll leave you to discover it for yourself. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @-------------@ 4.1.7 GRINDER @-------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DM-GRINDER A former Liandri smelting facility, this complex has proven to be one of the bloodiest arenas for tournament participants. Lovingly called the Heavy Metal Grinder, those who enter can expect nothing less than brutal seek and destroy action. --- This map is twisty hell and if, like me, you have no sense of direction you might quickly get lost, despite the fact it's not a big map. FRAG LIMIT: 20 OPPONENTS: 3 BEST WEAPON: Shock rifle, flak cannon, pulse rifle POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Thigh Pads: On the upper, curving ledge in the room with the boxes and the ripper. Body Armour: In the room down the hall from the lift. UDamage: Round the corner from the pulse rifle. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- I'd recommend grabbing the shock or flak and then finding the high area with the slime gun. This puts you near two health packs, as well as the armour (sort of) and UDamage, which should not be allowed to fall into enemy hands; and it puts you above everyone else so you don't get shots rained on your head. This is a very splash damage sort of arena because of the corners and ramps and pillars and low ceilings, so stick to the slime ramps and armour room as the most open, popular areas. You can either camp up there or wait for the UDamage to appear and go on a pulse beam rampage. There's plenty of health around, so control of the precious armour should be a priority. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- One of the most annoying things about this map is how often you respawn and immediately start to get shot. If you do get killed, be prepared to run like hell when you respawn. Enemy bots always seem to chase you if you run away from them here, so if you do get to safety, turn around and wait for the bot who will inevitably be following you to appear around the corner. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @-------------@ 4.1.8 GALLEON @-------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DM-GALLEON The indigenous people of Koos World are waterborne and find there to be no more fitting an arena than this ancient transport galleon. --- This level is one big, wooden pain in the backside. FRAG LIMIT: 25 OPPONENTS: 4 BEST WEAPON: Shock rifle POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health: On top of a platform under the sails. Body Armour: In the small room in the upper bow of the ship. Shield-belt: In the small, circular bath in the lower decks. UDamage: On top of the boxes in the middle of the lower decks. Invisibility: On the thin beams at the very back of the top deck. Jump Boots (4): One on the top deck, under the main mast; one on the middle deck, next to the vials; two on the lower deck, in the middle section. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- I know that most new players like the flak cannon, but it's in the bottom of the boat which can be hell to try to fight in, thanks to all the stuff in the way. The middle levels of the ship are almost as bad, and they don't have much in the way of decent weapons or powerups. I'd recommend concentrating your attention on the upper deck of the ship, outside. The rockets are up here and it's a great place to pull off some shock-combos, though you're going to have to constantly collect both these weapons because they can sometimes be difficult to come by. The keg and armour are nearby, and if you want to take a shortcut to either of the lower levels you can just fall, hopefully using the boots to get back up again. You can keep an eye on the UDamage from up top, too, and shooting from a high vantage point is always in your favour. Duck through one of the small doors to grab some health if you need it. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- Look for the mast on the top deck, with the boots at the bottom of it. Look up and shoot at the flaming torch above the boots. The high lift platform will come down and let you climb on, then it will take you up to the crow's nest where you can find the redeemer. Hit the lever on the mast to take the lift back down again. The boots are incredibly useful in this map as they provide you with escape options which bootless opponents don't have, as well as making it easier to reach the keg. Get them and keep them. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @-------------@ 4.1.9 TEMPEST @-------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DM-TEMPEST The Tempest Facility was built specifically for the Tournament. It was designed strictly for arena combat, with multi-layered areas and tiny hiding spots. It is a personal training arena of Xan Kriegor and sits high above the sprawling Reconstructed New York City. --- This map doesn't seem to me to have one main area where the bots can mostly be found. I usually end up running around the entire map about ten times before it ends, encountering enemies anywhere and everywhere. The powerups are very spaced out and so are the weapons. FRAG LIMIT: 25 OPPONENTS: 5 BEST WEAPON: Shock rifle POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Thigh Pads: In the tight corridor with the slime gun and shock ammo. Body Armour: In the corner room with the lift and the ripper. Shield-belt: On a high ledge in the dimly-lit room with the ramps going up the wall. UDamage: On a ceiling beam directly above the shock rifle. Jump Boots: In the alcove under the flak cannon and sniper rifle. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- There's not much to say here - you're just going to have run around like mad for quite a while, looking for your favourite weapon and trying to be lucky enough to be first to the belt and / or armour. The only half-decent camping spot is halfway up the ramp with the pulse gun on it. Sit here with shock-combos ready to be thrown down at the floor, since the bots will be coming through here a lot, trying to get the belt. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @----------------@ 4.1.10 BARRICADE @----------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DM-BARRICADE A mysterious and ancient alien castle that hovers above an electrical storm, Orion's Barricade makes for a delightfully dangerous arena of battle. --- Dangerous yes, delightful no. FRAG LIMIT: 25 OPPONENTS: 5 BEST WEAPON: Ragequit POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health: On a narrow ledge under an open arch in the lower level of the map. Body Armour (2): One on top of one of the high lift towers; another in a small alcove above the lift with two open sides, in the lower level of the map. Shield-belt: On top of one of the high lift towers. Invisibility: On a narrow ledge under an open arch in the lower level of the map. Jump Boots (3): One on the ramparts, next to the rocket-launcher; another next to the sniper rifle; another at the bottom of the stairs with the red carpet. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- I tend to grab the sniper rifle and a lot of ammo from the lift platform under the redeemer, then head around the ramparts at the R/L and boots and sit there sniping and firing rockets the whole time. The floor and lower levels of this map are horrible, far too twisty and turny and spammy. The bots often ignore the armour, so go looking for it every once in a while. Running around outside the castle walls is also good - you will often meet enemies and some flak-balls or shock-combos can score you a lot of kills. On the other hand, you may consider this area a poor option since any errant shot might cause your enemies to fall off the edge - they will lose a point, rather than you gaining one. The main room with the red carpet is a good place to dump a redeemer missile. The easiest weapon to reach is the sniper rifle, since the bots don't often go for it. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- You can get from the top of one tower to the top of the other by backwards hammer-jumping across the gap. You can forward-dodge from the rampart boots to the roof above the pulse gun - stand on the edge and aim to land on one of the light brown sloped bits. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @--------------@ 4.1.11 LIANDRI @--------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DM-LIANDRI A textbook Liandri ore processing facility located at Earth's Mohorovicic discontinuity roughly below Mexico. Phased ion shields hold back the intense heat and pressure characteristic of deep lithosphere mining. --- This is a classic DM map, my favourite along with Deck16 (which isn't in the ladder but is available for practise games). FRAG LIMIT: 30 OPPONENTS: 5 BEST WEAPON: Sniper rifle POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Body Armour: Next to the teleporter in the back of the flak cannon corridors. Shield-belt: At the end of the upper bridge above the minigun. UDamage: At the end of the curving ledge set into the wall of the staircase which leads up to the sniper nest. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- If you're a good sniper you can do a lot of damage in this map. The sniper nest is not in the best position, to be honest, so try treating the rifle like an instagib gun and jump around knocking heads off. The map is good for any and all weapons though, especially the redeemer which is sitting on its own in one of the upper rooms. Underneath the bottom platform is a surprisingly prolific place from where to snipe or shock-combo at people, especially since there's a lot of health around here, and the reason is because this is one of the few places in this map where all the combatants are on the same level, making headshots and combat in general a lot easier. If you're going up the lift, turn around at the top and throw some grenades or slime down the shaft behind you to score some cheap kills. Try to use non- splash damage weapons while you're running up and down the ramps - it's too easy to kill yourself with badly-timed rockets or slime. This is one map where belt control makes a huge difference. Each time you pick up the belt make sure you glance at the clock so you can get back to the same spot 54 seconds later. You might also consider hammer-camping the teleporter by the belt, as bots will use it and you will score some cheap kills - just watch your back, though, as there is a spawn-point underneath the belt platform. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- You can side-dodge up the sloped support under the slime gun. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @---------------@ 4.1.12 CONVEYOR @---------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DM-CONVEYOR This refinery makes for a particularly well balanced arena. A multilevel central chamber keeps fighters on their toes while the nearby smelting tub keeps them toasty. --- This is another popular online map, with a very definite main area which sees most of the action. FRAG LIMIT: 30 OPPONENTS: 6 BEST WEAPON: Shock rifle, minigun, sniper rifle POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health: At the very far end of the map, between the top of the two sets of stairs behind the smelting pool. Thigh Pads: On a low middle platform next to the smelting pool. Body Armour: At the very top of the main room, on the fourth floor. Shield-belt: Under the ramp next to the shock rifle. UDamage: On a thin beam spanning the smelting pool. Jump Boots: At the bottom of the long ramp tunnel with the vials. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- That main area is at the diagonal conveyor belt, near the belt and boots, and if you're going to drop a redeemer round (the 'deemer is in the ceiling - walk up the conveyor ramp and follow the passage to the right) here is where to put it. If you're a sniper you might want to sit on one of the upper levels and get some z-axis headshots, watching for the armour to respawn. I'd suggest sticking with the minigun and sniper rifle if you can, and only try the shock in the tighter areas, or if you're a good insta player. The shock rifle spot above the belt is a great camping place which will score you a lot of kills. The pool end of the map is not a great place to score points - it's not as popular as the other end and there are not many weapons to be had. Head over there to look for the keg / pads / UDamage occasionally, but otherwise try to stay where the action is. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- If you stand or feign death on the conveyor you will keep moving, but dropped weapons will stay still. You can escape from the bots completely by hammer-jumping up the boxes, onto the beams and into the glass roof of the room with the slime gun. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @-----------@ 4.1.13 PEAK @-----------@ PRACTISE NAME: DM-PEAK Originally built by the Nipi Monks in Nepal to escape moral degradation, this serene and beautiful place once called for meditation; until Liandri acquired it for perfect tournament conditions. --- I love the premise of this map, but it's so tight and condensed, and visibility is so low, that bots will always have an advantage, not having to factor in reaction time. A very tough map to win on higher difficulties. FRAG LIMIT: 30 OPPONENTS: 4 BEST WEAPON: Pulse rifle (seriously), flak cannon POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Thigh Pads: On one of the walkways surrounding the exterior of the map. Body Armour: In the room at the top of the map, reachable by going up both lifts. Shield-belt: On a thin beam spanning the pit in the corner room. UDamage: On the very top roof of the map. Invisibility: In one of the three small rooms in the outer courtyard. Jump Boots: On one of the walkways surrounding the exterior of the map. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- This map can be owned by one person with the pulse rifle and the UDamage. Flak is only slightly less good here, because you're just as likely to kill yourself as anyone else, although sitting at the top of the flak stairs and chucking flak-balls down is good, as this is a heavy bottleneck as well as a spawn-point. This map inevitably becomes a frantic rush to find opponents and kill them quickly, more so than most other maps. The weapons and ammo are spread all over the place, and the belt can be dangerous to go for, as it's in a popular, spammy area. Try not to dodge around on the precarious walkways, and in fact avoiding them altogether might be a good plan, owing to the regularity with which you can get shot into oblivion. One more camping spot is at the slime gun - it's amazing how long you can hide in the tiny room and fire goop out into the courtyard. You can also keep an eye on the keg from here. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- N/A ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4.2 DOMINATION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please play the DOM Tutorial map to learn about the basics of Domination. All you have to do to control a CP is touch it: the same goes for the enemy. Your team gains points while a CP is of your team colour, and so it follows that the more CP's you control, the more quickly you accrue points. This means that, in order to win, your team should always be controlling at least two of the three CP's in any level. This is not as easy as it sounds. If you are currently controlling no CP's, you are not gaining any points at all. DOM maps are basically DM maps but with Control Points. It's like playing Death Match, except now you control the map instead of the enemy. One might seem to incorporate the other, but you might get nowhere by treating DOM maps as simple DM. You can kill all the enemies you want and still lose by a huge margin. It's better to think of Control Points as immobile, vulnerable team- mates who must be protected from the enemy. Spawn-points in DOM are as randomised as they are in DM, and so neither you nor the enemy will ever know which CP you'll respawn nearest to. Because of this it's impossible to fully plan any sort of strategy for the single-player campaign, and it's also not necessarily helpful to treat a DOM match like a DM. True, you could rampage around beheading enemies, thinking that it can only be doing you good; but in fact your enemies could just respawn next to a CP on the other side of the map - a CP which they would otherwise not have reached again for a while. Base any tactics you have on control of the CP's, rather than control of the enemy. The only other tactic which seems to have a really bad effect in the DOM ladder is to get all your team-mates to Cover you. Letting them Freelance seems to be just as effective as Attacking or Defending the base, though I personally prefer the Hold Position command for DOM. My approach is to fly around the map in ghost mode before it starts, giving my team-mates orders to Hold Position on two or three of the CP's, leaving me free to run around all three CP's in support of my team. Whatever you do, your aim should be to have your team performing more efficiently than the opposition. Giving your team Hold Position commands can often give you the advantage, since the enemy bots won't Hold Position on any CP's. Many CP's are spammable, meaning that just one person can defend a CP alone for a long time. As your bots can't really be told to spam or camp, it's probably best if you camp by the most bottlenecked CP in the map, while your team-mates carry out orders to deal with the other two CP's. The Garage CP in Condemned, for example, can be defended solely by you for a long time, just by firing shock-combos up the ramp every time you spot an approaching enemy. This leaves the rest of your team to outnumber the freelancing opposition, which should give you an advantage over at least one of the other two CP's - preferably the Roof. This is true of most of the DOM maps - find an easily defensible CP and keep it for yourself, letting your team-mates take care of the others through Hold Position commands. Another, similar strategy is to put Hold Position bots on the two least popular CP's in the map and then just freelance on your own. Since the opposition bots will not employ similar tactics, their forces will always split up to cover all three CP's, giving them a numerical disadvantage (on average) against your team on two of the CP's. Upon dying, your team-mates will get to one of their two given CP's more quickly than the enemy, since they have been told to ignore the third one. Add in your own contribution across all three CP's and the other team will often struggle to overcome this approach. DOM is the best game type for the translocator. The bots will use their T/L's occasionally, but yours can be used to provide you with continual control over the entire map. You can convert two CP's in quick succession, no matter how far away they are. In Sesmar, for example, go to the bridge on the roof and dump your T/L by the pulse rifle, making sure that the Ankh CP below is currently under your control. Run over the bridge to the opposite Ankh CP and take control of it. Stay there defending it until the first CP gets taken, at which point you can just activate your T/L and convert it straight back. It's not infallible, but it's something the enemy bots won't do. This method will let you control two CP's by yourself, as long as you're a good enough shooter to keep them safe, and if you are good enough you can allocate the entire rest of your team to that third CP, which will give them a huge advantage. Sesmar is a particularly good map for this tactic, especially if you know how to launch your T/L (see section 2.4.12). I've given each level my recommended tactics - try them out and see if they work for you. I also put in the scores I got when I play-tested the maps on Masterful (and one or two on Inhuman), using my given tactics, just to give you some idea of their effectiveness. DOM maps are littered with hidden powerups. Try to collect them without wasting too much time. Learn each map and the quickest way to travel between all three CP's. Learn also the spots where the enemy bots will camp to defend their controlled CP's - it's much easier to get rid of camping enemies if you know exactly where they'll be. There will never be a better opportunity to score T/L kills - practise throwing your T/L into enemies' faces in tight corridors. If you're good enough with it, your T/L can become a very useful weapon in DOM. It's also your quickest mode of travel between CP's - make sure you have a bind for it while playing DOM. Domination Guides ----------------- I've arranged each map guide into sub-sections: --- PRACTISE NAME: This is the name under which the map appears when you load it into a practise session. Epic's Description: This is the map blurb which appears in the game's ladder. My Description: Some quick notes about what the map is like to play. TEAMS: The number of players in each team. SCORE LIMIT: The number of points your team must score in order to win. POWERUPS / ARMOUR: The locations of all the powerups found in the map. RECOMMENDED CP / BOT COMMANDS: My suggestions on how to order your bot teammates around the map; and my best score using these tactics. CONTROLLING THE MAP: The main guide section. Some general hints and tips about how you might want to approach the map. MISCELLANEOUS: Some incidental details and silly things about the map, just for fun. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @---------------@ 4.2.1 CONDEMNED @---------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DOM-CONDEMNED The many gang-related fights that ravaged this particular area have already proven this section of the city slums to be a bloody battle ground. The Liandri organizers are expecting this to be the case once again, only this time, as a tournament domination arena. --- This little map is great for long practise sessions. It gets you quickly used to chucking your T/L around and also figuring out the quickest ways to reach the CP's from the spawn-points. The combat is constant and hectic, especially on the ground level. TEAMS: 3v3 SCORE LIMIT: 100 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health: In a room behind a broken window above the Garage CP. Shield-belt: On top of the box next to the Arturo's CP. Jump Boots: At the top of the ramp leading up from the Garage CP. RECOMMENDED CP / BOT COMMANDS ----------------------------- You - Garage All bots - Freelance Masterful test: 100 / 47 CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- Two of the CP's - Arturo's and Garage - are on opposite sides of the condemned building: the third CP - Roof - is up on the roof. The Roof CP is the most open, but it's also possibly the least popular with the enemy. The other good CP to take is Garage - crouch in the corner behind the CP and fire shock- combos up the ramp to control this one on your own for ages. Or you can T/L up to the ledge above the CP and spam it with combos, slime or rockets, though this will leave you vulnerable to enemy fire coming from the roof. Arturo's is the hardest CP to def, so I'd suggest that this be the one you leave to the enemy if you want to take only two of the CP's. Be sure not to leave them the belt, though. This map is so small that the best tactic may be putting everyone on Freelance or Search And Destroy, while you sit at the Garage alone. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- Try T/Ling all the way up to the big billboard on top of the skyscraper. Don't just watch the two normal approaches when deffing the Roof CP - the bots like to use their T/L's to get up there too. If you are on the roof and you want to jump over the edge and down to one of the lower CP's but you are wearing boots and don't want to waste a jump, you can dodge up the sloped roof of the stairwell to get over the ledge on one side, and up the small sloped fans on the other side. Or use a walk-jump. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @--------------@ 4.2.2 GHARDHEN @--------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DOM-GHARDHEN A newly constructed explosion testing facility, Ghardhen Labs houses two blast chambers. Unfortunately, one of the silent investors was a Liandri location scout, and Ghardhen fell to Liandri. --- This map is usually short bursts of action, followed by long stretches of nothing, mostly because of the spawn-points and the annoyingly long corridors you have to run down to get back to the action. TEAMS: 4v4 SCORE LIMIT: 100 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health: On a beam in the ceiling of the spawn-room with the flak cannon. UDamage: On a beam in the ceiling of the spawn-room with the rocket-launcher. Jump Boots: Next to the Bottom CP. RECOMMENDED CP / BOT COMMANDS ----------------------------- You - Top 2 bots - Bottom 1 bot - Center Masterful test: 100 / 59 CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- If you don't mind camping get up to the Top CP with a shock rifle or an R/L. It's not popular and it has only two realistic approaches, both of which can be shock-spammed. By you. Alternatively, dump your T/L up top and drop down to fight for the other two CP's - the Top CP will not often get converted, so T/L back up to reclaim it when it does, then just drop down again to help your team. Neither of the other two CP's is easy to defend, as the Bottom one has four approaches and the Center one has five. Rather than camp at either one, try running up and down the ramps constantly touching each one in turn. If you get killed just start again. This is the best DOM map in which to use the translocator lift exploit. Dump your T/L under the big lift leading up to the Top CP, then get up there and watch the other lift. The enemy will be unable to get up the big lift, and the only way they can get to the Top CP is by killing you at the other lift, or by respawning behind you. Keep an eye on your T/L module in case it gets shot out. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- The boots are nearly useless unless you're willing to boot-hammer-jump to the Top CP - then again, you always have your translocator, so the boots lose much of their value. There's a flak cannon and some ammo on the beams above the Bottom CP, if you prefer flak to shock. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @-------------@ 4.2.3 CRYPTIC @-------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DOM-CRYPTIC One of the few 'manufactured' Tournament arenas, this ancient-seeming ruin was built by the legendary Tournament Master Kilbragh as a personal training facility. After his death, the property reverted to Liandri, who now makes full use of it. --- You seem to spend a lot of time running around corridors in this level, and the teleporters and curling hallways are confusing as hell. COMPLETION OF THIS MAP WILL OPEN THE CAPTURE THE FLAG LADDER TEAMS: 4v4 SCORE LIMIT: 100 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Thigh Pads: On a platform above the Gargoyle CP. Body Armour: In the teleporter room next to the DaemonHead CP Shield-belt: On a platform above the Gargoyle CP. RECOMMENDED CP / BOT COMMANDS ----------------------------- You - DaemonHead / Gargoyle 2 bots - Iron Star 1 bot - Gargoyle Masterful test: 100 / 48 CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- If there is a dead-end CP in this map, it's the Gargoyle. Luckily there is a teleporter which connects it and the DaemonHead, so I'd recommend you camp around DaemonHead on your own, using the teleporter whenever Gargoyle gets taken. Leave your T/L at DaemonHead while you duck through the tele to hit Gargoyle (pick up the belt and pads if they're there), then just T/L back again. The tele is one-way so enemies can't follow you, and the armour and shock are right next to DaemonHead, making this the best place for you. The Iron Star is the most popular CP (probably) and it's also the most exposed, so leave two of your bots here to deal with all the bother, while you hide around the corner. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- You can throw your T/L up above the exit teleporter and activate it to land on an invisible ledge. Of course, you will be telefragged if you sit there for too long, but it's still worth knowing. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @------------@ 4.2.4 CINDER @------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DOM-CINDER After dozens of broken legs and incinerated employees, the Cinder Foundry was finally shut down and placed upon the auction block, where it was promptly snatched up by a savvy Liandri location scout. --- This one is popular online because it's small and fast-paced, with no horribly out of the way CP's and plenty of powerups. TEAMS: 4v4 SCORE LIMIT: 125 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health: Tucked into a corner of the ceiling of the room underneath the Top CP. Thigh Pads: On a ledge behind the Top CP. Body Armour (2): One on a box in the ramp room beside the Nook CP; another in the upper room with the sniper rifle. Shield-belt: On a beam above the Lava CP. UDamage: On a beam above the Top CP. RECOMMENDED CP / BOT COMMANDS ----------------------------- You - Lava / Nook 2 bots - Top 1 bot - Nook Masterful test: 125 / 56 CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- This is a good map for freelancers, but my advice would be to camp at the Lava CP, just next to the shock rifle. This is a popular area because of the spawn-point down the hall, and the belt is right next to you, in the ceiling. You will have plenty of shock ammo and you can run round to grab the armour by the Nook every once in a while, hitting Nook on the way past if you need to. Stick around the Lava CP and just send shock-combos down the room, towards the stairs where most of your enemies will be coming from. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- There's a small bug in this map, which happens when a bot tries to throw its translocator up to the Top CP from next to the Nook CP. The T/L will often fail to make it to the little staircase. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @--------------@ 4.2.5 GEARBOLT @--------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DOM-GEARBOLT New peace treaties by the NEG have resulted in many abandoned military facilities. Gearbolt was once an underground storage base for military weapons and inventory. --- All the CP's are up high, so try not to run around on the lower levels too much. Use your T/L a lot for this one. TEAMS: 4v4 SCORE LIMIT: 125 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Thigh Pads: In the lower spawn-room. Body Armour: In the alcove behind the pool of green slime. Shield-belt: Next to the Lift CP. RECOMMENDED CP / BOT COMMANDS ----------------------------- You - Lift / Bridge 2 bots - Ramp 1 bot - Bridge Masterful test: 125 / 72 CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- Get to the Lift, pick up the belt and stay there with shock and rockets for the entire round. One person can easily hold this CP for the entire level - stand next to the corner with the lift in it and keep your eyes open for bots below you. It's also easy to dump your T/L here and quickly run around to the Bridge every so often to keep that one on side. There is health in the dark area underneath the Lift CP. The Ramp is the most popular CP, so stick two bots there - don't try to def it yourself, because it's a pain. This is a good area to chuck a redeemer round into. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @---------------@ 4.2.6 LEADWORKS @---------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DOM-LEADWORKS An old leadworks on the wrong side of the tracks is excellent place for a war. You can expect molten lead still pooled in some areas of this facility. Step lightly if you plan on being effective. --- This map has two great CP's for camping at, and many telefragging opportunities. Oh, and plan on being effective. TEAMS: 5v5 SCORE LIMIT: 150 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health: Behind the high metal grate in the wall of the spawn-room with the flak cannon and pulse rifle. Body Armour: In the back corner of the Storage CP room. Shoot at the metal panel to open it. Shield-belt: Behind the high metal grate in the wall of the spawn-room with the rocket-launcher and minigun. UDamage: Behind the high metal grate in the main room next to the Storage CP. Invisibility: On the hanging platform in the main room next to the Storage CP. RECOMMENDED CP / BOT COMMANDS ----------------------------- You - Bridge / Tower 2 bots - Storage 1 bot - Tower 1 bot - Bridge Masterful test: 150 / 79 CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- I recommend you either camp at the Bridge or camp at the Tower. The Storage CP is not only popular, it has a lava hazard surrounding it and pillars which make defending it very hard. It's also very difficult to see your enemies coming from either tunnel, so let your bots handle the dirty work while you take it easy at one of the other CP's. The Bridge is good for camping up high with a sniper rifle or shock, though you can't fully watch both tunnels at the same time. There is lava around here too, but the area is a bit calmer than the Storage CP. The Tower is a big dome surrounded by yet another lava moat, and it's my preferred CP to def on my own. If you stand against one of the stanchions outside the dome you can just about see both entrances into the area at the same time, and you will be able to intercept invaders before they reach the CP in the centre. There is health and a minigun (plus ammo) at the CP, which makes this the best weapon to def this CP with. If you have a sniper rifle you can knock the heads off enemies as soon as they appear through either door. When travelling between CP's, the T/L is the best weapon for taking out enemies in the narrow corridors. Or try a flak on constant primary fire around the corners. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @-----------@ 4.2.7 OLDEN @-----------@ PRACTISE NAME: DOM-OLDEN This ancient temple was sacred to the race that built it, but not to Liandri. Upon discovering it nestled in the mountains above the Eternal Cave, desecrated it for battle. --- Despite the prettiness of this map, it's not quite as great as I used to think. It's a T/L junkie's dream, but I'm not one of them, and 5v5 is maybe too many for a map of this size. TEAMS: 5v5 SCORE LIMIT: 150 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health: On an upper ledge near the Middle CP. Body Armour: In a bottom corner of the room underneath the Top CP. Shield-belt: Hidden beside the two faces on the wall at the end of the long walkway above the Low CP. Shoot at the other pair of faces (above the Middle CP) with spread rockets, then shoot the first pair of faces to open the secret panel to the right. RECOMMENDED CP / BOT COMMANDS ----------------------------- You - Middle / Top 2 bots - Low 1 bot - Middle 1 bot - Top Masterful test: 150 / 96 Inhuman test: 150 / 85 CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- The Middle CP is the best for camping - crouch against the back wall and shock-combo anything in blue. The other two CP's are a little too open, especially the Top one which the enemy likes T/Ling up to from below. I'd recommend hanging around the Middle CP with your favourite weapon, and keeping an eye on the Top one nearby. My cycle is: T/L up to the high platform from the Middle CP, turn around and throw my T/L back down to the Middle CP platform, run along and grab the keg, hit the Top CP, drop down to the armour in the corner by the water, then finally reactivate my T/L again to go back to deffing the Middle. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- There is an underground tunnel connecting both large pools of water. There are five vials in a secret pit in the green water under the Middle CP. The holes in the ceiling can be translocated through to sit on the roof for no reason. Step back into the hole and hit an invisible teleporter. The T/L bug in DOM-Cinder appears here, too. The bots often fail to throw their translocators up to the Middle CP from the green pool underneath. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @------------@ 4.2.8 SESMAR @------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DOM-SESMAR Despite worldwide protests, this historical landmark is now owned by Liandri. Jerl Liandri, President Liandri Mining Corporation: 'We owe it to the people to ensure quality cultural events. We won't settle for less.' --- This is a very translocator-ish map, with lots of corners you never even need to see. TEAMS: 5v5 SCORE LIMIT: 175 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health: In the middle of the top bridge. Shield-belt: On a small ledge halfway up the obelisk next to the hole above the Hall Of Pillars CP. UDamage: Hidden in a pillar near the Hall Of Pillars CP. Walk from the CP to the pulse rifle nearby, and from the rifle walk to the back wall. Turn around and look at the top of the pillar to your left. RECOMMENDED CP / BOT COMMANDS ----------------------------- You - Freelance 2 bots - Blue Ankh 2 bots - Red Ankh Masterful test: 175 / 80 Inhuman test: 175 / 99 CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- This map is easy in single-player, especially if you stay out of the way of the enemy. Stick 2 bots on each of the Ankh CP's, while you T/L back and forward across the top bridge, picking up the shock and pulse ammo, and the keg when it appears. If the Hall Of Pillars CP gets taken, dump your T/L on the bridge and drop down to grab the CP, then activate the T/L again to get back to safety. If your Ankh guards are taking their time returning to their posts, drop your T/L up at the windows and drop onto the Ankhs from above, then T/L back up again. Look at my test score to see how well this strategy works. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- The huge, coloured obelisks outside, above each Ankh CP, should allow you to tell the difference between the Red and Blue Ankhs. There's a rare but annoying bug in this map. It happens when a bot tries to throw its T/L up through one of the windows above either Ankh CP, and activates it just as another bot is trying to drop down through the same window. The bots can get stuck together and they won't move until they are shot apart. This is fine if it happens to the enemy, because you'll have two fewer active opponents, but it can happen to your team-mates too. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @----------------@ 4.2.9 METALDREAM @----------------@ PRACTISE NAME: DOM-METALDREAM This oil rig has been converted into a Domination Arena. It is located near strange meteorological phenomenon in the northern reaches of Kryllia. Use the architecture to dominate your opponents. --- I always thought this was one of the best and most original maps in the entire game, and it's surely the most impressive DOM map. CTF-November is the only other map that comes close to this one. TEAMS: 5v5 SCORE LIMIT: 200 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health: On top of the huge crane at the Crane CP. Body Armour: In an alcove around the corner from the Helipad CP. Shield-belt (2): One next to the ripper in the main spawn-room; another on top of a box next to the Helipad CP. UDamage: On the helipad above the Helipad CP. Invisibility: Through the teleporter. Jump Boots (2): One in an alcove around the corner from the Helipad CP; another next to the flak cannon in the main spawn-room. RECOMMENDED CP / BOT COMMANDS ----------------------------- You - Boxes 2 bots - Helipad 2 bots - Crane Masterful test: 200 / 117 Inhuman test: 200 / 100 CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- My favourite camping spot is on the roof of the walls overlooking the Boxes CP - I just snipe anyone who comes near it and use my T/L to get down and back up quickly if it gets taken. This might not work for you if you can't snipe, but I'd still suggest that the Boxes is the best place for you, with your four team-mates taking the other two, more popular CP's. The Boxes is more of a camp-and-snipe CP, since the nearest weapon is the not-very-close minigun. Alternatively, you could try the Helipad CP, just because it's surrounded by health and powerups. You are more prone to getting shot off the edge though, and this CP is very popular indeed at times. It's also simple enough to use the T/L / lift exploit in this map, especially if you're defending the Boxes CP. Most of the attacks on the Boxes area come from the nearby lift, so if you've dumped your T/L underneath it the opposition are going to have problems. Try to spend as little time as possible indoors - use your T/L to get the hell out of there quickly and back to the CP's. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- If you get shot off the edge, try to land in the water (or oil?) just next to the metal floor, so that you don't splat and die when you land. There are two elevators which can take you back up from the bottom of the map if you fall, and the big brown box will lift you directly up to the Crane CP. Jump upwards off the moving lift at the Helipad CP to land on the belt box. Use your T/L to get from the redeemer to the UDamage platform. Apart from all of that, just dumping your T/L somewhere on the big roof areas can save you a lot of hassle and act as a safety net against getting shot off the edge. Try falling off the high tower without dying. It's possible to do it without using your T/L, without landing in the water, and with no powerups or health bonuses (though I lost 89 health when I managed it, so maybe it's not that worthwhile). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4.3 CAPTURE THE FLAG ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please play the CTF Tutorial map to learn about the basics of Capture The Flag. Whenever you play a team match in the ladder you are automatically put on the red team, though this only really has an effect on CTF and AS. The red and blue bases are asymmetrical in many of the CTF maps; and the red team always attacks first in AS. Each walkthrough is written from a red team point of view. Every CTF map has a default score limit of 3. Attack ------ You can't grab the enemy flag until you know where it is, so, unless you plan on being a defender who never leaves his or her own base, you'd better know how you're getting into the enemy base and how you're getting out again. Luckily, most of the CTF maps are basically symmetrical (eg. Niven, Coret, Dreary) and so if you know the layout of your own base then you also know that of the enemy's. If you don't know a map yet, try spectating one of your own team-mates (F5) while he runs into the enemy base and attacks their flag. This will let you see the routes and where the enemy might be camping. Knowing all the ways in and out of the enemy base is obviously advantageous - it lets you plan your attack and escape routes, taking into account where the weapons, health and powerups are on the way. You also cannot always assume that your team-mates will still be alive by the time you reach the flag. You should be using any team-mates who are covering you as a buffer: send them in first and let them take the worst of the defensive fire. If you have grabbed the flag and are running back to your own base, with or without team-mates around you to help, the enemy bots will almost always robotically follow your exact route while you run, rather than trying to get ahead of you to cut off your escape. Any nearby enemies will immediately begin to head towards you when you touch their flag, excepting only bots who are actually carrying your own flag at the time. This means that using one route for attack and then a different one for escape can often lead to having all your enemies behind you, where you want them. This also means that you should be as prepared as possible before you grab that flag and trigger the opposition's attention - grab any nearby armour and get your health up. Similarly, trying to evade enemies while you grab their flag can often be better than simply killing them. If you kill four enemy guards and then grab the flag, the chances are you will have to kill most of those guards again on your way out, as they will have certainly spawned in front of you and, since they're computer-controlled, will know where you are and will be heading straight for you. Leaving them alive and out-distancing them while you escape (by dodging or hammer-jumping or any other evasive manoeuvre not open to them) can make life a lot easier for a lone attacker carrying the flag. You can order some or all of your bots to attack the base, but they don't exactly put much co-ordination into it. They just run in, get killed (usually), respawn and blindly run in again. This is not efficient and it's a waste of your bots. If you want your bots to be effective attackers you're going to have to help by going with them. Order your team-mates to cover you and take them to a point just outside the enemy base. Then give the order for them to attack at once, while you run in just behind them. They may all die, but they will make it so far into the base, leaving you to be the one who grabs the flag and bolts back to home. Bear in mind that your team-mates who died in the assault will have respawned and be attacking again, which is more good news for you as you're the one carrying the flag they're attacking - bots don't actually assault an enemy's base, they just try to pick up the flag, wherever it is. So even if your escort died during the attack, they'll get your back again as quickly as possible upon respawning. If one of your escorts actually managed to get all the way to the enemy flag and pick it up before you got there, stick with him all the way back to safety, as he would for you. Lingering outside the enemy base to make sure he isn't followed is a mistake, for three reasons: 1. Any enemies who respawned behind the flag carrier and are chasing him have virtually no hope at all of catching him before he scores, and so it doesn't matter if you stop them or not. Bots will never suicide for a better spawn. 2. There may well be enemies in your own base trying to get your flag, and your flag carrier probably doesn't want to run into them without help. 3. Your job as attacker is to get the enemy flag back to your own flag, whether it's being carried by you or someone else. Stick with the flag carrier and let your defenders deal with enemy attackers - that's their job. If one of your bot team-mates has the flag they will simply run back to base, even if the enemy currently has your flag. Don't do this if you are the flag carrier. Go to a place in your base where the chasing enemies will have trouble reaching you, and just wait until your own flag has been returned. Stay close to friendly defenders if you're hiding with the flag, and close to health and ammo too. Translocating to some out-of-reach place will, of course, cause you to drop the flag. If you are carrying the enemy flag while the enemy has yours, you can ensure that they don't retrieve their flag before yours is returned: the enemy will just home in on you and attack you until you die, but if you drop the enemy flag the enemy will head for it instead, which means you can drop it in a place inaccessible to them and camp somewhere nearby. The flag will be returned automatically after about twenty seconds, so keep picking it up and dropping it again every fifteen seconds or so to reset the counter. Drop it on some high beam in the ceiling of your base or something - a place the opposition can't get to. This will let you keep their flag without putting yourself in danger by actually carrying it. If you are heading back to base with the enemy flag and low health / ammo, and you meet a team-mate along the way who has a belt or a keg or basically a lot more health than you, try dropping the flag (T/L or feign death) and letting him pick it up. He may stand more chance of getting back to base without dying than you do, even though he'll be running in straight lines. Defense ------- This is a bit easier than attacking. All you and your defending team-mates have to do is block up the holes in your base, or just camp by the flag and wait for enemies to approach. CTF is a lot like football, except here you have to return to your own goal when you hit the opposition's. The fact is that if the enemy can't breach your defense they can't possibly win. Very few of the CTF maps have no bottlenecks, and so it's a good idea to concentrate at least some of your defense at these areas. If the enemy must come through a specific door to reach your flag, that door would be a very good place to put a guard (though Hold Position bots in CTF have big faults). Defending forward is generally better than sitting by your flag and waiting. Hanging around the middle / neutral area of any map gives you a much better overview of what's going on; it also allows you more time to respawn and catch invaders if you get killed than you would have if you were flag-camping; you can also act as an escort for any of your own attackers who successfully grabbed the enemy flag and are now looking for support on their way home. Plus it's just a lot less boring. As in chess, don't sit as far back as possible - take as much ground as you can, control the centre of the board. Try not to put your team-mates on Hold Position, because they won't chase enemies even if those enemies are taking the flag out of the base. Defend is a much better command, though less specific. Sniping is only applicable in certain levels, but it's often the best way to defend and it can also help your attackers at the same time. You can own some levels if you're a good enough sniper, and it's a skill well worth practising. Facing Worlds can be won by one sniper and one attacker - all the sniper has to do is sit up top and kill the enemies as soon as they spawn at either side of their base. Lava Giant is another easily defensible level if you're a good sniper. You can easily outpace all the computer bots just by dodging everywhere. The bots will only dodge in combat, not when they're simply moving. Dodging can get you way ahead of chasers in no time; likewise it can let you catch up with enemy FC's who are dumb enough to just run along straight, preset path-nodes. The FC's position will be given away by the glow of the coloured flag they are carrying (the same will apply to you when you are carrying the enemy flag, though this will have no effect on how easily the computer finds you). All you have to do to make him drop the flag is kill him; to return the flag just touch it. If you fail to kill an enemy by shooting him, but at the same time you manage to put him into a hazard, he may die anyway. Depending on the hazard in question, the flag will either be returned right away (eg. if the FC falls into oblivion) or will stay in the spot where the FC dropped it (eg. if the FC drowned in slime or water). If the flag is not retrieved by either you or the enemy, it will be returned to its home after about twenty seconds. If you're an attacker, and especially if you are carrying the enemy flag, try to let your defenders deal with the enemy FC. You can't do everything, and going looking for an enemy FC whose flag you are currently carrying is asking for trouble. If you are defending and the enemy FC has gotten past you, try getting ahead of him to cut him off at a bottleneck. A dumped T/L can do you a favour with getting in front of an FC, but this only works if you haven't been killed since you laid it. Misc ---- CTF maps often have plenty of powerups and armour. Know where these are to give yourself the edge. If you're an attacker, plan your routes around health and armour (or shortcuts); and if you're defending take any and all powerups either in your base or in the neutral zone before the enemies can. Another similarity with AS is in sharing ammo. Your team-mates will be respawning in your base all the time - it would be nice if they had enough ammo to be effective. Don't run around taking it all, especially if you're a defender. Use your T/L intelligently when attacking. Run into the enemy flag area, with or without team-mates, and throw down your translocator in some obscure corner as you pick up the flag. If you start taking heavy damage you have given yourself the option of translocating out of danger but towards the enemy flag - OK, you drop the flag when you use the translocator, but you were probably going to die anyway, which is the whole point. Now your team-mates might be able to pick up the flag you dropped: if they do they might score a point, if they don't it will be returned and you are right there to pick it up again. Speed-wise, you're always better taking it upon yourself to go for the enemy flag - your team-mates are pretty inept in terms of supporting one another and acting as a team, and they are also programmed to follow certain predictable paths. Bots defending can also have problems, such as all automatically following the enemy flag carrier until he's dead or he scores. This is not exactly brilliant defense, and it leaves big holes in your base for the next wave of attackers. You're going to have to carry your team quite a lot on your way up the CTF ladder. Your orders will affect how the computer bots are arranged - if you put all your team-mates on defense then the computer will send more attackers, and vice versa. This is good if you're a sole attacker, since the computer will keep emptying its own base, though it will never leave it totally undefended. I strongly recommend putting the majority of your bots on attack, even if you yourself are also attacking. This cuts down the enemy incursions into your own base and provides you with maximum support while you carry the enemy flag back home. A dropped flag can only be moved by picking it up, either to return it or to resume carrying it, depending on which team it belongs to. It cannot be moved by shooting at it or by things exploding around it. It will move up and down with a lift if it is dropped there, and it can of course be dropped from a high point to a lower one. It can only be launched while in a state of being carried (eg. by the launchee, or by being flung from the body of a flag carrier who died from an explosion). If dropped in water it will sink to the bottom, but if dropped in a hazard (eg. instantly fatal lava, oblivion) it will be immediately returned. On the subject of launches, while hammer- and rocket-launching are both considered illegal in online CTF, there's nothing stopping you from abusing them in single-player games. Take every opportunity to launch your team-mates in order to gain an advantage, particularly if you are backing up a flag carrying team-mate on his way back to your base. A well-placed rocket-launch in Facing Worlds or Lava Giant, for example, can be the difference between a capture and just another failed incursion into enemy territory. Capture The Flag Guides ----------------------- I've arranged each map guide into sub-sections: --- PRACTISE NAME: This is the name under which the map appears when you load it into a practise session. Epic's Description: This is the map blurb which appears in the game's ladder. My Description: Some quick notes about what the map is like to play. TEAMS: The number of players in each team. POWERUPS / ARMOUR: The locations of all the powerups found in the map. ATTACK: My suggestions on the best ways to attack the enemy base. DEFENSE: My suggestions on the best ways to defend your own base. MISCELLANEOUS: Some incidental details and silly things about the map, just for fun. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @-----------@ 4.3.1 NIVEN @-----------@ PRACTISE NAME: CTF-NIVEN An experimental orbital nuclear reactor, abandoned after funding for the project dried up. High radiation levels and waste leakage offer an environmental challenge for Tournament combatants. --- This is the first map after the tutorial. It's small and symmetrical, and designed to get you used to identical bases and controlling the neutral zone. TEAMS: 2v2 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Thigh Pads: Under the ramp outside the blue base. Body Armour: Under the ramp outside the red base. ATTACK ------ You're going to have to work your way along the enemy corridor until you reach the flag, then run all the way back out again. Combat in this hallway is difficult, with the walls and floor both working against you. Use shock-combos to clear out any blind corners ahead of you, or rockets / grenades if you have them. Be sure to pick up the shock ammo to make things tougher for the enemy. Your enemies will virtually always come along the high corridor above your double door, so try going up the ramp or through the water to avoid them. ALWAYS pick up both the armour and the pads under the ramps - don't let the enemy have them. Once you have the flag and are out of the blue base, just run like hell, preferably up the ramp. You can then turn around and throw down some grenades or slime to cover your escape. Swimming through the middle of the NZ is pretty fast too, but you are vulnerable for the couple of brief seconds you're in the water. DEFENSE ------- This is one where flag-camping is a bad idea. There's a blind corner right there and enemies will often fire at you before you even realise they're there. Camping outside your double door is far more effective, as you're right next to your armour and you can replenish your shock ammo just by ducking back inside. The best spot from where to defend the flag is one of the windows in the curving corridor. Throw your T/L onto the window ledge and crouch here with a shock rifle, watching the doors. If the enemy flag carrier does get away from you, translocate like hell through the water to catch up. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- You only have one team-mate in this level and your skill level will almost certainly be higher than his. Telling him to Hold Position just outside your doors is much better than telling him to simply Defend - he will likely just flag-camp and the blues will take him out easily. Hold Position is dangerous though, because if the enemy FC does get past his position, he won't bother to chase them, which is just great. Send him to attack and you might have more luck if you're happy to defend, though it may also take far longer. If he does manage to pick up the flag, translocate up to the high corridor and get his back, since this is the way he'll be using for his escape. The shock rifle and the minigun are the best weapons in this map, since they're the only ones you can't damage yourself with (unless you fire a shockball into someone at point blank range). Those base corridors are hell for anyone using splash or spam weapons, as are all the other weapons in this level. Use the shock or mini for your attacks and for chasing enemy FC's. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @-------------------@ 4.3.2 FACING WORLDS @-------------------@ PRACTISE NAME: CTF-FACE This ancient asteroid has been converted to an Arena for the Tournament. It is highly dangerous due to aberrant gravitational properties and, of course, the snipers from the other team. --- For some reason Face is THE legendary online classic CTF map, probably because it's simple but effective. It's another symmetrical map, this time with a large outdoor neutral zone which is pretty easy to fall off, especially if you're running backwards at the time. TEAMS: 4v4 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health: In the very centre of the map. Body Armour (2): One on the roof of each base. UDamage (2): One in the ceiling above the entrance to each base. ATTACK ------ It's simply a case of running over the hill and into the enemy base to grab the flag. There's not much variation here - it's more down to how good you are at fighting than how clever you can be. You can use your translocator to slowly climb up the outside of the enemy base and then attack the flag through one of their teleporters; but this takes time and you can be vulnerable to respawning enemies below. Likewise you can make your escape through the teleporters, picking up the armour and ammo on your way out, but you're going to have to fall off the tower at some point to reach the ground, so you'd better be able to afford the health loss. This is one level where wave after wave of attackers can really do good damage, even if they aren't co-ordinated. As an attacker you're always within sight of your own base and your respawning team-mates will never be too far away. If you order your team to Hold Position halfway down the hill towards the enemy base, and then you run in and grab the flag on your own, your team- mates provide a very useful barrier for you to run through and for your chasing enemies to run up against. This also works if you escape via one of the teleporters - you can actually leap into the crowd of your team-mates and die, dropping the flag. One of them will pick it up and head for home, while you respawn and back him up. In Face, it's also worth remembering the advantages of a rocket-launch. If one of your team-mates is carrying the flag homewards and you're running behind him, try firing some rockets at his feet to give him a boost. Try not to send him off the edge, however. Here's a very effective way of scoring points in Face, at least versus the computer: 1. Pick up your base's redeemer, go to the roof, grab the armour and hammer- launch your T/L from the roof teleporter ramp to one of the teleporter ledges on the front of the blue base. 2. Go through the teleporter and grab their flag, go through their roof teleporter, stand on the sniper rifle, right on the edge of the roof, and turn to face the blue roof teleporter, shoot the redeemer into the floor at the top of the teleporter ramp, die. 3. If you were facing directly away from your own base, the blue flag should go flying through the air and land right next to the keg's spawn-point in the middle of the NZ, from where your nearest team-mate can pick it up for an easy capture. By the way, this also works if you rocket-launch yourself from the same spot on the roof - be wearing the armour so that you die not when you release the rockets, but when you splat just beside the keg. DEFENSE ------- If you're not a sniper, there are two excellent places to defend from. One is just outside your base entrance, running back inside for health and ammo when you need it. The other is at one of the enemy spawn-points. They will respawn with only a pistol, giving you an easy time of it firing shock-combos at them. It's lame but it works wonders. Flag-camping isn't a great idea here - it's too hard to see enemies coming for it. Hang around outside the base for better recon. If you are a sniper, get up to the roof and camp at the armour. Your ammo will last a long time and you can control the whole map from here. If you're good enough your enemies will never get out of their spawn areas, and your team- mates can saunter in and out with little trouble. This position also lets you spend a long time trying to take down any intrepid enemy flag carriers, though you're admittedly in no position to return the flag yourself if they drop it. You can reach the ground easily by tossing your T/L off the roof. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- You might wonder why the ripper is at the spawn area. Sniper rifles are great but when it comes to knocking an enemy off a cliff you can't beat a secondary- fire ripper blade. These same blades are also useful for launching flag carrying team-mates more quickly back to base. This is one of two CTF maps perfect for T/L-launching. You can get decent results from anywhere around your base, so experiment all you please. See section 2.4.12 for more info on T/L-launches. There's a few invisible ledges you might land on if you fall off the edge - try experimenting, though not in the middle of a match. These can be useful places to put a safety-net T/L for when you need to quickly reach the centre of the map. There are virtual staircases of ledges on the sides of both the towers - use them if you're escaping via the roof. You can take the flag from the roof of the enemy base to the ground without losing health or bothering to jump from ledge to ledge. Grab the flag, take it through the top teleporter, and throw your T/L down to the ground far below. Jump or dodge off the edge with the flag, but activate your T/L as soon as your feet leave the floor. You will reappear on the ground and the flag will be falling down after you. Learn how to run backwards without looking. Or use behindview when you're trying to escape with the flag so you can see the edge without having to turn around (though this will make it almost impossible for you to hit the chasers). ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @------------------@ 4.3.3 ETERNAL CAVE @------------------@ PRACTISE NAME: CTF-ETERNALCAVE Ruins belonging to an unknown race, acquired by Liandri Corporation's Xenobiology Division for research and excavation. Deemed a 'valuable and entertaining venue' by the Tournament Board after 17 XD archeologists fell to their deaths. --- This is one of my favourites in the CTF ladder. The neutral zone is mostly symmetrical but the bases aren't, and as the red team you have the harder base to defend. COMPLETION OF THIS MAP WILL OPEN THE ASSAULT LADDER TEAMS: 4v4 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Thigh Pads (2): One in the spawn-room of each base. Shield-belt: In a corner of the upper level of the neutral zone. ATTACK ------ You have two possible routes here, and both of them are popular. The lower route gives you more space to move, as well as rocket launchers and some shock ammo; but the upper route holds the minigun and the belt. I'd recommend the lower, but that's just me. Exiting the NZ via the lower route can be tricky, as the blues tend to camp just to the right of the exit, where you can't see them. The next thing you know someone has shot a rocket at your feet and you're flying into the lava far below. Far better to fire your own rockets at the ground just outside the exit, then cackle as the blue camper either blows up or plummets lavawards. They will also camp on top of the other door and just behind and below the two torches at the top end of the flag bridge. Keep your eyes open when you're in the blue base, because one false move will get you killed. If you know the area well enough, try throwing your T/L all the way down to the flag without even poking your head out. If it lands OK you get to grab the flag then hustle all the way back up the bridge. Combining a T/L throw with a backwards hammer- jump from the flag to the cliff edge can save you much time and hassle, but only do this if you have a full belt on you. Again, I'd recommend lower for your escape route because of the health, and also because the upper floor is a spawn-point for both teams. Having friendly defenders Holding Position in the lower area can be a lot of help, as usual. DEFENSE ------- Well, this is one map where flag-camping is actually a good thing. You have a big area in which to wait, and two exits from the NZ to watch. They'll be coming around the mountain when they come, or they'll be translocating over to your flag from the cliff just in front of it. They also enjoy hammer- jumping back across when they do have the flag, which is unusual to see from the bots. Note that if a bot grabs the flag but doesn't attempt to hammer-jump back across the gap, he's probably low on health. I'd recommend hanging around beside the ripper, just on the outskirts of the NZ. This will let you intercept enemies from either exit before they reach the flag, plus if you get killed you should be able to catch them up from respawn regardless of where the computer puts you. Don't bother camping above the lower door - they know you're there before you know they are. Or something. Sitting at the back beside the slime is another option, though it's hard to keep an eye on the pit as well as both sides of the mountain. Plus you have not much room for shock-combos if they do approach from the sides. On the other hand they'll have a tough time grabbing your flag if you keep the ground around it nice and green. Defending in the NZ is tougher because you can't plug both routes at once, but you should at least make sure the belt is never there for your enemies to pick up. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- For a really stylish cap, try running up the side of the red mountain while carrying the blue flag. Run up as far as you can, then use two backwards hammer-jumps to reach the top. Fall onto the red flag from above, and hopefully die just as you score the point. There are a couple of bugs around the red base. Stand right at the back, looking forward at your flag under the mountain. Now walk up one of the slopes facing you on either side of the base of the mountain until you can't get any higher - if you've done it right you will suddenly be shot away to the side at high speed and land in the lava. Don't blame me, I didn't make this game. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @-----------@ 4.3.4 CORET @-----------@ PRACTISE NAME: CTF-CORET Built into a mountaintop on the Coret moon, this facility was once the waypoint between the Interstellar zonegate in orbit over the moon and the Zeto Research Station located half the moon away in the frozen wastes. --- Another symmetrical map, all corridors and hallways. Even the neutral zone is a tight squeeze. This is one of my least favourites. TEAMS: 4v4 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Thigh Pads (2): In opposite lower corners of the neutral zone. Body Armour (2): Behind the partition at the end of the upper corridor in each base. UDamage: In the upper room in the middle of the neutral zone. ATTACK ------ I suggest grabbing the thigh pads in the NZ and then attacking through the left, upper route into the enemy base, as this will take you past the vials and armour. You also won't have to go through that door, behind which anyone could be lurking. Once you have the flag run out via the lower route, which will take you past more pads and lots of health. Use the door you avoided earlier, since this way leads to more health packs and possibly the UDamage. The thigh pads you picked up on your way in may also have respawned in the NZ. When you reach the flag-room there will probably be a camper above the flag, by the shock. Don't try to kill him, just run away down the lower route and leave him behind. Clearing out that long lower corridor is easy enough if you can do straight shock-combos or rocket spreads, and by the time you reach the NZ you should have a clear run to your own flag. DEFENSE ------- The NZ in Coret is difficult to defend, as it's very hard to see your enemies coming. There are pads and health nearby, but not a lot of ammo or weapons. I'd suggest defending above your flag, opposite the shock rifle. This way will let you see enemies attacking the high corridor pretty early, as well as allowing you to jump down and chase anyone who sneaked in through the low way. You could also try camping above the glass floor in the upper corridor - this gives you a heads-up on any attackers, as well as keeping you right next to the armour. Another good place to camp is in the middle hallway, at the top of the sideways ramp next to the door. You can spot all the blues attacking high and some of them attacking low; you can also hear the door opening just down to your left, which will tell you when someone's just gone through it. The armour and rocket ammo are close by, and the health can be easily picked up from the low route to the left just by using your T/L. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- The flak cannon is hiding near each flag, behind the dark pillars in the low room. The sniper rifle is also hidden - look in the ceiling above the rippers and the thigh pads at both corners of the NZ. You can drop past those jump-pads by holding your movement keys while you fall. You can jump up the little wall by the thigh pads while carrying the flag - just look straight down at the ground and do a ripper-jump up the wall. You can only just make the jump across from ledge to ledge, above your flag. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @------------------@ 4.3.5 THE GAUNTLET @------------------@ PRACTISE NAME: CTF-GAUNTLET Not all environments are retrofitted Liandri real estate. The Gauntlet is one of a small number of highly stylized combat arenas specifically designed for the Tournament. This particular venue has been customized for team-play. --- This map always seems to be frantic, with bodies everywhere and constantly successful raids on both flags. It's mostly asymmetrical apart from the flag rooms. TEAMS: 4v4 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Thigh Pads (2): One in one of the lower corridors in the neutral zone; another just outside the red flag-room. Body Armour (2): One in each flag-room. Shield-belt: In the low lava room in the middle of the neutral zone. ATTACK ------ However you choose to reach the enemy flag-room I'd recommend you leave via the teleporter in the back. The bots will not camp the teleporter exit point, and you're free to drop down to the belt and run home to safety. Try not to get roped into a fight in the enemy flag-room - the pillars and ramps make it harder for you than for the blues. Just get in and get out quick. Try to steer clear of the blue spawn-room near your base on your way home with the flag. DEFENSE ------- The bots have to get through that tiny door to your flag-room. Spam it to hell with slime, shock-combos, rockets, the works. Your bots will generally hang around your flag-room door if told to Defend, which is good because here is where most of the action will be. Make sure you keep taking that belt, whether you're defending or attacking, and take the red armour too. If the enemy flag carrier retreats via the upper corridor, try sniping him down from behind instead of chasing him all the way back - you have quite a long time to take him down with the rifle if you get to it quickly enough. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- That redeemer can clear out a packed enemy flag-room for you if you guide it using secondary fire and then run in straight after the explosion. If you plant some of your bots in Hold Position mode at the point where the blue teleporter exits, you get a nice escort force waiting for you when you come through with the flag, though you'll have to then instruct them to Attack or Cover to get them to follow you. The two stone pillars in the blue flag-room have false walls you can try to hide in. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @------------@ 4.3.6 DREARY @------------@ PRACTISE NAME: CTF-DREARY The distant wastemarsh of Vandaron 3 is said to be the wettest place in the galaxy. A post dreaded by soldiers due to its remote location, cramped quarters, and maddening echo of ever beating rain. --- It's not exactly everyone's favourite level but I love this one. No-one much likes playing a spam map online, but it's different and a lot more fun in single-player mode. TEAMS: 5v5 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Thigh Pads: In the top room of the red base. Body Armour (2): One in the floor of each half of the neutral zone. Shield-belt: In the top room of the neutral zone. UDamage: In the top room of the blue base. ATTACK ------ Attackers in this map are awaited by the worst flag-rooms ever, and I include November in that. If you're going in there it's as well to make sure it's cleared out first, which can be done by standing at the bottom of the ramp and firing a few shock-combos inside. You could also try running in while loading up some rockets, then just running for the flag while hurling the rockets at anyone who jumps you from the side. Sit by the flak cannon and spam that approach ramp to kill more guards, then just bolt out of there, preferably low so you can pick up the health and armour if you're lucky. You can actually get back up to the high route from the flag-room ramp - just jump at the vertical wall part of the ledge and you should land on an invisible part which will let you hop up to the shock rifle. This is risky, though, since respawning enemies tend to appear in the rooms under the lifts to either side of this upper area, and they'll come up the lifts after you. If you go low they'll still come up the lifts, which will put some distance between you and them. Another advantage to going low is that you can use the lift in the middle of the NZ to take you up the middle level again. Drop some grenades or slime behind you just as you walk onto the lift and you could take out two or three of the chasers who were dumb enough to follow you. The advantage of going high is that very few enemies come up here and so you might get a clear run. Plus the belt might be there, but that's a pretty big 'might'. If you go low but come up the lifts, be ready to fire a shock-combo into the upper rooms as you turn the corner - there is almost always someone in here. Try firing a few spread rockets into the flag-room from the upper ledge before you drop - this sometimes flushes lurking campers out and gives you a proper shot. This is a fantastic level for cover-your-back shots - just run through every hallway chucking grenades off facing walls and letting them bounce behind you, into the path of the chasers. DEFENSE ------- If ever there was a flag-room made to be defended it's this one. You can't really go wrong spamming that narrow ramp, plus you have all the flak ammo you'll ever need right there. If this bores you the only other place I can suggest is camping by the low armour with a shock rifle in your hand. Hopefully you can take down any blues who come through any of the entrances to this area, though you will take quite a bit of damage. The armour rooms are extremely busy throughout this level, and I recommend you post at least one of your team-mate defenders somewhere in here. Sniping along the high route and down at the lower levels can do you a favour too, as long as you're good enough and your team-mates don't grab the ammo first. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- Don't spend too much time looking out the windows and feeling sorry for yourself - there's a match on here. Rockets own this level. Running around releasing batch after batch of rockets into blind corners is half the fun, and it will definitely come in handy when attacking the enemy base. Don't even bother looking - just send six rockets into every upcoming corner. Don't put all your team-mates on defense for this one on the higher difficulties - you have virtually no chance of getting in and out of the base on your own. This is one map where putting everyone on Attack, including yourself, is very beneficial. The blues can't put up with constant assaults on their flag, and an all-out blitzkrieg got me a time of 2:19 while writing this walkthrough. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @------------------@ 4.3.7 LAST COMMAND @------------------@ PRACTISE NAME: CTF-COMMAND The Last Command is a fully functional Nuclear Processing Station owned by the Liandri Corporation. This facility's system oriented layout makes an ideal proving grounds for Capture the Flag Tournament matches. High Tech voluminous industrial architecture paired with curving maintenance corridors means fighting here will require quick reaction times if your team plans on surviving. --- This was the very first UT map I ever played online, and I got a kicking from a sniper with long, blonde hair who was defending the red base. I don't think I saw the red flag once. Anyway, this is another corridor-ish map with asymmetrical bases. The blue base is the harder to attack / defend, but the red base is definitely easier to bring the enemy flag back to. TEAMS: 4v4 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Body Armour (2): One in the lower 'plans' room of each base. Shield-belt: On a ledge in the ceiling of the red end of the neutral zone. UDamage (2): One in a pipe in the high wall of the red base; another in a pipe at the side of the lower blue base. Invisibility: In a pipe in the high wall of the red base. ATTACK ------ Other than just steaming into the blue base and grabbing the flag, here are some suggestions to make getting the flag and getting out again easier. Get to the bottom of that big ramp in the blue base and dump your T/L on the bottom (on the ramp, not the floor). You can hammer-launch your T/L from this spot right up to the flag - just be careful the module doesn't hit one of the light-fixtures on the way. Secondly, a far sneakier way, which I believe is banned on most CTF servers. I'm not a CTF player but I think it's called 'tubing'. Anyway, get to the red room with the armour in it and look at the ceiling. See those holes? You're going to throw your T/L up there at an angle which will let it land on the upper floor. It takes some practise but if you get it right you will translocate to a little blue room with health packs in it, which just so happens to lead directly to the flag at the far end of the pipe. From here tube your way into the blue spawn-room, then fire your T/L along the pipe to the blue flag. Activate it, grab the flag and then bolt back along the pipe, into the room you just came from. I'd always thought you can't get back down the floor holes without using your T/L, but now I've found out you can: stand facing the tubes and forward-dodge diagonally towards them, so that you bump against the thing in the ceiling just before you touch the floor again. Now, when you try to walk into the gap you should be able to squeeze through, whereas before you couldn't get through even by crouching. Just drop down one of the tubes and run home. As I said, tubing is probably banned in online CTF, but I don't know if escaping through those holes is illegal. DEFENSE ------- As your base is actually bigger and wider than the NZ, you're compelled to defend from around your own flag for once. The shock rifle is best for defending this place, even though it and the ammo are in the NZ, which is quite far away. There are plenty of rockets by your flag as well, and the health packs will keep you going forever. Try T/Ling up to one of the rafters in the ceiling and be ready to drop a shock-combo on the heads of any invaders. This, however, is as boring as the Dreary flag-room def, so try heading for your armour room and shooting into the NZ with a shock rifle. No-one can get past you from here, and you're right next to health, armour and the belt in the ceiling. If the flag carrier does evade you and is hurrying homewards, don't forget those holes in the ceiling. You can use them for last-ditch defense too - don't bother chasing the FC all the way through the blue base, just tube through the ceiling and be there waiting for him when he approaches his own flag. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- It's great fun sending encroaching blues into the slime using the ripper. If you pick up the UDamage en route to the blue base, your minigun will cleave through the blues with no problems. Combine the UDamage with a belt and you're a one-man flag capturing force. If you are going one-way tubing, remember to lay your T/L down in that little armour room before you go for the flag. Upon successful capture you can just activate your T/L again and maybe get another cap straight after your first. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @--------------------@ 4.3.8 THE LAVA GIANT @--------------------@ PRACTISE NAME: CTF-LAVAGIANT This volatile world has an extremely low orbit around a superdense gas giant. The resulting gravitational forces have caused the planetary mantle to collapse. Combatants are issued special gravbelts for each match. --- On higher difficulty levels, this and Dreary are by far the hardest maps to attack. TEAMS: 5v5 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health: On a hidden platform under the high side route which leads past the rocket-launcher. Thigh Pads: In the middle of the neutral zone, in the brick corridor which leads past the redeemer stepping stones. Body Armour (2): One in each base. Shield-belt: Under an arch in the very centre of the map. UDamage: In the middle of the neutral zone, on a hidden platform under the high side route which leads past the rocket-launcher. Jump Boots (2): One in each base. ATTACK ------ Attackers are always going to have problems in such a snipey level, and so it's best to find a route which lets you avoid the snipers altogether. The best I have come up with is this: 1. Grab the armour and boots, then jump up to the roof of your base. Drop your T/L on the very tip of the roof, then crouch behind / under it and hammer- launch it from here to the top of the big rock barrier which separates the two halves of the map. 2. Activate your T/L so you appear up top, then hammer-launch your T/L from here so that you can see it land on the bridge in the blue base, or on the pointed roof above the flag. 3. Activate your T/L again and appear in the blue base, grab the flag while you load a hammer-jump, then backwards hammer-jump out of the blue base, with the boots giving you extra height and distance. Try to use your boots' air control to swerve away to one side of the base, out of sight of the sniper nest windows. From here it's just a case of dropping to one of the lower routes and running home. See section 2.4.12 for more info on T/L-launches. Rocket-launches might also come in handy in this map, though it's difficult to aim your launches so that they send your running team-mates to a safe spot. Your escape should ideally keep you as much out of sight of enemy snipers as possible, so plan it properly and stick to it every time. However you attack on higher difficulties, this map will always be disgustingly unfair, with insane sniping from the enemy guards. Sneaking into their base and shooting their snipers with rockets is often the best way to secure your own escape, but don't be surprised if you get hit by four simultaneous headshots by bots who shouldn't even have been able to see you coming. This map highlights how overpowered the UT sniper rifle is - LavaGiant is hardly ever played online. The same redeemer trick I detailed with for Face can work here, though it's much harder to get it right. If you grab the blue flag and then fire a redeemer missile at a forty five degree angle to the floor of the blue bridge, you can sometimes send the blue flag soaring way over the middle rock face to land on the high path behind the belt, in your half of the NZ. That's if you get the angle exactly right: get it wrong and it can end up in lava, on the roof of the blue base, or down at the slime gun in front of the red base - it just depends on your own precision. DEFENSE ------- Again like Face, this is sniper heaven. There is no approach to your base that can't be spotted by a sniper sitting on the roof, and almost all of the blues will be coming along the upper right path, running in straight lines. You could also drop to the big area in front of the base and just minigun people, but really you should be sniping if you're at all good at it. Sniping is even the best way to back up your flag carrier, since it will take you a long time to reach him on foot. If by some chance the blue attackers keep managing to get in and out of your base with the flag, you can lay down a trap for them by hammer-launching your T/L into their base and leaving it there as a contingency plan. Launch your T/L from your base to the middle cliff, then onto the roof of the blue base, then just drop back down and return to your own base (there are wall bugs in the cliff faces that will catch you as you fall). This lets you defend around your flag, and also allows you to translocate straight over to the enemy's base if their FC manages to evade you and is about to make a capture. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- This map is perfect for T/L launches, though you'll have to hope the thing lands somewhere other than in the lava. A side-on shock-combo or hammer strike into the back of your T/L can let you get from your base to the centre of the map almost instantly. See section 2.4.12 for more info on T/L launches. You don't have to run through the gap in the front of the red flag cage - you can dodge or jump through the upper gaps in either side of the cage, above the two stone beams. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @----------------------@ 4.3.9 NOVEMBER SUB PEN @----------------------@ PRACTISE NAME: CTF-NOVEMBER Battle around a retired November class nuclear submarine docked in an underground pen. This relic, left from the First Cold War, still includes machinegun nests and defensive positions key to victory. --- In my opinion, this is the quintessential CTF map. It's got everything, including more tubing. TEAMS: 5v5 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health (2): One in the back room with the boxes in the red base; another in the upper room with the boxes in the blue base. Thigh Pads (2): One beside the left staircase of the red base; another on top of a box inside the entrance to the blue base. Body Armour (2): One hidden in a box in the box room of the red base; another in a box in the upper box room in the blue base. Shield-belt (2): One in the sniper nest at the entrance to the red base; another in an alcove above the boxes inside the entrance to the blue base. UDamage: On the very top of the submarine. ATTACK ------ The easiest and quickest way to pick up the blue flag is by sending your T/L up the huge pipe in the ceiling at the entrance to their base. Throw it up to its highest point, then activate it just before it begins to fall. Throw it upwards immediately again while you're in the air, and then reactivate it when it reaches the upper floor. You will probably lose some health but there are health packs up there. It's possible to hammer-launch your T/L up there too, but you probably won't have time for this in a match. You can also get into the blue base by throwing your T/L through the window of their sniper nest, though this is dangerous as there is usually a sniper there. Or you could just steam up the long staircase, picking up the pads and belt on the way. When you reach the flag-room have a long range weapon ready, as there might well be a defender camping on top of the boxes opposite the flag. Pick up the keg and armour if you have time, preferably before you pick up the flag, as touching the blue flag will trigger the immediate attention of all the blue defenders, as usual. The best way to escape is definitely via that big pipe in the roof, and you can drop down there without losing any health. Practise the following method before you try it in a match, so that you can do it all at once: Approach the pipe from above, standing at the hole so that the green warhead against the wall is on your right. The hole is octagonal, and one of the eight sides has a wall bug in it which will catch you as you fall. Face the hole straight on, as if the back wall is the twelve o'clock position; then move right so that you are standing above the half past four side. The side opposite is the one with the bug, and to use it you have to jump down the hole from the half past four side - and then push against the buggy wall so that your face is scraping down it as you fall. It should catch you halfway down and let you fall to the bottom with no health loss, though it doesn't always work. However you escape from the blue base, you will find yourself under this hole in the ceiling at some point. You could go all the way round the sub via the ramps, or you could take your chances in the water; but I recommend you have your hammer-jump loaded when you reach the water's edge, so that you can just jump backwards over the water and the sub, landing safely on the red side of the water. This is, of course, much easier if you picked up the belt, armour or keg while inside the blue base. DEFENSE ------- Surprisingly, this is another level where red snipers can have quite a lot of success. Try T/Ling up to one of the rafters above the red pool and use the rifle to keep the blues' hands off your flag. The base has bottlenecks at the top of the stairs, but you don't get much reaction time here. Better to sit just beside the minigun nest, taking the belt when it becomes available. The blue attackers will always have to pass you, which might be made more difficult for them if you use the handy shock rifle and ammo on them. Just keep out of the way of the blue sniper in the nest across the water. Defending in the NZ is tricky, since it's always very popular. It's not really a good place to camp, but if you can get the UDamage and a sniper rifle with a lot of ammo up onto one of those ceiling beams, you can have lots of fun picking the blues off from high above their heads. You can catch up on any escaped enemy FC's by using that ceiling pipe as a shortcut, and there will usually be at least one of your Defending team-mates hanging around the minigun nest at the entrance to your base. I would recommend attacking in this level, and leaving the majority of your bots to defend. Your team-mates will take AGES to get just one cap, whereas you have better methods of grabbing the flag. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- You can side-dodge up the sides of the sub to reach the upper level, though you have to find the right spots at the end nearest the blue ceiling pipe. This will let you get over the sub without using your hammer or T/L, which will be useful if you're carrying the flag and trying to make a getaway with not much health. The only ways out of the submarine pen water without using the T/L or hammer are at the sniper nest end of the pool. The other pipe in the red base holds one of only two R/L's in the level. There is a lot of sniper ammo under the long staircase in the blue base. The blue belt is on one of the ledges behind the nearby boxes. This map has a very obvious bug involving the bots' path-noding. The red bots are programmed to run up the blue stairs, grab the flag, and escape through the big pipe in the floor. This is fine if they have armour, but they often don't, so they either splat and die or they get mopped up by the two or three blue bots who always seem to hang or spawn around that area. If you're wondering why your team is constantly grabbing the blue flag but failing to bring it home, this is why. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4.4 ASSAULT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please play the AS Tutorial map to learn about the basics of Assault. Whenever you play a team match in the ladder you are automatically put on the red team, though this only really has an effect on CTF and AS. The red and blue bases are asymmetrical in many of the CTF maps; and the red team always attacks first in AS. Each walkthrough is written from a red team point of view. Attack ------ You begin each AS map in a localised spawn area, ready to attack the first objective. This usually involves hitting a button or destroying a door or something. Removing this objective will usually allow you to proceed to the next one, and so on until your team ends up attacking the final objective to complete the round. Your attack time is then made the default for the second round, in which you and the opposition swap sides and you must defend the base against their attacks until the given time runs out. If the opposition takes down the base in a faster time than yours, they win; if they fail, you win. It's therefore crucial to attack the base as quickly as possible, so that you won't have to defend for too long in the second round. And it will of course be helpful to know everything about the map you're playing in and how to get to each objective in as fast a time as you can. When you order your team-mates to attack, they will always follow given paths to the next required objective. This should not be your personal strategy - you should be using every trick you know to get past those defenders and hit that button or whatever. You don't have a translocator in AS, but you do have the hammer with which you can perform hammer-jumps. These will allow you to reach places your team-mates can't and that your enemies won't think to defend. Hammer-jumps are critical in AS, especially online. Another important facet of AS is the tactical suicide - both for attack and defense. The bots won't suicide, but you can use it to exploit the generation of new spawn-points which are created once certain objectives are completed. It saves time and lets you jump far ahead of the opposition in terms of completing the level. The only map in the single-player ladder in which suicide is useful is Overlord, and then only on attack - I've mentioned this in the Overlord section. The order in which you complete objectives is often not as important as the game makes it sound. You can very often skip certain objectives altogether if you know how, and sometimes you can even head straight for the final objective while the defenders are still hanging around the first one. The bots always attack / defend the next objective in the preset list, which you don't have to do. Some objectives are not essential for completing the map, though they may offer you alternate routes or shortcuts if you do take the time to get them. Defense ------- As in CTF, defending an AS base is often easier than attacking it, so long as you control all the worst bottlenecks. This is not very true of online play, as experienced players know all the bottlenecks and all the shortcuts past them; but it's very true of the single-player maps, as the bots will always follow the preset paths through the bases, allowing you to plan your defense with ease. Defending a map in the AS ladder really couldn't be too much easier. If you know where the enemy is coming from and where they'll be going, you merely have to post sentries all along their route and make sure none of them make it. Overlord, for example, is just one long linear hike, and you and your team should be able to defend for the full ten minutes. Sharing ammo is important in AS defense, and very much so online. Your team will have limited weapons and ammo around each section of each base, and you'd better make sure you don't take it all and leave your team-mates with whatever's in their weapons. The enemy bots will always attack the next objective - they won't skip any. This should let you know exactly what they're doing and where they're going. Learning when to suicide is probably more important in def than in attack. If you spawn in section A and then the attackers manage to open Section B, you can either run like hell trying to catch them up before they hit Section C unchallenged, or you can suicide and be waiting for them by the time they're halfway through Section B. Mostly, telling your bots just to Defend is the best way to go. Spawn-points are often changing, and so Hold Position commands immediately become a bad idea. Your bots will know where to defend, though unfortunately they won't suicide, so trust them to be where they should be at each objective, and just concentrate on your own whereabouts. You can actually force your team-mates to suicide by knocking them into lava or whatever, but this is only true in levels where there are plenty of hazards to put them into, such as HiSpeed. Defend far forward - don't just all camp at the objective. You can sometimes have two or three lives for the price of one of your enemy's lives if you sit as far forward as you can. HiSpeed is a good example of this - you can have three or four chances at taking down the same attacker if you first meet him nearer the back of the train. Misc ---- Assault often comes down to where and how far from the action the spawn-points are. When attacking Overlord, for example, it is often very advantageous to get all your team-mates to Hold Position halfway down the first tunnel, once you have taken the Beach-Head. The enemy will be grouped in the Boiler Room below, and they can easily kill off your team-mates if they're attacking one by one. Try grouping them all together and sending them in at once with a mass Attack command. They will probably all die, but they will provide a distraction while you run in and hammer-jump to the objective. Just bear your command menu in mind and think about how to breach certain objectives that are giving you difficulty. Enemies often spawn from a very small spawn area, and you can stop them early if you know where they'll be coming from. Sitting outside an enemy spawn area and killing them as they emerge can do your team big favours, both on attack and defense. This is called 'spawn-killing' online, it's illegal, or at least frowned upon, and there are 'spawn protection' mods in effect to combat it. The bots won't complain though - they'll just keep coming. There are in-depth descriptions of each objective and what you must do to complete them available by pressing F3, but I've just denoted each obj and trigger point by its HUD display, which can be viewed with F1. I've tried to separate the level guides by their objectives, but sometimes this isn't easy to do. The same tactics can often be used to attack or defend several objectives at once - HiSpeed, for example - and so I'll leave these areas to your own judgment. I've included quite a lot of tricks in the AS section, but I don't want to take credit for the majority of them. Unless I specifically mention that I invented a particular trick or tip, assume that I either saw someone else do it or was told about it by someone else. Thanks go to the community of UTAssault for years of education in Assault - almost all of my AS knowledge comes from having played countless rounds in matches, friendlies and pubs with them. If I could remember all the names of every player who ever showed me an AS trick, I'd mention them here. Speaking of tricks, see section 2.5.6 for information on ripper-shots. These can come in useful in certain maps which include the ripper and destructible objectives. Finally, I've included my fastest completion times with each map. These were achieved by playing practise rounds with no bots and seeing how quickly I could negotiate each level, skipping as many objectives as possible. Try beating these times if you want - it's just a bit of fun. Assault Guides -------------- I've arranged each map guide into sub-sections: --- PRACTISE NAME: This is the name under which the map appears when you load it into a practise session. Epic's Description: This is the map blurb which appears in the game's ladder. My Description: Just some quick notes about what the map is like to play. TIME LIMIT: The default maximum amount of time allocated to a round. TEAMS: The number of players in each team. MY BEST TIME: My best attack time in a practise session with no bots. POWERUPS / ARMOUR: The locations of all the powerups found in the map. ATTACK: My suggestions on the best ways to attack the map. DEFENSE: My suggestions on the best ways to defend the map. MISCELLANEOUS: Some incidental details and silly things about the map, just for fun. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @-------------@ 4.4.1 FRIGATE @-------------@ PRACTISE NAME: AS-FRIGATE A somewhat antiquated Earth warship, the restored SS Victory is still seaworthy. A dual security system prevents intruders from activating the guns by only allowing crew members to open the control room portal. However, should the aft boiler be damaged beyond repair the door will auto-release, allowing access to anyone. --- This is one of the least linear maps in the AS ladder, and there are tons of little tricks you can use on attack. This was the first map I ever saw anyone do a hammer-jump in. TIME LIMIT: 6:00 TEAMS: 4v4 MY BEST TIME: 0:15 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health: Under the stairs beside the Hyraulic Compressor. Thigh Pads: Under the stairs in the upper room of the ship. Body Armour (2): One at the bottom end of the attackers' spawn area; another in one of the lower rooms of the ship. Shield-belt: In the lower stern of the ship. ATTACK ------ Objective 1: The Ship Spawning in the building, there are various routes you can take to reach The Ship. The most obvious is by running along the wooden gangway to the front door of the ship, under the minigun turret, though this is the one that the defense will be expecting you at. Reaching The Ship door will cause the defenders to move closer to the Compressor, which will make destroying it a bit harder. Your bots will take a while to get through the door, so use this time to sneak onto the ship in other ways. There is a hole in the underside of the ship which you can sneak through by jumping into the water and swimming. Objective 2: The Hydraulic Compressor There are also plenty of spots from where to hammer-jump, the best being from the big wooden platform at the top of your spawn area. HJ backwards and land on the deck of the ship, and from here you can go through the door and drop straight down to the Compressor. This is easier if you just tell your team- mates to Hold Position in the spawn base, meaning they won't trigger The Ship objective and cause the opposition to fall back. If you have the ripper, it's also possible to shoot primary blades through one of the four tiny holes in the deck of the ship. Try standing beside the hole on the bottom right, the one nearest your spawn-point. Experiment with angles and keep firing blades down through the hole (hint: face the tree) - if you do it right they will ricochet around in the Compressor room and hit the objective. Experiment for yourself if you want - it's worth it, though. I used a ripper-shot to get the 15 second time, and there's a few other ripper-shots to take out the Compressor. You could also try sitting on the first level of the stairs and throwing grenades down into the corridor, bouncing them off the wall so they'll land near the Compressor. Anyway, however you choose to approach the Compressor, destroying it should not be hard. Once it's gone the upper doors will take a little time to open, and the defense will all head upstairs to defend the final objective. Objective 3: Missiles This is the hardest obj to complete, as the defense camp right next to it. Try firing a bunch of grouped rockets through the upper door from your spawn-point - this can often take out two or three campers. Rippers work, too - send a lot of them into that room from far away. You can try attacking through the interior of the ship, though this is more difficult than attacking from the roof. Find a spot from where you can hammer-jump up to the upper or lower roof - there are many such spots. The defense will all be upstairs, leaving most of the powerups free for the taking. Collect as many as you can on each attack to give yourself the edge. DEFENSE ------- Objective 1: The Ship Objective 2: The Hydraulic Compressor The attackers will all be coming along the exact same narrow route, just as in Guardia, the tutorial map, which should make it a stroll for you and your team-mates to wipe them out before they get anywhere near the door of the ship. If one of the attackers gets knocked into the water they will swim through the hole in the underside of the ship, so keep an eye on any who fall in and make sure you take the belt, as these sneaks will pick it up on their way in. If the attackers do breach the door they will all run along the main corridor of the ship towards the Compressor. Again, just take them out before they reach it. Objective 3: Missiles Your team-mates will pack the upstairs room if the Compressor goes, so you should be defending farther forward, preferably back down at the door. Keep taking all the nearby powerups and spam the door, helped by the minigun turret. The attackers all run mindlessly up the staircases of the ship, and there are quite a few camping points for a defender. If you want to defend the Missiles button, try camping at the top of the highest stairs, sending shockcombos down at any attackers who approach the bottom. You might also try arranging your bots in a staggered formation, rather than leaving them all freelancing at the back. Position yourself at the ship's lower door, with one bot in the main spawn-room, another at the thigh pads, and the last one at the Missiles. The lower two get to share the flak ammo (with one always collecting the pads), while the last man gets the shock ammo, meaning none of them will ever run out of firepower and be forced to defend with enforcers. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- The Compressor is easier to sneak to if you don't trigger The Ship first. There are many different ways through the ship - don't take the most obvious one. You can hammer-jump to the deck, ripper the Compressor through the hole and be up the stairs waiting for the door to hiss open before the defense have even reached their starting positions. Swim to the left side of the ship and keep jumping up against the metal hull from the water. You should land on an invisible ledge, as though you are standing on the surface of the water. Forwards hammer-jump from the ledge by releasing your fully loaded hammer-jump off the very bottom of the hull, just above the water - you should be able to jump all the way to the top and onto the deck. There is a similar invisible ledge on the other side, but using it leaves you much more exposed. You can reach the upper interior door from the very bottom of the ship's interior staircase - stand beside the pipes in the wall and hammer-jump straight up, moving sideways at the top of your jump. You need to hammer-jump twice to reach the top deck of the ship from the main deck, above the Compressor, which means you have to have more than 100 health. But my ripper-jump bind will let you reach the top deck with one ripper-jump and one hammer-jump, so you can do it without bothering to get any powerups. Ripper-jump up onto the door surround (jump at it from the side to reach the diagonal part), then load a full hammer-jump and fire it off the wall to get all the way up and over the railing. Note that this hardly EVER works, but never say never. See section 2.4.6 for the ripper-jump bind. You can get from the belt to the roof with two hammer-jumps. Grab the belt then HJ through the hole in the ceiling to land on the mounted guns. HJ backwards off the guns to reach the upper deck, from where you can ripper the Compressor (crouch on the railings, above the central post, make sure you are using centre-hand, fire through the 'top left' hole) and open the doors. If you're defending, try running into the attackers' spawn-point and grabbing the sniper rifle and plenty of ammo - the defense don't get their own rifle, but it can be a big help if you're a good sniper. It's possible to get onto the roof of the attackers' spawn building by yourself - I'll leave you to figure out how. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @----------------@ 4.4.2 HIGH SPEED @----------------@ PRACTISE NAME: AS-HISPEED Always looking to entertain the public, LC refitted this 200 mph high speed train for Tournament purposes. This time the combatants will have the added danger of being able to fall off a train. Get your popcorn out people and enjoy the show! --- This is one of those levels that is won or lost by the defense. Online, it either takes forever or it takes around 36 seconds, depending on where the defenders put themselves. TIME LIMIT: 7:00 TEAMS: 4v4 MY BEST TIME: 0:31 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health (2): One on a ledge between two pillars at the back of the train; another in the lower level of Car 2. Body Armour: In the lower level of Car 3. Shield-belt (2): One on the roof of the car with the slime pool; another in the lower level of Car 2. Jump Boots (4): Two on the floor of the second last train car; one in between Cars 3 and 2; another in between Cars 2 and 1. ATTACK ------ Objective 1: Car 3 Objective 2: Car 2 Objective 3: Car 1 The keg and belt up high will help you out if you collect the boots. The defenders will be waiting outside Car 3, down low. Use the boots to stick to the roofs of the carriage, and you can bypass every defender just by running along the roofs, shooting out the turrets and dodging over the gaps between the Cars. You will eventually reach Car 1 and the hatch in the roof. Stand on it to open it, drop through and hit the Control Cabin Access Switch, then drop down and quickly run under the turrets and through the door to hit the Control Cabin button. If you don't want to take this pathetically easy route, stay low when you're attacking. Going through the door of Car 3 will cause the defenders to fall back to Car 2. The Car 2 trigger will make them fill Car 1, and hitting the Access Switch in Car 1 will get them to defend the Control Cabin. It's really just a case of making your way through each Car and trying to trigger the door of the next one, picking up whatever powerups are available on the way. The defenders will spawn in the upper level of Car 3 until you trigger it - don't go upstairs when running through Car 3, unless you like having to shoot out two turrets. Upstairs in Car 2 is their next spawn-point, which will be triggered when you hit Car 3. They will spawn here until you hit Car 1, which will make going upstairs in Car 2 quite tricky. As you progress along the train, hitting each trigger, your team will gain spawn-points farther forward. You will still occasionally spawn in the chopper though, no matter how far ahead you get - just suicide if this happens. Objective 4: Control Cabin Access Switch When attacking Car 1 when it's full of enemies, it's as well to send one or more of your team-mates in first to draw fire, while you nip up the stairs and make a charge at the Switch. You can also try using the boots to run along the lower level and avoid the turrets, then just jump up onto the high ledge and run to the Switch. Objective 5: Control Cabin The Cabin is easy to clear out with a few grenades from up above - make sure there are no campers waiting for you when you go for it. DEFENSE ------- Objective 1: Car 1 Objective 2: Car 2 Objective 3: Car 3 You will spawn first in Car 3, so, run down and grab the armour, then just sit outside the Car with your team-mates, firing pulse rounds up the train at the oncoming attackers. You can def here for ages before the attackers breach the Car door, and this is the best place from which to defend throughout the level, no matter how far forward the attackers get. Let your team-mates fall back as the other Cars are breached - the attackers will always spawn in front of you, and you have armour and health in the Car behind you to sustain you for a long time. Objective 4: Control Cabin Access Switch Objective 5: Control Cabin If you do want to fall back, the upper level of Car 2 is another good spam point - take the belt and the keg from the lower level. Car 1 is virtually impenetrable for the computer attackers, but hang around with your team-mates and flak anyone who comes through the door. The attackers won't use the roof hatch, and they will all come through the lower door. They should never get near the Access Switch, but if they do manage to hit it make sure you defend farther forward than the rest of your team. Let them camp - you do the forward freelancing. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- Falling off the train is generally suicide, unless you get all the way to the front of the Car 1 roof and step off the windows onto the tracks. You will speed along in front of the train without dying, though there's not much point. Try shooting a shock-ball off the train and watch what happens to it. Weird. Is this train actually moving? Perform a backwards hammer-jump with boots off the roof of Car 2 to reach the hatch of Car 1. This will let you bypass the 'Attackers are on the roof!' message if you jump high enough, which is useful online but not really in single-player. You can also do this by boot-hammer-jumping from the low space between Cars 1 and 2 and swinging around, up the side of Car 1. You don't have to use the upper level of Car 2 to get through it. Crouch by the opening in the left wall of the lower level of the car, facing directly north (imagine the front end of the train is north), and move out onto the ledge, holding down your crouch button. Turn slightly to the left, so that you are now looking about twenty degrees 'west' of the end of the train. If you get the angle right, you will find that you can crawl along this narrow ledge without falling off, and reach the second opening on the other side of the boxes. There is a bug which will let a defender shoot a shock-ball at the doors of the Cabin, just as they open. It will lock them so that the attackers can't ever get in. This bug is an illegal exploit in the league, and I think either the LeagueAS mod or patch 436 removed it anyway. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @----------@ 4.4.3 ROOK @----------@ PRACTISE NAME: AS-ROOK This ancient castle, nestled in the highlands of Romania, was purchased by Xan Kriegor as a personal training ground for his opponents, hoping to cull the best of the best to challenge him. The attacking team must open the main gates and escape the castle by breaking free the main winch in the library and throwing the gatehouse lever, while the defending team must prevent their escape. --- Rook is probably the most popular of the single-player maps in the AS league, and it's launch-heaven for people who like launches. TIME LIMIT: 4:00 TEAMS: 4v4 MY BEST TIME: 0:29 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Thigh Pads: In the defenders' spawn-room. ATTACK ------ Objective 1: Library You will begin in one of two identical spawn-rooms, both of which lead out to a set of double doors and two side rooms, both of which have weapons and ammo. Each spawn-room also has a green teleporter, which both lead to sniper nests. One of the nests has a flak cannon in it, and although you might be smart enough not to collect it and risk dropping it for your enemies to use when you die, your bot team-mates will not be so smart. The same goes for the sniper rifle in fact. You must go through the doors and around to the right to touch that big wheel which will open three more doors leading through the Library to the chains. Try loading a hammer-jump before you go through the double doors to the outside. Let your team-mates go through the doors first, then follow them. HJ backwards off the stairs, aiming to land right on the wheel. Or dodge down to the ground and do a backwards HJ. This is just easier and faster than battling your way along the ground. Objective 2/3: Gatehouse The chains which open the Gatehouse can be reached by running through the Library into the tight corridor in the back wall. The chains are at the far end - two of them - and they can be shot out by any weapons, including alt- hammer strikes. A bunch of grouped rockets can take them down from the door end of the corridor, as can rippers or flak shots or whatever - you don't have to get all the way down the tunnel to destroy them. Each chain counts as one objective - ten points each. There are various ripper-shots available to take out the chains. The easiest one is probably where you crouch just inside the middle Library door, under the torch. Use centre-hand to fire primary ripper blades at the side of the door to the chains corridor, just under and to the right of the torch on that wall, aiming to bounce them back down the corridor to the chains. You can get both chains from here, and it's a very popular spot for the ripper-shot. This is what I used to get my 29 seconds time. Objective 4: The Main Doors The Main Doors are easy to open - simply run into the little Gatehouse and touch the lever to open the massive doors outside. Objective 5: Escape! Now that the Main Doors are open, the way is clear to run to the end of the map and attempt to jump into the water. Passing this point will win the map. It's often a good idea to linger by the Gatehouse and let your team-mates try to take out the chains. If they manage it, you will be able to run into the Gatehouse, open the Main Doors, and be charging to the end before the def have even come back out of the Library. If one of your team-mates has managed to get a head start on the enemy and is running towards victory, stay behind and spam the def spawn-room to protect his chances. DEFENSE ------- Objective 1: Library This is a very spammy map for the defense - the attackers keep having to come through doorways and into a wall of slime or flak or whatever. The slime is useful for coating the first double doors, and your minigun should be able to deal with any attackers running towards the wheel lever. Objective 2/3: Gatehouse The Library is also easy to defend - the bots won't try ripper-shots, and they all have to run down to the chains, through doorways and tight corridors. Use the rockets and shock to make things difficult for them. Objective 4: The Main Doors Once the chains are gone, respawning attackers will come through those double doors again, rather than via the Library. It's a good idea to hang around by the Main Doors while the attackers are going for the Gatehouse - when the Doors open you want to get down that long avenue before the attackers do. Objective 5: Escape! There is a lovely sniper rifle and plenty of ammo at the back of the level, which should be able to hold off the attackers for a long time. You can let your team-mates do this if you're not much of a sniper, while you hang around the Gatehouse, sending flak into the faces of any enemies coming through those big double doors. Keep taking the pads in the spawn-room. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- Always try to hang around the route to the next objective on both attack and defense. You can often get a head start on an objective, depending on how well or badly your team-mates perform. On attack, try shooting spread rockets at the feet of a team-mate who is running directly in front of you towards the Escape! objective. You can launch the poor bot all the way to the end with six rockets to the ankles, though you will have to collect the R/L from the Library. The sniper rifle from the attackers' spawn-point sniper nest can be very useful with which to attack the Escape! objective. The defenders all have sniper rifles, so one for the attack could come in handy across such a great distance. You only have to defend this map for a maximum of four minutes, so spam like hell if you're out of ideas. If you find yourself completely incapable of defending Rook successfully, there is an exploit which can make it impossible for the attackers to enter the Library. Run outside the def spawn-room and hammer-jump up to the higher roof above it - either do two hammer-jumps with the thigh pads on or one hammer-jump with an alt-hammer click off the top of the wall to reach the roof. Head over to the back wall and look for the triangular holes. There are two - fall into the one on the left. The attackers will now be able to hit the wheel to open the Library, but all three sets of doors will stay shut. This bug only works with some video resolutions - 1024x768 (my default) worked for me but 1152x864 didn't, since I was weirdly unable to drop into the hole. Finally, here's how to complete Rook by only getting the Escape! objective. I didn't invent this, and I've only heard about people managing it occasionally. I also wonder whether I'm the only one who practises it with ripper-jumps: 1. Run into the def's spawn-room and grab the thigh pads (and the ripper if you're not confident), run outside and jump onto the slope to the left of the stairs, jump over the two sloped ledges and onto the second wide slope, hammer-jump from here to the area above the Library wheel, and run all the way around to the right sniper tower. 2. From here, hammer-jump as straight as you can up to the ledge above the Main Doors, and alt-click your hammer off the top of the wall for the extra height required to make it up (just press and hold the right mouse button as soon as you've hammer-jumped - this should let you alt-hammer automatically). This alt-click is very important - try to do it at as horizontal an angle as possible against the wall. The more downwards looking you are, the more health you will lose. If your alt-hammer leaves you with only about 15-20 health, you may have to rely on a ripper-jump, but if you make it up with 25+ health you should be fine with either ripper or hammer. The most health you can have here is 36 - I believe, after many reloads - which should be plenty. 3. This is the tricky bit: stand around the middle of this ledge and turn your back to one (either) of the side ledges. You have to alt-hammer-jump or ripper-jump backwards from the first ledge to one of the side ones, taking care not to hit the corner of the sniper tower on your way past. Anyway, from the side ledge, side-dodge over to the last ledge, then dodge from the left of this ledge down to the cliff behind the left torch - there is a slope here which will catch you, letting you keep what little health you have remaining. Using the ripper-jump (better than alt-hammer in every way if you get the angle right) you can end up with an average time of around 40 seconds. As I said, this is NOT my invention, so thanks to whoever came up with it - you're an Assault genius :D ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @-----------@ 4.4.4 MAZON @-----------@ PRACTISE NAME: AS-MAZON Nestled deep within the foothills of the jungle planet Zeus 6 lies Mazon Fortress, a seemingly impregnable stronghold. Deep within the bowels of the base resides an enormous shard of the rare and volatile element Tarydium. The shard is levitating between two enormous electron rods above a pool of superconductive swamp water. --- Another castle level and another one infamous for its launches. TIME LIMIT: 10:00 TEAMS: 4v4 MY BEST TIME: 0:23 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Body Armour: In the lower level of the castle. ATTACK ------ Objective 1/2: Chains Follow your bots down to the river and through the tunnel. This walkway leads all the way round to the Chains, both of which must be destroyed to open the portcullis. You don't have to make it all the way over there - just dodge into the water in the cave and fire grouped rockets at each Chain, though you'll have to be pretty accurate. Objective 3: Front Door Objective 4: Reactor Room Objective 5: Crystal The defense will be grouped above and around the Chains, which makes jumping over the Front Door a lot more attractive. Try running along the bridge between the turrets and forward hammer-jumping to the level above the Door. From here you can open the Front Doors, hit the Reactor Room switch or even go straight to destroying the Crystal. If you complete any other objective before the Chains are gone, the defense will remain grouped around the Chains, leaving you to do whatever you want in the rest of the castle. To open the Front Doors just drop down underneath the ramps and follow the corridor around to the switch in the wall. You can also open the doors to the Crystal by hitting the Reactor Room switch on the upper wall. To destroy the Crystal without doing anything else, pick up the ripper from above the Front Doors, then head over to the closed metal gate to the right of the Reactor Room switch. This gate has a tiny gap at its base which you can shoot ripper blades under. Stand at such an angle that the blades will bounce under the gate and back up towards the Crystal. There are several positions from which you can fire ripper blades to destroy the Crystal, but the others all require the Reactor Room gates to be opened. The closed Reactor Room ripper-shot is illegal in the LeagueAS mod. If you want to complete the level in order of objectives and without cheating, just help your team take out the Chains, then run through the tunnel and round to hit the Front Door switch. This will allow you to use the Front Door into the castle, rather than having to go via the Chains gate (the bots will adjust accordingly). Battle up the ramps and around to the switch - you can back- hammer-jump off the middle of the ramps and land on the switch. The switch opens the three gates to the Crystal. Whichever order you complete the objectives in, all of them must be triggered to complete the level except the Front Door switch. The Front Doors are opened when you destroy the Crystal. Once the Reactor Room gates are opened, try looking for spots far away from the Crystal which will allow you to attack it without going anywhere near it. The area above and in front of the armour platform is good for this - you can stand miles away and still see the Crystal, with enough room to fire rippers or grouped rockets right at it. There are other such spots on the left, near the flak cannon. DEFENSE ------- Objective 1/2: Chains Defending the Chains is easy - just spam that cave tunnel with flak and rockets. The attackers will come all the way along before shooting at the Chains, and you can hold them off indefinitely. Objective 3: Front Door The Front Doors are just as easy to defend, if not even easier. The attackers have a very long way to go before they reach that switch - make sure they don't make it. Objective 4: Reactor Room Once the Front Doors are gone, the enemy will start using it to attack the base, coming up the ramps from the lower floor. Take them down before they get anywhere near the Reactor Room switch. Objective 5: Crystal Keeping an eye on all three gates which open after the attackers hit the switch is a little harder, but not much. Just stay high and watch for the invaders. Keep taking the armour and make their lives difficult as they come along the bridge to the Front Doors. They tend to attack the Crystal through the low, single gate rather than the two upper ones, so watch for them there, too. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- Try hammer-jumping over the corner of your starting attack spawn-point to land quickly at the entrance to the cave tunnel - you lose health but you get a head start on the defense. You can also side-dodge through the gap, although this takes a lot of practise. If you are running along beside the river and there is a team-mate running in a straight line in front of you, try firing six spread rockets at his feet while he runs. If you fire them at the right place and at the right angle, the rockets will launch your team-mate into the cliff, and the angles of the rock will send him up and onto the roof of the castle. From here he will drop down the lift at the back and head for the next objective from there, though this is useless if you haven't yet taken out the Chains. You can jump over the portcullis at the Chains without bothering to destroy them. There are two little ledges on the gate which will let you reach the top and over. You can jump over from the other side, too. When you are running up the big ramps in the middle of the castle, try side-dodging against one of the sloped parts on either side of the single ramp - if you do it right you can land on the floor to either side, saving you some time. You can hammer-jump from the armour to the level above. You can also hammer- jump to the area of the upper floor directly in front of the lift by timing your jump to release as you touch the ammo pack to the left of the rocket- launcher. You can hammer-jump up to the platform above the Chains from various places, giving you another route inside. On defense, try backwards-hammer-jumping from the very top of the castle roof - next to the right catapult - to land in the attackers' spawn-point. If you land on the sloped cliff on your right you will lose no health. Similar to Rook, the defenders are given a way to prevent the attackers from ever completing the map. The computer will never do this to you, but fall back on it if you're having big trouble defending the map. Before the attackers knock out both the Chains, hammer-jump (or just climb) up to the top of the spiky portcullis which opens when the Chains are gone. Stand or crouch on it while the attackers destroy the Chains: the portcullis should rise, causing you to bump your head off the ceiling, then lower again, remaining closed for the rest of the round. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @-----------------@ 4.4.5 OCEAN FLOOR @-----------------@ PRACTISE NAME: AS-OCEANFLOOR Oceanfloor Station5, built by universities around the globe for deep sea research, almost ran out of money when LC came to the rescue. Jerl Liandri President LC: 'If we can't ensure education for our children, what will come of this world?' --- This is not a popular online map, mainly because it takes attackers so long to reach the base every time they respawn. TIME LIMIT: 6:00 TEAMS: 4v4 MY BEST TIME: 0:26 POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Keg O' Health: On the upper level of the base, between Terminals 3 and 4. Thigh Pads: On the upper level of the base, behind Terminal 4. Body Armour (2): One in the attackers' spawn-point; another at Terminal 1. Shield-belt: At the top of the lift between Terminals 1 and 2. SCUBA Gear (5): Four in the attackers' spawn-point; another on the outer roof of the base, above Terminal 4. ATTACK ------ Once you've grabbed the SCUBA gear, you have two options for attacking the station below. There is an opening at Terminal 4 and another one at the opposite side, near Terminal 1. The defenders will tend to hang around these entrances, rather than camping at the Terminals, so if you can sneak past them you'll have an easy run at all four objectives at once. Both Terminal 1 and Terminal 4 can be hit by ripper-shots or by throwing grenades from or next to the water entrances, though 4 is a bit easier. If you're attacking through the Terminal 4 water entrance, try hammer-jumping up to the top platform as soon as you emerge from the water - you can fire rockets down the stairs to hit Terminal 4, then run to the remaining Terminals while the Terminal 4 defenders chase you. Terminal 1 is the most difficult of the four objectives to take down, as it's nestled in a corner between two long corridors. Try sending some ripper blades down either of the corridors to hit the Terminal without approaching it. As with your own defense, the bots will go to whichever remaining Terminal is nearest. This means that you'll find it much easier to attack the base through the Terminal 1 pool if you've already gotten rid of Terminal 1. DEFENSE ------- One good way to defend this base is to swim around in the water, picking the swimming attackers off with your minigun before they even reach the station. Another way is just to camp with a shock at the Terminal 1 pool - the attackers will virtually always appear at the exact same spot in the water, and taking them out should be simple. If the attackers do manage to take out some of the Terminals, your team-mates will default to defending the remaining ones by camping at them (mostly). You should stay by either one of the pools to catch the attackers before they reach your team-mates - the Terminals are very easy to destroy if all the defenders just sit right next to them. Intercept the attackers long before they reach their objectives. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- There used to be a bug where attackers could destroy Terminal 1 by swimming up to the exterior wall and shooting a pulse beam through it to hit the Terminal inside. This is an illegal exploit online, and either patch 436 or the LeagueAS mod removed it. It might still work offline, though, in unpatched games. It is possible to destroy Terminals 2 and 3 by drawing the fire of the shock turrets towards them - if a Terminal is taken out by a turret the attacking team does not score the points, meaning it is possible to win the attacking round with a total team score of 130. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @--------------@ 4.4.6 OVERLORD @--------------@ PRACTISE NAME: AS-OVERLORD The tournament organizers at Liandri have decided that the recreation of arguably the Earth's most violent war would create the perfect arena of combat. Storming the beaches of Normandy in WWII was chosen in particular because of the overwhelming odds facing each member of the attacking force. Defending this beach, however, will prove to be no less of a daunting task. --- When played online this map becomes a battle between snipers and launchers, while the minigunners run around the beach like headless chickens with a weapons embargo. As an offline map it's a killer at high levels, since it's practically impossible to get through the final cavern. TIME LIMIT: 10:00 TEAMS: 5v5 MY BEST TIME: 0:37 (no bug exploit) POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Thigh Pads: At the bottom of the ramp tunnels leading up from the Boiler Room. Body Armour (4): One in the Boiler Room; another in the ramp tunnels leading up from the Boiler Room; another in the left sniper tower; another in the foxholes. ATTACK ------ There is only one objective listed in F3 for this map, though there are three listed in your F1 HUD. Objective 1: Beach-Head You're going to have to get out of the ship and all the way up the beach without getting sniped, mown down by a turret or splatted by a mortar. The defense will never defend by coming up the Beach-Head tunnel, so they'll all be shooting at you from the foxholes or sniper towers. The best way to avoid as much of the fire as possible is to run up to the right foxholes and alt-hammer-jump to the top. This lets you bypass the mortar landing spot. Run around the tower on the right and dodge up to the Beach-Head (or backwards hammer-jump for speed). Get inside the Beach-Head and you'll get an objective message. It's important to get down into the Boiler Room as quickly as possible when you first take the Beach-Head, because this first run will be your best chance at meeting a minimum amount of resistance. The defense will change positions when the Beach-Head is taken, but they take time to get from the towers and foxholes to the Boiler Room, and if you're fast you can get there before them and save your team a lot of trouble. Objective 2: Boiler Room If you don't make it through the Boiler Room on your first run it can become tricky, since the entire defense is packed at the top of the ramp and you don't have anything that can take them all out at once. Try getting your team to Hold Position at the health packs, then send them all into the Boiler Room at once. While they're drawing the enemy fire, you can run in behind them and tap your hammer-jump bind to land up at the tunnel (don't charge it, just tap it quickly). If one of your team-mates get the Boiler Room while you are still on the beach, try a tactical suicide to get to the new spawn-point. Objective 3: Gun Control This is the hardest part of any of the AS maps on higher difficulty levels. It's easy enough running up the long tunnels, but get to the top and you'll be very lucky not to have your head sniped off before you're halfway through the final cavern area. The defense are all up high with sniper rifles or rocket- launchers, and you have to get past them in order to win. There's a few things you could try if those snipers are driving you crazy: 1. Hope one of your team-mates can get past by sheer luck. This occasionally happens, and it shouldn't be that surprising since your team bots should have the same skills as the enemy team bots. 2. Run up the tunnel right behind one of your team-mates, loading rockets in spread formation so that, by the time you both reach the cavern entrance, your rockets are ready to be shot at the feet of your moving team-mate, launching him far forwards, hopefully to land very close to the final objective. 3. Grab the armour and pads in the tunnels, then hammer-jump up the sloped cliff to the right of the cavern entrance. From this high platform with the sniper rifle, you can either run around and quickly back-hammer directly to the final room, or you can sneak into the teleporter and grab some more armour from the left tower. Just don't go through the Boiler Room tele. 4. Or you could just exploit the bug, which is illegal (and removed) online, but not in the ladder, obviously. This bug is so lame that it's almost too easy, even in spite of the absurd sniping you're having to put up with from the Cheat Brigade in the cavern. Get a sniper rifle ready and run up the tunnels into the cavern, preferably with a bunch of your team-mates running ahead of you to draw fire. While they're busy with the enemy, hammer-jump up to the ledge above the cavern entrance and move to the extreme right end of it. Look through your sniper scope, way across the cavern, to the two blueish-purple vertical banners hanging on the outside of the final objective room, beyond the big cannon. Look for the circular insignia on the left banner, then look for the triangle of blue visible underneath it. Shoot at the centre of this triangle - if you hit the correct spot the final objective should fall. This same bug spot can be shot from close range with flak or whatever - the long-range option just happens to be easier and faster. You can also only just see and hit the correct area of the flag by standing with your back against the door surround, just to the right of the top of the tunnels, then jumping and firing while looking through the scope. DEFENSE ------- Objective 1: Beach-Head The attacking bots make incredibly heavy weather of getting to the Beach-Head, even if you're not a decent sniper. They all mindlessly run into the mortar shells or get cut down by the turrets or your team-mates. You can just choose to defend from wherever you want - it won't make much difference. Objective 2: Boiler Room Deffing the Boiler Room is just as easy - the attackers will still be catching mortar shells and turret rounds in the face, only to come down the Beach-Head tunnels to meet your flak and rockets and the camping tactics of your team- mates. Keep nicking their two health packs and you can hold them off forever. Objective 3: Gun Control Once they get the Boiler Room, the attackers will spawn there, but they still have miles of tunnel to get through, every inch of which can be rocket / flak spammed by you. Take their armour, too. They also follow a strict path all the way to the final objective room, and if you keep an eye on them none can get past you. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- If you set up a hammer-launch at the barbed wire you can fire your team-mates up and over the foxholes onto the beach, as long as they run into your hammer. Good luck surviving for very long, though. You can dodge up the foxholes, rather than alt-clicking your hammer. This dodge is used a lot in instagib matches, where the hammer isn't available. To do it, side-dodge up the foxholes wall, starting from as close as you can get, and aim to inch onto the window ledge - its only just makeable but saves you the health you would lose from alt-hammering. If you're defending from inside the foxholes, be aware that the minigun turret can harm you if you get in front of its guns - it seems to be set to friendly fire, which is unusual for turrets. There's another bug in Overlord, besides the flag shot. Start the first round as an attacker, then use the Player Setup menu to change teams while the round is still running. You should reappear on the defending team. Grab a rocket- launcher and take it to outside the little Gun Control room. Load up some grenades and throw them into the room, aiming to bounce them around the corner to hit the objective. As soon as you release the grenades (before they can explode), pause the game and change back to the attacking team. When you unpause the grenades will now be flagged as 'attacking' and you should win the map when they explode against the final objective. This exploit may work in some other maps, such as Frigate or Mazon, but it won't work in the ladder, since you can't change teams, or online, since it has been patched out. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4.5 CHALLENGE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Challenge is a little absurd at high difficulties. As if the enemy bots weren't skillful enough in the DM ladder, they now move much faster as well. Inhuman and Godlike are instant-hit-with-any-weapon-from-anywhere hell. It wouldn't be so bad if they occasionally missed, but they don't. The Challenge section of the ladder becomes available after you have won the trophies for all the other four categories. It is the same as DM, except everyone and everything moves a bit faster (Lightning Death Match) and there are four new maps. Also, instead of fighting against bots who are recognisably human, you are now facing off against a bunch of constructs. You must complete the Challenge section by taking on Xan Kriegor in a 1v1 DM round. Although the ammo will still disappear when you take it, weapons in Challenge are set to stay upon pickup. On the one hand there will always be weapons lying about, but on the other hand you can't stop your opponents from getting them. This being Lightning Death Match, everything happens more quickly than normal. Bear in mind that this includes respawn rates. Powerups and ammo will respawn noticeably faster, so adjust any powerup circuits you've come up with to take the extra speed into account. This is especially true of Hyperblast. Finally, this section of the guide might seem a little short when compared to previous sections, but I can't really help this. Instead of getting some grand finale to the game, all you get is four small-to-medium DM maps. Challenge Guides ---------------- I've arranged each map guide into sub-sections: --- PRACTISE NAME: This is the name under which the map appears when you load it into a practise session. Epic's Description: This is the map blurb which appears in the game's ladder. My Description: Just some quick notes about what the map is like to play. FRAG LIMIT: The number of kills you must achieve to win. OPPONENTS: The number of opponent bots you will be playing against. BEST WEAPON: My opinion of which weapon is best for the map (from among the weapons found in the map). POWERUPS / ARMOUR: The locations of all the powerups found in the map. CONTROLLING THE MAP: The main guide section. Some general hints and tips about how you might want to approach the map. MISCELLANEOUS: Some incidental details and silly things about the map, just for fun. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @------------@ 4.5.1 PHOBOS @------------@ This Martian space station is caught between Mars and it's satellite Phobos, resulting in a chaotic rotation. Fortunately, the gravity generators are working well enough to lend a fast paced rhythm to deathmatch. --- Because of where the bots like to fight, this map is nearly all z-axis fighting. I believe this is the most difficult of the four Challenge maps. FRAG LIMIT: 15 OPPONENTS: 5 BEST WEAPON: Rocket-launcher, shock rifle POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Thigh Pads: Outside, on platform 1. Body Armour: In a small alcove next to the pit in the main roof area. Shield-belt: Outside, on platform 2. UDamage: Outside, on platform 3. Invisibility: Behind a secret panel next to the lowest lift. Shoot the lighter part of the wall facing the small staircase. Jump Boots: Outside, on platform 1. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- There's little point in trying to do the rounds of the powerups - the Challenge matches go by really quickly and within seconds of the start you can find yourself behind by 5 kills or something. Virtually all the action will take place in the bottom room with the rocket-launcher, so dropping a redeemer blast or a few shock-combos down into this area will often net you points. You could also grab the UDamage and take a DM-Peak approach to the map, though you probably won't survive very long whatever you do. This is the best map for reminding you that you can't kill people if you keep trying to stay out of their way. Don't bother sniping either - it's too steep an angle and you'll only get fleeting glimpses of your enemies far below, while they concentrate on actually racking up points. This map really tests you on your ability with short and medium range weapons, and you'll also have to watch your back constantly, as there are really no effective camping spots. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @--------------@ 4.5.2 MORPHEUS @--------------@ LMC knew they had found an excellent arena at the very top of a newly constructed Galaxyscraper SuperStructure. Thanks to the modern miracle of super tensile solids, these three buildings reach a staggering 12 miles high at their pinnacle. The thin atmosphere and reduced influence of Earth's gravity provide an interesting test of the tournament athlete's ability to adapt and conquer in extreme environments. --- My favourite of the four Challenge maps. At least it's original, though you might not have much fun if you're not a sniper or shock fan. FRAG LIMIT: 15 OPPONENTS: 4 BEST WEAPON: Sniper rifle, shock rifle POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Body Armour: On the top platform above the middle building. Invisibility: On the top platform above the lowest building. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- The bots can win this map with any weapon, even the frickin' slime gun. Slime in outdoor, low-grav areas? Sheesh. The best position from where to control this map is up high. Camp next to the redeemer or armour and just snipe like hell. Dodge from powerup to powerup, picking up the health and ammo when you need it. Instant-hit weapons are the way to go here - stick with shock, sniper and minigun to damage your enemies while they glide around outside. Sitting up on one of the high pillars and firing groups of rockets down into the open spaces on the sides of the buildings is good, too - bots always respawn in those rooms and your rockets can often catch a few as they appear. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- The scrolling screens inside the spawn-rooms tell you who is currently winning the match. If you don't see your name up here then you're not winning, and if you do then you're probably not winning by much. That's a jump-pad down there - use it to quickly get back into the action. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @----------@ 4.5.3 ZETO @----------@ Liandri Corp., in an attempt to recoup financial losses from a failed research station on the arctic moon of Coret, has converted this frozen outpost into a Tournament arena. --- This is a very crappy, forgettable map, a real disappointment given that it's the penultimate map for the championship. FRAG LIMIT: 15 OPPONENTS: 5 BEST WEAPON: Shock rifle, rocket-launcher, minigun POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Body Armour: Underneath the upper rocket-launcher and pulse rifle. Shield-belt: Hidden in a wall in the shock rifle room. Go to the bottom of the ramp and touch the striped light on the left wall to open the door on the other side of the ramp. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- Shock owns the place because of the long corridors. Try to stay around the big room with the shock rifle, as this is where most of the action takes place, as well as being where the all-important belt is hidden. Camping at the top of the ramp here is a great place to get kills and multi-kills - fire combos down into the main room and rack up the points. I recommend learning this one well, despite the fact that it's uninteresting. The problem here is that most of the spawn-points will put you at the end or middle of one of the long corridors, which all look the same, and you can spend a lot of time running back and forward in the hallways, desperately searching for just one enemy to give yourself a chance of another point. Then, of course, when you do find an opponent, you turn a corner and get a flak-ball in the face at high speed. Learn the fastest route to the main shock rifle room from anywhere in the map, otherwise you'll quickly fall behind. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ |_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|-o-|_x_|_ @----------------@ 4.5.4 HYPERBLAST @----------------@ Thanks to Magnetic Anti-Vacuum Resonance technology, combatants are able to battle outside of Xan's 'HyperBlast' ArenaShip for an extended period of time. Use extreme caution though, one mistake and you'll find yourself floating in space. --- This is actually an under-rated 1v1 map - it's tense and twisty and there's a nice powerup / weapon circuit to learn, as well as a perfect balance between tight indoor and hazardous outdoor areas. Compared to the other three Challenges this might actually be the easiest. FRAG LIMIT: 15 OPPONENTS: 1 BEST WEAPON: Shock rifle, minigun, pulse rifle POWERUPS / ARMOUR ----------------- Body Armour: In the ramp pit between the ripper and the minigun. Shield-belt: At the apex of the curving vial corridor. Invisibility: In the upper corridor, directly above the armour. CONTROLLING THE MAP ------------------- Since it's 1v1, you don't have to worry about falling behind on points from being unable to find an opponent. Xan won't score any points if he can't find you, which suggests that avoiding him until you're strong enough to take him on might be a good idea. This can be achieved by finding and taking all the powerups, then hitting him fast and hard when you finally run into him. The belt and armour are quite close to each other, and you should definitely establish a circuit here to keep taking them. Stopping Xan from getting them is critical - especially the belt - and since it's 1v1 the powerups provide a gigantic advantage for whoever gets to them first. The outdoor area is just a bit too dangerous to spend much time in. The shock rifle and the rockets are both outside, but prolonged combat out there is probably a bad idea. One wrong move or lucky shot can send you flying off into space. I'd definitely recommend grabbing the rockets and shock whenever they're available, but get back inside quick. If you must fight outside, use the minigun or shock rifle - these are the only instant-hit weapons in the map, and the rifle has the added bonus of possibly pinging Xan into oblivion. If you are restricting yourself to the indoor areas for most of the round, by all means run about collecting weapons and ammo, if only to stop Xan from getting them. But by far the most advantageous position to camp in is at the belt. Sit against the wall behind the belt and use rockets or shock-combos when you spot Xan coming down either curving hallway. He will take the vials if they're there, which will give you an audible warning that he's coming - useful if he's picked up the Invisibility. MISCELLANEOUS ------------- Most of the open windows can be jumped or dodged through to reach other windows or ledges - use any shortcuts you can find, especially from the pulse gun to the belt. You can also jump out of the belt window, swing around in the air and land on the shock. Experimenting with lots of different jumps and dodges will let you learn this map intimately, giving you a great advantage over Xan, who has to stick to his path-nodes. You don't have to jump or dodge carefully to get from the rocket-launcher to the belt - just walk forwards off the edge of the roof. The jump from the lowest window up to the belt window is makeable - jump from the very edge. The long windows in the belt corridor can be walked through and jumped in and out of more easily than the main belt window. Use side-dodge when trying to fly across the low-grav areas - forward-dodge gives you no height and will often cause you to miss the place you're going for. There are also four sloped corners on the roof of the ship which can greatly boost your dodges if you hit them correctly. Never hammer-jump either, use alt-hammer instead. Don't be ashamed to run away when you spot Xan - use any dirty trick you can think of, in true 1v1 style. For a final boss, Xan is a real idiot, and if you can bait him into following you it's very easy to set traps for him: shock- combos, bunches of grenades, big puddles of slime. It's apparent even at Masterful difficulty that bots are better at shooting at where you're going to be than shooting at where you are. If you're getting mashed into the ground by dodging and jinking when fighting Xan, try standing still and firing a pulse beam into his face. It's amazing how often he fell for this from me, even on Masterful. Shooting Xan into oblivion won't win you a point, but it will make him lose one. Don't try to jump onto any of the other spaceships - they are too far. Speaking of the spaceships; if you do get shot way up into space by Xan, your one hope of avoiding oblivion is to try to hit the underside of the ship directly above the main ship. You should be able to bounce back down to safety before you lose too much health. And now for the coolest trick ever in a DM map (possibly the only DM trick I ever invented). You can do a backwards alt-hammer jump from the side opening next to the teleporter nearest the ripper, and if you get it right you can land directly on the belt. Alt-fire your hammer just after you've jumped backwards off the floor to get the required height and distance. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 @-------------------------------------@ | 5. CONTRIBUTORS / CONTRIBUTIONS | @-------------------------------------@ 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Version 1.0 - 27 August 2006 - Michael Sarich Provided copyright disclaimer 14 September 2006 - Max_noob Provided lots of helpful feedback and prevented the first draft of v1.0 of this guide from being badly made and untidy. <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.1 - N/A <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.2 - N/A <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.3 - 03 November 2006 - Supermic Contribution to section 3.1.2 BINDS: MOVEMENT AND COMBAT <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.4 - N/A <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.5 - N/A <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.6 - 30 July 2007 - Headcase Contribution to section 2.8.1 BEFORE / AFTER GAME <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.7 - N/A <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.8 - N/A <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.9 - N/A ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THANK-YOU TO ALL CONTRIBUTORS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 @------------------------------------@ | 6. VERSION HISTORY / UPDATES | @------------------------------------@ 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Version 1.0 completion - 16 September 2006 <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.1 completion - 06 October 2006 Section 1: 1.1 INTRODUCTION - Added notes about map blurbs; added notes about relative difficulty 1.3 CONTACT ME - Added notes about reader submissions Section 2: 2.1 MENUS - Added notes about hidden weapon-handedness 2.2.1 MOVEMENT - Renamed, rewritten and improved 2.2.2 COMBAT - Renamed, rewritten and improved 2.3.1 HEALTH / ARMOUR - Improved description of Health Pack, Thigh Pads, Body Armour and Shield-belt 2.3.2 POWERUPS - Improved descriptions of UDamage, Invisibility and Jump Boots 2.4.1 IMPACT HAMMER - Added notes about hammer-jump directions; added notes about alt-hammer shot deflection 2.4.3 GES BIO RIFLE - Added notes about slime-launching 2.4.4 ASMD SHOCK RIFLE - Changed title from SHOCK RIFLE; added notes about shooting out shock balls 2.4.5 PULSE RIFLE - Rewritten 2.4.6 RIPPER - Ripper-shots now has its own sub-section; added notes about ripper-shot 'handedness' 2.4.8 FLAK CANNON - Added notes about bouncing primary shots 2.4.9 ROCKET-LAUNCHER - Rocket-launching now has its own sub-section 2.4.12 TRANSLOCATOR - Slight alterations; added notes about translocator / lift exploit, T/L launching now has its own sub-section 2.5 BOTS - Added notes about path-nodes 2.7.2 LIFTS - Added to from old Section 2.2.2 2.7.3 SLOPES - Added to from old Section 2.2.2 2.7.8 TELEPORTERS - Added notes about teleporter loops 2.7.9 JUMP PADS - Slight alterations 2.7.10 OBLIVION - New section of the guide Section 3: 3.1.2 BINDS: MOVEMENT AND COMBAT - Reorganised; added notes about 'say #' commands; added notes to Weapon Hand 3.1.4 CONSOLE COMMANDS - Reorganised; added notes to Slow Motion; added notes to Fly / Ghost Section 4: 4. CHAMPIONSHIP LADDER - Corrected and reorganised all map guides, especially POWERUPS sub-sections; added separators between map sections 4.1 DEATH MATCH - Added Death Match Guides section 4.1.1 OBLIVION - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.1.4 TURBINE - Added notes to CONTROLLING THE MAP 4.1.5 CODEX - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.1.6 PRESSURE - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.1.7 GRINDER - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.1.12 CONVEYOR - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.2 DOMINATION - Added Domination Guides section 4.2.3 CRYPTIC - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.2.7 OLDEN - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.3 CAPTURE THE FLAG - Added notes about defaulting to red team; added Capture The Flag Guides section 4.3.2 FACING WORLDS - Added notes to ATTACK 4.3.3 ETERNAL CAVE - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.3.4 CORET - Corrected mistake about alt-hammer-jumps in MISCELLANEOUS 4.3.6 DREARY - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.3.7 LAST COMMAND - Greatly improved ATTACK; added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.3.8 THE LAVA GIANT - Improved ATTACK 4.4 ASSAULT - Added notes about defaulting to red team; added Assault Guides section 4.4.3 ROOK - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.5 CHALLENGE - Added notes about Lightning Death Match; added Challenge Guides section 4.5.4 HYPERBLAST - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS Miscellaneous: Corrected typing, grammar and formatting errors <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.2 completion - 30 October 2006 Section 1: 1.3 DEMOS AND SCREENSHOTS - New section; updated Contents 1.4 LINKS - New section; updated Contents Section 2: 2.3 ITEMS - Added respawn rates and durations to each sub-section 2.3.2 POWERUPS - Added notes to UDamage, Invisibility, Jump-boots and SCUBA Gear 2.4 WEAPONS - Added notes about respawn rates 2.4.6 RIPPER - Amended re. new section 1.3 DEMOS AND SCREENSHOTS 2.4.11 REDEEMER - Added notes about primary and secondary fire 2.4.12 TRANSLOCATOR - Added notes about spawn direction; added notes about T/L launching with the bio rifle 2.5 BOTS - Removed notes about path-noding - relocated to new section 2.7.11 2.7.4 WATER - Added notes about breathing countdown and SCUBA Gear 2.7.11 BUGS - New section; updated Contents Section 3: 3.1.2 BINDS: MOVEMENT AND COMBAT - Added notes to Ripper-jump; corrected mistake in Mouse Speed 3.1.3 MISCELLANEOUS BINDS AND COMMANDS - Changed title from BINDS: MISCELLANEOUS; merged with old section 3.1.4; added notes; rearranged; added notes to Connect / Disconnect; corrected mistakes in Bots; updated Contents Section 4: 4.1.4 TURBINE - Added notes to CONTROLLING THE MAP 4.1.6 PRESSURE - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.2.4 CINDER - Added location of UDamage; added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.2.7 OLDEN - Added Inhuman test score; Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.2.8 SESMAR - Added location of UDamage; added Inhuman test score; added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.2.8 SESMAR - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.2.9 METALDREAM - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.3 CAPTURE THE FLAG - Corrected mistake about flag return time; added notes to Attack section 4.3.1 NIVEN - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.3.2 FACING WORLDS - Removed mistake about thigh pads; added notes to ATTACK 4.3.3 ETERNAL CAVE - Added notes to DEFENSE 4.3.7 THE LAST COMMAND - Removed duplicate mention of T/L-launch from MISCELLANEOUS 4.3.8 THE LAVA GIANT - Added notes to DEFENSE; added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.3.9 NOVEMBER SUB PEN - Corrected mistake about wall bug in ATTACK; added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.4 ASSAULT - Added notes to Attack 4.4.1 FRIGATE - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.4.2 HIGH SPEED - Corrected mistakes in Car numbers 4.4.3 ROOK - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.4.4 MAZON - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.4.5 OCEAN FLOOR - Updated record time 4.4.6 OVERLORD - Updated record time; added notes to MISCELLANEOUS 4.5.4 HYPERBLAST - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS Miscellaneous: Corrected typing, grammar and formatting errors <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.3 completion - 03 November 2006 Corrected version number at top of guide - v1.2 was marked as Guide version: 1.1 Section 1: 1.5 CONTACT ME - Added notes about reader emails Section 2: 2.2.2 COMBAT - Added notes to Instant-hit Weapons Combat Section 3: 3.1.2 BINDS: MOVEMENT AND COMBAT - Added Bunny-hopping bind; removed Bunny- hopping from 2.7.11 BUGS Section 4: 4.3.7 LAST COMMAND - Corrected mistake about thigh pads 4.4.2 HIGH SPEED - Corrected mistakes in Car numbers 4.5.4 HYPERBLAST - Added notes to MISCELLANEOUS <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.4 completion - 16 November 2006 Section 4: 4.2.9 METALDREAM - Added Inhuman test score 4.4.4 OVERLORD - Added notes to ATTACK <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.5 completion - 01 February 2007 New disclaimer Section 1: 1.2 USING THIS GUIDE - Improved information 1.5 CONTACT ME - Improved information <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.6 completion - 31 July 2007 New disclaimer Section 2: 2.4.11 REDEEMER - Added notes 2.6 SPAWN-POINTS - Corrected mistake about AS maps 2.7.1 DOORS - Corrected mistake about upper doors in AS-Frigate 2.7.2 LIFTS - Added reference to section 2.7.11 2.7.10 OBLIVION - Corrected mistakes about DM-HyperBlast 2.8.1 BEFORE / AFTER GAME - New section; Open Tournament Ladder Section 4: 4.2.9 METALDREAM - Added notes to Controlling The Map Miscellaneous: Corrected typing, grammar and formatting errors <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.7 completion - 14 Feb 2008 Miscellaneous: Corrected typing, grammar and formatting errors; improved formatting <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.8 completion - ? Miscellaneous: Corrected typing, grammar and formatting errors; improved formatting <-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->-> Version 1.9 completion - Oct 2016 Updated many sections with lots of new information. Guide is now considered complete. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<--[.]-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank-you for using this walkthrough. I hope it helped you out, or at least taught you how _not_ to play the game. At the very least, I hope you found it entertaining. If you enjoy UT Assault and feel like experiencing it online with the other Assault fans, please go to www.utassault.net and sign up to the forums. ¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_| This guide was written and formatted with the excellent Metapad: http://www.liquidninja.com/metapad/ ¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|¬=-¬_|