Tactical Quake

[[EoM]Pr0c3550r[Q2C]]

jehar.tastyspleen.net/meta3.html#

So far, we have covered the physiological and mental factors that affect the way you function in Quake. Now that we have this basis, let's get on with some more grounded concepts that will make a difference in your game.

I stress that the ideas presented here are not direct tactics. That is, I'm not going to say “From point A use weapon X against enemy Z”. My goal is to present mindsets that can be grasped intuitively and put into use subconsciously. Though I will give examples of specific cases, my focus is to present broader concepts that will give you a better understanding of the game.

Over the next few articles, we will be analyzing a few excerpts from Sun Tzu's The Art of War. This is a collection of practical teachings on... well, war. What makes this book useful is the fact that the same concepts have meaning in any competitive application; it is studied in business, sports, and yes, gaming. We will specifically be looking at five key points presented in the third chapter of the book.

“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”(Tzu 3:17)

This simply and directly states that the player who knows when to attack and when to defend will come out on top. Frequently, I see new players tending to run head-first into the firefight without first assessing the strength of their opponent(s), or their own relative strength. This is especially important in one-on-one duels. Indeed, a good portion of what makes or breaks a good dueler is his\her ability to adapt his aggressiveness to the situation. But what does it mean to be on the attack, and to be on the defense?

For the sake of simplicity, I'll break the multiplicity of possible situations down to three basic types:

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Both players are at distance from each other or are avoiding one another, seeking to gain armor\ammo or a better position.
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One player is avoiding the other, while the other player is in pursuit of the first.
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Both players are facing each other head-on.

This fairly quickly defines the difference between offensive and defensive play; either you are keeping your distance from the other player(s) to get a better footing, or you are aggressively attacking the other player(s). Obviously, these are greatly simplified situations; in reality they will vary quite rapidly.

Keep in mind that these are not static styles that rarely change in the course of the game. Rather, these attitudes can change very rapidly, even when both players are in a firefight. Ducking around corners, jumping to a higher platform, and leading an opponent into another area are all variations on these attitudes.

The same concept applies to larger player counts; they simply become compounded. Once the fundamental concept is applied to one person, it is a small task to bring the same mindset to free-for-alls. Now you are thinking of these things in regards to groups of people, or player-chasing-player-avoiding-player, etc.

Note that Sun Tzu calls attention to the quality of having the knowledge of when to attack and when to defend. It must be understood intuitively when it is a advantageous to press ahead, and when to fall back.

This leads us to another crucial concept:

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”(Tzu 3:18)

Knowing when to attack and when to defend comes from being aware of the status of your opponent: Did he grab the Megahealth or the Red Armor? What is he armed with? This also comes from knowing your own relative strength in the same areas. If your opponent has control of both the armor and the health, it quite obviously wouldn't be a good idea to come fully against him out in the open. This is the time to play defensively, and perhaps regain control of these items.

By knowing when to lay out the rockets, and when to fall back to grab some health, you can greatly increase your ability to read the game and settle into a state of control.

Again:

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It is crucial to know when to jump into a firefight, and when to avoid combat.
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There are three basic situations that are affected by the attitudes of the players.
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These attitudes can change very often and rapidly over the course of the game
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Knowledge of the status of both yourself and your opponent(s) will aid you in knowing when to be aggressive or defensive.

Next time, whatever the hell I want, thank you.

[[EoM]Console]

jehar.tastyspleen.net/meta4.html

by [BTF] Jehar

Article 4 - Attitudes

I think there's a point I'm trying to make throughout this series, one that I'm just now discovering: Be Aware. Everything that has been discussed so far has pertained to the concept that in order to succeed, you must be aware. Aware of your opponent's position, strength, and thoughts. Aware of your own mental state and resources. Aware of the environment around you, both within and without the game. Be aware.

This is why this is being written: in order to lay an outline of what one must be aware of. Putting this outline into action doesn't take much, simply dwell on these things and keep them in mind. This comes all the way back around to why all of this matters in the first place: Quake is a game of (in my mind) becoming faster, smarter, more precise, and more aware; but not necessarily more than other people. Instead, this growth may be directed purely at yourself. Other people are simply relative landmarks with which to compare yourself. The game is held together by people. We can use others to reflect on our own skills and abilities, and to gain new insight. These are things that bots can provide only to a point, afterwards they just become another grunt to yawn at.

Certainly, there are people who are better than you, as well as those that are not as skilled as you. I don't care who you are, there will always be someone who can beat you. And we can all fall prey to a random hand grenade thrown by a neophyte. It all comes back to how you react to these people, and what you can learn from them in order to improve your own awareness. The point where you stop learning from other people is the point where the game loses it's appeal. Remember though that learning from others is a your choice alone; it doesn't depend on them.

“He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.”(Tzu 3:17)

I could go on about the practical application of this quote, but I think you will find that it is simply a redefinition of the concept presented last week. So let's look deeper.

When facing an opponent who is superior in skill or experience (one usually knows when this happens), what is the common reaction when we get beaten into a pulp? I for one can say frustration. One should not regard this as an embarrassment, however. For one, you have just set a goal for yourself: defeat that opponent. For another, you probably got some questions running through your head:“How did he do that?”. You now have something to study and to learn from. If it stands to reason that the 'best' players gained skill through long duration of play, then wouldn't it also make sense that they saw their fair share of defeats as well? So be wary if frustration starts to turn to discouragement. By abandoning the drive to improve, you lose any hope for that reality. We lose more players that way.

On the flipside, what happens when we catch ourselves in a server with some kid on a game pad? Besides a big head, we run the risk of losing the kind of focus it takes to apply yourself to the game. Your edge gets dull. This is not a result of them being an inferior player, but your attitude towards them. Watch that player. Humans are notorious for doing the unexpected, so study habits whenever you can. Even if the other player's tactics are bogus, you can compare them to your own and therefore gain an even more rounded mindset for the game. All it takes is the proper attitude.

It might surprise you that player's skills are not set in stone; they can fluctuate from week to week, night to night, map to map even. One win or one loss is a poor measurement of relative skill. It can take several matches to be able to tell who really is superior. By then, however, both players will have learned much from each other, thus changing their relationship. Skill is never static.

In reality, all of this metagaming mojo is rather simple, given the correct attitude. My hope is that this will encourage and guide players to put themselves into this attitude.

To summarize:

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The key to becoming a better player is to increase your awareness, both of others and yourself.
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Becoming aware of other players involves learning from them; without other people, your skills would stagnate.
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Whether or not you learn from others is an independent choice.
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One should not be discouraged by defeat. Instead, glean what information you can from a superior player.
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One should not let their skills be dulled by interacting with less-skilled players. This can cause one to become sloppy. Much can be learned from these people as well.

* Your skills are never static, are are in constant fluctuation.

[[BTF]Jehar]

Hooray, there's a new article up, for all to ponder upon and flame the hell out of (really, feedback of all sorts is great)
jehar.tastyspleen.net/meta5.html

Enjoy!