• When using the mouse, you should be able to look 180 degrees simply by twisting your hand at the wrist.
• Avoid moving your entire arm since it's hard to get the entire arm moving, hard to get it stopped, and you'll tire quickly.
• Use the fingers to pull the mouse into your wrist or push it out to look up and down.
• When you shoot with MOUSE1, especially at long distances with a sniping weapon, don't stab down at the button, gently apply pressure until you shoot. If you hit it too hard, you're most likely pushing your mouse back towards you and throwing off your aim.

• Once you've perfected your mouse flick, try running forward, jumping, mouse-flicking to execute a 180, then simultaneously shifting to running backwards.
• You can use this technique when you run into alcoves to pick up items so that you never present your back to your opponent.
• This is also useful when you are being chased. Often times your opponent is so intent on chasing you that he becomes an easy target.

• With practice, you should be able to execute a perfect 90 or 180-degree turn every time.
• Practice in a map with plenty of running space and try a 180-degree mouse-flick then fire when you land (or when you complete the 180).
• Adjust the sensitivity of your mouse to the point where you can control your crosshair easily but still have the range of motion to execute a 180.
• Next, try running backwards then use a mouse-flick to turn around while you simultaneously change to running forwards.

• Find an object to shoot at in a map/room with plenty of space to move around.
• Strafe left or right while using your mouse, to move your crosshair in the opposite direction. The effect will be that your crosshair stays on target while you circle around him. Keep firing while you do this.
• Try strafing in the opposite direction. Now try to alternate between strafing left and right while keeping your crosshair on the target. If you're doing this correctly you should be pumping a steady stream of fire into your target while staying constantly on the move.
• Another technique is to move closer or further away from your target while your circle strafing. This is especially effective against rocket launchers aimed at your feet since it's harder to predict shots in 2 dimensions than 1.
• However, make sure you don't develop a pattern in this as well. Try to randomly go inwards and outwards of the circle, it will be harder for your opponent to predict where you will be next.

• Go to Multimatch, choose Create Server, and choose the map Bravery.
• Grab the Compression Rifle, the Scavenger Rifle, some armor, and top off your health.
• Go down to the lowest level and find the medikit. Normally you can't get up to the platform on your own.
• Face the platform, look at your feet, then simultaneously jump and altfire your Compression Rifle. You'll have to play with the timing of these two actions a little to get it just right for you.
• With luck, you will have launched yourself up in the air.
• Immediately look up and air control yourself as best as possible onto a platform. Play around with this until you've got it right.
• When you can consistently get yourself onto the Medikit platform, go down the to the lowest level and stand in front of the Tetryon Disruptor. See if you can use the Compression Rifle to get onto the Tetryon Disruptor platform and then use the Scavenger Rifle to propel yourself to the next level where there is another Compression Rifle and some armor shards.

  Here's the start of the 'rocket' jump. I look down almost directly at my feet then hit jump and altfire in rapid succession		The blast blows me slightly into the air. At this point, I should look slightly up and air control myself to the platform.

• Have one person stand still and try to circle-strafe around him. Do this again but shoot at him while he moves. Can you hit him? Now switch places.
• Learn how to do the basic 'rocket' jump. Go to the Bravery map and see if you can jump up to the medikit and the Tetryon Disruptor. There's enough armor and health lying around to practice a couple of times.
• On the same map, stand outside by the yellow armor, have your friend run around and listen for the audio cues. Can you guess which of the three exits he will come from? Have him try to surprise you. Can you surprise him?

• Audio clues
  • Power ups
  • Water
  • Doors
  • Elevators
  • Other items

• Weapon and armor locations. Where are these items and what are the most efficient paths that takes you to all of the key weapons, armor, and power ups.
• Dead-ends. The last thing you want to do is to get accidentally trapped in a deadend when you're hurt and the other dude has a big friggin' gun.
• Deadly spaces (red fog and space). I lose more points simply because I fall off into 'bad places'. I'm really getting tired of it. At the same time, if you have any weapons that bounce people, these 'bad places' can be a great asset. Aim for their feet and bounce them into oblivion. While you might not get credit for the frag, it will take a point away from them.
  • This is particularly important on space maps. While it's pretty clear where the space is, you also have to keep in mind how close to the edge you can get before you put yourself in danger of getting blown off the side by a nearby grenade.

• If you're going to play on a new server, get all the maps then run through them in single player holomatch mode just to get a sense for how they are laid out. Where possible, I'll download all the new maps and then give each one a quick walk through so I know where everything is. Think of it like studying for a test.

Here's a brief summary of the weapons available in Elite Forces. Thanks to Ace for the damage and effect radius numbers.
• Hitscan weapons, point damage, rapid fire. Typically shoot a large number of projectiles that individually do a small amount of damage but only at the point of impact. In the case of the Tetryon Disruptor, the beams may hit in a circular pattern around your crosshair. These are easy weapon for beginners to pick up and make great finishers when hunting down a badly wounded target.

• Hitscan weapons, point damage, slow fire. Usually deliver damage slowly but in large quantities. You have to exercise patience and wait for the right moment to take each shot. Practice is key because the weapon won’t shoot very fast and you have to make each shot count.

• Hitscan weapons, area damage. Shotguns are the weapons that typically fall into this category. It appears to have all the advantages of hitscan and area effect. The downside is usually a slower rate of fire and poor performance at large range. At close range however, they are deadly and also make good finishers.

• Area effect weapons, line of sight. Unlike point damage weapons, area effect weapons explode around the point of impact. Typically, a direct hit causes the most damage with lesser damage being inflicted depending on how far away from the center of blast you happen to be. This makes these the weapons of choice when shooting at groups of targets or trying to get people behind cover. The offsetting disadvantages are self-damage if you’re not careful and typically some time to flight, which gives your target a chance to dodge.

• Area effect weapons, non line of sight. The weapons that typically fall into this category are grenades and grenade launchers. They have many of the same advantages and disadvantages of their line of sight brethren.

• Other. This category encompasses melee weapons and other special cases (shuriken guns that bounce blades off walls) that are too extensive to list here. The altfire mode for the Tetryon Disrupter falls into this category.

Weapons

	Phaser (weapon 1) fire: Relatively weak steady beam, which does not use up much energy altfire: Stronger steady beam but use up more energy than 'fire' mode notes: The only weapon with no 'powerups' since it recharges automatically within a few seconds. Typically, the phaser is the standard weapon you will start with.
	Phaser Compression Rifle (weapon 2) fire: Fires energy projectiles like a slow fully automatic weapon. Doesn't use much energy but also does not cause much damage. altfire: Beam (not constant) with more energy used but needs some time to recharge. notes: Makes a decent sniper weapon. 'Rocket' jump capable weapon
	I-mod (infinity modulator) (weapon 3) fire: Fires beam altfire: Fires stronger beam using more energy notes: Only weapon in the game the borg can NOT get used to after a few shots. If you use other weapons on the borg they will adjust their shields so further use will not pass them any damage except splash damage of the photon launcher. In multiplayer, the I-mod the only weapon that can harm people when they have that shield (more specifics on this later).
	Scavenger Rifle (weapon 4) fire: Fires energy projectiles like a full automatic weapon. Individually, each shot does not use much ammunition and does not cause a lot of damage, but it fires quite fast. altfire: Launches energy grenade a short distance. Quite powerful but uses a lot of your energy. notes: 'Rocket' jump capable weapon
	Etherian Organic Stasis Weapon (weapon 5) fire: Fires beam altfire: Fires 5 beams notes: Don't know much about this weapons since it doesn't show up in many maps.
	Grenade Launcher (weapon 6) fire: Fires grenades which detonate with a small time delay (2 or 3 secs). altfire: Fires mines which can stick to walls,floors and other objects and detonate with a time delay than the grenades or if someone gets near them they'll go off as well. notes: Can be used to shoot around corners as grenades will bounce off solid surfaces. Use the altfire mode to build temporary minefields or mine passages you've just passed through. (useful if someone is chasing you).
	Tetrion Disruptor (weapon 7) fire: Fires beams like a fast fully automatic 'gatling style' weapon. Again high rate of fire, but individual beams do not cause much damage altfire: Fires energy projectiles like a fast fully automatic 'gatling style' weapon using more energy deployed and used. notes: In altfire mode, it can be used to shoot around corners as projectiles are ricocheting. Penetrates all armor (except the golden armor shield) and temporary forcefields.
	Quantum Torpedo Launcher (weapon 8) fire: Fires energy projectiles which pass the most damage in the game. altfire: Fires guided energy projectiles using more energy than fire mode notes: if using altfire mode, point the crosshairs on your enemy and press altfire. The projectile will follow your enemy much like a guided missile until impact. 'Rocket' jump capable weapon. The Photon Launcher does lots of splash damage (most in 'fire mode') when fired at walls, floor or objects near an enemy. good to take down temporary force fields.
	Dreadnought Arc Welder (weapon 9) fire: Fires continuos 'electric' beam using and deploying less energy/damage as altfire mode. altfire: Fires kinda 'electric flash' using and deploying more energy than 'fire mode' but needs a bit to charge again after each shot. notes: Best weapon to trace and point one someone trying to get away. Second most powerful weapon to the photon launcher. When using altfire, shoot at your target's feet since the blast will travel along the floor and allow you attack multiple people.

Health Pickups

	Booster Hypospray – Gives a small health boost, activated upon pickup.
	Emergency Hypospray – Gives a larger health boost, activated upon pickup.

Holdable Pickups

	Portable Medkit – Usable Medkit: Restores health level to 100. Activated with the ‘Use’ function. No effect if your health is at 100 or above.
	Personal Transporter Device – Transports the user to a random location on the map, activated with the ‘Use’ function.
	Ultritium Explosive Charge – Detpack that you “use” to place and “use” again to detonate. Note: when placed they can be shot and deactivated, activated with the ‘Use’ function.
	Portable Force Field – Places a temporary shield that blocks enemies and weapon fire, activated with the ‘Use’ function.

Armor Pickups

	Incremental Shield Boost – Small armor boost, activated upon pickup.
	B>Personal Deflector Screen – Medium armor boost, activated upon pickup (armor with faint green shell).
	Isokinetic Deflector Screen – Large armor boost, activated upon pickup (armor with strong green shell).

Powerup Pickups

	Nano-Regenerative Protoplasmer (regeneration) – Regenerates the users health to 200, activated upon pickup, time duration (looks like Medkit but with gold shell).
	Metaphasic Shielding (battle suit) – Makes the user invulnerable, activated upon pickup, time duration (looks like armor but with gold shell).
	Quantum Weapon Enhancer (quad damage) – Increases users weapon damage, activated upon pickup, time duration.
	Temporal Accelerator (haste) – Increases the users speed, activated upon pickup, time duration.
	Anti-Gravity Pack (flight) – Allows user to fly, activated upon pickup, time duration.
	Personal Cloaking Device (invisibility) – Makes the user invisible, activated upon pickup, time duration.
	Seeker Drone – Defense drone that hovers near the user and shoots at enemies in range, activated upon pickup.

You want to control the game by getting your strategy going or by preventing the other player from getting into his rhythm. This can be done by controlling key weapons, items such as power ups, or forcing your opponent to constantly react to your moves.

• The important thing to remember is that the game lasts for 10 minutes (or whatever the server admin sets the time/frag limit to ... so you should figure this out). If you're playing for score, then the number that counts is what you have at then end.
• Don't get flustered by a string of quick kills then and run around stupidly trying to make up your frag deficit.
• Think rationally about why you got tagged so quickly so many times. It might have been luck, or you might have been caught respawing a few times in a row. You might be showing some hesitation because it's an unfamiliar map.
• Adjust your playing style as necessary to compensate. On new maps, I adjust to play more defensively and watch what other people do.
• Avoid getting angry when playing. You may think this will help fuel your fragging, but it will make you more jittery. You need to stay calm so that you can maintain your aim and keep thinking straight.
• Continue to kick ass.

• Are they hunters or campers?
• If they are campers or tend to stay in one area, you have a lot more freedom to plan how you want to take the fight to them.
• If they are hunters, then you constantly have to be on guard lest they surprise you. This may mean that any rest or listening breaks are done seldom and finished quickly.
• The best way to learn any game is to play against people who are better than you. Play against them as often as possible and watch their technique. If they're really cool, they might even share some of their tips with you.

• Don't always run in straight lines. Zigzagging as you run, even when you think you're alone is permitted.
• Don't circulate the map or portions of a map in the same pattern. I still find myself doing this and it's easy to get stuck on a set route you use to navigate a map. A smart opponent will pick up on this and be able to anticipate where you will go and therefore wait for you on his terms.
• Don't circle-strafe in the same direction all the time. The point of circle strafing is to dodge fire. But if you're going to keep moving in the same direction, it's easy really easy to lead you. Change it up every now and then.

• Run away when you no longer have the advantage in a firefight (e.g., when you have a smaller weapon and are nearly out of life).
• Sometimes you will want to run away even when you have ammo:
  • Run away and immediately double back. If your opponent is chasing you, thinking that you've run out of ammo, you may surprise him and gain the upper hand.
  • If your opponent has guessed that you are trying to get behind him, he may have doubled back, trying to cut you off. He may have turned his back to you, giving you the chance to catch him unaware.
  • This is also a part of not being predictable. If you run away even when you have ammo, especially after pulling some really good ambushes, your opponent is more likely to not immediately try to chase you down when you run. This gives you valuable breathing space when you REALLY DO NEED to run away because of low ammo, you're hurt, or he has the upper hand.

• When running away, try to run backwards, but ensure you still check your back often. This allows you to run away while preserving your ability to return fire. Keep in mind that you sacrifice speed for security. In large FFAs, you might be better of paying more attention to where you're going.

• Look behind you every now and then. I can't count all the times that I've followed someone around the map and they never noticed I was there.
• When you cross corridors, take a quick look left and right.
• Listen for audio cues to discern what items have been picked up, where the other player is and where he is going.
• Keep tabs on when key items respawn
• Don't get so focused on chasing down one person that you lose track of other people who may be gunning for you.

• Does he move predictably? For example, do he always strafe-left or circulate the map in a clockwise direction? On certain maps, does he always make a right after grabbing the arc welder? Picking up on these patterns will enable you to anticipate where your buddy will be and therefore get yourself in the best position to frag him.

• Are audio cues followed by predictable actions? On certain maps, when you hear and audio cue such an an elevator, do you just know exactly where your buddy is and where he's heading?
• Does your opponent always chase you, only pulling back if he is out of ammunition?

• There is nothing worse than getting killed for a small health or for some ammo that you plain did not need.
• Don't make a habit of picking everything up. It gives away where you are and where you've been.

• Doors are natural choke points because they're narrow and restrict your ability to move and dodge. From the shooter's perspective, it's easy to concentrate fire into a doorway, especially with splash-damage weapons and gain easy frags.

  The following screenshots were taken from the map 'Boarding Party'

  Simply stepping through a door leaves you exposed to fire from both sides of the corridor.		Starting from the oblique enables you control how much of cooridor the room you want to expose yourself to at any given point.

• The audio (door opening) and visual (door opening) cues are a dead give-away that someone is at the door, and gives your opponent that split second advantage.
• There are a couple of counter measures that can be used individually or in combination:
  • Shoot at the door to open it before you hit the entryway. If you open the door with your body, you'll be forced to hesitate for a moment while it opens for you, exposing you for a few moments.
  • Jump through doorways. If your buddy is shooting area affect weapons at you, jumping will save a little bit of your health since you're further away from the impact.
  • Run close enough to the door to make it open but take a step back or to the side. Often time, someone will shoot at a door as soon as it opens, expecting a body to come charging through. Stepping back makes them waste that first shot and alerts you to the presence of a baddy.
  • Approach the door from the oblique. This means that you're standing off to the side and looking through the doorway at a 45-degree angle. This gives you a view into about 1/3 of the room while hiding your from the other 2/3. This has most of the advantages of taking a step back, but gives you a better field of fire into the room. You can take in the remainder of the room by circle-strafing left or right, attack by going straight on or button-hook around to the opposite side.

  In this example, I'm pursuing someone into a T-intersection. I don't know which side of the T he might be in. I begin my approach to the room and use one shot to open the door. If he reacts to the door opening by firing, I'm not actually there.		The door opens and I get a view of the right side of the T. If he is there, I can engage, but he cannot engage me if he is on the left hand side of the T-intersection.
  I then circle-strafe right, scanning the cooridor from outside, letting me take in the second third of the intersection, the area right in from of the door.		By the time I actually enter the T-intersection, I've already swept 2/3s of the space. If he is in the left-most branch of the T, I still haven't entered his field of fire.
  I continue into the room using a combination of forward and strafe-right, still sweeping my weapon from right to left.		I finish with my back to the cleared part of the corridor and have been able to engage him at any point during the sweep.

• Standing directly in front of or in doors and windows silhouettes you perfectly for anyone who wants to return fire.
• Door and window frames make you vulnerable to splash damage.
• Instead, take a step or two back from the door. It's still as easy for you to shoot into a room and actually reduces the area inside the room from which people can see you. Plus you retain your peripheral vision to see people coming down the hall.
• Stepping back will most likely put you into more shadows.
• It also gives you a little more room to maneuver to incoming fire or if you get surprised.

• This technique is probably most applicable in one-vs-one or small group (3-4 player) games.
• Every now and then, it makes good tactical sense to stop, take a break, and assess your current situation.
  • Find a place that offers a good field of fire and protects at least your back and one side.
  • Stop and listen. When you're running around and shooting up the world, it's hard to hear what else is going on around you.
  • Listen and take note of what sounds everyone is making, what audio cues the map is giving you, etc.
  • Taking a short break is good for your nerves and arm muscles too.

• Once you've selected a position, set up your ambush. Listen for the audio cues of someone approaching your position and get ready. When they appear blast them. Hopefully you've surprised them and will gain a couple of moments as they figure out where your fire is coming from and react. That's all the time you have to frag them.
• Corollary. If you get ambushed, have an immediate action drill that gets you out of the kill zone and returning fire as quickly as possible. As you move though a map, you should be giving thought to where you can go if you get shot up.
• Once you've concluded your ambush, immediately move. One of the biggest mistakes is staying in the same spot hoping to repeat the ambush again and again. A smart opponent will know you're there and kill you every time.
• Another benefit of the ambush is that it forces your opponent to take a more cautious approach to fighting against you, slowing him down, and hopefully giving you more control over the game.
• Eventually they'll learn all the ambush spots in a map, but then you'll just have to get a little more creative.

• Opponents are most vulnerable when they respawn.
  • They give off distinct visual and audio cues that they're respawning and It takes a couple of moments to get oriented and take action.
  • When you hear the sound of a respawn it means they're nearby. If you don't immediately see them in your front 180 degrees of vision, execute a mouse-flick and look behind you.
  • Odds are, you will see the golden glow of fresh meat respawning into the game.
  • At this point, you have just a fraction of a second to put the beatdown on this person and make them respawn somewhere else.

• You have to listen for sounds. Sometimes with all the noise of weapons firing and people yelling back and forth,, it can be difficult, but stop every now and then or concentrate on the noises of the game and you will gain an appreciation for how much information you can collect simply by listening.
• Audio cues also alert you to how badly hurt YOU are. Some people turn off their HUDs to improve FPS and rely on the sounds to tell them when they need to find health. Even if you don't turn off your HUD, these cues allow you to focus on gunning down your buddy instead of constantly looking at your health. Likewise, learn the pain sounds of the people you play against most often. These will tell you how hurt they are.
• Just as audio cues can give you away, you can use audio cues to deceive your opponent.
  • Open doors but don't enter.
  • Launch a Tetryon Pulse or grenade down a corridor you have no intention of entering.
  • If there are 4 pieces of armor, pick up 2 of them (if there is another place with 2-3 pieces).
  • Hop into the water then quickly get back out.
  • Step onto then off of an elevator to activate it.

• If I think someone might be coming around the same corner, you can surprise him or her with an area effect weapon. Since they have no idea that you are around the corner, they probably won't have the opportunity to dodge out of the way.
• If someone is waiting to ambush you, the suppressive fire can cause him or her to break ambush early, thereby saving your skin. If the person simply happens to be coming down the same corridor, it could cause them to hold up and try to figure out where you are shooting from which buys a couple of moments to gain the advantage.
• Sometimes, I will also fire a Tetryon Pulse or a grenade down a corridor I have no intention of going down just to make a little covering noise and keep people guessing where I'm coming from.
• Naturally, the benefits of this should be weighed against the disadvantage of potentially giving your position away.

• Always keep your crosshairs centered on the corridor, door, or path that you intent to use.
• As you approach the opening, circle-strafe left or right so that your crosshairs stay on target, but your model is swinging around in alignment with the door.
• Once you're lined up the way you want and you're convinced the coast is clear, make your entry.
• This ensures that you are always ready to shoot if someone pops out of the entry.

• This is especially true in FFAs where you might have 4-8 people exchanging rocket fire back and forth across a courtyard. Why would you want to be in the middle of that? Stay on the periphery of these areas and shoot into and across the kill zone.
• By staying on the edges and keeping your back to the wall, you only have to keep track of your left, right, and front. If you're in the middle, you have to keep track of all 360 degrees.
• You become less of an easy target. People will typically shoot at the easiest kill. You just don't want 8 people to see you as the easiest kill.
• By staying back, you can also keep better track of what's going on thereby letting you play smarter with your ammunition and shots. Watch who is getting hurt and go for the easy kill (though be mindful of frag-napping - this really depends on the game and who you play with).

• Hugging walls makes you an easy target for splash-damage weapons. It's a lot easier for me to shoot and damage you if I can get cheap damage because my rockets can hit anywhere near you and catch you in the blast radius. Just like you would jump to minimize splash damage from a rocket aimed at your feet, maintain a little bit of space to minimize splash damage from area effect weapons aimed at walls near you.
• Hugging walls reduces your mobility. No only is one direction completely blocked, but you're more likely to run into something and get hung up - not good when someone is getting you lined up in his or her sights.
• Sticking to a wall makes it a lot easier for someone to hit you with any weapon that travels in a straight line. If I am near a wall and someone is coming down the same wall at me, it's much easier to line up my rail shot. All I have to do is shoot down the side of the wall and I have a pretty high probability of a hit.

• Are you playing on new maps
  • How well do you know the maps?
  • Are you spending more time thinking about navigating the maps than you used to?
  • Are you playing on maps that you simply don't play well on? Personally, I do very poorly on space and very vertical maps.

• Have new players been introduced
  • Has the total number of players increased? In large FFAs, especially on small maps, this may put a lot of additional pressure on people who are used to having that extra moment to line up their shots
  • How good are the new players? How can you adjust your game style to compensate? What techniques do you need to work on?

• Are you playing on a new server?
  • The mod might be different or the way the mod is configured may be slightly different than you are used to. Has anything significant changed?
  • Is there new weapons or equipment being used?
  • How does the ping and lag compare with your regular server? Have you compensated yet?

• What else has changed?

References

• Official Quake II Strategies & Secrets
• Prima Guide to Quake III
• Planetquake Quake III Game Guide
• FM 90-10-1, An Infantryman's Guide to Urban Combat
• FM 21-75, Combat Skills of the Soldier

Contributors

• Ifurita (editor)
• Lucky/Radar