Guide to Combat arms
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
1.0 The Playbook
1.1 Picking
1.2 Extreme KDR - "Stretching"
1.3 Extreme Close Range Sniping/Double Barreling
1.4 Grenade-Distraction
1.5 Kill Cam Fakes
1.6 Superior Enemies
2.0 The Book of Knowledge
2.1 Detecting "Chams"
2.2 Grenade Physics
2.3 See Through Fog!
2.4 Mine Behavior
2.5 Mine Defusal
3.0 The Mind
3.1 Patterns
3.2 Intimidation
3.3 Anticipation
4.0 The Body
4.1 Stealth Techniques
4.2 Crazy-Hopping
4.3 Player Model Clipping
4.4 Circle/Strafe Sniping
4.5 Varying Crouch Height
5.0 Revisions to Part 1
________________________________________
1.0 The Playbook
"The Playbook" consists of tactics and strategies.
________________________________________
1.1 Picking:
"Picking" is not a word heard in Combat Arms, but former CS players should recognize it. Using this technique, I've had spectacular success in S&D and Elim Pro games.
Picking is the art of "picking off" a player of the enemy team in a no-respawn game. This is very different from simply seeing an enemy and trying to shoot him before he shoots you. When a team captain orders you to "pick middle", it becomes your duty to aim a high damage weapon at wherever "middle" may refer to and instantly kill a target that wanders through your killzone. A successful pick involves the instant death of an enemy player, usually near the very beginning of a match or firefight, that gives the enemy no chance whatsoever to react or retaliate and instantly gives your team a manpower advantage.
The position required to achieve this "pick" may be far away from your spawn, meaning that you must be packing speed gear and your spawn position may even determine if the pick is possible. You should obviously have your knife out for maximum portability and you must also take the most efficient route to your pick position to get there as fast as humanly possible. With any luck, you will have arrived at the position just in time to have a clean shot as the enemy passes the choke point.
In-game, the use of this technique is devastating. I start about 30% or more of my S&D or Elim Pro games with a single, well placed L96 killshot. The fact that so many players are unfamiliar with picking definitely helps.
________________________________________
1.2 Extreme KDR - "Stretching":
KDR: Kill Death Ratio. Though its usefulness is debatable, some would say that your value as a player can be quantified by this single value, and this single value alone. The higher the KDR you have, the more respect you demand, and the more people pay attention to what you say. Everyone wants to up their KDR... And I'm going to tell you how to do it.
The "true" foundation of having a good KDR is mastering the core skills as mentioned in part 1: a suitable equipment loadout, good recoil control (aim), proper strategy and tactics, uncanny awareness, and solid movement skill. Instead of reiterating those points here, I will instead provide you with a unique method for improving your KDR. I call this method "Stretching".
Stretching:
Here is a useful analogy that will help you understand what "Stretching" means: Imagine that you, as a player, are a length of string. The length of your string symbolizes your "true" KDR; that is, the KDR you would have if it reflected your individual skill perfectly. Let's say your length of string is currently 1.5 inches. Now, I'm going to tell you to stretch that string, with as much force as you can, without snapping it. Your string is now 2.5 inches long.
What you just did was lengthen that string significantly, without changing how much string you have. Let's bring it back to Combat Arms. I'm going to tell you how to stretch your KDR to its maximum, without modifying your original skill level.
How to stretch:
Stretching is a simple thing to describe, but a difficult thing to use correctly. Basically, you are stretching your KDR whenever you are squeezing every last kill you possibly can out of each death you incur. This doesn't mean that you are killing tons of people nonstop, it means that you are getting a significant amount of kills when you are extremely wounded.
How does a weak player continue to do damage? You must choose to engage in fights that you know you will win 90% of the time. This means you need to be camping a great position with a sniper rifle (could be right in the middle of the action), waiting for someone to round a corner, hiding in places no one ever checks, clearing your spawn of rushers, employing extreme close range sniping (risky), etc.. You basically need to make your HP a nonfactor and play it safe for as long as possible. Keep in mind that you must forfeit a small amount of your total kills in order to stretch your KDR.
Don't underestimate the power of stretching. If you are able to stretch for just 1 kill for every 3 lives, you have just improved your KDR by .33! I even use this technique in small maps like Junk Flea by killing players rushing into my spawn or sniping out of the small cracks of doorways, but it is definitely easier to stretch in very large maps.
________________________________________
1.3 Extreme Close Range Sniping/Double Barreling:
Special Note:
I developed this technique as a counter to my clanmate -CptAmerica (forum: WhiteFeather). He was the first player that could beat me consistently in close quarters combat, so I had to come up with a way to kill him instantly. This was the result.
Using this technique is a bit of a gamble, but the payoff is usually worth it. The basic idea is to hold position next to a door or wall where you know an enemy is about to walk through it and either scope in with a one-shot sniper rifle or leave it unscoped. You may also use a Double Barrel shotgun if you prefer. Pay close attention to footsteps to track the enemy’s movements, then mercilessly one-shot the enemy as he walks into your sights.
Note: If sniping, you need to adjust the distance between the edge of the wall and your crosshair according to your reaction time and the player’s predicted movement speed. If your reaction time is slow, you need to increase the distance. If you predict that the enemy is walking, you should decrease the distance.
Choosing to scope in will give you almost a 100% chance to hit the target if your aim is true. If you choose to noscope the target instead, you will have much more flexibility in hitting a target that jumps or sprints past you, which is a target you would probably miss if you were scoped. However, the chance that your bullet will not hit the center of your screen is somewhat high.
This is most useful in S&D and Elimination Pro clan wars. The skill of these players is usually high, and close range sniping/Double Barreling is a good way to kill them before they have any chance to react. If you instead chose to engage the target with say a AK-47, there is a high chance that an enemy with an SMG would hose you down before you can do the same to him. Sometimes, a player may be impossible for you to kill due to their HP or skill and this technique is one of the few ways to beat him.
________________________________________
1.4 Grenade-Distraction:
This is a technique that I seldom find the opportunity to use, but it has saved my life a few times. A nade-distraction is basically using a grenade, specifically an enemy’s reaction to grenade, as a way to render the target helpless for a short period of time.
First, I lob a grenade (preferably an HE) at an opponent’s feet during any short break in combat and quickly strafe back into cover. In all likelihood, the enemy will spot the grenade and immediately sprint away from it. I immediately step out of cover before the grenade explodes, then pour bullets into the running target as quickly and accurately as possible for free and unopposed damaged. In this situation, the target has two choices: die by my grenade or die in a hail of bullets. This is basically a guaranteed way to defeat a target.
I usually use this technique in situations where I am at a big disadvantage, either HP or skill-wise (though the latter is rare 8P). Keep in mind, this only works when the environment is open enough to allow you to see the target even after he clears the blast of the grenade. Any available cover nearby will give the target an easy way to escape both the grenade and your gunfire. Slow targets like heavy vests, machine gunners, or just plain noobs are also extremely vulnerable to nade-distractions.
________________________________________
1.5 Kill Cam Fakes:
Very quick and simple tip. If you know that kill cam is on and you just killed a clever opponent, it would be wise for you to do a kill cam fake. The simple fake involves moving in such a way that convinces your recent victim that you are doing one thing, when you fully intend to do something completely different. For example, if I just killed a player underground in Snow Valley, I would immediately start moving towards their base. After 5 seconds or so, I would turn around and exit the tunnels, most likely leaving my victim searching the tunnels in some vain attempt to take their revenge on me. If the player you killed is not clever, you may not need to bother doing a fake.
________________________________________
1.6 Superior Enemies:
This is the prime frustration of any player in any game. And no, not every player that is better than you is a n00b ***. You have to accept that there will always be players that are better than you (occasionally so much better that it is absurd) before you can learn to adapt to these players and, someday, be one of them.
Enemy: Superior Rushers
You are playing Two Towers and enemies are flying out of the windows and into your base. You are in Snow Valley and enemies are rushing the underground passage nonstop, shooting you in the back wherever you go. You are on the roofs in Waverider and are getting shot in the sides and back constantly. These are situations that I know you all have been in, where many of you have been unable to cope with the onslaught. The combined force of surprise attacks and superior rushing skills seem impossible to deal with. Some solutions:
1. Withdraw to a Safe Position, with your back preferably to a wall or the border of the map, where you can clear your base of hostiles with assault rifle or sniper rifle fire. Make sure that enemy snipers have no chance to hit you while you methodically snipe out rushers. This is useful to all players because the rusher will typically be engaging your other teammates, leaving you plenty of time to take careful aim. After you snipe a rusher a few times in a row, you can bet he or she will be reluctant to come back so often. Remember to change positions if you feel you are becoming too predictable.
2. Plant Mines. Mines at strategic locations on the map can ruin the day of any rusher if properly placed. Drop two mines at a sneaky location where you want to kill your target instantly. Drop the third mine at a position closer to where you choose to camp. The third mine's purpose is not to kill the rusher outright, but to generate a very loud sound that will instantly signal where the rusher is and where he is heading. Attack the weakened rusher directly or wait for him to emerge.
3. Target one foe for eradication with Target-Specific Camping. Identify the tendencies of your specific target (typically very easy to do) and hide in a corner next to a doorway, ladder, or other entrance that he or she usually passes through. Listen for footsteps, then shoot the player in the back without remorse. Modify your position to remain unpredictable and repeat until the rusher commences crying.
4. Counter-Rush. If your base seems completely overrun and impossible to defend, sneak to the other team's base and cause all the hell you can. Even if you kill only two or three people, the mere fact that someone on your team is on the offensive can usually slow down rushers. If they continue to rush, the enemy team's base will be very lightly defended and make it even easier for you to get free kills; this is a win-win situation.
Enemy: Superior Snipers/Campers
This is a tricky obstacle to face. If you attempt to rush a sniping team, you either 1) succeed fantastically and kill many unaware snipers or 2) get sniped immediately. Solutions:
1. Snipers are often in deep, deep cover where only the top of their heads are visible, so you need to be able to overcome this with Accuracy. A high accuracy sniper rifle like the SR25 is recommended for best results (the M24 works for this too -_-, but basically only for this). An assault rifle with good accuracy and a good scope (G36E) is also very useful if you want to stick with the L9 sniper. Assault rifles, though not as accurate as snipers, make up for this with their higher rate of fire, but keep in mind bullets fired from rifles have a 100 meter range. Also, keep your recoil in check. Less bullets fired more accurately are your friend in this situation.
2. If your Grenade Throwing is something special, you can use these to great effect. Sophisticated grenade tosses can be an effective way to neutralize normally unassailable campers, but are typically difficult to aim properly.
3. Skillful, light vest players often find it quite easy to evade and rush most snipers. A little jump here and a little wiggle there is often enough to throw the sniper's aim off. If you're opponents are very accurate, however, employ other tactics.
4. Counter-Snipe with model "glitch". Poke your head out just an inch above an obstacle or ladder before taking your anti-sniper shots. As mentioned in Part 1 of this guide, your point of view is higher than your in-game model's eyes, allowing you to almost see above your head and fire with minimal exposure. This could give you the edge you need against better snipers. I have been killed many times by snipers who are virtually invisible to me, so it can be rather annoying to be on the receiving end of this tactic. Also keep in mind that most good snipers use the L96A1, a weapon that is not known at all for accurate headshotting, which leaves you relatively safe from them.
Enemy: Superior Spawn Campers. Situation: Your spawn is CONTAINED.
Many maps are very susceptible to excessive spawn camping (Waverider, Two Towers, etc.), a situation I call Containment. In many cases, it seems impossible to break the contain (and it sometimes truly is impossible). You have two options in this situation:
1. Fall back and clear your spawn of hostiles.
You need to retreat to a position that is as safe as possible from base campers while still having good sightlines over your spawn. Attempt to snipe or rifle down players who attack your spawn. This may give your team the chance to push out and retake the area.
2. Rush hard.
You need to be well equipped and significantly more skilled than your opponents to pull this off. Your task is simple: sprint out of your spawn and annihilate any spawn campers in the area. This brute force method of dealing with containment can be costly in terms of deaths, but a successful rush has the potential to break the containment permanently. Neutralizing more than half of a team almost simultaneously will allow your team to easily leave their spawn, possibly turning the entire game around. Again, only attempt this if you are more skilled than the opposing team.
Ideally, you will want to combine these two options. Sniping one or two players near your spawn will make your job of rushing the remaining survivors much easier.
________________________________________
2.0 The Book of Knowledge
"The Book of Knowledge" consists of miscellaneous information and observations of game mechanics.
________________________________________
2.1 Detecting "Chams":
Most of you do not have the experience to identify a chammer. Almost every single "chamming" accusation in Combat Arms is driven by a need to cope with loss than actual evidence of hacking. I feel that I do have enough experience to separate chammers from skilled, legit players. Here is how I determine if someone is chamming or not.
Check 1: Rank of the player
Low rank chammers are much, much easier to identify. This is because they do not have the experience to mimic a legit player.
Check 2: Gauge the player's skill
You need to observe how the suspect moves, aims, throws grenades, makes decisions, etc.. It takes a certain amount of experience to recognize these things. For instance, a player who is supposedly clever enough to know where you are most of the time should have terrific aim. If they have terrible aim, there is a good chance they are chamming. This is the most IMPORTANT check.
Check 3: Analyze each suspicious situation
You need to analyze everything about the situation and consider all the possible ways the suspect may have detected where you were. You need to ask yourself these questions:
Was I making noise that he could have possibly heard?
Have I been doing the same thing over and over again that he could have anticipated me?
Does he have a heartbeat detector/satellite scanner?
Did I just kill his teammate, which would have given away my position?
Did I move past a tiny gap in cover that would have exposed my movement?
Could he have seen a tracer that I fired across the map?
Could his teammate or clanmate alerted him to my position?
Did he watch me on Kill Cam?
If you can eliminate all or most of these possibilities, then you may have accurately identified a chammer.
________________________________________
2.2 Grenade Physics:
The Combat Arms physics engine, if it can even be called that, is barebones to say the least. I've noticed that grenades never bounce at all like they intuitively should.
Grenades seem to get stuck on every object you throw them at. There are two main things to note about grenade physics:
1. Grenades lose a huge amount of speed after they bounce, much more so than most would expect.
2. The angle of the bounce is much more shallow than it should be. This means that a grenade thrown at a 45º angle at the ground will bounce almost straight up.
If you are attempting more complex grenade tosses, you need to adjust your trajectory accordingly to account for these oddities.
________________________________________
2.3 See Through Fog!:
This tip applies almost exclusively to Snow Valley and Brushwood. How many times have you stared across the map, sniper rifle in hand, only to see nothing but fog blocking your view? I have the solution!
I do not quite understand the logic of Nexon's thinking, but in CA, your player's peripheral vision can see through fog better than your direct vision can. Peripheral vision is, of course, the ability to see in almost a 180º arc, not just straight in front of you.
Applying this to Combat Arms: If you are sniping and feel blinded by the fog at extreme range, turn your point of view until the position that you want to investigate is at the left or right extremes of your screen. You will discover that the closer to the edge of your screen the position is, the less fog will be in the way. You can now see through fog.
Unfortunately, this is not a fog-destroying ability. Obviously, you are still going to have to place the target (if you find one) in the center of your screen to take the shot, once again allowing the fog to block your view. But, with this technique, you at least know what was at that position a second or so beforehand, allowing you to either take a best guess sniper shot, wait for the target to emerge from the fog, or fire at a position below the enemy nametag that appears on screen for a lucky kill.
Be careful not to use this technique too much, however. Just like in driving, concentrating too much on what's on the left or right of your car can leave you vulnerable to dangers right in front of you. Just take a quick peek through the fog once, then continue sniping or whatever it is you are doing.
________________________________________
2.4 Mine Behavior:
After a mine is triggered, it is launched into the air before exploding, giving you less than a second to clear the blast area. This is what makes it possible to safely defuse a mine at close range (see below).
Although a mine appears to explode in mid-air, damage does NOT originate from this elevated height. In fact, the damage originates from the original position of the mine before it was triggered (i.e. on the floor). This means that a mine exploding in your face may not damage you at all as long as there was an object between you and its original grounded position.
________________________________________
2.5 Mine Defusal:
The most obvious way to defuse a mine is to detonate it with gunfire from a distance or blow it up with some other explosive device. However, it is sometimes impossible to detonate a mine while keeping far enough away to avoid the blast.
If this is the case you need trigger that mine at close range and quickly take cover before the mine can detonate. This means that you need to shoot the mine approximately two times with an assault rifle while strafing behind a wall. The explosion occurs quite quickly after the mine is triggered, so you need to place your shots on it just before it is obscured from your view by the piece of cover. With any luck, the mine will pop up and destroy all the mines in the surrounding area, leaving you unharmed.
________________________________________
3.0 The Mind
"The Mind" contains tips that are purely mental in nature.
________________________________________
3.1 Patterns:
As I mentioned in Part 1, it is important to take note of specific player actions until you can establish a pattern of behavior.
General Patterns:
These patterns refer to the common actions of the CA player base as a whole. Just a few examples I can provide:
1. 90% of players don’t use the underground passage in Snow Valley.
2. Mines are rarely used.
3. There will always be epic grenade spam in JF Elimination Pro.
4. 90% of players don’t listen to footsteps or can’t understand what they mean.
5. If you knife a Lieutenant, they will cry.
Another type of general pattern deals with players of a certain skill level:
High-Level players will:
1. be difficult to snipe.
2. dodge almost all grenades.
3. make you pay dearly if you miss your first shots.
4. decapitate you if you stand still for too long.
Low-Level players will:
1. move in straight lines.
2. very rarely sprint.
3. are incapable of breaking a spawn camp.
4. crouch and snipe in one position for long periods of time.
Observe these patterns, and change your gameplay accordingly.
Specific Patterns:
These are the more interesting patterns. They refer to the repeated and predictable behavior of a specific player or team in a specific game.
Example: A player in Pump Jack keeps jumping over my L9 shots as he goes around a corner. He has done this twice, so a pattern has been established. I compensate by aiming above and to the left of where I would normally aim. He predictably jumps around the corner and I nail him in the chest at the top of his jump.
The number of specific patterns is infinite, so it is up to you to take note of them.
________________________________________
3.2 Intimidation:
Intimidation of an enemy team involves two things: looking dangerous, and being dangerous. This means you have to be able to rip any player on the enemy team to pieces repeatedly AND be visibly recognizable on the battlefield. In terms of being dangerous, this is down to your individual skill and aggression. Show the enemy team that you can beat any of them in a firefight, and they will begin to fear you.
The real fun begins when the enemy begins to recognize your unique character and anticipate impending doom. This can often throw off their aim in their desperate attempt to gun you down before you annihilate them.
Some items that can help you intimidate:
Skull Mask (Smiley)
Specialists
Mei
Sport Shades
Urban Camo
Basically any piece of cosmetic gear that can set you apart will increase the intimidation effect.
Remember that this effect is minor in comparison to other techniques, but it might make the difference in a close fight. Even if it doesn't, being recognizable is still cool, regardless.
________________________________________
3.3 Anticipation:
I believe my application of "anticipation" is one of my greatest advantages in Combat Arms. When walking into a potentially dangerous zone, you must not only accept the possibility of enemy contact, you must assume enemy contact. You have to believe that an enemy is about to walk into your sights, and you need to make all the necessary preparations to engage that enemy. These preparations include: having a full magazine, having the appropriate weapon drawn, aiming your crosshairs at the most likely enemy positions(1), hovering your finger over the trigger, and being prepared to take radical evasive maneuvers. I'm not talking about just being prepared to fight, I'm talking about being just at the edge of letting loose with a hail of bullets at basically any time.
-In reference to (1), the most likely enemy position must be determined through your own observation. Once you play a certain map and mode enough, you should be able to predict with some accuracy as to where an enemy is likely located, whether it be behind a box, at the top of a stairway, etc.. ("General Patterns").
The description of anticipation is rather abstract, but believe me when I say it works. On countless occasions, players have slammed their keyboards in frustration as a result of my anticipation. I commonly run into a room, look directly at the a player camping in a common position, and kill him instantly. "Chammer!" they yell, yet now you know it is the simple application of anticipation that makes this possible.
________________________________________
4.0 The Body
"The Body" contains techniques that deal with physical characteristics of the player as well as the disguising of the player's position.
________________________________________
4.1 Stealth Techniques:
Stealth is a difficult concept to apply to Combat Arms. Camouflage is generally ineffective, tracers are impossible to eliminate, and the noiseless "walk" ability is far too slow to be practical. Despite this, I have found a few techniques that maximize stealth which are intended to be applied to serious, no-respawn game modes.
Since visual stealth is next to impossible to achieve, we will focus on auditory stealth.
Walking
Walking is ineffective in Combat Arms. The speed of even a +15% speed boosted player is far too slow to accomplish much, especially if stealth is required over long distances. Simply holding 'c' to achieve stealth should only be used as a last resort.
Silencers (a.k.a. suppressors)
Silencers are indeed an effective tool in maintaining stealth. Advanced players will always attempt to track the source of gunfire, especially if one of their teammates has just fallen in battle. With a silencer mounted, it is next to impossible for an enemy to gauge your exact position unless they spot your tracers. However, some believe that recent patches have nerfed silencers to a point where they may actually reduce damage by the labeled -10% (this was not true in previous times). I have not done sufficient testing to confirm this, but it may push 4-shot weapons into the 5-shot category if it is true. Observe your favorite weapons closely, both silenced and unsilenced, to determine whether the silencer is worthwhile.
Avoid Loud/Unique Surfaces
You should avoid any water at ALL TIMES. Another thing to avoid is short strips of metal surface sandwiched in between another surface . A listening enemy will be able to hear you touch that metal strip and instantly know exactly where you are.
Jump-Walking (my term):
I use this technique when I am trying to maintain some form of auditory stealth, but I can't afford (or don't have the patience) to plod the whole way like I'm stuck in the mud. The principle is simple: minimize the amount of footsteps you generate while maintaining high speed. You accomplish this by doing a jump-sprint, then letting go of sprint while hitting the "walk" key after you hit the ground. Walk a little bit, then repeat the process again. If properly executed, you will only generate a single footstep at the end of your jump. In order to further confuse clever enemies listening to your footsteps, you can even shift direction to make your end destination more difficult to predict.
Distraction:
Very rarely used, but useful in Clan Wars. Just ask a teammate over voice chat to shoot a wall from a safe position, then use the gunshots to cloak your movements as you rush an enemy position. Best used in a very quiet game with only a few players are left alive.
________________________________________
4.2 Crazy-Hopping
This is my term for bunny-hopping like a mad man. Where bunny-hopping usually describes the act of jumping repeatedly during close combat, crazy-hopping is used in different situations.
Crazy-hopping is somewhat difficult to describe. The process involves:
1) Sprinting for a short moment
2) Jumping once while letting go of sprint
3) Engaging sprint again as you land
4) Repeating step 1 and 2 over and over again while changing direction when appropriate
The reason why this (easy) technique is useful is because it allows you to maintain a high level of visible movement while allowing your stamina to regenerate during the jump. Even though the jump isn't necessarily adding to your normal movement speed, it appears like you are moving much more erratically than you would be if you were just jogging.
Two situations I crazy-hop in:
1) Moving in an exposed or dangerous area.
[Story] I was playing in Waverider against one of my clan members. I had made my way to the roofs near the enemy base, and I was crazy-hopping to the extreme all over that side of the map, killing enemies below me as I went. Little did I know what one of my clan members on the opposite team had been staring at me from across the map the entire time with a sniper rifle in hand, trying to track my movements. I heard one CRACK in the distance, the sound of a slug hitting the rooftop beside me, and I immediately searched for the threat will continuing to hop. It turns out that he had such a hard time trying to follow my movements that he never once had a clean shot at me. He also knew that I was a capable player and that I would instantly move to engage him if he fired a sloppy shot at me. This simple technique makes me a very frustrating player to try to snipe.
2) Stalling for time while reloading in close combat.
There have been many times where an enemy has caught me mid-reload. In this case, I immediately begin to crazy-hop if there is no good cover nearby. If this player is average to below average, he will miss the majority of his shots, and God help him if I play a thin female character. The end result is an enemy low on ammunition and a loaded weapon in my hands ready to end his suffering.
Note: If you are playing in Kilo, Delta, or are in a clan match, this will generally NOT work. Use this only in the lower skill servers.
________________________________________
4.3 Player Model Clipping
I know everyone has seen this occur. You are minding your own business in Combat Arms and suddenly, an arm, half a leg, and a gun are sticking out of a fence right in front of you. This phenomenon is called "Clipping". Clipping occurs when a player collides with a thin object, but parts of his body and gear appear to emerge on the other side.
Use this to your advantage. Players often run into the metal doors in Snow Valley at full speed, pressing their body against the door as they open it. What do I see on the other side? An easy target! I usually shoot the exposed body part mercilessly for an easy kill. At other times, I would be searching the underground passage of SV, hunting an elusive camper that shoots me in the back every time I go down there. To my great delight, I suddenly spot an elbow poking out of a concrete wall. Problem solved! Use this to your advantage, but beware; most of your victims will call you a Chammer if you do this.
Avoid clipping yourself. Whenever you are opening a door or are hiding in a corner with thin walls, be very careful not to go to close to the door or wall. Some guns can be extremely long (L9), so you will have to be extra diligent to avoid clipping through them.
________________________________________
4.4 Circle/Strafe Sniping
This is a technique I use almost 100% of the time I am sniping. There have been so many instances where I've come up behind an enemy sniper, only to find him permanently crouched behind a wall or barrel diligently looking for targets. Out comes the pistol for a stylish headshot, execution style. NEVER be that player!
There are always two phases you go through while sniping: scanning, then firing. During the firing phase, you should obviously be still to maintain accuracy. However, during the scanning phase, your should be moving in a circle or strafing behind your piece of cover, basically at all times.
Obviously, you should keep moving so as to become a harder target for counter-snipers or people trying to shoot you in the back. The reason I move in a circle when possible is that regardless of what angle you are viewed from, you will appear to be strafing. Think about it. If you only strafing left to right, an enemy on your right side will basically not see you moving at all and shoot you easily. But if you are moving in a circle, you are a hard target even regardless of what angle the enemy views you from.
Circle sniping are useful in the larger maps when you are on a raised platform while strafe sniping applies to most other situations.
________________________________________
4.5 Varying Crouch Height:
Some of you may have noticed this strange game mechanic. After initially hitting the crouch key and remaining motionless, your view will drop to a certain height above the ground. Tap one of the movement keys while crouched, and you will see that your view will drop even closer to the ground. Quite an insignificant thing to note, yet I have found some use for this.
This is an example where your exact crouch height is critical. In Warhead, there is a window in Bombsite A that overlooks the wooden plank. I often rush to this position from Bravo spawn, which usually results in a first blood as I drop the first player to stray too far into the bathrooms (a.k.a. "Picking"). At this position, A maximum-height crouch allows me to peak my head over the window sill and get a clean shot. However, at the lower crouch height, my view is completely obscured by the window sill. This would be unfortunate, not only because I would miss my shot, but also because my nametag would be visible and leave me vulnerable to grenades or possibly getting my scalp shot off.
Another possible use for this is to make you are as low as possible while behind a piece of cover. This is an extremely rare situation, but it is worth noting.
5.0 Revisions to Part 1:
It's been more than 3 months since I first posted Part 1, so a few corrections and additions are in order.
1. The PP-19 is on par if not superior to the UMP.
2. HE Grenades are probably more useful than an M67 Frag Pack. This is because the blast radius of the HE is much larger than I thought and the extra time it takes to throw two frag grenades may get you killed.
3. You cannot attach a silencer to the SR-25.
4. The G36E, as well as other weapons, may have been nerfed in ways that I cannot confirm.
5. According to one youtube video, the S2 Silencer does NOT reduce tracers. This makes the S3 Silencer preferable when using a sniper rifle.
6. Silencers may reduce more damage than they used to. They reduced damage by much less than 10% several months ago.
7. The S3 Silencer reduces muzzle flash by 100%, confirmed.
8. The M14 has had its fire rate increased and it is no longer a terrible weapon.
9. The Heavy Vest can be more useful than a Light Vest in some situations.
10. Tapping is difficult or impossible to do with high ROF weapons. Use burst fire in these cases.
Subject: Guide to Combat arms 
Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:26 pm
