Split-Screen :: The Game-Geek’s Daily Read

by Sumedh Balan

More tips to help you improve your game.

Sniping

Scan quick & don’t leave your scope zoomed too long! What I’m talking about is scanning of the target zone with your crosshair. Don’t hang about in full zoom & move around the map. You will be open to attack. To see other players it’s better to remain zoomed out and only zoom when taking a shot or to scan an area. If you watch the pros play you must have noticed they scan areas very fast with pin point precision without missing any possible hiding spot that an opposition player maybe hiding in.

Often people have asked me how I no-scope or quick-zoom. This means - how do I shoot without opening the scope and get the kill? No scoping technique is pretty easy when you get used to it. You basically press right and left mouse buttons at the same time and aim at the enemy. But the only difference is that you don’t open the scope fully, as you do in quick scope. You just click so fast that it does not open but gives you precision while shooting. In a quick scope the scope opens for a split second and you are able to see where your crosshair is getting targetted.

Assaulting

1 - Aim Focus, Look with your Mouse!

Use your mouse to look around, not your eyes. Don’t leave your crosshair sitting around! It’s important to move your crosshair around in order to search for an enemy or while peeking. But staying glued only to your crosshair could limit your game. So have a sense of peripheral vision.

#2 - Recoil Control and Burst Fire

Controlling your weapon will help determine your accuracy. Recoil control is the key to killing efficiently. When firing a bullet from a rifle, push down on your aim ever so slightly (depends on your sensitivity) to counter-act the effect of the gun’s recoil. Each gun has its own specific rate of fire and power level. I will go over the 2 most commonly used rifles in Counter-Strike, the AK-47 and the M4A1 Carbine.

AK-47 should be treated like a baby. You should rarely use full-automatic (spraying) with this gun. Try tapping bullets out… just notice how easily you get headshots especially if your opponent is not moving. Try practicing this with a few bots and see how tapping improves frequency of headshots. Another method used with the AK is the burst . You can burst 3-4 bullets at a time and keep the recoil under control. Each of the three methods is also directly co-related to distance from your enemy. If you are at a long range the tap is the best way to kill you opponent. Medium range you should try a Burst and at close range Just throw the kitchen sink down and spray till death do us party!

M4A1 can be used with great accuracy in 1-2 shot bursts, and you can mow down a rushing crowd with 6-10 bullets as long as you push down on your aim to counter-act the recoil. Using the silencer on this gun will effect your long range weapon accuracy, so only use silencer when you are in fairly close quarters it is especially good when flanking from behind! The silencer is also based on preference. If you feel using the silencer is better for you then go for it. A Double-Tap is when you fire 2 bullets in a burst and they both travel directly into your enemy’s chest and head. This will kill anyone almost instantly, even if they have full armor and helmet. To successfully Double-Tap, you should aim for the upper chest of your target and ONLY fire 2 shots at a time clearly and carefully.

The M4 spray pattern is very easily identifiable. Just go to a wall and spray down your M4 and you will notice the design. It makes sort of a T-shape. Just try spraying a couple of ties on an empty wall and then try reversing it you will notice the spray turn into a very small circle. Perfect!

Using Sound

The better the headphones the better you hear to the various sounds in CS. Contrary to what you may think, sound is one of the most important things in CS. Most new players don’t understand that pros listen more often than they aim! They aren’t able to comprehend what exactly sound is and how it helps in CS and end up calling a player using sound a hacker.

After you are comfortable with gun fire, the sound of your gun will go into the background and you will be able to focus on other players’ footsteps! Also, when spamming through a wall with a rifle or deagle, you can hear if shots are hitting your enemy! When you hear an enemy running towards you, prepare yourself to engage and begin walking or stop moving entirely. Now you have 3 options you can either wait for your enemy to come to you and then kill or just spam him or you can surprise him by jumping out and pre-firing. Pre-firing is shooting just before popping out around it to surprise your enemy. Pre-Firing 2-3 bullets, then moving out can be extremely effective as a distraction just before you jump out to kill your enemy.

Using Stacks

This needs a little bit of coordination and a teammate or two to pull off. But is extremely useful and takes your game up another notch. Hiding in plain spots and usual positions start become usual checking spots for more accomplished teams. But you can counter many of them with an innovative stack and hiding in places they just couldn’t dream of. Have a look at this stack in inferno. See how one CT is perfectly above the other and look at where he is looking now. The 2nd CT (below) is completely hidden and is ready with a flash incase his teammate who is taking the shot gets into trouble. (Click the images to enlarge) Try performing this at your next clan match!

Seems I have reached my word limit yet again. We shall pick this up exactly where we left off next week right here on Loading. In case you have any doubts about CS or ideas for future loading levels please do drop in a comment. Till then have fun playing the game!