The internet is littered with gaming tips on how to dominate in your favourite FPS game; use this combination of gear; take control of this particular spot on the map; use this gun it roxxxxxx! But how effective are these tips?
An avid FPS-er on the multiplayer scene, I've come up with several takeaways from the countless hours poured into my gaming which while may not significantly improve your skills nor instantly bump up the number of kills overnight, would certainly improve your kills-to-deaths ratio overall in the long run. The following five points will discuss about common misconceptions newbies and casual gamers tend to believe early on which puts a dent in their gaming experience.
Assume Everyone is Playing 'Fair'
No, NO one does. While you'll probably get the odd 1-on-1 duel kills over the course of play, most of the kills will come from shooting an unsuspected victim in the back (or in my case, their butts), catching campers with their pants down or stealing kills from a teammate during his/her duel with the opponent.
The trick: Fact is that it is a free for all in most MP rounds. Frag or be fragged. No one is going to bother on whether you poured out more bullets on an opponent - the last bullet that puts them down matters the most. So get down and dirty; camp if need be, sneak up, flank, steal kills - use any trick in the book to go one up over your opponents (and to a certain extent, your teammates). Cuz they will do the same too.
Assume That It's Purely a Team Game - Teamwork Guys! Let's!
Unless you're playing with a clan made up of dedicated teammates and friends, chances are that you're in a public lobby with strangers with one goal in mind regardless of match rules: get a good kill-to-death ratio. Team tactics are usually thrown out of the window from the moment the counter hits zero.
Now don't get us wrong here. We are not advocating the lone wolf approach either as it's akin to suicide in games where you'll be fired at from more than two directions throughout.
The trick: Ride on the team and number of players factor when it benefits you but always remember that ultimately it's everyone for him/herself. Chances are that you'll see several clusters of your teammates scattered around the map. Stay close but always be ready to branch out if it benefits you tactically. Realize they are heading into an open area? Play backup to cover them from unsuspecting campers. Snipe on the snipers for example. Being part of a mini squad lowers the chances of you being picked on while at the same time adds more firepower to the traveling troop.
Going With the Flashiest Getup You Can Find
OOOH Loot! Cool! Elite Gear! Cool! It's in gold! (I laaaaaaave goooooold! - Goldmember) Cool!
Wrong. The fastest way to gain an upper hand in FPS games is to spot enemies before they do you. Running around in a bright purple gear won't do you any favours. Just because it's a rare gear, it does not bring anything extra to the table apart from being known as the dude with the purple cap on the map. Wait. Unless you're playing Destiny. Darnit.
The trick: Blend in. No one cares if you're decked in Elite or Legendary outfit. You'll crumble like a sack of potatoes just like the dude on stock outfit when a tracer bullet rips through your throat. The harder you are to spot, the harder it is to kill you.
Thinking That There's a One Size-Fits-All For Gear and/or Weapons Loadouts
Whenever you read tips dispensed by 'experts', remember that these tips are based on their particular style of play. It is also worth noting that some experts honed their skills over the years while a small section of them are naturally gifted at killing pixels. These tips may very well work for them alone.
The trick: Know your strengths and more importantly, your weaknesses, find a playing style you're most comfortable with and stick to it. If you're shitty at precise long shots, then you'd probably want to dabble in with close-up battles. Here - a shotgun and extra armour. If you feel you have a knack of spotting enemies on the map, get corresponding gear to lower your visibility on the map and increase your abilities to spot enemies. The key is sticking to your strengths and not bothering with copying others' methods no matter how effective they may look on paper.
Believing Map Knowledge Is Key
While map knowledge benefit players in general, positional alertness trumps it in any situation possible. Being able to instantly tell where one is vulnerable of being flanked and detecting blindspots in maps will put you a few crucial steps ahead of your enemies.
The trick: Strive to be ahead of the curve whenever you can. Study the maps but analyse where enemies will most probably get caught in the open and going a step further. Why not camp on the potential camper instead? Found a potential chokepoint? Why not ambush the ambusher? In most modern shooters, environmental damage plays a big factor in changing the tide of the game and astute knowledge of such factors may very well determine the outcome of a round.
Do you have any tips or any additions to the points listed above? Sound off in the comments section below.
Kenn is Editor at IGN Asia. He considers himself as an okay-lah FPS player. Catch up with his gameplay sessions on or follow his rants on .