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Author: kraniac
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3 Comments
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Making Your Practice Time Count
1. Don't play public servers.
Before you read any further, read Nogame's excellent article, The Tiers of Skill in Competitive Gaming. Everything he describes in that article I have found to be true, and I'm going to refer to it frequently, so read it first or you won't understand anything beyond this sentence. I started as a Tier 2, since I don't know personally know anybody else who plays UT and therefore couldn't LAN. Now I am a Tier 4 striving for Tier 5, and I still have a long way to go. Anyway, if you're at Tier 3 or the upper limits of Tier 2 (and that is the target audience for this article), you've probably seen a person at least once who blew you away with how skilled they were. If so, you've just had your first inkling into how this game really works. You're not going to improve much anymore playing on the same public servers you've always been playing on, so read the rest of this article, and then put it into action, and you too can become one of "them."
2. There are many different ways to find quality games; utilize them, and you'll rarely be left without people to play.
For a long time, I was set quite thoroughly against IRC. The only contact I had ever had with internet chat for the longest time was AOL, and five minutes in one of those trying to hold an intelligent philosophical discussion was enough to sour me on the entire concept for years. However, after having dozens of people tell me that I should be using it to find matches and so forth, I finally broke down and tried it. It was amazing. Every clan in the community has a channel on irc.enterthegame.com. Finding games The one channel you really need to be in, though, is #2k4tdm. It is pretty much the centralized location for competitive activity in North America. There is nearly always an intelligent person willing to help with any questions you may have. In all my time on IRC I have never seen any AOL-style idiots, although I will not claim that they do not exist because I'm sure they will prove me wrong if I did.
Also, get Xfire, an IM service for gamers. I don't use it for the IM much (AOL caused me to shun that, also), I use it for the other features. You can see who is playing at a glance, without having to load UT. And Xfire is not fooled by aliasing, so you won't miss somebody if they're playing under a different name like you would with the buddies list. Also, it's nice to be able to communicate with players on different servers without needing to join and rejoin, and unlike other IM services it actually integrates with UT2004, letting you use it without switching program focus. It also has a favorite servers list, which you can use to check the status of, and join, your favorite servers without having to load UT first (although I just use the favorites in the game's server browser).
Finally, use Teamspeak for more than just tactical communications. Get to know different clan's teamspeak servers, and, if one is populated, get on even if you're not playing with them. It can be a good way to meet new players and organize games outside of IRC.
3. Play 1v1s.
I have been advised from many players better than I am that 1v1s are the best way to improve generally. After playing these (not as much as I should, really) I can agree with that assessment. It is the simplest way to work on competitive strategies, because it's basically competitive TDM in which you make up the entire team. This won't help your teamwork, but it will improve your personal skill. Ask in #2k4tdm if you don't know any good 1v1 servers, you'll likely get a response.
4. Play pickup games.
Pickup games: competitive (usually 4v4) games organized spontaneously, especially those by the pugbot in the #2k4tdm channel. If you want to work on teamwork, or just have more constructive practice than you would on a public server, play a pickup game. They're a nice alternative to 1v1s, and will help you practice on the team strategies, weapon throwing, etc., especially if you either don't have a clan or don't have anybody around to play with.
5. Occasionally play people who can squash you into the ground.
Play really, really good people a few times so you know what the objective of your practice is. Examine what they're doing to beat up on you so badly, and try to emulate that.
6. Whenever you spectate, watch people who can squash you into the ground.
If you've played several games, and your nerves are frazzled, but you want to wisely utilize your time, spectate somebody good and watch what they do-- how they move, how they aim, what lines they take, how they time the powerups, what weapon combinations they use. Try to apply this to yourself.
7. Mostly play people who are even with you, or just a little better than you, in terms of skill.
Playing people who can squash you into the ground is good for seeing where you would like to end up, but for getting there, you'll need to play people even with, or just a little better than, yourself. The point of this is so that you will see youself rewarded when you play slightly beyond your ability level. If you're winning, think about what you did differently this time. You'll then know that that works more than what you're doing before. If you're losing, you'll know that you need to change something up to be effective. Obviously, finding a clan of similarly-skilled people is going to help a great deal here.
8. If you're going to play public servers anyway, at least play the right ones.
There are actually some good servers populated by Tier 4 and Tier 5 players almost exclusively. For instance, LOB runs 2 versions of the Fractionary, and either one is a good choice for just playing a game or two when you don't want to go to the trouble of setting up an organized game. The Fractionaries aren't the only ones, however. Ask around in IRC-- there are plenty others.
9. Don't become discouraged by vituperative, pigheaded, irrational players (and there are many of those). Encourage the quivering doormats that give in to such players to be assertive without being combative.
Remember that the majority of the community is comprised of nerds. Nerds are not usually known for social skills, and it often shows. Players who think they're the greatest thing ever, and that they should therefore be entitled to the respect of all other players everywhere, are sickeningly common. In your e-travels you will meet many belligerent people who will have nothing for you but undeserved contempt. Remember that these people:
a. Do not exhibit proper priorities in life. A person's worth is determined exclusively by their skill-- at a videogame, no less. Should you really regard their comments as valuable when their system of value is so entirely flawed? The answer to that question, in case you cannot deduce it, is "no."
b. Are not rational. Nothing logical you say will be accepted. As often as people think they are logical, they rarely are, and if you point this out to them, they will often take offense instead of realizing their error.
If it's even slightly possible to do so, ignore these people. They detract from the community as a whole and they are NEVER worthy of your respect or time, no matter how good at the game they might be.
Also, many players, upon meeting such folk, take these comments to heart and thus exhibit a very poor sense of self-worth. These are what I refer to as the "quivering doormats." These people are always putting themselves down, talking about how they can't make it, and complaining about either their lack of skill or the game in general. If you meet someone like this, encourage them. Help them to understand that one can be assertive without being rude. Especially if they're not as good as you are, remember that you too were a newbie once, and help them out. They may be on your team someday.
10. Don't become a vituperative, pigheaded, irrational player, or a quivering doormat.
This should go without saying. Don't let yourself become one of these two dysfunctional groups of people in the community. If you find yourself becoming too involved, take a break from the game for a week. Take a vacation. If you find yourself becoming belligerent, or at ANY point that you feel like you've "arrived," that you are the best, take a vacation for a week and remind yourself that there is more to life than UT. If you find yourself burned out and not progressing as fast as you'd like, and you want to give up on the game, step back and try some mods, or a different gametype. Play on a public server. Remind yourself of what made UT fun for you in the first place. It's a game. The purpose of it should be entertainment. If UT isn't fun, you aren't getting your $50's worth from the game!
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