Tips for TAM?

[Prozac]

Hey everyone, Prozac in the house.

I'm trying to learn how to play TAM better, but there's a lot about the game I don't know. Since, Sid and Nyte and pretty much everybody else in Ti regularly own me I thought I would ask you pros.

Ok here is a couple of questions (bare in mind I speaking from a weak/support player like me)

1. What is the best weapon to lead with?

2. Is it better to fall behind a better player and use a mini or a link and just try and offer support fire?

3. Should you go balls in with rox on the frontline and take one for the team, since I'm prolly going to anyway....lol.

4. For rezzing a player it's bbff, is that reverse, reverse, forward, forward or literally the b and f key (hmmm that almost sounds kinky ) Also, can you pick a certain person to rez, and if so how do you do that?

5. Finally how do you learn to shoot Goo as good as Nytefyre???????????


Anyway, I'm just trying to improve overall, and especially in TAM and I've really enjoyed getting the chance to frag with all you guys. I owe it all to Pork!

Thanks for any tips or advice, Prozac

[Ace]

Take this as room for thought, because I don't play much anymore...

1. What is the best weapon to lead with?

For me, map dictates this some, but as a general rule, it's always the LG for me. The reason, it's my most accurate weapon. Even if I come around the corner and end up point blank with somebody, at the very least they are getting 70 damage points knocked off them...even if they one shot kill me with something else. I think you should always use your best weapon to start.

2. Is it better to fall behind a better player and use a mini or a link and just try and offer support fire?

Personally, I like space, especially in the beginning. "Support Fire" generally means getting hit with friendly fire to me. If we were to double team somebody, I'd rather my teammate have a different angle then strictly behind me. Now when the round is coming to an end, it always amazes me when two teammates with low health continue to search for the last person on their own...that's the time I want to be very close to my teammate. Above all, I say play your own game. When teams are even, my goal is to damage as many of the opposite team as I can while keeping my damage low. The object really isn't kills, but the goal is hopefully helping teammates when they do get in a 1v1 with the guy I just hurt to have an advantage. Once the numbers get stacked, then I'm more likely to continue a 1v1 fight. But again, it's all in your style. The single best way to help your team out if you die is to make sure you at least take of them with you. If you want to be more of a support player, the thing I'd watch is your FF% (friendly fire). I'm often in games where people have >50% FF% which is doing way more harm then good.

3. Should you go balls in with rox on the frontline and take one for the team, since I'm prolly going to anyway....lol.

I think that's situation dependent. If you do that every time, you get predictable. For as rusty as I am, I'll still have no problem countering a predictable person. You always use rockets on me, guess what, you'll never get near me. I'm a big fan of changing it up. Different route, different styles (aggressive to defensive), mix it up, but also doing what's best for the situation of a game (ie if my team is down 5 to 9...I'm not going to charge, play smart). Sure, some won't work because they weren't a good idea, some won't work just because of bad luck, but I don't think you should consider yourself a pawn. You get better by playing, not sitting out watching.

4. For rezzing a player it's bbff, is that reverse, reverse, forward, forward or literally the b and f key (hmmm that almost sounds kinky ) Also, can you pick a certain person to rez, and if so how do you do that?

bbff is translated as your back back forward forward movement keys. So, for me it's ssww in reality. You can't pick the person to rez.

Hope you get something from my ramblings.

[Sideous Prime]

IMO ace is right on a lot of those points. especially about your style and preferences.

the only thing i want to add is personally, your weapon choice should be dictated by where you are in the map. if you in a small room or tight quarters in the map you probably aren't going to want to be using the LG or the shock rifle. that's what the rocket laucher and the flak cannon are for. the same can be said for large environments. obviously you can't snipe with flak or rockets so the LG or shock rifle come in very handy.

all in all, tam isn't the best game type to learn the variety of weapons UT has to offer. if you really want to get good playing 2k4, play TDM and try not to get frustrated. TDM will put you in circumstances when you won't have the ideal weapon for the situation and you'll have to the best weapon for the situation. TDM also gives you the opportunity to respawn as many times as needed, which may seem tedious but for a beginner is a good way to learn.

[Nytefyre]

indeed...TDM, personally, is the best training ground for TAM...as sid said, you get put in all sorts of situations with all sorts of gunz...and you can learn to adapt very quickly...also, there is very little 'down time' in TDM, you can get more practice in, instead of dying, and having to wait for the next round to start, you can get a better flow and practice and be more confident in your gameplan...

personally, i go GOO first...im good enough with the lobs that it can take out a full strengeth player at round #1, and even if it is not full charge, it will do more damage then the LG shot...but its my choice...if ur a hitscanner, ace is right, an LG is a good choice...also, the nyce thing about goo is it sticks around a bit, and u can still get an opponent to step in it...the BAD thing is you can 2, or a teamate, if ur not careful

ace is also ryte, mixing up your weapons and routes is very good...being predictable is an easy way to die...esp if its the SAME gun in the SAME situation everytime...u will want to use a similar gun tho...sid is ryte that u want to use the correct type of gun for the situation...

also...pick your target...if u see or know someone got nailed early, go for the weak link...the exception for me is sid, i will always hunt him down on principal (predictable, i kno, so dont do that!! lol)

ace is also right...support fire best comes from angles, and crossfires, not from behind...hitscan use will minimize friendly fire, but is still risky...try to find a route around, or a good angle to help from

now, this is a personal preference, but i usually go alone...that means im one more thing for the opponent to have to pay attention 2, instead of 1 unit (few players traveling together)...now, its good and bad...if i get caught in a bad spot, or just plain outplayed, im toast...

traveling is a good way to mix it up...go down elevators, not just up...reverse your route every so often...and try to think one step ahead of your opponent, and possibly beat him to the move he is thinking about doing...

smart play will beat out rushing every day....however, rushing does have its advantages, and is good to do every so often to not fall into a pattern...esp if your are around that first corner before your opponent expects your to be...

rez is B B F F (back back forward forward), or as ace said, SSWW...no, you cant select who it is...its random, and if your are viewing gameplay through anothers eyes, there is a slight chance of the 'rez bug' where u get rezzed, and u are alive, but u are 'not in your body'...

every player matters, and dont consider yourself fodder...even with 1 health...your weapons still do the same damage as anyone else...and, as i said before, your another thing the opponent has to pay attention 2...

practice, and dont get discouraged!!...warm up in poarkie's slaughterhouse pre-game helps get u ready

and as for the goo? ive been throwing that crap for about 4 1/2 years...its all practice and no regard for the outcome!! LOL

and yes, its been awsome to have u back playing pro...your a gr8 player and a good personality with a good, fun sense of the game...makes it better for everyone

[Prozac]

Thanks Ace, Sid, and Nyte for this more than generous response! You guys are the best. I'm trying to improve and you've all provided great feedback. I also learn a lot after I die, I try to spec through either Sids or Nytes viewpoint and watch the way they move and the choices they make with weapons and map strategy.

By the way Ace, I remember fraggin with u back in 2006 and you were quite a talented player . . . I doubt you're too rusty!

Anyway, I'm seeing that if I relax a bit more, and just play the best game I can, I'm actually playing better. Better, not to be confused with great! And I thought of one thing, in the way of weapons: I was always a bit nervous about LG and Shock because they are used at such long distances. It's like I was playing timid, but I if you think about it, a crosshair is just a crosshair - if you can align a Flak or Rocket crosshair over a players body/hitbox, then it's really the same to pass the crosshair of an LG over a person's body and just pull the trigger - that's 70 points damage I've done to someone to help my team..............and that's what I'm all about, the team.

There's my ramblings. But thanks for everything and your feedback is invaluable.

Much love, Prozac
PS: Nyte I'd love for you to work with me one on one sometime - just tell me a good time.

[myxxplyxx]

prozac...good to see you!

[Sideous Prime]

prozac, one thing that many players do is keybind their favorite weapons. this way they can switch to them instantly rather than use the mousewheel and cycle through until they find the ones they want. for example, when i play i use the keypad. for movement i have 8, 4, 5 and 6 set for selected movements. for weapons i have 7 for shock, 9 for LG, 1 for rox, 3 for flak, and so on. setting up keybinds is all about personal preferences and playing style.

[Prozac]

Good to see you too Myxx, and thanks for the tip Sid. I have been binding my weapons since 2004, but I use ESDF for movement, mousewheel up for shock, wheel down for lg and shield on my thumb mouse button. The rest are Letter keys positioned closely to my movement keys.

I can get the weapons that I want out quickly, it's just a matter of being very indecisive on which to pick when. BTW how did you come to play using the Keypad? That's an interesting setup which obviously works for you....lol.

Keep the lessons coming - they are much appreciated!!!

Regards, Prozac

[Trinity]

They have covered so much already but here is something that sticks out in my mind: Don't get trapped between multiple enemies.

I guess it's pretty much common sense but try to avoid it. You always have a chance coming across someone one on one, but when there are two and they have you surrounded chances decrease dramatically. Although sometimes it is fun to charge in there on a suicide mission!

For more configuration reference: I use WASD for movement, space for jump, E for flak, R for mini, F for lightning, C for rockets, mouse buttons 3 & 4 for shield and shock (I can't remember which is which). Everything else I scroll to. I used to have E bound to best and I had all the weapons ranked. I might return to that setup.

[Sideous Prime]

I have been binding my weapons since 2004, but I use ESDF for movement, mousewheel up for shock, wheel down for lg and shield on my thumb mouse button. The rest are Letter keys positioned closely to my movement keys.

whatever works for you man! it's all about personal preference. the reason i use the keypad is because i have a natural wave keyboard. i jump by using the page down key and crouch with the delete key. when i had an older wave keyboard i played with the arrow keys and jumped with the control key. playing with random keys goes back to the old ut99 days. a friend of mine who got me into FPS used the arrow keys to play. kinda stuck.

[Porkinator]

Just run up to them and shoot them with a f*&king rocket launcher over and over and over again till one of you are dead.

[Duffy]

lol pork..... a good thing to remember is try not to jump when in an LG Shock fight good snipers will pick you off when you jump.

[Porkinator]

Actually I suck too bad to give anyone tips.
Just do the opposite that I do I guess.

[Duffy]

Give yourself some credit PORK I hate when i get close to you and those D#@$ Rockets, and I know others do also...Kinda like Nyte with Goo and Sid with Flak, everyone has there fav's.

[Nytefyre]

anytime, pro, id be happy to help....

ya, learn the main tips....but remember that you will have your own style, and thats good, 2...combine what you learn with what ur comfortable doing, and then you will be doing so much better.....and yes, the more relaxed your are, and the less overwhelmed or stressed u get, the better you will do