TW Skillz Guide?

[Jason]

I have webspace.
I have grammar skeelz.
I am the shiznittiest webmaster that ever shizzled.

I'll host it.
I'll proofread it.
I'll whip up a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am design.

[TopGod]

Sex

[Eeks]

How about TW Cyber Guide?

[Dim]

$

[Beef Lo Mein]

If you have the original SS game, they have a book with tips and tricks. Unfortunately all of them are tricks you can figure out on your own. One tip was: Repel when you enemies are firing at you and you have no escape. :eek: WOW REALLY?

[GuruMeditation]

Originally posted by RiP
You cant overcome res disadvantages.. You ever tryed dodging radar shots while using low res? Didnt think so

I used to play in 640x400 res 3 years ago. My gameplay was a LOT different back then, and I played differently depending more on moving a lot and on listening to shots.

However that was a while ago, and I think with the major improvement in chasing tactics over the past year that people who constantly move can't use it as well as they used to.

Guru's silly tips that apply to every style :

1) Turn on radar transparency, and turn off the name list.
2) Try to posistion yourself on the lower right hand side of a pilot when you duel.
3) Try to maintain a constant finger posistion on the keyboard, regardless of the ship/zone. However adjust the keymap so you feel comfortable.
4) Learn patience. You could lose the occasional quick kill, but in the first moments you can learn a lot about your opponent to guarentee the win.
5) If you're fearless, it's a duel to 10 and you feel you can beat the opponent then use up a couple of lives to test when he'll shoot and when he won't shoot. Testing your opponent will enable you to make better choices.
6) Agree on the rules before the start.
7) After every kill repeat the score. Avoids future arguments
8) Talk to fellow duelers. Even if he uses a totally different style you can always learn. Also be willing to help out.
9) Practice makes perfect. Even against lesser opponents.
10) Read TG's guide. I'm sure he knows more than I

[sTuPiD-gErBiL]

11) gamepads > keyboards

[GuruMeditation]

Originally posted by sTuPiD-gErBiL
11) gamepads > keyboards

That depends on the player

[TopGod]

In response to Guru's post... I dont know about most of you, but I can figure out how good a person in after 10-20 seconds of dueling. Theory skill is shown in things such as movement, angles and how they respond to your movement. Stuff like aim doesn't really matter at higher levels since most of the shots are never taken since they're dodged maybe 3-4 moves ahead

[GuruMeditation]

Still got 2d's post from dueling styles?

[TopGod]

Bah, 2d's style breakup doesnt go too deep. Its all about surface styles. A style is a % of Agressiveness, % of Caution, % of Pressure and % of Control.

Agressiveness - Willing to put yourself at a defensive disadvantage for an offensive advantage. Rushing/Pushing/etc.

Caution - Willing to put yourself at an offensive disadvantage for a defensive advantage. "Laid back"/running/etc.

NOTE: As oxymoronic as it sounds, I've been able to pull off both at the same time. Don't ask me how, but theres one angle of approach that is both defensive and agressive at the same time.

Pressure - How much you make yourself felt on the field. Notice how more experienced players are able to "breathe down your neck" so to speak in a duel? Pressure is what makes your opponent do stuff.

Control - How much you let/want your opponent to control the match. Basically, not all styles are compatible for "good" dueling. If you get 2 snipers, you're in for a pretty crappy duel. Whoever wants less control breaks down first and starts pushing/rushing.

2d's styles were just common surface examples of these factors. IE: Sniper: Low Agression, High Caution, Low Pressure, High Control. Rusher: High Agression, Low Caution, High Pressure, High Control.

My style is something like 70% aggression (100% = always rushing), 40% caution (100% = always running), 90% pressure (I make my presence felt :P), 10% control (I handicap myself by letting the other person set the 'pace').

TopGod

[GuruMeditation]

Well there are those who apply constant pressure, and those who let the other player be aggressive and then catch him out once he makes a mistake.

And yes, even the best make mistakes. The problem with this is you can always be aggressive, even against other aggressive players ... but if you're constantly waiting for the opening against another player doing the same, duels can last a long time

[Rudy]

Sort of skimmed through the posts but noticed that instead of a skills guide, it began to look more like a "How better players don't suck" guide. If a newbie reads any of that I'm sure he'd be nodding his head going, "Sure dodge bullets and aim. Gotcha. But...How do I do that?!"

Dodging is broken down into two parts; Manouvreability, and perception.
First and foremost, every beginner should have his/her res set as high as it can go. Perceiving enemy fire is a quater of the game and the farther you see it coming from, the easier it is to dodge, no matter how basic your manouvring skills are.
Secondly, playing the game for upwards of 50 hours should give you an indication of each ships abilities and the basic knowledge of how to combat each. This knowledge, coupled with the ability to broaden your vision from focusing solely on your ship, ignoring it's surroundings, to viewing your screen as a gameboard shows decent skill in perception.

Manouvring can be daunting to the beginner. I've seen it myself. My brother sometimes plays here and I will watch him and give him pointers until he tells me to shut up and leave him play by himself. The biggest flaw in his gameplay is his inability to think outside the "move forward, shoot straight" box. Instead of letting go of the throttle to turn around quickly, he will continue to hold the up button and turn left or right simultaneously, causing his flight arc to become easy to pinpoint and shoot down.
To combat this ghastly habit, the best thing to do is have the beginner choose an asteroid, and fly around it. At first, at a radius that is within their comfort and ease, then decreasing the distance of the orbit between the ship and asteroid until there's but a millimetre gap between them. Even though orbiting an asteroid just holding the throttle and left or right is possible, the lesson is learned in the little adjusting movements made to stay on course. With any luck this will break the habit and open up a whole new world for the beginner.


Aiming is just as hard as dodging. But it is just as simple to learn to do correctly. Again, the asteroids make great targets as well as a witch's hat. But instead of starting with a large radius from it, start of small. Using the manouvring skills to keep the vessels nose pointed at the asteroid at all times and shooting it over and over while slightly increasing the distance from it works wonders for ones aim, no matter how good you may think you are beforehand. Making a goal of it makes it all the more challenging, eg. At a comfortable distance, hit the rock maybe, 5 times before increasing the distance and starting the 5 again, otherwise continue until the goal is reached.

My methods work, I should know. It's how I train myself and you'd be dillusional if you said I wasn't any good. I do have other theories on improving skill, but a good magician never gives away all his tricks, otherwise he'd be out of a job.

[The Crimson King]

So can someone tell me about this aiming thing? And maybe explain this dodging thing too?

I bet if I could do those things I would be number 1337, and could score mad sexy internet dates with hot subspace honeys.

I hope and pray that I will but today I am still . . just a bill.

tCK

[TopGod]

Rudy- my guide isn't meant for newbies. It's meant for vets who just don't know which way to go. I'm going to avoid all the simple easy stuff because thats just plain boring and no one will learn from it. Its going to be pretty much all theory

For example, someone who is just learning how to aim/manuever wont understand stuff like reading ahead and dodging about 10 seconds before the shot is fired :P However, someone who already has decent aim and good bullet dodging will learn from that.