Effective Points & Becoming a Better Player

[dhun]

Hey guys, I've made a post a while ago on the forums as rainydays with a bunch of tips a while back. This post is like a spinoff and an improved version of it.
 
Why take  tips or anything from me? Well, I'm nowhere near the level of the skilled players on the server (つω`*), but I've been playing a while so I caught a few methods/tips along the way. And I feel like a lot of members, including me sometimes, forget to implement these 'methods' in-game. So my aim here is to reinforce those forgotten techniques that make us better players.

 
Now there's going to be at least one enthusiastic person commenting: "But Dhun-senpai, it all seems like common sense, and already said before in the many other tip topics". It just so happens that some people need a reminder, and since you're already an advanced points expert, there's no need for you to post in this thread regarding that. The better thing to do is to add something constructive and helpful to the topic.
 
I hope this post helps everyone because my intention is for all of us to have a good time and enjoy playing on the servers. Let's get started! (´・ω・｀)
 

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Part I - The Number One Rule: Ask for points in the chat using !np <#>
 
 
!np let's players know you need a certain number of points, # being the number of points you need.
Example: !np 5 will make a request that you need five points.
 
To put it simply, the number one most helpful thing to do is ask for points immediately or very shortly after you get incapped.

 

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Why is asking for points in the chat is essential

 
There's some problems to consider when someone asks for points on mic rather than chat. You're making people vulnerable because now people have to manually type !sp in chat making them open to hunters and chargers, etc., whereas those with sp binds can instantly tap and send points.  And secondly, some people might not know who you are. I won't mention any names, but there's some seasoned members who are absolutely dead silent when it comes to asking for points until the last few seconds a lightbulb shines over their head "Oh yeah, I can ask for poi--"... *DEAD*.
 
So please, we need to make typing !np in the chat window a priority when we get incapped. We can forgive new players because they're not familiar with this concept, but members whose hours on this server ranging from 1,000 to 22,000 on this server should at minimum be familiar with this.

 

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So, DO:

•   Ask for points TYPING IN THE CHAT window as soon as you go down. Keep asking a several times if you still didn't get any

The DON'Ts:

•   DON'T STAY incapped in spit for long periods of time, not asking for points. (ex: you get incapped, spit is on you, you wait till spit is gone then ask for points)
•   DON'T ask for points in the mic. (ex: in-mic: "Uhh, I need 7, no nevermind I need 14. Nevermind I'm just gonna die here go on without me")
•   DON'T wait till for people to come pick your incapped body up in the open or anywhere
•   DON'T think "Oh, I need 14 points. That's too many. I won't ask for points, I'm too modest for that". No matter how many points you need, just ask. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take

 

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Here's the bind to quick send to anyone who's asked for points,

with this you don't have to type out !sp name # manually. It auto-sends to anyone requesting in sequence:

bind MOUSE5 "sm_sp; menuselect 1; menuselect 2; menuselect 1; wait 80; slot0";

 
I use mouse5 but you can use whatever you want.
 
 
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Part II - Game Sense
 
 
What is game sense
 
It's common to misinterpret what game sense is because people don't really elaborate what it is. It doesn't mean knowing everything about the game. And the bad news is playing a lot doesn't necessarily add to game sense, the good news is it's something that can be acquired overtime. So what is it? It's being aware of the current situation in-game and being proactive about it. As a newbie, your mind doesn't juggle a lot of questions internally, meaning he/she won't know when is the best time to heal or use a smoker. That's because they haven't developed their game sense yet, so most of the time a newbie will just do as they will, like heal in the open or throw rocks 1 inch away from survivors.

 

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Why game sense matters
 
Game sense is the defining trait of being a skilled player. It's why some people are better at carrying teams than others. A person with game sense will quickly go through issues mentally, such as "No, I can't heal in the open, there's hunters" or "Smoking in front of 10 people will get me killed in a second". Another example is knowing where to look/aim for special infected. There's common spots people playing special infected will play, and a skilled player will keep their awareness sharp for those areas. Some players have reached game sense to a point where newbies will call them fishy/hackers and will often get banned temporarily, you'll hear such phrases "B-but I just spawned in and he killed me!" or "That guy seems fishy". In actuality, not many people are cheating as we sometimes assume. I remember when I first started out on GC back in 2012ish, I would accuse of the top players as cheaters because I couldn't grasp how they killed me so fast or right as I spawned in. 

 

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How do I 'get' game sense
 
There's several ways to improve game sense not only in L4D2, but a lot of other games.

• One of the most important ways to improve game sense is to play frequently. This will familiarize you with maps and build muscle memory. Keep in mind, this isn't the only way to improve game sense, because it's evident there are players who may have over 10,000 hours yet still lack in game sense. Some people are slow learners but studies have shown it takes 20 hours to learn something at its basic level, and 10,000 hours to become an expert. Players often have different goals in-game. Some will play because the enjoyment they get out of socializing, and that's OKAY. But if your intention is to get better at the game, your best bet is prioritize active game sense.

• Making use of questions "why" and "how". Using examples is a great way to demonstrate how game sense can be crucial. So here's an example: you keep getting pounced from above, and from that the other team gets a tank from that. If you notice a pattern of you getting pounced frequently, you need to ask ourselves why and how. "Why do I keep getting pounced?" and "How do I counter their pounces?". From there I conclude I haven't been looking above in the sky as much, and I'll look up more and try not to heal in open areas. That's game sense in-training. The unwise thing to do would be to blame the class for doing what they do, in this case: pounce. That doesn't solve anything. Game sense is being proactive about your situation.

• Watch other skilled players play. Or watch yourself play. Watching others pros gives you the opportunity to gain insight on how they deal with certain problems, which you can add to your own gameplay. And re-watching your gameplay via demo or twitch past broadcasts can be a great way for you to see what you did wrong or what could have been dealt in a better way. Shout out to Gandalf's stream because his game sense is on point and there's a lot to learn from his plays even if you're skilled.

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Complaining
 
There are sometimes players who will whine throughout the game that the other team is too stacked, so they don't do anything meaningful throughout the round. You'll see sometimes this person rocket jockeying for the whole game, and complaining about teams be scrambled. Things like rocket jockeying and rocket smoking are useless most of the time, and you are free to do it no one is stopping you. But if you decide to complain about teams and why this team isn't doing so well, you are part of the fault because rocket jockeying and rocket smoking are not great contributors to team progress. In short, complain in a respectful way only if you're doing your part and not lazing around waiting for an admin to change teams.

 

Key take away: Don't complain about teams being stacked if you are rocket jockeying all round not contributing to the team.
 

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Headset and Sounds

 

Having a headset or headphones is one of the most crucial investments you can add to your game sense, not just in L4D2 but in all fps games. Playing with speakers is just asking for trouble. Too many times there have been survivors who were smoked right behind or near them but they failed to hear the sounds giving the enemy the upperhand in points. To quote my older post: You can literally hear a smoker spawn next to you, or a hunter about to pounce you. Using only sight is very limited.

 

Main point:  Purchase/use headphones or a headset and use sounds to your advantage.

 

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Smart Respawns

 

Respawning or defibbing when a tank around is possibly the worst idea. Most likely you won't have points for a full heal, so you'll be black and white exposed to a mean hungry tank who will get 30 points for healing because of this. So when should you respawn, or defib? When there are no tanks around, when the team is nearby and a health kit or points to give that person for heals.

 

Highlight: Don't respawn or defib when there's a tank around.

 

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To put it simply, game sense is about asking questions. It helps us become better players not only in L4D2, but any game we play.
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Thanks for reading, and I hope this comes off as a helpful reference to everyone including me. 
Feel free to add or suggest something, such as general tips, advice, tricks/techniques, and criticisms. 
 
Much love,
Dhun 

 

Edited February 22, 2017 by Shafee

[anzul]

 

 

I use mouse5 but you can use whatever you want.

i use enter for that one

 

one thing i think people should do more often, thats including me, is look around. specialy around bottleneck points.

just because you can see 8 people ahead of you and past the bottleneck point doesnt mean the last player is already trough

 

last night  in no mercy/the subway, when we got to the generator room i forgot to look if everybody was trough and our last 2/3 players where getting destroyed at the botton of the stairs, we all had to go back down and we got wrecked.

[looneypumpkin]

Good article. I also like to come on the server and practice against bots when it's empty sometimes. This is win-win because then others start joining and filling the server. Sure the bots do stupid things sometimes, but the rest of the time they headshot me too. I like to practice pouncing them lately. I am trying to get better at hitting moving targets (I tend to land right at your feet, like a sad kitten most of the time.)

 

I need to add more binds. I am worried about over complicating it though. Right now I only have 5 binds but I think I need to up it. I am a pretty fast typer but sometimes as survivor it's too intense to even type !sp to send points, so I might add that bind above.

[Thug]

 

 

Key take away: Don't complain about teams being stacked if you are rocket jockeying all round not contributing to the team.

 

 

thas straight fax b 

[Elias]

Wow shafee thanks for the tips. I'll be sure to not heal in open areas and ask for points ASAP. And for the rocket jockey it's rude to call out Mr. House like that. :steamsalty:

[whitegreyhat]

This is a kind of noob question but maybe because I use a laptop and regular mouse, whats mouse5?  I do have a scroll wheel? Otherwise good post.   I am guilty of not asking for pts sometimes if I need over 12

 

I think also some people have to remember its just a game.   If you're team is losing miserably and has no real chance of winning or coming close and you keep getting skeeted by pros, just play for fun, a lot of people me included just get frustrated and rage or play sub-standard because they are so annoyed by certain pro's and the fact that I cannot come within 30 meters of the survivors, maybe try new strategies.

 

Speaking of new strategies I am sure everyone has noticed people always buy tanks in certain areas, and some players even criticize people for doing so in "non-traditional" areas.  If the survivors are hurting why not buy a tank.  One of the main reasons I experience ennui playing with certain players is because every single campaign is played the same way, (i.e. ok must buy tank here, choke point here, etc)   I mean obviously this is not a criticism just an observation.  But it does get a little repetitive,  which is always why I don't mind playing maps like CS, CC, Swamp, because it is more challenging (Swamp especially has no mainstream strategy) and think that we should put some customs into rotation   Good thoughts everyone and dhun !

Edited February 22, 2017 by whitegreyhat

[ituly]

Short Ver.: DO STUFF THAT MAKES SENSE!!!

[dhun]

This is a kind of noob question but maybe because I use a laptop and regular mouse, whats mouse5? 

 

it's the side button of the mouse. Usually the buttons that take you back a page or forward in a browser. https://i.stack.imgur.com/FdVVN.png

[PeanutButterNJelly]

Great stuff Dhun

[Vilkys]

For the record I like to heal out in the open waiting to get pounced, sadly hunters don't go for me unless i'm smoked or charged or boomed and horde on me and carlos is probably chasing a smoker and not helping me(btw that has happened).

 

!points - !buy - !sp - !ammo - !heal and !laser are the basic when it comes to binds, i for one use close to 20 binds cause well why not.

 

bind "2" "sm_buy" replace buy with any of the basic along with the number or letter if you'd like and type it in console.

[Carlos]

Great reminder, Shaafe! It's fitting that you wrote this because you're the one who inspired me a couple of years by telling me that I'll get stronger in-game by playing with more players in order to improve. Now here you are sharing the wealth again with the REST of the community here with your helpful tips. The generosity is real here with you!

 

Short Ver.: DO STUFF THAT MAKES SENSE!!!

It's L4D2 GC. Nothing makes sense  

 

 

For the record I like to heal out in the open waiting to get pounced, sadly hunters don't go for me unless i'm smoked or charged or boomed and horde on me and carlos is probably chasing a smoker and not helping me(btw that has happened).

Lol damn, Devil. You're like my one and only viewer when I stream. I just got thrown under the bus by my whole twitch audience there. Now I'm salty

[dhun]

LIST OF ESSENTIAL BINDS || CHANGE "x" TO YOUR PREFERRED KEYBIND

 

 

 

Buy Menu:

bind x "sm_buy";

Buy Full Heal:

bind x "sm_heal; wait 80; slot10";

Send Points:

bind x "sm_sp; menuselect 1; menuselect 2; menuselect 1; wait 80; slot0";

Molly:

bind x "sm_buy; menuselect 1; menuselect 6; menuselect 1; menuselect 1; wait 80; slot10";

Bile:

bind x "sm_buy; menuselect 1; menuselect 6; menuselect 3; menuselect 1; wait 80; slot10";

Ammo:

bind x "sm_ammo";

Fireworks:

bind x "sm_buy; menuselect 4; menuselect 7; menuselect 1; wait 80; slot10;";

AK-47:

bind x "sm_buy; menuselect 1; menuselect 3; menuselect 3; menuselect 1; wait 80; slot10";

Laser:

bind x "sm_laser";

Melee (most of the time works):

bind x "sm_buy; menuselect 1; menuselect 1; menuselect 6; menuselect 1; wait 80; slot10;

Pills:

bind x "sm_buy; menuselect 3; menuselect 3; menuselect 1; wait 80; slot10";

Adrenaline:

bind x "sm_buy; menuselect 3; menuselect 4; menuselect 1; wait 80; slot10";

Gnome:

bind x "sm_buy; menuselect 4; menuselect 3; menuselect 1; wait 80; slot0";

Edited February 22, 2017 by Shafee

[Elias]

Hi

[Soda]

Hi

smh always griefing

[anzul]

I am worried about over complicating it though. Right now I only have 5 binds

 if you use your number keypad + the insert/home/page up keys it gets pretty easy to remenber your binds

 

 

 

 

I cannot come within 30 meters of the survivors, maybe try new strategies

a tip on these situations, try to cordinate whit other players, if you cant chat, watch and wait  till someone distracts the skeeters whit a hunter or smoker to get a hit on them. you could also all atack at the same time, its less efective gameplay wise but at least someone is sure to get a hit on them.

 

 

 

think that we should put some customs into rotation

dont put them in the rotation, it would kill the server each time they come up, but if they could be automated to play once a week in the low activity hours, that'd be healla neat.

 

 

lol just noticed the tags.

Edited February 23, 2017 by anzul

[DiXie]

Ole!  Beautiful job, Dhun!

[looneypumpkin]

Thanks for the list of binds here. Saved me some time and I added some to my collection the other day. Now getting used to it and trying to not rage when I accidentally buy pills when I mean to buy bile. HMMM now I am thinking of making stickers to put on my keyboard to remind me.

[Yortz]

When Peanut joins your team, and things start to fall apart. Well now you know why.

[Shaq]

When you spawn as boomer, you should always try to rocket up towards the sky as high as you can, reaching for the stars.

[Shaq]

My notes/tips

 

1) GET HEADPHONES

2) Most of the time I don't bother looking up for hunters. If I hear a hunter lunge sound, I simply make a sharp 30-90 degree turn to the left or right or just modulate my speed between running, walking, and just stopping.. Guaranteed they miss everytime.

3) If you keep dying while rocketing in, please don't start complaining about how the other team is too good or hacking. It's mildly infuriating to see people attempt the exact same move 5-10 times, die 5-10 times, and then just end up complaining about how teams are stacked. Of course you keep dying! You need to get creative.

 

I guess this one's a bigger tip. Anyone worth their salt knows the frequent spawn points and can simply pre-aim those spots and pop you in the air everytime. When spawning in, there are three factors I think about: minimizing visibility in the air, ensuring that no silhouettes are looking my direction, and good timing. Everytime I spawn, I maximize all three the best I can.

 

My favorite thing to do is to spawn ahead and appear immediately from a blind spot: everyone is concerned with spawns from the side or air. That's honestly the "meta" for the server, and I always like to find ways to break it.

Edited February 25, 2017 by Shaq

[Meng]

These are great tips, thanks Shafee for posting them.

[Psylow]

I hope to be as good as Carlos one day.

[DiXie]

I only hope to be "good" one day lol.

[Soda]

I only hope to be "good" one day lol.

don't lie