Title: Dealing with defeatposted: December 4th, 2013Intro How you work under pressure is important in CS. The game is constantly changing and even though we've been playing the same maps for a decade the tides can turn very quickly. How you and your team handle a death, computer issues, round loss and even match loss directly impact every following round and match. In this article I will talk about dealing with defeat and how to turn it around to your advantage. Think Happy Thoughts It happens to everyone. Even 3D and fnatic have lost games. I've been on both sides of the table where on one had you a completely destroying the enemy team (15-0 final score and 30-4 KD) or the opposite side and been absolutely dominated at 1-16 with maybe 3-17 KD. Sometimes a match is going well and then something happens and you lose 1 round, then another, another, people start yelling at each other, lose the next round, mice get slammed, lose another and match loss. The first tip for dealing with defeat ties in to my Communication in CS article: stay positive. It is critical to always keep a positive attitude and be positive in every aspect of the game. Positive communication, thoughts and behavior will always lead to a better outcome and enjoyable experience. Dealing with Death You are covering your team's rush in to B site from the rear. A CT pops in and kills you from a direction you were not looking, what do you do? Well there are several options:
While options 1 and 2 sometimes make you feel better, they never add anything positive to the game. Only negative outcomes can be generated by negativity. Option 4 is much better than 1 and 2 because maybe your team will see you died and if you stay quiet they can use the game's audio clues to win the round. 3 is usually your best bet though, your team may not have noticed your death and if you focus during the death sequence can use that time to help your team identify enemy locations, possibly leading to a win. Give your team a quick informative blurb and let them play. Example: "I'm down. 2 from banana, 1 with awp other m4." Dealing with Continual Death (domination) There are always bigger fish in the sea. When that bigger fish is on the opposite team it is no laughing matter. An enemy can be one of those people that dominates you for 5 rounds in a row, always headshots, always less than 20 seconds into the round. It is horrible and extremely frustrating to see an enemy with a 30-5 KD and 10 rounds on their side. How do you deal with domination? Continue to do everything outlined in the previous section but also take a deep breath or two. Stay calm. Quickly analyze how each of those kills happened. Is he AWPing? Does he always camp the same spot? Does he always get you when you have a flash? Does he rush? Is he always crouched, etc. Look for the pattern and use that to your advantage. Also use that information for yourself, maybe it is a strat or spot you have never considered before. Think about how to counter that type of attack so you can be prepared for it in the future. Stay positive and ask your team for suggestions. Maybe you did not notice that the lighting makes your shadow very visible in that spot, or you are pushing too quickly, or you are not following the calls for the round. Whatever it is, use the information to your advantage. Dealing with Round Loss One team has to lose each round, a fact of counter strike. Sometimes you may even want to legitimately lose a round to save a weapon or prevent the enemy from gaining economy. Even if you try your best and your team loses the round remember to stay positive. Try again. Each loss you take gives you more information about the enemy and that much closer to being able to beat them. Take the tips from above and my communication article to turn the loss around. Remember that at the start of each round both teams have 5 players alive, think of it as a second chance. The previous round is over so move on and have fun with the next round. Dealing with Match Loss Losing the entire game is hard to deal with but just remember that it means it is over. Leave the trash talk written on the bullets not on the chat screen. Say your GG's and move on. If you are playing with a team that will be together after the game is over you can talk about the match. Come up with ideas on how to improve. Give each other some pick-me-ups and constructive criticism. Examples:
The Realization Some people are just really darn good. No matter what you do, they win. Just go with the flow and try to learn as much as you can. Maybe even record a demo to see if you can come up with something in the future. Remember CS is just a game and there are only a few more rounds until you can move on. Conclusion When dealing with defeat it is best to face it head on. Stay positive and use your team to come out ahead. Use the precious death sequence view to your advantage and share information you can gather. Look for enemy patterns and strategies that you can find holes in or leverage for your own team. Use the defeat as a learning experience and take everything you can from it so you can turn around and win the next time. |
Title: Communication in CSposted: December 4th, 2013Intro All the skills used to play CS are important. With Counter-Strike: Global Offensive you need skill, reflexes, team work, etc etc. One that can absolutely make or break a CSGO team is communication. I'd like to discuss how to communicate in game with your team, with your opponents and with admins. This is focused towards competitive matches but does bleed over to pub games. This article is a generalized communication guide, there will be more with map specific communication and other communication tips down the road. Communication Overview Think about this scenario. You are in a competitive dust2 match with 9 other strangers and currently playing T side. You are moving in to long A as a diversion for your team that is going split B with bomb through lower tuns to mid and B tuns. When you move in to long A it is clear. You hop in to pit, clear. Aim into site and it is clear too. What is your next step? If your goal is to win the round you would probably want to let your team know that A site is clear from long so far. This would let your team know that it is likely the opponents are heavier in B, mid, and possibly have an enemy in catwalk, CT spawn or eyes from A car. Once your entire team is clued in you could change the strategy on the fly. Maybe have your team rotate back through long A, push heavy on lower tuns to mid to cat. Watch for a CT push from mid. Or just continue on with the original call and have you push in to A and try to make a pick. Thankfully voice communication is built in to CSGO, even if you are dead you can talk to your team without using a 3rd party VoIP solution (vent, TS, skype, xfire, etc). This means if you have a mic you need (MUST!) use it. If you don't have a microphone you have to type, but it will probably not be seen, seen too late, or sent too late. To put it plainly: you must have and use a microphone in CS. Without it you are a big risk and limit your team. If you are not using a microphone please do not join a competitive match. Go pub or play offline with bots. A quick way to upset your team is for them to find out you are the only person on the team without a mic. Don't be "that guy". Get a mic. Use the mic. Using the mic - Communicating with your team Etiquette is huge with communication. When using voice it is difficult for multiple people to talk at the same time. If you are talking on the mic (or yelling) your teammates can not hear audio clues such as footsteps, bomb plants, or even gunfire and can cause you to lose a round. Here are some simple guidelines for voice communication in CSGO and then I will provide some examples.
Communicating with an admin This is geared towards public games. Sometimes there will be a server administrator monitoring a game or maybe even playing. If you see someone in game that is an admin always be nice to them and say hello (voice or chat). If you have any questions for them, go ahead and ask but keep it to the point, be polite, and don't be curious George with 700 questions. Admins are there to keep their server clean, recruit, but primarily there to have fun. If you are nice and a good player there may be rewards come your way. Please note that this is not a directive to brown nose, so don't congratulate an admin for every kill. Just say hello. Ask a question or two. Play and have fun. Diffuse, don't set us up the bomb If you stick with the above guidelines you, your team and the CS community will have an overall better experience. Sometimes though someone else breaks the rules, so what do you do? Show them how to play. What? But he insulted my family's honour! Show them how to play. He called me a hacker! Show them how to play. When an enemy harasses you do not acknowledge the enemy, ever. If they aim the BM at a team member quickly remind your team to just play the game, ignore the enemy communcae and show them how to play. Win the round. Win the match. Be a leader. When someone on your team harasses you or a teammate, quickly ask them to stay on task, provide constructive criticism and to play the game. If they continue you can ignore them, report them or if it is very extreme just leave the game. Example of how to handle enemy chat: Enemy in all chat: "WOW BOB YOU HACK" Your response: Your team's response: Example of how to handle team member BM aimed at the enemy: Team member in all chat: "WOW BOB YOU SUCK HACKER" Your response in team chat or voice: "Please stay focused and be positive. Lets just beat them." Example of how to handle team chat team directed BM: Team member in team chat or voice: "WOW BOB YOU SUCK WHY DID YOU PLANT THE BOMB THERE!?" Your response: Conclusion Communication in CS should always be positive and to the point. Using voice communication can give your team the edge it might need to win the round or match. Not using voice communication will severely limit your team's functionality and chance to win the round or match. Having fun, winning and making new friends in CS is easier with good communication and using the above guidelines can get you and your team moving in the right direction. When in competitive matches always be a leader and set the example early with good communication practices. |
Title: Hello old friendposted: December 3rd, 2013Ah Counter-Strike. There is no other game quite like CS. It is an FPS that requires skill, strategy, patience, communication, teamwork, financial planning and sometimes a bit of luck. I love CS. I remember buying half-life just so I could play CS. It was not until the source remake that I even played the first half-life and I'd been playing CS for years before that. I've played pre-steam (but not beta or anything special, just when it started "mainstream"), 1.5, steam 1.6, css and csgo. Full disclosure: I am not the best, nor claim to be. No where near the pro level and never will be. I am usually in the middle of the leader board with a 1.1 K/D. I've made a couple grand playing CS, nothing to brag about but it was nice at the time. I've made some friends playing CS (and some enemies). I have landed two jobs directly because of CS. I found my college through an online friend I met playing CS. I have learned a ton of skills through playing CS. CS has directly and indirectly impacted my life in a huge way. Sad. Funny. Cool. My plan with this part of my website is to record some fun history with CS and then be more specific with the latest iteration: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive aka CS:GO aka CSGO aka CS in regards to strategies, map information, game and server management, practice ideas, etc. |