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by Overswarm
Home | Advanced Combat Techniques | Articles and Extras | Map Guides
Matchmaking Gametypes | Movies and Commentary | FAQ
Advanced Combat Techniques
Main | Aiming and Manuevering | Anti-weapon Guide | Jump Techniques
Movement Techniques | Vehicle Guide | Weapon Guide
Aiming and Maneuvering
Quote from BryanGT
"When you drive a car, you need to look at where you want to be, and thus where you are going to be in the future. If you're looking at the road directly in front of you you're only giving yourself a split second to react to what you might find there.
The same holds true for Halo. Always be watching where the enemy is going to be: walk backwards if the traffic is commonly behind you and nothing is likely to be in front of you. Keep your Aim leveled at the torso (or head for snipers) where the enemy might appear (you should be looking up ramps or above in areas where it's common the enemy might be above, like Ivory Tower). The extra second or two you get by spotting your enemy first will make the difference in the fight; that motion tracker only helps you when the enemy is moving fast).
Use your whole body to aim. Strafing will make minute changes to your aim, and it's those little changes you need to get the best shot at distance and up close. Plus, a moving target (you) is harder to hit. I love it when the enemy sniper stands still, I'm never standing still when I have the rifle, and it always ends badly for the guy who has the most predictable vector (and in his case, the vector is really easy to predict). "
Now to add my own special flavor.
When moving throughout the game to simply get to a destination, I take the shortest route. I remember old geometric rules like "the shortest distance is always a straight line" and "when you are pulling against gravity, you move slower", etc. etc.
However, the most important thing I do is keep my reticule on my immediate destination. It is impossible to look everywhere at once, but I have played with many people who simply move forward, not paying any attention to anything else, and not planning ahead. Those people are playing like the redcoats fought. The redcoats lost.
Instead, play like you are in a horror movie. The "monster" is going to leap out at that last second in the doorway you are about to go into. Keep your reticule on where that monster will be. If he doesn't pop out in front of you, he must be waiting by the corner. If he's not around the corner, check any hiding spots up high. If he's not there, he must be in the NEXT doorway. You should always check your motion tracker to see if the monster is flanking you, too. Remember, if he isn't on your motion tracker, you are moving 2x as fast as he is, so he won't be directly behind you. If he gets behind you and isn't on the motion tracker, it's because he was waiting behind a corner or he fell from the sky.
It is much safer to play as if you are in a horror movie.
Also, for those that have seen "The Dead Poet's Society" (good movie, gotta love Robin Williams), try to recall the part where the students are walking around in a circle, clapping their hands. They all had their own stride until they noticed what others were doing, and then everyone did that.
That wasn't just a plot point, that was true. It is true in Halo as well. Watch enemy players, they follow each other in lines, whether on team or against. As BryanGT said, watch the traffic. Halo players are as predictable as cars. If you see someone walk into a building that you know has only one exit, watch that exit, and keep your reticule at head level, far enough out to where you have time to react. This is especially true with teams. Teams will just walk in lines, effectively killing each other.
Every. Second. Counts. I can't stress that enough. Your reticule needs to be on them before they have theirs on you. Make every possible change to your gameplay to make that happen.
Steps to becoming a better aimer
- Practice
Nothing takes the place of hard work. If I did nothing but played Halo 2 every day, every hour, not even stopping to eat, drink, or sleep, except when I absolutely needed to so I could keep my game at its best, you would see me on top of every leaderboard (if there was no cheating). Put that image in your head. As long as you don't have any odd mental or physical defects, there is NO limit to how good you can get. You can have 100% accuracy every game with the sniper rifle, only headshots, no scope. You can be as good as a computer. Admit that to yourself before you read anything ahead. There is NOTHING you cannot do, no matter how good anyone else is now, you could practice more. No matter how good their natural ability, you could practice more. No matter what.
After you realize that you truly could be flawless if you had ideal circumstances, you ask the question "How could I practice like that". Well, unless you are bloody rich you can't just play Halo all the time (if anyone would like to donate money to me so I could do that, feel free to e-mail me at overswarm@gmail.com ^_^). Here's a few ways that you can do it.
- Play on Live
Duh. Plain and simple, this will do it. However, playing on Live isn't the best choice in terms of advancement. That'd be like saying "writing a random story of a different type one after another will help you be a better writer". Of course it is true, but it isn't efficient. Even more still, if your only problem is writing fiction, no matter how much non-fiction you write, fiction will still be difficult. So, to go into specifics, look elsewhere. Playing on Live only helps you in general.
- Custom Gametypes
I have custom gametypes listed in the "Training" section of the guide, but you don't necessarily have to go there. Try playing custom gametypes that are just hard for you to play. Do you have trouble sniping? Try playing a juggernaut game with your friends where the juggernaut has the overshield and infinite ammo, and make the only weapons sniper rifles.
You can always invent something that will help you out in a specific area. Just admit to yourself your weakpoints, and work on them. I HATE playing all sniper games, but that's because I have difficulty applying strategies to sniper vs. sniper. Even worse than that, I'm only a mediocre sniper.
Concrete aiming tips
- Use strafing to aim as much as you can. Very small changes to your reticules position can be all you need.
- The thumbsticks don't have to be moved as hard as possible, they are touch sensitive.
- Don't exceed the Technical Accuracy of the gun. Don't start firing until you are in range.
- Don't over exert your Practical Accuracy, and don't become a hindrance. If you aren't good with the sniper, don't pick it up.
- Don't over exert the guns Practical Accuracy. Just because the battle rifle can have a long distance shot and a short distance shot doesn't mean it is most effective at short range on a moving target. Know when to switch weapons.
Home | Advanced Combat Techniques | Articles and Extras | Map Guides
Matchmaking Gametypes | Movies and Commentary | FAQ
Advanced Combat Techniques
Main | Aiming and Manuevering | Anti-weapon Guide | Jump Techniques
Movement Techniques | Vehicle Guide | Weapon Guide
|
