Official forums for BZFlag.org

A few tips, from experts at this to some people who just started, like someone i introduced to this game yesterday

Also, if youre new to this game and have questions, post them here and youll get answers, not just from me too

Ok, since no one else has helped out here i guess ill start with a few tips.
1. Try not to shoot all your shots at one enemy if they're far away, if they dodge, youre an easy kill if since you have to reload. Only shoot very quickly if they're very close up and an easy shot.
2.Try to find people with more experience to show you anything you have questions on.
3.Practice dodging and dont jump unless there is something to jump on, otherwise, try to dodge them, only jump otherwise if you have to or they jump, if they do jump and shoot them if they arent facing you, otherwise shoot them when they land.
4.If you team kill someone by accident, apologize

5.In CTF, try to go to the teams base with the least players and the closest enemy base.

6. If there is only one other enemy base, it depends on the map youre in, but one thing is always the same, you should play defense if the enemy is attacking your base and play offense if there is mainly defenders on your side.

7. IF you're doing CTF and there are superflags, try using G.M. , superbullet, or laser to defend. IF youre offense, try to get close with ST, then get in get flag and get as close to your base as possible. You could also get close to the base and S.W. it then go inside, you could als use G.M. on offense to but id rather use ST.

8.Also, if you like listening to music while playing this, turn off the games sound all the way so you're the only one who hears your music.

9.Also, remember to only talk to your team about strategies or enemy locations so you dont let the other teams know your plan and they wont make fun of you.

10.Finnally, if you're getting tired of dying alot and want to give up bzflag, dont, just try a different server or try to get some tips from them, and if that dosnt help, pratice your dodging and aiming with someone else.

I have a tip:

Stealth is quite useful. It stops people with Guided Missile from locking on to you. Use it when people are GM-ing you over and over again.

The most important tip: USE RADAR!

Edit: that's whay ST is so good.

We have an entire forum for this here.

Wow, hey thanks Consitution,Ratfink, and Joe-Schmoe, your tips i forgot and your tips will help alot of newbies.

Here's a good newbie tip: Join the game in OBSERVER mode and ride along with a seasoned player for a while to learn the ropes.

DontTASEmeBRO! <-- a newbie.

There are also newbie and advanced guides on the venerable Shellshock site:

http://shellshock.bzflag.bz/

Okay, first piece of advice: Joe-Schmoe is totally right. Using your radar is an extremely important part of being a better player. Take my username. I used to think Cloaking was the best flag ever, but that was because I was a noob and never used the radar! I mean, it's not a really awful flag, but it's definitely not as good as, say, Stealth.

Second piece of advice:* Don't always play the same map. Yeah, you'll get real good, but you won't have experience with other techniques. For example, the first map you ever played was a Capture-The-Flag, and you loved it so much that you basically never went anywhere else. Bad! If you only ever play CTF, then you'll never know how cool Rabbit Hunt can be, or why it's suicide to play Mofo when you're a noob, or how Purple Panther makes the best cityscapes of the whole game or whatever! Be spontaneous!

*Man, something new to say was really hard to think of! Basically all of the good tips have already been given! Good for you guys!

Well, I hope this helps someone!
~Katie

Tip: every flag gives you an advantage, if you can't find a good flag, use at least something.

Tip2: Most people are right handed (figure it out for yourselves noobs )

Tip3: gm CAN be dodged under the default settings.

Tip4: Stereo sound can be extremely helpful when an ST is around.
(tanks make sounds when they drop off things, like behind you)

Tip5: Radar is good, but has limitations.

Tip6: Useless flag is very useful.

Try to dodge instead of Jumping. Helps alot.

On a non-radar map, get cloaking and HOLD STILL! Then you won't make tire marks, or those dust ring thingy-ma-bobbers and you can just sit and pick off the other players. Oh how I DO love that one

BinarySpike wrote:Tip: every flag gives you an advantage, if you can't find a good flag, use at least something.

Tip2: Most people are right handed (figure it out for yourselves noobs )

Tip3: gm CAN be dodged under the default settings.

Tip4: Stereo sound can be extremely helpful when an ST is around.
(tanks make sounds when they drop off things, like behind you)

Tip5: Radar is good, but has limitations.

Tip6: Useless flag is very useful.

how is useless flag usefull???

If someone else has thief flag, and if the mine plugin is used on the map. But I wouldn't say that it is very useful.

Useless flag is a keeper, every time I get it I can kill 5~6 other tanks before I get shot.

Other tips: Don't go flag harvesting on CTF maps, it'll annoy the players on the other team, and you'll likely get targeted with or without a decent flag. It can annoy teammates too, when you have dropped everything other than L and GM and they have respawned in enemy territory your whole team will get creamed by a good player with N or T. Unless it's a bad flag learn to use it to your advantage.

Some maps have a thing called "Useless Mine". If you type the command "/mine sw" into the "send to all" prompt, you leave an SW mine. When someone drives over the spot you where left it, it does an SW burst. There are a couple kinds other than SW, but I don't know them, sorry. Oh, and not all maps even support Useless Mines, so don't go around saying that it isn't true and Amoeba!'s a stinkin' lier, please.

try staying away from maps with alot of players the more their are the more you will get killed

well .... just try to have FUN! you dont need more than FUN!

1.Respect your team (if you have one), and don't kill them!
2.A flag is better than NO flag
3.Press 'B' for binoculars.
4.If your team are good, try using good flags, such as SW, L and ST
5.Try to dodge any bullets, if you can.
6.If someones better than you, don't envy them.
7.Set up a private server with bots, then get the hang of the game, before coming online (that's what i did )
8.Most of all....Enjoy, and welcome to BZflag

Ralf! wrote:Set up a private server with bots, then get the hang of the game, before coming online

I did that too when I first started. It's a good way to learn basic tank control and what each of the flags do. You will *not* learn good tactics playing against robots! I was so awful when I first went public (two years ago) that I was once asked whether I was human or a 'bot. Now I am happy to say that I can usually maintain a positive score.

Here's a tip for REAL noobs: the [TAB] key makes you jump into the air.

1. DON'T TK!!!!
2. Set up a private server with bots to practice
3. Grab a flag
4. Shoot a few shots when you get into a server to see how everything works.
5. Use the chat function to cooperate with teammates
6. Don't jump straight in the air, you're bound to be shot the second you hit the ground
7. In CTF, try to find a stealth or cloaking flag before you raid the base.

I remember the Army tank crewman manual said something that was so simple that it seemed comical:

1. Avoid being seen.
2. If seen, avoid being hit.
3. If hit, avoid being killed.

That sounds almost silly at first, but think about it. As it applies to BZ:

1. First and foremost, try to avoid your enemy's attention. Sometimes this means ST, but often it just means maneuvering in ways that conceal you, conceal your intentions, or just make you obvious than your teammates. I want to be the tank that my enemy doesn't have time to focus on while he's too focused on someone else.

2. If your enemy does know where you are, be hard to hit. This may involve dodging skills, special flags (CL, N, and T are harder to hit), or obstacles.

In all battles, real or play, try to think in terms of advantages and disadvantages. The two biggest advantages in combat are:

Initiative: I want to choose who I engage, when, and where. I always have the upper hand if I am deciding the time and place of the battle, and am disadvantaged if my enemy does.

Freedom of Maneuver: I never want to be pinned down by the enemy. In BZ, I need to be able to move my tank freely. The more options my enemy takes away, the worse shape I am in. Try to narrow the movement envelope of your enemy. Fight him in places where it is harder for him to move, harder to dodge, harder to jump.

I remember the Army tank crewman manual said something that was so simple that it seemed comical:

1. Avoid being seen.
2. If seen, avoid being hit.
3. If hit, avoid being killed.

That sounds almost silly at first, but think about it. As it applies to BZ:

1. First and foremost, try to avoid your enemy's attention. Sometimes this means ST, but often it just means maneuvering in ways that conceal you, conceal your intentions, or just make you obvious than your teammates. I want to be the tank that my enemy doesn't have time to focus on while he's too focused on someone else.

2. If your enemy does know where you are, be hard to hit. This may involve dodging skills, special flags (CL, N, and T are harder to hit), or obstacles.

In all battles, real or play, try to think in terms of advantages and disadvantages. The two biggest advantages in combat are:

Initiative: I want to choose who I engage, when, and where. I always have the upper hand if I am deciding the time and place of the battle, and am disadvantaged if my enemy does.

Freedom of Maneuver: I never want to be pinned down by the enemy. In BZ, I need to be able to move my tank freely. The more options my enemy takes away, the worse shape I am in. Try to narrow the movement envelope of your enemy. Fight him in places where it is harder for him to move, harder to dodge, harder to jump.

That doesn't sound like "having fun with playing bzflag"