Good tips for newbies to bzflag

Questions and comments on tactics and playstyles
F687/s
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Post by F687/s »

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

Fun is all relative. (Come to think of it, "Jumping Skills: Hard" isn't really that much fun either ;-)
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Post by Tank 52 »

That's true F6,as well as those mazes where you have to cap your own flag it kind of teaches you a bit and would be more fun if a few people who posted here(i won't say who,but were the people who made the 2 posts right before this one :wink: ) keep going to those, finish in like a minute and cause everyone else to start over, so basically try to stay away from jumping skills and thing's like that because it's really annoying if you're bad at jumping cause you will keep falling and dying,it won't be fun. And there is no fun in it after you spent say 30 minutes trying to win, finnally win and then you realize,hey i just capped my own flag i won i beat the others,now what...
Last edited by Tank 52 on Sun May 11, 2008 10:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Try to look unimportant,they may be low on ammo
Teamwork is essential,it gives them other people to shoot at.
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Post by io »

you say, that good players should stay away from servers they like, just because it anoys somebody else ;)

All i can say about that is: "crap".

For example: You have the talent to talk with people. But sometimes the thing you say anyos somebody. Would you stop talking, or would you continue with it?

(i know it isn't that good, but i hope you understand what i want to say)
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Post by Astroman »

I can relate to Tank, I find it somewhat annoying when I'm playing "jumping skills", and i'm about 1/4 to 1/2 the way up, and Marzipan joins. I know it's all over :cry: . Marzipan: you're too crazy good at that... :wink:
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Post by Tank 52 »

Eh marz no i said people who are new or aren't good at it should avoid it...
Try to look unimportant,they may be low on ammo
Teamwork is essential,it gives them other people to shoot at.
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Post by 0BullzEye0 »

first thing for newbies is read the wiki even if youre not good at reading or too lazy trust me works all the time. and after wiki dont just get into the big leauges go to dodge trainer even if you get shot alot.and go on observer mode to learn from others. :D
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Post by Tank 52 »

I forgot to add,you can change the controls in your options undr GUI settings,go there and then to change key mapping and you can change thin's like how to jump.shoot,as well as move.So it's very useful if you want custimized controls...
Try to look unimportant,they may be low on ammo
Teamwork is essential,it gives them other people to shoot at.
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Post by IZboy »

1. When you first start out, stick around your base and simply defend it. It's a lot easier, because you have teammates to help you out. You learn a lot that way

2. Stay away from the other team if they have a flag called "Genocide" (G) If someone on your team gets hit by it, it will kill EVERYONE on your team. So steer clear of it.

3. Laser camp. And I know people are gonna kill me for saying this, but it will teach you a ton about the game. Then, not to soon after, you will absolutely despise laser campers. But hey, for the meantime, learn to do it.

Hope that helps.
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Post by Cpl Foggy Dewhurst »

As a newbie myself, one piece of advice I can give to fellow newbies is... use the radar more than your screen. Go into "Options" -> "GUI Settings" and enlarge the radar screen, enlarge the radar shots, too, so they're easier to see. Keep your eye on the radar 70% of the time, but always remember to use your peripherals and keep an eye on screen, too, for stealthers.
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Post by Quantum Tank »

I'd like to add something to that:

Having the radar large is good, but big bullets are not. Make them about 1 notch above minimum, you can still see them fine, but having big radar bullets makes dodging hard as only the center of that bullets really matters. If they are too hard to see, try increasing the length of the bullet tail, and if you put the tail leading forward, it can actually help you dodge better.

And what Cpl said is good, using the radar almost all the time when you start out is very important. Think about it mathematically. Viewing out the window only you to see a span of the map a bit more than 90 degrees wide (I'm sure the exact number is out in the wiki somewhere), you can't see through obstacles, and dodging can be harder because your sense of distance is distorted. However, the radar provides 360 degree view, as well as an absolute distance of things and an almost unlimited viewing distance. So really, while you're learning its best to only use the window for aiming.
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Post by Cpl Foggy Dewhurst »

Ah, good point about the shell size, and your tip has been absorbed ;) thanks for that.
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Post by Abominable »

"Dance" move around a lot, it throws your enemy off a lot.

In rico maps, use the buildings around you to "unsuspectingly" kill an enemy.

Use Pyra rico to kill players with wings.

Don't jump so much, move around more. Jump only when you can't avoid something, and when you do jump, try to jump and land on something.

Don't blast fire, meaning don't shoot all your bullets at one time, you may need one a second later :P

Time your shots.

There's my input.
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Post by Marines »

when someoneis following you trun and jump over soemthing and shot at the same time. they always jump and die. :D
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Post by Sharpshooter25 »

1: if u have laser press b (binoculars)
2: set up distractions for ctf. People will shootat u while someone else gets the flag
3: know yr team. Each player could help u in different ways.
4. know yr enemy. Destroy them from there weaknesses :P
5. Use RADAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6. Have fun. You don't want to be competitive......
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Post by Sharpshooter25 »

Sorry if I copied people :D.
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I am on RA. I really stink at Gu so im Practicing.
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Post by Seud »

Don't use Genocide on a Rogue if you are Rogue or you'll die and the server will tell you : "Be more careful with genocide!"
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Post by blast »

seud wrote:Don't use Genocide on a Rogue if you are Rogue or you'll die and the server will tell you : "Be more careful with genocide!"
That is only the case if the server is running the Rogue Genocide plugin. With a default instance of the BZFlag server, using genocide on a Rogue will do nothing except kill that one player.
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Post by Quantum Tank »

seud wrote:Don't use Genocide on a Rogue if you are Rogue or you'll die and the server will tell you : "Be more careful with genocide!"
This is not necessarily true. In places with rogueGenocide, when you kill a rogue and you are rogue, you will die along with the other rogues, so you will lose 1 point but gain many more, especially on places with lots of rogues like Mofo.
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Post by Engineer »

Well, these are very good tips! Well, I am very bad at this game, but I am getting the hang of it. Next to my name i put (Newbie!) to say to stay away from TK^^' But There's some useful tactics here. Well, I know that I am not a REAL noob (I know how to jump!), but I still have a long way. Like you said, I could ask for help from the experts, and I will post some questions.
1. How I can use good the cloaking flag in CTF?
2. I think that even with stealth, I was hit with GM(but I was hit more by laser). There are servers that you can lock on a stealthed tank?

And some other tips are welcome, especially in CTF.
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Post by joevano »

Engineer wrote:Well, these are very good tips! Well, I am very bad at this game, but I am getting the hang of it. Next to my name i put (Newbie!) to say to stay away from TK^^' But There's some useful tactics here. Well, I know that I am not a REAL noob (I know how to jump!), but I still have a long way. Like you said, I could ask for help from the experts, and I will post some questions.
1. How I can use good the cloaking flag in CTF?
2. I think that even with stealth, I was hit with GM(but I was hit more by laser). There are servers that you can lock on a stealthed tank?

And some other tips are welcome, especially in CTF.
Well, some would say that jumping is used the most by noobs, learn to dodge (without jumping) and you will be much farther a long. :P

1. Cloak is very good, if you learn to dodge (see above) otherwise it is good when someone is laser spamming.
2. No, there is no map where GM can lock on ST. That being said, it does not mean that GM cannot kill ST. The bullets are still bullets and can still hit you. If they turn towards you, it is because the GMer is locked on to someone else near you, and if you happen to get in the way.. BOOM, you're dead.
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Post by zaphod »

i have made & collected some good tips, tricks and moves for bzflag!
from beginners to the pro's ::: hope you find some help there??!!
::: www.zaphod.fr :::
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Post by Engineer »

But jumping with CL isn't a bad idea, right?
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Post by joevano »

No, it is not a bad idea, as they can't tell where you really are (they do get some clues though). But any type of jumping makes you and easy target, it is just that a cloaked 'easy target' is harder to hit than an uncloaked 'easy target', because of the timing aspect (but a nice spray of bullets can counteract not getting the timing right). The thing to remember with jumping is that once you jump it is pretty easy for your opponent to know when and where you will land, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to reduce your chances of getting killed once your treads leave the ground.
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Post by z[h]ero »

Engineer wrote:But jumping with CL isn't a bad idea, right?
An answer to this question should be differentiated. Indeed, if you play against a beginner, then it's a very good idea. However if a skilled player is near you (let's say someone with a kill ratio of 2) then in general you will be CL-meat for sure, as these players utilize their radar precisely to spot your exact position.
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Post by joevano »

z[h]ero wrote:
Engineer wrote:But jumping with CL isn't a bad idea, right?
An answer to this question should be differentiated. Indeed, if you play against a beginner, then it's a very good idea. However if a skilled player is near you (let's say someone with a kill ratio of 2) then in general you will be CL-meat for sure, as these players utilize their radar precisely to spot your exact position.
Isn't that kinda what I just said?
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