Firearms

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+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| FIREARMS FAQ, Written by Clayton Walker |
| FA Release Candidate 2.5 |
| LOVE MY G36 ASCII ART! Rattatat tat sucker! |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+

Another crappy FAQ by Clayton Walker. Love me?
Remember that this is my writing. You did not write it, therefore you
cannot plagiarize it and screw me over. Well, actually, you can. Don't
do anything stupid, like steal it and tell me you put in on your
geocities clan page, or copy-paste it and submit it as an original
article. Play by the rules, buddy.



+----------CONTENTS-----------------+
| |
|ONE: Why should I care? |
|TWO: The equipment |
|THREE: The weapons |
|FOUR: The skills |
|FIVE: Tactics / Dying |
|SIX: Teamwork. |
|SEVEN: Problem / Solution |
|EIGHT: About Me, and my raging ego |
| |
+-----------------------------------+


+-------------------------+
|ONE : WHY SHOULD I CARE? |
+-------------------------+


I really don't care if you do or not, honestly. Firearms is another mod
in the sea of halflife mods. While I personally feel it could be a lot
better, I play it semi-regularly. It came as a surprise that there are
not more FAQs dedicated to mods, as they are as played as some company-
made online games, if not more so. Firearms really captures a feeling
of modern-day struggle and warfare, so I'll tell what I know about it.

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+--------------------+
|TWO : EQUIPMENT |
+--------------------+


Equipment is composed of your body armor, as well as any additional
explosives or bandages you take with you. For all intents and purposes,
I'll be discussing the various explosives in the weapon section. Most
important is the selection of Kevlar. You have in the simplest of terms
light, medium, and heavy armor. Each gives a certain degree of
protection against certain rounds. Each also gives a certain amount of
stuff you can carry with each body armor type. The armor alone consists
of the vest, although you can tack on extra body armor for the arms,
legs, and head for additional slots. These extra things offer
protection equivalent to the armor you picked, so if you went with level
II Kevlar, you get level II Kevlar arms.

Light Armor (I): Allows for 30 slots. Fails to reliably stop most
conventional rounds.
Medium Armor (II): Allows for 25 Slots. Reliably stops small caliber
rounds.
Heavy Armor (III): Allows 20 slots. Stops conventional rifle round.

Kevlar Helmet: Covers head in whatever armor you selected
Kevlar Arms: Protects the arms with your selected armor
Kevlar Legs: Protects those things you stand on.



((REAL LIFE THINGY!))
Note, that when I say "stop" I'm referring to the first time it hits
you. In real life, that initial round would be stopped, but the force
of the round would be about the force of someone hitting you really hard
with a hammer. Depending on the round, you get hit at different
strengths. It still hurts. After a while, the Kevlar will rip from the
multitude of bullets and leave the armor worthless. Imagine lots of
plastic bags that are packed in closely together. As the bullet goes
through each layer, it slows down a little bit and the armor stretches
to each side. However, the kinetic energy hits you, not the bullet.
Most people shot in the side would break a rib, say.

People hit with a 12-guage shotgun blast die, even if none of the
buckshot penetrates. Why? The energy of the buckshot impacts all over
the vest and is about the equivalent of being hit by a truck. Morbid,
huh?

This translates well into firearms. Example: being shot while wearing
heavy Kevlar damages you, but causes no bleeding and additionally makes
this part of your armor less effective. When your armor gets useless,
it fails to stop the round.

Unfortunately, the shotguns are very underpowered. Even with the
effects on Kevlar considered in life, those were not effectively
translated into the game.

The other piece of equipment that is not an explosive is a bandage. If
you select them, they take up one slot and provide two bandages. Should
you take them? It depends on the map. Some maps have many bandage
respawn points, others not nearly enough. Decide based on the map.
Usage will be discussed later.



+-----------------------------------+
| |
|<<<<<< THREE: THE WEAPONS >>>>>> |
| |
+-----------------------------------+


Note: Firearms has lots of weapons. Lots and Lots of them. Too many,
almost. Some upset the fragile balance; others are nearly worthless in
regards to the spectrum of the game. Since I was such a raging jerk in
the last section to put the grenades in this section, I'll get to them
first.



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((Fragmentation Grenade))--------
Cost: 2 slots
Amount: 3 grenades
Damage Potential: Fatal
Usefulness: High

Frag grenades are amazing in this game. You get three, which is usually
adequate to make whatever move you want to with them. Note, you're left
open holding grenades, so try only to throw from relative safety, cover,
or support from teammates. Frag grenades severely wound the other team
if caught near the explosion, and kill immediately if it catches them in
the blast radius. Needless to say, throwing about 3 at various areas of
a choke point will usually yield some kills.

Frag grenades are best used when throwing into heavily guarded enemy
areas, over bunkers and sandbags, and into enemy respawns. The adage
"smoke them if you've got them" really comes into play here. Face it,
you're going to get mowed down in a matter of time, so ditch them in
places you think they'll do the most damage. Don't save them up if you
know an enemy's position. Also, try to bounce them around corners.

((Flashbang))------------
Cost: 2 slots
Amount: 2 Flash grenades
Damage Potential: None
Usefulness: Relatively low

Flashbangs are one of the most underused items in FA, mainly for the
fact that the enemy can retreat back into relative safety if blinded,
and that the effect wears off relatively fast. Why use them? I have no
idea. Most people don't and for good reason. Leave these on the shelf.
You can use them to blind the other team and rush, but most people will
fire blindly at whatever entrance they were looking at until the effect
wears off, rendering your offensive mostly useless.

However, they are really irritating!


((Stielhande Grenade))----------
Cost: 3 slots
Amount: 2 sticks.
Damage Potential: Fatal.
Usefulness: Medium

Remember that old video from the fifties that goes, "Duck... and
cooooover!" Then a turtle ducks in its shell to hide from a communist
monkey packing TNT. Yeah? No? Well, it really doesn't matter. If you
see one of these, haul ass away from it! These stick grenades blow up
GOOD. They blow up huge. However, despite the large fatal blast radius
of the grenade, you only get 2. And they take up 3 slots. For 3 slots,
you could get an assault rifle instead of a SMG, or perhaps get a
helmet. So really, you need to think of whether or not it will be worth
it or not.

The same principles apply here as they do with the frags. The only
difference is that because they give you more pop-pop, use them more
frugally. Throw sparingly, and calculate where they'll go off.


((Claymore Mine))-----
Cost: 4 slots
Amount: One mine
Damage Potential: Fatal
Usefulness: Medium

Boom. This weapon is the greatest of demolition tools. Set one, and
either blast people yourself or let it do the work. Primary fire sets
it down, where another click will set it off manually. Hit alt fire
after you set it, and you'll put it into trip mode. From there, anybody
that is unfortunate enough to cross it gets blown sky-high. This is
fatal, no exceptions.

So, is it right for you? Well, there's only one, and it takes 4 slots.
Also, the usefulness of it is questionable because your team might set
it off, or an enemy could entirely avoid it. What to do? Make sure
it's somewhere where the enemy has to go, and where your team is not
going to be hanging around. Be sure to conceal the claymore to make it
a good trap. Note, when you die, the claymore goes too.

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For the most part, the pistols in FA are really useless. Pretty much,
there's only one way to use some of these, and that is the "oh crap."
method. What happens is you're shooting at someone, and they shoot
back. All goes well, until.... click. You're out of ammo. Now what?
PISTOL TIME, BABY! However, it's never that dramatic. Imagine your
pistol as a very poor sub-machinegun. It's only a last ditch effort
with most of these, but they do have their uses. By the way, since I'm
so cool, I'm going to give you the real names where appropriate.

((.45 ACP / Colt M1911A1))
Cost: 3 Slots
Amount: 4 Clips of 7 rounds each, plus one in gun.
Damage Potential: Fair / poor.
Usefulness: Low

I like the .45, and I really have no idea why. Truthfully, the pistols
in FA along with the shotguns really do not do as much as they should.
Honestly, I use this as my backup because it is as such, a sidearm.
This is not the main gun that you'll be using. Those 7 rounds can kill
if you hit the enemy chest, and he's at somewhat low health or had light
armor. Most of the time, it's a diversion. Shoot wildly, and retreat
backwards. Jump if needed, but your primary strategy should be to
reload your primary for the kill.

Also worth mentioning, the Colt .45 fires underwater, so why not blast
people when they can't shoot back most cases? It's got a cool look and
a meaty sound... I like it. Still, whenever I use it, I'm sorely
disappointed.


((.44 Magnum / Colt Anaconda))
Cost: 4 slots
Amount: 4 chambers of 6 shots each, 6 rounds in gun
Damage Potential: Fair / Good
Usefulness: High

If you're going to take any sidearm and depend on it, make this the one.
This thing is brutal. Not only that, it's scoped. Consider this the
poor man's sniper rifle. You have 6 shots that can do great damage
potential if the head or chest is hit, and it's zoomable, so you can use
the element of surprise to your advantage. I love this gun. God bless
you, Colt.

Downsides: only six shots means reloading, and there is a substantial
wait between the shots. Roughly half a second, by my count. Although
it doesn't seem like much, consider how fast the Mac 10s dump out
rounds. This is time you are vulnerable. Because of this, it really
lacks the effectiveness of being a close-combat weapon.


((9mm-sil / Beretta M92F))
Cost: 4 slots
Amount: 15 shots in gun, 5 clips extra
Damage Potential: Very Low
Usefulness: None

This gun takes the cake for the worst gun in FA. It has no stopping
power at all. I suppose you could use it for stealth, as it does have a
silencer. However, stealth goes out the window when you need to shoot
the guy in the head with the gun about 5 times. Pretty much, you could
ambush him with a better gun and take him out fast. As backup, it
blows.

There is one thing I like about it though. It's really cool. Not as
much as the colt, but it's silenced, and the sound effect is amazing.
Not that fake James Bond "Pfooooow!", the only thing you hear is the
bolt on the gun clicking. This is really how silenced guns sound.
Also, it's accurate and fast firing. If you want a cool scare tactic
"Get the hell away from me! I'm Chow Yun Fat!!!" then go with the
Beretta. Just don't do anything stupid or put yourself in the line of
fire.



((9mm SA-3RB / Beretta M93R))

Cost: 4 slots
Amount: 20 in gun, 5 extra clips
Damage Potential: Low / Fair
Usefulness: Low / Medium

Well, again, 9mm sidearms are not my thing, but this does have a little
difference. Essentially, it's a 20-round mp5. Set it to burst fire and
mash the shoot button, and those rounds will spit out fast. Aim for the
head or chest, like all other pistols, and fire away. Note, these
rounds are the same as the atrocious Beretta 9mm. Meaning, if you graze
the guy and only land a few hits, you'll eat dirt.

Total bullet saturation. Make 15 of those 20 shots land and you're
good. Otherwise, not really worth the drain on your overall slot
capacity.



((.50 AE / IMI Desert Eagle))

Cost: 5 slots
Amount: 7 in gun, 4 additional clips
Damage Potential: Medium
Usefulness: Low / Medium

Ahh. The Desert Eagle. From here on in, it's the Deagle or DE. Why?
Because someone paid me to write this with as many abbreviations as
possible, and that's the only abbreviation I ever learned. Getting back
to the gun, the DE has been good in many other games, and is very big
and intimidating. As a matter of fact, the half inch round it spits out
is considered too inhumane by many law enforcement agencies, and the gun
is huge. Despite this, it seems toned down in FA.

It takes a few shots to kill someone, and the gun is a little too
inaccurate for my tastes. However, the difference with this gun is that
if someone tracks you down and you use the gun as backup, you stand a
good shot of wasting them right then and there. The gun has definite
power, and you can really use this to your advantage. If you fire slow,
you can also snipe with it to a limited extent. The .44 is better for
this task though, but it's really a matter of preference.

Downsides: only 7 shots. After that, chances are both your primary and
secondary are empty. Meaning, what, exactly? Your options are at that
point to run, try and hopelessly stab the other guy, or give up and die.
Point: Make the shots count, don't fire them too fast. You won't live
too long to regret it otherwise.


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------------------------------

Honestly, I'm a huge shotgun fan. The utter thought of leveling someone
with one hit really is a cool idea. However, most games these days have
really given the shotgun a crappy reputation against assault rifles and
sniper rifles. Not so surprisingly, FA has done the same thing.
However, shotguns are relatively cheap in terms of slots, so if you play
your cards right you can have a big backup weapon.

((Tac 12-guage / Benelli M1))
Cost: 7 slots
Amount: 7 in gun, 48 extra shells.
Damage Potential: Low
Usefulness: Low / Medium

Here's the big old skinny here. This shotgun bites. Badly. You can
barely kill anything with it unless your enemy is away from the
keyboard, you're behind him, and you can get all the shots to connect
every time. It takes for me on average about 5 shells to put somebody
down. It really takes an inordinate amount of luck for a beginner to
kill people with this. Don't use it then!

As a backup weapon, it's a little better. By nature, backup weapons are
crappy in this game, and this backup weapon is less crappy. Damn you FA
team for screwing up another weapon!!! Personally, sometimes I really
humor myself and load up on everything Kevlar level 3, which leaves 7
slots open. Still, it's hard to kill things even then!!! Why bother is
what I say after a while. If you're using light armor, consider as a
backup.


((Auto Shotgun / Saiga 12K Shotgun))
Cost: 9 slots
Amount: 7 rounds per clip, 3 extra.
Damage Potential: Low / High
Usefulness: Low / High

The FA team made a step in the right direction with this gun. It has
true semi-auto firing. It shoots out the same rounds as the benelli,
but at a rate roughly... 6 times faster than it, supposing you can click
that fast. Most people can do this at least. So, for 2 extra slots,
you get the badass cousin of the regular pump-shotgun. Your choice, and
it shouldn't be a hard one. Up close, it shreds people. Real bad.

From far away, you can send a lot of mostly harmless projectiles across
a large distance. Good for cover fire, and very scary on the enemy's
side of things. Additionally, those 7 rounds go really fast, and you
only have 3 extra clips. Make them last, and be sure to go back to
reload often. Stay away from people with assault rifles, and play it
safe.


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Sub-machineguns are essentially machineguns that use pistol ammunition.
There are quite a few to choose from, and for the most part they all
serve as a fair offensive weapon.

((9mm Tac-SMG / HK MP5))
Cost: 7 slots
Amount: 30 in weapon, 5 extra clips
Damage Potential: Medium
Usefulness: Medium

The MP5 is about as average a subgun as you could ask for. This is not
to say that it's a bad weapon in the least, but it really does not excel
within any particular area. The MP5 is a fast-firing weapon that can
spit out 9mm rounds in a very quick manner. Although accurate enough at
medium ranges, the weapon scatters too much for long-range firing, and
even then is outclassed by assault rifles. So where does it fit? The
MP5 is perhaps the best backup weapon, as it is the lightest SMG. If
you so desire, switch to this when you run out of ammo and you'll
decimate anyone that thinks they have you.

Aim head / chest, and burst fire if needed. If you're using the
marksmanship one skill, simply holding down the fire button will be
okay. Marksmanship 2 improves on this a little bit more, but at longer
ranges burst firing is still required. Don't use this on assault rifle
users that have a fresh clip. Rushing with the MP5 is a good call, but
make sure you can circle around the guy and unload on him. Standing
still, or even laying prone is highly unadvisable.

The MP5 also has a laser sight which I've found mostly useless. Some
may have better luck with it, and it's supposed to improve accuracy, but
I've found mostly negligible differences between the firing.

((9mm SMG / Sterling SMG))

Cost: 8 slots
Amount: 32 in gun, 5 extra clips
Damage potential: Medium / High
Usefulness: Medium / High

If you're going to take one of the 9mm SMGs, this is the one. I love
this gun, mainly for how many rounds it can spit out, and how long it
can sustain fire. This gun excels up close, is great for storming the
trenches, and makes an amazing backup if you have the credits for it.
Overall, this gun treats me well. If I see someone and spray at the
chest, it's usually fatal for them. If you feel so inclined, you can
use this at medium range too. Spray the whole clip, and duck behind
some cover to reload. If you play smart, and like to play stealthily,
this is definitely the gun for you. The 9mm round is weak, but in large
quantities they can really mess people up.

Don't use at a range against snipers and assault-rifle users, and always
take routes that have available cover and multiple places to run away.
Pick your battles wisely, and make your strikes hard. By the time
someone realizes the severity of their situation, you'll have killed
them.


((9mm HCM / Bizon-2 SMG))

Cost: 10 slots
Amount: 66 in gun, 2 extra clips
Damage Potential: Medium
Usefulness: Medium

I find that the Biz-2 works well as a support SMG for people that like
to throw grenades. Although not necessarily the best weapon in terms of
rate of fire, or damage potential, you have a near bottomless clip of
9mm rounds. 66 to be exact. The chance of being killed while reloading
is a very slim one. Aiming for the chest is not often the best way to
attack, as you really need to get the headshots with this gun. The
lower rate of fire makes this very difficult to accomplish in most
cases. The gun, as a strong point to the clip, is also very accurate,
and has a tight spread. Aim where you want the bullets to go, and
they'll get there.

The Biz-2, despite some of the great qualities of it, is not the ideal
beginner's weapon. If anything, use only as a support weapon for scare
and retreats at first, let your grenades provide a better offensive. If
anyone survives the blasts, this has the ability to finish them off.

((7.62 mm SMG / HK MC51 Vollmer conversion))

Cost: 12 slots
Amount: 50 in gun, 2 extra boxes
Damage Potential: High
Usefulness: High

This fights another SMG for title of the best SMG in the game. The MC51
can spit out FIFTY (!!) rounds of 7.62mm bullets, or rather, AK-47
caliber. Those are big rounds, and they hurt like the dickens. The gun
is great for offensive and defensive roles. The huge box-magazine lets
you spit out those rounds for a long time. The downsides to the gun are
the inaccuracy, and the low rate of fire. Use at close to medium range,
and if going any farther than that make sure you have the marksmanship
skills. This gun can be used at long range if burst fired in
Marksmanship II.

The gun does have a fatal flaw. The boxes go fast. If you're caught
off guard, and reload, you only have so many boxes. Don't get caught in
the enemy base with this thing out of ammo. Again, because of this, the
gun is better suited to a defensive role.

You can fight anything except snipers with this thing, as it's more
powerful than most assault rifle rounds. Play it cool, and try not to
fight more than one opponent at a time. The slow rate of fire makes you
play the role of quality over quality, ironic because of the sheer
number of in-magazine rounds.


((Akimbo .45 SMG / Ingram MAC-11 SMG))

Cost: 11 slots
Amount: 32 in each gun, 200 extra bullets for each gun
Damage Potential: Extreme
Usefulness: High

Remember the colt .45, the .45 pistol? Well, assuming you land all the
shots, it might be fatal. With the MAC-11, you have not one, but TWO
automatic .45s. And they fire so fast that your clip runs dry after
three seconds. Note, that if firing double-handed, after only 3 seconds
you'll have expended 64 (!!) .45 rounds. Anyone caught anywhere near
where you are is DEAD. No question about it. You can make the clip
last twice as long by only using one MAC at a time, but your rate of
fire is cut by half. Mathematics, people.

How to use the MACs? RUSH! Round off if you see anything, and always
have the opportunity to duck behind something. Personally, in terms of
damage and kill-potential, this thing has the MC51 beat to all hell.
However, every time you use this, it becomes a very risky endeavor, as
beyond medium range, it lacks kill potential. Note, that even at medium
range, you may need a full-half clip burst from both guns to kill
someone. Therefore, the MACs are amazing offensive guns, but you need
to be up close. Take the back routes, if any are available, and stay
away from any long distance fighters. Up close though, you can kill
absolutely anything.

The reloads are the thing that gets you killed most, however. Both guns
often need to be reloaded, and doing so consumes more time than
expending the clip did. This is where I go back to reiterate that you
need cover and ammunition boxes to effectively utilize the gun. When
you can utilize the gun, you dominate everything that will ever get near
you. By the way, burst firing isn't even worth it. Shoot, run.


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The Assault rifle, or AR, is the main weapon of FA. If you use an
assault rifle, you stand the greatest chance of killing your opponent.
So, why use anything else. Frankly, that's one of the things I hate
about FA. Aside from the relatively high cost of the ARs, they outshine
everything else in the game. A few ones are also better than others,
which will be discussed.

((5.56 AR tac / FAMAS))
Cost: 10 slots
Amount: 25 in gun, 5 extra
Damage Potential: High
Usefulness: High

The FAMAS is a true duck and cover, up-close scrap weapon. It shoots
those 25 rounds at about Mac-11 speed, which is very, very fast. Also
notice that this rifle only costs 10 slots. This is a good deal! For
only 2 more than the sterling SMG, you can bring one of these along.
The 5.56 bullets from the FAMAS tear things up, and while not the most
powerful round in the game, they spit out so fast that in a man-to-man
fight, you'll win always.

So where are the disadvantages to this omni-gun? Well, 25 shots and a
fast fire rate means you'll be reloading... a lot. Consider a good backup
weapon while using this gun, as those rounds are going to either hit or
miss, but they'll not be in the gun when you need them. With the FAMAS,
you can use it at longer ranges, but it's pretty unadvisable. Why? The
spray. Although not as much as some guns, the spread of the gun does
kick the crosshair around enough to make a shot hard. Dump 25 rounds
into the general area though, and chances are someone will get hurt, AT
LEAST.

The FAMAS is the gun for people who only have 10 slots open and need
something to decimate the competition. Run into a room, spray, get out.


((7.62 AR-BT / AK-47))
Cost: 12 slots
Amount: 30 in gun, 5 extra clips
Damage Potential: High
Usefulness: High

Let's not kill ourselves here. I'm going to call this the AK, as this
gun is the most easily identified gun in the game, and if you've never
seen this gun before, go watch some movie. Any movie. Even romantic
comedies use AK-47s. This gun is famous!

Anyway, the AK is a very good gun. It has spread, but is accurate as
well if burst-fired or fired singly. So, how do you use it? Well, the
suicidal can try to stab people with the bayonet by pressing alt-fire.
The rest of us want to use this like the FAMAS, but perhaps at a range a
little farther out. The fire rate is a little bit slower than most
other ARs, but not to a noticeable extent.

The AK is best for mowing down 3 people, or flat out rushing somebody.
If switched to single-shot mode, it makes a good semi-auto rifle,
assuming you've got the aim for it. Try not to flat out mash the
trigger if you're unsure of a shot, as someone will notice and kill you.

By the way, those 7.62mm rounds are the best and most powerful AR round.
Use wisely.


((7.62 tac AR LCM / HK G3A3 Rifle))

Cost: 13 slots
Amount: 20 in gun, 5 extra clips
Damage Potential: High
Usefulness: Medium

I really like this rifle, but not necessarily the FA version of it. For
carrying less ammunition than the AK, it costs another slot. Again,
that's 13 slots you need for this rifle. Also, for being an automatic,
the 20 rounds go very fast. If in a close combat situation, you may run
out of ammo, and the extreme cost of the gun causes a suitable backup
weapon to be hard to come by with better armor.

So what's it good for? This is the most accurate assault rifle in the
game. It fires a little faster than the AK, and can land every shot in
an EXTREMELY tight circle. If your aim is dead-on, the gun will be too.
At marksmanship 2, this gun barely has any discrepancy in the burst fire
bullet spread. Too technical? Imagine putting every shot where you
want all the way across a battlefield in full-auto mode. Again, you
need marksmanship 2 for that, but oh well.

The problem is, that even though it's very accurate, other rifles are
also very accurate, and they can hold more ammunition. If you tap the
AK fire button in single-shot mode, you can essentially produce the same
results as the G3. Give it a try a few times. It's very accurate, yes,
but I can produce very similar results with other guns.


((5.56mm BPAR-SCP / Steyr AUG))

Cost: 11 slots
Amount: 42 in gun, 5 extra clips
Damage Potential: High
Usefulness: Extreme

Remember a while ago when I said that there were certain rifles that
really threw the game off-center? Yeah? This is one of them. This
rifle is powerful, zoomable, accurate, and holds 42 rounds. At a
distance, it can outshoot anybody. ANYBODY. Even people with full-
fledged sniper rifles find themselves defeated by this gun. The big
clip lets people stay in a spot for longer than expected, and sustain an
accurate blast of fire at a target.

Hit the alt-fire to zoom in, and a full auto burst will have a
surprising amount of accuracy. Burst fire to make yourself unstoppable.
Lay down, and aim for the head or chest with the initial shots. After
that, even grazing shots will kill them after a near-fatal hit. This
gun is not good-all-around, it's excellent-all-around.

The only place this gun doesn't really exceed is in close-range combat.
Is it a true weakness? No. If you use this gun, you don't rush, you
defend and take things out from a distance. People that use this gun
are amazing at this task. By amazing, I mean cheap. Anyone can do it.

This gun dominates the game. For this reason, AUGs are banned on many
servers, meaning if you kill people with it, you'll get kicked off the
server.


((5.56 mm NATO AR-SCP / HK G36))
Cost: 11 slots
Amount: 30 in gun, 5 extra clips
Damage Potential: High
Usefulness: Extreme

For some odd reason, the G36 is not as picked on as the AUG. It
operates exactly the same. The rate of fire is the same, the zoom is
the same, the only difference is that it's 12 rounds short in the clip
and as a tradeoff you have a 3-round burst mode. Woo Hoo. Use exactly
as the AUG. However, some would say why use this when the AUG is the
same cost, and has 12 more rounds. How about an answer to that one FA
team?


((5.56 AR-GL / M16 with M203 Grenade Launcher))
Cost: 13
Amount: 30 in clip, 5 extra clips. 1 grenade in launcher at a time, 2
extra grenades
Damage Potential: High / Fatal
Usefulness: Extreme

This is the other one that people are mad about. It's a very accurate
rifle, about as much as the AUG if you know how to use it right, and it
has a grenade launcher built right in. You only have a few grenades,
but when you need them, they serve you well. Due to this, you need less
backup weaponry, as you can fire off a grenade if in trouble.

The rate of fire is about the same as the AUG, but the spread makes it
better for close range combat. Aim high, and you'll get your target.
At longer ranges, burst fire or single fire semi-auto and you're very
accurate. Consider it the AUG, sans zoom. If you use it a lot at range
though, consider switching to the G3A3 instead. Why? The gun is very
cheap, a la AUG. At least with the G3A3, it's a different gun to see on
the scoreboard, and is a little more challenging.

Essentially, this gun has many roles that serve it well. No matter what
your playing style, you'll like this gun an awful lot. This is assuming
you don't keep getting killed by it to make you change your feelings.


((Carbine 5.56mm AR / Colt M4A1 ))
Cost: 12 slots
Amount: 30 in gun, 5 extra clips
Damage Potential: High
Usefulness: High

This gun is exactly similar to the M16, but it lacks a grenade launcher.
That's it. Consider it like this, for one more slot, you can get a
grenade launcher. Care to super size that rifle? Yes. Yes should be
your answer. If not, reconsider why you chose no, and in the process,
choose yes.

If you get tired of the sheer no-skill of the M16, give this rifle a go.
Personally, I like the way it looks better.


----------------------------------------
---------------
----------------------------------------

Oh man, a whopping 2 to choose from! GOODYGOODY! Which one to pick?
Well, one is silver, and the other is good. One is also fun, and the
other is yet another cheap no-skill gun.

((7.62mm NATO / HK PSG-1))
Cost: 15 slots
Amount: 20 in gun, 5 extra clips
Damage Potential: High
Usefulness: High

I love the PSG-1. With it, you get a single-zoom semi-auto rifle that
shoots AK bullets. Although it's not a one-hit kill, like the next
rifle (here's where all you people go read the next section), it is
really fun to use, and it does take some skill to tag people with it.

The rate of fire is semi-automatic, so you can fire at your leisure. In
fact, if your trigger is fast enough, this gun can outshoot the other
sniper rifle, and kill in less time than it would take if the person was
to fire twice (which sadly, usually does not happen). The rifle shoots
AK ammo, so on average it takes anywhere from 3-7 shots to drop the guy,
and this is highly dependant on where you make contact. Aim for the
head, and you'll usually get it if you're at range. Against a prone
sniper, or one leaving himself mostly covered, this is about all you
have to shoot for.

Unzoomed, the gun works as a decent pistol, assuming you have the aim to
hit a target moving around you. With that having been said, try not to
let that happen. The rifle does not give any target-spread, so be sure
to put the shots in the right places. Up close, that's very hard to do.

Please use this gun as an alternative to the big sniper rifle, and it
should provide you with a nice change. The semi-auto feature is also
good when you miss someone with the first shot. Still, it's up to you
as to which one you'll use, one of which you can use almost exclusively
if you want a good score. *sigh*.


((.50 AT SR-SCP / Barrett Light .50 rifle))

Cost: 17 Slots
Amount: 10 in gun, 3 extra clips
Damage Potential: High / Fatal
Usefulness: Extreme

Why, oh why is this in the game? Don't get me wrong, I love the rifle's
looks, but it makes almost everything else suck in comparison. Why?
ONE HIT KILL. Need I say any more? This gun is the crutch for people
that are new at the game, and veterans of FA that feel compelled to kill
the entire other team with minimal effort.

So I have your interest. Want to know how to use it? Sure. The catch,
unlike the PSG-1, is that you need to be completely still to use the
rifle. You can look up and down and from side to side, but while moving
forward, backward, side-to-side and jumping, this gun will not shoot.
Is this really a disadvantage? No. It's more akin to a mild
irritation. If you're still, patient, and quiet, like all snipers
really should be, this gun has no real trouble killing things.

There are 2 disadvantages to be aware of, aside from the movement
restriction. First, it may not always kill in one shot. Be prepared to
track the target and hit him again. This will surely put him down
again. Second, the gun has a bit of upward recoil. This makes you lose
track of your opponent for a brief period. Combine this disadvantage
with the first one, and it guarantees your death if the other guy knows
where you are. That one-second or so where your gun kicks upward may
cause you to lose track of an injured opponent, and he'll sneak up and
kill you. In the case that you feel someone knows your position and you
have not killed him, run away for a while.

At any rate, following these rules should yield a high kill count.
Armor is not necessarily required, but a Kevlar helmet would definitely
be advisable.


((7.62 HCM MG / M60 Machinegun))

Cost: 19 slots
Amount: 100 bullets in gun, 2 extra boxes
Damage Potential: Very High
Usefulness: Extreme

This gun is very, very fun to use. 100 rounds spraying forth from a
machinegun mean that you'll be laying down a lot of lead.
Unfortunately, the gun is very inaccurate if trying to use running.
Crouching is decent, but going fully prone will make your shots go where
you want them.

Assuming that your shots are going where you want, this gun will not
disappoint. The bullets are stronger than everything except a Barrett.
If you hit once in the leg with this, it will break the leg of your
target. Chest shots knock them around and are highly fatal. At most,
you need 10 shots to level someone with this, and that's assuming more
than half will miss.

Unfortunately, the reload is pretty long, and you pretty much have to be
in a prone position. According to the site, this gun provides
suppressive fire, meaning to back up your teammates, but on defense this
gun rocks. If your team is down a little, have 2 men camp with this and
destroy the opposition. Remember though that only 2 boxes means that
you'll have to really choose when to back out and reload. If you have
30 shots left in your last box, empty them all in front of the ammo box
in order to get a full load.

((40mm GL / M79 Grenade Launcher))

Cost: 9 slots
Amount: 6 grenades
Damage Potential: Medium / Fatal
Usefulness: High

This, essentially, is the grenade launcher from the M16 alone. You have
more ammo though; twice that of the M16, and it is fairly light on its
own. Because of this, you can make this a primary weapon and use a very
good secondary, like a FAMAS for example. The GL, like the M16 does not
detonate grenades if they are close enough to hurt you. In order to get
extra distance, arc the grenade upwards. It explodes on contact, so try
to hit floors or walls near enemy fortifications.

Go for splash damage, or rather, getting the grenade to explode near the
enemy instead of on them. Trying for a direct contact grenade hit almost
never happens, so don't try it. Also, this gun can be constantly
reloaded from ammo chests. Use it well.



+----------------------------------------------------+
| 4. THE SKILLS |
+----------------------------------------------------+

Some of you may be asking yourselves as of this moment, "Why should I
care about the skills?" Well, maybe if you'd stop asking me questions,
I could explain. Thankfully, you can't ask me any questions, except by
E-mail, and I'm going to answer that question for you, if it popped into
your mind.

Skills are one thing that makes FA different from most other mods. It
allows you to pick what kind of character you will have, and what he can
do. Most people will find that they like the skills that give them an
immediate advantage, namely marksmanship one and two. However, the
skills run much deeper and require a masterful command of the game in
order to use them to the full extent. Theoretically, a good medic can
provide a much needed advantage of a 25 point health boost if used
correctly. Some of these may not seem that great, but continue trying
to use them.

You get to pick one skill at the beginning of the game, and one for
every 10 kills you get afterwards. After 30 kills, you can use a total
of 4 different skills. When you kill 60 people (!!), you can use a
maximum of 7 skills.

A note about using skills. I usually do all of this from the console
before I start a game, or during a lull in the action. Most skills are
convenient when bound to a key, and the command for this in the console
is... bind [your key] "useskill [skill name]"
For example, I would type this in EXACTLY AS IS in the console to bind m
to build a mortar: bind m "useskill buildmortar"

If you have any additional questions about this, view the FA manual at
www.firearmsmod.com or check out the binding guides for CS, which are in
essence performed exactly the same in FA.

-----------------------

NAME: Marksmanship I
---------------------
BENEFITS: Increases accuracy with all weapons
PREREQUISITES: None
USEABLE SKILLS: Immediate effect, no binds required.

Marksmanship I is perhaps the best thing to choose at the beginning. It
allows you to get better aim on practically everything, and even if you
want to build artillery or become a medic II, you'll get the kills
required to do this a little bit easier.

Essentially, marksmanship I is best used on weapons that benefit most
from them, namely assault rifles. The G36, G3A3, AK-47, M16, and a
prone M60 can really use the added help in aiming. Weapons like the
sterling SMG, MAC-11s, and MP5 have such extreme rates of fire and
spreads that the guns don't benefit terribly.

If you go with this for the first 10 kills, stick with marksmanship II
after you hit this and go for another 10 kills, or switch configurations
and become either artillery level II, or medic level II.


NAME: Marksmanship II
----------------------
BENEFITS: Increases accuracy beyond level I.
PREREQUISITES: Must have marksmanship I first
USEABLE SKILLS: Immediate effect.

Marksmanship level II really is amazing. Use this and a G3A3, and
you'll be nearly guaranteed to hit whatever you're aiming at, as it's a
single shot sniper rifle, minus the scope. With sniper rifles, this
skill is really wasted, but this becomes invaluable with weapons that
are already inaccurate but powerful; use if you like the M60 or MC51
conversion. This skill is the most beneficial to the newcomer or people
who want to see a major change in what they're doing in terms of how the
skills go.


NAME: Nomenclature
-------------------
BENEFITS: Cuts reload time by 25%
PREREQUISITES: None
USEABLE SKILLS: Immediate effect.

This is pretty much only needed for weapons that you will be reloading
constantly. The only one of these I can really recommend for is either
the FAMAS or MAC-11s. Otherwise, your skills are better spent
elsewhere. If you do like to use constantly the hit & run method you
might want to invest in this.


NAME: Battlefield agility
--------------------------
BENEFITS: No leg injuries due to falls, halves fall damage and the time
it takes to go prone.
PREREQUISITES: None
USABLE SKILLS: Immediate effect.

Personally, I forgo this a lot of times. I only get it if there's
nothing else. I consider this a skill for people that do a lot of
falling, which I don't. The only real beneficial thing about it is that
you can lay down into a prone position and get up from it at twice the
speed you would usually. This may be something to consider if one is a
real hardcore sniper.


NAME: Artillery I
------------------
BENEFITS: Fire artillery, resupply mortars, set flags, request fire.
PREREQUISITES: None.
USABLE SKILLS: "useskill reqart" , "useskill marker"

I usually go with the artillery, if for nothing else but the opportunity
to get a flag into a really good location. The way that this works is
that by placing a flag, you request artillery fire directed at your
flag. The next shell fired from a mortar will go to your flag, unless
someone requests fire at their mortar after you.

You need to use the marker skill in order to set your flag initially,
and you can place another (removing the first) if need be. Your markers
last until you no longer pick the artillery I skill. So, essentially,
this allows you to do everything except actually build the mortar
itself. For this reason, the skill is useless until actually getting
artillery II yourself, or once someone on your team beats you to it and
builds a mortar.

However, if more than 2 people have mortars set up, you can set a flag
and request some fire at yours. Most likely, someone will oblige. If
not, trek back to the mortar yourself and fire. You can get extra
mortars from the supply box when you run out.

By the way, make SURE you know the difference between request fire and
place marker. If not, you'll place a flag right at your feet and waste
yourself with the next mortar you shoot. Not a great idea.


NAME: Artillery II
-------------------
BENEFITS: Build and dismantle mortars
PRERECQUISITES: Artillery I
USEABLE SKILLS: "useskill buildmortar" , "useskill dismantle"

This really is what you need for the mortar itself. Bind a key to build
a mortar, and you're all set. You may want to get a flag into enemy
territory as soon as you can with artillery I, and then fire when you
have the mortar built to save some time.

Some advice about the placement: put the mortar back close to your base.
The reason being is that if you set a flag at a great choke-point, you
can shoot it almost immediately following your death, as it will be
right outside the respawn.

Also, enemies that find your mortar will be able to use it or destroy
it, the first option being more damaging. Try not to let that happen.
In your base, about the only person that can use it is you or your team.


NAME: Leadership
-----------------
BENEFITS: Additional commands to voice and radio. Sounds when you use
the team-say command.
PREREQUISITES: None

If you like to use the radio to tell your team what's up, more power to
you. This lets you do a little more, but your team will ignore it
nonetheless. About the only thing that its good for is the "listen up"
voice that barks at everyone when you talk to your team. This can get
some people to look at that chat that normally would not.


NAME: Field Medicine I
----------------------
BENEFITS: Allows you to heal teammates
PREREQUISITES: None
USEABLE SKILLS: "useskill bandage" , "useskill sulfur" ,
"useskill givebandage"

Field medicine is a really great skill, if you get medicine II as well,
but as it stands, the things are mostly useless. The only time that you
use the skills is on a teammate bleeding to death, where you can give
him a bandage, apply a bandage, or use sulfur, which stops bleeding and
adds a small amount of health.

So, essentially, you're like the mom that applies a band-aid or runs
after the soldiers that forgot a bandage. Unless you can go medicine
II, forget this for a while.


NAME: Field Medicine II
------------------------
BENEFITS: Mend legs, Heal life, set hospice, use adrenaline.
PREREQUISITES: Medicine I
USEABLE SKILLS: "useskill suture", "useskill mending",
"useskill hospice", "useskill adrenaline".

Let me say first and foremost that the brunt of the medicine II skill is
within the suture, where you recover a large amount of life for the guy
(25 points, I believe). This keeps an otherwise wounded or dead guy in
the game that much longer.

Here's the breakdown of all the stuff:

Suture: applies 25 points of life to teammate (no bleeding required)
Mending: Fixes a broken leg
Hospice: Sets a flag to let players know you'll help them out
Adrenaline: Fully restores a teammate's stamina

As you can see, the skills are a little more useful, and the suturing
can really give an attacking force more incentive to get back in there.
The skills are really self explanatory, so I won't necessarily go into
detail there. However, if you want to be a team player, consider highly
using the hospice skill and diligently treating wounds.


NAME: Stealth
BENEFITS: Double knife damage, footsteps are only 1/4 as loud.
PREREQUISITES: None
USABLE SKILLS: Immediate effect

Okay, without doubt, this is the most useless skill in the game, bar
none. Why? Most of FA's maps lose lots of points in my book because
they are incredibly uninventive: push style gameplay translates to
sitting around and not using strategy.

So here's a skill that lets you more easily sneak up on an enemy and
kill him twice as easily with the knife! Great, huh? No. God no.
Let's face it, when the maps are push-style, the enemy sees you coming a
mile away. Even if you are laying prone and being sneaky, snipers pick
you off.

And assuming that you do get close, you're risking your ass to go for
the knife kill. The knife, while a decent backup against an enemy away
from the keyboard or typing, really sucks when you're trying to use it
against the sea of assault rifle users out there. Having it do double
damage is no guarantee that you won't get slaughtered by an AK.

Bottom line? This skill bites, and never ever pick it. If the maps
allowed for some choice and strategy (I hear some gamers like these
options) perhaps the effectiveness would be greater.

+-------------------------------+
|TACTICS / DYING |
+-------------------------------+

This is the section that I really like. Telling people how to use their
minds and whoop people. I'm passing this along to you because at the
moment I am very, very bored. Basically, this is a roundabout way of
telling you how to use skills with maps, weapons with locations, and
skills with weapons.

Let's begin!!!


LESSON ONE: LIFE IS PRECIOUS
-----------------------------

Keep in mind one thing playing FA, if nothing else: your team's total
number of life is limited, and at the very least, you leech one tenth of
this life. You can determine whether your team lives or dies.
Dramatic? Possibly. Do your part not to die. Even though you can
respawn immediately, never take a path of direct assault, and always
play a safe game, especially towards the end of the round.

The bottom of the screen shows essentially how many more stock players
the respective teams have, so one can gauge who's really ahead in the
game. So, in my personal experience, I've found that SMGs and close-
range rifles work better in the beginning of the round, so that you can
establish a presence as a rusher, and learn how the enemy plays out the
level.

Surprisingly, your human opponents will do little to mix up strategy. I
seem to be the other person to apply strategy to maps, and lie in wait.
Call me a camper, fine. As it stands, playing defense on a map yields
more often than not a higher kill count to death count, which makes you
a valuable team member: you've killed more people on the other team and
given a reduction in the other side's forces more than your own.
Regardless, you'll find the other people doing the same things and
taking the same paths. There are also areas of high traffic, and people
will travel this over and over.

By contrast, persistent newbies can leech the human resources of a team.
The scoreboard always has at least one member of a team with a score of
something like 2-29. Now, this member has wasted 27 lives, and has only
broke even twice. Think of the situation as more pressure on you to
play defense and win it, as this guy is really not getting it.

When I can get into a good playing defense mode, I can rack up scores of
28-3, just as an example, not necessarily my personal worst or best.
There are members of my team that usually surpass me in kills by 10-25,
but that's fine. Being second with a better ratio is better for the
team, and you stick your neck out less.

Stick your neck out, and people will cut it off in this game.
Personally, the maps I do the worst on are those that give you the
option of rushing and dying or waiting for the enemy at a certain point,
which becomes boring.

So, now that you know that you should be playing a solid defensive game,
I'll show you how to achieve this.


LESSON TWO: COVER AND DISTANCE
-------------------------------

Okay. First thing's first. Cover is your friend in this game. It
makes you a very small target, soaks up bullets, and can save your life
and irritate the other team. As a sniper, it's invaluable.


Note: Wall on right is same height as a soldier.
View is as is seen through first-person, dead on.


/---\ ---- ------- ----\
| | | | | |
| 1 | |----------------|
/---\ | | | | |
| | \---/ | | |
| 2 | ---|--- --------|
\---/ | | | |
|------ -----\ | | |
| | \ //--\ ---|--------- --|
|-- --------- -\ | | | | |
| | | \ | 3 | | | |
|------ ---------\ \--// -------- -------|
| | \---\ | | |
| /------------ -------\---- ---------\ /-\ | | | |
|/ | | | |4 | ------------- --|
|------ ------------- ----------------| \-/ | |
| | | | | | |
|--------------------|------ ---------| | | |
|-------------------------------------/ \----------------/

Okay, I apologize for my sorry excuse for bricks. As you can see, the
bricks are numbered by height. Let's make a few things clear. A
soldier is the same height as wall number 1, if not a little smaller.
At any rate, the top of the helmet is not visible over the wall. Type 1
is good for cover, mainly to stand behind when people start shooting at
you. Unfortunately, most people will come around and shoot you from the
side, so it really only provides a temporary cover from fire.

Type 2 will expose the head or head and chest, depending. Crouching
behind it provides a huge amount of cover. This is perhaps the most
effective means of cover in a long distance fight, as it allows you to
stand up and take some pot shots or retreat back into safety. Crouching
behind it initially will make people unaware of your position (unless
they see the top of your helmet, in which case you're screwed if the guy
has a keen eye).

Type 3 is a sloping transition between any 2 heights. Type 3 is the
absolute best for making yourself as small and as inconspicuous a target
as possible. By either standing, crouching, or laying down and moving
towards the slant until you can see enough to fire (in many cases, not
all the way, which is good), you make your target only your head and
gun. From a distance, it's hard to see you, and snipers only have one
thing to hit: your face. Note though, that if they do this, you'll die.

Type 3 really offers the most benefit of surprise, especially if you
wait until a sniper is preoccupied (if you know one is watching your
location). If moving into a position overlooking a choke-point, this
will minimize your chances of being spotted.

Type 4 is right off of the ground, such as a row of sandbags. They
offer cover from a distance, but people up close can look over them and
shoot you, as they're only about knee height. Across long distances,
you'd ideally want to find a mix of type 4 and 3 walls, so that you can
lay prone and make yourself an even SMALLER target. Type 4 walls do
offer a great deal of support against snipers, or for cover as a sniper.

Some people have really keen eyes though, so you can only minimize your
risk of being shot in the above situations. Take comfort in the fact
that if you utilize cover like this well, most people will not shoot you
at all while you blast them, or they'll figure out where you are by the
time that they see your barrel flashes.



LESSON 3: SNIPING
-----------------

As the story in the movie "The Professional" went, about a killer who
trained a girl to be an assassin, he first gave her a rifle. The lesson
was that the better you are, the closer you can get to your opponent.
FA is a little trickier, but for most cases you stand the best chance of
not getting ripped apart at greater ranges. At greater ranges, you want
to be able to use a weapon that will not provide any disadvantages due
to range. Welcome to sniping.

In FA, there are several rifles available. Sniping is not necessarily
only used with the sniper rifles, per se. Any zoomable gun or one that
is accurate as far as your cursor / eyesight skills go is great too.


+------------+-------------------+---------------+
| | | |
| | | |
| /---\ | | /---\ |
| | 3 | | | | 2 | |
| | +---|---+-------------------+--|----+| |
| \---/ SANDBAG \---/ |
| +-----------------------------------+ |
| * *|
| ** *|
| * * |
| ** * |
+------------------------*--------------------*--+
| ** * |
| * * |
| Long stretch or obstacle, requires * |
| enemies to run towards you * |
| * * |
+--------------------------------**---------*----+
| ** * |
| (4) * * |
| ** * |
| *** |
| +------------------------------------+ |
| | SANDBAG -- |
| +------+---------------------+-----/-+\ |
| | | |1 | |
| | | \ / |
| | | -- |
| | | |
| | | |
+-----------+---------------------+--------------+

This is an overhead view of a typical middle-ground choke point. This
exists in several maps, so you can apply this several times in the
course of play. Essentially, your ideal position is at point 1. The
asterisks represent your field of vision. Position 2 and 3 are
positions where enemy snipers will most likely be camped out, if they
are there at all. Assume the worst. For point one, you should be
making use of cover, preferably in a prone position. Spot 4 will be
discussed later.

Point 2 is the sniper directly across from you. In the case that you
show up after he does, he'll see you before you see him, which means a
dead you. Unfortunately, the only way to see if there is anyone there
is to take a peek out and see if anyone shoots at you.

Assuming not, you've got a sniping spot. The trick to sniping is to
diligently cover one angle where people will only see you if you see
them first. This ensures you the perpetual element of surprise. Note
that if a sniper was on the other side, position 3, you would not see
him. Fortunately, he cannot see you. Your goal is not to take out the
enemy snipers, but to play a defense and stop anyone from getting in.
When people don't know there's a sniper around, they're easy targets.
They run straight at you, oblivious of your position, and stand straight
up.

If there is an enemy sniper in spot 3, he'll become aware of your
position, but not being able to see you, he'll have to move into YOUR
field of vision, where you should be able to shoot him before he
acquires you as a target. The other option is that he stays where he
is. In the case you both shoot each other, read ahead a little to the
cutting your losses section. Sniper fights are counter-productive.
They are good fights, but often they result in a stalemate and drain
your health.

Now, the obvious choice of a good spot would be one that is hidden,
facing a major choke-point, and one that is free from any other sniper
line of sight. Point 3 accomplishes this, but it does not account for
other people sneaking around the side or back of you. Case in point: if
an enemy was to stay out of your field of vision, and head from point 3
to point 4, you would have no idea he was there.

In this case, make sure your spot has cover from teammates, or faces a
wall or non-traveled area.


LESSON 4: CUTTING YOUR LOSSES
------------------------------

The most frustrating thing about FA is that when you get angry, you play
more aggressively, so if you're doing bad in the beginning that trend
will most likely continue. Your team, if inept (which I always seem to
get), usually will give the impression that a certain area is secure
(indicated by 2 or more teammates in that area), yet they aren't
watching for snipers, rushers, etc. This means that when one enemy
shows up, he'll face 3 opponents caught off guard.

Again, let me say again "Play defense." It doesn't mean camping, it
means not moving forward unless an area is clear. It means sniping, but
leaving yourself open as little as possible and covering a small but
effective area.

So, as a sniper, rusher, etc. You want to kill people as easily as
possible. A good strategy, as mentioned earlier, is to not die. You
don't die by playing it safe.

AND THE WAY TO DO THIS IS NOT TO TAKE RISKS!!! Consider this: you have
an excellent sniping spot, and another sniper spots you. You and him
trade hits, and he knocks you away from your spot. You could move up,
but again, this would be a stalemate. You know where he is, and he
knows where you are. Don't risk it!

Instead, back off. Move away from the old spot, while making sure to
stay out of his line of sight. If you feel the spot is worth staying
at, don't show yourself any earlier than about 15 seconds, enough time
to make the sniper think you've moved away. FA has dozens of people
playing at one time, and as far as the other sniper is concerned, he
could get kills easier elsewhere. Chances are, he'll take a shot at
someone else, and when doing so you can blast him.

Of course, moving away entirely to prey on a different crowd is better.

Note that if you kill someone when facing them in a certain location,
they'll often go back to that same spot in order to teach you a lesson.
Don't stick around, unless you're confident the other person has no idea
where you are. The best way to do this is to trail the guy if his back
is to you for a while until he's running away from you in a straight
line, or if he kneels down. Firing immediately after seeing the enemy
may cause him to turn around and instigate a firefight, which as said
earlier is counterproductive to the team.

Go for the easy kills, and if one gets away or hurts you, retreat back.
Cut your losses early and good things will come.


LESSON SIX: ADAPT.
------------------

This I think is the most important after number one. Even if you keep
getting killed, no matter what you do, figure out how the enemy is
playing, and where they come from. Do they play offense or defense? A
lot of the adaptation comes with experience, but my Problem / Solution
section should cover many questions that you might have as of this
point.

The point is, if something isn't working, try something else and think
about what you're doing. Would it defeat the enemy strategy? Are there
any specific enemies to take out, and what spots can you use to
accomplish your goal?


+--------------------------------+
| SIX: TEAMWORK |
| |
+--------------------------------+

I'll say this as bluntly as I can: you need to work as a team. If there
is even one player willing to cooperate with you, let him know what he
can do. If someone needs help at a certain task, help them. Try to
outnumber enemies and stick together.

An example of this is telling your team to pick the artillery I skill
after you have placed a mortar, so that you can get into a choke point
and hurt the other team. Sadly, not many people listen. FA, though
heavily dependent on the team, degenerates into a deathmatch where
people of the same color can't kill each other.

Teamwork can really make the game shine, especially if there are
snipers, rushers, mortar men, and medics all working together.

Use the team-chat feature as much as possible. How are people supposed
to work as a team if you can't communicate with them? Use the chat
whenever you feel you can tell a piece of information, to foil an enemy
sniper spot, to get flags out there, to cover certain areas, etc.



+-----------------------------+
| SEVEN : PROBLEM / SOLUTION |
+-----------------------------+


If you wonder what you can do to stop getting plastered, look here.
This is pretty comprehensive, or so I think. Use it and you'll no doubt
be a great FA player. STICK TO IT!! Even I don't follow some of my own
suggestions (I'm only human, and as a result I do worse). Remember that
the natural tendency is to blindly rush and try to kill everyone. Does
that seem particularly smart? Not to me.


Q: The enemy is using entirely AUGs and G36s, and are camping. They
shoot me whenever I walk into their field of view. What can I do?

A: This one is actually common. The enemy plays a very strong and solid
defense. Walk in front of them, and you'll be tagged by bullets. So,
the most obvious choice is to throw grenades at them. Don't heave your
entire supply at the force, and don't run into the line of fire. Give
them time to inch forward a little after the last grenade chuck. Toss
too many, and they'll back off.

Run towards a wall that you can use to bounce the grenade around a
corner. Throw the grenade at the wall (it won't blow up) while running
at it. The extra force from your run will give the grenade more
velocity and shoot it out further. Some people playing defense will be
close enough to get splashed by grenades.

If the enemy is at a perceivable distance from you, the best bet is to
have the team camp near the entrance of where they're camping. Usually,
this only occurs when your team pushes them back so far to the point
where they defend their last flag. If they've pushed you back this far,
commend them on a job well-done, or yell at your incompetent team. At
any rate, if the enemy is "cornered" like this, you have the majority of
the map in your control, and their forces should be considerably less.
Stand back, and tell your team not to rush in. By covering where their
team would exit or enter from to get to your base, you can take out the
few people that get bored of sitting around.

Keep at a considerable distance from grenades though, and make sure that
your entire team isn't rushing them with the hopes of killing their
defense. It won't happen.

As a single player, you really can't fight the flow of the match. If
your team is impatient and keep inching forward, they'll get blown apart
by grenades. If they rush, they'll be cut down. This is a very common
last-minute thing for the other team to do if they have less than 20
lives left, so expect it to come.


Q: The same sniper keeps killing me. What should I do?

A: You already know where he is, and if not, you know what he can see.
Using this as a guide, you should be able to figure out where the guy
is. Where do people get shot from? What is his field of vision? How
far is he away from the area he last killed you? After you answer some
of these (hopefully in a reasonable amount of time), go to a spot out of
his peripheral vision, or at least a non-main traffic area. Once he's
in you sights, frag him. The key in a sniper battle, as said before, is
to know when to cut your losses and when to strike. If he shoots you,
hold off on attacking for a while. Better yet, wait till he's
preoccupied by another teammate.


Q: The map I'm playing on is only a straight one way-deal. No way to
sneak around or do anything but rush. How do I play well?

A: Personally, these maps are my least favorite. Mostly played on
servers with clans that really like overall scores and hate team play.
So, my solution is twofold. If you're on the winning team, your force
should be rushing into the general area of where their base is. Wait a
safe distance outside the main combat area and use a sniper or assault
rifle. The G36 springs into mind immediately. After going prone, take
out any last remaining soldiers that your rushers didn't kill.


Q: I've given up on strategy. How is the best way to rush?

A: Personally, I go for the "take out as many as possible" way. This
involves me not dying, so I go with Kevlar level 3, helmet, and arms (as
most people aim high instinctively). This allows for 13 slots, which
are best spent on an AK-47 with a bandage, or an M16 with GL. You can
take several 9mm shots, but assault rifle fire will still affect you
more than you would like.

Q: Should I use light armor?

A: Personally, the only thing I've found use for in light armor is if
you want to throw lots and lots of grenades. Load up on all explosives,
and grab a FAMAS. Light armor is essentially no armor, so remember this
when chucking grenades blindly. The FAMAS is good for expending every
round you have at someone, so it makes an excellent complement to this
style.


Q: The entire enemy team keeps shooting mortars at me and blowing me up.
What can I do to stop it?

A: Absolutely Jack. The mortar is in their base, and if you destroy it,
they can build another one. Dodge the mortars, and it's very easy to
do. Every mortar spot is designated by an artillery flag, which
corresponds to the color of the team. Don't linger around any flags
that you see, just move quickly over them. Better yet, wait for an
explosion to happen, and then move over it if you're really paranoid.
If you ever played super Mario brothers 3, it's like those big blocks
that drop down whenever you get close. Wait for it to attack, and move
when it resets itself.


Q: I have trouble tracking enemies with assault rifles, and they usually
kill me before I kill them. Any suggestions?

A: Use the Mac-11s. They spray so much lead, that even aiming it near
someone will net a kill if you let out both clips. Spray and hope for
the best, that's more or less it.


Q: There's an area of high traffic, but I can't do much about it. Any
hints?

A: If a high traffic area is too close for a sniper, try laying prone
with the M60. A steady spray of bullets will cut down people fast. One
thing to watch out for is people becoming aware of your position. An
M60 spot is only good for the amount of time it takes a good player to
get from his respawn to that point, as he'll have figured out your
location by the time he died. Kill 3 or 4 people, and move.

Additionally, watch out for grenades. Be patient, because in many
levels there are only so many places an enemy can go. If you aim
towards there, you can take them out no problem.

+-------------------+
| ME!!! |
+-------------------+

And so concluded my FA guide. If you managed to read all 30 pages of
this, congrats. I like you. Very much. I'm outside your house now,
watching you. Nice.

Anyways, If there are any further questions, send an E-mail to
hangedman@iname.com with the subject of FA guide, please. If you really
want to use it, drop me a line. Don't steal it! That is number one in
my book of crappy things to do with this guide.

Thanks for reading, and thank you FA for the fun, yet sometimes
infuriating FA.