Guest Editorial, Controlling Your Engagements in Modern Warfare 3

Just a quick note before we jump into the bulk of this post. We've started a brand new feature in the forum where we're accepting submissions for user-written editorials. These editorials must be written well, use proper grammar and be free from spelling errors.

If you're a budding author, this can be a great chance to get your voice heard. We're looking for anything from guides on weapons, maps or just general help guides such as today's entry. Please inquire for more information on the User Submitted Editorials thread. The project is being headed up by myself and our long-time user PSIII.

Enjoy!

Guest post by RTRxMIKE / January 26th, 2012

Hello guys. This time I am going to be discussing a way for you to improve your game, and possibly even your kill-death-ratio. Yes, before you ask, no camping necessary. This tip sounds very basic, I know, but a lot of people simply overlook it and some even don’t think about it. The tip? Control what gun battles you get into! I am sure a lot of questions are going through you head as to what I am exactly talking about, how it can improve your game, and how do you pull it off?

First and foremost, if you know you cannot finish someone, do not start shooting him! It’s simple and can not only save you precious ammunition, but it can also save you an unnecessary death. “What if I am using a silencer?” Even if you are using a silencer, if a skilled player can see your bullets, he will know you are there even if he was not your intended target. Also remember that when damaged, players are shown what direction the shots came from.

For example, think about Interchange. If you are under the underpass by C-Dom, and you see someone running from the house into the middle of the map and they are about to go behind the fire truck, just be patient! Do not shoot him before he goes behind the truck unless you know you can finish him. Otherwise, wait it out until he gets past the fire truck on the other side before you begin to engage him for the kill. If you shoot before he goes behind the truck and do not kill him, he has time to react.

Secondly, do not take the same beaten path over and over again. If a guy has bunkered himself down into a great defensive position, do not keep running straight at him expecting to get a revenge kill. This is probably the most common mistake a lot of people make, including veteran Call of Duty players. If someone has a great head glitching spot or just a defensive spot in general (think the room by B-Dom on Resistance) simply avoid their line of sight and take the back route.

In the same league as this, try to avoid common choke points and common routes in general. Always keep your enemies guessing where you are coming from. Also, when you are trying to get from point A to point B, use as much cover as possible. This is another “Duh” I know, but a lot of people don’t fully understand what I mean by this. Imagine Hardhat’s middle room above A-Dom.

If you are coming from A-Dom to that room, do not run directly in front of the door! Instead, stick to the far right of that hallway so an enemy cannot see you running towards the room.


Along the same lines, head glitch! It is in the game and is a great strategy to net you kills while reducing the risk of you getting killed yourself. Try to shoot enemies from behind cover as much as possible. I am not telling you to camp at a head glitch spot the entire match, but if you come up to a spot that you can head glitch, take a few seconds and wait to see if any enemies pop into your line of sight. Play smart!

Lastly, and this is the most important tip: know your maps! I don’t mean just know the layout, either. I mean, know where the most common routes are, where the choke points are, and predict the enemies’ movements as much as you possibly can. This will take time, patience, and a lot of situational awareness on your part, but it is well worth the effort if you are wanting to improve in this game. This will be your main strategy for controlling the engagement. How? By being able to predict where the enemy will be running so you can catch them off guard and get the easy kills from the back or the side.

Making use of these tips should help you improve. The key things to take from this are first to limit the number of head on engagements you get into during the course of a match. Be that sneaky bastard who kills from behind. If an enemy spots you head on, you have a decision to make: stay and fight, or try to take cover.

Unless you know for sure you will win, choose cover. Second, take the time and effort to put into this game to be able to predict enemy movement. And lastly, practice, practice, practice![/center]

Special thanks to RTRxMIKE for writing this up! Submit your editorials to PSIII on the User-Submitted Editorials thread.