lethal cs guide vol 1

46
1 1 Preface Me and my purpose..... 1 Origins..... 2 Statistics..... 3 Chapter I - Starting to play and natural evolution 4 Chapter II - The Basics 6 Getting comfortable..... 8 Mouse acceleration..... 9 Rates..... 10 Monitor Refresh-rate..... 11 Miscellaneous Commands..... 12 Chapter III - Aim, shooting, and move- ment 13 Basic Movement..... 15 Finding your sensitivity ..... 15 Shooting with the AK..... 16 Shooting with the colt..... 16 The de..... 17 The awp..... 18 Shooting with pistols..... 18 Grenades.... 18 Putting it all together ..... 19 Chapter IV - Consistency 20 Bad habits..... 21 If you’re caught in a slump..... 22 Chapter V - In game strategy 23 Buying up pistol round (T and CT)..... 24 Buying up in general..... 24 Setting up to hold a bombsite (CT)..... 25 Setting up to hold a bombsite (T)..... 26 Using stacks effectively ..... 28 Other in game tips..... 29 When not to play ..... 30 Chapter VI - Joining a good clan and getting noticed 31 Chapter VII - Somethign a litttle more advanced 33 Chapter VIII - Some advice for teams 35 Creating a default strat..... 36 Making things work..... 36 Chapter IV - The 10 things a CS player should know how to do 38 Chapter V - Closing statements 45 Index 46 Lethal’s Guide to Playing Competitive Counter-Strike Table Of Contents Preface Me and my purpose I, Kevin Rosenblatt, am 19 years old and have been playing Counter-Strike for over 4 years. Over this span of time I have gained many innovative insights into the game, as well as insight at how to be better at things in general. About 8 months ago I decided to give private CS lessons, and am currently one of the most successful instructors in the history of the game. I like to think it is because I actually care about making people better at CS and have found a successful way of accomplishing this. You can read my testimonials as well as view my past clans and experience at the Complexity page (http://www.complexityclan.com/index. php?file=cota_teacher&id=16). Please keep in mind that I am not an English major and I apologize in advance for any grammatical or spelling errors that you may find. I also appolo- gize in advance for the low quality of the video. Although all the videos get my point across and aid the learning process, they are not all of the highest quality. This is due to file size issue as I have tried to keep the book as light as possible. My goal is to be able to offer my insight to a larger group of people by writing this, so because of this I will try to keep this as short and sweet as possible. I also would like to tell you that mostly everything I go over in this guide is covered in the private lessons that I give. These lessons are roughly $23/hour and I understand that not everyone can afford this, which is yet another reason I am doing this. I truly hope this is a cost effective solution to all of you out there that wish to improve your game. So first let’s get started with a little back- ground about the game and myself. Copyright warning I, Kevin Rosenblatt of InventorSpace LLC own the original copyright to this material, any unauthorized distribution of this guide will result in legal recourse.

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  • 11

    Preface Me and my purpose..... 1 Origins..... 2 Statistics..... 3Chapter I - Starting to play and natural evolution 4Chapter II - The Basics 6 Getting comfortable..... 8 Mouse acceleration..... 9 Rates..... 10 Monitor Refresh-rate..... 11 Miscellaneous Commands..... 12Chapter III - Aim, shooting, and move-ment 13 Basic Movement..... 15 Finding your sensitivity..... 15 Shooting with the AK..... 16 Shooting with the colt..... 16 The de..... 17 The awp..... 18 Shooting with pistols..... 18 Grenades.... 18 Putting it all together..... 19Chapter IV - Consistency 20 Bad habits..... 21 If youre caught in a slump..... 22Chapter V - In game strategy 23 Buying up pistol round (T and CT)..... 24 Buying up in general..... 24 Setting up to hold a bombsite (CT)..... 25 Setting up to hold a bombsite (T)..... 26 Using stacks effectively..... 28 Other in game tips..... 29 When not to play..... 30Chapter VI - Joining a good clan and getting noticed 31Chapter VII - Somethign a litttle more advanced 33Chapter VIII - Some advice for teams 35 Creating a default strat..... 36 Making things work..... 36Chapter IV - The 10 things a CS player should know how to do 38Chapter V - Closing statements 45Index 46

    Lethals Guide to Playing Competitive Counter-Strike

    Table Of Contents Preface

    Me and my purpose

    I, Kevin Rosenblatt, am 19 years old and have been playing Counter-Strike for over 4 years. Over this span of time I have gained many innovative insights into the game, as well as insight at how to be better at things in general. About 8 months ago I decided to give private CS lessons, and am currently one of the most successful instructors in the history of the game. I like to think it is because I actually care about making people better at CS and have found a successful way of accomplishing this. You can read my testimonials as well as view my past clans and experience at the Complexity page (http://www.complexityclan.com/index.php?le=cota_teacher&id=16). Please keep in mind that I am not an English major and I apologize in advance for any grammatical or spelling errors that you may nd. I also appolo-gize in advance for the low quality of the video. Although all the videos get my point across and aid the learning process, they are not all of the highest quality. This is due to le size issue as I have tried to keep the book as light as possible. My goal is to be able to offer my insight to a larger group of people by writing this, so because of this I will try to keep this as short and sweet as possible. I also would like to tell you that mostly everything I go over in this guide is covered in the private lessons that I give. These lessons are roughly $23/hour and I understand that not everyone can afford this, which is yet another reason I am doing this. I truly hope this is a cost effective solution to all of you out there that wish to improve your game. So rst lets get started with a little back-ground about the game and myself.

    Copyright warning

    I, Kevin Rosenblatt of InventorSpace LLC own the original copyright to this material, any unauthorized distribution of this guide will result in legal recourse.

  • 22

    Origins

    Counter-Strike, the online multi-player phenomenon that burst onto the scene nearly 5 years

    ago, remains the number one online FPS today. With nearly 2.5 million people playing a total of 3.84

    billion minutes a month, CS can truly be crowned the most poplar multiplayer FPS game of all time.

    Why do so many people play it? What does it have that other games dont? What does it take to

    be good at it? These questions I have strived to answer over the last few years of playing this game,

    consequently this guide is a compilation of the conclusions I have drawn.

    To become good at CS you must have the mental strength, the patience, and above all, the

    stomach. CS is deantly not a game that is easy to pick up and play a top level. Only a handful of

    individuals from each country have achieved high levels of success in a relatively short amount of

    time while the rest of us have been playing for years. This is one of the rst things you should con-

    crete in your mind before you take on the task of becoming a good CS player. Rome wasnt built in a

    day. Its going to take months of practice, maybe even years. It all depends on your drive and com-

    mitment to what youre trying to do. Some people in life will focus all their time, energy, and power

    to one specic goal, no matter what it is. I believe these are the kind of people that play at a top

    level the quickest, the truly driven. The fastest way to pick something up is to become obsessed.

    You also have to realize that the more people that participate in a given activity, the better you

    must become. For example, it will be harder for someone to make a nal table at the world series of

    poker when the starting player count is 2500 rather than a player trying to make a nal table when

    the starting player count is 500. Seeing as how counter-strike is growing everyday, it will in theory

    become harder and harder to become and stay successful at it.

    Tips for reading

    - I recommend using 75% zoom. 118% is default.- Click the buttons to watch videos- Zoom in to look at pictures in higher detail- Re-read foreign concepts

  • 33

    Statistics

    League Number of teams Number of players % of CAL playersCAL open 2103 10,515 68.3%CAL intermediate 757 3,785 24.6%CAL main 138 690 4.4%CAL premier 58 290 1.8%CAL invite 20 100 .65% Total Players * : 15,380

    Statistics and Graph

    *A conservative gure, calculated by multiplying the number of teams by the minimum amount of players (5).

    As you can see from the table, today a mere .65% of all CAL players actually make it to the much

    sought after CAL invite. In this next chart, I have plotted Number of players as a function of skill. 1 =

    CAL open, 2 = CAL im, 3 = CAL main, 4 = CAL premier, 5 = CAL invite.

  • 44

    Chapter I - Starting to play and natural evolution

    Here is a natural timeline of the stages the average CS

    player goes through in the span of their career. Please keep

    in mind that these are simply the conclusions I have drawn

    from speaking to numerous students, and these timeframes

    WILL be different depending on the person.

    1. The pub stage This is where everyone starts, at the

    bottom of the ladder. This stage occurs normally right after

    the game has been purchased until about a maximum of 4

    months later. In this stage a player is just learning the basic

    objective of the game and user controls. During this stage a

    player has little or no desire to play with a team.

    Timeframe : installation 4 months

    2. Structured play interest After about 6 months a player a player normally becomes curi-

    ous about structured game play. It is around this time that players join ladders like OGL or perhaps

    even entry level leagues like CAL open. Most players are fascinated when they nd out they can

    play competitively, and if you complete this stage, there is a good chance you will be playing CS for

    a while.

    Timeframe : 4 months 1 year

    3. Progression In this stage, players acquire the drive to play to the best of their abilities. When

    you see posts on E-sports sites like How addicted are you to CS? and I cant stop playing, it is

    more than likely the player that posted the thread is in this stage.

    Timeframe : 1 year Indenite

    4. CAL Invite and beyond For a long time, playing in CAL invite has been B major goal and sole

    driving force behind many team. To even make it to that level is a huge accomplishment in itself,

    forget sponsorships and other nonsense. Playing in CAL invite has been a cornerstone for CS play-

    ers for a long time. As you will see, less than 1% of CAL players currently play at this level.

    Timeframe : No guarantees

    This Chapter Includes...

    - The basic mechanics of aim

    - How to nd your sensitivity

    - How to shoot each individual gun

    - The famous DE trick

    Basic useful information for beginners as well as more ad-vanced players

    Lethals infamous pre-lesson speech transcript

    How to get comfortable with your setup

    Mouse accelleration and refresh rates (pictures)

    Miscellaneous commands

    How to setup your rates

    This chapter includes

  • 55

    Stage Timeframe % that achieve* DescriptionPub stage 0 4 months 100% Bottom of the ladderStructured play interest 4 months 1 year

    (CAL open )68.3% Drive to gain experi-

    enceProgression 1 year Indenite

    (CAL main +)6.2% Drive to play at a top

    levelCAL Invite and beyond N/A

    (CAL invite/CPL)< 1% Playing at a top level

    * Players in the given CAL league compared to total CAL players

    This table is based on extremely rough estimates, and only takes into account the CAL gaming

    league. The reason I did this is that CAL is a good example of proportionality in this game (number

    of players versus skill see graph above). The higher the level of play, the less people involved, this

    will still hold true even if you take in to account every league in the world.

  • 66

    This Chapter Includes... Chapter II - The Basics

    Lets start at the beginning. In my lesson plan, I normally

    start with an introduction and ask the student to give me

    their information. I usually ask for their name, age, location,

    experience, past leagues, past teams, and just about any-

    thing else I feel like drilling them with. This marks the start

    of my 5 minute speech. In my speech I cover a few impor-

    tant topics. The rst of these is consistency. Players often

    ask how does one stay consistent? Most people are looking

    for a secret word or answer that will make them play well

    100% of the time, and to be honest if that is what you are

    looking for you will be disappointed by what I have to say.

    All players have off times. There is nothing you can do about

    that. What you can do is play at such a high level, that when

    you do have off games youre still holding your own.

    One way to stay consistent is not to change up your settings. Your resolution, sensitivity, crosshair

    size and color, zoom sensitivity, all of these things, keep them constant! The mind likes consistency,

    so please do not change your sensitivity after a bad half in a scrim or a lousy missed shot. Dont

    mess with your resolution either because its not going to help you. In fact it may end up putting

    you deeper in a slump. Best case scenario is you get a quick skill increase for a few hours but then

    youre worse off. Im a rm believer that the only time you should ever mess with your settings

    after having them already set is after you take a break from the game. Taking a break from the

    game is a big part in overcoming slumps. The rst piece of advice I give to people that are in a

    horrible slump is just to walk away from the game for a few days. The frustration you feel during a

    slump is worse for you psychologically in the realm of CS than taking a cold break from the game is.

    After you come back from your break and youre STILL in a slump, or feel as if your sensitivity just

    doesnt feel right, I believe it is then time to change your sensitivity.

    - The basic mechanics of aim

    - How to nd your sensitivity

    - How to shoot each individual gun

    - The famous DE trick

    Basic useful information for beginners as well as more ad-vanced players

    Lethals infamous pre-lesson speech transcript

    How to get comfortable with your setup

    Mouse accelleration and refresh rates (pictures)

    Miscellaneous commands

    How to setup your rates

    This chapter includes

  • 77

    The next part of my speech talks about being ner-

    vous. If youre the person that gets nervous before a big

    match or scrim, there are a few things that you should

    know. First of all, its ok to be a little nervous. In fact,

    Ill even go as far as saying youll play BETTER when

    youre a little nervous versus when you arent nervous at

    all. Its a term in psychology called the Yerkes-Dodson

    law, and I suggest reading more about it here http://

    www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/history/arousal.html. If

    you are having trouble staying in control of your nerves,

    and are frequently passed the stage of being a little ner-

    vous, then there are a few tricks I

    have learned to help you out. First you want to picture in your mind the emotional state you would

    like to be in. Next I recommend breathing in deeply and exhaling slowly, letting your body relax.

    Physical activity is the next step in calming yourself down. I recommend at least 5-10 pushups. This

    will relieve a lot of the nervous energy that you have built up and combined with the breathing, I

    guarantee youll be able to get your emotions in control. If your hands become cold because you are

    nervous, warm water can be used. I remember when I rst started playing I would run my hands

    under warm water so when it was time to play, my hands were steady and calm.

    The third and nal part of my speech has to do with the fact that no one gets good overnight.

    Everything that you learn must be integrated with your normal play, and practiced over and over and

    over again. If you can do this, you are on your way to CS success. I tell most of my students, there

    However, I do warn against changing it by too much too quick. If you want to change your

    sensitivity, start out in small increments. Change it by .1 to start, and if you feel no difference,

    move up to .2 until you have found your perfect sensitivity. You will know this sensation when your

    crosshair no longer bounces around as you try to shoot. You will feel completely in control of every

    movement of your crosshair. It truly is a great feeling once youve pegged it. I will cover consistency

    more detailed in a later chapter.

    Yerkes-Dodson Bell-Curve picture 1999 Donald Clark

  • 88

    is a natural timeline on which each player will eventually achieve their goal. My goal as a teacher is

    to help people achieve their goal, but in half the time.

    Now that weve gotten that out of the way, we can start the good stuff. If youre a relatively

    new player, go ahead and nish out the rest of this chapter. If you feel like youve heard enough,

    skip on down to chapter three.

    Getting comfortable Since being comfortable is closely related to how well someone plays, this is the rst thing I

    suggest to everyone. You need to nd a natural feeling, comfortable setup for you to play on. I rec-

    ommend placing your hands on your keyboard with your eyes closed and feeling the natural position

    of your hands. This is the position you are naturally most comfortable in. Many times players tell me

    that they are in a slump, and later I nd out it is because they are too uncomfortable while they play.

    I personally need a pillow in the back of my chair to make sure my back doesnt start to hurt. Its the

    small things like this that will gain you a small edge consistency wise.

    While playing, dont become mesmerized by the cross hair. You want to view the entire screen

    as a whole, not just the center of it. There are people that have trouble taking their attention away

    from their cross hair and heres a tip for those of you that have this problem; the cross hair is at the

    center of your screen and will always be at the center of your screen. It isnt going anywhere, so

    take your eyes off of it. Also, dont sit to close to your monitor.

    Tips for a good setup

    Position the mousepad for your wrist

    Dont drag your thumb

    Roll up your sleeves

    Click above to view my tips for a good setup

  • 99

    Mouse Acceleration For all those of you that are still reading, go ahead and load steam. The rst thing we want

    to do is make sure you have mouse acceleration turned off in game. If you arent sure you can go to

    control panel > mouse > pointer options and make sure mouse acceleration or enhanced pointer

    precision is unchecked. If you are NOT running Windows XP, then you have completed the task and

    you can skip down to Rates. However, if you are running Windows XP, you arent done quiet yet.

    There are two ways of doing this. The rst method is the registry x method. I must warn

    you, if you use this method you will turn off mouse acceleration in Windows XP and it will turn your

    mouse acceleration off for all applications and programs. The second method is a bit more compli-

    cated, but will only affect your CS in game settings as apposed to all of Windows mouse acceleration

    settings.

    Method One. Go to ftp://ftp.thecpl.com/mouse_x.zip and download the le to your desk-

    top. Unzip the le, double click mousex.reg, and click ok which adds the values to your registry.

    You will need to restart your computer before the changes take effect.

    Method Two. To use this method open steam, select games, right click on counter-strike,

    select properties, launch options, and input the following commands without quotations : -noforcem-

    parms noforcemspd noforcemaccel. Click ok and open CS.

    If mouse acceleration was on, you will notice a drastic difference. Your sensitivity will

    seem a little slower, but I promise it is better for your aim in the long run.

  • 1010

    Rates Next thing we need to do is check your rates and other settings in game. Load up CS, open

    the console, and input the command cl_cmdrate. The ideal command rate is 101, and is what

    I recommend setting this value to. Next type in cl_updaterate and set that to 101 as well, hitting

    enter after each change. Next command is rate. Please make sure this is at least 20,000, if not

    you will probably notice choke when playing. If while using these rates you are experiencing heavy

    ping spiking, lower your cl_cmdrate by 20 to cl_cmdrate 80. Keep lowering this value until the ping

    spiking goes away. If you are experiencing choke, lower your cl_updaterate by 20 until the choke has

    gone away. The way you can see if you are getting loss/choke in a server is by enabling your net-

    graph. To do this, type the command net_graph 3 into the console and hit enter. You will be able

    to see your choke and loss at the bottom right of your screen. See g 2.1

    Fig 2.1

    The two main things you are worried about is choke and loss. You can also quickly view your ping and fps with the net_graph commands.

    Command Default CS setting Recommended Choke/Loss valuecl_cmdrate 30 101 cl_cmdrate 101/80*cl_updaterate 20 101 cl_updaterate 80*/101rate 2500 20000 Ensure your rate is

    20000* = keep lowering this value by 20 if choke or loss continues

  • 1111

    Monitor Refresh Rates Typically if youre running in

    800x600 or lower and your monitor is

    fairly new (but NOT an LCD display), you

    should have no problem running your re-

    fresh rate at 100Hz or greater. There is

    a big advantage to playing with 100Hz or

    greater, the game seems more uid and

    it isnt as choppy. Please keep in mind

    though, the more you change your moni-

    tor refresh rate, the more your sensitiv-

    ity is going to change. I strongly rec-

    ommend that you play with the same

    refresh rate at home as you do on lan.

    If you wish to change your re-

    fresh rate and youre running Win XP you

    will more than likely need the help of a

    tool called Reforce which is available at ftp://ftp.thecpl.com/reforce.zip. The program is ex-

    tremely easy to use. You simply open it, nd your in game resolution, and change that set-

    ting to 100Hz. Be warned, only do this if you know for a fact that your monitor can dis-

    play 100Hz @ the given resolution. Failing to do this could result in failed hardware. Once

    youre up and running at 100Hz you can turn V-Sync on, and enjoy uid, tear-free graphics.

    If you cannot turn v-sync on for whatever reason, dont worry about it. I have had numerous

    PMs since the pre-release in which people are worried they are missing out because they are playing

    with v-sync. All V-sync does is ensure there is no page tearing, which isnt that big a deal to begin with.

    Resolution Refresh rate (in Hz)

  • 1212

    Miscellaneous Commands Here are some commands that I recommend using. To enter

    these you must rst bring down your console using the ~ and hit en-

    ter after each change is made.

    Fps_max 101 this will ensure you are getting the maximum

    fps possible

    Hud_centerid 1 this will place the enemy/friend text in the

    center of your screen, making it easier to see (see picture right)

    Brightness 5

    Gamma 5

    Zoom_sensitivty_ratio defaulted at 1.2, make sure you do

    not overlook this great tool. This variable sets the zoom sensitivity and

    is done by ratio. For example if your in game sensitivity is 2, and your

    zoom_sensitivty_ratio is 3, while zoomed in your sensitivity will be 6

    (2 sensitivity multiplied by the ZSR). This works for any zoomed gun

    including the AUG and SIG assault ries.

    Old vgui menus I recommend using the old vgui menus to

    buy. If you like clicking the icons to buy, that is your deal. You You can

    toggle this option on and off in settings > advanced.

    hud_centerid 1

    Click on the above picture to see my personal setup

  • 1313

    Chapter III - Aim, shooting and movement

    The goal is for everything to feel natural. I often tell

    people, when you dont have to think about playing anymore

    and just automatically do it, that is the place you want to be.

    The time it takes you to think about something prolongs the

    time that it takes you to accomplish a task. The shorter you

    have to think about something, the quicker youre going to

    be able to do it. Whenever I turn or peek a corner I already

    assume that an enemy will be there. If there happens to be

    one I have already made up my mind that I will shoot him

    before he shoots me. I dont have to think about it at all,

    I just have to react. I like to call this intuitive playing and its a big part of CS. Intuitive play is di-

    rectly proportional to experience and is all about being in different situations and knowing instinc-

    tively what to do. Different situations require different skills, whether it be your long range game or

    perhaps your AWPing abilities. Believe me if your CS career is long enough, youll see most situa-

    tions pan out to their end. This is what experience is. Experience is taking all of these situations that

    you have seen and making sense out of them. Unfortunately, I cannot teach someone experience. It

    would be impossible for me to go through every single situation that could possibly occur. Instead, I

    offer you insight on how to make the correct choices.

    I will start off with showing you the correct way to shoot. You can view assorted media includ-

    ing live action videos of me playing in the Putting it all together section below.

    This Chapter Includes...

    - The basic mechanics of aim

    - How to nd your sensitivity

    - How to shoot each individual gun

    - The famous DE trick

    Instructions on how to shoot each individual weapon

    How to move correctly

    How to nd your sensitivty

    Lethals famous DE trick

    Tips for throwing grenades

    How to bring it all together (with media)

    This chapter includes

    Tips for this section

    This chapter will take a lot of time and practice to master and may require multiple reads.

    Watch the media and put what you see into practice. 1v1 with someone would be the best thing to do, while pubbing would offer a better-than-nothing alternitive.

    Dont get frustrated, you will get it. Just be sure to keep at it.

  • 1414

    The close up shotExamples : This is pretty self-explanitory, and is the easiest shot to shoot. I recomend crouching at extremeclose ranges and ring rapidly while pulling down on your mouse slowly.

    The Medium Range ShotExamples : Nuke ramproom to radio room, train courtyard

    Strong medium range maps : de_nuke, de_cpl_mill, de_inferno

    The long range shot

    My method of teaching breaks down aim into three parts (or components).

    Please see the gure below.

    - The close-up shot (standing right next to an enemy)

    - The medium range shot (on Dust2 from T side long A DD to the pit/ramp)

    - The long range shot (on Dust2 from the A bombsite to the pit/ramp)

    All three of these components play an equally important part of your normal playing. I listed

    them in order from easiest to hardest, the long range shot being the hardest. You probably have

    already come to this conclusion, as someone that is farther away from you is smaller, making them

    harder to shoot. After all this time, the long range shot still gives me trouble sometimes.

    Examples : Aztec CT middle to T DD, Dust2 DD to DD, anyrange you would have to double zoom with an awp.

    Strong Long range maps : de_aztec, de_dust2, de_cbblede_train

  • 1515

    Basic Movement Before you can learn to shoot correctly, you must rst learn to move correctly. This is often

    the hardest part for a player to pick up. The good news is once youve practiced for a solid day

    movement becomes a lot easier.

    Medium and long range shots each have the same movement associated with them. Basically

    all it is is a combination of strang back and forth while at the same time shooting while not mov-

    ing. Sounds complicated at rst, but let me walk you through it. Create a lan server and buy an AK.

    To rst get the feeling for the movement I want you to hold left strafe for 1 second, then switch to

    holding right strafe for 1 second, then start over again. This gives you the basics of the movement.

    You will be strang from left to right at medium and long ranges. The length of your strides depends

    on the length of time you hold each strafe button. Now lets throw some shooting into the mix. You

    want to shoot when you are completely stopped. Failing to do this means your bullets shooting inac-

    curately and is not the goal here. Start your strang left, then at the exact time you let go of the

    left strafe button and hit the right strafe button to strafe right, re. When you switch strang (left

    to right or right to left) you stop for an instant. This is the window of opportunity when you want

    to shoot. It will be hard to do at rst, but I recommend a good solid 15 minutes of practice if this a

    totally new subject to you. Once you get it down, you will be able to do it without thinking.

    Finding your sensitivity Finding your sensitivity is a key part of playing well and overall consistency. By now you

    should have been playing with a general sensitivity that you have used for some time. We can use

    this as a starting point. First I want you to make sure mouse acceleration is off, you can nd ways to

    do this in Chapter I. The next step in nding your sensitivity is lots of 1v1ing. While playing observe

    your play and ask yourself this question :

    Do I have trouble putting my crosshair right on someone? If yes, does my crosshair

    seem to jump over the enemy, or does it seem to lag behind the enemy? If it jumps over an enemy,

    your sensitivity is probably just a little too quick. Try lowering it by .2 .

  • 1616

    If the situation is the opposite, raise your sensitivity by about .2. Keep using .2 increments until you

    have found your sensitivity. You will know this feeling when you are nally able to put your crosshair

    directly on someone with no extra movement or lag behind. It will take some time, but it is worth

    nding, trust me!

    Shooting with the AK47 The close range shot is pretty easy and self explanatory, so Im not even going to cover it in

    this section. I recommend just crouching and holding down re while pulling down on your mouse

    slightly. The medium range shot with an AK however, is the rst thing I recommend working on.

    Most players burst the AK at medium range doing a 3-4 shot burst at times. I dont fully agree with

    this. In order to keep AK recoil at a minimum, I recommend doing a thing I refer to as tap-shoot-

    ing. Tap-shooting involves tapping mouse1 as apposed to holding it down to re a burst. The ideal

    medium range shooting should be a tap followed by a burst, followed by a burst and more tapping.

    This will keep the AK recoil low, while allowing you to be extremely accurate with your shots. As for

    long range with an AK, I do not recommend bursting at all, and think the best strategy is to tap ex-

    clusively. 1-2 shots of tapping at a time at long range should sufce.

    Shooting with the Colt (M4A1) Once you have the AK mastered it is time for the Colt. This ne piece of machinery will al-

    low you to shoot bullets faster and more accurately than its T counter-part, the AK. The rate of re

    makes up for the fact that the colt is weaker than the AK. Shooting a colt medium range is a dream,

    all you have to do is point and click. Hold your mouse button down long enough so that you do a

    three shot burst, while simultaneously pulling your crosshair down to compensate for recoil. This

    will ensure that all of your burst will hit the same spot, and have maximum efciency. Long range I

    simply recommend 2 shot burst, and lots of quick moving.

  • 1717

    One thing that I highly recommend is that you play silenced OR un-silenced. Please do not

    switch back and forth between the two. The reason behind this is that both silenced and un-silenced

    have different spray patterns, and I believe it would be a good idea for a person to master one before

    using the other. Like I stated earlier, the mind likes consistency.

    The Deagle (DE) This is one of the best kept secrets of my lessons. I tell

    my students to guard this tip closely. If you notice, all guns

    shoot in the exact same position relative to the crosshair. This

    position is the center. The only gun that does not obey this

    rule is the DE, making it truly one of the most unique guns in

    the game. It is cheap, is able to shoot through walls, and also

    has another big secret. The DE does not shoot directly in the

    center of the crosshair; it actually shoots lower than that. The

    DE bullet res at the very top of the bottom crosshair.

    By this I mean out of the four individual crosshairs that are each horizontal or vertical, the very top of

    this bottom vertical crosshair. Try it, go into a server and test it out. I think youll be very surprised

    to see that you havent noticed this sooner.

    What this logically tells us about the DE is that you have to aim just a little higher to get a

    headshot. Since now you know exactly where every shot you shoot with the DE is going, you should

    now be even more accurate with it. I do recommend shooting slow long range, and as the enemy

    becomes closer, you must increase your rate of re. This is true for all guns.

  • 1818

    The AWP Once you have found your zoom_sensitivty_ratio (z and tab in console, see Miscellaneous

    Commands above) you will notice a big difference in your AWPing. I recommend practicing with

    scouts to improve your AWPing abilities. There are a few really nice advantages in practicing with

    scouts. One good thing is that they are a lot of fun to practice with, so playing for a long time nor-

    mally isnt a problem. Another advantage is a scout takes two shots to kill an enemy normally, so

    you get twice the practice without having to respawn. I also recommend not having an AWP without

    armor and at least a USP, but a DE if possible.

    Shooting with pistols I have one thing to say that will help a lot of you out there. Aim, and shoot slow. That is

    pretty much all there is to pistols. Keep your glock off burst too unless you are super close range or

    expect to be. Dont spam your USP either, youre not going to hit anything.

    Grenades Ill admit that when I rst started playing, the only thing I could consistently do was throw a

    lousy grenade. I would always seem to TK and ash myself so bad that Id have to wear sunglasses

    when I played. Well it wasnt that bad, but it was pretty atrocious. Im still not the best grenade

    thrower to ever grace this game, but there are a few things that helped me throw better nades along

    the way. Good grenade throwing is an art form, and if you havent already gotten it, I promise you

    will. Once you have played for a good amount of time you will start to think in angles, and the ways

    to bank a good grenade will just come to you, but if you would like some extra practice, try this

    simple exercise.

    Go to dust2 and try throwing a grenade through the B bombsite window from every position.

    While you are inside the site, outside, running, walking, just do it all. Spend some time and make

    your grenade throwing skills better than they were, because I guarantee this is one skill you cant af-

    ford to not learn.

  • 1919

    Putting it all together In theory, you now know how to shoot properly and move effectively if you have read the

    previous sections. Now the question is how do you put it all together? Well the answer is practice

    and hard work. Whenever you need to work on something, I recommend going into a pub with no

    more than 10 people and playing for at least an hour. Use what you have learned and try to make

    it muscle memory, that is see if you can do it without thinking. Make sure your movement is uid,

    not jerky. Also be sure you are shooting only while stationary, NOT moving. If youre trying to shoot

    while running, you probably wont be hitting much of anything.

    Media

    AK47 Colt

    How to tap the AK(Live action)

    In game AK long range sample(in game footage)

    In game AK medium range sample(in game footage)

    In game Colt long range sample(in game footage)

    In game Colt medium range sample(in game footage)

    Movement

    How to move corrently(Live action)

    In game how to move correctly(video)

  • 2020

    - The basic mechanics of aim

    - How to nd your sensitivity

    - How to shoot each individual gun

    - The famous DE trick

    Chapter IV - Consistency

    The question on most everybodys mind is consisten-

    cy. This key part of the game allows you to play your best,

    always. Great players like tr1p, storm, rector, volcano, and

    others all have the great ability to have incredibly consistent

    games. They often put numbers up and can be found to be

    #2 or #3 on the scoreboard every single match. They rarely

    have bad games but on the ip side, rarely have MONSTER

    games. It is my opinion that it is better to have more con-

    sistent good games than it is to have a monster game every

    once in a while. Success follows the consistent players. So

    of course the question is, how does a player stay consistent?

    I have my own theory on this.

    Here are the rst steps to becoming a consistent CS

    player.

    The keys to staying consistent

    Bad habits and how to avoid them

    Slump - sl-um`p (n) - dened.

    How to get out of one

    This chapter includes

    Play often. The more experience you have, the better youre going to become. There is no

    way around that. The amount of time you spend playing is directly proportional to how good you

    become.

    Play correctly. I once heard the statement, practice doesnt make perfect, perfect practice

    makes perfect. I could not agree with this more. As you see yourself progressing and getting better,

    make sure you start playing against people that are better than you. This helps ensure your skill pro-

    gression. Also, make sure once you are set with the correct way to do things and make them habits.

    Do not allow yourself to create new habits out of existing bad habits (ie: panic crouch spraying).

    Dont change your settings. Changing up your settings

  • 2121

    (ie: resolution, sensitivity, interp, etc.) too often is one of the worst things you can do. I know you

    think itll get you out of a slump, but trust me on this one, its just going to put you farther behind in

    the long run. Stick with one set of settings. If youre in a bad slump, take a break from the game for

    a few days, and if when you come back you STILL think you need to change your sensitivity, change

    it by no more that .2 or .3 at a time. Small steps.

    Stay calm. Staying calm under pressure plays a big part in consistency. Performing well in

    those 1v1 situations is what will get you noticed. Techniques for staying calm can be found later in

    Chapter IV.

    Focus. I know it sounds obvious, but it is overlooked a lot of times by players that are in

    slumps. You need to be focused on the game 100% if you plan to play well, do not divide your at-

    tention up between other things.

    If you follow these tips, youll nd yourself becoming more consistent. Of course, there will

    be times when you go into a natural slump. Often there is no avoiding this, so when it happens you

    know what to do. As Ive said before, I strongly suggest taking a short break from the game even if

    its just for the rest of the day. The tendency is when youre playing bad to get frustrated and angry.

    These are two things that hinder your game play greatly, and I suggest being able to control your

    anger in game. Another reason that a break might do you some good is the fact that the longer you

    play without a break, the more bad habits you to pick up. Taking a short break is refreshing, and of-

    ten times when you play again you get back to basics. Those bad habits dont seem to be as preva-

    lent anymore.

    Bad Habits I suppose now is as good a time as ever to talk about bad habits. We all have them, or have

    had them in the past, and they sometimes can be extremely hard to overcome. Here are some of the

    most common bad habits

    Crouching panic spray I think we all know what this means. I know it is hard to over-

    come, but in the long run it will make you better. Only time you should panic spray is in extremely

    close range situations, and normally when there is more than one enemy involved. If you are having

  • 2222

    trouble breaking this bad habit I suggest unbinding your crouch key for a little while.

    Peaking when you shouldnt When youre practicing this bad habit you seem to peak

    when you shouldnt. For example you try to peak a known AWPer long range with an automatic.

    Just dont do it!

    Calling everyone a cheater Sure there are un-legit players out there, but until someone

    does something REALLY worthy of being called a cheater, you should probably keep your opinion to

    yourself. It hurts your team play as well as your own and seems to have the power to put people in

    slumps.

    Baiting There are times when you need to bait to get a kill. For instance if your team has

    two players, the opposing team only has one, it is ok to bait your teammate as long as you get the

    nal kill. However, it is not ok to constantly bait your team to improve your personal score. Some-

    times it is hard for a player to realize they have a problem with baiting, which is why I suggest

    watching your own demos. When you watch them try to pick up your mistakes in order to make

    yourself better.

    Over talking - Talk about necessary things in game on voice com, do not spam voice up with

    nonsense. It makes it harder for everyone to concentrate as well as hear rushes.

    If youre caught in a slump If you dont need this advice now, youre going to need it later. Everyone goes through times

    where they cant play to their full potential and they dont know why. It is the equivalent to a writers

    block to a novelist. Nothing seems to register, your aim is horribly off, and you nd yourself getting

    more and more frustrated. These are all signs that you are in a natural slump and there are a few

    things you can do to ensure your time spent in a slump is at a minimum.

    My rst piece of advice would be to take a break from the game. There are natural times

    players go into slumps, there is just nothing you can do about it. As you gain experience and play

    for longer, you will notice the frequency of the slumps starts to slow down. They also become less

    powerful and last about half as long. These slumps just happen, and it is best if you walked away

    from the game for an entire day.

  • 2323

    Next I would advise you to watch your emotions. Normally if youre in a slump you tend to

    get frustrated the more you play. Its sort of a cycle because the worse you play, the more drive you

    have to play to prove to yourself youre not really in the slump. This just leads to more and more

    frustration. It is never a good idea to play when you are frustrated, and could end up putting you

    deeper into a slump.

    Sometimes change is good. If you have taken your break from the game and you come back

    and still nd yourself in a slump, you might need to change something up such as sensitivity or posi-

    tioning. However, dont be drastic. Make one or two minor changes at a time if you can. For sensi-

    tivity I recommend a change of no more than .2.

    You might just have to wait it out. I know it sucks, but there have been times in every good

    players career when they just dont play to their full potential for sometimes long periods of time.

    Sometimes there is just nothing you can do except sit back and wait for the slump to be over. I do

    however think that if you are in the correct mindset of muscle memory instead of active thinking, you

    can overcome slumps much easier.

  • 2424

    - The basic mechanics of aim

    - How to nd your sensitivity

    - How to shoot each individual gun

    - The famous DE trick

    Chapter V - In game strategy

    Here are some things that will help you that arent

    directly related to aim.

    Buying up pistol round It may be confusing at rst when knowing exactly

    when or what to buy. Generally, in a scrim on CT side you

    would want to buy whatever makes the most sense for the

    position youre playing. Two common rst round buying set-

    ups for CT are :

    1. Armor + Ammo

    2. Kit + HE Nade + Flash

    If you are playing in an area alone, I suggest going

    with setup number one and using the armor to your advan-

    tage. If you are playing with a partner in a spot (ie : catwalk

    on dust2) I suggest going with setup number two and buying

    Buy setups for the pistol round

    How to buy up correctly

    Thinking in game

    Holding a bombsite as CT

    Setting up to hold a site after planting as T

    Ways to use stacks effectively(pictures)

    Useful ingame tips

    This chapter includes

    a kit and valuable nades.

    On T side there are different setups depending on the strategy that is going to be run. Here

    are a few common rst round buying setups as T.

    1. Armor + ammo

    2. DE + ammo

    3. Flash + HE/Smoke

    More often than not you will be buying the rst setup for T side on pistol round. A glock +

    armor setup is very effective when rushing. An example of a time when you might want a DE over

    a glock is on de_nuke. Perhaps the strat is the team will rush outside and get to the lower bomb-

    site.

  • 2525

    It would be a good idea to have DEs so that you can setup behind the doors lower, giving your team

    a huge advantage because the CTs USP wont be able to penetrate the doors without them being

    opened. The last setup listed you would only want to buy if the pistol round strategy your team is

    using requires it.

    Buying up in general At the beginning of each round is a good idea to type your money in to team say. For exam-

    ple, after I respawn if I have $5400 I type 54 in team-say notifying my teammates that I am able to

    fully buy for the next round. NEVER buy within the rst 5 seconds of a round unless you are 100%

    sure everyone is buying. The normal freezetime is 15 seconds so there is no reason you should buy

    within the rst 5. I would also suggest you pick one person on your team that calls a team buy or

    a team save based on the amount of money everyone has. You do not want to have a round where

    half of your team buys, and half saves. If this were to occur and you end up losing the round, your

    team will have to save again. This effectively gives the opposite team 2 free rounds. Dont buy up

    unless you have enough money to buy two rounds in a row or unless told to by the team in game

    leader. Also be prepared to drop a weapon for needy teammates. If you are in need of a weapon,

    while in spawn spam a radio command to let your teammates know your position. This helps ensure

    the process of buying up goes a lot smoother.

    Setting up to hold a bombsite (CT) Finding good setups in bombsites is an important part of having a successful CT side. I rst

    recommend watching lots of demos. I have a feeling if you are the slightest bit serious about this

    game, you probably already watch a lot of demos, but I want to emphasize the importance of paying

    attention to them. Look at the spots the good players use, look at their setups, their rotations, and

    take note when two people play a site and try to emulate their play style with a partner. Here are

    some tips for good setups in a bombsite on CT :

  • 2626

    Cover only one spot at a time. Cover one spot at a time and make sure you are complete-

    ly covered from all other areas unless you have a teammate watching them. It is a common mistake

    for players to split their attention between two different areas of a map.

    Think ahead. What will you do if a teammate dies? How will you ank if they take the op-

    posite bombsite? Have all these questions answered in your head before they happen, that way

    when they do nally occur you wont have to think, and you can simply react. This will save time and

    eventually make your in game instincts stronger.

    Be creative. Use stacks and spots that are rarely used and seen. Keep your opponent

    guessing; try not to be too predictable.

    Use nades to your advantage. If the Ts are ashing the site on entering, ash back! You

    may be blind, but getting the last ash off could mean the difference between holding and losing the

    bombsite.

    Use stacks and crossres. Youll more than likely see a lot of these in demos, take notes.

    Hold it at all costs. Do what you have to do as long as your partner knows about it. If you

    play a bombsite with a teammate, make sure to communicate, and let him know what you are doing.

    Setting up to hold a bombsite (T) If you have successfully entered a site and planted the bomb, you have completed the rst

    step in winning the round. The next step is physically holding the bombsite. In order for the CTs

    to win after the bomb has been planted, they MUST defuse. It is your job as a T to stop this at all

    costs. It doesnt matter how many people on your team die, if you are able to successfully stop the

    CTs from defusing for 30 seconds, the round is yours. Never feel bad after winning a round, even if

    you were killed by entering CTs. Here are some tips to help ensure you wont give up your bombsite.

    Crossre. The most common of all the holding setups, the crossre is also the most effec-

    tive. To setup a crossre all you need is a teammate and good positioning. The objective is to setup

    on opposite sides of the site, but watch the same area (ie : the bomb or DD).

    Hide. Do NOT peak out of a bombsite unless the opposite team is saving. This is a common

  • 2727

    mistake and is one of the reasons why bombsites are lost after the bomb has been planted. Once

    your team has planted the bomb make sure each team member still remaining calls the positions

    they will be watching. Be sure to watch only your spot and not to over peek. Communication is also

    a key here.

    Waste time. Do everything in your power to make sure you can hold the bombsite for the

    30 seconds you need. Flashes are a good way to slow the enemy down. There is nothing worse

    than getting ready to take a bombsite back over as CT and getting blinded for 5 seconds. You can

    also stay hidden until you hear the diffuse, make a footstep as if you are coming to kill the diffuser,

    and then stay hidden. More often than not the diffuser will come off the bomb to try to kill you. Be

    warned though, this normally works in a 1v1 situation only.

    Have preset positions. Go over the bombsites with your team before you play each map

    and make sure all entrances will be covered.

    Dont plant until the site is clear. This is a good overall tip. If you have just entered a

    bombsite, make sure there are no hiding CTs before you plant.

  • 2828

    Using stacks effectively Stacks are a good way to hold an area, but there are a few common mistakes people make

    when stacking that makes them ineffective. The rst thing players tend to do is stack in the wrong

    places. You want to pick a place that wont be visible to a large amount of enemies at any given

    time. For example, stacking on the ramp as CT on dust2 to watch Long A is a horrible stack. How-

    ever, stacking on the boxes as shown in the picture can be quite effective. The next thing you want

    to do is make sure both you and your partner are directly inline with each other. If you do not, you

    could run the risk of both you and your partner being killed without taking out any enemies. If you

    are not perfectly inline this could mean that an enemy sees you or your partner before he sees the

    other stacked player, which in essence ruins the whole point of a stack. The point is to engage a

    single enemy at once from the same position, not to bait your teammate.

    Good Stack. Both players see the enemy at the same time.

    Bad Stack. The person on the bottom runs the risk of being shot rst without killing a CT.

  • 2929

    Other in game tips Here are a few other good in game tips that will help your overall level of play.

    Know the map. I sometimes joke with people that if you can walk through the map back-

    wards while hitting a minimal amount of walls, you probably know the map well enough. Make sure

    you know each one like the back of your hand BEFORE you start to play.

    Move out from walls. If you are watching a corner of a wall, it is suggested that you take

    a few steps out from the wall. This helps ensure you get the rst shot off on anyone coming around

    the corner. Please see g 5.1 on the next page.

    Communicate the correct things. Dont spam voice with useless gibberish. Call things as

    you see them, but be sure not to say too much. Also make sure you arent fooled into calling a rush

    when there are only 2 opponents there. Just because a team nades doesnt necessarily mean theyre

    going to rush your way.

    Use good nades. Never underestimate the power of a few smokes or a few ashes.

    Smokes can be effectively used to cut off part of a map. If you smoke off an area of a map, you do

    not have to worry about that area while entering a bombsite. You can also use a smoke in a 1v1

    situation as a ash, making the opponent turn their head while you peak them. This move was rst

    made famous by HeatoN (of NiP at the time) vs X3 on nuke.

    Know your opponent. Theres a big difference in playing a team that is straight out of

    CAL-open and playing a team that has been around for a while and is CAL-main in skill. You need to

    adapt your game depending on the team. Sometimes when you play a lower league team you can

    get away with things you normally cant. For instance its a good idea to push CT side on teams you

    know just dont have the aiming abilities to stop you. Dont let them group up and rush you all to-

    gether. You can also out-smart these players easier. One thing that does commonly happen is what

    I like to call being out-dumbed. This occurs when the opposite team is so clueless they win the

    round due to their own lack of in game experience. Overall lesson here, know your enemy.

  • 3030

    In this picture, a CT is watching middle on Dust2. This is a good position to illustrate how far you should move out from the wall in order to have the angle advantage on your opponent.

    Fig 5.1

    When not to play If you have to play a CS game to the best of your ability, it would be a good idea to avoid do-

    ing so while any of the following conditions are met :

    You are tired. Sleep deprivation slows down reaction time and often times makes me feel

    like Im being hypnotized when I watch the screen.

    You are angry. Being angry isnt a good thing when youre playing competitive CS. You

    want to be as clear as possible.

    You are frustrated. This one will hurt you, stay away from playing seriously when you are

    frustrated. It will just make the situation worse.

    You are hungry. Normally when I play and Im hungry, I have a hard time concentrating.

    Not a good thing when you need to be focused.

    Try to avoid serious games when if any of the preceding conditions are met, as you may cause

    yourself more grief than it is worth.

  • 3131

    - The basic mechanics of aim

    - How to nd your sensitivity

    - How to shoot each individual gun

    - The famous DE trick

    Chapter VI- Joining a good clan and getting noticed

    Next to how do I play well? and how do I stay

    consistent?, this is probably next on my list of all time most

    asked questions. How does one REALLY go about joining a

    good team? This is not an easy question to answer, but I will

    share with you my views on this touchy subject.

    First you need to decide what your goals are and nd

    a team that has goals similar to yours. You want to stay

    away from pub clans that sit in their public server all day

    and ban people for cheating. These clans wont get you

    anywhere in this game, and if you plan on taking things seri-

    ously, I highly advise staying away from them.

    Where to start

    How to get your name out there

    What you should look for in a clan

    Ways to align your goals

    This chapter includes

    The next bit of advice I have to give to you is to work your way up. Nothing will come easy, so dont

    expect it to. If you have to start in CAL-im to work your way to invite, then do it. I have played ev-

    ery league CAL has been able to come up with, from open to invite. The absolute best way to make

    it to CAL invite is to work your way up with a team that is dedicated and practices. All your skill lev-

    els will increase at about the same rate, and when you nally make it to CAL invite you will be able to

    look back on the months of hard work.

    People get too caught up in trying to walk before they can crawl. Do NOT overestimate your-

    self. If anything underestimate yourself. Be humble about your abilities, and do not get arrogant.

    Every good player has paid their dues, you will be no exception. If you truly wish to make it in the

    CS scene, you need to work your way up the ropes and gain respect.

    Finding a team to play with can often be a chore. I recommend getting yourself into as many

    pugs and scrims as possible. I think the ESEA pug idea is a great idea, and it gives players a chance

    to play with others of a higher caliber. If you want to get better you need to be playing against peo-

    ple that are slightly better than you. After a while, you will make connections with the right people,

  • 3232

    and if your skill level has increased to the correct amount, people will start to notice you. Getting no-

    ticed wont happen right away, so please dont expect it to. Also, dont be bashful. Ask to scrim with

    a team if you want to.

    Networking skills is a big part of this game. Its not only about how good you are, but also

    the people you know. Be nice but not pushy to players of a higher caliber. Never expect them to do

    anything for you, especially answer your messages on IRC, but still be polite. This will win you favor

    in the long run and it is always a good idea to have a nice-guy image, especially when youre rst

    starting out.

    Never talk about your CAL-I+ experience, as this is the biggest turn off to a good player. You

    should never have to talk about your CAL invite or CPL experience, because if the person youre talk-

    ing to doesnt already know youve played in CAL invite or CPL, there is a good chance you havent.

    It makes me sick to see all the CAL open players out there looking to join the next CAL-invite reform

    clan. These teams seem to last about a month when everyone nally realizes theyre not as good

    as they made themselves out to be. Be sure to stay away from these types of clans as well. When

    youre rst looking for a team channels on IRC like #ndclan can help you nd recruiting teams, al-

    though this way of nding a clan is hardly ever successful in the long run.

  • 3333

    - The basic mechanics of aim

    - How to nd your sensitivity

    - How to shoot each individual gun

    - The famous DE trick

    Chapter VII - Something a little more advanced

    In this section Im going to throw in some more ad-

    vanced tips, and also run through a few scenarios. Lets start

    out with a general scenario rst. It is easier for the Ts to win

    a round 4v5 than it is CTs to win 4v5. Why is this? Each CT

    is watching a specic part of a map and each time one dies

    the other CTs must compensate for his death. The most

    common way of compensation is rotating, which often leaves

    a bombsite with only a single CT in it, or even totally open.

    The more CTs that die, the harder it is to watch both bomb-

    sites on the map, thus valuing the CT life over a T life. Think

    of it this way, a team still has a decent shot on T 4v5 or even

    3v5. The 3 Ts can rush and bombard the CTs in a given site

    Advanced situations and what you should do

    Baiting

    Natural rythmns

    How to time your opponent

    Ways to avoid being timed

    This chapter includes

    and over run them with sheer strength. So what should you logically deduce from all of this? Well

    look at it this way, every time you are watching an area you want to position yourself so that if you

    die, you can take at least 2 with you. For every one CT death, ideally you would want 2 T deaths.

    This would keep the odds in check, not making the CTs such an under-dog to win the round. Basi-

    cally if you are a CT, try hard to stay alive, and in those situations when you have to die, try taking

    out more than one. Never let your goal be to shoot just one enemy, think big.

    Lets say youre CT on inferno, you normally play left bombsite with your partner, and the T s

    overrun the right site with ease. All three of your other teammates die, what do you do? First you

    need to ask yourself some questions. Do we need this round? If the round is do or die, of course

    you have to go for it. If you do not need the round, the better option may be to save and try to

    buy the next round. It is never a good idea to try to take over a site where the odds are so stacked

    against you and you know you will probably lose both guns + kits. It is of more value to the team to

    have those saved colts next round than to have absolutely no money or guns to work with.

  • 3434

    If youre calling strats on T, try to always think about where the enemy is the weakest. If your

    team killed the enemy AWPer the previous round and won, it may be a good idea to attack his posi-

    tion again because there is a chance he wasnt able to buy another AWP. Same goes if you killed two

    consecutive players that play a spot, the next round there is a chance they might not have full armor.

    Another advanced tactic would be the bait. Although I put this down as a bad habit, it can be

    extremly usefull at times. The situation goes something like this : lets say you are in a 3v2 situation

    on terrorist side. Your team has the 3 man advantage, but the bomb is being gaurded by the remain-

    ing two CTs. You can use a bait tactic to draw out the CTs and eliminate them, even if you lose a

    T life. In order for the tactic to work, you need to send a person in to pick the bomb up, while the

    remaining two Ts cover the entry ways.

    Another example of a bait would include having a teamate with you, and while you spam 20

    bullets arbitrarily at a wall where you think a CT may hear you, your teamate watches the entry ways.

    If a CT is near you he may peak you thinking you are out of ammo. This is when your teamate gets

    the bait kill. This works well as a T side tactic for de_inferno in apartment halls.

    A bad example of baiting would be letting your teamates rush before you just to get one kill.

    This tactic is often unsuccessful and doesnt do much good and doesnt earn you much popularity

    with your teamates.

    Something else I would like to mention quickly is timing. Newer players tend to disregard this

    all together. It is a huge advantage to be playing against someone predictable. Predictable players

    (usually new) get into a natural subconcious rythmn when they are behind cover, and often peak at

    the same time intervals. This puts the player at a huge disadvantage. You should always be weary

    of your natural rythmn, because from time to time we all tend to slip into it. Try to be as random as

    possible, not letting others get your rythmn down and use it to their advantage.

  • 3535

    - The basic mechanics of aim

    - How to nd your sensitivity

    - How to shoot each individual gun

    - The famous DE trick

    Chapter VIII - Some advice for teams

    Since most of the leagues and lans you will probably

    ever play in or attend will be in 5 versus 5 format, it is proba-

    bly a good idea that you gel with a team. Youre not going to

    get anywhere in CS playing 1 on 1. There are some players

    out there, no matter how hard they try, will never be able to

    play well with a team. They are so focused on their individ-

    ual frags and attention from the community that they forget

    what is really important. If you do well in a match and your

    team doesnt end up winning, you contributed to a whole lot

    of nothing. On the other hand, if you played bad and your

    team wins, you apparently didnt play bad enough

    How to work as a team

    Ways to succeed as a team

    Creating a default strategy

    How to make it all work

    This chapter includes

    to make your team lose. You win as a team, and you lose as a team. If you want to enjoy any level

    of success I suggest you learn to both give and receive constructive criticism and please keep your

    mind focused on winning, not your individual status.

    You must like the people you play with. Playing with people you dont like is like eating glue

    then wondering why your stomach hurts. If you dont like the people you play with there is a good

    chance you will not work well with the team.

    Here are some practice tips that will hopefully help your team.

    Be online a lot. To play a lot you need to be online a lot, active teams are winning teams.

    Have players attack the same spots as T and CT Let me explain. If you and a partner play ramp

    room on Nuke as CT, when your team is T a good default would involve you two picking off at ramp

    room while the others work their normal positions. When you play an area on CT you become ex-

    tremely familiar with all the setups, and it is logical to have the same two people that played an area

    on CT to attack that same area on T.

  • 3636

    Communicate. Not just in game, but out of game as well. Some of my best online friends

    are former teammates. I treat them as I would any friend in real life, this helps solidify a team atmo-

    sphere.

    Dont be a hero. Team effort over individual domination is what will win matches. A player

    putting up 20 frags a half and winning no matches has nothing to show for himself.

    Dont be intimidated or trash talk. Make sure you steer clear of these two things. Trash

    talking goes around, and it will certainly come around. I have seen many times players call other

    players bad on lan, and when it came time for them to perform, they choked just like all the other

    players they had ridiculed. Trust me, what goes around will come around. Also, dont be intimidated

    by another team. They are only human. There are limits to their reaction time as well as yours, they

    will never be better than you can be.

    Creating a default strat Defaults come in all shapes and sizes and are tailored custom t for each team. The ideal de-

    fault strat would be to have each player picking off where they feel most comfortable. Try scrimming

    a few times trying different default strats until you nd one that your team can consistently win with.

    Out of a 15 round game, you should probably run the default about 7 times. Try a strat that involves

    your T team picking off the same areas they covered as CT. If all else fails, have everyone pick off

    their strong spots, and meet up in a bombsite at a preset time.

    Making things work As Ive said all along, you win as a team and you lose as a team. Although there will come

    times when not everyone on a team remembers this statement. Throughout your CS career you will

    see tempers are, egos grow, and friendships break. All of this happens in the name of CS and its

    a natural part of the game as well as life. Whenever you get 5 people together that play for long

    enough, there is bound to be conict. Im sure everyone is familiar with the Real World; its the same

    concept. You must remember that to win you have to work as a team, and if you cannot look past

    your differences, you will never go anywhere. It takes discipline to fall in line sometimes. The quick-

    er you learn your place in this game the better things are going to be for you.

  • 3737

    The best thing to do is not let your anger take control of you. I have seen people succumb to

    their anger to many times and its detrimental to the overall team mentality. If you are angry, you

    have a great tool at your disposal, walk away. The good thing about playing games on a computer is

    that you can walk away from it any time you wish. I have seen clans fall apart, friendships shaken,

    normally loyal people backstab each other, and like I said if you play long enough, theres a good

    chance youll see most of these things as well. CS, like every team competition takes heart, stomach,

    and a lot of patience.

  • 3838

    Chapter IVThe 10 things a good CS player should know how to do, and how to do them.

    10. Time your opponents

    Why should I know this? Earlier I dened timing. It is a big part of the game, and once you

    have it down you will notice a skill increase.

    How to do it : Use all of your senses. Listening for you opponents peak times and footsteps can

    give you valuable information as to when hes going to peak next. If you hear an awper shoot, you

    know you have a split second to move if you need to because the awp takes a few seconds to load

    the next bullet into the chamber. All of these things will help you with your timing. You also need to

    avoid falling into your natural peaking rhythm. Stay conscious of this.

  • 3939

    9. How to throw a grenade from de_train ladder to smoke CT mid

    Why should I know this? This is a metaphor for every good grenade in the game that you are

    able to throw. If you know how to do this, you can see how you dont necessarily have to peak a

    spot in order to grenade/smoke it. Thinking in angles will help with your grenade throwing.

    How to do it : Position yourself in ladder room, and throw

    directly off the spot shown in Figure 1. As you can see, the

    smoke lands right infront of the CT z hall (aka middle). This

    is illustrated in gure 2.

    Figure 2

    Figure 3 - The black line follows the path of the smoke grenade

    Figure 1

  • 4040

    8. Quick jump through the window in B bombsite on de_dust2

    Why should I know this? Knowing the quickest way to enter a bombsite is always a good thing.

    This is one of the quickest ways to enter B.

    How to do it : Run at the window from a good distance. Before you get to the window press jump

    while holding crouch and forward. You should y through the window. Its hard to get at rst but

    timing is everything. Keep practicing.

    7. Double jump boosting (inferno window, nuke rafters, inferno roof)

    Why should I know this? Double jump boosting saves time and man power.

    How to do it : If youre the jumper, jump once while on your teammates head, and while you are at

    the very top of your jump press jump again and hold crouch + forward.

    If youre the person on the bottom, your job is to jump when the jumper is at the very top of his

    jump. At the same time he is going to jump again and hold crouch as described earlier. Timing is

    everything here as well, only way to get this down is to practice it.

    Click above to view a successful window jump into B

  • 4141

    6. Do a believable fake defuse

    Why should I know this? Everyone knows that there will come a time when you will need to do

    a good fake defuse. Fake defuses are crucial in 1v1 situations when the bomb is down and you are

    a CT. The idea is to defuse (to play the defuse sound clip) and then release the defuse on the bomb

    and wait for the T to try to kill you defusing. Overall, its pretty easy and pretty effective if done cor-

    rectly. However, there are a few crucial mistakes that people make.

    How to do it : Start by crouching at the bomb and hitting your use button. Right after you hear the

    sound, release the button and wait for the hiding T to try to kill you. Sounds easy right? Here are a

    few things you should avoid when fake defusing.

    - Making footsteps after doing a fake defuse - Making a footstep means you arent on the bomb

    anymore. The T will hear you. If this happens, start the process over again.

    - Zooming in after doing a fake defuse Zooming is as bad as a footstep.

    - Pressing the use key many times before fake defusing Normally when I hear this I know a

    fake defuse is coming. Try to stay silent up until the point of the fake defuse.

    - Trying to do a fake defuse when there clearly isnt any time Make sure the bomb isnt beep-

    ing quickly. If it is and you have a kit it is best just to stay on the defuse. The best that can hap-

    pen is the T ran away from the bomb fearing losing his gun, giving you just enough of a chance to

    defuse. Worst that can happen is you get shot or the bomb blows up, which would have happened

    anyway if you did a fake defuse.

  • 4242

    5. Fall from a good height and lose minimal health

    Why should I know this? There will be situations (especially on de_nuke) that you will need to

    fall to lower ground without losing much health at all.

    How to do it : If you have low health, rst determine with your best judgment if the jump is too far

    and will actually kill you (IE jumping off Aztec bridge to dry land). If the jump down isnt too great a

    distance, I suggest holding your crouch key while you are falling. Right before you hit the ground re-

    lease your crouch key. Test this by trying to jump from rafters to the top of hut as a CT on de_nuke.

    You should be able to fall without losing any health.

  • 4343

    4. Boost de_nuke ramp rafters quickly

    with only two people

    Why should I know this? Double boosting at ramp

    quickly gives your team the ability to cover ramp with

    only one person, freeing up the second teammate that

    normally plays that position.

    How to do it : First throw a smoke into ramp hall and

    listen for a quick rush. If there is no rush, go ahead

    and try to boost quickly. The person boosting needs to

    be on the very edge of the box while the person jump-

    ing stands on his head. The jumper is in position when

    he can hold the forward button and not move anywhere because the rafters are blocking him. When

    you are in this position, proceed to do a normal double jump and remember to hold crouch on your

    second jump. I recommend practicing this for a good 15 minutes before ever trying it in a scrim or

    match.

    Correct position for booster

    Smoke ramp hallway before boosting

  • 4444

    2. Pick out good spots on any map

    Why should I know this? One of the biggest parts of a team game is nding good positions in

    which everyone works well together.

    How to do it : First, know your type of play. If you are aggressive and like to ank, make sure you

    put yourself in a position that you will be able to capitalize on your style of play. Also, remember the

    rules of cover. Whenever you are watching a spot you need to be covered from all other areas un-

    less a teammate is actively watching that area. Make sure all choke points (pathways to the bomb-

    sites) or the bombsites themselves are covered.

    3. Quick jump into hut through window on de_nuke

    Why should I know this? It may be one of the most devastating moves if done right, but it

    doesnt come without some risk. You must know how and when to execute this jump.

    How to do it : Get above the squeaky door to upper and face the hut window. Walk off the small

    platform and continue to hold forward. As you are falling hold crouch and your body should stick into

    the window.

    1. Win 75% or more of your 1v1 situations

    Why should I know this? Perhaps the most important of all 10 things listed, winning 1v1 situa-

    tions is a big part of Counter-Strike. If you can win 1v1s consistently, you are on your way up.

    How to do it : Never be intimidated and have faith in your own abilities. Even if you are at a point

    in your career where you dont have much condence in your shot, think of it this way. There is a

    50 percent chance that youre going to win, it is either you or him. Id take 50/50 odds over 40/60

    or 30/70 any day. Just remember that no matter who you are facing, you may still have a chance to

    win. Remember everything you have read in this guide and review often and youll be on the right

    track.

  • 4545

    Chapter IV - Closing statements

    Lets do a quick review of some important things you have learned.

    Mental strength, dedication, and stomach are the three things that make-up the

    foundation to your CS career.

    Practice correctly

    Stay consistent in everything you do to achieve overall consistency

    Play often

    Dont shoot while moving

    Focus on your own individual game play

    Try not to be the hero of every round

    Learn to take and give good constructive (not destructive) criticism

    Know each map before you start to scrim it

    Most of all, have fun.

    If you can follow everything I have outlined for you in this guide, you should be able to see a

    skill increase fairly quickly. It is my hope that the actual good of this guide wont come sooner, but

    rather later as your long-term game should improve dramatically. If you have any questions you can

    nd me on IRC at #NAU or #complexity. Thanks to everyone out there that read this.

    2005 InventorSpace LLC, all rights reserved

    Any unauthorized distribution will result in legal recourse, any questions regarding this please e-mail

    [email protected]. Any companies or products mentioned in this guide are registered

    trademarks of their respective companies

  • 4646

    Index

    CT Counter-Terrorist faction

    CS Counter-Strike

    Cong - conguration le, usercong.cfg or cong.cfg

    DD Double Doors

    CAL Cyber Athlete Professional League ( www.caleague.com )

    CAL invite Highest league you can play in which consist of 20 teams, invite only. .65%

    of CAL players are currently playing here.

    CAL premier Next league under invite

    CAL main Under premier

    CAL intermediate Under main

    CAL open Entering league for teams

    FPS Acronym for First Person Shooter

    Frags Kills in game

    Ping Relative to the connection speed to the server. The lower the ping the better. Lan is played at

    about 5 ping.

    Ratio K/D Ratio

    Scrim Refers to 5v5 structured play

    Strat More commonly used name for a strategy

    T Terrorist faction

    Button 11: Button 6: Button 10: Button 24: Button 25: Button 4: Button 5: Button 15: Button 16: Button 17: Button 18: Button 19: