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Metagame 101 - Welcome to Black Ops
Hello, and welcome to the first issue of Metagame 101 since the release of Black Ops!
There's been a 2 week hiatus since the last entry in the series to give people time to adjust to the game and for me to figure out how to approach this game in general.
If you're just joining us, this is a series dedicated to making you a better gamer at the Call of Duty series, now focused on Black Ops! I'll be taking you through all of the different elements the "pro" players use to frag you so that you don't get your ass handed back to you on a silver platter after a match. This article builds on the previous entries of the series, so I'll be using terms you may not be familiar with if you haven't read the past installments. So if you're ready... let's begin!
Starting out in Black Ops
Alright, let's get the basics out of the way so we don't all start off on the wrong foot: This game is NOT Modern Warfare 2; and I want you all to repeat this to yourselves over and over until you understand it. There's been a lot of complaints being thrown around about how "bad" this game is because of certain things being very much different than they've seen in its predecessors. The truth of the matter is that it's a very good game; just not Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty 4, or World At War. Let's analyze this for a second...
* Black Ops has a higher health/lower damage system that means you need to be more precise with your shots. This doesn't necessarily mean you need to shoot them more than you do in other Call of Duty games, it just means you need to aim better to secure your kill. I'll cover this more in depth later.
* For your first 20-30 ranks in the game, you'll think all of the guns suck. Don't worry this is a common mindset when coming from Modern Warfare 2, especially if it was your first or favorite Call of Duty. The muzzle climb (recoil) will take some adjusting to how you might have played, but it makes for a more skillful game - a VERY good thing. Each gun has its own feel and a specific muzzle climb pattern which you'll need to find the best for you, just spend some time with the guns and see what works best for your play style.
* These maps are a lot smaller and have a lot more elements in them than you've seen in prior Call of Duty games, meaning a lot of cover-based game play and strategic advancing on the battlefield. Always, always, always use your cover when moving through the maps. If you leave yourself open for too long, you're bound to die. Again, this isn't mindless-rushing MW2 so don't treat it like such.
* Keeping your health full is extremely important in this game as 2v1 situations are a lot harder to overcome when both players are looking at you (this is similar to Halo's game play). If you find yourself damaged after a battle, find cover or a path away from combat to regain your composure and RESET just like we discussed in the past articles.
* Do NOT sit in a corner/room for too long. Unlike MW2 where it was difficult to overcome camping, this game isn't so forgiving. Camping will more often than not get you killed by a player who can utilize all the equipment, grenades, and tactical grenades efficiently and at the drop of a dime. Get your kills, then re-position yourself somewhere closer or further from the enemy while getting aid from your team.
* This is more of a team game. Assists are highly common in this game and they are also ENCOURAGED. With the scaling assist point system they have in place, they are attempting to have players help their teammates with kills rather than have a player focus on individual advantages. Traveling in pairs is encouraged and will often give you better advantages over the enemy. Learning this will make you a much better player. Call out enemy locations, where you're advancing or covering, and be prepared to help out your teammate when needed.
* Killstreaks are helpful, but know where and when to use them. Where MW2 was focused on the individual's killstreaks to help himself out, the killstreaks in this game are focused on benefits to help the team out (with a couple exceptions of course). When you gain a killstreak, you don't have to use them immediately and it's important you use them when your teammates call for them, rather than whenever is convenient for you. Be mindful of this and you'll set yourself up for a more advantageous situation on the field.
There's more differences in terms of balance and changes made to the game, but this should cover the most obvious aspects of why people need to stop trying to compare and play the game like MW2 or any other Call of Duty for that matter. We've entered a new era for the series and it's a very hopeful future.
My Verdict
This game is by far the most balanced and well thought out Call of Duty to date. Treyarch did an amazing job working out most of the kinks to the potential metagame and created a rich experience that I'm sure we'll be developing metagame to for the next year or so. There's a few complaints I have about the game, but nothing to overshadow how complete this game feels when playing it. I dare say that this game has the potential to rival Counter-Strike in terms of competition if the few issues are tweaked/fixed. However, this isn't why you're reading the article, so now time to get back on track into the actual metagame discussion.
Breaking Down the Metagame
Alrighty, I provided commentary in the video, but I'll go through some of the main points in the video I didn't cover and explain how I do things. On this class I was running:
Commando w/ Red Dot Sight
M72 LAW
Frag
Concussion Grenades
Claymore
Flak Jacket
Hardened
Tactical Mask
The Commando is a decent gun, but I've found it to be very "hit or miss" in terms of how well it does - a lot of this most likely being due to connection issues. The way this game and its connection seems to work is the higher rate of fire (ROF) weapons waste bullets since bullets will "disappear" as if the game doesn't register them. Low ROF weapons tend to not get the job done as quickly, so you need to find a weapon somewhere in the middle. For this round, the Commando was working well, so I stuck with it, otherwise I would have switched to the AUG or Galil.
On a map like Summit, the center building (Building 2) is a very traffic-heavy area of the map that should only be approached when expecting combat. When doing your traveling, it's very important that you utilize the edge paths on the map and weave your way through the smaller buildings when attempting to confuse or mislead the enemy. The upstairs is the center piece of this combat and you can flank the enemy through multiple paths into that building, including climbing the crates through the downstairs doorway (which I did in this video). When you gain control of building 2's upstairs room, try not to hold it for too long as the enemy will start expecting you to be there and change their game to screw your team up. It's better if you push towards their spawn afterward and restart the process.
If you notice, after a battle I will pull off to the side to reset; reloading my weapon and checking out teammate movement/positions on the map. It's really important that you do this after a battle because map flow is what makes or breaks you as a player. Reading the flow gives you so much leverage over the enemy team I can't even begin to describe it. After playing the map several times, you'll be able to quickly look at your mini-map and guess exactly where your teammates will be, giving you a great idea where the enemy will be coming from and what routes you can expect to run into them.
You'll also notice that I don't get into firefights every second I possibly can. I avoid the hot-spots on the map and travel low-key until I can catch the enemy off guard. I know for many people this can be a challenge because if they see a battle, they'll want to be in it at all times. Trust me, I know it's tough, but try to resist the urge and take your time - playing methodically in this game in the sense that you don't take unnecessary risks and think about your movements/shots will earn you the most kills and the lowest amount of deaths.
When you push your way to a side of the map, make sure you infiltrate the "respawn zone" before heading back the opposite direction. This will ensure the zones are reset so you don't have enemies spawning on or near you. This may be tough to do when under pressure, but after a firefight, try your best to get as far into the zone as possible so you don't have any surprises. You'll see me doing this in the video and it saves your life.
When you obtain your killstreaks, don't call them in immediately if you're in a position where enemies are close by. Even if it's not a killstreak where you leave your body, it's dangerous and can potentially stop you from obtaining your higher killstreaks. Patience is a virtue here.
If you ever see a teammate on Last Stand (Second Chance), do NOT revive him until the area is clear. Let me clarify this - I do my best to drop what I'm doing and save a teammate who has been downed as much as possible, but it's never a good idea to rush in and save them when you might potentially be giving the enemy 2 kills instead of 1. Once you're sure the area is clear, revive them and move away from the area as quick as possible. There were a few times during this match where I stopped my route and went to revive the teammate, only to find the area wasn't secure. Ultimately he wasn't revived because of it, but it prevented the enemy from gaining an extra kill for free.
Pre-aiming is big in this game (as in most games) since it will allow you to kill an enemy faster than normal without you taking as much damage. I use it many times throughout this video, and you'll see that whenever I turn corners, I'm always aiming in the general position enemies will be. It's important you do this so you don't end up surprised and with a bad shot on the enemy when you meet up with them.
When I pulled out the M72 LAW, I had the option of reloading my Commando instead since I had time. However, there were 2 enemies headed in the direction of the staircase which posed a problem. If I used my Commando, it would be a 2v1 situation with little room for error in order to succeed, but with the LAW I could just blow them both up if they traveled at the same time. You'll find yourself in similar situations where choices need to be made, and made split second. You won't always succeed, but if you see what you did wrong and try to fix it in the future, then you're on the right path.
So that shall conclude the metagame article for this week! I hope you took something away from this article from the many things I've talked about. I'll be back next week with some more metagame videos and an article. Next week, due to suggestion I'll be covering the dive mechanic in the game and how it should and shouldn't be used.
Until next time,
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