[BF2] Multiplex's "The Art of Movement" Guide

[Multiplex]

So yeah, I've been playing a ton of BF2 lately because of the new Infantry Only mode. Putting everyone out there on the Battlefield with absolutely ZERO vehicles separates the men from the boys! I've been asked in the last two or three weeks by at least a dozen people (usually random pubbers) what I do and why I do it.

So... I thought I'd post my first of a few guides. This one is BF2 movement and my next will probably be on shooting with the last being tactics. After I finish them all I'll put them all into one thread with a linked table of contents.

If you're a regular here and a BF2 veteran you'll probably find most of this basic or even silly but it helps me to win lots of Gold Stars on the IO server. Read it and enjoy it... but please don't bother to post your thoughts on whether BF2 should restrict or remove bunnyhopping or dolphin diving, I'm a hardcore deathmatcher from the old school of Quake etc etc so I don't care.

Also, if you don't choose to use these tactics yourself you might still find this guide helpful in combatting them. It's a moderately long guide that I put together while I was bored at work today... enjoy!

[Multiplex]

The Art of Movement
"The lost Art of making the other guy miss."

Introduction: Movement is a key element in any first person shooter. Movement will not make a bad player good but it will make a good player great. It is the difference between going 20/10 in a round and going 25/5. It is the collection of techniques to make the other guy miss, to put yourself into position for a sure kill, and of taking advantage of terrain to speed yourself across the map. The techniques listed in this guide are not exploits and are legal in all BF2 leagues. You won't find information on glitches or info on how to use speed hacks. If you are seeking that kind of info then please go else where. This guide is designed to show players how to take advantage of BF 1.4 movement techniques to live longer and get more kills. Movement techniques don't work in all or even most situations, but when you need them you will certainly be glad that you learned them.

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Jumping, Air Control, Hopping, and Strafing.

Air Control Basics: What is air control? Air control is simply the amount of control you can exert over your direction of travel while you are in the air. In BF2 you have a great deal of air control and this is what many techniques take advantage of. Air control exists in all first person shooters to some extent, it depends on what the developers allowed for when they designed the game. We're only interested in BF2 control so let's break down what you can and can't do, it is broken down into two key areas: directional keys and mouse movement.

I'll briefly mention the directional buttons (forward, backward, strafes) which have little to no impact on air control. So, if you need a lot of speed to pull off a maneuver then you'd better have it before you jump! If you are already moving in a circle, you can continue a spin by holding the appropriate strafe button and holding aim on a fixed point with your mouse. Think of it like flying a helicopter and circling a target while shoooting at it.

Mouse movement is the saving grace of BF2 air control. Where directional keys have little impact, mouse movement has nearly infinite impact on your directional of travel. If you are moving in a straight forward jump, it is possible to gently sway your direction or to whip the mouse to the side so that you practically privot in place (in mid air). Before you can do anything to fancy, I recommend that you practice exerting control over your movement in the air. The best way to see how effective air control can be is to practice jumping around a flag pole. You'll see after some practice that you can jump all the way around the pole without touching it in a single jump. This shows you how incredible powerful this tool is. Next, practice jumping around corners by making sure that you do not touch the wall, but remain close enough to it that you can make it all the way around the turn in a single jump (this is useful for avoiding claymores). Once you get a good feel for how to control your jumps... it's time to move onto specifics.

Drunken Jumper: The easiest way to perform this is to jump and to swerve with your mouse to either side. After landing, immediately jump again and swerve back the other direction. This makes a gentle but annoying "S" shaped pattern that is very difficult for enemy shooters to land a shot on. You will often hear boasts of people saying that it's easy to kill "bunny hoppers." It only easy to kill drunken jumpers if you don't get to sprint speed so don't bother if you're out of sprint. If you perform this manuever (at sprint speed) once or twice at mid range from a shooter it will make you very difficult to hit!

When this is effective: The best times to use this are at medium or short range from a shooter. It is great for when you're in the middle of reloading a weapon, using a shotgun/knife/pistol, or want to get close enough for a Mario Stomp (see below).

When this is not effective: This is not a great tactic to use when you are out of sprint (it makes you a sitting duck in mid air) or when you're at longer range. If at longer range, just conserve your endurance by performing the Drunken Driver (see below).

Mario Stomp: This is a move performed within jumping distance of an opponent who is already prone and aiming at you. If your opponent is already prone and you are not you are at serious disadvantage so it's time to even the odds quick! Jump toward the opponent and then jerk your mouse to the side and back quickly. This will send you up into the air (forcing them to track you) and then move you sideways and back towards them (forcing them to track you up, sideways both directions, and then back down). The goal is to land directly on top of them which gives you several advantages: you have the entire length of their body to shoot at, they can't easily look up to shoot back, and you can then circle strafe or circle jump to further the confusion. This move is best performed at sprint speed!

When this is effective: Whenever you have sprint and are within jumping range of the opponent. The opponent must be prone for this to really be effective although you might get mixed results while they are standing.

When this is not effective: When you're out of jump distance from your opponent.

Jumping Lunge: To perform this move jump into the air and when at the apex of your jump hit prone. This is basically a one shot dolphin dive (which is removed in 1.4) that makes you very difficult to hit. Add a mid air swerve to add to the difficulty of hitting you and if you're already near an opponent just swing yourself in a full tight circle to place yourself behind or on the opposite side of the opponent. Finish off the move with an attack with whatever weapon you have selected at the moment. This is also extremely effective with knives or when trying to revive someone while getting shot at.

When this is effective: Whenever you've got sprint and are within jumping distance of an opponent.

When this is not effective: Whenever you're out of sprint or far away from an opponent. Obviously, not being within strike range makes this a worthless maneuver.

Circle Jump: This is used for when you're already next to an opponent. By jumping and then moving your mouse quickly while in the air you rise up and can relocate yourself to any side of your opponent that you desire. Odds are that 90% of players will completely lose track of where you are giving you a free second to blast them into oblivion. Terrain and obstacles make this move even more useful. When near columns or corners use this move to quickly sling shot yourself around an obstacle to arrive on the other side faster than your opponent is expecting or to fly to safety behind a life saving wall. Ending a circle jump with a prone movement can put you behind low lying barriers or put you in position for a lunge (see above).

When this is effective: When you are already adjacent to your intended opponent or near a bullet absorbing barrier!

When this is not effective: When you aren't next to your opponent (see other methods for safely getting close).

Circle Strafe: This is an oldie but a goody, a real FPS staple. When you're near an opponent strafe in a tight circle around them, keeping your aim centered on them. Shoot with whatever you've got selected and blast them while they try to desperately hit you back. If they remain stationary then you're very likely to win. To mix it up try changing directions a few times while you're rotating.

When this is effective: When you're adjacent to an opponent.

When this is not effective: When you're not right next to an opponent (duh).

[Multiplex]

Traveling, Short Cuts, and Other Neat Stuff

Dropping a Kit For Yourself: When you're trying to throw a medkit or resupply bag to yourself in combat don't just standing their waiting for pick up delay to expire! To make this an effective move in combat, throw the bag as far away from you as you can by aiming up at an angle. Now, veer to the left/right while switching back to your primary weapon (you're goal is still to kill other people). While veering aside, add in a pulse of sprint or if sprinting lay off for a second before speeding back up. Adding random patterns to your movement is the name of the game, after you move forward to come on line with the pack you just threw strafe, jump, or turn to pick it up while blasting away at your opponent. All this stuff may seem dumb at first glance but then you realize you need to buy time by becoming harder to hit while you switch weapons, drop the pack, and then get back to a fighting stance in front of an enemy.

Grinding: You know those standard BF2 staircases that litter every BF2 map in existance? Yeah, the fairly steep concrete ones that have a railing on them; that's the one. If you're at the top and jump onto the rail you can slide down at pretty fast speeds with a little practice and good timing. To execute this move just jump up and land on the railing where it begins to slope down, the moment that you hit rail hit sprint quickly and repeatedly while aiming yourself down the rail. When timed just right, this propels you down the rail and quick pace, I haven't timed it but I'm convinced it's faster than sprinting down the stairs normally.

Slip'n'Slide: There are alot of maps in BF2 that have sloping mountain sides or gullies. A perfect example of this is the ditch between the Hotel and Mosque in Mashtuur. To pull this move off sprint towards and then jump before you get to the slope, try to land a stride or so down the slope (don't land at the top if possible) and hit prone at the split second that you hit the slope. If you execute this properly you'll rapidly slide down the slope and you won't take any damage to boot. This is much faster than actually running down the slope as it is some kind of strange controlled fall.

Drunken Driver: Very simply, while sprinting or moving normally, pull the mouse back and forth constantly. This creates a gentle motion that causes you to swerve back and forth while heading in direction of possible snipers or other threats. It makes you much more difficult to head shot when you consider that you'd normally just be running in a straight line allowing them sight you in. This will increase the time it takes to get to your target but if you're set on staying alive long enough to get your squad to a deep capture point (think infantry only Jalalabad) then it's often time well spent.

Squad Leader Burst: When you begin a map that requires a long run (Jalalabad, Karkand Suburb runs) let your squad leader spawn first and expend all his sprint. Once he calls over VOIP that his sprint is out then spawn in and outdistance him. This puts guns on the target sooner and puts the squad leader in the much safer rear of the formation. Don't use this if you've got a slow loading squad leader!

Snow Boarding: You know those hillsides that are really just too steep to get down without losing a few bars of health? Get to your target at full health and still navigate those steep slopes by snow boarding. To do this, as you approach the slope angle yourself not down hill directly but at an angle. The steeper the slope the farther off the downhill line you should be angled. Change directions back and forth creating a saw toothed pattern just like a snowboarder would do. For best results you've really just gotta test out which slopes this works on and which it doesn't.

[[W33T] JimmytehHand8]

This thread is full of win, plus rep when I can :thumbsup:

[Bonez]

going to do the non-deathmatch movement guide ?

like corners, angles, alleys, vantage.

[Multiplex]

I'd love to Bonez...

Immediately though I'm going to focus on a 1v1 guide for winning the open field face off that BF2 breaks down to very often... and then do a general tactics guide followed by a map specific guide for each common map.

How much I actually end up doing depends on how much feedback and the nature of that feedback. If people seem genuinely interested then I'll continue contributing to the community.

Thanks for the responses.

[KAstickboy]

Squad Leader Burst: When you begin a map that requires a long run (Jalalabad, Karkand Suburb runs) let your squad leader spawn first and expend all his sprint. Once he calls over VOIP that his sprint is out then spawn in and outdistance him. This puts guns on the target sooner and puts the squad leader in the much safer rear of the formation. Don't use this if you've got a slow loading squad leader!

Wow, that sounds awefully familiar! :slap:

KA

[Multiplex]

EDIT: Actually, I'm just curious to know if you think you came up with that tactic or if you're just giving me a hard time.

[juuh77]

i have been doin that tactic for along time now. since befor IO came out. though this guide is good stuff. you need to sticky it to our website aswell.

[Noetic]

Thanks for all the great info, i need all the help i can get! I really need that Shooting Guide:thumbsup: . +Rep when possible.

[Epope]

This is really awesome! Thanks for taking the time to type a guide like this out. As a newb to BF2 and someone who hasn't FPSed in a long time, this is REALLY REALLY going to be invaluable to me. Circle Strafe is currently the only technique I am familiar with currently. I have a lot of practicing to do!!

[deRougemont]

Cool beans Plex, no wonder you've been stealing all my medals. Little did I know I was runnin n gunnin with Bf2's Manstein...Ausgezeichnet!!!

:yaya:

[Multiplex]

Starting work on the next part of this guide, "Killing Them Before They Kill You"

I should be finished with it some time this evening.

[skyazen]

Excellent guide Multiplex. Maybe post a video? :D

[Multiplex]

I need to figure out a way to get my computer to accept BF2 and Fraps running at the same time! :)

I'm going to play around with some graphic settings this week to see if I can coax into running in a playable state while capturing video.

[skyazen]

sounds good :)

[Multiplex]

Cross linking the guides RQ:

"Deathmatching and You" Guide (http://www.warishellgaming.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13650)

[kippendrecht]

multiplex, you mind if I borrow your guides and post them in my army's forums over at BF2Combat? I will take no credit for it, I will say that multiplex made it :thumbsup:

[Multiplex]

I would prefer that you just link them if at all possible. This also ensures that credit is given to WiH for hosting the guides on their forums. :D

Thanks for the interest btw.

[kippendrecht]

Multiplex, the [29R] would like to thank you for making this guide. :thumbsup:

I posted a link in out forums and we tested it out against each other and is was the most fun thing I've aver seen. 14 guys fighting against eachother while doing all the tricks you listed in the guide. it was bunnyhopping heaven :thumbsup:

we found out that jumping, sweep the mouse to the side, hit prone, and then sweep the mouse back while and ending it with a roll on the landing is very effective against the average pub player.

only bad thing is that scalez was still able to headshot us when we tried the moves out on him (he always gets headshots, and he's no hacker)