Anyone have any multiplayer tutorials? I like it but I could use some tips. I went 7-1 in my first deathmatch but I suck in the other game modes.
Deathmatch is my favorite game mode, so don't feel bad if you don't want to play any other mode. Deathmatch is great, especially for the sleuthy player.
This post got longer than I expected, but it's for anyone who wants to get better at the game. The best tip I can give new players is to learn how to play defensively before you learn how to play offensively. You probably won't win very many games while you're getting the hang of defense, but it will make you a more well-rounded player. The reason why I think defensive play is so important is because a lot of the time, for me, half of my points in a match will come from defensive play; I frequently get more stuns than kills because I have 1 - 3 pursuers and only one target. Getting 650 point stuns makes defense totally worth it. Obviously you'll still be getting kills while learning defense, but you should be focusing more on who's trying to kill you than who's your target.
First off, if you haven't played the tutorials already, you should do so before continuing. I'm not going to explain the whispers or the Incognito Meter* or other basic things like that. (*I know it's called the Approach Meter, but I call it the Incognito Meter because that's what you should going for every time.)
Ok, so playing Defensively:
- How do I spot my pursuer?" Da red arrow duh. No seriously, the number one thing is learning how to spot other players. It's actually really easy to figure who's an AI and who isn't when you know what to look for. The AI will usually have smooth walking patterns that follow a path, and the human players will have jerky walking patterns (you'll commonly see their character shaking back and forth a little bit). Human players usually walk straight at their target, cut corners, walk in areas that AI never go in (chase breakers and haystacks obviously, but there are countless other areas that AI never touch which you will memorize over time; for example, anyone playing in the fountain on Rome is a meatbag). Looking for all these subtleties is made infinitely easier in Deathmatch because there are no lookalikes unless a player is using Morph or Blender. However, knowing how to spot players is extremely important for every other game mode because there are countless lookalikes all over the map. When starting off, I recommend blending in groups that are stationary because it is easier to observe the area.
- How do I use the B button?" You keep asking stupid questions, but I'll humor you. Once you know how to spot players, that's when you can apply your defensive abilities to embarrass your pursuer. The number one rule to stunning is kind of a shitty one: mash B, a lot. If someone who is clearly a human is walking at you, mash B -- if they're your pursuer, you will at least contest their kill, which means points for you. I am an aggressive-defensive player. What I mean by that is if I spot my pursuer, I am not afraid of walking directly at him, Muting him, and then stunning him. That allows me to focus 100% of my attention on my target; I don't need to wait for him to come to me. Sometimes, if my abilities are still reloading, I'll even run up behind my pursuer if he hasn't found me yet and stun him. Say you see someone suspicious who's walking at you but you're not sure if they're actually your pursuer or not, a good tactic to "test" them is to walk at a perpendicular angle to them to see if they follow you. If so, the answer is clear: mash B.
- "What abilities/perks should I use?" For defensive abilities, I recommend: Mute, Disguise, Bodyguard, Decoy. For perks: Blender, Overall Cooldowns.
- "Mute over Smoke Bomb?" I don't use Smoke Bomb because Mute is instant and has a wider range, but you'll see a lot of the better players using the smoke bomb. Mute is awesome because it can be used both defensively and offensively (this also applies to smoke bomb). Use it defensively to stop your pursuer from killing you and getting the easy stun. Use it offensively when you've built up your Incognito Meter and you want to stop your target from contesting your kill.
- "Why don't you use Morph?" I do, but only in Manhunt (the team based mode). The reason why I don't use Morph is because you are way more obvious when you're walking around with a gang of lookalikes. Blender is all you really need -- it's like an automatic mini-morph with no cooldown -- plus one lookalike is way more subtle.
- "Dat Disguise." When you know your pursuer is following you, break his line of sight by walking around a corner, disguise, u-turn, stun that bitch. He won't see it coming. Feels good man. Also very useful for killing your target; you get an automatic Hidden bonus without having to be blended in a group.
- "Bodyguard is kind of unreliable." Yes it is, but I prefer it to Decoy because it PUNCHES YOUR PURSUER IN THE FACE. It sucks when your bodyguard dances around and lets your pursuer kill you, but it does the work for you and your pursuer will usually be dumb enough to give you a Lure bonus. If he isn't and stuns your bodyguard instead, you can step up on that bitch and punch him yourself. It also has a really fast cooldown as far as abilities go. Basically it's a great tool to have when Mute is reloading.
- You didn't even mention Poison." Nope. I play like the type of player that would use poison, but I don't use poison. It's extremely situational, it has a really long reload, it can only be used offensively, and I don't think 300 points is a big enough bonus to convert me. If you're a new player, don't ever touch this. There are much better things you should be using. I have seen "the pros" combine Poison with the x2 Death Streak and a Smoke Bomb to get 2000+ point kills. That seems not worth the time.
- "Do you ever run away?" Nah, I ain't no pussy. Even when both my abilities are reloading and it "makes sense" to run away to stay alive, I stand my ground. In this situation, I may walk away from my pursuer, get around a corner and wait for him while mashing B. He usually won't expect me to be waiting for him and I'll get the stun. This doesn't always work, but it's worth a try.
Ok, so now that you know how to do that shit, this is how you do this shit. Offense:
- "I'm not patient." Be patient. If you can't play patiently, then you'll be running around on rooftops and rushing your kills, and I don't want to play against you; you should find a different game to play. Playing patiently means blending in groups and waiting for an opportunity to kill your target. If another player kills your target, don't worry about it -- that will happen a lot. You can't be in the right place at the right time all the time. It will be heartbreaking when you're blended in a group, have your Incognito meter full, and your target is walking right at you. What could go wrong? Another player kills your target is what could go wrong. That shit sucks, but it happens. Wait for the next opportunity.
- "My K/D ratio sucks." It doesn't matter in this game. Quality over quantity, my friend. The key to victory is your Average Kill Score. If your AKS is over 400 in your statistics page, you don't need any tips from me. The two bonuses that you should be deliberately going for every time are Incognito and Hidden Kill. That's +350 and +300 respectively. Those are two of the biggest bonuses you can get and the best way to earn a lot of points in a match. Pretty much every other bonus will happen contingently.
- "The Incognitometer." That's right, it's pronounced like "thermometer". Filling this bad boy up can be kind of difficult for a number of reasons. Obviously the best way is to be blended, but you can't always get your kills from a blended spot. A common problem is you'll walk around a corner and your target will be a few meters away, facing you, and your meter still says Discreet. You can either get the quick kill and move on, or you can go for the 350. What I'll do is u-turn and walk in front of my target so that my back is to him (my camera is still looking at him though). By this point he'll know your another player but he probably won't know you're after him. Once your meter says INCOGNITO, BABY, let him catch up to you and then press EXECUTE. This is a similar tactic to what I'm going to talk about next.
- "Walking like a boss." Learning how to walk like a robit not only keeps you alive but significantly decreases your chances of your target contesting your kill. You never want your target to know you're going to kill him until after you're killing him. Walking like a robot better ensures this. For example, you and your target are walking at each other down a straight pathway. The dumb player will give his identity away by bee-lining it straight for his target while fast-walking; the target sees this and contests the kill. The smart player walks along the same path the AI follows, while not fast-walking, while keeping his distance from the target -- if his incognitometer is full, he EXECUTES when in range. If it's not full, he may u-turn after passing the target so that he's following behind the target, then EXECUTES when the meter is full. This works really well when your target does not know you're another player.
- "Why don't you go for the focus bonus?" Because it's too difficult. The range at which you need to be from your target in order to get the focus bonus is the same range at which a giant B appears above your head for your target. Most players with eyeballs will press the B button long before your focus meter is full. The only time this is worth going for is when your target is stunned on the ground.
- "So what abilities should I be using?" I never have more than one offensive perk in an ability set, and the offensive perk I usually have can also be used defensively. I like Throwing Knives a lot, but Hidden Gun has its use. Both of these are for the roofies running around above you. You should only ever use the Hidden Gun when your target is camping the rooftops. I cannot tell you how embarrassed I feel for the people that sit on a little perch at the top of a building and shoot people with the Hidden Gun. "I'ma Sniper." Haha, no you're not. Throwing Knives are way more versatile. Use them on people who are climbing walls and people who are sitting on perches or the ropes that hang between rooftops. Use them to slow down a fast-walking target. Use them on your pursuer; the knives will stun someone for the first second of their effect, so if you're quick you can stun them before they can kill you.
My most used ability set includes Mute, Throwing Knives, Blender, and Overall Cooldowns with Silent Kills Streak +250 and Boost Cooldowns as my streak bonuses. Having two abilities that I can use both offensively and defensively is extremely useful; this class allows me to play sleuthy or aggressively, which makes it a very versatile set.
Hopefully this turns any new players into gentlemen instead of more stupids running around on the rooftops -- they really are missing the point. Playing sleuthy is a lot harder because it requires you to outwit your opponent, but that's what makes it so rewarding. It's the best part about this game. It's like chess, man,
except with knives...
