A dice with two sides

Alright, with almost all the weapons covered and my computer destroyed so I can't experiment any further, I'm going to move on with another player type- one that we all hate for the instant shock they gave us whenever we turn a corner. Yes, I'm going to talk about Shotgunners today. I'm going to teach you how to turn their own blasters against them. Although somewhat rare in Counterstrike, they still presented a great risk, especially in tight areas, and as they are rare, few people specialize in dealing with them. To face one head-on, especially one with high-end accuracy, would be a gamble, like rolling a dice with only two sides, one representing life and the other death.

Regrettably, as my computer has broken down, crippling me to the point of inactivity, I'm not able to take a good photo of a Shotgunner. But I'm sure it would be easy to envision one. Just put the shotgun image I have in the guns menu in the hands of a player model and there you have it.

So, the first thing I'm going to touch on would be the general behavior of these shockers first. First, their weapon preference is pretty straightforward and predictable. Most would go for the m3 Super 90, a pump action shotgun, because:

1) It has higher firepower. A point-blank shot could do 90+ damage to an armored target if it is aimed at the chest. Any pellet that hits the head would guarantee a one-shot kill.

2) It is highly effective against unarmored targets. Even a medium-range blast could kill an unarmored target.

3) It is very easy to direct and aim. With the low rate of fire due to the pumping action required, the recoil would not affect the accuracy of each shot at all.

4) And lastly, the m3 Super 90 has arguably the most consistent accuracy in the world of CSS. No matter what you do, be it jumping or running, the pellets would still go in the general direction of where you're pointing your gun at. The only thing deciding whether the victim lives or die is the accuracy of the shotgunner.

Shotgunners are very unpredictable, depending on the accuracy of the user. If they are inaccurate and unsteady, then even at close range they are not much of a threat. But before you know it, you would be dead the second you meet one. Below this paragraph is the knowledge you need to increase your chances in the edge of chaos, so that you won't lose a $5000 machine gun just because a guy with a $1700 shotgun decided to meet you for a duel.

Offensive Shotgunners

Anyone who is offensive would not be keen to stay put and wait for their prey to come into their hunting zone. They seek what they want. But as a result, they may get more than what they bargained for- provided that you know what you're doing.

The shotgun is a weapon designed for short-range combat, and is less effective at range. Use this to your advantage. Do not fight them in a tight area, or a narrow alley. Strike when you're far out in the open. The spread of their shotgun pellets would also mean less damage done to you. Crouch to reduce your chances of getting hit. For as long as you are holding a rifle, sniper rifle or machine gun, it would end quickly. But if you are holding an SMG or only a pistol, the Shotgunner would escape. Anyone with a lump of brain would know that you'll be in a major disadvantage if your gun doesn't shoot straight at far range. If possible, seek cover, as it decreases your chance of getting hit more so than against other forms of firearms.

Sometimes, during an event of a long-range skirmish, a shotgunner would switch to his sidearm, which would increase the risk of death in your part. Respond by moving instead of lying prone on the ground, as stay immobile would render you vulnerable to pistol bullets, which are straight to the point, sometimes with the end point at your forehead.

Defensive Shotgunners

Defensive Shotgunners are much more trickier to dispose of, as their barricaded position would mean that they are harder to kill. But fear not, for their weapon is also infamous for their slow rate of fire. The mathematics would be simple- less shells discharged = less chance of successful hits. Combine this with a flashbang and it would almost be impossible for them to hit you.

The main idea is to blind them, then come from the area they are guarding, but you must make doubly sure that your flashbang got them. They could be hiding behind a crate or wall, and this would mean a flashbang would have no effect, so you must exercise caution. Throw in a second one behind their cover if you know your first one missed.

Alternatively, you could take alternative routes, places where there are more cover for you to hide behind. Shotgun pellets cannot penetrate walls and objects. Use this to your advantage. Also, if there are any doors or entry points far from their hiding spot, take it- as it would render their shotgun less effective. Note however, that you must get behind cover quickly after entering their hunting zone before they switch to their pistol and take you out.

Common Tactics

So in other words, you need to exploit the many weaknesses of their weapon. As the shotgun is not known for their versatility, it would be difficult for them to react to a battle with no advantages to their side. Below are some tactics to scrape off both the offensive and defensive Shotgunners off your boots:

1) Use flashbangs at tight areas. As the shotgun has a slow rate of fire, their chances of hitting you while blind would decrease, and your chances of success would increase by a skyscraper.

2) If it is possible, engage them from behind cover- Shotgun pellets cannot penetrate objects and walls, so your chances of getting hit would be minimized greatly. The main reason is to take advantage of the spread of their pellets. If you combine this tactic with engaging them from afar, you would be almost invincible against a shotgunner.

3) If you have no choice but to engage one at near-range open combat, fire at full automatic to dish out as much damage as possible to decrease his chance for a second shot. Any one successful shotgun blast would either decrease your lifespan by almost a lifetime, or kill you.

The One

Damn, sorry guys for the late entry. My computer monitor broke down, and I can't work without looking. But, here it is, so enjoy.

Today, I will review to you the secrets of my knowledge, of the final type of assault rifle I use. From this article, I hope that you could catch the essence of what I pass on. Today, I shall unveil the M4A1 Carbine, one of the three deadly rifles (The other two are the AK47 and the AWP rifles). To master the M4A1 Carbine would make you highly versatile, as the weapon itself is versatile, at least more so than most of the other rival rifles. The gun has a rough balance of each factor, making it all around useful, at point blank to far range. A standard issue of the gun should look something like this, something of a modern design:



Finally adopted in the 90s as a standard replacement of the US army for the M16 family, the M4A1 is a devastating weapon designed to pierce body armor from afar, while at the same time, designed to be light and automatic like its predecessor. These characteristics are reflected in the streets of counter-strike, all broken down below for you to read at your pleasure... and learn its secret. Read on, if you want to succeed.

Firepower: Designed to penetrate armor, the M4A1 has a significant damage range from around 23-28, though its firepower is nothing compared to its Terrorist counterpart, the AK47, which could do up to 30+ damage per bullet. As a result, about 4 to 5 bullets from the gun would have been enough. Due to its damage range, it was never uncommon for players to survive after a heated firefight with an M4A1 wielding foe with less than 8 hitpoints, leaving them highly vulnerable, even to a shot from a syringe. However, due to the damage level, the M4A1 would not be able to kill with a single shot to the head, but would drastically shorten the lifespan of the guy below the barrel, again leaving him vulnerable to any form of weaponry. The damage range, from my experience, and the experience of many other players, would be reduced if you put on a silencer with the right mouse button.

Accuracy: Making up for its second-place firepower relative to the AK47, the M4A1 is much more accurate than the AK47, in any mode due to its reduced recoil. However, at far range, you should still fire in singles or doubles. For point-blank to medium-far range, feel free to fire in any mode save for automatic at the longer ranges. From my experience, putting on the silencer would reduce the accuracy, making sure that you fire from one to three bullets at far and very far ranges, and reducing the accuracy of your extended bursts somewhat.

Range: Due to its overall great accuracy, the M4A1 is fit at any range. Nothing much could be said, just make sure, however, not to go against a sniper in the open with this gun. A sniper rifle is better in accuracy, but also dependent on the user. To pin a sniper down, make sure to find a cover for yourself.

Clip Size: A standard black banana magazine includes 30 stinging 5.56mm bullets. Take care not to fire in auto mode for too many times. Restrict yourself to 8-10 bullets per nearby opponent, do not empty your gun on just one foe, as others may come by to pick on you at your most vulnerable time.

Ammo Pool: In your belt, you could fit 90 additional 5.56mm bullets, which should last you more than a round. However, much less than the bullets that fed the AK47. Due to the nature of the gun, players using this weapon would be prone to consuming bullets faster than those with the AK47 (The wooden gun is the slowest rifle in terms of rate of fire).

Rate of Fire: The rate of fire for the Carbine is second worst in the rifles section, in between the AK47 and the Steyr Aug. However, this small difference is enough to coax players into wasting away more ammo. Do not victimize yourself, train hard to save ammo.

Reload Time: As compared to the AK-47, its arch-nemesis, the M4A1 carbine reloads slower, perhaps around 0.5-0.8 seconds slower, which is enough for around 2-3 bullets to be shot at you, depending on the weapon your enemy is carrying. So, never reload out in the perilous open unless you have a very secure hole to hide inside.

Cost: The price of the M4A1 is hefty, costing at $3100, making it one of the more expensive assault rifles. However, it is somewhat cost effective, as the M4A1 is highly versatile, with a somewhat higher rate of fire, considerable damage, good accuracy. With, of course, a silencer thrown in for more tactical options. Though, if compared to the scoped assault rifles, the M4A1 would be cheaper.

Weight: I'm sure you would be interested in this one. The M4A1 is the second lightest rifle there is (The lightest gun would be the SG-552 Commando, not to be confused with the automatic sniper rifle), which is a feature that could be added to the list of factors contributing to cost-effectiveness. Its light weight would translate to faster speed, and is apparent when you compare your speed to when you carry an IMI Galil or AK47.

The M4A1, after my analysis of it, is highly versatile, with weaknesses that are not that hideous at all, which is, the rate of fire, and reload speed. It does considerable damage, is accurate, has a stealth-worthy feature (Silencer), is light, and has standard ammunition capacity. I would recommend this destructo-cannon to anyone. Attached below is a summary of the tactics that you would want to employ when you are deployed with this rifle:

1) At far range, feel free to fire in singles up to 2 bullets.

2) At medium-far range, feel free to fire up to 3-4 bullets at a target.

3) At medium range, I would recommend a burst of 5 bullets or slightly more to kill your opponent quickly.

4) Then, any nearer than medium range, feel free to unload 8-10 bullets per enemy. Do not fire in full automatic and waste away your ammo, especially when several fiends are converging upon you. You won't have the time to reload.

5) If you prefer a more shadowy approach, you could put on a silencer, which will muffle any sound and eliminate gun-blaze, making you much harder to detect. You could easily assassinate anyone who isn't looking. But if you do this, you would be sacrificing some accuracy and firepower. Make a wise choice. It is useless to accessorize your gun with the Silencer in the face of the enemy.

6) As the gun reloads slow, try not to reload out in the open. Switching to a pistol helps very little, as it reduces your rate of fire immensely, and your firepower (but this can be avoided with the Desert Eagle, in return of giving the devil some of your rate of fire).

Accurate? Killer number 47

Pistols, SMGs, Shotguns... finished. The only two catergories left are Rifles and Sniper Rifles- I don't use Machine-guns. I would be shooting myself in the foot if I were to lug around one of those. But rifles? If you look at them, they are not as heavy, and neither do they lack in firepower, rate of fire whatsoever. Well, today I'm going to present to you a gun made for the 50s and 60s, yet still dots the globe in usage and... headshots. I'm sure I need not mention the name, the looks of it should set off the sparks in your mind, and your interest:




The brainchild of Kalashnikov, the brain-killer of thousands- Ak-47. In the world of Counter-strike, this piece of wood and metal is no different. I'm sure many of you are pretty much well acquainted with this rifle, both behind and in front of the elaborate barrel. But for the benefit of the new and naive, and the benefit of those who are perhaps still mystified by its power, I won't leave this out of this blog. To learn the secrets of this gun, and some weaknesses that you could take advantage of, read on...

Firepower: Despite where its age might be shooting at, the AK-47 has perhaps the highest firepower among the rifles. Through personal experience and field observation, I have seen a bullet from this gun do 20+ to 30+ damage- which means 3-4 bullets to the chest for a kill, as opposed to the normal 4-5 bullet kill of other rifles. But what made the gun popular was its ability to silence people with a single bullet in the skull. The damage level is high enough to be multiplied into a sure-kill single bullet to the head, with or without helmet. Anyone could fall prey to the lucky bullet, from downright raw recruits all the way to international experts.

Accuracy: Due to the outrageous recoil (as compared to other rifles), the accuracy of this gun would diminish rapidly with every bullet after the first 2 or 3 bullets fired, making it useless at medium to infinite range. But that disadvantage could easily be eliminated by firing in singles or triples with rests in between. While doing so, the bullets you fire would pretty much obey your sights. However, at point-blank range to medium range, you could circumvent the inaccuracy by pointing the gun below the chest, ensuring that the stray bullets from your guns would put holes in your opponent's torso and face.

Range: The range varies with how you use it. If you fire in bursts of 1 or 2 bullets, it would easily be possible to snipe out a victim at far range. But if you were to fire 3 to 5 bullets in one go, expect no results unless the the enemy is at medium. At full automatic, expect absolutely no results unless the enemy is very close to you.

Clip Size: A standard banana magazine for the AK47 would hold 30 7.62mm bullets, which would be enough to hold off an enemy charge. Try to restrict your consumption whenever you suspect an enemy plot to swarm you. As long as you fire in automatic mode in a desperate attempt to save yourself from the guy below, you would unknowingly run out of ammunition. Perhaps 6-10 bullets per nearby enemy would do fine. Retreat when you really run out of ammo. Repeat if you think you're capable and healthy enough.

Ammo Pool: You would be able to carry another 90 bullets in your pocket. More than enough to last you through a match, even a long skirmish between 20 CTs and 20 Terrorists.

Rate of Fire: The AK-47 has a relatively low rate of fire, lower than all the other rifles. This could actually be used to your advantage. The slower rate of fire means you could control better how many bullets you want to fire. Control is part of the formula to victory. But, the low rate of fire could also mean a slight disadvantage at close range whenever you want to go auto, against other rifles, as the other rifles could fire faster, especially the FAMAS, which has a dangerously high rate of fire of almost double of the AK-47.

Reload Time: Another happy feature of the AK-47 is its ability to reload fast, much faster than any other rifle as no bolts or levers would need to be pulled or pressed, pushed whatsoever. This would mean a better chance against being swarmed, as faster reload means better reaction whenever you're out of bullets. But as always, never try to reload under fire without cover.

Cost: Reputable partially due to its cheap price at $2500 (The M4A1 costs $3100 while the Steyr Aug is $3500), the AK-47 is easily affordable, and highly cost effective in terms of firepower. The cut in the price is due to the recoil perhaps.

Weight: However, the heavy nature of the gun could be a problem, as it weighs more than any other rifle, which would automatically translate to slow movement. This may make you easier to hit, so do not let your enemies catch you in the open. Jump behind a crate or a wall if you can, otherwise, stay behind to reduce your chances of getting hit.

So, in summary, the AK-47 is not very versatile, but cost effective due to its high firepower and conditionally high accuracy (For as long as you don't fire in full automatic, the accuracy would stay high), plus quick reload speed. In order to use it well, consider the following:

1) Aim for the head- a single bullet would down a person, with or without a helmet.

2) Fire in singles or doubles at far range. Anymore bullets would reduce your accuracy, making the third bullet and more useless, and you more vulnerable to enemy fire.

3)At medium range, feel free to unload 3-5 bullets. Do not fire in automatic mode as the accuracy would drop to oblivion.

4)However, you could circumvent the inaccuracy by aiming below the chest. The stray bullets will hit the torso and sometimes the head.

5) Fire automatically only at point-blank range to near range. But try to limit yourself to 7-10 bullets per person, especially when you're engaged by a group of enemies.

6) Hide behind cover, as your low speed would make you vulnerable in the open. Switching to a pistol would only make you more vulnerable via the low firepower and rate of fire.

Colossal Delay

Sorry about the lack of posts for half the month- I've been so busy these days from sun-rise to sun-set almost everyday. But soon, my schedule would be emptied of crunch-times hopefully by the end of this week. When it is over, prepare for more killing tips when I make the second coming.

Eye of Sauron

Today, I'm not going to cover the shotgun player types first, but instead, I am going to start with Snipers- as I know we are most well acquainted with them perhaps more than other types. They are basically one of the greater parts of the CSS culture. For now, I'm going to teach you how to topple them like the tower of Mordor. This is how a typical sniper would look like in the world of CSS, notice the intimidatingly large gun that fires a mini rocket:



By the way, the above sniper was actually in action, not posing. His name is b121417, and he was guarding bombsite B. It was the perfect angle, elevation and whatever stuff that you consider in photography, so I decided to take the picture and put it up there.

For now, I'm going to tell you about Snipers in general first. Most snipers, if allowed, would rather take up the giant AWP rifle more than anything else, because it is:

1) Powerful. It kills with a shot, unless the missile hits the arm or leg. A bullet could even go through a person and kill another who is unlucky enough to be behind. Basically, the gun is almost powerful as a ballista the size of a car in the ancient ages.

2) And accurate. That is, for as long as you stand still for a certain amount of time, the bullet whizzing through the air would hit exactly where you point your reticle at.

Then, that's not all. As their sniper rifle is unfit most of the time for a close encounter of the shotgun or SMG kind, their pistol would most of the time be the Desert Eagle, which I wrote an article about before. Most likely, the lethal eagle is chosen for its firepower, though not exactly for anything else- with firepower alone, it could kill with a shot in the head, or three shots elsewhere.

Snipers have their own culture of behaviors just like the ants or the bees. In every map, you would no doubt find them hiding behind cover, like crates, walls and doors, guarding a certain choke point or area, which is open. This makes them difficult to take out, especially when your weapon is unfit for long range or your hands are unfit for aiming. So now... lets move on the the offensive snipers, the ones whom you really hate.

Offensive Snipers

Offensive Snipers can be difficult to defeat, or easy. Depending on how you approach them. Their attack pattern is simple, and exposes themselves out of cover- which is what we can take advantage of. Offensive Snipers move from cover to cover, and more often than their defensive counterpart, does not find cover.

To deal with Snipers, you would need to exploit their weakness, which is their lousy close range attack. Using an SMG, shotgun or a rifle, all you had to do is to get close to them and blast them out of the world to the next. But even that is dangerous, as many snipers are nimble enough to aim while you're approaching and shoot you down. You would need to be evasive, by strafing and maybe jumping if you must, while you approach.

Also, while they are moving out in the open or down a corridor, you could try to ambush them if you are close enough, or by gunning them down with a rifle if you're a bit further. Do not forget to evade their bullets, unless you are stabbing them in the back.

These are pretty much the tips on how to deal with Offensive Snipers. Let's just move on to the Defensive ones...

Defensive Snipers

The difference between an offensive and a defensive sniper is mainly their tactic, not weapon or skill, as I obviously point out in the last post.

A defensive sniper is more of an Eye of Sauron than the Offensive, usually staying at one spot, guarding the area for a long while. They rarely move away from their hunting grounds, so the tactic I gave you above cannot be applied often against them.

One of the prevalent ways of dealing with Defensive Snipers would be to find alternative routes towards their back, which hopefully they forgot to cover or ignored. It works better if your friends are keeping the sniper busy while you sneak your way behind him. This is the only tactic that you could use specifically against a Defensive Sniper. For common tactics, look down.

Common Tactics

To deal with a player effectively, you need to exploit their weakness, and eliminate their strength. I'm sure Sun Tzu gurus would find this familiar. Here are several ways you could do this:

1) Use flashbangs to blind them so that you can charge towards their hiding place and shoot them.

2) Use smoke grenades block their view so that you could escape or charge at them.

3) Hide behind cover to reduce your chance of behind blown away. Shoot from your hole if you dare, but it is risky.

4) Or... use a sniper rifle to take them out in a match of skills. At the very least, you have eliminated your weakness and thrown the only two strength they have against you out of the window, which is range and firepower.

Well, that's pretty much everything I have for you. Hopefully, it would be useful against those pesky little missile-shooting flies. Max Payne out.

Player Catergories

After several days of thoughts, I've decided that I can't catergorize players according to a single list of stereotypes. It is possible, but heck no, it is impractical. I've chosen to define players by two categories for you to mix and match. I've seen how in Counter-strike Source, players would fight, and I think I can make some science out of it.

Players can be catergorized according to:

1) Weapon Specialization

2) Tactical Specialization

For the weapons area, it gets easy. Basically the same as the weapon types in the world of CSS:

1) Shotgun

2) SMG

3) Rifle

4) Sniper Rifle

5) Machine Gun

Pistols however, aren't counted, as pistols could be found on anyone, and no one or rather, very few one-in-a-million souls uses pistols as the primary while their heavier guns as the secondary. I'm not one of them, either. I don't favor the smaller over the bigger ones, I use them at the best times.

As for the Tactical Specialization, it is slightly much more difficult to define. But so far, I was able to seperate players into two catergories:

1) Offensive

2) Defensive

I know it is pretty much a child's drawing, but bear with me. I might improve the tactics part, make it a Picasso's artpiece. Just not now. Anyway, here is how things will continue- I will write an article based on one Weapon Specialization, all the inside stuff on how to ward off a player with the following weapon preference, and other useful tips for you to bring home and play with. But for each article, I will feature both the Offensive and the Defensive counterpart of the Weapon Specialty like a pair of bullets from a dual beretta.

Stay tuned, one might just appear the next day or the day after tomorrow. Just let me gather my guns for a few experiments.

Back to the map

So far, I've been posting articles on murder weapons and every single detail about them, accompanied with articles based on other aspects of counter-strike. So far, these are the things I've been posting, but now, I'm going to throw in another new breed of articles about counter-strike: Player Types. In addition of course, to the tactics and strategies, details whatsoever, anything under the sun and moon relating to Counter-strike player types.

But of course, expect tips about using firearms still, because I'm not done showcasing my shelf of guns. I'm much more sophisticated than that.