Point-blank mutilator

Ever since I've started this blog, I've revealed my secrets in the use of handguns and Submachine guns- I hope they were useful for you to mow down 3 at once. Today, I'm moving on to one of perhaps the most brutal weapons, that is, if used correctly- I'm moving on to the Shotguns section. But in CSS, so far I've only tried one shotgun, the M3 Super 90, aka the 'Shotty'. The weapon by itself is an old design, but is still immensely effective. Here is a good picture of a standard issue M3:



Shotguns date back to the 19th century, used with success by generations upon generations of America's army, from the civil war, to World War 1, 2 up till today. Its existence nowadays is testament of its usefulness. In real life, the shotgun, respecially the modern varieties, are highly versatile, able to fire not just slugs, but also bean bags, rubber shells, Sabot shells. Plenty of flavors for the person or thing at the receiving end of the barrel. But in Counter-strike Source, this is not reflected- but just as well. A normal shell is way better than a Sabot- it splits into pieces, and could easily split a head. Despite the slow rate of fire, I have made one of my favorite weapons. Written below are my reasons for it:

Firepower: The shotgun is an interesting one. The amount of damage done is dependent on so many factors, and fluctuates much more than any other guns. It could vary according to where you shot your enemy, how far you are from the target, and how many pellets went into him (which is linked to the first two factors), and very much on the target's armor. The shotgun, for every shell, would release around ten pellets, and each pellet pretty much does as much damage as a 9mm bullet from a glock. I've seen how it works numerous times, and if every pellet hits, it could do around 86-90+ damage with Armor without hitting the head.

The shotgun works very well against flesh, but not metal and kevlar. By wearing an armor, the damage done would be reduced significantly, though I have seen how ineffective a helmet is against a shotgun pellet- for some strange reason. Even from far, without a vest and helmet, a guy could die easily from a shotgun blast, partly because the pellets loves tucking themselves into heads.

Accuracy: In the Counter-strike context, a Shotgun can be said to be highly accurate. It is difficult to miss with a shotgun at point-blank to medium range, due to the number of pellets that would mean a hit even if your sight is not aligned with your enemy. But that's only half of it- unlike most if not all the guns, the M3 Super 90 is perhaps the only gun that works very well while you're jumping. The accuracy drops very much if not none at all whenever you jump. This has lead to many Super Marios jumping around while shooting. At far range however, it would be difficult to hurt, much much less to kill with a shotgun like this, unless the enemy happens to be limping away from a rocket explosion.

It is useless to aim for the head with the Shotgun at medium and far range. The pellets does not go where you were aiming at- you could only rely on chance to do it for you. However, it is easy to shoot a head at close range.

Range: Due to the nature of its spread, the Shotgun is best used from point-blank range to medium range. Shooting from afar is to be shunned- unless you wanted to die a hero. At close range, a pellet could easily hit a head, so chances are, you could kill with one shot easily, provided that you aim in the right direction.

Clip Size: The shotgun could hold 8 shells at one time, which is enough for you to survive, what with the ability to slot in single shells now and then.

Ammo Pool: 32 spare shells comes with the gun, which would be loaded with 8 shells, making up a total of 40 shells. 32 spares is more than enough to keep you shooting, and so far, there are no pistols that uses shotgun shells, so you don't even have to look at the spare ammo count.

Rate of fire: THe M3 shotgun has the worst rate of fire ever due to the pump time. After the first shot, the shotgun could barely fire a shell within a second, maybe 0.9 or 0.8 seconds. A useful tactic would be to hide everytime you need to pump the gun, then go out, shoot and hide again. Jump behind a wall or box if you have to. But if you can't hide, then strafe, jump and do whatever it takes to avoid the stinging of the bullet.

Reload Time: The reloading period however, is appalling. It would take around 5 or 6 seconds to load 8 shells. However, on the bright side, there is rarely the need for that. More often, you would only need to put in several shells at one time, reducing the reloading period immensely. Then, to make the day brighter, while reloading, you could stop quickly and fire the gun when needed, without reloading the shotgun to full.

Cost: This shotgun costs a mere $1700, which is affordable. Highly cost effective if you could bring the situation to your favor by staying within small rooms, alleys. Places where the shotgun would work well.

Weight: The shotgun is extremely heavy, slightly more so than the M4A1 rifle. You would slow down unfortunately, and evasion, jumping would be harder, making you a good target practice if you're out in the open.

The shotgun to me, is a good weapon for quick kills and collateral damage- good for whittling down large groups as well. But this gun is not for those who discharges quantity, but shoots quality bullets, much like a Sniper, but at close range. It is highly conditional, if you're looking to win with this gun. Just follow these tips if you want to stay above and not below:

1) Aim for the head at close range- it doesn't even have to be directly aligned with the head. The spread would naturally pop a few pellets there if you aim the neck or the chest if he is far enought.

2) At medium range, it would be useless to aim for the head. Just pump all you can into his chest. The pellets would slap him in the cheeks sooner or later. The aim is to get as many pellets as possible into your enemy, with headshots as bonuses instead of an obligation.

3) Forget about using the shotgun at far range, unless your target is unarmored- though it would still be risky.

4) The shotgun is best against unarmored targets. It would be an instant kill if most of the pellets entered a person regardless of whether there are any headshots.

5) To survive longer, you could always hide whenever you fired a shell, and go back out again to fire another. Many could not react fast enough, and you would have made the shotguns' slow rate of fire negligible.

6) You could jump and shoot if you want, if there are any high walls short enough for you to peek over. This could also work as an evasion technique.

The Human Benchmark

So I've been floating around the internet recently, just looking for interesting articles to read, when I happened on a rather interesting website that, while unrelated to Counter-strike, will form the foundations of the entry I'm writing now. Here's the site:

http://humanbenchmark.com/

As you know, in Counter-strike Source, one of the main reasons why people win is due to their fast finger. Take for example two equally accurate snipers who uses AWPs. The faster one would definitely win, assuming that they will hit with their first bullet. I'm sure many of you have encountered that kind of a situation before, as plenty of people like using AWPs.

Lets just say the website I found contains a table of statistics that could help you to see where you stand, and how fast most of the players would be. First, why not let's take the test and judge your worth:

http://humanbenchmark.com/tests/reactiontime/index.php

Then, take a good look at the bar chart to see where you stand:

http://humanbenchmark.com/tests/reactiontime/stats.php

As for me, I found my reaction time is around 180. So if you take a look at the chart, that means safe to say I've won more than 60% of the population. So here's the catch: If you could train your reflexes to 180 milliseconds or lower, you would have beaten most players, and that is a huge bonus if you fought with them.

If you reaction time is 0.17 seconds or below consistently, then congrats, you must be a professional, or rather a pro material player.

But then again, this doesn't reflect how it's like in Counter-strike. There are many other reasons contributing to reaction time. Like, the time needed to identify a person as friend or foe, or if the person have warmed up yet. In other words, to really excel in the brutal world of CSS, you must learn how to identify enemies quickly also, among other things. And don't drink coffee! It will slow you down!

The hybrid

Sorry about the delay in the next post, I was just busy with my work- there's always some catching up to do as long as you're breathing and eating. Anyway, without further ado, let's move on to the next weapon. A weapon that I would personally recommend for most combat situations. Behind curtain number 4, buddy, would be the H&K MP5, arguably one of the most versatile guns in the world of Counter-strike. Here is a picture of a standard-issure MP5 submachinegun. Enjoy the look of it before we move on to the words:



Now you may or may not know this, but the MP5 is a notorious weapon famous, or rather infamous for its abilities which allow consistent headshots as long as you were pointing in the right direction. But you had to ask yourself- why? How on Counter-Strike Source does it complete such a feat? Written below is the bible for this gun- your answers to the many questions as to why this mysterious killer weapon is so deadly. Now pay attention as I review every single aspect of the MP5

Firepower: The MP5 has a decent stopping power, a step up from the Mac10 ingram and the TMP, but still much less than that of the rifle. From my field observations, the damage should be around 14-17 per round, unless the bullet happens to smack a guy in the brains (which would happen really often- more on than later). A shot to the head would do more or less 40 damage. I'm not sure about the range of headshot damage. But chances are, only 3 headshots would drop a guy permanently. But hopefully, 2 would be enough- for this, I cannot be sure. I need to experiment a little more. But you could put your faith on that one if you want.

Accuracy: The MP5 has an A grade to its accuracy- a rarity among SMGs. The first 5 bullets are highly accurate, and could do headshots easily provided that you aim straight for the head. But wait, there's more catch to this gun. For the other 25 bullets, the accuracy does not drop very much. Which means, you could sustain your fire without stopping at all without worrying that all your bullets would fly over your enemy's head instead of into his head and chest. Much of the accuracy is due to the low recoil, which does not lift your aim higher by much, if not none at all.

Range: Due to its accuracy, the MP5's range could be anywhere between point-blank to far. You could use it in any situation, but still, I would not recommend using it at far range- its damage is far too low to challenge those with rifles and sniper rifles. While they would only need 4 chest shots to kill you, you would need almost double of that. Now that would not be advantageous to your side. My suggestion to you at medium-far to far range would be to fire in bursts. That would improve your accuracy from good to extremely good.

Clip Size: The MP5 holds 30 rounds. Enough for you to kill around 3-4 enemies within a clip, 5 if you're good enough. Much more if you can pull off consistent headshots. Panick and you won't even kill 3 before you empty your magazine.

Ammo Pool: This SMG uses 9mm bullets. That would mean 120 bullets in your supply pool dedicated to your MP5. You won't have to worry about this. It can last you more than a round.

Rate of fire: Only a little less than the Mac10 and TMP- this thing fires faster than most rifles. Coupled with its accuracy, you could take out enemies before they can react to you.

Reload Time: Relatively fast, if not only a tiny bit slower than the Mac10, and somewhat slower than the TMP. The difference is negligible- you can fend off a group without reloading if you're good enough.

Cost: Unless I'm from 20 years ago, this murder weapon should be around $1500- only $100 more expensive than the Mac10. Yet, it has much more advantages over the Mac10. Buying the MP5 is cost effective due to its versatility.

Weight: The MP5 is the heaviest SMG. You would be slower than those who carries a pistol or other submachine guns, but this is negligible. The difference is almost nothing. You could still dive in and out of the fray quickly. As you could move fast, you could dodge bullets better- use this to your advantage.

In essence, the MP5 is like a hybrid of the rifle and the SMG. Merging the aspects of both weapon classes into a gun. While it is accurate like a rifle, it has a faster rate of fire as well, despite the cheap cost. This formula was so effective that a raw recruit could easily overwhelm a veteran with this weapon. With little training, a raw recruit could easily turn the tables of war to his side. Below are the pointers that need to be followed, if you wanted to make it out alive with this SMG:

1)At point-blank to near range, always aim for the head- the MP5 is accurate and fires quickly. It is only a matter of the direction you're pointing that would make the difference. If done well, the enemy would not be able to react at all.

2) At medium range, you could sustain fire without stopping preferably aiming at the chest region. Do this to kill quickly without expending too much energy aiming. Headshots would automatically come. However, you could try to hit the head if you're up to it. The MP5 is after all, accurate enough.

3) At medium-far range, fire in bursts. The MP5 may be accurate, but not enough for a full-magazine burst at far range.

4) Never engage an enemy with heavier weapons from afar. The odds are against you.

Little Mac

During the last few weeks, I've covered the two pistols that I would normally during my time in Counterstrike, the Desert Eagle for some extra punch and the Twin Berettas that fits my style of finesse and agility. Now, I'm gonna show you some of the more heavier weapons that I would hide under my coat. Though, behind curtain number 3, the weapon I'm gonna showcase today isn't going to be significantly heavier than pistols. Today, I present to you... The Mac 10. Below is a picture of it. Behold the simple design:



The Mac 10 is usually regarded as a favorite of Gangsters and Drug Runners, being small, yet able to spit out bullets faster than many rifles. But the downside of it makes the Mac 10 a rather limited gun, and would force you into certain strategies that you may or may not normally use. The Mac 10 is regarded as a favorite of Gangsters and Drug Runners- and when you hold it, you may act like one too. When you hold it, you would start to mug people only when they come close or when they were alone. You would also tend to sneak around more often around as if you had a hundred pounds of Marijuana with you. Find out why as I review every single aspect of this gun:

Firepower: This handy SMG is poor on the Firepower side. From my experience of using this, it takes about 6 to 8 bullets to kill a guy, assuming that none of the bullets happen to give him a slap in the forehead. Each bullet should do about 12 damage on average, though I've seen bullets that did 8 to 9 damage only. A shot to a protected head should do about 30 to 40+ damage, which means it would take at least 3 shots to the head to kill a guy, unless you pop out from afar and snipe him with it, which I doubt you would do with this kind of a gun.

Accuracy: Accuracy is lacking in this machine pistol, and that is an understatement. For as soon as you hold down the mouse button, the weapon will kick up (meaning much of your hard-earned money would inevitably fly over your enemy's head)- that is not to say the recoil is great, but maybe the gun is too light and shoots too fast for its own good. The bullet spread is also very wide, making it unwieldy to shoot enemies from afar. With these two downsides, I'd say the Mac 10's accuracy is one of the worst in the game. Never use this gun at far range. Neither is it very effective at medium range. But at close range and point blank range, the inaccuracy is tolerable, and it even gives away free headshots if you aim below the neck.

Range: Due to the horrendous accuracy and how fast the accuracy drops, I'd say the gun should never be used at far range unless you left your sniper rifle and pistol at home, and your enemy is crawling on the ground, near death. And I am not exaggerating, pal. At medium range, the situation improves slightly- you might land a few bullets to a person, just take care not to callously spray away all the bullets in your magazine at one go. Fire in controlled bursts at medium range. Now, it is only at close range that you start spraying away. If you aim at the chest however, some bullets might hit your foe at the shoulders and stomach- but if you're lucky, some may even hit him in the face.

Clip Size: The Mac 10 holds 30 bullets maximum, but they disappear very quickly due to its rate of fire, and the inaccuracy it possesses that would frustrate you into gambling more bullets than you would normally do. It holds the same number of bullets as the Twin Berettas, but it empties these same bullets at ten times the speed.

Ammo Pool: The Mac 10 uses .45 ACP bullets, the same food that the CT's starting pistol, the USP uses. This would mean an ammo pool of 100 bullets for the Mac 10, not counting the 30 already in the gun. So, it has 20 less extra bullets than the MP5 and the TMP, both SMGs which I can say are better than the Mac 10. This means that this gun has a higher chance of running out of ammo.

Rate of fire: The Mac 10 can spit bullets very fast- it does not go along well with its inaccuracy. During my experience, it took half a clip to finish off one person at close range. The rate of fire is good, one of the best of the SMGs, but too fast for its own good.

Reload Time: This handy pistol can reload relatively fast, but not fast enough to be a strength. This one isn't known for its reload speed. The TMP reloads faster, and yet is better.

Cost: The price for this... thing is just as appalling as its Accuracy. It costs $1400, just $100 less than the MP5, which is better in many respects. Hence, unfortunately, the Mac10 is not very cost effective.

Weight: The Mac10 is light. You could travel fast with it. But this does not even make up for all the problems it gives you, not by a bit at all.

The Mac10 has many problems- such as poor firepower, poor accuracy, poor range and sub-standard ammunition pool, in return for a fast rate of fire and relatively fast reload time. Unfortunately, its strength is rather limited, making the gun fit only for certain specific uses. Most people would want versatile guns, such as the MP5 and the M4A1. The Mac10 doesn't make the cut, which is why you can never really find it in use anywhere. But that is not to say it is completely useless. If you could exploit its strength, then it would be much more effective. Half the battle may be won with equipment, but the other half is won by skills and knowledge. Yes, it is possible to kill 3 persons in a row with this little terror. I've killed 6 before with just this machine pistol, with little assistance from the Twin Berettas. You just have to catch your enemies in a situation favoring you. To do well with this, you just have to follow these tips:

1) Never use the Mac10 at far range- you can never make a kill unless you are fighting against a near-dead guy. At medium range, use this gun sparingly- switch to your pistol.

2) Spray at close range and point-blank range- this is where you could exploit its rate of fire and eliminate partially its accuracy problem. A headshot is possible, but never try to shoot your enemies in the head- the recoil will do it for you.

3) The Mac10 is poorly suited against swarming, so fall back everytime you make a kill and reload. The maximum kills within 30 bullets with this is barely 2. At close range. So it is unavoidable that you have to do this. You could however, switch to your pistol if you want when you're out, but that would only give the enemy ample time to gun you down when you're vulnerable.

The bottomline is... yes, this gun is not the best, but if you're smart, you could do well with it. Real skill and intelligence is when you could win no matter how bad the situation is, basically by exploiting its strength and foregoing its weaknesses- this gun is one real good way to prove it.

Counter-Strife

Recently, I found a comedy video that teaches new players how to behave in the world of Counter-strike. A rather interesting piece of video, check it out, only 11 minutes and 43 seconds long:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM9iu8FGpmQ

In the process, it kinda gives you a general impression of the culture of Counter-strike. Unfortunately, most of what was said inside is true.

To me, there's nothing wrong with camping, or in standard English, guarding a certain area, especially when it is part of your objective, such as to prevent the hostages from being herded to the safe zone, or to prevent Terrorists from bombing yet another site. The only thing wrong was how whiny those supposedly 'l33t' (l33t talk for Elite) players are. When a problem crops up, we deal with it. As people who survived babyhood and childhood, we should know better than to cry when our candy is taken. Got a guy guarding a tunnel? No problem, just send him an explosive gift of flashbangs with a frag grenade as a topping before swarming at him. Its way better than to cry on the floor and wait for money to drop from the sky.

Camping to me, is just another way of dealing with your foes. Its just one way out of a few possible solutions to the equation needed to kill a player. Deal with it people!