Newbie15837's Guide To Living Longer

== Foreword by Newbie15837 ==
Hello, everyone! You may/may not know me in Phantom Forces that well, but I am known as Newbie15837 in-game. I am an above-average player in Phantom Forces. It would be a pleasure to let me share this piece of information with the rest of the community, as I used to be what my name implies; a newbie. Now, I want to combine my personal discoveries and common sense into a practical guide.
I hope whoever reads this guide can take in a bit of information from the things I list here. The guide is heavily inspired by another person who has written a similar guide for Battlefield 4 . A newbie, a pro, an average player should get something out of this guide.
Best wishes out in the battlefield, players!
=== Warning: ===
* This is my first major contribution. Expect formatting and other errors!
* Some sections may be purely subjective. View these at your own discretion.
* This is a "Work-in-progress". It is expected to take a long time to finish this guide. You will see a line of hyphens to signify an incomplete part ==> -------------------------------
== Introduction ==
Phantom Forces can be intense. It’s overwhelming/hectic at times, and it may be a bit too much if you’ve rarely or never played the game. The gameplay is part of the problem; you’ll meet other players with a few years of Phantom Forces experience. These guys will destroy you if you are not particularly skilled. The result of all this will be your character dying a whole lot. You’ll become very frustrated, and wonder whether the game’s even worth playing.
I don’t have a proper answer for those who played PF for years, but your frustrations? I can do something about them. Here’s my guide to dying less, killing more and being a team player in Phantom Forces.
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== Understand It! ==
One of the most important qualities for you to possess if you want to be better in Phantom Forces is comprehending the game. This is a big concept; it contains quite a lot of material.
In this guide, I’ll be focusing on three things:
# Knowledge of the different game modes.
# Map knowledge.
# Situational awareness.
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=== Game Modes ===
I assume you know how the different game modes work. If you know what the game modes are, it will help you learn the enemy's actions with ease. If you don't know what the game modes are, go and find out!
Here’s what I mean: Take a mode like Flare Domination . Both teams are attacking or defending 3 flare points scattered around each map. Each flare captured scores points for the team that captured it. More flares captured = more points for that team. Killing enemies will reduce their score by one point per kill. The first team to reach 250 points wins.
Many will play the objective, with the possible exception of wannabe top shot snipers who are only looking for easy kills, or players that look at the sky (they don't know what they are doing, neither do I), or players that are fulfilling different purposes.
But that’s not the point.
Here’s the point: when you know how the different modes work, you’ll also know how most players are going to behave.
Let’s return to Flare Domination . In this game mode, most attackers will storm towards the nearest flare. Most defenders will tend to circle the same flare point, killing those that are not friendlies.
=== Learn the Patterns ===
The more you play, the more you’ll see patterns arising – in all game modes, on every map.
* A lot of players will choose the same routes, time and time again.
* Recons will place themselves in the same areas, time and time again.
* Defenders of a flare/hill will take the same positions match after match.
There will, of course, be variations. A lot of things repeat themselves in Phantom Forces, so don't worry!
Learn these patterns. The more thoroughly you’re aware of your opponents’ repetitive actions, the better you can plan your own, and with it, increase your chances of survival.
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=== Map Knowledge ===
The better you know the maps in Phantom Forces, the greater the chance you’re giving your character to survive longer and be a better player. I suggest reading the following to learn about each map before proceeding with this guide: http://roblox-phantom-forces.wikia.com/wiki/Maps
Good map knowledge includes the following (and other things as well):
==== Spawn Points ====
You should know where your team’s and your opponents’ spawn points are situated.
==== Object Placements ====
You should know where the Flares and hill are located.
==== Routes ====
Knowing as many different routes as possible on each map allows you to plan your movements better. The best thing about this? You’ll know where you can run off to at any given time if things get just a little too hectic for you.
===== High Traffic Routes =====
Some routes are used more often than others – by both friendlies and hostiles alike. The chance of meeting a whole spawn of enemies is right here. Learn to recognise these routes and you'll be rewarded with kills, XP and euphoria! (Euphoria not guaranteed).
==== Shortcuts ====
There are a lot of shortcuts in the maps in Phantom Forces. You can use shortcuts to reach a target before everyone else does.
==== Detours ====
Detours are, well, longer routes to a target (duh!). Don’t be scared of using them. It’ll take you longer to get to where you want. To compensate, the chance of you surprising your opponents with a flanking attack is much bigger, and so will your chances of survival.
==== Sniper Spots ====
Many recon players are quite predictable. They quickly identify their favourite positions, and they use them. A lot.
The more your know about where the usual sniper nests are situated, the safer you’ll be. 
(Pro Tip: many snipers prefer spending their time high above ground)
==== Hideouts ====
There are many times where the smartest thing you can do is hide. As such, you should know as many good hideouts as possible. These can be anything from trees to buildings.
Know all of these in each map, and you already have a head start before the game starts!
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=== Situational Awareness ===
Predicting what your opponents are going to do does not require a clairvoyant or an astrologist. It does require you to have situational awareness, though.
– A what now?
OK, let’s put it differently. I assume you use what you see and hear in the game to predict what the other players will do next?
That’s situational awareness.
The more you use it, and the better you are at interpreting what you’re experiencing, the longer you’ll live. More hostiles will die at your hands as a result, which is a good thing! Situational awareness is a skill that needs to be learnt. And it develops over time.
==== Reinforcing situational awareness ====
* There is a variety of audible clues in Phantom Forces; footsteps, the sound of incoming grenades, gunshots, etc are often easy to hear.
* Not only will you hear the sound, but you can also pinpoint where the sound’s coming from. Most sounds in-game are directional. That’s why it might be a good idea to put some headphones or a gaming headset to use. Most of the serious gamers have them!
* When you or a teammate spots enemies, they are marked on your HUD and on the mini-map.
* Try spotting by yourself! All you have to do is press the E key. The crosshair should in the general direction of the enemies' location for the spotting to work.
* See those blue-ish dots that signify your teammates? If you see a nearby blue dot disappear, it means they are dead. It'll also tell you where they just fell.
* The minimap contains a tonne of information about what’s going on in the match. Learn to throw quick glances at the map (just don’t stare at it for too long at a time) at short intervals.
When you learn how to interpret these, and all the other clues the game gives you, you’re well on your way to full game comprehension.
When you start planning and acting based on what you see and hear in addition to Map/Game mode knowledge, you’ll find you will not only live longer but also win more matches.
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== Less Sprinting, More Walking ==
This isn’t the Olympic games, players. It’s not about running the fastest or furthest in Phantom Forces. Walk more than you run.
There are several reasons for me saying this:
# When you walk more than you run, you’ll pick up on more of what’s going on around your character.
# The extra time it takes to transition from sprinting ==> shooting is not worth it in some situations. Walking guarantees instant firing when you see a target. That half-a-second counts!
I assume most of you have experienced the following: time and time again, you are sprinting straight into the muzzle of an enemy gun's barrel. And before you had the time to raise your own weapon, your character was dying on the ground.
Of course, there are times where you have to sprint. If you don't, you are dead. I don't dispute that. Just remember to slow down once in a while to take in your surroundings.
When you walk more, these situations will occur less often. I guarantee it!
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== Reload In Safety! ==
You might’ve heard/read somewhere that you should reload as soon as you’ve killed an enemy.
There’s a lot of sense to this suggestion. It’s obviously not good for your character’s hit points to run out of bullets in the middle of a gunfight. Unfortunately, those who promote this argument forget to mention a couple of important things:
# Yes, reload often, but make sure you get to safety before doing so. Reloading in the open is like placing a sign on your character that says “Attention! Easy Target Here – Reload in Progress!”
# Make sure the enemy you just killed doesn’t have any of his allies lurking about before you reload. Finding yourself in the middle of the reloading animation as the dead opponent’s friends show up simply isn't good.
Remember this when you play and you will prosper!
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==Avoid Open Areas==
I don't know how many times I have killed potentially good players because they have forgotten one thing; Stay out of the open!
The maps in Phantom Forces comprise of a mix of open areas and buildings. Avoid the open spaces as much as possible. Letting your character run around in the open? Then you’ll quickly become the opposing team’s snipers and the ground forces’ favourite target.
So, what can you do to avoid becoming the hostiles’ favourite pet? Well, I’m getting to that now...
=== Move From Cover to Cover ===
There is much cover available to you in Phantom Forces. Currently, all cover is permanent, but Stylis Studios will add some temporary cover (Cover that will break after enough damage).
No matter what the cover is, try adjusting your playstyle so that you’ve always got cover between you and your opponents. Plan your movements accordingly. Tactical play is much more satisfying in the long term than rushing the enemy.
Here is a 3-step guide to moving from cover to cover:
# Move to cover.
# Scan the area and find the next cover. Eliminate any enemies near the cover.
# Move towards it.
See? It's as simple as that.
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== Run the Other Way ==
More often than not, you’ll end up in the opponent's line of sight (multiple enemies if you are unlucky). They might be able to kill your character with two or three bullets. In these situations, you’ve got the lower hand, so to speak. Your opponent may only need to hit with an additional one or two bullets to make his kill.
You, on the other hand, will have to get in at least four or five hits.
You don’t have to be a math maniac to know that the enemy is most likely to win this little stand-off.
The way I see it, you’ve got three choices:
# You can try returning fire.
# You can turn around and try to run. If you succeed, try finding an alternate route and attack the hostile from his side or back.
# You can try escaping, and not bother with the hostile at all.
My personal experience tells me the best options are 2 and 3 for survival. Making an attempt at returning fire in these situations will end with the enemy’s victory most of the time. If you do kill them though (Perhaps they ran out of ammo, missed or low on health), consider yourself lucky.
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== Learn How To Aim! ==
If you want to do better than average in Phantom Forces, you’ll need to aim well. The game has more leeway for players that have bad aim. Unfortunately, your inability to aim is a big disadvantage to making yourself a good player.
Where you aim makes a difference, too. Head-shots do a lot more damage than hits to the rest of a character’s body. In addition to this, you’ll need to take recoil, muzzle climb, bullet drop, and travel time into consideration.
I suggest you read this Wikia page for the mechanics in Phantom Forces before proceeding with this guide: http://roblox-phantom-forces.wikia.com/wiki/Mechanics
So, do you want to be a Phantom Forces "Top Shot"? Here’s what you should be able to do:
* You should always aim at the hostile’s head.
* You should be able to control the recoil and the muzzle climb.
* You need to master correct aim point placement in relation to target distance.
– "Well, that’s just fine and dandy. And how will I learn these things," you may ask? Thanks for asking!
I’ve made a separate guide for aiming and accuracy. You’ll find it here: http://roblox-phantom-forces.wikia.com/wiki/Guide_To_Improving_Your_Accuracy_In_Phantom_Forces_(By_Newbie15837)
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== Approach Carefully ==
Be careful when approaching a flare point or the hill; expect that one or more opponents are waiting for you to arrive.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
* Don’t pick the obvious routes to your target. Use a detour, just to surprise the welcome committee.
* Don’t run straight to the flare or hill. Try getting an overview of the area surrounding the target first. Take out any enemies before moving towards the target. Then you can proceed with taking it.
== Zig-Zagging Saves Lives ==
Are you getting shot at by an enemy? Zig-zagging can save your life. Whether you’re walking or sprinting, as soon as you get shot at, start zigzagging.
And don’t just do it a little bit. You’ll need to exaggerate here. Use big movements. Slide, dive and high jump your way to throw off your enemy's aim. Then you’re in for a surprise as to how well this technique works. Why does it work?
Well, if someone wants to seriously injure or kill your character, they’ll need to hit with a high degree of accuracy. And zigzagging makes this considerably more difficult for them.
=== Avoid Full-Frontal Attacks ===
Don’t attack your opponents right in their faces. When you discover one of the bad guys, try doing this instead:
# Notice where the enemy is.
# Pick a detour over attacking full frontal.
# Surprise him with an attack from the sides or from behind. Bonus points for knifing him in the back!
=== Be Sure! ===
Be absolutely you’re able to kill the enemy you’ve got in your sights. As soon as you pull the trigger, you give away your position, and using silencers doesn’t always help.
So try being a disciplined shooter, who’s 95% sure that the opponent’s character will die when you open fire because if you miss, the situation could quickly turn and it will not be in your favour. Here are some examples of situations where it might be smart to let the trigger finger rest:
* The opponent’s headed into a building.
* He’s about to turn a corner.
* The character’s far away.
* He’s got two, three, four, or more buddies nearby.
Just like real life; don't go trigger-happy, conserve your bullets until when you really need them.
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== Thoughtful Spawning ==
I hate, absolutely hate spawning on my teammates 90% of the time. Don't get me wrong, as the following get me TRIGGERED:
* Teammate dies and his position on the spawn menu disappears, which makes me spawn on a guy who is on the other side of the map.
* Spawning just as an enemy comes up and kills my teammate and me.
* Accidentally spawning on a crane sniper and falling off the edge.
* Spawn menu bugs out, making me lose precious seconds moving my mouse to the "Deploy" button.
Ok, enough of the rant. Here's some useful information for you Phantom Forces players: you can spawn on your teammates. Does that mean you should do it all the time? No, it does not.
Quite often, other members of your team may find themselves in somewhat of a pickle – like being showered with hostile bullets and being seconds from death.
Do you think it’s ideal to spawn on him or her?
Take out a star sticker and put it in your book, if you answered a loud and resounding, “No”. If you responded with "Yes", stop reading this guide. You are not competent enough to be a good player. understand that in order to be a good player, you have to know when to spawn.
It’s possible to browse each spawn opportunity before you actually spawn. And you can, to some degree, judge how safe each spawn point is, thanks to the in-game camera. That would be a smart thing to do right?
Do this as often as you can. Use a couple of seconds to consider each spawn point in order to find the safest one.
=== Be A Smart Spawn Point ===
Are you the last member of your team who’s still alive? Get to cover ASAP (like the devil’s chasing you!). Make sure you’re a safe spawn point for your squad. 
There are several advantages to this:
* If you’re able to avoid trouble long enough for one or more of your teammates to spawn on you, you’re no longer alone in dealing with the opposition. Your chance of survival increases considerably.
* If you’re situated close to an objective, like a flare point or the hill, the others won’t have to start from scratch. Instead, they can respawn approximately where they left off.
* You’ll get extra points when one or more of your teammates spawn on you.
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== Be Realistic! ==
Sometimes you’ll have to acknowledge that you’re just not going to make it. You simply do not have the equipment necessary to solve the challenge you’re facing.
In these situations, it’s best to hide or run away from your impending doom.
Here are a couple of examples:
* Trying to kill a sniper who’s sitting far away with PDWs (Personal Defense Weapons) is rarely a good idea. The only thing you’ll achieve for the most part is drawing unwanted attention to yourself.
* Trying to defend a point that is being spammed by grenades and M60's is rarely a good idea. Try to survive as long as possible (run away!), then plan ahead to eliminate the enemy.
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== Conclusion (By Newbie15837) ==
I hope every player that has taken the time to read this whole guide can practice what I have outlined here. It is quite long, but it is worth it.
I will try to update this guide when Stylis Studios changes anything related to the general gameplay in Phantom Forces.
Stick around for the "Accuracy Guide (By Newbie15837)"!
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