9 Tips for Doing Well in a Matchmade Splockets Game in Halo: Reach

The good ‘ol Splockets game type is back in Halo: Reach! Here are 9 tips to help you get the most out of your rocket launcher and Spartan laser.

1. Don’t run. The sprinting armor ability is useless in the Splockets game type. You can’t outrun a rocket, and most definitely not a laser.
2. Fly like an angel and rain down red beams. The jet-pack is a very useful armor ability. Not only does it give players a high vantage point, it can also be used to shoot down on your opponents as well. Enemies will have a hard time hitting you if you are floating in mid-air with no objects close to you. Just be sure to shoot them before they shoot you!
3. Don’t forget about Armor Lock! Armor lock allows your player to become temporarily invincible. If used properly, it can be used up to three times before having need to recharge again. This is incredibly useful for taking rockets and lasers head on. As well, since both weapons have relatively long delays in between reload, you can easily hit them while they’re recharging or reloading
4. Half charge the Spartan Laser. The Spartan laser takes approximately three seconds to generate a laser blast. While moving with the Spartan laser, half charge it, release, and repeat. This way, it will only take a second and half to fire at an opponent.
5. Avoid walls. Unless they’re separating you and your opponent, attempt to stay away from them. A rocket could explode off a wall and easily kill you.
6. Don’t try to rocket flying enemies. As mentioned in tip 2, flying targets are difficult targets (unless close to an object, like a wall). If you’re planning on taking out airborne enemies, use your Spartan laser
7. Stealth is key. Have a spot you can quickly hide at. This way, after taking down enemies, they won’t be able to see you until you decide to fire again.
8. Stay away from teammates. Two heads are better than one, but two heads are a better prize than one. Staying in close proximity with a teammate puts both of you at risk. If you can manage to stay distanced from your teammates, you can find your team being able to hit the enemy from several angles, giving many opportunities to hit your opponents’ blind spots.
9. Find a spot where you don’t need to worry about your back. Although walls are dangerous to be close to, they can be used to close off your back. If you are using armor lock, you can take advantage of corners and walls by looking at one general direction. This way, you don’t need to turn 360 degrees every few seconds to be sure no rockets are coming your direction and you will be able to see the enemy fire much earlier, giving you more time to get into armor lock.

Jump into Action Sack now and start playing some Splockets!

Why Ambushes are Deadly in Real-Time Strategy Games

Why are ambushes so effective in dispatching your enemies? Here is a brief summary of why you should consider setting ambushes when you play a strategy games.

Ambushing is very similar to how a hunter hunts their prey. They set a trap, and wait for their prey to fall into the trap, making the kill very easy. Ambushing is the art of hiding your troops, and waiting for your enemies to pass a favorable spot for a skirmish before attacking first.

Firstly, a proper ambush applies the element of surprise. After launching an ambush, your enemies would become disarrayed while your troops are carrying out their duties with the most deadly efficiency. This means that you will be able to cause a substantial amount of damage before your enemy gets their bearings. At this time, you should have already wiped out most of the oppositional troops before they can make a significant difference.

Let’s put ambushing into a scenario. You are hiding twenty infantry units in the forest. A small strike force crosses the forest path. The strike force composes of thirty-five infantry units. As get closer to your troops’ position, they exit their hiding spots and fire. The twenty infantry manage to neutralize fourteen infantry within the first bullet barrage. The enemy infantry are scattered and confused, randomly shooting. They manage to nick four of your infantry. Your infantry launch another barrage of bullets, taking out a larger amount of infantry now that they can aim for their target. They neutralize sixteen of the enemy infantry. The enemy is left with five infantry units. They are too small a force to do considerable damage, and surrender.

Of course in a video game, the rules and gameplay may vary. Nevertheless, the option to set an ambush is always a tactic that should not be ignored. There are games where ambush attacks would cause more damage, or may surprise an enemy unit and render it unresponsive for several seconds. There are even scenarios where you can place a few infantry in ambush and destroy tanks when they launch the surprise. No matter what ambushing does, do it.

In real-time strategy games, hiding your troops may literally hide your units! R.U.S.E., for example, allows you to place artillery and infantry in forests. This hides the units from the enemy’s eyes. Whenever a unit discloses their position to attack, they also gain a 30% damage boost, which allows less deadly units to do much more damage, especially en masse! On top of all that, and because this is a video game, the units go back into hiding, allowing them to use the damage boost until they exit the forested area or are destroyed.

If you haven’t gotten the gist of the article yet, use ambushes as much as you can. Depending on your game, your units can become stronger, you can make your enemy disorganized, you can make your enemy scared (actual factor in certain games), and many other kinds of advantages that a strategist like you appreciate.

Stay updated with Decent Gamer. In the near future, many examples of ambushes will be further elaborated and explained.

6 Tips on How to Survive the Halo: Reach Campaign on Legendary

Legends must be strong. Here are 6 tips on surviving the brutal Halo: Reach campaign on Legendary difficulty.

1. Take one step at a time. Reach is infested with Covenant invaders. Take your time to explore and acknowledge your surroundings.
2. Do not pick up the Armor Lock ability. Armor Lock is one of the most useful equipment that can be used in Matchmaking mode, but is the opposite in campaign. If you were to go into armor lock, the enemies would simply surround you and barrage you with energy blasts the moment you exit armor lock.
3. Big guns are good friends. If you ever see a sniper rifle or rocket launcher, or some other gun that looks big and dangerous, take it! Even if you are not familiar with the weapon, you should at least be able to neutralize one or more Elites. Such guns should be sought after and taken at every opportunity.
4. Take advantage of your allies. Understand this. You are a Spartan, the commandos of the human forces. UNSC marines are cannon fodder of the human forces. Get this through your head. Let your marines soak up damage (hence the name cannon fodder) and just shoot past them. Don’t forget your Spartan buddies are invincible too, so let them distract the Covenent and then take your chance to fire.
5. Semi-automatic guns are valuable. Designated marksman rifles (DMR) and needle rifles should be highly sought after. It’s true that automatic guns are in abundance and can suppress the enemy, but the semi-automatics are the key killers in the game since they have the ability to do instant kills on enemies when shot in the head. Try to conserve your semi-automatic ammo and pick any up when you see some.
6. Kat can’t drive. Neither can any of your NPC buddies. If you plan on using a vehicle, it would be wise to man the driver’s seat and let your allies man the turret. NPCs do not have the capabilities to recognize threats fast enough to maneuver around them.

A friend or two can make all the difference in surviving through the campaign as well. If you’re not going for the achievement, try inviting a friend into your game or go matchmake a campaign game.

How Range Affects a Gun's Damage in Modern Warfare 2

It’s one thing to have high powered gun, but it’s another thing how long that power can last.

Every gun in Modern Warfare 2 has their unique stats. Each category of guns has their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, submachine guns are used for close to medium range combat whereas sniper rifles are used for very long ranged combat.

The range stat of a gun determines an important factor of the strength of a firearm. Range is the stat that shows how much you can keep the same stopping power while firing through long distances.

Confused? Let me elaborate. Say you have a high damaging sidearm like a desert eagle. In close range, only a few shots are necessary to take down an opponent. However, if there was a person a few hundred metres away and you tried shooting this person, your desert eagle will not cause the same amount of damage. The further away a target is, the bullet’s flight time will become longer. As it flies, it loses velocity, and ultimately stopping power.

In real life, a factor of a gun’s range is its barrel length. Modern Warfare 2 does not make an exception. Obviously, the barrel length of a sniper rifle is tremendously long, which definitely gives a sniper bullet a very long range. A submachine gun, which focuses more on rapid firing than actual firing range can not do much damage at long distance.

There are attachments that can modify your gun’s range. A suppressor cuts down a gun’s range in return for silenced bullets which don’t appear on radar. Scopes would never physically increase a gun’s range in real life, but they do in Modern Warfare 2. Putting ACOG scopes on regular guns would increase the range, whereas putting ACOG scopes on sniper rifles would decrease the sniper’s range.

With all things considered, be careful which gun you bring into which map.