Q3A online newbie question: Do you have to "build up" your character first?

[MichaelD]

Holy smokes, did I get smoked. I've been playing UT and Q3A for awhile now, but I never ventured online until last night. To say I got smoked would be an understatement.

My ping was right in the middle (mine was 150-250..others were lower but some were considerably higher) I didn't notice any lag at all though. I.E. when I shot at someone, it hit him right away.

The problem is that everyone seemed to be running faster, jumping higher and able to take much more damage than I. I got freakin' fragged every 5 seconds. I did manage to get some kills in though, which made me real happy until I turned a corner and someone railgunned me right in the face. :Q Ouch!

My question is: are these characters "super guys" or something? Do I have to build up my guy first (lots of frags) in a single player game and then import him somehow?

Please have mercy on me and share the secret...so I can frag you later. 😉 Thanks guys!

 

[Hard_Boiled]

No, your guy is always the same. It's all on you. Some guys are just freaks at Q3, it's a hard game to be a newbie at.

 

[MichaelD]

OK. I just suck then. That' what I figured. 😱 Man, I got WAXED. With a "Capital WAX!" You hadda see these guys...bouncing off the bounce pads changing direction in midair and hitting me WITH THE DAMN RAILGUN...all while up in the air. Well, I'm drinking milk, and someday.....😀

 

[Eug]

Well, for one thing 150-250 ms isn't a very good ping, so you're already at a disadvantage.

For UT, last time I was playing regularly I was playing at about the 97-98 percentile level in the ngStats, but when I started after playing only single player I sucked even with my sub 100 ms ping. Even though I'm much better now, the truly "good" players will still smoke me every time, however.

There are several tricks and strategies one can learn while online that you just can't learn well from single player gaming.

P.S. ngWorldStats are fun. Try it and watch yourself improve. Here are mine.

 

[MichaelD]

Thanks, Eug. I may try that. I'm better at UT than Q3A anyway. See ya.

 

[Shagga]

The best I can suggest is as always, practice. unfortunately, ppl with sub 50ms pings have a big advantage, thats not to say that when you frag the LPB's it's even more gratifying. Try to Armour up as quick as possible, this will make it more difficult to be fragged with one shot fom the Railgun.

Oh yeah...as you know, keep moving. 😉

 

[jcovercash]

Yea some people are really good, not sayign I am the best, but there are the fair share of suckers playing the game.

 

[BreakApart]

Tip for improving your Q3 play...

1. Tweak your system-remove ALL the fancy graphics options, make it boring flat/simple items, low detail, etc. This improves your ability to see a target, aim and fire at it. Once you learn what to watch for, then you can use the higher textures etc... ALSO-force models is an excellent way to AVOID getting distracted by the different models movements-(it forces the system to display everyone using the EXACT same model)

2. 150ms is not bad but not great either. Learn to EXPECT where people will hide, run and dodge. Most people fire ahead of you-(where they think you will run/dodge) not at you...

3. Learn to jump and fire together-(confuses people when you jump, they hesitate not knowing the best spot to aim at above/below/or at you) Also helps reduce damage taking from area damage weapons like the rockets...

Hope this helps...

 

[MichaelD]

BreakApart...that's what they did to me the other night! Hmm. Maybe you were the guy that put the railgun in my face! Just kidding!

Nice tips, thank you very much. With that "force models" thing...everyone looks like the same character as me? That'd be wild. I'll try the other hints as well. Thanks much. Maybe I'll last a whole 5 minutes tonight!

Regards,
Mike

 

[ApacheXMD]

careful with the jumping tho, when the other dude has the rail, and you go jumping left and right thinking he won't be able to hit you, you'll be dead real quick. once you jump, he'll know exactly where you'll land and the rail slug will be waiting for you when you hit the ground 😉
jumping is a big fat no-no in instagib 🙂

-patchy

 

[Killrose]

Those bouncy maps are tough anyways. And 150-250 ping is good enough you should not have a problem with most players. I play with 325+ pings, and anyone with 150 and above are close to an even match. Its the under 90 ping guys that are hard to hit.
If you were any good at UT, then you ought to do as well with QIII.

 

[MichaelD]

Hi guys. I've been playing UT for awhile but I'm a newbie at Q3. Same concept though. I've been playing some single-player games on the "Hurt me Plenty" level....don't get very far, but I'm getting better.

Oh yeah, when Internet gaming, who decides which map you're gonna play on? I've found that after one map, another random one pops up...not like in the game where they are sequential. Thanks for helping Your Friendly Neighborhood Newbie! I appreciate it. Cheers.

 

[Eug]

I don't completely agree with the statement that if you're good at UT you're good at Q3. I play online UT far more than Q3 and while I do very well at UT, at Q3 I'm just OK. Better than average but nowhere near as well as I do with UT. I suck at InstaGib though.

For the maps, it's the server that sets it up, or else it's on a voting scheme on some servers.

And yes, a sub 80 ping is very nice. Big advantage. I always look for sub 100 pings. I won't play if the ping is above 250, and usually try to stay under 150. That said, I've been on servers where I've had a 60 ms ping, and the consistent winner was a guy with a 250 ms ping. Nothing beats skill.

 

[Aihyah]

hah, yea your character is exactly the same as everyone elses. The trick for q3a is practice...same with any fps. The bots make for very good practice.. 0 ping too🙂 Just start at a lower difficulty level work beat the game.. crank it up a notch and beat it again. I've beaten hardcore and most of the last one😛 Once you do that you skills will have definetly improved. Also make sure your mouse sensitivity is high enough for quick movement.

online without lousy 250 ping ...kinda forces you to use area affect weapons like missles. shoot at their feet and hope they get hurt.

remember, your practice with q3a kinda counts towards unreal tourney😛 doesn't work the other way araound though.