I’ve been playing for a little while now (2nd lieutenant) and after flipping through the guide book I’ve tried just about every weapon and skill combo I have access to, but I can’t help but feel I’m being out matched every game I play. Since Death Match is too random for me and most of the later unlocked missions seem to require more team coordination that I can find or tolerate I end up playing Headquarters Pro almost exclusively with this:
M4A1 - Red Dot Sight
PP2000 Machine Pistol
Claymore
X2 Flash Grenade
Marathon Pro
Lightweight
Scrambler Pro
This setup seems to be the best all around kit, but I admit the assault rifle is a bit weak on stopping power.
Change Lightweight to Stopping Power. Stoppy will solve your problem and you can report that you’re more successful.
To give you a bigger answer, it appears that you like assault rifles. They’re probably the best class of weapon in the game. If you like the M4, try the ACR. It’s virtually the same gun, but even more accurate at full auto. For the full scope of the assault rifles, the SCAR and the AK-47 are the pretty powerful. The AK holds more ammo per clip, though. The FAL does the most damage, but it’s semi-automatic. Because of that, it’s also the most accurate. ACR and M4 are pratcically the same, as are the FAMAS and M16. The F2000 acts almost like a submachine gun and is horrible at range, but up close, it may be the best.
I know you haven’t, but I strongly recommend running with a group of regular people, or at least people that communicate. It’s really like night and day. Playing with randoms is no fun at all.
Also, that PP2000 is great. I love that gun and it’s scary how accurate and powerful it can be at a distance. I wouldn’t run a red dot with the M4, because the iron sights are pretty solid.
With scrambler pro, ironically, people know you are nearby because their UAV scrambles.
I find that it’s difficult to work out which is the best gun, because a gun might have good range and power, but lower fire rate - balancing it out. Or a gun might have a high fire rate and good range, but be low powered. Or a gun might have all three but slow the player down too much. Or have too few rounds per mag etc…
My most succesful setup…
Primary: ACR with FMJ
Secondary: Stinger (I like shooting down air support. And my primary is a good enough all-rounder to not need a secondary weapon for shooting people)
Perks: Marathon Pro, Lightweight Pro, Ninja Pro.
Grenade: Stun grenade.
Equipment: Claymore.
Deathstreak: Martyrdom.
I tend to flit between Free For All and 3rd person Cage.
On Cage I have a slightly different class. I tend to win those so not much call for a Stinger.
I’m not ‘used’ to the other modes so I do badly. For instance, in Hardcore it takes less bullets to kill someone, so I incorrectly judge that I can get within knifing distance of someone before they kill me with bullets.
I snipe almost all the time.
I run:
Barrett with Fall camo, thermal scope (unless I play on Derail, then I change it to FMJ)
dual Ranger shotguns
Claymore
Stun grenade
Scavenger/Sleight of Hand (almost always Scavenger, though)
Cold-Blooded
Steady Aim Pro or Ninja Pro
When not running that sniper setup, I very seldom run the M21 with the ACOG scope (I hate the ACOG scope) with dual Rangers, Scavenger/Sleight of Hand, Stopping Power, Ninja Pro
I’ve been running the ACR sometimes. More recently, I’ve been really liking the TAR-21 with the red dot or a grenade launcher. Sometimes I’ll run a FAL with a red dot.
There’s also the asshole setup with the ACR with grenade launcher, One Man Army, Danger Close, and Ninja.
I’m very interested in this, as I’m considering getting MW2 soon - I wasn’t sure ab out it at first, since they changed the PC multiplayer from a dedicated server model to a more console-like system, but I’ve read too much good stuff about both the single-player and mp aspects.
However, I read in some reviews that some guns from MW1 were tweaked in MW2 to balance better against some of the newer guns. I didn’t see any specific mention of my fave, the P90 - does anyone use this one in MW2, and can you confirm if it’s been changed significantly from MW1? Thx.
The P90 is still a pretty solid gun, however, it doesn’t throw out as much damage as the others. It’ll still get the trick done, but if you like the submachine guns, you’ll end up with the MP5 or the UMP. The chances are stronger that you’ll end up with one of the assault rifles.
About how the game handles online, if it really DOES handle on the PC like it does on the console, it gives console gaming a bad name. It’s got a bad lobby and party system and takes a while to find a game. Once you do with a room full of folks, it rolls along pretty steadily.
Oh, I think the biggest asshole setups are the guys who get marathon pro, cold blooded and commando pro, and run around with either tactical knife or dual shotguns, and just knife people or otherwise shoot people with the shotguns at close range.
I’m sorry, but there’s no way in hell that a guy with a knife and a 44 magnum is going to run up on a guy looking down the sights of an M240 and knife him from the front. And there’s even less of a chance that he’ll take 2 rounds to the chest and still do it. Yet it happens all the time…
As for me, my most effective rig is ACR w/ ACOG and heartbeat sensor, bling pro (obviously), cold blooded, ninja pro and something as a secondary weapon.
I tend to play a less Quake-style game and a more sneaking / flanking type game, and not being visible while having a good idea where they are is good for that.
I also want to get MW2, I have always enjoyed the Medal of Honor games on my Mac. But I have a small TV screen in my half of the shipping container. Will that work or should I get a big TV?
I kind of wish the commando perk didn’t exist. There I am using acquired skill to knife people* successfully and some tosser comes along with his commando pro and no skill and sticks his easy knife in me before I’m in range to get him with actual skill.
*I don’t knife all the time. I consider myself a reactionary player: I do what’s appropriate to the situation. If I’m close to someone I have a better chance of killing them with the knife. At medium to far range my ACR with FMJ does the trick.
I also find bunny-hoppers irritating. How often do you see soldiers in Afghanistan or Iraq jumping up and down like idiots?
(I know you can’t compare computer games to real life. If you did you’d have all kinds of bad stuff to say about the real life soldiers: Campers, noob tubers, etc. But c’mon, jumping up and down??)
ETA: I am an almost complete newcomer to online gaming so I don’t really have much of a reference point, but I don’t think the matchmaking system is that bad. If anything it eliminates a lot of the things that bugged me about the DS in games I have played before: Cusotm maps (usually crap, and require a download), custom game modifiers (never know what to expect from one game to the next). It can take a while to find a game, but that’s only a problem if you are impatient. On the PC it doesn’t take that long.
The stabby guys aren’t as bad as the Danger Close guys. Shotguns stop the stabby guys. Nothing stops Danger Close and One Man Army.
Playing with randoms screws me because they get overly run-and-gun. Take Highrise, for example. I’ll throw a Claymore in the basement to get anyone trying to flank and/or give me advance warning on the Stabby McStabbersons with a hit marker. I can watch most of the usual routes and places from either base, so long as my teammates hold a setup. If we hold one side, don’t push into their spawn, and don’t cause the spawn to flip, we (myself included) can be more effective. When my teammates push up to their spawn and people get past them, the people come pouring in from the left, right, and center windows. Some even spawn directly behind me. Holding a setup and keeping them in a spawn is key to these games.
Halo 3 kills it though in term of match making, lobby, friends, party etc. It’s unmatched IMO and every developer should just admit it and copy it. When Reach comes out should give it a look. Say what you want about the game* but Bungie NAILED the on-line aspect.
Oh and the runny shotgun/stabby pricks are now starting to annoy me so much that when I hit 70 I think I’ll give it up, currently at 68 so not too long to go. They are ruining the game for me.
BTW as an aside, Least Original User Name Ever you’ve sent me some invites and I didn’t take them up, I was either just going offline or playing with some people from work. Sorry I couldn’t join you. Hopefully we’ll hook up at some stage when Reach Beta hits as I’m sure you’ll be all over it
*I spent more time on Halo 3 than any game I’ve ever played BTW and loved it, but I’m not talking game here I’m talking matchmaking and lobby system.
Halo 3 partying up/lobby systems is loads better,agreed -even if for no other reason that it basically never boots half your team from the lobby like MW2 does.
As far as the OP- I don’t really like your class because of scrambler, which is basically a worthless perk (it says Hey, I am coming), and I can’t really decide what you are trying to do - are you trying to be the first one to every headquarters, and hold it from inside ?
Then I might go
UMP45 Red Dot
SPAS-12 Grip
Marathon
Lightweight (Pro helps when you get it, since you aim faster from sprint)
Steady Aim Pro
Blast Shield
Stun x 2
Where you keep the UMP45 (instead of an AR for max speed) out while running between the HQ and switching to the SPAS-12 (or another shotgun) when inside to hold it. (Using blast shield anytime you get a grenade danger indicator, and stuns whenever you see someone near an entrance - stuns vs flashes because they throw faster)
Or if you are trying to show up later and clear out enemies that are already there ?
Then I might go
M4A1 FMJ (not my preferred Assault rifle, but no AR is drastically better than any other)
SPAS-12 (Machine pistols aren’t bad, but I believe the shotguns beat them Close quarters which HQ has a lot of)
Sleight of Hand Pro (faster Aim down sight will let you win some 1v1 you might otherwise lose)
Stopping power pro
Ninja Pro
Semtex
Flashx2
Where this class is basically maximum clearing power- you can shoot through the HQ walls with FMJ, clear the room with your semtex and flash grenades and then hold the room with your shotgun.
Just before going to bed last night I loaded up with akimbo MODEL 1887 shotguns and put on Lightweight, Maraton and Comando.
Yeah I was able to run nice and fast and shot lots of people but it just wasn’t fun. There was no real skill in it or tactics, just try to get behind them or just run at a guy and they usually don’t get you before you put two barrels into his chest. Very unsatisfying way to play I have to say.
I don’t play Hardcore usually (and I assumed when the OP said Headquarters Pro he was not referring to Hardcore Ricochet: HQ Pro). But I am not really sold on Scrambler in hardcore either - Yes it no longer is a perk that works against you but I still don’t know why you would use it - If you are using scrambler pro because you are worried about claymores, sitrep pro is better (once you get it). And I can’t really see giving up ninja pro. Too many people use Heartbeats/Listen for your footsteps for Claymore Delay/Blocking the map when you click start to be worth it, IMO
