BASH 55 introduces you to the world of Tactical Gaming (TG) in Call of Duty.

To help us understand this gameplay offshoot, we introduce you to Jazz, the General of the [509th] Tactical Gaming clan.

Jazz is a long-time tactical gamer and has great insights into this great off-shoot of stock FPS play.  

Show Notes 

Ladies and Gentlemen boys and girls welcome to BASH - My name is Jock Yitch and on today's show we explore the world of tactical FPS gaming. And to help us do that, we are proud and pleased to introduce to you the the head of the 509th Tactical Gaming Clan, the Chief of the Army, it's none other than Jazz.

1. Thank you for coming on the show Jazz. I really appreciate you taking your time from regulating the goings on there at the 509th to come on the program.

Tell us a little about yourself before we delve into the world of Tactical gaming...where are you from and what's your gaming bio?


2. You know...a little while ago, I was in CoD2 and I was checking out the servers near me and I think accidentally I happened onto your TDM server, I really didn't know where I was or what was going on, but I saw a bunch of players - all crouched up - tons of smoke everywhere, the regs on the screen said no running, no jumping...there was a lot to absorb and I got a bit frustrated and left.

I came back in a week and started paying attention to things and realized it was a Tactical Gaming Server. And another thing I noticed - it was full. You can't say that about COD2 servers recently.

Well I started to play, the pace was really slow - I'm a run'n gun eXtreme+ mod kinda guy, so my usual pace is frenetic - so this was a huge change for me.

But everyone on there was really nice to me and very patient and damn if I didn't get hooked.

So I thought man...if i get excited by this...maybe others will as well.

So first off...


3. Lets talk about what Tactical Gaming is all about.

a) Describe the differences between tactical gaming and stock gaming. Describe the ruleset...

- I know that you need to crouch most of the time, but when/if is running acceptable?
- Can I hop to shoot around obstacles?
- Can I spawn kill?

Did you ever try to mod these rules into the game itself?

4. Discuss the main features of Tactical Gaming.

5. What do you like about TG?

6. Let's talk about the benefits of playing Tactical

a) You walk (crouch) a map slowly...you learn it better at slow speeds. You suddenly become very aware of all the nooks and crannies and shooting positions.

b) Because you are moving methodically, you get to play out all normal-speed situations ...just at slower speed. You can thus practice the mechanics of the game at a speed that suits learning:


7. The TG community
a) How big is the TG community

8. The 509th

a) The website is located at 509th.net and the forums are located at 509th.proboards81.com. You can find all you need to know about the 509th server locations, and their teamspeak server, right here:

509th Servers

CoD2:
Two Tactical CoD2 servers one objective (AWE), one TDM and one sniper server (extreme).

CoD4:
Two CoD4 servers: One TDM and one Objective (AWE)


b) Tell us about the 509th: Is the 509th first and foremost a tactical clan - an FPS clan....or a CoD clan?
c) How many members do you have?
d) Can you give me a clan demographic (young, old, male/female...etc.)
e) Which suits TG play best? CoD2 or CoD4?

10. The 509th is quite a well known clan in CoD, what is its history(and by default...that of Tactical Gaming in CoD)?

11. What are the Tips and Tricks that the listeners can use to make you a better tactical gamer?

i) One of the first things you must learn in TG, especially if you are a run'n'gunner and you have just started picking up this new gameplay, is "patience". Speed can kill in TG and you have to learn to stop - wait for your team-mates to cover you - and then carefully advance.

ii) Without a doubt, communication is also a key component of gameplay. Text chatting is somewhat clunky in servers. And the little "light-bulb" placed over your head when chatting, makes you an  easy target. Obviously the best means of communication is the in-game voice team chat.  If you are using the in-game voice chat, you might want to use the console and enter:

sv_voicequality 9

or in your config file:

seta sv_voicequality "9" //0-9 0=worst 9=best . This high value might increase your lag.

The [509th] use the in-game comms system and Teamspeak. Here are just a few minutes of in-game chatter to see how intense and detailed their voice comms are:

iii) The slow game play requires that you constantly scan for possible enemy firing positions. To protect yourself as you move, place objects between you and these enemy positions. You must continue to calculate these angles as you move. 

iv) Hiding is a valuable art in Tactical Gaming: long grass, dark backgrounds...anything that will conceal you from the enemy, so that you can get the first shot off...works.

 

One of the mainstays of concealment in CoD2 and CoD4 TG play, is smoke. In the [509th] servers, the smoke in CoD2 is much more effective (thick and long lasting) than in CoD4. However, this is balanced by the fact that the movement speeds in CoD4 are higher, so in the end you will not need to have the smoke linger as much.

v) Team work is very important in TG. Move as a squad. A two-man unit is the most basic grouping. If you have voice comms...a four-man unit becomes possible. Working as a team requires you to play specific roles. The roles change constantly. Sometimes you are on point looking for enemy combatants in front of your squad, sometimes you are tail-end-charlie covering a retreat. Be aware of the position your team is in and what you can do to safeguard everyone in your group.

vi) Flanking and overlapping fire is the most basic tenet in any FPS game. Doubly so in TG. The slow speeds in Tactical Gaming means that sometimes you get pinned down by fire and you cannot move. You must rely on your mates to circle around and eliminate your enemy so that you can move.

Jazz would also like to tell everyone he is starting a new Tactical Gaming community, based on how the 509th play tactical, there is no website yet, just a forum with the clans that are playing their style.

We will bring you more information on this grouping of TG players when it is available. Until then you can read more here:

http://norngtactical.proboards49.com/index.cgi