Many of you have joined the 1v1 ladder at FN, and I think that's great! Dueling is a ton of fun, and I think we all have the potential to do very well. I just wanted to write a quick guide on the strategy involved in a 1v1.
First off, read Cha-Chi's guide to improving your DM game: http://www.clan-bge.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=8
Ok, the most important rule of Dueling is that not dying is JUST AS GOOD as getting a kill. There is a time to fight and a time to run, and remember that.
There are two categories of powerups in a Duel: health/armor and weapons. It's important to control the powerups in a Duel. If you stack all the armor, and your opponent has none, then you are most likely to win the next encounter. Then your enemy respawns and has to go find a new weapon. This gives you time to go and stack the powerups again, thus making it more likely that you will win the next encounter. That is how many Duels wind up with ridiculous scores like 20-4. It's a positive feedback loop, and you must learn to exploit it.
But what about weapons? Well, in a Duel, weapons disappear for 25 seconds after they are picked up. This means that not only can you control the armor in a map, you can also control the weapons. For example, if you know your opponent is a shock whore, you can make sure they never get the shock rifle by picking it up frequently. Even better, in a small map (like Sentinel) you can control ALL the weapons, leaving your opponent with nothing but an Enforcer and the prayer that he can avoid you long enough to find something.
Know the map! You have to know where to find the right weapons, and you have to know where the best armor is. When you're wounded, you need to be able to find the most health as quickly as possible. Try to pay attention to where your opponent is most likely to be, and where you are most likely to encounter him again. This way you won't walk around a corner into a shock combo because he was paying attention and you weren't.
Don't be predictable! If your opponent knows you're going one way, he may try and predict where you will be and will try and intercept you. If he's not following on your heels, that's more than likely what he's doing. So sometimes it's a good idea to double back, or take a less used route. The downside to doubling back is that you've already picked up the powerups that way, but it's better than dying. You can also double double back. Just try to mix it up so you aren't following a pattern.
To reiterate, get that shield belt at 9:05! (for a 10 min match) Just be aware that your opponent will likely be there too. So you can also set a trap for him, and be wary of him setting a trap for you. Just be sure to be back at 8:10 for the next one! That SB is 100 armor, basically an extra life.
I'm no pr0 duelist, but I hope this helps.
First off, read Cha-Chi's guide to improving your DM game: http://www.clan-bge.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=8
Ok, the most important rule of Dueling is that not dying is JUST AS GOOD as getting a kill. There is a time to fight and a time to run, and remember that.
There are two categories of powerups in a Duel: health/armor and weapons. It's important to control the powerups in a Duel. If you stack all the armor, and your opponent has none, then you are most likely to win the next encounter. Then your enemy respawns and has to go find a new weapon. This gives you time to go and stack the powerups again, thus making it more likely that you will win the next encounter. That is how many Duels wind up with ridiculous scores like 20-4. It's a positive feedback loop, and you must learn to exploit it.
But what about weapons? Well, in a Duel, weapons disappear for 25 seconds after they are picked up. This means that not only can you control the armor in a map, you can also control the weapons. For example, if you know your opponent is a shock whore, you can make sure they never get the shock rifle by picking it up frequently. Even better, in a small map (like Sentinel) you can control ALL the weapons, leaving your opponent with nothing but an Enforcer and the prayer that he can avoid you long enough to find something.
Know the map! You have to know where to find the right weapons, and you have to know where the best armor is. When you're wounded, you need to be able to find the most health as quickly as possible. Try to pay attention to where your opponent is most likely to be, and where you are most likely to encounter him again. This way you won't walk around a corner into a shock combo because he was paying attention and you weren't.
Don't be predictable! If your opponent knows you're going one way, he may try and predict where you will be and will try and intercept you. If he's not following on your heels, that's more than likely what he's doing. So sometimes it's a good idea to double back, or take a less used route. The downside to doubling back is that you've already picked up the powerups that way, but it's better than dying. You can also double double back. Just try to mix it up so you aren't following a pattern.
To reiterate, get that shield belt at 9:05! (for a 10 min match) Just be aware that your opponent will likely be there too. So you can also set a trap for him, and be wary of him setting a trap for you. Just be sure to be back at 8:10 for the next one! That SB is 100 armor, basically an extra life.
I'm no pr0 duelist, but I hope this helps.