Post by Wolfeye on Apr 2, 2015 3:19:19 GMT
Alright, so, listen up. Recently, a lot of people have been asking me, "Wolf, why do you bother practicing that silly strafing? What use is jumping around? How does this help combat any?" Well, today, your questions shall be answered. This will be a sectioned guide, starting with how to strafe, and ending with how to apply it in different situations. It is my new project, and will be edited/added to regularly until complete. So, let's begin!
Section 1: What is Strafing?
Strafing is the concept of using the A and D keys for "strafe" movement in order to move faster, because A and D are naturally faster than W and S in Quake3 engine physics. However, it ties into more than just using A and D. Mouse movement also directly affects the speed and distance of travel. For example, a slow circle in one direction with the mouse will have you travel a farther distance. Most mouse movement is focused around the idea of curved motions increasing speed. We'll get further into this in the coming sections.
Section 2: Bunny Hopping!
So, you can move around. Now what? Next concept is the basic strafe. Walking with A and D are effective, sure, but hopping is much more efficient. Low to the ground, so you speed up (unlike high jumps) but lifting off the ground so that you can air strafe (see section 3) your way to quicker speeds. Concept is simple: Tap space and strafe. No force should be harmed in the making of this bunny hop. You also should remember to alternate from side to side with each hop. If my first hop is with WD, my second should be WA, then WD again, and so on and so forth (sometimes, however, it can be helpful to do it in pairs, such as A-A-D-D-A-A etc. It is really up to the strafer's preference. This should be paired with approximately 45 degree curves or so with each hop[See Section 4]).
Section 3: Air Strafing
One of the quickest ways to understand strafing, is through experience. The best way to start, in my opinion, is generally to practice long distance air strafing. For starters, just jumping sideways with D at a wall isn't going to get you far. Generally speaking, when you wish to do distance jumps, you'll want to utilize W for forward motion and control, in conjunction with one of the "Strafe keys." In other words, if I need to jump to a target on the right, I'll hold WD. If my aim is to the left, I'll generally use WA. But holding keys wont get you far, which brings us to our next, larger, more complex section....
Section 4: Mouse Motions
When strafing, a very large percent of your effectiveness comes from the movement of your mouse. In fact, one could argue that the motions of the mouse are actually more important than the strafe keys themselves (we wont, but it is feasible!). The mouse motions are, by far, the hardest part of strafing to master. Especially in instances of precision jumping, these motions will determine, more than anything, the point where you land, the distance you travel, and the speed that you travel. Strafe keys alone cannot, and will not, substitute for this skill. So, how do we know how to move our mice?
The idea is simple: A relatively slow motion of curving in the direction of the strafe key you are currently pressing will help get you distance. The rate that you turn the mouse and distance that you turn it, determine your overall speed, distance, and landing position. This part can only really be figured out through trial and error, however, I can give this advice: You don't want to spin in circles. The most you should ever turn is 180 degrees. You also need to turn the same direction as the key you are currently holding. For example, if I'm holding WD or just D, I'll want to turn to the right. If I'm holding WA or A, I'll want to turn to the left. For this reason, it is generally a good idea to start your jumps facing parallel to your destination, so that you can curve your mouse around to point right at it by the time you land. Remember that, unlike reality, a straight line is not the most effective path. Your goal is an outward curve path from point A to point B.
-Subsection A: Curved motions These are, by far, the most useful form of movement. For example, a bunny hop with WD to the right, before making a longjump air strafe to the left with WA (AKA, jumping in an "S" shape) gives you much more speed and distance than just jumping from point A to point B directly. You can also use these motions in regular walking about with strafe keys (in fact, you kind of have to by default if you choose to attempt moving using only A and D with no W or S).
-Subsection B: Side Switching Near the end of a long jump strafe, just as you're using up the last bit of force, switching strafe keys and turning the opposite way can give you a tiny bit more of a boost for extra distance.
Section 5: Circle Jumping
So, curved motions are good. Spinning in circles not so much. However, there is a concept called Circle Jumping. Circle jumping is the idea that if you move quickly in somewhat of a circle with A or D (you can use WA or WD too, might be easier) and the jump (coming off the jump with WA or WD, A and D are possible but far harder to accomplish. Besides, why torture yourself when it will have the same effect?), the speed you will have gained on the ground from that quick turnaround will be added to your initial jump, sending you a slight bit further at a faster rate. This is best saved for long jumping, as it is mildly hard to do properly, and, generally speaking, running around in circles just makes you look silly during a fight (not to mention, turning your back to the enemy is normally not the best idea).
Now, if you're just trying to run in a circle and jump like the above may imply, you're gonna have a bad time. I'll do you the favor of posting the Wikipedia-based explanation as it may be a bit more helpful to those who like angle and degree answers, since I think my explanation is more of a watch-and-learn version:
Original source found here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strafe-jumping
Section 6: What Can You Strafe?
Okay okay, so what now? You can jump around like an idiot all day spinning your mouse in circles trying to strafe, but how can we start applying it? Well, it's quite simple really. You can strafe every single movement where you retain control over the animation of the character. Wallruns, rolls, medium dfa's, walking, running, hopping, jumping,... you name it. This can be applied to a lot of things. For starters, you can apply it to any strafe course. But you can also apply it to use on normal maps for getting around. This is especially useful when in a TFFA match, for example, and needing to return to your team fast to provide support. More importantly, you can use it during actual combat (gasp!). So long as you can use the strafe keys, or have the ability to turn your mouse, you can strafe.
Section 7: Footwork & Strafing
"Combat, you say? Tell me more.."
Gladly! So, one of the core principles of JKA combat is in the footwork. The way you move during the flow of combat can heavily define whether you succeed or fail. By this logic, being faster is always preferred. It's all well and good if you can sit in one place the whole match and block (gosh, what kind of nub would do that... *Cough*) but ultimately, that wont win you a fight against more experienced fighters who know how to dodge parries and slap you in the face with a lightsaber. It is also fine if you want to stand around or walk around, but in a duel of speed, running, specifically running as fast as the game allows, is the preferred way of dodging strikes and landing them. Thus, we have strafing footwork. As mentioned before, any situation where you can turn the mouse or use A and D keys can be strafed. When in combat, the most efficient way of moving is through strictly A and D movement (avoid using W or S unless absolutely necessary-- preferably, if you intend to use them, pair it with a strafe key, like WA or SD, for example). It is also best to never move in straight lines. Remember that curves are the fastest motions, and are also very effective to trip up an opponent if nothing else. Straight lines are predictable, and slower.
As an example of how to move, try imagining an opponent trying to poke you. You'll first, of course, want to move back out of range with D or A to avoid being hit, generally in a C shape. Then you'll want to move back in behind their poke to hit their opening, and then out again to remove yourself from their range in case they try to chain the strike or go for another attack. This motion should produce something that looks like the letter S (and may make you think you're dancing with a jedi, which is always a plus).
Ever feel like a fan-spamming staffer is faster than you? That also works on this concept. When fanning, you are constantly switching between A and D, and moving your mouse back and forth to steer yourself where you need to go. This idea works for more than just staves. Switching between A and D in movement can also keep you moving quicker than your opponent. A good idea to note is that if you need to back up or go forward, AS and SD back and forth, or just A and D while turning the mouse significantly more, can help back you up faster than just holding S. The same idea applies when moving forward. That jagged pattern can help you not only evade hits, and remain unpredictable. Keep in mind though, a skilled player may be able to anticipate your curve motion and attempt to cut you off. Since a straight line is the quickest way of reaching a target, and a curved line in JKA gets a speed increase, both players would arrive at the destination at approximately the same time if the opponent manages to anticipate and follow. This means you should always try to avoid being predicted, or keep in a straight line away with A or D if you have no other options.
Section 8: Jump Poking & You!
"Alright, alright. We get it. Groundwork, strafing is useful. But what about my awesome aerial kills??"
Glad you asked! You see, when people think of strafing, jumping is the first thing to come to mind. Any time you leave the ground, it's a good time to implement your precision jumps. For things like jump pokes (a no-force hop with a poke-- or any other attack for that matter) you may wish to begin your strike, then quickly look to the side (about a 45 degree angle) of your target before jumping, so that you can curve your jump in the air and be able to have more control over the distance and landing position. Other things, such as an actual aerial attack, work on the same concept. Generally speaking, if I plan to attack someone in the air, I face away from them at a 90 degree angle and jump with A or D toward their direction with an attack, so that if they jump back with anything less than my speed, they will get hit. It's one huge judgement call that requires a lot of on-hand practice to get good at, but once you learn what angle works best for you, it all comes down to strafing in the air to get to the target.
Conclusion: As you can see, strafing has a key role in the Quake3 engine as being a speed enhancer, which ultimately leads to victory if used properly. It is not solely for doing jump courses or being fancy-- it is a legitimate key aspect of game play, including combat, that is necessary to know and be aware of if you intend to improve. Please remember that this is a brief crash-course in strafing, and is by no means a substitute for actual instruction with a trainer. Also remember that not everything in here is set in stone. People have their own flare added into their style of strafing. Just like some people only speed strafe with WA-WD, others only do with A-D. Good luck, and good strafing!
Videos are now here! Due to my lack of awesome videoness, I've taken these three from the FL forums that LemonLime took from some rather good strafers as tutorial videos. Very much worth the watch, even for people who casually strafe, because it can help you improve!
Section 1: What is Strafing?
Strafing is the concept of using the A and D keys for "strafe" movement in order to move faster, because A and D are naturally faster than W and S in Quake3 engine physics. However, it ties into more than just using A and D. Mouse movement also directly affects the speed and distance of travel. For example, a slow circle in one direction with the mouse will have you travel a farther distance. Most mouse movement is focused around the idea of curved motions increasing speed. We'll get further into this in the coming sections.
Section 2: Bunny Hopping!
So, you can move around. Now what? Next concept is the basic strafe. Walking with A and D are effective, sure, but hopping is much more efficient. Low to the ground, so you speed up (unlike high jumps) but lifting off the ground so that you can air strafe (see section 3) your way to quicker speeds. Concept is simple: Tap space and strafe. No force should be harmed in the making of this bunny hop. You also should remember to alternate from side to side with each hop. If my first hop is with WD, my second should be WA, then WD again, and so on and so forth (sometimes, however, it can be helpful to do it in pairs, such as A-A-D-D-A-A etc. It is really up to the strafer's preference. This should be paired with approximately 45 degree curves or so with each hop[See Section 4]).
Section 3: Air Strafing
One of the quickest ways to understand strafing, is through experience. The best way to start, in my opinion, is generally to practice long distance air strafing. For starters, just jumping sideways with D at a wall isn't going to get you far. Generally speaking, when you wish to do distance jumps, you'll want to utilize W for forward motion and control, in conjunction with one of the "Strafe keys." In other words, if I need to jump to a target on the right, I'll hold WD. If my aim is to the left, I'll generally use WA. But holding keys wont get you far, which brings us to our next, larger, more complex section....
Section 4: Mouse Motions
When strafing, a very large percent of your effectiveness comes from the movement of your mouse. In fact, one could argue that the motions of the mouse are actually more important than the strafe keys themselves (we wont, but it is feasible!). The mouse motions are, by far, the hardest part of strafing to master. Especially in instances of precision jumping, these motions will determine, more than anything, the point where you land, the distance you travel, and the speed that you travel. Strafe keys alone cannot, and will not, substitute for this skill. So, how do we know how to move our mice?
The idea is simple: A relatively slow motion of curving in the direction of the strafe key you are currently pressing will help get you distance. The rate that you turn the mouse and distance that you turn it, determine your overall speed, distance, and landing position. This part can only really be figured out through trial and error, however, I can give this advice: You don't want to spin in circles. The most you should ever turn is 180 degrees. You also need to turn the same direction as the key you are currently holding. For example, if I'm holding WD or just D, I'll want to turn to the right. If I'm holding WA or A, I'll want to turn to the left. For this reason, it is generally a good idea to start your jumps facing parallel to your destination, so that you can curve your mouse around to point right at it by the time you land. Remember that, unlike reality, a straight line is not the most effective path. Your goal is an outward curve path from point A to point B.
-Subsection A: Curved motions These are, by far, the most useful form of movement. For example, a bunny hop with WD to the right, before making a longjump air strafe to the left with WA (AKA, jumping in an "S" shape) gives you much more speed and distance than just jumping from point A to point B directly. You can also use these motions in regular walking about with strafe keys (in fact, you kind of have to by default if you choose to attempt moving using only A and D with no W or S).
-Subsection B: Side Switching Near the end of a long jump strafe, just as you're using up the last bit of force, switching strafe keys and turning the opposite way can give you a tiny bit more of a boost for extra distance.
Section 5: Circle Jumping
So, curved motions are good. Spinning in circles not so much. However, there is a concept called Circle Jumping. Circle jumping is the idea that if you move quickly in somewhat of a circle with A or D (you can use WA or WD too, might be easier) and the jump (coming off the jump with WA or WD, A and D are possible but far harder to accomplish. Besides, why torture yourself when it will have the same effect?), the speed you will have gained on the ground from that quick turnaround will be added to your initial jump, sending you a slight bit further at a faster rate. This is best saved for long jumping, as it is mildly hard to do properly, and, generally speaking, running around in circles just makes you look silly during a fight (not to mention, turning your back to the enemy is normally not the best idea).
Now, if you're just trying to run in a circle and jump like the above may imply, you're gonna have a bad time. I'll do you the favor of posting the Wikipedia-based explanation as it may be a bit more helpful to those who like angle and degree answers, since I think my explanation is more of a watch-and-learn version:
The movements are as follows:
1. The player stands about 90 degrees from the direction he intends to move in.
2. The player then holds forward, the left or right strafe key (depending on which direction he intends to take), and turn to face 45 degrees the opposite way. (The player will have turned 135 degrees from his original position)
3. The player now continues into strafe jumping.
1. The player stands about 90 degrees from the direction he intends to move in.
2. The player then holds forward, the left or right strafe key (depending on which direction he intends to take), and turn to face 45 degrees the opposite way. (The player will have turned 135 degrees from his original position)
3. The player now continues into strafe jumping.
Section 6: What Can You Strafe?
Okay okay, so what now? You can jump around like an idiot all day spinning your mouse in circles trying to strafe, but how can we start applying it? Well, it's quite simple really. You can strafe every single movement where you retain control over the animation of the character. Wallruns, rolls, medium dfa's, walking, running, hopping, jumping,... you name it. This can be applied to a lot of things. For starters, you can apply it to any strafe course. But you can also apply it to use on normal maps for getting around. This is especially useful when in a TFFA match, for example, and needing to return to your team fast to provide support. More importantly, you can use it during actual combat (gasp!). So long as you can use the strafe keys, or have the ability to turn your mouse, you can strafe.
Section 7: Footwork & Strafing
"Combat, you say? Tell me more.."
Gladly! So, one of the core principles of JKA combat is in the footwork. The way you move during the flow of combat can heavily define whether you succeed or fail. By this logic, being faster is always preferred. It's all well and good if you can sit in one place the whole match and block (gosh, what kind of nub would do that... *Cough*) but ultimately, that wont win you a fight against more experienced fighters who know how to dodge parries and slap you in the face with a lightsaber. It is also fine if you want to stand around or walk around, but in a duel of speed, running, specifically running as fast as the game allows, is the preferred way of dodging strikes and landing them. Thus, we have strafing footwork. As mentioned before, any situation where you can turn the mouse or use A and D keys can be strafed. When in combat, the most efficient way of moving is through strictly A and D movement (avoid using W or S unless absolutely necessary-- preferably, if you intend to use them, pair it with a strafe key, like WA or SD, for example). It is also best to never move in straight lines. Remember that curves are the fastest motions, and are also very effective to trip up an opponent if nothing else. Straight lines are predictable, and slower.
As an example of how to move, try imagining an opponent trying to poke you. You'll first, of course, want to move back out of range with D or A to avoid being hit, generally in a C shape. Then you'll want to move back in behind their poke to hit their opening, and then out again to remove yourself from their range in case they try to chain the strike or go for another attack. This motion should produce something that looks like the letter S (and may make you think you're dancing with a jedi, which is always a plus).
Ever feel like a fan-spamming staffer is faster than you? That also works on this concept. When fanning, you are constantly switching between A and D, and moving your mouse back and forth to steer yourself where you need to go. This idea works for more than just staves. Switching between A and D in movement can also keep you moving quicker than your opponent. A good idea to note is that if you need to back up or go forward, AS and SD back and forth, or just A and D while turning the mouse significantly more, can help back you up faster than just holding S. The same idea applies when moving forward. That jagged pattern can help you not only evade hits, and remain unpredictable. Keep in mind though, a skilled player may be able to anticipate your curve motion and attempt to cut you off. Since a straight line is the quickest way of reaching a target, and a curved line in JKA gets a speed increase, both players would arrive at the destination at approximately the same time if the opponent manages to anticipate and follow. This means you should always try to avoid being predicted, or keep in a straight line away with A or D if you have no other options.
Section 8: Jump Poking & You!
"Alright, alright. We get it. Groundwork, strafing is useful. But what about my awesome aerial kills??"
Glad you asked! You see, when people think of strafing, jumping is the first thing to come to mind. Any time you leave the ground, it's a good time to implement your precision jumps. For things like jump pokes (a no-force hop with a poke-- or any other attack for that matter) you may wish to begin your strike, then quickly look to the side (about a 45 degree angle) of your target before jumping, so that you can curve your jump in the air and be able to have more control over the distance and landing position. Other things, such as an actual aerial attack, work on the same concept. Generally speaking, if I plan to attack someone in the air, I face away from them at a 90 degree angle and jump with A or D toward their direction with an attack, so that if they jump back with anything less than my speed, they will get hit. It's one huge judgement call that requires a lot of on-hand practice to get good at, but once you learn what angle works best for you, it all comes down to strafing in the air to get to the target.
Conclusion: As you can see, strafing has a key role in the Quake3 engine as being a speed enhancer, which ultimately leads to victory if used properly. It is not solely for doing jump courses or being fancy-- it is a legitimate key aspect of game play, including combat, that is necessary to know and be aware of if you intend to improve. Please remember that this is a brief crash-course in strafing, and is by no means a substitute for actual instruction with a trainer. Also remember that not everything in here is set in stone. People have their own flare added into their style of strafing. Just like some people only speed strafe with WA-WD, others only do with A-D. Good luck, and good strafing!
Videos are now here! Due to my lack of awesome videoness, I've taken these three from the FL forums that LemonLime took from some rather good strafers as tutorial videos. Very much worth the watch, even for people who casually strafe, because it can help you improve!
