Winning Gun Fights

I've finally come to the conclusion that no matter how much I play this game, I ONLY win gun fights that aren't actually a gun fight. Meaning I usually will only win a fight if I've got the drop on the enemy.

If it's a straight up gunfight, where he sees me & I see him and we both start shooting...I lose. Almost every time.

I have a positive K/D...barely. Which I don't care about as it means nothing in objective games.

However, with that being said, it is a way to measure how successful you are at winning altercations.

Overall, my k/d is 1.04 = which tells me that I get the drop on ppl roughly 4% more of the time than they do on me (including 'fair' fights).

Soooo...the point of this post is to ask those with much higher k/d ratios (the Zero's & Migs & Missiler's of the world):

- Do you win most 'fair' fights, or are you getting the drop on your enemy way more than 4% more of the time?

If you're winning most of your 'fair' fights then there's not much I can do to improve. I'm an old fucker who doesn't have those kinds of reflexes.

BUT, if you're getting into a lot more fights where you have a distinct advantage...that means I could LEARN to do that as well.

Off the top of my head my k/d is around 1.55ish "not great by any means" - was almost 2.0 until I started doing retarded shit lol

I still lose my fair share of encounters but a lot of times I can win because I'm using things to my advantage. I will majority of the time run the perimeter of the map or a small choke point depending on what map. Learn to drop shot, it can help sometimes. And I can't stress this enough use what little environment we have, learn the maps - head glitch - stay close the walls - wall bang etc. It also could be a latency issue on your end Ie bad ISP, bad latency on your display etc - just a lot of variables to consider.

Try running the perimeter and staying on the walls and you should improve a bit if you are not doing this already.

Also check your weapon load out and try for a build that is all about pulling that weapon a little faster.


#FUSLAM

Migs is a booster.

#FUMIGS

Watch the mini map as you are playing. Knowing where your enemy is can help tremendously. What has helped me a lot is changing things up. If I see I am losing most gunfights I change to a sniper rifle and defend until we get into a better connection. No use running around and feeding thier score streaks.

I also changed up my perks I use as I used to use ghost, cold blooded, engineer. I started using flak jacket, toughness, and dexterity or tac mask. Toughness can help a lot getting the last bullet for the kill on target. I also depending on the map primarily go for the flank as in A to C or C to A. Rarely do I go straight to B as I can get around and flank them before they get B in most cases running lightweight on certain SMG classes.

Find YOUR weapons that work for YOU. I almost exclusively use the MSMC or a DSR with overkill and an MSMC. With the PDW coming in second since they nerfed it. I will put it this way I have around 73000 kills with 27000 of them with the PDW then 7000 with the MSMC and 3500 from the DSR.

Slam is a thread hijacker.



Thanks Migs & Missiler.

DeathByAK wrote:

Slam is a thread hijacker.



Thanks Migs & Missiler.

Oh snaps! Some love and thought went into that one haha

I am like you as far as gun skills Death. So from someone who is not beast let me add some things I have learned. I used top try to run ghost and be stealth and try to position myself on the map for an adavantage. My gun would be silenced and and scoped and I would try to stay back off the enemy at a distance. Somewhat campy. You can never pull off games like those you metioned doing that. So I slowly learned how to run and gun. I started using offensive perks and attachments rather thatn defensive such as lightweight, extreme Conditioning, toughness, dexterity things like that. I started using attachments like quickdraw and stock. And this is big, mastered the drop shot. I will never be as good as those guys but I can have some occasional games where I am right there with them unless they go boss like 65 and 10. The difference is I can also go 12 and 20 sometimes too. Below is my go to load out. This is not for sitting still and waiting for them to come to you but go to them before they are ready for you. I am constantly shooting people who are pulling out granades thinking they are about to go into a high action area and not expecting me on thier side of the wall.

MP7
Quickdraw
Stock

No secondary

Perk 3 greed

Lightweight
Scavanger
Extreme conditioning
Dexterity

EMP Granade
C-4

DeathByAK wrote:

Slam is a thread hijacker.



Thanks Migs & Missiler.

Damn that is fancy!

I can't contribute much because my KD is not that great in this game. I try to avoid face to face gunfights as well. I'll run ghost and a silenced weapon and constantly try to flank to get my shots from the back or the side. That's about all I can add.

My issue is simply that I don't have the dead on aim many seem to have. It seems that most times when I bring my sights up I'm always a little to the right of the target then have to correct. Then I'll watch a lot of my kill cams and the other guy is always spot on the middle of my chest with his first shot every fucking time, very annoying. I'll even get the first hit many times but in the middle of my corrections he pops his gun up and without missing a single shot takes me out. I have to say I'm like Baller, and probably most of us, I'll have some great games (usually the ones where my aim happens to be good), and then just as many bad ones. I always felt like my reflexes are decent, usually my tactics are fairly solid, it's just my aim that holds me down from being better.

Some of you guys don't give yourself enough credit. I have seen Baller, Slam, and Death all have great games. I don't have great games all the time. I play very aggressively and generally run middle of the board score streaks which is where a lot of the kills come from. Also I rely a lot on my 6 man team for call outs and to know where the enemy is and hold their ground. Don't sell yourself short.

AK, do you hipfire much?? If you run into an enemy when turning a corner and you take the time to pull up your sights and the enemy hipfires instead, you'll most likely lose. Hipfiring is also a great way to improve your overall aim. If I can tell my aim is off I'll just switch to hipfiring the whole match to improve my aim. Also, pre-firing helps a bunch to get ahead on someone if you're watching the mini map.

First I will say avoid "fair gunfights" like the plague. If you can run....do it. Screw fair, go kill someone else and let your teammates go slice up that red dot shooting at you.

Take a look at your weapon performance stats on Elite and see what is working the best for you and play to the gun's strengths. My accuracy was beyond shitty. But, most of the time it wasn't only poor aim it was using SMG at range or trying to ADS at short range. Or I was rushing around with an AR and getting in too close against SMG's.

To address my piss poor aim there were 2 things that helped me improve a lot. 1) I drew a a crosshair w/ a dry erase pen on my TV 2) Went into bot stomp and quick scoped only. To QS you have to keep that crosshair centered on a target at all times because there is no time to ADS then adjust for a killshot. Over time I my shots started lining up before I was ready to shoot and enemies started dropping quicker.

Gunfights in CoD are played like so...



you see the other guy round a corner then pull the trigger and...

Hmmm 2 guns and one cherry... fuck, i'm dead! lol

1) agree with migs you have to use every small advantage you can in game - perimeter, head glitch, etc.

2) you have to just learn the maps and get a feel where the congested spots are and any time there is a uav or vsat my eyes are glued to it - more importantly COMMUNICATE if there isn't air support up a good call out is just as good!

3) never be in a sprint when you enter the areas mentioned above (especially indoors) - this alone has contributed to a mega difference in my k/d why? because you're not penalized with a delay to fire (hip fire or ads)

4) realize some days you just aren't going to win - depending on who you're partied with, who you're up against, and the connection just isn't in your favor. its a shame really because i like playing with some people who live 2000+ miles away but despite the connection still showing 3 bars I KNOW there is a difference not in my favor resulting in more gun fights lost than should be - when I stick to people closest to me (the canadian t-town squad (nefiew, arcanix, bubba), JK, Missiler, anyone east cost 90% of the time its a decent connection). When I start playing with ppl from BC or far west coast I give up fast run n gun play and stick to ranged lmg / ar stuff

5) play smart, flank flank and flank don't run into open areas alone w/o a distraction (nade, emp, flash, smoke, etc.) take cover when you're outnumbered try to pick em off one at a time - this game is NOT MW3 where you can get 3, 4, 5 pieces via a gun fight (chk the clan montage in my sig for examples)

6) play the game you're the best at - and play to the equipment you're using (e.g. smg / shotguns you need to stay in smaller areas) lmg / ar's you're best advantage is distance and ranged fire into choke points

Criptic Wolf wrote:

My issue is simply that I don't have the dead on aim many seem to have. It seems that most times when I bring my sights up I'm always a little to the right of the target then have to correct. Then I'll watch a lot of my kill cams and the other guy is always spot on the middle of my chest with his first shot every fucking time

Along with quick scoping, that twitch movement you do before you shoot is as important as those drop and drag shots. These are skills you can learn. In fire fights, move crosshairs over enemy first, then press trigger(R1), then aim(L1). This all happens in a split second. This works because the first guy to hit disrupts the other guy's shooting. That is why in CQC, I always take toughness with me. We are older than these younguns and because of that, we'll never win a head to head encounter. We need to cheat by taking care of our ping/latency, choosing the right net provider, TV, router settings, etc. Don't forget the most important cheat we can do, avoiding legit 400+ SPM guys/teams.

I live an die by the hip fire, these recticle challenges are killing me.

Oh, about sprinting.... sprinting fast around a corner... and doing the stupid jumping as well... can actually allow you to see the other around the corner (depending on host or not) long before they see you. Theres those few videos that explain why it happens. If i know someones right aroudn the corner but not camping that corner with sights up... i'll stop before the corner (stopping is important) then sprint around guns blazing and usually end up with a kill before they can even fire at me. Sometimes you can work the lag in BO2 to your favor haha.

chavarlison wrote:

In fire fights, move crosshairs over enemy first, then press trigger(R1), then aim(L1).

This is a big factor for me in coming around a corner or up stairs, I try to keep the cross-hairs aimed where the enemy is likely to be. Then when you ADS you're more likely to land spot on.

I like Nuke's comment about a marker dot on the TV.. that's worth a try since the cross-hairs are so damn small and faint.

Hip fire on ARs are tricky for me. In close quarters with ARs, I get a lot of hip fire hit markers but the spread is all over that it takes more to bring him down. In close quarters I may start hip fire but finish with ADS.

Does anyone know if ADS while mid-fire interferes with or slows down the rate of fire? It shouldn't right?

When I was shopping around for a new dedicated monitor/tv for the xbox I found some that the ASUS monitor can embed a crosshair or "aimpoint" in the middle of the screen. It isn't part of the game code, its part of the monitor. I thought it would be great for QS sniping, and it makes me wonder if some of the phenomenal QS'ers I come up against from time to time use something like that.

https://www.asus.com/Monitors_Projectors/VG248QE

What about look sensitivity? I notice that the really good players seem have a high look speed setting. Should I put the setting up high and learn how to shoot that way or go with something that (pardon the pun) is more my speed.?

Funny, I was about to make a post on how to win gunfights... I'll reply in this thread with what I was going to post.

bluehound000 wrote:

When I was shopping around for a new dedicated monitor/tv for the xbox I found some that the ASUS monitor can embed a crosshair or "aimpoint" in the middle of the screen. It isn't part of the game code, its part of the monitor. I thought it would be great for QS sniping, and it makes me wonder if some of the phenomenal QS'ers I come up against from time to time use something like that.

https://www.asus.com/Monitors_Projectors/VG248QE

omg I can't believe they make such I thing - a monitor with a built in aim point lol its a neat idea and it looks like they're not charging an exorbitant amount or it either

Learn to strafe and shoot at the same time. Lightweight and Stock will help you move faster when you go from side to side. Use the right gun for the map and game variant your playing. Think your classes through and use them as you have them set up.

There are a ton of variables that go into winning a gun fight. Some are obvious, some not so. The thing that most people don't realize is that most gun fights are won before the first bullet is fired. What? How can that be, Zero, you magnificent bastard? I'll tell you.
Let's look at the factors that go into winning a gunfight. There's lag, positioning, map movement, map knowledge, awareness, and mechanics (aiming, firing, dropshotting, jumpshotting). The order of importance of those factors might surprise you.

1. Awareness (not the perk)
2. Map Knowledge
3. Position
4. Lag
5. Map Movement
6. Mechanics

Let's break down each of these factors to find out why they're important. Awareness and map knowledge are similar, but different enough that they warrant seperate entries.

Awareness

Awareness is the usage of the mini-map as well as other cues the game gives you to alert you to an enemy's position. You should be glancing at your mini-map consistently and frequently during a game. Don't stare at it, but glance at it once or twice a second. As far as other cues, the game puts a skull icon on the screen at the position that a teammate has died. This lets you know that someone just killed that teammate, and using Map Knowledge you can extrapolate where the enemy killed them from and where they're likely to come from. There are also audio cues that will tell you where an enemy is. Sounds such as the reloading audio (Cover me, I'm reloading!), the grunts someone makes when they mantle an object, footsteps (while faint, they're there), and bullets whizzing past you will all give you a clue as to where the enemy is. Even the killfeed can tell you where an enemy is if you're aware of where your teammates are.

Awareness also includes knowing the positions of your teammates. This can tell you where an enemy is likely to be. If you have a teammate pushed very far up into the enemy spawn, the spawns will likely flip. If you have three teammates covering the right side of the map, the enemies will likely be on the left.

Why is awareness ranked number one? If you don't know where the enemy is, how are you supposed to kill them? Awareness allows you to set up gun fights to your advantage, which is the key to winning gunfights.

Map Knowledge

Map Knowledge involves knowing the physical layouts of the map, spawn locations, hotspots, and routes through each map. This, along with awareness will allow you to accurately predict where the opponents will show up. Know the camping spots on a map so that you can check them as you approach them.

Position

Position is your physical position on the map. You need to be behind cover if at all possible, presenting as small a target as possible to your opponent. If you are behind a headglitch spot, your opponent only has 15-20% of your body area available as a target. Would you hit while playing blackjack if there was an 80-85% chance of going bust? No, of course not. Use cover to your advantage and you'll live longer, get the higher killstreaks, and do better in general. I'm not advocating camping a headglitch all day long, that's just begging to get flanked, but use the cover on the map to your advantage.

Lag

There's not much to be said about this. Lag is the elephant in the room, and can get you killed in gunfights you should have won twice over. The reason it's not #1 on the list is because you can mitigate lag by changing your playstyle. When you're lagging, slow it down. Don't rush around corners with SMGs, use assault rifles and headglitch. Put more space between you and your enemies by holding down longer sightlines.

There are things you can do to improve your lag. Connect your modem directly to your Xbox. Failing that, at least run your xbox to your router via ethernet. No matter how good your router is, wireless will always be worse than wired. Use port forwarding or DMZ to ensure your xbox has the best connection possible. Every millisecond counts in these games, don't put yourself at a disadvantage before the game even starts.

Map Movement

Knowing how to move around the map is important. Don't run straight down the middle of a lane. Run from cover to cover if possible. If you know someone is camping in a popular spot, use an alternate route to get to them. If possible go around corners with your sights up pre-aiming the spots you think people will be in (Adjustable Stock is amazing for this).
Map Movement also includes disengaging from an encounter in which your enemy has the advantage. If you don't think you can win the gunfight, get out of it. Not every encounter is kill or be killed.

Mechanics

Mechanics involves the actual act of shooting the opponent. Since this is basically muscle memory and repitition, the only way to improve is to play more and really focus on your aim.

Play at a sensitivity you're comfortable at. Nearly the entire pro community plays between 4-6 sensitivity, with the exception of snipers. Accurate shooting is more important than being able to turn on people.

Learn to dropshot and jumpshot. Yes, some people think it's cheap. Some people will whine when you do it to them. Some people play with an artificial code of honor that doesn't include these two things. The best way to deal with those people is to allow them to feel honorable and then thank them for contributing to your next scorestreak.


I could go more in depth with each of these factors and how they interact with each other, but since the forum ate my original post and I don't want to retype everything that I had, this will do for now.