Return to Castle Wolfenstein Multiplayer Guide
PC
For a detailed list of cheat & hints click here.Return to Castle Wolfenstein Multiplayer Guide by LordKrell Version 1.0 Last Updated: Feb-11, 2002 Platform: PC Current patch revision: 1.1 (Jan-10, 2002) ========================================================== || CONTENTS || ==================================== || || || [INTRO] || || || || [BEGINNER'S GUIDE] || || || || [WEAPONS] || || || || [CLASSES] || || || || [TIPS AND TACTICS] || || || || [ORIGINAL MAPS] || || || || [NEW MAPS] || || || || [FAQ] || || || || [VERSION HISTORY] || || || || [LEGAL STUFF / CONTACT INFO] || || || || [CREDITS] || || || ==================================== ------ You can do a search (Ctrl+F or F3, usually) on any words enclosed | NOTE | between brackets [] (include the brackets). Use this feature to find ------ the information you need or jump directly to the relevant section. ============= || [INTRO] || = ============= ============================================================== Welcome to my Return to Castle Wolfenstein (RtCW) Multiplayer guide! The multiplayer mode is quite amazing and addictive (much better than single player, IMO), and I hope this guide will help you getting started and/or improve your skills. I'll also try to make this as newbie friendly as I can. I've decided to make this guide separate from my RtCW FAQ because it was getting so big. When I play I go by the name LordKrell so if you ever see me online don't hesitate to say hi! Oh, two more things before I begin: (1) I am looking at adding a Clans section. I'm not sure wether this is worth it, or even appropriate. So if you are interested in this, send me a short description of your Clan along with an url and/or email address, plus any useful extra info you might think of. If I get enough requests, then I'll put up the section in a future update. Consider it free publicity. (2) As you can see, I also have a New Maps section. Obviously, I cannot add all the new maps available in this guide, I just don't have the time. I'm only interested in doing the better and most popular ones. So if there is a map you would like to see in here, please let me know, along with any strategies you might have for this map. ------ I make no claim of being a multiplayer God or anything even remotely | NOTE | related. If some parts of the guide are completely off-track, or if ------ you would like to contribute some tips and tactics, please let me know! See the Contact Info section for details. ======================== || [BEGINNER'S GUIDE] || = ======================== =================================================== Here you'll find everything you need to know to get online and start kicking some Axis or Allies butt. CONTENTS : [GETTING STARTED] - [MULTIPLAYER BASICS] NOT DONE YET : SERVER BROWSER - SERVER INFO --------------------- | [GETTING STARTED] | - --------------------- ------------------------------------------------------ If you have no idea how to join a multiplayer game, follow these steps to start playing. ** First, you must start the game with the shortcut labeled "Play Return to Castle Wolfenstein Multiplayer". ** From the main menu, start by selecting 'Options' and changing them to suit your preferences. Note that your multiplayer options are saved in a different file, so don't worry about messing up your single player settings. In multiplayer, framerate is king so make sure to favor speed over quality when setting up the visual options (unless of course your computer is powerful enough). Also adjust the controls to suit your tastes. ** When you're ready, select 'Multiplayer' from the main menu to enter the server browser. ** Make sure your Connection Speed is set right. Selecting the wrong speed for your internet connection may affect performance and cause lag. ** Now click on 'Source: Local' at the top of the screen until it says 'Source: Internet'. Then click on the 'Get New List' button below it to display the currently available multiplayer servers. ** You'll see some information about each server, including its name, current number of players (with max number of players in parenthesis), current map and game type, and your ping. At this point I suggest you click on 'Ping' to sort the servers according to your ping times. This is a representation of how fast your internet connection is between you and the server. The lower the number the faster. Normally you'll want to join servers to which you have a fast connection, for a better playing experience (ie less lag). ** Scan through the list to find a server that looks good to you and simply double-click it to start playing! Note that you obviously cannot join servers who are already full (max players limit reached). ------------------------ | [MULTIPLAYER BASICS] | - ------------------------ --------------------------------------------------- Are you wondering what this multiplayer stuff is all about? Well, the manual is a good place to start. Really. Or, if you're desperate, you can try reading this section. Note that this guide assumes that you have at least some single player experience with RtCW. It is a good way to learn about the game before you face other players. ------------------- | Multiplayer Modes | ------------------- First of all, know that RtCW multiplayer is TEAM-based. There are no pure deathmatch or free-for-all modes. One side will play the Axis, while the other goes as the Allies. RtCW ships with three multiplayer modes: | Wolf MP (Multiplayer) | Also called objective mode, this is the default multiplayer game. In this mode one team will be on offense, trying to complete a set of objectives to win. This can mean blowing up a radar with dynamite or stealing an object and taking it somewhere on the map. The team on defense must hold off the enemy until the time limit is reached if they want to win. Note that some maps may require both teams to attack and defend (such as mp_depot). | Wolf SW (Stop Watch) | This mode plays just like Wolf MP, but with one important difference. After the first match is over, the teams are swapped, and now the team on offense must try to beat the previous match's time (on the same map, obviously). | Wolf CP (Checkpoint) | If you played any other online first-person shooters, you've probably played "Capture the Flag" types of games. This is basically the same, where a team must hold all the flags in the map simultaneously to win. --------------------------------------- | Heads up Display and Special Controls | --------------------------------------- The multiplayer HUD contains lots of useful information you won't find in the single player mode (the sprint bar, health and ammo counts should already be familiar to you). There are also extra keyboard commands you must learn if you want to be an effective team member. | Compass | The compass in itself isn't very useful. I mean, who really needs to know which direction they're going in the relatively small multiplayer maps? What's useful about the compass is the icons that appear all around it, showing you where some objectives or people are in relation to you. Especially useful for the medic, to easily locate all the teammates who need help. | Power Bar | Next to your ammo count is another white bar, similar to the sprint bar. The power bar is used to perform certain class skills, such as calling an air strike or dropping med packs. You can only use these skills when you have enough power to do so. This is an ingenious (IMO) method to balance some of the more powerful skills and weapons. Just like the sprint bar, your power will slowly recharge over time. | Objective Flags | These indicators quickly show you the status of each objective on the map (ie which side controls it). Look at this often to check up on the match's progression. An empty box indicates a flag objective which has not been claimed (or was retaken by the defending team). | Team Overlay | This handy little box in the upper right corner lists every member of your team, along with their class, current health and location! Very useful to quickly assess what each of your teammates are up to. Note that if your team has more than eight players, only the top 8 scorers will be shown. | Lives Indicator | In games where you have a set number of lives (server dependant), you'll see a helmet in the lower left with your remaining lives. When this reaches 0, you can no longer participate for the rest of the match. | Limbo Screen (Default key L) | You can access the limbo screen at anytime, to change your current team, class and weapon, chat, and more. See below for more information. | Voice Chat (Default key V) | Use this feature to send pre-determined messages to others. The advantage over typing messages is that it's much faster (only a few keystrokes needed) and it is spoken, so you're pretty sure the other players won't miss it. But please don't abuse it. Spamming will only annoy the players and does more harm than help. | Chat (Default key T) and Team Chat (Default key Y) | Type in messages for the other players to see. Make SURE you use Team Chat when speaking of sensitive information (such as enemy locations or battle plans). This may seem obvious, but I see lots of people doing this mistake. | Score (Default key TAB) | Lists all players on each side along with their current score (and class for your teammates). Also lists the status of each objective and remaining match time. -------------- | Limbo Screen | -------------- Press the L key (default) at any time to enter the Limbo screen. From there you can do many things, including: change team (and join spectators), change your class and weapon, chat and check the map's objectives. | Team, Class and Weapon selection | On the right side of the screen, first click the Axis or Allies button to join that particular side. Then you'll have to pick from one of the four classes (see Class Section for detailed info), and finally you can choose any of the weapons available to your class (if Lieutenant or Soldier). To see more weapons (Soldier only), click on the left or right double arrows under the weapon selection box. Once you're satisfied with your selection, you can click the 'Close' button to exit the limbo screen and the game will confirm your choice, effective the next time your respawn. For example, "You will spawn as an Allied engineer with a Thompson." You can click the arrows besides the 'Close' button to go back and forth in the player selection process. | Join Spectators | When you first join a multiplayer game, you'll automatically enter as a spec- tator. As a spectator, you can watch the ongoing match without disturbing any- one (you're invisible). You can even fly anywhere you like! This is ideal to learn the layout of a new map, and you can check on what the players are doing at the same time. To join the spectators at any time, simply click the 'Spectator' button in the class selection screen. | Game View | Click the Game View tab to see what's currently going on in the match from the limbo screen. If you're still alive or a spectator, it will be through the eyes of your soldier. If you're dead and waiting in the reinforcement queue (see below) you'll see the game through the eyes of another player on your team. From this screen you can also check the current scores (TAB). | Objectives | By clicking the objectives tab, you can review all the objectives for the current map. You won't be checking this screen often except perhaps the first few times you play on a particular map. ------- | Death | ------- You'll die a lot in RtCW (a lot), but thankfully, death is not permanent. Un- like other first-person shooters, where you can respawn (ie, come back into the game) immediately after you die, RtCW works with a reinforcement system. After a set number of seconds, usually between 20 and 40, depending on the map and side, all dead members of a team automatically come back to life at their team's respawn point. But to do so you must first be in the reinforcement queue. | Reinforcement Queue | Everytime you die, you'll see the message "You are wounded and waiting for a medic", along with the remaining number of seconds until the next reinforcement for your team. You can wait in this position for a medic to help you, or press your Jump key (Default Spacebar) to go in the reinforcement queue. At this point you can no longer be revived. Note that this will automatically take you to the limbo screen. Also note that if your body is exploded or otherwise damaged enough you'll automatically go into reinforcement, since you cannot be revived. | Stuff to do while you're dead | When you're dead and waiting for reinforcement, you can do a number of things. First you can go in the limbo screen and do any desired adjustments (see above). You can also watch the game through the eyes of your teammates: use the Fire button to cycle through each of them who are still alive. Oh, and even dead you can still chat (including voice chat). =============== || [WEAPONS] || = =============== ============================================================ There is a good number of weapons available to you in the multiplayer mode, though you'll only carry a few of them at a time. Each weapon is rated (based on my personal opinion about each weapon's usefulness, very subjective) along with a description and general fighting tips. -------------------- | WEAPONS CONTENTS | -------------------- ------------------- | knife | [KNIFE] | -------------------- ------------------- | handguns | [LUGER] | | | [COLT] | -------------------- ------------------- | sub-machine guns | [MP40] | | | [THOMPSON] | | | [STEN] | -------------------- ------------------- | rifles | [MAUSER] | -------------------- ------------------- | grenades | [POTATO MASHER] | | | [PINEAPPLE] | -------------------- ------------------- | rocket launcher | [PANZERFAUST] | -------------------- ------------------- | chaingun | [VENOM] | -------------------- ------------------- | flamethrower | [FLAMETHROWER] | -------------------- ------------------- | stationary m.gun | [MG42] | -------------------- ------------------- ----------- | [KNIFE] | - ----------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------- Unfortunately, the knife is equally useless in multi- | MP RATING *---- | player. Used as a last resort when you run out of ammo ----------------- for all your other weapons, you won't even get close enough to use it against anyone who has a clue. Do yourself a favor and beg some ammo from the nearest lieutenant instead. ------------------- ----------------- ----------------- | [LUGER] handgun | Clip Size : 8 | Max Ammo : 24 | - ------------------- ----------------- ----------------- -------------------- ----------------- Every Axis player starts with this as a backup weapon, | MP RATING ***-- | and it's not as bad as you might think. Of course any of ----------------- the other weapons are better than this, but if you find yourself out of ammo for your primary weapon and no lieutenant is available to help you out, at least this weapon can save your life. Just be sure to aim at the head to get the most out of your shots. Also note that handguns (this includes the Allied Colt) are extremely accurate, even at long ranges. In one game I "sniped" three consecutive people with my Colt. ------------------ ----------------- ----------------- | [COLT] handgun | Clip Size : 8 | Max Ammo : 24 | - ------------------ ----------------- ----------------- --------------------- ----------------- This is the default secondary weapon of the Allies, and | MP RATING ***-- | is basically identical to the Luger. See comments above. ----------------- Note that you cannot dual wield them in multiplayer. -------------------------- ------------------ ----------------- | [MP40] sub-machine gun | Clip Size : 32 | Max Ammo : 96 | - -------------------------- ------------------ ----------------- ------------ ----------------- A great weapon in multiplayer, the MP40 is the primary | MP RATING ****- | weapon most Axis players use. It's got enough fire power ----------------- to quickly take down any of your opponents and is thus a very reliable weapon. It's not very accurate at medium and long ranges though, so make sure to fire in small bursts or crouch. It's rate of fire is slightly faster than the Thompson, and because of that it tends to be the preferred SMG of many players. ------------------------------ ------------------ ----------------- | [THOMPSON] sub-machine gun | Clip Size : 30 | Max Ammo : 90 | - ------------------------------ ------------------ ----------------- -------- ----------------- As the primary weapon of the Allies, the Thompson is just | MP RATING ****- | as good as the MP40 in multiplayer. It is (very) slightly ----------------- more powerful than the MP40 to compensate for the slower rate of fire. I dunno, I find both are just as good and reliable. -------------------------- ------------------ ----------------- | [STEN] sub-machine gun | Clip Size : 32 | Max Ammo : 96 | - -------------------------- ------------------ ----------------- ------------ ----------------- At first I thought the Sten was useless, because it over- | MP RATING ****- | heats so quickly. But as I experimented with it I grew to ----------------- like it a lot more, so much that I now use it quite often when I play a lieutenant or soldier. It can be difficult to use and is rather weak in large battles against many opponents. However, it is more powerful and accurate than the other SMGs, and all it takes to bring someone down is a few bullets to the head. Make sure you fire in short bursts so you don't overheat, and always aim for the head (crouching may help). It is an ideal weapon for when you have the higher ground over your enemy. ------------------ ------------------ ----------------- | [MAUSER] rifle | Clip Size : 10 | Max Ammo : 30 | - ------------------ ------------------ ----------------- -------------------- ----------------- The Mauser is also a great multiplayer weapon. Use it as | MP RATING ****- | you would in single player, to snipe sentries, MG42 ----------------- gunners and the like. It is mostly useful in large open (outdoors) areas, so it might not be as effective in every map. Note that a head shot will most likely kill everyone but those who have the most health, such as medics. --------------------------- ------------------------------- | [POTATO MASHER] grenade | Max Ammo : Depends on class | - --------------------------- ------------------------------- ---------------- ----------------- Grenades are great in multiplayer to clear out a room, or | MP RATING ***** | prevent someone from advancing in a hallway. Also throw ----------------- them over cover to blast the players hiding behind. Always use your grenades when possible, then can make all the difference in a fight. Also remember to hold on your grenade for a few seconds before throwing it, so that your enemies have no way to dodge the blast. Only Axis players use the Potato Masher. ----------------------- ------------------------------- | [PINEAPPLE] grenade | Max Ammo : Depends on class | - ----------------------- ------------------------------- -------------------- ----------------- Every Ally player carry this grenade. They are the same | MP RATING ***** | as the Axis' Potato Masher for all intents and purposes, ----------------- so see comments above. --------------------------------- ----------------- ---------------- | [PANZERFAUST] rocket launcher | Clip Size : 1 | Max Ammo : 3 | - --------------------------------- ----------------- ---------------- ------- ----------------- There is no better way in multiplayer to lay waste on an | MP RATING ***** | unsuspecting group of enemies than the Panzerfaust. Keep ----------------- in mind that it is very accurate, so you can easily shoot a rocket through even a small window. There is a delay between each shot while you have to wait for your skill bar to recharge, so during this time you will be more vulnerable. The Panzerfaust is a heavy weapon, so your movement rate is greatly reduced while you have it equipped. ----------------------------- ------------------- ------------------- | [VENOM] heavy machine gun | Clip Size : 500 | Max Ammo : 1000 | - ----------------------------- ------------------- ------------------- ------ ----------------- The Venom is equally awesome in multiplayer, if you can | MP RATING ***** | look past its disadvantages. Basically, it has the same ----------------- disadvantages as in single player, except it overheats much faster (and cools down equally fast). In addition it is also a heavy weapon, so you'll move much more slowly with the Venom equipped. However, you can quickly mow down entire groups of enemies with this and sometimes even hold off key positions all by yourself for a short while. ------------------ ------------------- ------------------ | [FLAMETHROWER] | Clip Size : N/A | Max Ammo : 200 | - ------------------ ------------------- ------------------ ------------------ ----------------- The flamethrower is better in multiplayer, at least. | MP RATING ****- | During the first multiplayer beta test, it was way over- ----------------- powered so its damage was toned down and it was changed into a heavy weapon (slow movement rate). Now it's still quite good, but it's use is more limited, or specialized if you will, than the other weapons. The jet of flame can pass easily through small openings such as grates and windows to burn whoever is on the other side. Another advantage is that anyone hit by the flames will catch on fire, which can effectively kill that player even after you're dead or stopped attacking. Be very careful however, moreso than with any other weapon, not to burn your teammates as well. The flames can be hard to control and if any of your friends are near your target, you'll most likely set them on fire as well. You should always take point when you are part of a group, and hope your teammates understand the dangers. -------------------------------- | [MG42] stationary machine gun | - -------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- ----------------- The MG42 is just as powerful in multiplayer, but the | MP RATING ***-- | problem is that your enemies are much smarter. While ----------------- using the gun you're a sitting duck (you cannot move), so expect to be attacked by snipers, rockets or anything else really. In some situations they provide great support fire, in others you won't be able to use them for more than a second. It depends mostly on how your opposition fights and the environment (the map). Remember that these guns can be destroyed, and repaired by engineers. =============== || [CLASSES] || = =============== ============================================================ So you're wondering which of the four multiplayer classes is best for you? Read on. Actually every class is fun to play, though some are harder to master than others. Your best bet is to try many different roles on every map to find out which you prefer or you are more comfortable with. In this section you will also find several tips for playing each class and their respective abilities. CONTENTS : [SOLDIER] - [LIEUTENANT] - [ENGINEER] - [MEDIC] ------------- | [SOLDIER] | - ------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- As you might expect, soldiers are your basic grunts with no special skills. However, the soldier is the only class that can use every weapon, so he can fit many different roles and purposes depending on his chosen weapon. Soldier seems to be the least used class, but I'm not sure why. Probably because soldiers tend to have lower scores than the other classes. Still, they are the only ones who can bring heavy weapons to the battlefield and are always good to have around. ------------------- | Soldier Equipment | ------- ----------- -------- --------- | Key | Weapon/Item Name | Ammo | ------- -------------------- --------- | 1 | Knife | n/a | | 2 | Handgun (1) | 8/24 | | 3 | MP40 | 32/64 | | | Thompson | 30/60 | | | Sten | 32/64 | | | Mauser | 10/10 | | | Panzerfaust | 1/3 | | | Venom | 500/0 | | | Flamethrower | 200 | | 4 | Grenades (2) | 4 | | 5 | n/a | n/a | | 6 | n/a | n/a | ------- -------------------- --------- (1)Axis players start with a Luger. Allies start with a Colt. (2)Axis use Potato Mashers. Allies use Pineapples. ** Soldiers can drop their weapon to pick up any other one on the battlefield. Useful if you don't need your primary weapon anymore. ** As a soldier, you are expected to do the fighting. You should always be the one in front taking the blows because, sadly, you are expendable. Let the medics take care of you if you fall down in battle. ** You might have to protect the engineers as they do their work or simply guard an important objective. It all depends on the situation and of course your chosen weapon. You need to adapt. -------------------- | MP40/Thompson/Sten | -------------------- Choosing one of these weapons makes you the equivalent of a Lieutenant/ Engineer/Medic without any skills, so they're usually a bad choice for a soldier. Pick them if you want a simple but versatile role and be relatively self-sufficient with ammo (or if there are few lieutenants in your team). Contrary to the other more specialized heavy weapons, a sub-machine gun will allow you to be an effective member in almost every situations. Plus you won't have to bother with giving out ammo or defusing dynamite and such, allowing you to concentrate on the fighting and/or learning the map. ** Firing a sub-machine gun in full automatic greatly decreases your accuracy. To prevent this, you can fire in short bursts. ** Crouching while firing is the best way to remain accurate. Doing this you can kill enemies from quite a distance, even with a SMG. However, this position makes you quite vulnerable to return fire, so watch out. ** The Sten overheats very quickly. You can fire at most 10 rounds before it needs to cool down. However you can empty almost a full clip if you fire in short, 3-rounds bursts instead. ** Since the Sten ovherheats so quickly, you need to make sure the first few rounds hit! Make sure you aim at the head and if possible crouch for maximum accuracy. If you miss too much you're dead. -------- | Mauser | -------- Equipped with a Mauser you effectively become a sniper. You are expected to provide sniper support to those fighting at the front. For example, if an enemy is using an MG42 machine gun to stop your team's advance, take him out from a distance. Note that not all maps are suited for snipers. You need wide open areas (usually outdoors) to be effective. Maps that are mostly indoors (such as mp_sub) won't see much use for a sniper. ** You need a good hiding spot! Sniping from the open will get you killed very quickly. Find yourself some cover, such as a window, some crates or even behind a corner. ** This may be obvious, but go for headshots. This will kill anyone who is already hurt or doesn't have much more than 100 health (depends on the number of medics on the other team... also medics can rarely be killed in one shot because they have so much health). ** If possible, crouch when aiming. Waiting for your hands to steady will make it easier to recover from the kick. ** Move! If you always stay in the same spot, your enemies will eventually find you out and come for you or, my favorite, send a rocket your way. Keep moving so you can surprise your enemies from different locations. ** Don't make the mistake of having too many snipers on one team. They fill an important role, sure, but you need people on the front as well. ** The Mauser is rather useless in close range, so if anyone approaches you quickly switch to your sidearm. It may save your life. ------------- | Panzerfaust | ------------- You could say shooting rockets at humans is overkill, and it is, but I'll be damned if it isn't fun. When armed with a Panzerfaust, you'll be expected to clear the path for your teammates, literally. This is the perfect weapon to clear out rooms of enemies and destroy MG42 guns. Because the Panzerfaust is so accurate you can easily fire rockets through windows or openings to kill anyone hiding beyond (such as snipers). Note that firing the Panzerfaust uses up all your power bar. ** The Panzerfaust is a heavy weapon, so don't equip it when you need to run. ** There is a noticeable delay between when you press the trigger and when the rocket is actually fired, so don't try to fire while you're being shot at. You'll probably die before the rocket is launched. ** The rocket's explosion has a very large radius. You can exploit this by aiming at an area near your enemies, such as a wall or the floor. Since hitting a moving player directly can be hard, that way you'll be sure he'll at least be hurt (or killed) by the explosion. ** Don't use the Panzerfaust on Friendly Fire servers unless you know what you're doing. Weapons of mass destruction are very attractive to new- bies, but also very dangerous for themselves and their teammates. Don't fire unless you're certain you have a clear shot. ------- | Venom | ------- As a venom soldier, you should be trying to stop enemy advance. Someone firing a Venom in your direction is usually very intimidating, so it will probably send your enemies into hiding. It is also great for defending an objective, as you can mow down incoming players. If you can deal with the Venom's many shortcomings, you can be a formidable opponent. ** The Venom is a heavy weapon, so don't equip it when you need to run. ** Always try to keep it "pre-winded" by holding the fire button for about half a second and releasing. The faster you can open fire when you face enemies the better. Unless you want to take your enemies by surprise, then don't do it as the noise will alert them. ** When firing the Venom you're an easy target, since you're moving so slow. One on one you're deadly but against multiple opponents you can quickly find yourself in trouble. ** If you crouch while firing, you will gain slightly more accuracy. -------------- | Flamethrower | -------------- This short range weapon is obviously suited for close quarter combat, so you will be most useful at the front (and preferably *ahead* of your teammates). But the flamethrower is also great on defense, where you can guard entry points such as a doorway, a narrow hallway or a duct. ** The Flamethrower is a heavy weapon, so don't equip it when you need to run. It won't reduce your mobility as much as the Venom or Panzerfaust, however. ** Be careful not to put yourself on fire! If the flames hit an obstacle close to you, you may very well hurt yourself as much as your enemies. ** Since the weapon has such a short range, you'll always be vulnerable to enemy fire. Take cover whenever possible and stick to enclosed areas where the Flamethrower excels best. ** Again, this is not a newbie-friendly weapon. The flames can be hard to control and burning your teammates is not a good way to be appreciated. Shooting flames anywhere near your teammates is also not a good idea. (Friendly Fire servers only) ** Don't underestimate the blinding effect of the flames. Disoriented ene- mies are easy targets. ** The Flamethrower can bring down anyone rather quickly, but sometimes not quickly enough. Burning enemies still have plenty of time to shoot you before they fall. Be sure to strafe and hide so you don't get killed yourself. ---------------- | [LIEUTENANT] | - ---------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- Being a Lieutenant comes with many advantages but also with great responsibi- lities. As a Lt. you'll have to dispense ammunition to your teammates as well as provide artillery and air support. Lieutenants also make good soldiers, because they can use all the sub-machine guns and can give themselves endless supplies of ammo. According to the manual, Lieutenants are also supposed to act as leaders and direct the troops, coordinate attacks and the like. But hey, if a medic has a good plan, I don't see why you shouldn't listen to him as well. Few teams will likely ever be so well organized that only the Lt.'s give out orders. ---------------------- | Lieutenant Equipment | ------- -------------- -------- ------ | Key | Weapon/Item Name | Ammo | ------- -------------------- --------- | 1 | Knife | n/a | | 2 | Handgun (1) | 8/24 | | 3 | MP40 | 32/32 | | | Thompson | 30/30 | | | Sten | 32/32 | | 4 | Grenades (2) | 1 | | 5 | Smoke Grenade | n/a | | 6 | Ammo Pack | n/a | | b | Binoculars | n/a | ------- -------------------- --------- (1)Axis players start with a Luger. Allies start with a Colt. (2)Axis use Potato Mashers. Allies use Pineapples. ** Know the map by heart, so you know exactly the best places and moments to use your air and artillery strikes. ** Always tend to your teammates' ammo needs, because a soldier without ammo is useless, thus weakening your team and giving an advantage to your enemies. --------------- | Smoke Grenade | --------------- Lieutenants use the smoke grenade to call air strikes. You throw it just like you would a grenade, except you cannot prime it and hold on to it. The grenade will leave a trail of smoke (red for Axis, blue for Allies) as it lands on the ground. Everyone in the vicinity only has a few seconds to get as far as possible before many bombs are dropped from above. The air strike will gib anyone foolish enough to stand under it, and seriously hurt anyone close enough to the explosions. Throwing a smoke grenade requires that at least half of your power bar is filled, but it will always empty it (even if it's full). ** Use air strikes to protect targets and prevent the enemy from getting close, such as places where enemy engineers must plant dynamite. ** You can also use air strikes to clear an area of any enemies, then your squad can go in and finish off any survivors. Useful to capture forti- fied enemy positions. ** Be careful when throwing a smoke grenade over a wall. Make sure you aim high enough otherwise it can bounce back to you, which is very bad for you and your teammates. ** Also be very very mindful of where you throw your smoke grenade, on friendly fire servers. While most players are smart enough to get away when they see the smoke, never intentionally call an air strike where several of your teammates are. Some of them may simply not see it in the heat of the moment, or not have enough time to get away, and they could get quite mad at you. ** If you call an air strike that could potentially harm some of your teammates, at the very least try to announce it. For example, the voice chat "Fire in the hole!" works well for this. ** Air strikes don't work indoors! I know some people do it anyway to scare the enemies, but you won't fool experienced players with this. Well, the smoke can blind the players a little, which is good. ------------ | Binoculars | ------------ Well, you can use the binoculars to, um, spy on your enemies, but that's boring. The real use for the binoculars is to call deadly artillery strikes. Unlike air strikes, which are almost instantaneous, this will call for sustained artillery fire in a specific area for about 10 seconds. To call an artillery strike, look at the area you would like to target through your bino- culars, then press the fire button. You will see a puff of blue (Allies) or red (Axis) smoke above your target, and the firing will commence after about 5 seconds. This skill takes a full power bar to use. Now this has obvious advantage over air strikes. First, you can use it from a great distance, at any area you can see through your binoculars! Also, since the bombardment last for a longer time, this can keep enemies out of a critical area longer than air strikes. A couple lieutenants working together could delay their enemies significantly. The biggest disadvantage is that it takes a long time before the bombardment actually begins, so it can be hard to surprise to other team with it. ** Just like air strikes, this will not work indoors at all, so don't bother. ** Try to target locations where your enemies commonly find themselves, such as a sniper position. Also use it to protect objectives. ** Don't try artillery strikes against an advancing group of enemies. By the time it begins, they'll be long gone. ** Like air strikes, this is can be as dangerous to your teammates as it is to your enemies. Be sure to warn your team when you call an artillery strike somewhere. For example, "Artillery at the AA gun!". Since the smoke goes away before the bombardment begins, it is not always obvious to your teammates that the area is under fire. ** Calling an artillery strike at one of your enemies' spawn points may be a little cheesy, but hey, it works. Just don't overdo it, please. ----------- | Ammo Pack | ----------- Everyone on your team, especially medics, will be asking you for these. Each ammo pack gives ammo for your primary weapon (the equivalent of one clip, usually) and one grenade (you can never have more grenades than you started with). Be sure to give out ammo packs to anyone who requests it (and is reasonably close to you) and even at random to any teammates you meet if you can afford it. If one asks for ammo you'll see a yellow ammo icon over their head, as well as on your compass, indicating their position relative to yours. A well supplied team is essential for victory. Using this skill takes 1/4 of your power bar. ** When you respawn after being killed, switch to the ammo pack and give some to your teammates before going back to the action. You really don't need to give yourself any at first, since you start with an extra clip and you can always give yourself more later anyway. ** When defending an objective, keeping everyone supplied will make defen- ding that much more easier. ** When on offense, be sure your squad is prepared before going to the front. You won't have time to give out ammo to that medic who just ran out in the middle of a fight! ** PLEASE don't play a Lieutenant just so you can be a soldier with unli- mited ammo. When I play, say a medic, and I see a Lieutenant giving himself ammo and completely ignoring me I am SO tempted to shoot his brains out. And for the love of God don't give yourself 3 or 4 packs everytime you respawn. You're not helping your team by doing this. ** One or two packs is generally enough for anyone, so no need to empty your power bar on everyone you see. Medics can use three packs though. ** You can pick up your enemies' ammo packs. -------------- | [ENGINEER] | - -------------- ------------------------------------------------------------- Engineers blow stuff up. Or prevent stuff for getting blown up. As you can guess, engineers are required on any map where objectives must be destroyed. This is really the only mandatory class to any offensive team in the Multi- player and Stop Watch modes. Without engineers you cannot complete your ob- jectives thus you have no chance at winning. They are also great for fighting because they can carry the most grenades of any class. -------------------- | Engineer Equipment | ------- ------------ --------- -------- | Key | Weapon/Item Name | Ammo | ------- --------------------- --------- | 1 | Knife | n/a | | 2 | Handgun (1) | 8/24 | | 3 | MP40 (Axis) | 32/32 | | | Thompson (Allies) | 30/32 | | 4 | Grenades (2) | 8 | | 5 | Pliers | n/a | | 6 | Dynamite | n/a | ------- --------------------- --------- (1)Axis players start with a Luger. Allies start with a Colt. (2)Axis use Potato Mashers. Allies use Pineapples. ** As with the Lieutenant, don't play an engineer if you don't know the map! You won't help your team much if you lose valuable time only searching for the next objective. Or even worse, by planting dynamite on the wrong objective. ** While I mentioned that engineers are often required for offense, also note that they're equally useful on defense. If an enemy engineer successfully plants dynamite near the primary objective and there's no engineer on your team to disarm it, it's game over. You lost. For this reason alone, most of the time you'll need at least one engineer on defense (and be sure to protect him). ** Try to let the soldiers clear out an area before you go in and plant (or disarm) dynamite. This is delicate work and being shot at won't make it any easier ** Another reason to be an engineer is for the large number of grenades they carry. This ability is often underused. When you plant dynamite, keep going grenades at it so that the enemy cannot defuse it. Works great, and you have plenty of grenades to last the 30 seconds. ---------- | Dynamite | ---------- Drop dynamite in front of destructible things (usually objectives) to blow them up. You can identify those with the dynamite icon that appears over them. You'll also see a message if it's an objective, for example "You are near the sea wall door" . When you drop a dynamite, the area will glow yellow. You need to arm it with the pliers (see below) or the dynamite won't do anything. An unarmed dynamite will disappear after a while. Once the dynamite is armed, the area will glow red and you'll hear it ticking. It will explode after 30 seconds. ** Try to drop your dynamite in hard to reach locations if possible. Even if your opponents spend only a few seconds looking for it, this may buy you just enough time for it to explode. ** As soon as the match begins, rush the first objective! If you can get there before your enemies, or before they have time to organize their defenses, you can save your team lots of time. ** You don't need to drop the dynamite right next to the objective. It can be a short distance away (the explosion has a big radius). You can sometimes use this to your advantage to plant dynamite from a safer position. -------- | Pliers | -------- You can do one of three things with those pliers: arm or disarm dynamite, and repair broken MG42 machine guns. You need to be relatively close to the object to work on it (crouching may help). Arming dynamite only takes about three seconds, while disarming and repairing takes more time (about twice as much, but it may seem like forever when there's fighting all around you). The longer you use the pliers, the more your power bar will be drained (though never by a significant amount). ** If possible, try to use the pliers from a safe position, such as behind cover, with only your arm sticking out. ** Don't underestimate the importance of engineers on defense! Disarm dynamite to slow down the enemy or deny them victory. ** Usually when a MG42 is destroyed the enemy will assume it's destroyed for good. Try to surprise them by repairing a machine gun covering an important location! It seems few engineers think of doing this. This also works well in Checkpoint mode, such as on the map mp_destruction, because no one expects to see an engineer since they're not needed. Even better, team up with a medic and you can sometimes hold an MG42 for a very long time! ** If an engineer started disarming dynamite but got killed in the process, you can go and finish the work from where he left off. ----------- | [MEDIC] | - ----------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- A team without any medics can win. They'll need to be very skilled players, or to be facing a very weak team. The benefits of medics on the battlefield, while not as obvious as say, an engineer or lieutenant, are equally important. As a medic, you keep your team healthy, alive, and well. You either strengthen your team's defenses, or allow your team to pursue their offensive assault. As a bonus, you give every member of your team more health just for being a medic! What more could you ask for? Well, how about regeneration? Medics regenerate health rather quickly so you can concentrate on healing others instead of worrying about yourself. ----------------- | Medic Equipment | ------- --------- ------------ ------- | Key | Weapon/Item Name | Ammo | ------- --------------------- -------- | 1 | Knife | n/a | | 2 | Handgun (1) | 8/24 | | 3 | MP40 (Axis) | 32/0 | | | Thompson (Allies) | 30/0 | | 4 | Grenades (2) | 1 | | 5 | Syringe | 10 | | 6 | Med Pack | n/a | ------- --------------------- -------- (1)Axis players start with a Luger. Allies start with a Colt. (2)Axis use Potato Mashers. Allies use Pineapples. ** When you play a medic, first of all make sure you always keep yourself safe. Let your teammates do the fighting while you cover their backs. Then you can revive any who've fallen in battle. ** That doesn't mean you should never fight. Of course a medic with a Thompson or MP40 is just as good as anyone else, so help out whenever you can. Just make sure you don't put yourself in too much danger. A dead medic doesn't do much good. ** Try to go where you're the most needed. Often it will be at the front, but it could be on defense if they're under heavy fire. ** Never go out alone. A lone medic can't do much. plus you won't be helping your team. ** Prioritize healing and reviving over fighting. The more allies you can bring back in the fight, the easier it will be to overcome the enemies. --------- | Syringe | --------- Give a shot of the syringe to one of your fallen comrades to bring him back into action. You can easily recognize who needs reviving by a red syringe icon over their body. The icon will also appear on your compass, so you can track all teammates near you who need assistance. A player who was gibbed or went in the reinforcement queue cannot be revived (you won't see an icon over him). The syringe is the only skill that doesn't use up your power bar. Instead you start with 10 shots, but there's no way to gain any more. Chances are you'll die before you use them all up though. :) ** Usually you need to crouch over the body to use a syringe. Or in any case you need to be very close to it. ** Make sure you revive anyone you see. It's really frustrating when you see a medic pass just by your dead body and completely ignore you. The player you just passed by could make all the difference in the next fight. ---------- | Med Pack | ---------- Like ammo packs, you drop these on the ground for anyone who needs them. Each med pack restores up to 20 lost health points. There are many ways to check on the health of your teammates. First, make sure you give some to anyone who asks for it. You'll see a red cross icon over their head, and it will appear on your compass to guide you. Second, everytime you target a teammate you'll see their his bar under his name. Finally, you can check on the health of several of your friends at once by looking at the team overlay in the upper- right corner. So you have no excuse for not doing your job. Giving out a med pack takes 1/4 of your power bar. ** Don't always wait for people to ask before you heal them. You should always heal up anyone you meet. ** Drop med packs at key locations, such as an objective room, so your teammates can grab them when they need them. ** Reviving someone will only give him half health. Make sure you spare him some med packs afterwards. ** You can pick up your enemies' med packs. ======================== || [TIPS AND TACTICS] || = ======================== =================================================== While most of these tips may be self-evident to experienced players, I hope they will be of some help to beginners. If you have some great tips you would like to share with the other players, send them in! Note that you will find more specific tips in the CLASSES and MAPS sections. CONTENTS : [GENERAL TIPS] - [COMBAT TIPS] - [OFFENSE TIPS] - [DEFENSE TIPS] - [THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT DO] NOT DONE YET : CHECKPOINT TIPS ------------------ | [GENERAL TIPS] | - ------------------ --------------------------------------------------------- Here are some essential things you need to know before you jump into the RtCW multiplayer action. | PICK A FAST SERVER | For the best playing experience possible, you should always choose a server you have a fast connection to. In the Server Browser, sort the list by ping times to find this out. Also, if you have a 56k connection or slower, you should stick to low population servers (such as 16 players or so). | PLAY AS A TEAM | RtCW is strictly a team-based multiplayer game, so if you only care about deathmatching go back to Quake or Unreal Tournament. Simply put, the team who plays together the best wins. Anyone who goes out alone and always does his own thing hurts his team more than he helps it. Unless infiltrating the enemy territory alone is part of the plan. Try to stay in groups, especially if you have a support class, such as a medic. The advantage is obvious: superiority in numbers. You'll win more battles, die less and generally put more pressure on the enemy. | PLAYING AS A TEAM MEANS COMMUNICATION | You can't really play as a team if you don't talk to each other. Make good use of voice and team chat to let your teammates know what you're up to, what you need, or give out some orders and try to rally the troops. For example, if you need help defending an objective you should request backup. Of course don't spam your teammates constantly with all kinds of useless information. | A GOOD TEAM NEEDS BALANCE | Sometimes, it seems everyone wants to be a sniper or a lieutenant. An effec- tive team needs balance. When a team is seriously imbalanced towards one class in particular, they'll pay for it sooner or later. For example, a team without medics is very weak and usually easier to beat. Follow the match's progression closely and change your role whenever it is needed. Checking the current scores (TAB) often helps in deciding what class or weapon you should use next. ----------------- | [COMBAT TIPS] | - ----------------- ---------------------------------------------------------- Are you a first-person shooter newbie? Hopefully these tips will make you a better fighter, and a more valuable member of your team. | AIM FOR THE HEAD | This is probably the most important tip if you want a fighting chance against the more experienced players. Shooting at your opponents head will inflict much more damage than the other parts, so get used right from the start to aim up there whenever you fight someone. It may not be so obvious, especially in a big fight against multiple moving opponents. Just make sure you always aim a little higher than you're used to, and you should get the hang of it. | CROUCH FOR BETTER ACCURACY | I know I've said it already, but it's worth repeating. If you crouch when firing a SMG or the Venom, you'll be much more accurate, even when going full auto. Use this to pick off enemies from a distance before they can even get close to you. Alternatively, you can fire in short bursts. Just remember to go for the head. :) | NEVER HESITATE | I know it's awfully cliche, but the slightest hesitation on the battlefield can get you killed. This is also true in RtCW. As soon as you see an opponent you should start firing. Usually the one who shoots first wins. This is because it's more difficult to return fire when you're being shot at, as your aim is thrown around slightly from the impact of the bullets. | MOVE! | A stationary target is an easy kill. Unless you're crouching to aim better, you should always be moving. Strafing and jumping while fighting someone will make you much harder to hit, though you may find it harder to aim yourself. It takes practice, but will ultimately make you a tougher opponent. | SPRINT! | Sprinting, in addition to the Move! tip above, will make you even harder to hit. You cannot sprint for long before your bar is empty, but sprinting while strafing around an opponent could give you the advantage you need to emerge victorious. | LEAD YOUR TARGET (TO HIS DEATH) | The trick to beat a moving opponent (for example, someone strafing left and right as he is shooting you) is to predict his movements. If your enemy is running to the left, then fire just a little to the left of him, otherwise your shots might just pass harmlessly behind him. Of course this also depends on the distance between you and your opponent. The farther away he is, the more lead you must give your shots. This is especially important when sniping with the Mauser. This is also used to counteract internet latency (lag). The slower your connection, the bigger the delay will be between the moment you press the Fire button and the shot is actually fired. So use this trick to adjust your aim in consequence. | ALWAYS KEEP YOUR WEAPON FULLY LOADED | Take any chance you have to reload your weapon. Having to reload during a fight will get you killed, believe me. Also always try to find cover whenever possible before reloading. This way you have less chance of an enemy surpri- sing you while you're vulnerable. | USE GRENADES OFTEN | Grenades are very powerful, and very useful if you know how to use them. The best trick to using grenades is to prime and hold on to them before you throw them. This way you can time it so that your enemies have no chance of avoiding the grenade. You have 5 seconds before the grenade explodes, so make sure to get rid of it before then (listen for the ticks, one per second). I often like to play engineers myself because they have lots of grenades. | FIND EXTRA AMMO | Players who are killed will leave their gun on the ground. If the gun is the same as yours, you can pick it up and add whatever's left in the clip to your ammo. This will even allow you to go beyond the maximum ammo for your weapon! Note that soldiers can drop their weapon at any time to pick up a new one. | FRIENDS AND FRIENDLY FIRE | On a server with the Friendly Fire option turned ON you can harm all your teammates just as you can your enemies. So of course you need to be more careful, especially if you have a really big gun in your hands. Sometimes I see players firing wildly on a group of people, even if some of their friends are in there. Remember that you lose more points by killing a teammate than you gain by killing an enemy, so sometimes it pays off to hold your fire. Shooting friends won't make them stay that way for long, anyway. ------------------ | [OFFENSE TIPS] | - ------------------ --------------------------------------------------------- When you play in Wolf MP or Wolf SW modes, one team will be on offense and one on defense (although there are exceptions, such as mp_depot). Usually the team on offense has it harder, so here are some tips that may help. | WE NEED AN ENGINEER! | The faster you can blow stuff up, the faster you can win. The more engineers you have, the faster you can blow stuff up. Get it? I'm not saying everyone on offense should go engineer. But the more you have (without compromising team balance), the faster you can get things done. This is especially important in Stop Watch mode. Also see the next tip for more reasons why this can help. | DYNAMITE PL-- DYNAMITE PLANTED | If you're on defense and hear something like that, it usually means you're in trouble. Indeed, the more dynamite you drop near an objective, the harder it will be for the team on defense to defuse it all. Especially if they have only one engineer. | CLEAR THE PATH! | Before your engineers can get anywhere near the objective, you must make sure the area is cleared of enemies. Heavy weapons, air strikes (if outdoors) and grenades are great for this. Also make sure you cover the engineers as they're doing their stuff. Take bullets for them if needed. | ORGANIZE LARGE GROUPS | If your enemies have a strong defense, trying to get past them with only a few people at a time will never work. They'll be able to annihilate all of you be- fore you can cause any real damage. Furthermore, if they have medics and lieu- tenants they'll be ready for the next fight in no time, making your efforts futile. For this reason, you should tackle their defenses with equally large groups, if you at least want a fighting chance. If that still doesn't work, see the next tip. | RUSH THE ENEMY | Don't give your enemy time to bring in more reinforcements and rebuild a strong defense between every assault! If you can't bring in sufficiently large groups, keep rushing the enemy. They might find themselves weakened over time, making it easier to break through their defenses eventually. If possible go for the medics first. | SNEAK PAST YOUR ENEMIES | Many maps contain shortcuts and alternate routes that lead to a single objective, which are often less heavily guarded. You can sometimes surprise the enemy by using these paths instead of just walking into a deadly trap. ------------------ | [DEFENSE TIPS] | - ------------------ --------------------------------------------------------- These are some general tips for when you are the defensive team in Wolf MP or Wolf SW modes. I certainly could use more, so if you have any send them in! | DEFEND THE OBJECTIVE! | If you hear this often, it means there aren't enough people guarding a specific objective. Secondary objectives aren't all that important, but primary objectives must be defended at all cost (or you lose). Guard duty can sometimes be boring, but it is essential. So the hardest part is usually to get enough people to defend. A lot of people prefer to be on the front where there is more action. | WE NEED AN ENGINEER! (AGAIN) | As I've said before, engineers can be as important on defense as they are on offense. More than one, preferably. They are important for several reasons. First, multiple engineers working on the same dynamite will be able to defuse it much faster (twice as fast for two, three times for three, etc). More engineers also mean more chance of having one around when you REALLY need him. Finally, engineers are great for holding a position with their generous supply of grenades, and can even repair a MG42 when needed! | DEFENDING AN OBJECTIVE IS SO EASY, EVEN MY MOM COULD DO IT! | When defending something (for example, the War Room on the Beach level or the Coffin in the Village level), make sure you have a somewhat independent group. That means you need at least a medic to revive and heal up after each fight, and preferably a lieutenant to keep everyone well supplied with ammo. That means everytime the enemy attacks you he'll have to face a fresh group, making it quite hard for them to get past your defenses. ------------------------------ | [THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT DO] | - ------------------------------ --------------------------------------------- This is pretty self-explanatory. As a team-based multiplayer game, try to be at least civil. Don't be a sore loser/winner, play to have fun, blah blah... | TEAM KILLING... | This is only possible on Friendly Fire servers, and it is a very lame thing to do. Commonly referred to as TKing, or being a TKer. This will get you kicked, and possibly make your team lose. I know not everyone plays this game to make friends, but it's no reason to be a jerk. | ...AND WHINING | When someone from your team kills you, always assume it was an accident. For this reason you should never file a complaint against someone unless the act was obviously deliberate or the guy is a known TKer (and/or an idiot). That's the way I feel about it, anyway. | DON'T SPAM - DON'T SPAM - DON'T SPAM - DON'T SPAM - DON'T SPAM | PLEASE don't abuse the voice chat. If you need a medic, ammo, or *anything*, say it once. That's it. Once. Medics are busy, they can't necessarily run up to you within the next .5 second. If saying something doesn't wield any results, repeat it once in a while. Spamming will only get you ignored, or even hated. | KILL LORDKRELL | If you ever see me online, you should never kill me because Very Bad Things could happen to you. You have been warned. :) ===================== || [ORIGINAL MAPS] || = ===================== ====================================================== This section will detail each of the eight multiplayer maps that shipped with the game, along with strategies for both sides (coming soon). CONTENTS : [BEACH] - [VILLAGE] - [ASSAULT] - [DEPOT] - [DAS BOOT] - [CASTLE] - [COMMUNIQUE] - [DESTRUCTION] ----------- ------------ ------ ------ ------ | [BEACH] | mp_beach | | MP | SW | | ----------- ------------ ------------------------------ ------ ------ ------ | OVERVIEW | Allied forces are attempting to steal top secret war documents | | | from an Axis beach installation. | ----- ----- ------------------------------- -------------------------------- | OBJ | P/S | AXIS | ALLIES | ----- ----- ------------------------------- -------------------------------- | 1 | P | Hold off the Allied invasion. | Breach the Sea Wall. | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | 2 | P | Prevent Allies from stealing | Steal the top secret Axis war | | | | top secret war documents. | documents. | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | 3 | P | Stop the Allies before they | Get to the Radio Room and | | | | transmit the war documents.
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