Hi. Once again, I am posting this in weapon balance not exactly sure it belongs here and not in General Discussions. Basically, I have a guy that I am training in TW and he has asked for my advice in learning autos (he's currently a Spazzer). This is the advice I replied to him with in our clan forums. Since I know that I don't know everything, I thought that it would be a good idea and a benefit to him if I reposted my advice here, hoping to get some good criticism from any more experienced weapon-addicts than me. This is the advice I gave him anyway. I hope that both me and my trainee will benefit if anyone out there has more or better advice and knowledge and insights. Please keep in mind that we are mostly (but not entirely) talking TW here.
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1 -On flat terrain keep it level with the ground to maximize headshots.
2 - Some autos are more useful when you are not moving, or when crouched etc. The Minimi is a great example of a weapon that is really designed to be fired from a static, crouching or prone position. Its a HEAVY Auto, designed for Support Fire. Not to say that you can't get good enough with it
to use it in all situations. But as an example, in CTF at least, my Mini vs Barret game went up a whole level when i realized that the best thing to do was to STAY STILL, trust in my Minimi's binking ability, and calmly hose him down, NOT to try to jump around all over the place in an effort to avoid his shot.
3 - regarding recoil, try this. Go into an empty server and just fire a whole clip of each auto into the air. Do this a couple times, really really paying attention to the spread. You must do this in both Real and nonReal because the weapon stats are slightly different for each.
4 - ESPECIALLY in CTF, remember ALWAYS as that autos suffer the most from healthwhoring. Never assault the enemy base alone with an auto if the defenders are near the health unless you are suicidal (which I often am)
CHOOSING A STARTING AUTO:
Basically, the ideal effective kill range of each auto is different, with Mp5 being the shortest, Steyr, then AK/ Minimi . So definitely focus on the Auto that fits what you want to specialize in, range-wise. A true master of auto-ing will always spawn with the best auto given the current map & situation. But its best to pick one and learn it heavily before branching out.
Mp5, Personally, I started with the Mp5 as my first Auto cuz I was into R/S at the time and I loved its shortrange killing power. If you wanna stick with your current Assaulting style then I recommend Mp5, of all autos it is closest to the Spaz in its applications.
AK, I almost regard as being related to the Ruger in application, it is definitely most effective at long range with VERY short bursts and an eye for the headshots. If you keep the bursts short it can be very accurate at long range, even if you are simultaneously indulging in some highspeed aerial acrobatics.
Steyr AUG is like a balance between the Mp5 and AK, some people love it because its good at everything and great at nothing (except lighningfast reload); I personally hate it for the same reason. It's like picking the 'baseline' character in a fighting game. I prefer to adapt to the more specialized weapons depending on situation. Caveat to that though... it is IQ Unlimited's current favorite TW weapon and he is BADASS. There are a LOT of passionate Steyr-lovers out there, because of its versatility, I'm just not one of them.
Minimi is the only auto with greater long range killing power than the AK. The major difference between them is the terrain application. In a CTF game, if I plan on a lot of aerial fights, I would rather have an AK. Hugging the ground and chugging through the terrain, I would rather have the Minimi. That is basically why the AK doesn't see much use in TW (you may have noticed this) because given a choice between the two longrange autos, TW favors the minimi heavily. Also with its heavy binking ability Minimi is just about the best anti-sniper weapon there is besides being a superior sniper.
