How to Improve at COD4

[BFM_Kiwi]

First tip: don't follow any advice from Kiwi 

Seriously, I'm hoping people can post some tips on weapons, perks, strategy and tactics.  It's a huge subject, but please post away with any tips on anything at all.


For those getting started, I would play on other servers and other game types than BFM S&D.  Two things I did a lot of:

24/7 Killhouse Free for all - no where to hide, you will make lots of kills and get killed a lot.  Good place to get kills for the Challenges.  Good place to test out weapons and perk combinations.  Learn to keep moving, jump or drop prone when you are fighting someone.  Learn to shoot from the hip, and also to quickly use the sights for more accuracy.

Headquarters - this one you also will kill and be killed a lot.  More action that S&D as you will respawn.  Most importantly you will usually get a lot of XP (several hundred points) due to the entire team getting points, so it is a good way to increase your rank even if you aren't making a lot of kills, as opposed to S&D, FFA or Team Deathmatch.  I probably got 90% of my XP playing HQ.


Ben's first and only tip he gave me was (unless you have dead silence): either run or crouch walk.  Run when you have to, but if you are walking, you should crouch so that you don't make noise. 


At the start of a map, good players will know how to launch nades into the spawn points, and also to snipe you as you move away from the spawn point.  This happens a lot on Ambush, Crash, Bog.   So you need to learn to get away from those areas, but without walking through a postion where you can be sniped.   If Killcam is on, watch where that person was when they got you and avoid that place next time.

Watch your flanks.  At the start of the map you know where the other team is.   Good players will go wide around and try to come up from behind you.  So always watch your back..


Reload.  This I totally fail at.  Just like halo you have to choose a good time to do it.  But if you've used up half of a clip, and have a chance, reload.  Otherwise you'll fire one bullet at the next enemy and be left reloading at an inconvenient time.  Also you can switch weapons to the pistol and back for a quick reload.

[BFM_SWiFT]

Avoiding Enemy Fire
Do not run out in the open. 9 times out of 10 you will be shot down. I'm not suggesting you camp, but find some reasonable cover or an area where you aren't vulnerable. Height is a huge advantage.

One thing I tend to do a lot is the drop-shot. If you are in a bit of a duel with someone, go prone as you are shooting and you will find a lot of the bullets will go flying over your head.

In Halo, the common thing to do is strafing, where you move around to avoid bullets. While this is not so common in tactical games like COD4, it still works, particularly if someone is sniping at you. It is much easier to hit a stationary target than one that is moving around.


Learn The Maps
You will only do this by playing and watching others. Learn where common spots are, where people are likely to be. Learn how to get to a certain area without being noticed by the opposition.


Perks / Attachments
If you want to improve, my advice is to avoid using these perks: Juggernaut, Martydom, RPG, 3 Frags, Last Stand.

If you are playing in a Softcore server, almost always use Stopping Power. It adds a huge advantage (as I believe Col Walker said, 140% increase on damage). If you are playing Hardcore, I would suggest UAV Jammer or Sleight of Hand.

Bandolier is always a bonus, especially if you are capable of surviving for long periods of time.

For the third perk, Dead Silence is pretty much a must. Otherwise, Iron Lungs for Snipers, or Deep Impact and Steady Aim for other guns (SA particularly for close range weapons).

For the other attachments, it really depends on the gun. SMGs go together very well with silencers. As they are typically close range weapons, and the silencer decreases range, it has no huge negative effect.
ARs are really at the discretion of the user. Most of them have good iron sights and don't require an RDS or ACOG, so silencer is an option. But as ARs are often used long range, it is probably not a good idea. All I can say is experiment and find out what works for you. Getting used to a particular attachment (or an absence of one) will improve your game.


The Deagle
At close range, the Deagle is a great asset to have. If you have one, use it. Learn how to use it. Watch others who use it. When using it at close range, you don't necessarily have to aim down the sights. The crosshairs are sufficient. Just fire that thing as fast as possible! It is very high damage (especially with stopping power) and will often beat close range guns such as SMGs and sometimes shotguns.

That's all I can really think of right now. As they say, practise makes perfect. Some of these views may seem a bit strong but these are just my personal recommendation if you are wanting to improve.

[ChrisŤ]

Dead Silence
I have to say do NOT use Dead Silence unless you are sure you can still play without it. Dead Silence is a good perk, but IMO it teaches bad habits, because you can run and nobody can hear you, as soon as you turn that off you will be dead. Learn to either run, or crouch, never walk.

The Dolphin Dive
Dolphin Diving is basically jumping and going prone as soon as you hit the ground. So, the other player sees you jump up (making them aim higher) then they see you on the ground laying down (making them aim lower). This tactic is very useful as a lot of people can't aim that fast while you have your aim on them the whole time. NOTE: May not work against other Dolphin Divers

The Bunny Hop
Self-explanatory, just jump as fast as you can while shooting at someone close. Most likely will not work while standing in one spot. If used, try to move a lot, jump around the person in a circle. I rarely use this tactic.

Lean Keys
USE your lean keys as much as you can, especially when sniping. The lean keys basically tilt your head around a corner making you less of a target.

Exposed
When I look around a corner or look around an object, I tend to ASSUME that the enemy has seen me, and is waiting for me to pop out again. While sniping, I have seen this too many times. EXAMPLE:
Overgrown - the building with the machine gun in top. I see people get on the machine gun and shoot at people and not kill them. Assume that if you miss the other player, they will pop out in a different spot and scope in on the exact spot where you just were. If you shoot and miss someone, MOVE to a different spot.

"Switching to your pistol is always faster than reloading"
This quote from the beginning of the CoD4 singleplayer campaign is VERY true. If you find yourself in a tight spot, try to get yourself in the mindset of switching to your pistol before you try to reload. If you run out of pistol ammo, BE creative, run around, jump, try to make it as hard as possible for the other player to hit you, while you look for a place to reload safely.

Ugh...Really? Juggernaut?
Perks are probably one of the most important assets in the game. My advice is not to use juggernaut, because you could be using Stopping Power. Juggernaut lets you stand there taking a bunch of bullets, but does not teach you to move around and avoid those bullets. Stopping Power, Bandolier, and Deep Impact are the only perks I use.

Weapons/Attachment
AK47, AK74u, M40A3 are the only guns I use and with stopping power, are the guns that are the most powerful and accurate. I don't use attachments on any of my weapons, and have one flash grenade and one frag grenade.

Last, have fun!
CoD4 is just a game! If you get killed try not to get frustrated, learn from it and use it to improve.

[BFM_Kiwi]

I don't use the perks that aren't helpful all the time.  Like UAV Jammer is only helpful when the enemy has UAV.  Bandolier is only useful when you'd have run out of ammo, which I rarely live long enough to do.  Iron Lungs only good when sniping.  Overkill can be useful, but you can only use one of the weapons at a time.  Where Juggernaut, Stopping Power, Double Tap and some of those are almost always in play.

[BFM_JANE]

The only clever thing I know: "Cook" the frag nades before throwing them.

They have a five-second fuse, so if you throw it without holding it for a few seconds, it takes a while to explode once it lands and people have time to run away from it.

Hold it for two seconds (let it cook in your hand) before letting go of the throw button. When the enemy hears it land, hopefully they only have enough time to hear it land before they're dead.

Don't forget the time it takes to fly through the air. I've had hail mary nades explode in midair before. Or even short throws that I held too long.

And don't let it explode in your hand. (although there is a challenge for that, kill yourself and someone else with a "cooked" nade, think it's called "misery loves company" lol, i've been looking for a chance to do it)

In softcore games (like the BFM S&D server), the crosshair flashes for every second that counts down.

[BFM_Kiwi]

If you come across a body, their weapons will be lying around.  Switch to your pistol, then swap that for the dead guy's AK-47. 


Also, think about changing your controls.  I change my mouse wheel fwd to knife/melee and mouse wheel back to throw special grenade, and mouse wheel down to frag grenade.  I'm not completely happy with it, but it was worse when i was fumbling for the V or 5 key instead.


Also don't do the same thing map after map.  If you rush up some stairs the first round, go a different way the next time.  If you snipe from a location, or have a good camping spot, the next round or two the enemy will check there first, so be somewhere else.

[BFM_JANE]

Oh, some other things I know:

I've seen people lying prone amongst dead bodies, and they blended in very well. So lie down with your dead comrades and pick off a few runners.


Take advantage of the kill cam. It's horrible, but hey, who can blame you. If you see where the guy was sniping/camping, check there in the future, see if he goes back. And if he doesn't, it's probably a good sniping/camping spot, someone else may be there sometimes.


Don't let others take advantage of the kill cam. If you snipe someone, keep the scope up for 5 sec if you can, so it's harder to tell where you are when they watch the kill. (I read that in a COD tip thing, that is not my trick lol)