Guide [Issue 29] Five Techniques to win a Duel

[hogree 4,179]

Tanki.
 
It's a grand game. Let's be honest. So many different game-modes, maps and weapons. The diversity is truly brilliant. But, as you climb up the ranks, sometimes things can get a bit monotonous. Less skill; more routine. Players search for something to give them more satisfaction. Thus, the prouder among us enjoy testing our abilities on more close-knit battlegrounds.
 
Duels.
 
You find them in almost every multiplayer game. Unfortunately, here in Tanki, they are rare at the lower ranks. As you get to the upper end of things, however, they come into the scene of things. So how can we dissect the ins and outs of such a skill? No longer is there any reliance on teams. No longer can you trust on some other tank being a distraction. You will have to do the work all by yourself.
 
Alone.
 
Below are 5 Techniques, each with their own graphic, handmade from the hogster himself. Some may be useful for all ranks, a couple only for the less advanced players and one or two, perhaps, for the more cutting-edge duelists. However, my intention was to select special techniques for this article. None of your normal spawn-killing, charging early rubbish. These are special, even Elite. Some are even psychological, dare I say it. The intention is to give you players some ideas on new, potential techniques to get you that key victory against that rival. The feeling of winning a duel against an arch-enemy rivals among the greatest feelings in this game.

 
Glory. 
 
Credit goes to Fen-Harel for suggesting 1, err, or was it 2" Yeah. Let's just say a couple of the selected techniques. Although some of these can be applicable for all your dueling efforts, the main thrust of this article regards old-school Railgun-Hornet dueling in the tanker's original home, Sandbox. Why Railgun-Hornet, you ask? The best combination to learn dueling with. Combines skill, anticipation and patience in an all-round awesome battlefield. So, time for some tactics.
 
Enjoy.
1. Purposely getting killed / Purposely not killing
 
Example:

Note: If you cannot see this picture, or any of the below ones clearly enough, just click on it to see it larger.

 
We kick off the 5 Techniques, smashing in high on the Richter scale, with an extremely controversial technique. As you've probably realized, this isn't going to be your regular tipping backwards and forwards, charging early boredom. My mission is to get you to think on your feet. Or your tracks. The point of this article is to show you that to be an efficient player in many situations, you can't just say you're able to perfectly time a shot, and thus are all set and ready to rumble. There's more to be addressed, more to be considered.
 
Purposely getting killed and purposely not killing are both passionate beliefs of mine in duels. People all too quickly see the enemy and take a shot at them without considering the repercussions. Obviously, the example shown above shows the more risky side of the two - purposely getting killed. It certainly leaves you vulnerable, and it can be risky if you re-spawn in the wrong areas. However, the other one is more of a passion of mine. Shooting someone has got to be thought through.
 
Picture this as an example of purposely not killing. You are on full health, just re-spawned. Your opponent, let's say his name's Jake, is running down the left trying to get your flag. You know he's damaged. One shot, and he's dead. He's in the open, you're in the cover of your base, and you can easily get rid of him. But you know, if you do decide to kill Jake, he'll re-spawn before you're able to get to his flag. Thus, you'll have to duel with him, both of you having full life. As a result, you'll have lost your advantage. So, against your instinct which is hungry for kills, you ignore Jake and go for the flag. He goes for yours. You both grab the flags and face off. You can even allow yourself to be shot by him. Then you only need one shot to get rid of him, and Boom! You've got an easy flag capture.
 
That's just an example of purposely not killing. Of course, purposely getting killed was shown in the graphic. Although you may think it's risky, the best duelists consider all the options, even missing sometimes. So, don't write off the power of "not killing" and even getting killed on purpose. It's more useful than you might originally think, even though it must be handled with care.

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2. Dealing with Flipped Opponents
 
Example: 

 

Flipping in any XP battle can simply change the tide of the game in a flash, whether 2 vs 2, 4 vs 4 or even 6 vs 6. But in duels, flipping is one of the biggest no-no's. Flipping needs to be avoided at all costs. On the other hand, for the one who takes advantage of an enemy flipping or even manages to flip their opponent themselves, opportunities open up. For about 10 seconds, you are in complete control of what happens, a serious opportunity. Yet, too often, people don't consider their options.

 

In the graphic above, the example is shown of a player turtled with the flag. That occurrence is less helpful for a player as no flag advantage can be made whilst the opponent holds the flag. However, it shows the best way to take advantage of such a situation. On the other hand, when players flip on the enemy team without the flag, never shoot them. Same occurs when you are in close range of a player who has flipped onto his side. The priority is to push into them, and assure they are completely inverted. Remember, the fact they were on their side for a short while won't shorten their re-spawn. They'll still only press Delete once you've flipped them.

 

As for you, when you flip, ensure you immediately press Delete. Don't delay. Any second can be crucial in a duel. However, don't be too trigger-happy with the Delete button. If you, for example, get hit as you jump off a higher height and flip, you may still land on your tracks Don't press Delete while you're in the air. Once again, consideration is the main point here. Be careful you use everything to your utmost advantage.

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3. Feigning Ignorance
 
Example:

 

Ah, now we get to the interesting ones. Psychological moves. These are fun. There are many ways to trick your opponents into error. Let's run through a couple quickly.

 

Of course, there's the one in the image.  Running out into the open toward a drop box or toward a flag innocently, before spinning and taking your enemy by surprise. Now, this is only for seriously confident players. Be careful. Some enemies still won't risk anything. Charge as soon as you can for the spin shot to work. 

 

However, for us commoners, there's a nice technique I like using. I call it the "AFK" Technique. Sit somewhere, and don't move an inch. For almost a minute. Money's on the enemy not opening himself up too obviously in that time period. Eventually, they'll be intrigued as to whether you are actually active, and you can easily get a surprise shot in before them.

 

Another one is driving toward a box or a flag and, suddenly, braking before getting there. Very often, the player will expect you to move straight into it, thus, if you time it well, you'll often seep out a miss from your opponent. Psychological moves like these are ways of encouraging misses from opponents. Though risky and demanding skills, they are great ways to make your arch-enemy look like a fool, too!

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4. Dropping the Flag
 
Example: 

 

Dropping your flag offers and old school method of distraction, a method not to be toyed with, as there are more enemies in the game that miss easy shots than you would reckon, so dropping the flag needlessly can cause your team to lose a valuable flag and even lose some of your own reputation. But it does have it's role. Another psychological piece of genius that really shouldn't exist in the human brain, but it does.

 

The image above shows the "confusion" aspect of the situation, enabling the opposing player to take advantage of the situation by getting the shot in earlier. In dueling with a close friend once, they pulled this off, and, in the end, I ended up shooting the flag instead of the tank. Brilliant. The confusion aspect is something you'll only appreciate if you're in a game. Many of you, of course, know, that you can drop the flag unintentionally due to lag. This is something that does float through the mind of the player, causing extra problems and slowing the process of shooting.

 

Not only can you effectively "drop the flag" in close-quarter scenarios where the opponent has the high advantage for the kill, but also when there is a "stalemate" and both players hold the flag. Drop the flag in your base and move around. Opponents get confused, and they can often be drawn out. However, you will have to ensure you do not let the flag auto-return. The time passes pretty fast when you're engaged in an intense duel!

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5. The "Gentle Push"
 
Example:

 

If you've complained that none of the above are really "techniques", this is a real gameplay one. Suggested by Fen, the Gentle Push is a technique that can be used in all situations to get your opponent's shot off target. It's normally used when you are under pressure. For example, you are both reloading but he is going to shoot before you. It's all about driving your tank into the corner of the opponent's tank to get them to hit off target.

 

The example shown above shows a corner, a good situation in which to use it, but, really, you can use it anywhere. You simply need to drive your hull into the side corner of the opponent's tank as they are charging, and they will be rammed off target. Though it will take some learning to get perfect, it's a brilliant technique to get your opponent to miss. You may be thinking "Well, it sounds good, but I still don't get it." Don't fear. You can always see it in gameplay. There's one example I crossed over quite recently, which although difficult to find, shows the movement quite clearly. SemGrand, the eGuards player, uses it on gangstachel, the Arcade player. The video can be seen here. Skip forward to about 1:42:10 to watch the move (Make sure you follow SemGrand and see exactly what he does). 

 

Let's get this straight. The situation to get into using this is not a situation in which you want to be. Ideally you would want to just shoot your opponent off target by using your weapon well. However, none of us are perfect, and we will always time some of our shots badly. This is when this move comes in handy.

 

A last note regarding this technique is that a lot of people do it wrong. They ram into the side of the opponent's tank. The key is just a gentle push. It jerks the opponent off target, rather than shoves them. Care must be taken. Just a gentle touch, and you'd be surprised how easy it is to knock an enemy from his shot.

 

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If you've read all of this, or even just looked at each of the pictures, I hope you've come up with some ideas yourself. However, although reading has it's place, I believe the best way to learn from others is by watching. There's nothing quite like watching a pro in action. So, a wonderful way to see these techniques in action is looking at Starladder. Of course! Where else? The best players play there, and you can see the skills they use in fine, high-quality visuals. Linked Here is a great example of a battle to watch. This was part of the Lan Finals ( a different video from the one linked above in the "Gentle Push" section), and it involved the two best clans in the game at the end of this year,eGuards and Noobest, now known as Arcade. Skills are on display in full glow It's a great watch if ever you have the time.

 

Note: If you want to read some basic advice on playing Hornet-Railgun battles and simpler skills involved, you can go across to my XP Battle Guide, published about a year ago.
 

Thanks to fivemileown, Fen-Harel, EIliminated, AbsoluteAlpha and Vikster207 for helping with the visual graphics.

Edited July 30, 2017 by Hexed

[Finesse 968]

This is basic techniques

[epickiller546 241]

Hmm never looked at it this way. Good job hog :)

[Reeco9 1,567]

Good job m8

[JJ410 221]

Good work  ;)

[MA3CTPO_HA_XAHTEP 832]

nice work)

[Therider 2,034]

Pretty basic, nevertheless all the same good job Hog!

This will be a great way for beginners to start their journey.

Edited December 1, 2014 by Therider

[fahim_the_boss 1,519]

Nice guide, to say at least, we need to watch pro players movements on videos or in game to help us to be a great duelists and a pro xp player.

[lukey0 27,543]

Nice

[Promissory 569]

That push :lol:

[greyat 2,972]

Nice, even though I rarely XP...

[Lankbouv 6,347]

.-.

-.-

-_-

OK

But this was ok....but ugh it really doesn't go much further than what people naturally do.

[i_am_MiNiCrAzYNINJA 31]

Good job Mate ! ;)

[M1Abhrahams 49]

wait a sec... what if that pushing tecnique you said, the opponent puts a mine? oH yeah, in a duel no drugging XD!

[hotank155 47]

wow nice

[classyplebs 1,786]

People always do that drop flag thing on me, but it never really catches me of guard. idk why, just never did...

[ALEKSEJ0077 150]

There is also another technique : The Lag Shield . It is when you WiFi is so slow that you glitch .

[Refuse_To_Noob 9]

Great, nice job again Hog!

[naca7 143]

This is pretty good techniques!

[Krypton 9]

Good work 

[Rob 141]

Use them all the times.

[Time 57]

This is basic techniques

Right..pretty basic ))

[Time 57]

There is also another technique : The Lag Shield . It is when you WiFi is so slow that you glitch .

:( My net is too fast for the lag shield 

[Truthteller 4,204]

Nooo I cant do lag shield  :(

Edited December 22, 2014 by Truthteller

[TriNitroToIuene 4,765]

Awesome illustrations