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These are the basic movement-related defense skills. However, true defensive
skills are awareness-based and not movement based, and are more tactical in
nature. Most of these techniques I might eventually disclose in specific
map tactics, but for now I will just give a general overview of the general
advanced defense techniques, the mind-based techniques.

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5.b4 - Shadow Technique

Since CS uses the Half-life engine, which emphasized dark shadowy corners for
monsters to hide in, the CS environment is complete with dark places on the
map where you can hide and, in general, make yourself less visible. One can't
shoot what one can't detect, and making yourself hard to see is the key to
exploiting this weakness. This technique is especially useful for campers.
Be sure to find those spots on the map where you are given cover, whether by
obstacles, shadows, or both. Surprise is a lethal weapon that is worth more
than a hundred bullets. I may someday write specific map tactics to point out
all these good hiding places. For now, a good example of the shadow technique
is the CT-side of the sewers in DE_AZTEC. The back of the grate from the
bridge is pitch-dark, and a CT agent wearing a dark skin is practically
invisible from a terrorist coming from underneath the bridge.

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5.b5 - Hit and Run Technique

This is what is called the "Style of the Ages." There is no better way to keep
yourself alive than to shoot fast at the moment you see your enemy, and run
like hell away after that shot. That is, shoot your enemy once, hoping to
damage or kill him, but regardless run away and duck for cover as soon as the
shot is fired. This gives your opponent no chance to react to you and do you
harm, yet gives you the chance to kill him. This technique works best with an
Arctic, but can be adapted for any gun. These guerilla tactics will harass and
frustrate your enemy, if nothing else. And messing with your opponent's mind is
one of the most important tactics in winning a battle. Needless to say, to
succeed with this technique you must have pinpoint sniper accuracy in as quick
a time as possible.

Some people like to pop out again after hiding, but this is dangerous as your
opponent knows where you are likely to come from, and the advantage of surprise
is lost. The best course is to run away completely and flank the enemy to try
to get at them from another angle they don't expect. It's easier said than
done, but familiarity with the map and experience will help you achieve this.

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5.b6 - Crowd Defense

If you're a smart, unscrupulous player and are not playing for the good of the
team, one of the most effective defensive techniques is the crowd defense.
Stick with your team, and be with them all the time! This is the best way to
increase your chances of survival. Specifically, hide behind your teammates
whenever an opponent shows up. This way, your teammate will likely get fragged
before you, but he will hopefully have softened up your opponent, leaving you
to clean-up the mess.

This technique also works cooperatively while camping. Two heads is better
than one, so to speak. When camping, it is best to camp in crowds. You can
cover more area, and there is a good chance if the opposing team assaults,
they will kill your other teammates instead of you. So make sure to use the
shadow technique while camping and make yourself less visible than your
teammates, so they will be hit first while you finish off the attackers!

5.b6a -- Hostage Defense

This is a varation of the Crowd Defense technique. When teammates are scarce,
the next best alternative is to use hostages! By having hostages follow you
around, you can easily get some cover from fire, and if you're good enough at
dodging, your enemy might actually hit and kill the hostage, getting a
whopping cash deduction. In fact, one of the cheap tricks I do for fun is get
a hostage, hack it down to 7% life, and have it follow around. An enemy will
shoot me, miss, and hit the hostage, depleting his money. Even better, I often
get groups of the hostages and hack them down. Enemies love throwing grenades
all the time, and it only takes one well-placed grenade to kill all of them,
leaving the grenade thrower with no cash whatosoever.

One of my nastiest techniques involves the Hostage and Shadow Defense
techniques in the darkest corridor of CS_MANSION. Recall that corridor outside
the hostage room? Hide in the intersection of the corridor, where it's really
dark, and put a hostage to either side of you. CTs charging in will likely hit
the hostages, killing them, and leaving you to mop up the mess. It's a very
effective technique, though your enemies will probably curse you for the coward
you are. ^_^


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5.b7 - Smart Reloading

Reloading is an often ignored aspect of Counter Strike tactics. But knowing
when to reload and when not to is one of the most crucial aspects of CS
gameplay! Reloading tactics vary from weapon to weapon, and there are a lot
of specific circumstances which one can learn only through experience. But
I will try to give a basic theory of how to reload properly.

Basically, you want to balance your reloads such that you are not
reloading when an opponent is likely to show up, but you must also
reload whenever the rounds in your clip is below the amount you need
to make a kill.

In general, you must gauge how much ammunition you need to kill one
opponent. When you know this number, you should keep at least twice
that number in your clip as much as possible. If you have less than
that, you should consider reloading.

Reload sparingly, as much as possible don't reload at all. I see a lot
of newbies get killed because they see an enemy, fire a few shots, which
the enemy dodges easily as he ducks for cover. As the enemy disappears,
the newbie immediately begins reloading, "to keep his guns at top capacity."
Then as soon as they reload, the enemy pops out and shoots holes in them.
This is really sad. Many novice players reload their MP5s even while they
have 20 or more rounds in them. This is no good, the risk of getting caught
reloading is greater than that of running out of ammo. Learning to balance
when to reload when ammo is running low is crucial.

The opposite extreme is also true. The newer players -- particularly those
who have either not played an FPS before, or are used to Doom-style shooters
where there is no reloading -- often do not reload at all. In the middle of
a gunfight, they suddenly run out, and find themselves automatically reloading
as they are still pressing the trigger button tight, out of ammo. The enemy
will immediately smile at the clicking sound, and gun them down as they change
the clip.

The most important consideration, though, is enemy density and proximity.
If it's the start of the round and enemies are far away, you can reload
with no worry. But if it's late in the game and an enemy could be waiting
just around the corner, reloading is dangerous.

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| Do not attack while reloading! |
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Doing so is one of the most idiotic things you can do, but sadly I see a
lot of people do it (I myself am guilty of this at times). If an opponent
suddenly shows up, you'll be dead before you even fire a single shot.

A few basic tips to reloading:
- When reloading, keep yourself covered. Reload either when you have a
buddy backing you up, or after ducking behind a crate or empty corridor.
- Do not move toward where an opponent could be hiding when reloading.
Only actually start to reload when you are safely hidden and you are
sure no enemy is hiding around you.
- Be prepared to bring out your secondary if an opponent does jump you
while reloading. This is your last-ditch effort to save yourself in
case an enemy catches you with your pants down.

In general, reloading also depends on your weapon. Weak weapons which require
lots of shots to kill, like the MP5, should be reloaded as much as possible,
whenever there is a lull in the battle. Stronger guns like the AK-47 and
especially the Arctic, should be reloaded sparingly. I usually don't reload
my AK until my ammo goes below 15, and I only reload my Arctic when I have
less than 5 shots left.

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5.b8 - Continuous Movement Defense

The final important mental technique is that of continous movement.

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| Never stay in one place for too long |
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Even a camper shouldn't stay in one place too long, for an enemy may
go around and flank him, sneaking up on him from behind. Also, the
use of continuous movement makes you as hard a target as possible at
all times. CS players, particularly Arctic snipers, love nothing more
than a stationary target. But someone who is constantly on the move
will foil this expectation, making you far more difficult to kill,
even if an opponent catches you by surprise.

But, the most important use of continously moving around, is to constantly
exercise your mind, keeping it from stagnating. This is an important
physiological consideration, as allowing your mind to stagnate will dull your
reflexes and make you easier to kill.

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5.b9 - Flee from Fire Technique

This is a very basic technique which all CS players should learn, but
surprisingly few put into action.

What do you do when you walk into a room or clearing and suddenly the
you hear gunshots, and if you're unlucky the screen might flash a bit
as you are hit by some unseen sniper? There are two basic responses to
this: first, the player looks around, trying to find the culprit, and
shoot back. Second, the player ducks back the way he came like a coward.

If you're the kind who does the first, then I commend you on your
bravery but I condemn you for stupidity. I admit I still do this
sometimes because my instinct is to kill kill! But chances are, this
course of action will get you killed. Why? Because of the simple fact
that you are already in your opponent's sights, while you have yet to
locate your opponent. This is NOT favorable at all, and unless your
opponent is using an underpowered gun or is stupid (or both), you will
die.

While under some circumstances it is to your benefit to quickly locate
the opponent and fireback, in general it is the more prudent approach
to back out quickly before you get your ass kicked. This is the
"Flee from Fire Technique." Trust me, it will keep you alive more
often than not.

When not to use this technique? There are some situations when you will
want to ignore this teaching. The first is when you are in an assault
squad trying to break into the enemy's defensive position. A good
example would be when playing CTs in CS_ASSAULT. In this case, death
is practically inevitable, you would best be served by having a
"I'll take as many of you down with me" mentality instead. But in
general, this technique is the rule if you want to survive.

Another instance you might want to ignore this rule is when you are
using an Arctic Sniper Rifle, and the opponent who took potshots at
you was using a Glock or something (you should be able to tell by
the sound of the gun). In this case, it is your call whether you
want to take the chance, but keep in mind your remaining health and,
of course, your confidence in your sniping skill.

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5.b10 - Backstabbing Technique (Uragiri)

When camping, it is best to camp with your other team members.
But in those instances when you are alone or don't want to camp
with team members, the usual camping tactics must be discarded
in favor of "uragiri" techniques.

If you are alone but choose to camp and hold a particular point,
chances are you won't survive against a wave of enemies unless
you are really good and/or using an Arctic. But if you don't have
an Arctic, you must resort to the less valorous backstab.
This should be discussed in detail in specific maps to point out
the good backstab points, but I will explain here the basic theory.

Backstabbing is done best with a good close-range weapon like
a shotgun, MP5, Desert Eagle, or Carbine. First find a secluded,
shadowy area where an opponent is likely to pass, but you are
not likely to be seen behind cover. Hide in your niche and
switch to your knife. This minimizes your visibility since the
knife is very short.

Now, when an enemy passes by, switch to your gun and riddle his
back with holes. Simple, no? It is easier said than done, but
with experience and knowledge of the best backstabbing points,
you can pull it off. When you've gained enough skill in this
technique, you will be able to spot the best backstabbing points
in a map immediately. In the future, I hope to give out specific
map strategies to point out these good backstab locations.

Just be sure not to do it all the time, because the next time you
do it your opponent may be ready. Take care when using the same
backstab location twice in a row. Move to other spots to outwit
your opponent. Teach him to fear the corners. When you've done