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good, but it is totally unnecessary.

Perhaps the biggest argument for aiming at the center is to
allow for the gun's inaccuracy. Since the AWP is so innacurate,
the shot will often go a bit up or down, left or right. As of
CS v1.1, the fact that legshots are no longer lethal complicate
things a bit. Now, I recommend aiming for the middle of the
chest, as opposed to the middle of the body (stomach). You
MUST get used to not hitting the legs, to preserve the
integrity of the AWP's legendary killing power.


---------------------------------------------
These are general Arctic-using tips any player who wants to go
sniping should know. Now, I will tell more of my personal fighting
style when using the Arctic.
---------------------------------------------


Advanced [gulay] Style Arctic Tactics
=============================================

Aiming Philosophy
------------------
As an AWP sniper, you must first learn that aiming is the fundamental
aspect of sniping. Unlike the other guns which can get away with
hap-hazard aiming (just pointing in the general direction and pressing
the trigger), the Arctic requires precision aiming because you fire
only one shot at a time. Unlike the other sniper rifles, though, which
still generally go for the head, body aiming is the basic principle of
the Arctic. You know where to aim, and you know that you only have one
shot to do it. But there are two aiming methods that you must know to
truly understand Arctic sniping philosophy.

The first method is called Mouse Aiming: following the target with
the mouse. This may sound like common sense, and actually, it is.
But you must see the difference of this with the other method,
which I call "Glide Aiming." Glide Aiming is keeping your mouse
steady, and aiming at a target by sidestepping left and right.
You rely on your lateral movement to aim, not your cursor movement.

Glide movement is great for learning to snipe while side-stepping,
thus allowing you to evade enemy attacks. The drawback is that this
has a funny effect on your accuracy: it moves your shot a little to
the direction in which you are moving. By mastering this change in
trajectory, you will be able to compensate, and this technique of
aiming is especially accurate at long range.

However, do not use this technique! Or at least, don't get too used
to it. [gulay] aiming philosophy and sniping tactics is based on the
first method: mouse aiming. The more advanced techniques of the
school require that you master this method. This is because the
style's philosophy is "shoot as quickly as possible, then run away."
Glide Aiming has a disadvantage in that it takes a bit longer for
you to line-up the shot. That crucial time it takes to aim is its
downfall, the crucial time that a [gulay] sniper takes advantage of.
Aim with your mouse, not your feet.

Mouse Sensitivity
-----------------

Mouse sensitivity is important for all CS players, but doubly so for
the Arctic sniper. As a [gulay] sniper, you must accustom yourself to
a particular sensitivity setting. This is vital, because split-second
aiming is equal parts reflex and conscious thought, and your reflex
movement directly corresponds to your mouse sensitivity. Select a
sensitivity level and stick with it, so as not to confuse your sniper
reflexes. I use a level around 5, buy you can work with whatever
level suits you best.

Early Game Tactics
------------------
The Arctic is one of the most expensive guns in the game. Don't
expect to be able to buy one until the third round, second round
if you were lucky enough to kill enough enemies and/or rescue some
hostages. If you've been losing straight and haven't gotten any
cash bonuses from killing enemies or whatever, you may only be
able to buy one by the fourth round. But believe me, it's worth it.

If you seriously want to go the way of the [gulay], do NOT buy
anything in the first two rounds. You want to have enough money
to buy your Arctic by the third round. The [gulay] sniper forgoes
all in the first two rounds in order to slaughter on the third.

Low Ammo
------------
Most people who use Arctics buy the gun and stock up to the
full thirty shells. We of the [gulay] sniping school scoff
at this practice.

The [gulay] sniper only carries into battle the ten shells that
come with the Arctic, plus spare ammo of about 10, no more
than 15. The reason for this is manifold. The most obvious
is economics: AWP ammo costs 12 bucks a shot! It is the most
expensive ammo in the game. But the real reason is to train
you to kill as efficiently as possible with as few shots as
possible. Your ultimate goal is to be able to kill one enemy
with one shot, most of the time.

The final reason why you should stock your ammo so sparingly
is a macabre one: in case of your death, you want to make sure
that whoever killed you will have as little ammo as possible.
With luck, your killer may be reluctant to have little ammo,
and decide not to use your gun. At worst, if your killer is not
used to the low ammo clip of your gun, it will leave a
psychological fear of low ammo which will ruin his game.

You have to get used to the scarcity mentality of ammo. Bringing
along sparing ammo will train your mind to make each shot
count. Further, this will teach you the next valuable skill:
reloading.

Minimal Reloading
--------------------
The Arctic can kill in one shot. This is such an innocuous fact,
but it has one very powerful implication: ten shots is a lot!
Your AWP, with its starting clip, can kill at least ten people,
more if you get a two in one. And this is pretty realistic;
unlike other guns, the AWP stands a fair chance of killing one
person with each shot. An MP5, for instance, can theoretically
kill 30 people with one clip, but this is highly improbable.
With the AWP, though, this is much more probable.

With the scarce ammo mentality learned earlier, you are now
ready to learn a very crucial skill: minimal reloading. Most
people like to reload their Arctics after one or two shots,
when the enemy has been killed and no other is in sight.
This is fine, but a true AWP sniper will scoff at this. Why?

Because the slow reload time of the AWP is better spent either
going back to the assault or carefully waiting for the next
victim. You cannot run the risk of an opponent showing up
while you are reloading your gun. If you're not waiting for
another opponent, then surely you want to get to the next
key point as quickly as possible, so instead of reloading
you should switch to your pistol or knife. Thus, reload as
sparingly as possible.

Further, remember that you should not develop the security
blanket mentality for ten shots. Feel confident even with
just five rounds in your AWP; it's more than enough! If
you think that way, you'll improve your shooting, trust me.

The [gulay] sniper should only reload when his ammo goes below
5. Five shots is still enough to finish off two opponents, even
with a few misses. With the Arctic, you should be "good to the
last drop."

Shotgun Sniping (Zoomless Arctic)
----------------------------------
Back in the early betas when the AWP was still accurate without
the zoom, the prime skill you would need to learn was the art of
"Shotgun Sniping." This basically means using your AWP like a
shotgun: for a quick, decisive shot without the zoom. The reason
for this is because the zoom impairs your peripheral vision, ups
your perceived mouse sensitivity, and slows your perceived
movement rate.

Take note, though, that as of CS v1.1 the crosshair has been
removed for all the sniper rifles, except the Sig550 (which
is really an assault rifle after all). Shotgun Sniping just
got a lot more difficult!

While in truth you still have the same movement and sensitivity
rates, your perception is warped by the magnification. This
decreases your fighting ability greatly. Thus the need for
shotgun sniping. Unfortunately, this art is no longer as powerful
as before due to a loss of accuracy. Still, you must learn this
art for close-combat defense in case an opponent gets close to
you.

Besides, you still have about 60% accuracy while standing, more
than that if you kneel. In an emergency situation where you must
defend yourself from a nearby opponent, this is your last
desperate gamble. Without the zoom, track your opponent and
concentrate. You only have one shot. If it misses, you will
likely die. Bend the AWP to your will, and hopefully you will
be able to get the shot to go where you are pointing. Be sure
to duck, and pull the trigger. Pray the shot goes where it is
supposed to.

Close Combat Zoom
-----------------------
The alternative to shotgun sniping, which is very difficult and
which I do not really recommend, is to go the normal shotgun
sniping, but at the last moment before the shot, engage the zoom.
This will up the accuracy to what its supposed to be. However,
this is very difficult, as you will require a split-second to
engage the zoom before shooting. That split second means all
the difference between life and death: in that moment your opponent
could put a bullet in your head, or your aim could come off in that
key instant. Still, this technique is an alternative if you do not
trust the odds of the shotgun snipe.

The most advanced form of this technique is coupled with one of
the hidden techniques (Hiken) I will explain below. Anyway, some
people actually do not play with the zoom crosshair at all! This
is something you should consider to become a truly advanced
sniper. Learn to visualize the target on your opponent without
seeing the crosshair, and you will become a super sniper.

The Desert Eagle
---------------------
The Desert Eagle is the [gulay] school preferred sidearm. Why?
Because it is powerful. When you have the extra money (and only
if you have the extra money), buy an Eagle to complement your
AWP. Extra money is defined as money in excess of buying
another AWP plus armor.

The Eagle should fall in line with your shooting philosophy:
kill with as few shots as possible. That is why it is the perfect
handgun for the [gulay] sniper.

You should switch to the Eagle whenever conditions are not
favorable for assault sniping. In the close combat emergency,
this is your final option. Important: when going for the
shotgun snipe detailed earlier, do NOT consider the Eagle as
an option. Think that you must make the shot, or you will die.
If you are thinking of the Eagle already, this will destroy
your concentration and increase the probability of missing
the shot.

Still, when you do miss the shot, you must be ready to switch
to your pistol immediately.

If you do not like the DEagle, then a good compromise is the
Sig 228 or the USP. Although the Five Seven is now available,
you should be wary of the size 20 clip. It's the same reason
why you should avoid Glocks and the Dual Berettas: aside from
their weaker ammo, these guns encourage auto-fire style of
play. When training to be an Arctic master, this is debilitative
and gets in the way of your training. You must stick to single-
fire skill as much as possible; going auto-fire will regress
your training.

Later on, when you have become comfortable with the different
firing techniques, you can experiment with the more "auto-fire"
pistols. But for now, stick to the Eagle.

Assault Sniper
---------------------
Assault sniping is no longer as effective as it used to be, but
it is still an option. The trick to assault sniping it to create
the conditions necessary for it to work: a narrow corridor where
the opponent has little opportunity to dodge. Under these
conditions, you can afford to go shotgun sniping at point blank
range and expect good results.

When going on the offensive, you as a sniper must choose the
locations in the map which give you a good opportunity of