I've got about 70 hours into Blops, and am still decidedly mediocre.  I think a big part of the problem is a lack of map knowledge.  E.g. I do a lot better on Launch or Jungle than I do on WMD or Cracked.  I constantly get caught with my pants down, as it were, as I don't know where people will be coming at me from.

Also on many maps I don't know where to find the enemies, as odd as that sounds.  E.g. on something like Havana I might go 4-4, where the top players have 15 and 20+ kills.  I don't even see that many enemies.  Many times I'm sure a lot of it is from killstreak rewards, but still they have to get the 10-11 killstreaks to get there.

Do we ever do map tours, or tutoring sessions in learning how to play on the maps?  I'd love to team up with a more experienced player and get some pointers.

-Joe

Joe, try going into your theater and watching the matches. It is a great way to see where the better players go and how they get their kills. You will also learn the maps that way since you can watch every player in the game.

Joe,

Go into theater mode and watch the top players' movements and positions, this will tell you a lot about where the killing zones are and what areas to blind shoot at because someone always camps there.

Good luck storming that castle! - Princess Bride.

OldYellr

I can upload my  tactics for each map, I don't mean to brag, but I commonly rank on in the top 3, and my lifetime KDR is 2.6 kills for every death

That would be a great read if you wouldn't mind it, Strand.

I do try to use theater mode and have picked up a few routes I didn't know about, but it always seems to "stick" better if I talk about it with someone.  I was just wondering if there were any boot camps on the topic.

-Joe

ok cool, unfortunately school will be taking up the most of my time until April, but after that I'll sstart making some strats, but I warn you, my game is predicated on camping, so if your the type that likes to rush and attack, my strategies may not be for you.

Thanks  I try to mix it up, as camping gets boring fast.  I'm also really bad at it.

-Joe

ManSkirt, I'll try to remember to upload some of my better games to my Fileshare for you to peruse.  like strand, on a good day im in the top 1/3 of the team, tho i do get bad games some days.  I am almost constantly moving, but I've just learned the places people appear around the map...

SSG.Braxis*BK*

If memory serves right, check the calendar for the next "bootcamp" because they do walk-thru's of maps with everyone...I'll be there for the next one and look forward to it since I'm not too up on some of the maps as well...

I just uploaded two of tonight's games to my fileshare.  In Slot one on Summit, I was watching Unknown Soldier 4 to figure out what he's doing so well that I'm not, and I just can't figure it out.  He walks around with a handgun racking up kills, and never seems to even get shot at.

Unfortunately I can't find the game, but the same thing happened a few days ago on Crisis.  While I went 1-10, some other guy just walked around killing enemy after enemy and never even being shot at.  No camping, not even keeping to the walls.  Just walking around in the open killing everything.  It was like he was invisible.  It makes me feel like an idiot when I'm trying to be all stealthy and careful, and can't even muster two kills to rub together.

In Slot 2 is my performance on WMD.  I still can't get the hang of that map.

Suggestions are welcome.

-Joe

Please note. Strand is Echo.

Turns out I was mistaken.  I'm equally terrible on every map.

I'm trying to keep watching the theater mode videos, but I'm not really learning anything.  All I see are guys doing the same thing I'm doing, and getting the inverse of my ratios.  It's pretty frustrating and really sucking the fun out of the game.

Guess I'll just keep at it.

-Joe

honestly the whole game is reaction time and getting the drop on the enemy. That's all it is. Seeing the enemy first can take knowing the maps, but if you have a solid twitch reaction, you'll out gun people even if you're not expecting them.

What is your frame rate in game? That could be some of your problem. You may want to try running something like FRAPS to see where you FPS is and then try tweaking some of your settings to get some better performance. Check this thread out for some useful info on increasing your performance. Black Ops helpfull info

Try using ADS (aiming down sites) a split second before you round a corner to get the drop on your enemy. Practice snap shooting as well. The weapons are far more accurate with ADS.

Also if you are at very close range, just hip fire without bringing up ADS. The weapon you choose for each map also makes a difference. Don't bring a knife to a gun fight, use what is appropriate. Sub machine guns for small or tight maps and assault rifles for larger maps.

Camp when necessary and more your butt all the time.

A grenade launcher can be be helpful now and then. Hey we all use noob tubes because it is fun... right guys... :-/

Hug the wall whenever you can to limit your profile and use angles to your advantage.

I like Sleight of hand pro because it let's you bring up ADS very fast and will save your butt at medium range.

Also with hardcore servers, rate of fire can greatly tip the scale in your favor but not against a dead shot.

I hope that helps as I typically do very well a close engagements but I also have bad games too.

Good luck and if I kill you a lot it is nothing personal.