Questions For PUG Enthusiasts

[Mulsiphix]

I recently played my first PUG and fell in love with the concept. But the learning curve has been high and criticism from other players has been harsh when I do something considered stupid for a PUG match. For example, I recently learned that playing good offense means teleporting directly to the enemy base, only engaging in combat along the way if it concerns power-ups, try to only grab weapons at the enemy base, and if someone else gets the flag my job is to cover them until they die or score.

This is nothing like playing by yourself on a public and even farther removed for experienced FPS gamer's coming to UT for the first time. I think many people will move on rather than give this experience a solid chance. So I'd like to know what advice you would give a newcomer concerning any of the following subjects:

PUG lingo (cherrypicking, the stick, etc...)
Basic strategies/expectations for defense and offence roles
Concerning communication, what should/shouldn't they be doing?
Any general advice or suggestions about PUGing?

I plan to write a guide from the information contributed for new players to reference. Credit will be given, of course. Any help is greatly appreciated! Note: This PUG I played was not affiliated with Owned Well. But this community is full of the type of folks I'm trying to reach .

[RickJames]

Sounds like you already learned a lot! If people are harsh with you, fuck em. SunnY told me to kill myself during one of my first ictf pugs, neckbeards aren't the friendliest individuals.

Cherry picking means trying to grab the enemy flag instead of covering a teammate who already had it (e.g. waiting in the enemy base on the stand while your mate runs out uncovered and then "cherry picking" him by taking the flag off the stand when he dies. It's generally bad but can be a good tactic when done intentionally sometimes. Have a guy act as bait and grab, run, and die uncovered to get the enemy D out of position, then go in stacked up and make a grab in the newly vacated base while calling for cover from your mid player.

The stick just means the flag stand.

Call out enemies coming into your base ("one coming in shock" or "one in high") and call where the enemy flag carrier is or where you are if you have the flag. Say when you're about to grab to coordinate with others. Call when poweruo times are taken. Listen to what other people say to learn more comms!

Idk if the pug scene has a future, at least on irc, but these are good tips for competitive ctf in general!

[Mulsiphix]

Thank you RickJames! I really appreciate the feedback. I heard a new one last night. What is trolling?

[RickJames]

Trolling is just a really broad term for trying to get a reaction out of someone, for example by acting dumb or provocative. An example would be intentionally cherry picking your team mates in order to make them angry. It has a lot of uses, it's a general internet-related term.

[Mulsiphix]

I hear this one a lot and it seems to be pretty versatile in its usage. What does "push" mean? Example: "Alright guys, lets push at the start of the second half"

[exixt]

You put even more pressure on their defense with running for example 4 offense instead of the ususal 3 in ictf (can be practically any mode, but just gave an example).

[Mulsiphix]

[Mulsiphix]

Is "D Up" a real term? Someone mentioned it in a IRC chat today but I haven't heard it in game myself.

[Sonic|^]

[Mulsiphix]

[chicken-]

Drop back is a general term when the defense feels like they are not going to be able to cut off the flag carrier, so typically if you aren't already engaged you would try to cut off the enemy flag carrier...if your team has good comms you might be able to surprise the EFC by pouncing on them when they enter their base. If your team has bad comms or lost track of them, you'd want to chill in Mid and be on the lookout and call it out immediately for everyone else. This comes down to experience and what you feel is the most useful thing to do in that moment.

As far as returning to your normal roles, by default you should be returning to your role the moment you die in a "push" unless it's the last minute or two of the game and you're desperate for caps. When somebody says "we're going to push when the second half starts", you would typically be pushing 4 or 5 offense and as a defender my goal would be to inflict as much damage on their team as quickly as possible and die in time to hopefully respawn and defend/seal our base.

Stacked means players with lots of health/armor.

[banks334]

Great info in this thread! Maybe we can add an official "guide" as a link in the irc !Rules function and channel topic.

Keep in mind that positions can get even more specific than just offense and defense. For example:

Forward Defender: generally a good hitscan player that may also "push up" to bring in the flag carrier
Flag Defender: generally a good spammer

Flag grabber: generally someone who moves well and can string together runs. Some carriers focus on "cheesing" (using pistons jumps and movement), and some carriers focus on fragging their way.
Cover: generally a second offensive player who grabs but focuses more on providing a path for the carrier. Positioning in UT4 is very important. You want to try to stay ahead of your flag carrier rather then leave it to them to spearhead through the various choke-points. You should also be the guy with your translocator out in sketchy situations. Hopefully your "mid" player is there to get the kills while you get the clutch pickups!
Mid: generally a well rounded player, or frag oriented player, who uses their positioning to effectively cover offense and provide support for defense when needed. This is a very dynamic position that can range from being a dedicated offensive player to focusing more on defense and map control. Pistola is a good example of a map where you want someone waiting in mid to pick up kills as the offense makes it out of the base. Vault city is another map where having someone in mid doing damage and timing everything can make a huge difference. This position would also be the main "drop back" or "cutoff" player if needed.

Of course, everything is situational and the dynamic of UT4 ctf is more complicated than dedicated positions!

The most important thing to do as a new player is effectively communicate. Call out power up times, call out efc positions, call out incoming players, call out anything you think is useful at the given time. You will be far more helpful just standing still and making all the right calls then running around the map aimlessly for 20 minutes.

[ttocston]

Great thread!

I'll put together an official term's and questions guide for #ut4pugs soon! Please message me terms or questions you think should be on there and ill organize it all!

[Mulsiphix]

[Mulsiphix]

[banks334]

[pb]

YO BRO BETTER PUSH UP THE D WHILE I CHEESE ACROSS HIGH MID AND SPAM MY WAY TO THE STICK. I'M STACKED BUT THEY'RE ALL DROPPING BACK ON ME. NO CHERRY PICKS NEED CLUTCH PICKUPS PLZ.

The major thing I've noticed new players need to work on is actually staying in position. That is, if you're playing O, when you die you need to get to your current flag carrier ASAP or make a grab yourself (unless armor is about to be up). If you get the flag back to the base and someone grabs your flag at the last second you need to STAY ON COVER, unless the dude is right in your face. It's always the D's responsibility to get that flag. Don't panic, just kill the people trying to return. Combo and spam the entrances to kill people coming in. If you're playing D just stay in the base, especially if you're new. Don't grab. Don't push up unless it's called for. Just stay near the flag and get it back when it's gone. Stay. In. The. Base. Again, you can get a pickup if it's dropped in front of you.

[Mulsiphix]

Alright is up now. It isn't finished but so many people are asking about it. Anyway, I still need to implement Banks and PB's feedback and add a little more content. If anybody has any feedback or criticisms, I'd love to hear it. I'm also very open to modifying or adding content.

[Mulsiphix]

I'm finally working on the vocabulary section again. Had a few more questions for you, if you would be so kind :

Spam Defender:, Banks you mentioned this term, but that is the first time I've heard it. I hear Spammer quite a bit. Do they mean the exact same thing? That is, is spamming synonymous with a play style of defending and does it also describe the general behavior of effectively using rockets, flak, and shock combos to disrupt access to a localized area of the map, outside of your base? Spamming the shield belt or enemy flag stand for example.

Forward Defender: I usually spot these players playing on the outer border of the base (the catwalk outside of shock and sniper on Azcanize or the base of the waterfall, bridge, or open area directly under the bridge on TitansPass). Does this term imply anything positionlly? If it does, does playing forward indicate that the non-forward would stick to the inner areas only (flag stand, rocket room, minigun and health by lift on TitansPass)?

Cover: You said "You should also be the guy with your translocator out in sketchy situations." I don't understand. I thought translocating away from the flag carrier, for any reason, was considered blasphemy. I've been reamed a couple of times for doing this, even when I had weapons left and was trying to quickly grab flak. The carrier argued a piston was better than me leaving his side .

[detox]

Here's another important term for your vocab section that can be misinterpreted depending on the context.

PACO
[paw-coh]

1. Incredible, amazing, grand in scale.

2. Natural born leader, admin juggernaut.

3. Founding father, pioneer, ahead of their time.

4. Witty, charasmatic, silver tongue.

[banks334]