Mulsiphix's Guide To PUGing In UT4
Page 4: How to Play
Communication Is Key
The most important thing to get in the hang of doing, as a new player, is effectively communicate. Communication is everything in a PUG. It is the foundation of team coordination and can easily be the deciding factor in whether a team wins or loses. It allows each player to know what is going on all over the map, no matter where they are. Using this information, they are able to adjust their travel paths, stop the enemy from achieving specific goals, keep control of the power-ups on the map, and a whole lot more.
The most common way of letting teammates know where someone specifically is on the map, is to use the location of the nearest item spawn. "He's going rockets" or "Near the U Damage" is usually all they'll need. In the event that you are giving chase, inform your teammates as the enemy passes by new item spawn locations. If you join a flag carrier to give her support, let her know you've arrived. If you grab the enemy flag, let your teammates know what direction you're heading so they can adjust their paths to intercept you. Announce incoming players if you're defending your base. Quite simply, call out anything you think may be useful at the given time.
You will be far more helpful standing still and making all the right calls, than just running around the map silently for 20 minutes. During a match you want to keep the conversation focused on what is going on in game. Save the chit chat for before and after. Learning how to communicate well will take several matches and familiarity with the game type you are playing. The specific types of information your teammates will find helpful depends upon the game type and, in the case of CTF, might be role specific. For more information on CTF roles and communication, see CTF PUG Roles below. During a competitive match, knowledge really is power. So be sure to speak up and call it as you see it.
CTF PUG Roles
Playing on a coordinated team is quite different than a Public match. The role you are assigned has specific responsibilities, which should be your primary focus, unless instructed otherwise by your Captain. Focusing in this way is what makes organized team play so different and effective, compared to Public matches. What follows is a basic breakdown of each role, so that new players can hit the ground running. The most important thing new players need to work on is staying in position and adhering to the role they are assigned, exactly as outlined below.
All Positions
Something that everybody should do, regardless of their assigned role, is to let their teammates know whenever they have damaged the enemy flag carrier. This creates a situation where a teammate, who may otherwise ignore that flag carrier as they pass by, temporarily engages and stops them because they know they are one or two hits away from dying. Did you hit him with a single rocket? Maybe you grazed him with the side of a shock ball combo? Regardless of how little the damage is that you've dealt, report it. This behavior is a big advantage when everybody on a team is involved.
The Shield Belt and U Damage (Amp) are two of the most powerful power-ups in the game. A Team's control of them is often enough to decide the course of a match. As such, it is especially important to track them when they are being used by enemy players. Just like the enemy flag carrier, you should report any damage you do to the enemy player who has the Shield Belt equipped. Reporting the location of the player using the U Damage, calling out when it has changed player hands (even if it was picked up by a fellow teammate), and letting others know when it is winding down or has fully timed out, are all crucial information.
Furthermore, if you have the U Damage and lose it, let your team know where you died and, if possible, who it was that picked it up. Tracking these two power-ups in this manner can greatly reduce their impact and effectiveness against your team during a match.
Defensive
On defense, your primary goal is to protect your team's flag. Keep the enemy from grabbing the flag if you can. If they do get it, it is your responsibility to get the flag back. The second the enemy grabs your flag, you should be at their side trying to kill them until it is returned. Call out their location as they travel across the map, so that other teammates might be able to surprise them. While you are likely to receive some help from teammates along the way, do not count on it, as they all have their own jobs to do.
Your secondary goal is to control your own base. Communicating with the other defensive players is key. Let them know when you see someone and which way they were headed. Prevent the enemy from taking any power-ups that spawn in your base. If the enemy gets a power-up and your flag is still at your stand, prioritize killing them first to prevent it from being used against your team. When a power-up is ready or about to respawn, let your teammates know.
Generally, defensive players do not grab power-ups in their own base. When they die, they respawn inside the base they are protecting, so saving them for the offense makes more sense. It is okay to snatch a power-up if you don't think you can prevent the enemy from taking it before a teammate has a chance to grab it. When chasing down an enemy flag carrier, all power-ups are fair game.
Offensive
On offense, your primary goal is to capture the enemy flag. If a team member grabs the flag first, your job is to protect them until they capture it or die. In the event that they die, you should pick up the flag and try to capture it yourself. It is quite common that a flag will be carried by multiple members of a team before it is finally captured. Providing strong support for a flag carrier is how flag capturing is possible in a PUG. Otherwise, the enemy defense will quickly overtake them.
When you die, unless you spawn right next to a weapon, you should immediately start teleporting. Whether that be directly to the enemy base or back to a teammate that is carrying a flag. Weapons should be picked up along the way as you pass them, to save time. It may seem like a small amount, but over an entire 20 minute match this time adds up and can give your team an edge. Unless they cross your path, enemy flag carriers should be ignored. Only engage them if they are right in front of you, and do not chase them. That is the job of your team's defensive players.
Calling out power-up times and keeping them out of enemy hands is an important part of offense. Power-ups will give you an edge while flag running, and denying the enemy players their benefits will help your entire team. More often than not, you will pass a power-up that is near ready, but has 10 to 20 second remaining. In these situations, call out the time to your team and continue to move along. Usually other teammates will be in a better position to swoop in and grab it, without you having to sit around and wait for it. Whenever you decide to contest a power-up, be sure to let your teammates know so they can either back you up or focus on other tasks. If you die, let them know so someone else can try to grab it.
Mid
Usually a well rounded or frag oriented player, who uses their positioning to effectively cover offense and provide support for defense when needed. Their two primary objectives are to kill enemy players as they pass by and to control power-ups. This is a very dynamic position that can range from being a dedicated offensive player to focusing more on defense and map control. Some maps have a strong middle point where it makes sense to assign a player there permanently, while others do not. As such, this position is assigned on an as needed basis. As a reference, two maps that benefit from permanent Mid players are CTF-TitanPass and CTF-Pistola.
Power-ups
Note: Officially, items in UT4 are referred to as Pickups. A small subset of these items are labeled as Power-ups. To keep things simple, I have chosen to use the term power-up pretty loosely. By my definition, any item that displays a respawn timer when it is taken, is a power-up.
Power-ups often decide the balance of power in a PUG. Ensuring that they don't fall into enemy hands is essential to achieving victory. Generally, if you pass a power-up on the map and it is available, you should grab it immediately. If it is close to respawning, you should let your teammates know so that they can adjust their paths and grab it. If a power-up is just about to respawn and there are enemies waiting for it, announce it to your team and consider stopping what you are doing to fight for it.
Knowing how long it takes for each power-up to respawn can help you and your team stay in control of the power-ups in a match. As you are likely familiar with, some power-ups show a countdown timer. Each timer is divided into sections. Each solid white section represents 5 seconds of time. The flashing section will flash five times in total before becoming solid, one flash per second. A simple glance at how many sections remain, multiplied by five seconds each, will let you know how soon the item will be respawning. This information is invaluable in your pursuit to control all of the power-ups on the map, so make sure you keep your teammates informed.
If you do not know what all power-ups do or would like to take them for a test run, there is a power-up training level available in UT4. Simply select Basic Training from the main menu and start the "Pickups" training level. Below is an overview for reference.
Note: Armor pickups are key to increasing your chance of survival. They will stack on top of one another if they are not of the same type. The maximum stacked amount is 150 Armor Points.
Its Hard Out There! How Can I Improve My UT4 and PUG Skills?
Lots and lots of practice. Keep in mind that like most things in life, you'll get out of this process what you personally invest. There is something called the 10,000 hour rule. Essentially with zero natural talent or skill, any person can master any one thing with about 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. For more information check out this helpful infographic. When it comes to the art of practicing and self improvement, the advice within that image simply cannot be beaten.
There are a lot of different aspects to PUGing that contribute to the overall difficulty of playing competitively. Things like learning a new vocabulary, playing productively on a team, effectively communicating, and adapting to the differences between PUGs and Publics, just to name a few. Watching how players move, react, and travel across the map in different situations can be extremely educational.
Through observation you can examine the more experienced players, identify what makes them unique or successful, emulate what you deem great about their behaviors, and practice it until those various traits become your own. Simply listening to a team who is "in the zone" can help you build exceptional communication skills. Quite a few people record or stream their PUG sessions for others to enjoy. If you think you might find this useful or would like to see a larger variety of PUGs than the three videos offered above, this list is for you. Names are organized by the amount of UT4 PUG content available, greatest to least.
Another important factor in your success as a player is a well rounded understanding of UT4. You need to know the ins and outs of each weapon. Understand the different types of movement and how to string them together effectively. Have you set all of your key binds and ensured, through testing, that their placement doesn't hinder you in any conceivable way during a match? What about extensive testing to find your ideal mouse sensitivity (the one set via the in game settings menu)?
Without a solid understanding of the foundational elements that make up UT4, you will never be at the top of your game. Zaccubus has put together a series of video guides to educate new players and introduce them to many of the finer points of playing Unreal Tournament. Everything you need to know to understand the core mechanics of this game is covered here. Finally, quite a few UT4 players have chimed in to offer their thoughts on the topic of improvement as well: How to improve one's skills dramatically. The true key to self improvement is to never stop striving to become a better version of your current self!
New Vocabulary
It is only a matter of time before you hear some terminology you probably aren't familiar with. I have built this list over time, as I've heard new things in game, and sought out their meanings from other PUG players. If you find yourself in a match and someone uses one of these terms but you can't remember its meaning, or it simply didn't make sense to you based on how they used it, you should ask that individual or your team for clarification. If you hear something that isn't on this list, please consider telling me about it so that I can add it for others to share and benefit from.
Many of these terms are relative. To avoid confusion on whether a word, like return, should be interpreted as PUG lingo or just normal speech, I have italicized and capitalized all words that should be interpreted as PUG lingo. If you feel I have missed anything, please let me know!
COMMON OCCURRENCE
These are words likely to occur in any PUG match. Familiarity will greatly improve your understanding of what is going on during a match. You should learn them as soon as possible.
There is a smaller chance of hearing these during your average PUG match. You can get by without them in the beginning, but you should try to learn them soon.
Likely to only be heard once in a great while. I've added them here more as a reference in case you need it, versus something you should try to commit to memory.
In PUGs, even when people share a comparable understanding of the vocabulary involved, many do not follow "what is right" in regards to how a PUG should be played; as outlined in the Vocabulary above. So getting everyone on the same page during a game often proves to be difficult. All one can really do, is to simply do the best you can with the people you are with. The terms and definitions presented here represent what you are likely to encounter in a PUG match. It is by no means definitive and your own definitions for these terms are pretty much guaranteed to evolve with personal experience. While not perfect, this glossary should be more than enough to help you understand what is going on during most matches.
Special Thanks
The following people have all contributed information to this guide. Without their feedback and teachings, it would not be the fount of information you have before you. Thank you all very much!
The most important thing to get in the hang of doing, as a new player, is effectively communicate. Communication is everything in a PUG. It is the foundation of team coordination and can easily be the deciding factor in whether a team wins or loses. It allows each player to know what is going on all over the map, no matter where they are. Using this information, they are able to adjust their travel paths, stop the enemy from achieving specific goals, keep control of the power-ups on the map, and a whole lot more.
The most common way of letting teammates know where someone specifically is on the map, is to use the location of the nearest item spawn. "He's going rockets" or "Near the U Damage" is usually all they'll need. In the event that you are giving chase, inform your teammates as the enemy passes by new item spawn locations. If you join a flag carrier to give her support, let her know you've arrived. If you grab the enemy flag, let your teammates know what direction you're heading so they can adjust their paths to intercept you. Announce incoming players if you're defending your base. Quite simply, call out anything you think may be useful at the given time.
You will be far more helpful standing still and making all the right calls, than just running around the map silently for 20 minutes. During a match you want to keep the conversation focused on what is going on in game. Save the chit chat for before and after. Learning how to communicate well will take several matches and familiarity with the game type you are playing. The specific types of information your teammates will find helpful depends upon the game type and, in the case of CTF, might be role specific. For more information on CTF roles and communication, see CTF PUG Roles below. During a competitive match, knowledge really is power. So be sure to speak up and call it as you see it.
CTF PUG Roles
Playing on a coordinated team is quite different than a Public match. The role you are assigned has specific responsibilities, which should be your primary focus, unless instructed otherwise by your Captain. Focusing in this way is what makes organized team play so different and effective, compared to Public matches. What follows is a basic breakdown of each role, so that new players can hit the ground running. The most important thing new players need to work on is staying in position and adhering to the role they are assigned, exactly as outlined below.
All Positions
Something that everybody should do, regardless of their assigned role, is to let their teammates know whenever they have damaged the enemy flag carrier. This creates a situation where a teammate, who may otherwise ignore that flag carrier as they pass by, temporarily engages and stops them because they know they are one or two hits away from dying. Did you hit him with a single rocket? Maybe you grazed him with the side of a shock ball combo? Regardless of how little the damage is that you've dealt, report it. This behavior is a big advantage when everybody on a team is involved.
The Shield Belt and U Damage (Amp) are two of the most powerful power-ups in the game. A Team's control of them is often enough to decide the course of a match. As such, it is especially important to track them when they are being used by enemy players. Just like the enemy flag carrier, you should report any damage you do to the enemy player who has the Shield Belt equipped. Reporting the location of the player using the U Damage, calling out when it has changed player hands (even if it was picked up by a fellow teammate), and letting others know when it is winding down or has fully timed out, are all crucial information.
Furthermore, if you have the U Damage and lose it, let your team know where you died and, if possible, who it was that picked it up. Tracking these two power-ups in this manner can greatly reduce their impact and effectiveness against your team during a match.
Defensive
On defense, your primary goal is to protect your team's flag. Keep the enemy from grabbing the flag if you can. If they do get it, it is your responsibility to get the flag back. The second the enemy grabs your flag, you should be at their side trying to kill them until it is returned. Call out their location as they travel across the map, so that other teammates might be able to surprise them. While you are likely to receive some help from teammates along the way, do not count on it, as they all have their own jobs to do.
Your secondary goal is to control your own base. Communicating with the other defensive players is key. Let them know when you see someone and which way they were headed. Prevent the enemy from taking any power-ups that spawn in your base. If the enemy gets a power-up and your flag is still at your stand, prioritize killing them first to prevent it from being used against your team. When a power-up is ready or about to respawn, let your teammates know.
Generally, defensive players do not grab power-ups in their own base. When they die, they respawn inside the base they are protecting, so saving them for the offense makes more sense. It is okay to snatch a power-up if you don't think you can prevent the enemy from taking it before a teammate has a chance to grab it. When chasing down an enemy flag carrier, all power-ups are fair game.
Offensive
On offense, your primary goal is to capture the enemy flag. If a team member grabs the flag first, your job is to protect them until they capture it or die. In the event that they die, you should pick up the flag and try to capture it yourself. It is quite common that a flag will be carried by multiple members of a team before it is finally captured. Providing strong support for a flag carrier is how flag capturing is possible in a PUG. Otherwise, the enemy defense will quickly overtake them.
When you die, unless you spawn right next to a weapon, you should immediately start teleporting. Whether that be directly to the enemy base or back to a teammate that is carrying a flag. Weapons should be picked up along the way as you pass them, to save time. It may seem like a small amount, but over an entire 20 minute match this time adds up and can give your team an edge. Unless they cross your path, enemy flag carriers should be ignored. Only engage them if they are right in front of you, and do not chase them. That is the job of your team's defensive players.
Calling out power-up times and keeping them out of enemy hands is an important part of offense. Power-ups will give you an edge while flag running, and denying the enemy players their benefits will help your entire team. More often than not, you will pass a power-up that is near ready, but has 10 to 20 second remaining. In these situations, call out the time to your team and continue to move along. Usually other teammates will be in a better position to swoop in and grab it, without you having to sit around and wait for it. Whenever you decide to contest a power-up, be sure to let your teammates know so they can either back you up or focus on other tasks. If you die, let them know so someone else can try to grab it.
Mid
Usually a well rounded or frag oriented player, who uses their positioning to effectively cover offense and provide support for defense when needed. Their two primary objectives are to kill enemy players as they pass by and to control power-ups. This is a very dynamic position that can range from being a dedicated offensive player to focusing more on defense and map control. Some maps have a strong middle point where it makes sense to assign a player there permanently, while others do not. As such, this position is assigned on an as needed basis. As a reference, two maps that benefit from permanent Mid players are CTF-TitanPass and CTF-Pistola.
Power-ups
Note: Officially, items in UT4 are referred to as Pickups. A small subset of these items are labeled as Power-ups. To keep things simple, I have chosen to use the term power-up pretty loosely. By my definition, any item that displays a respawn timer when it is taken, is a power-up.
Power-ups often decide the balance of power in a PUG. Ensuring that they don't fall into enemy hands is essential to achieving victory. Generally, if you pass a power-up on the map and it is available, you should grab it immediately. If it is close to respawning, you should let your teammates know so that they can adjust their paths and grab it. If a power-up is just about to respawn and there are enemies waiting for it, announce it to your team and consider stopping what you are doing to fight for it.
Knowing how long it takes for each power-up to respawn can help you and your team stay in control of the power-ups in a match. As you are likely familiar with, some power-ups show a countdown timer. Each timer is divided into sections. Each solid white section represents 5 seconds of time. The flashing section will flash five times in total before becoming solid, one flash per second. A simple glance at how many sections remain, multiplied by five seconds each, will let you know how soon the item will be respawning. This information is invaluable in your pursuit to control all of the power-ups on the map, so make sure you keep your teammates informed.
|
Respawns Every 30 seconds 45 seconds 60 seconds 90 seconds |
Timer Sections 6 sections 9 sections 12 sections 18 sections |
Affected Items Thigh Pads, Chest Armor, Helmet Jump Boots Shield Belt Keg O'Health, Berserk, U Damage |
|
Power-Up Health Vial Health Pack Keg O'Health Helmet Thigh Pads Chest Armor Shield Belt Invisibility Berserk U Damage Jump Boots |
Effect Awards 5 HP on top of current HP, up to a max of 199. Replenishes 25 HP but does not stack beyond the initial 100 HP. Awards 100 HP on top of current HP, up to a max of 199. 20 Armor with partial absorption and protects from one headshot. Awards 50 Armor with partial damage absorption. Awards 100 Armor with partial damage absorption. Awards 150 Armor with full damage absorption. Makes you nearly completely invisible for a limited amount of time. Doubles the firing rate of your weapons for a limited amount of time. Doubles the damage of your weapons for a limited amount of time. A pair of Jump Boots has 3 charges available (tap jump twice to activate). Besides being extremely powerful and versatile, for traversing large height differences, they also protect you from falling damage. See image for additional information. |
Its Hard Out There! How Can I Improve My UT4 and PUG Skills?
Lots and lots of practice. Keep in mind that like most things in life, you'll get out of this process what you personally invest. There is something called the 10,000 hour rule. Essentially with zero natural talent or skill, any person can master any one thing with about 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. For more information check out this helpful infographic. When it comes to the art of practicing and self improvement, the advice within that image simply cannot be beaten.
There are a lot of different aspects to PUGing that contribute to the overall difficulty of playing competitively. Things like learning a new vocabulary, playing productively on a team, effectively communicating, and adapting to the differences between PUGs and Publics, just to name a few. Watching how players move, react, and travel across the map in different situations can be extremely educational.
Through observation you can examine the more experienced players, identify what makes them unique or successful, emulate what you deem great about their behaviors, and practice it until those various traits become your own. Simply listening to a team who is "in the zone" can help you build exceptional communication skills. Quite a few people record or stream their PUG sessions for others to enjoy. If you think you might find this useful or would like to see a larger variety of PUGs than the three videos offered above, this list is for you. Names are organized by the amount of UT4 PUG content available, greatest to least.
Another important factor in your success as a player is a well rounded understanding of UT4. You need to know the ins and outs of each weapon. Understand the different types of movement and how to string them together effectively. Have you set all of your key binds and ensured, through testing, that their placement doesn't hinder you in any conceivable way during a match? What about extensive testing to find your ideal mouse sensitivity (the one set via the in game settings menu)?
Without a solid understanding of the foundational elements that make up UT4, you will never be at the top of your game. Zaccubus has put together a series of video guides to educate new players and introduce them to many of the finer points of playing Unreal Tournament. Everything you need to know to understand the core mechanics of this game is covered here. Finally, quite a few UT4 players have chimed in to offer their thoughts on the topic of improvement as well: How to improve one's skills dramatically. The true key to self improvement is to never stop striving to become a better version of your current self!
New Vocabulary
It is only a matter of time before you hear some terminology you probably aren't familiar with. I have built this list over time, as I've heard new things in game, and sought out their meanings from other PUG players. If you find yourself in a match and someone uses one of these terms but you can't remember its meaning, or it simply didn't make sense to you based on how they used it, you should ask that individual or your team for clarification. If you hear something that isn't on this list, please consider telling me about it so that I can add it for others to share and benefit from.
Many of these terms are relative. To avoid confusion on whether a word, like return, should be interpreted as PUG lingo or just normal speech, I have italicized and capitalized all words that should be interpreted as PUG lingo. If you feel I have missed anything, please let me know!
COMMON OCCURRENCE
These are words likely to occur in any PUG match. Familiarity will greatly improve your understanding of what is going on during a match. You should learn them as soon as possible.
- Amp: The U Damage power-up. In previous versions of UT it was named Damage Amplifier, and most often referred to by players as the Amplifier or Amp.
- Stacked: Generally, someone who has a lot of power-ups and should be considered dangerous. Though, it technically means a player with a lot of health and armor.
- Mid: The middle area of a map or a way to reference the player assigned to play at Mid.
- D: Defense, as in the defensive players.
- O: Offense, as in the offensive players.
- FC: Your team's flag carrier.
- EFC: The enemy team's flag carrier.
- Grab: Grab the flag.
- Cap: Capture the flag.
- Return: Return the flag.
- The Stick: The flag stand.
- Support: The offensive players escorting the flag carrier back to their base are known collectively as Support.
- Cover: Most often a second offensive player who Grabs but focuses more on providing a path for the flag carrier. Positioning in UT4 is very important and Covering the flag carrier can be chaotic. The right strategy to use will vary depending on who you are playing against. Generally speaking, a flag carrier should be skilled enough to run backwards. So you want to try to stay ahead of your flag carrier, rather then leave it to them to lead their way through the various chokepoints and potential ambushes.
- Hold It: Used when your team is about to Cap the enemy flag and your flag is still at the stand. As the flag carrier is getting close to capturing, Hold It means to swarm the area immediately around your flag stand, and dominate it to prevent the enemy from taking your flag. If your flag is taken, you should be trying to recapture it and, if possible, simultaneously keep an eye on the flag carrier. Carriers often die in these situations and it is up to their teammates to prevent the opposing team from Returning any dropped flags. Good communication and personal judgement are essential in a frantic Hold It scenario.
- Cherrypick: Trying to Grab the enemy flag instead of providing Cover. One player acts as the bait. They Grab the flag and exit the enemy base with no Support. The enemy team pursues the flag carrier across the map, leaving their base undefended. When the carrier dies a player is waiting at the enemy flag stand to Cherrypick the flag, often Stacked and with Cover waiting to escort them back to base. Some people consider this tactic to be in poor taste, but it is still widely used.
There is a smaller chance of hearing these during your average PUG match. You can get by without them in the beginning, but you should try to learn them soon.
- Hitscan: Hitscan is a term that is used in games to describe any weapon that determines whether it has hit an object, by utilizing Hitscan calculation. Simply put, when you fire a Hitscan weapon, the game traces a line from your weapon to the point that your crosshair was aiming at. The line is drawn like this until it intersects with an object in the game world. At that point the game checks the object to see if it is an enemy target and, if so, applies damage accordingly.
This process happens instantly. The second you left-click, if your crosshair is over an enemy, damage is immediately applied. There may be an animation involved that suggests to your eyes that the shot physically traveled from your weapon to the target. However, as far as the game's programming is concerned, the damage is indeed instant. The other main type of check that can be used to determine weapon hits is Projectile calculation. In this case an actual projectile leaves the gun and can be affected by a variety of factors, variables, and external forces.
In UT there is a mixture of Hitscan and Projectile weapons. Each type requires a different strategy to use effectively and there are pro's and con's to both types of calculation. The weapons in UT4 that use Hitscan are: the Enforcer, Shock Rifle (primary), Link Gun (secondary), Stinger Minigun (primary), Sniper Rifle, and the Instagib Rifle. Everything else is Projectile.
- Spam / Spammer: Generally speaking, it means someone who does well with Projectile weapons. You can spam with any weapon, though Spammer most commonly refers to a player who defends an area primarily with rockets, flak, and shock combos. Furthermore, this term is commonly used in PUGs to distinguish between two different play styles that complement each other well on defense: a player who primarily uses Hitscan and a player who mainly uses Projectile.
The weapons in UT4 that are Projectile based are: the Bio Rifle (primary & secondary), Shock Rifle (secondary), Link Gun (primary), Ripper (primary & secondary), Stinger Minigun (secondary), Flak Cannon (primary & secondary), Rocket Launcher (primary & secondary), and the Redeemer. Everything else is Hitscan.
- Denied: The flag carrier died right before they were able to Cap. Though, in no way does this mean the flag has been Returned.
- Clutch Pickup: Describes the act of translocating to the enemy flag and snatching it right out from in front of someone about to Return it.
- Drop Back: A term used by the defense to communicate they are not going to be able to cut off the flag carrier before they Cap. How you should respond comes down to experience and what you feel is the most useful thing to be done in that moment. Typically, if you aren't currently engaged, you should try to cut off the enemy flag carrier. If your team has good communication you might be able to surprise the enemy flag carrier when they enter their base. If your team has bad communication or has lost track of them, you'll want to wait in Mid and be on the lookout, so you can announce their location to the team.
- Push: First, the example. During the halftime of a CTF match, the Captain says; "We need to Push at the start of the second half." This would mean to grab the closest weapon and get to the enemy flag as soon as humanly possible. Typically 4 or 5 players are doing this at the same time and the hope is to catch the enemy defense out of position. If you are a defender participating in a Push, your goal is to inflict as much damage against their team as quickly as possible and then die, hopefully in time to respawn and defend your base.
At its core the term means that the offense needs to apply offensive pressure in order to make something happen. In regards to returning to your normal roles, unless instructed otherwise, a player should resume regular operations the moment they die in a Push. Unless it's the last minute or two of the game and you're desperate for Caps. When in doubt, just ask your team for clarification.
- Push Up: Usually used after or during a Push. It means a Mid player or defender should Push to the enemy's base to try to get a Cap. You should never Push Up if you have the lead.
- D Up / Turtling / Turtle Up: It is the opposite of Push. Typically 4 or 5 players are doing this at the same time and the hope is to prevent the enemy team from taking your flag. This tactic is used during an enemy Push to protect your flag. It is used after your team's Push, if you manage to get a Cap and tie the game or if the Cap causes your team to take the lead. You're essentially trying to bring the game to a halt by preventing any further scoring.
It is worth noting that this term may be directed toward the entire team, just the defensive players, or a single player. In a PUG it will almost always be directed toward the entire team, but it is still important that you pay attention to how it was used. If directed at the defense or a single player, it means those individuals need to apply defensive pressure in order to prevent something good happening for the enemy team. Most likely this pertains specifically to guarding the flag, but could also mean to clean out or lock down your base. When in doubt, just ask your team for clarification.
- Sit: Sometimes, a player will drop from a match unexpectedly. While the smaller team is trying to figure out if they are coming back, they will often request that the opposing team Sit one of their players. If this happens, a player from the larger team will temporarily stop playing until the missing player returns or it is confirmed/decided they have left for good.
Likely to only be heard once in a great while. I've added them here more as a reference in case you need it, versus something you should try to commit to memory.
- Piston: Refers to performing a Piston jump using the Impact Hammer. This is done by charging the weapon and pointing it directly at the ground. You perform a jump and near immediately release the hammer to launch yourself higher than a normal jump could take you. You can learn more in Zaccubus' Impact Hammer video.
- Cheesing: A term used to describe a flag runner who uses a lot of intricate movement and Piston jumps to evade defenders. Combining Piston jumping, wall running, dodging, and rocket or flak jumping, in order to successfully Cap a flag, would be Cheesing. Here is a prime example of a Cap using this style of play, by Infra`. More generally, the term refers to a player that utilizes cheap tactics in order to win.
- Clutch: Being Clutch, describes a person who is consistently pulling off last second moves to help lead a team to victory.
- Rebound: This one is hard to describe clearly, so I will use an example to demonstrate it. Team 2 has Team 5's flag. All of Team 2 has returned to their base to Cap and all of Team 5 has followed in pursuit. Next, Team 2 Caps or Team 5 Returns. At this point all players are now in Team 2's base and Team 5 decides to try and Rebound. All of Team 5 will stay in Team 2's base and attempt to offensively keep Team 2's players pinned down there. The hope is that Team 5 will get an opening, like a wave of kills, and then be able to attempt a fast flag run. Meanwhile, Team 2 is spread out from respawning and essentially trailing behind the play.
Obviously there is a lot going on in that instance and it's not as simple as everybody in one spot or all in another. Though the concept of a Rebound Cap happens pretty frequently in high level play, once you have flag runners that can really pressure the opposing team. Essentially this is 4 Cover and 1 flag runner (Team 2) going up against 5 defense (Team 5).
In a Rebound situation Team 5's defenders are able to stay in Team 2's base because they know nobody from Team 2 is a threat to the base they should be defending. However, should players from Team 2 slip out, Team 5's defensive players can suicide to respawn quickly in their own base and defend their flag properly. A Rebound is particularly effective if Team 5 can hold off Team 2 long enough for multiple power-ups to come back up.
- Trolling: A really broad term for behaving in a deliberately offensive or provocative manner, with the aim of upsetting someone or eliciting an angry response from them. Intentionally Cherrypicking your teammates (versus providing Cover), Grabbing the flag without trying to Cap it, performing poorly on purpose, knocking teammates off of the map, etc... are all examples of Trolling.
In PUGs, even when people share a comparable understanding of the vocabulary involved, many do not follow "what is right" in regards to how a PUG should be played; as outlined in the Vocabulary above. So getting everyone on the same page during a game often proves to be difficult. All one can really do, is to simply do the best you can with the people you are with. The terms and definitions presented here represent what you are likely to encounter in a PUG match. It is by no means definitive and your own definitions for these terms are pretty much guaranteed to evolve with personal experience. While not perfect, this glossary should be more than enough to help you understand what is going on during most matches.
Special Thanks
The following people have all contributed information to this guide. Without their feedback and teachings, it would not be the fount of information you have before you. Thank you all very much!
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Who Zaccubus HULKSMASH bbanks conX5 Darth|UA| rev Stolid chicken- exixt pb RickJames Sonic cafe BlueCloud Loque- WeeDMaN m3ss Infra` TickleMeElmo Jay22 peterk Joel Lee m3ss cafe Ne0 cook¡e* nuke FALLACY #UT4.eu steel NoBrainsNoAims^ |
Where YouTube OwnedWell #ut4pugs #ut4pugs #ut4pugs #ut4pugs #ut4pugs OwnedWell OwnedWell OwnedWell OwnedWell OwnedWell #ut4pugs #ut4pugs UT4 Forum UT4 Forum UT4 Forum #ut4pugs UT4 Forum UT4 Forum UT4 Forum makeuseof.com twitch.tv/m3sstv twitch.tv/cafe_ twitch.tv/ne0_tv twitch.tv/mikepodss twitch.tv/exnuke twitch.tv/fal_lacy YouTube twitch.tv/jackbernardson UT4 Forum |
How Created a great deal of instructional and demonstrational videos for UT4. One of the greatest sources of information for gamers new to UT4 and UT in general. I linked to this UT4 primer which features his videos. Thank you Zaccubus! Wrote the Owned Well PUG Guide. Helped me understand PUG lingo. Without a doubt, the hardest part of writing this guide. You guys are extra awesome! #ut4pugs server information, partial channel bio, helped me with hard PUGbot questions, provided a sample video, streams PUGs. Helped me understand why manually downloading maps is problematic, so I could write this tutorial (used in IRC channel bios). Also provided complete #ut4pugs log which I used to create my analysis of N.A. PUG activity. #UT4.eu blurb and IRC info. #UT4.ig blurb, answering questions related to #UT4.eu and miscellaneous IRC stuffs. #ut4pugs partial channel bio, provided a sample video, streams PUGs Created video linked in definition of Cheesing in Vocabulary section. Created What Is Pug video in the Introduction section. #ut4pugs IRC server information. Wrote the bit about IRC resource consumption in the Should I Use mIRC or a webClient section. I grabbed the What Is IRC info from an article he wrote. PUG match streamers. These fine folks are spreading the good word in non-UT4 specific communities. Extremely important and helpful to raising awareness of UT4 and of PUGs in general. Support them, subscribe, like, follow, and share these links with others. These individuals have offered me constructive criticism, suggestions, or general feedback which has helped me improve this guide. You are extremely helpful and I sincerely appreciate your time and thoughts. Thank You! |
