User blog:WikiaColors/Incubator: R2D Basic Combat Strategy Guide

This is a basic guide on what to do in R2D as a Survivor. It's not intended for higher-level players, who will know most of the stuff here.

Requirements:
 * Plenty of determination and patience (you will use it up fast).
 * Time (not just on weekends but on weekdays).
 * A willingness to learn from one's own mistakes (this shouldn't be that hard).
 * Knowing when to be in 1st-person view (it's not totally useless after all).

Weapon Classifications
To ensure that you can get to aim-bot status, you must have sorted out what kind of player you are. Look at the chart below and select your path. This weapons chart also takes note of some of the characteristics of its weapons, including which situations they're designed for.

Automatics
Automatics are arguably the most common, and most versatile weapons in R2D. They can effectively spray a lethal hail of lead towards an onrushing enemy, and are also reliable in FFA mode for taking down enemies. The AK and the Thompson are the most common full automatics, with the Minigun as the most powerful. Accuracy on any of these weapons are acceptable, although the Thompson has the accuracy of the M1/Sniper, and the Minigun is bad at long ranges. These weapons are extremely effective against anything from Cave Bats to Tanks. FYI, the Uzi, as an automatic, is only effective when the LMB button is held down until the target is killed. Many people seem to treat it as a semi-automatic, even though it's an SMG. Unfortunately, all automatics' mags cannot be reloaded partway, like shotguns can, and their mags are only enough for about a handful of zombies. Therefore, their performance against hoards are limited by this.

China Lakes And RPGs
These two weapons are the artillery guns of R2D, capable of destroying hoards that are too tightly-packed together and making short work of Tanks. In fact, they are so powerful that neither weapons are allowed to be used in FFA gamemode. Problem is, both are limited by their small ammo capacities, and the RPG can't actually refill from an ammo table. Shots must be fired wisely, and accidental suicide is possible if one is not careful of a Crawler or a Zombie that gets too close and personal. With the China Lake, a Colt or an MP5 is recommended as a backup firearm for those zombies. Flak Vests or Military Vests are highly recommended for use as protection with these weapons, although the RPG will kill you, and it won't matter if you wear a blast-proof vest. Some people also use the Flak Vest and fire the China Lake at the ground below them to do a kind of rocket jump. If you are not armed with one of these weapons, defend their users, as Zombies will prioritize these Survivors above others, and explosive users can easily suicide by accident if not careful against nearby Zombies. China Lakes are most commonly seen on Port and Caved In, also they make stuff go boom.

Shotguns
The SPAS, one of the two shotguns in R2D, is rather strange compared with the shotguns of other shooters. The spread of the SPAS is extremely low, making it useful for longer-ranged shots as well as close combat. However, the Shotgun does not have this quality, and its damage-dealing capabilities drop off extremely fast after a couple studs. Still, both weapons can kill a normal Zombie with a single shot if all of the shotguns' pellets connect with the target, and in FFA, both weapons can kill even a player with 300 HP in two shots, provided the user has good aim and some luck. Both shotguns have the capability to reload a single shell into the mag without taking a long time or losing all the ammo in the mag before, which comes in handy for when you are away from an ammo table or when your magazine is empty, you're on low health, and you've been spotted by a C4 Crawler not that far away. The Shotgun's $2,000 price tag is generally considered a bargain for an effective weapon, and the SPAS is extremely effective on any map or gamemode, with a large reserve ammo store.

The M1 And The Sniper
The M1 and the Sniper rifle both shoot the bullet exactly at the middle of your target cursor(although the Thompson does as well). The M1 is generally regarded as a decent beginner's practice weapon, at $800 dollars, but takes three shots to kill a 100 HP Zombie. The Sniper's damage depends on whether the user makes a headshot or not, doing more on a headshot(obviously), being able to instakill a Zombie with 150 HP. However, it has to reload each shot individually, so this weapon is virtually useless against large groups of enemies. Also, players that bunnyhop will wreak havoc on users who still need more experience with countering that movement tactic. This weapon is useful, however, when one is on top of a tall building and the approaches have a direct line of sight to the shooter, like the roof of the building in Toy Factory. Snipers are a highly situational support weapon, although it is effective when paired with the MP5. Also worth noting is that although the Sniper costs $4,000, exactly the same as the M16, it can output more damage than the M16 per click. On the other hand, the M16 is a far more versatile primary than the Sniper, and has more ammo.

Minigun And Flamethrower
Both of these weapons are made to be sprayed at enemies at close range. Both are powerful weapons, but are somewhat situational compared to the versatile SPAS and automatic weapons. Neither are useful at long ranges(the Flamethrower's range is extremely limited, and the Minigun is incredibly inaccurate). The Flamethrower is only useful for hoards, being able to burn Zombies through walls, and its direct damage to a single Zombie isn't that high, making its effectiveness against Tanks very low. Also, a Zombie equipped with a Fireproof Vest is completely unaffected by the Flamethrower, so another weapon needs to be used in such situations. The Flamethrower also has the ability of healing Elemental zombies, making the Flamethrower useless against one. On the other hand, Flamethrowers are good for burning Cavebats that get too close as well as making certain areas(such as behind the dirt wall in the Buried Alive map's spawn point) places that Zombies won't want to be. The Minigun is lethal at close ranges, and is useful against both Tanks and hoards, but against single Zombies, Cavebats, and high speed units like the Crawler, the Minigun is incredibly inefficient. It also cannot refill, although equipping the MP5 as well as the Minigun will give users an effective ranged weapon that can be refilled. The Minigun is generally hated in FFA, because they can be frustrating for non-users.

Explosive Items
The most common explosive devices in R2D are Grenades, Pipe Bombs, and C4. The Grenade is cheap and versatile against players hiding behind cover, and it can be bought as many times as one wants from the Live Store. Pipe Bombs are simply upgraded Grenades which can distract Zombies and allow Survivors to escape hoards. All explosive weapons' blasts can go through walls and can knock down Zombies and Survivors who aren't close enough to be killed. Both weapons are also dangerous in that they can knock players off the edge of open maps, the user included. Land mines are another explosive device, and it cannot be command-detonated like C4 can, only going off on contact with a Zombie's body part. Users of land mines should also realize that they will be killed if they touch their own land mines. Land mines can come in handy for doors that a group of Zombies are attacking, as well as making a ladder lethal for Zombies to climb. For Zombies, the only "explosive" weapon available at this moment is the C4 "Kamikaze" capability for the Crawler, which can only be detonated by death or a suicide on the part of the Crawler. Flak vests and Military vests ignore most of the damage that Survivors may take from explosives.

Melee Weapons
Melee weapons are almost always the weapon that players equip in their secondary weapon slot, and for good reason. They don't use up anything other than energy, and some weapons don't actually use any. The Chainsaw and the Katana are currently regarded as the most powerful melee weapons in R2D as of the moment, with the classic Rambo Knife coming in as a runner-up to either weapon. The Chainsaw and the Katana can shred Tanks in seconds, and the Rambo Knife allows for incredibly high jumps that enable users to jump onto the top of buildings and over obstacles. However, the Chainsaw and the Katana cannot knock Zombies down. This weakness is made up for with the capability to spam them extremely fast. All other melees can knock down Zombies and Survivors on a hit.

Sentry Turrets
Sentry turrets are items that can be bought from the Live Store for $180 each, with a limit of two turrets per Survivor in each round. They are shotgun turrets, which once placed cannot be moved from their positions. They are good for protecting an area from Zombies, as well as being lethal barricades for doors and entrances. However, a Zombie merely bunny hopping around the turret can waste a huge amount of its ammo, because the turret has a slight delay between firing and aiming, and does not actively track its targets. Also, Turrets are easily overrun by large groups of Zombies that have a Tank or two with them, as Turrets will take a large period of time to kill them. Turrets can be reloaded and repaired, but only with a Wrench. Buying turrets from the LIVE Store is generally not advised for players who don't have a lot of money, although they can be effective as distractions and as a force multiplier(if placed appropriately).

Long Ranged Shooting
Long ranged shots are considerably safer and easier than close range fighting. At longer ranges, most zombies will have absolutely no way of dealing direct damage, while you can simply fire away(provided you have the right weapons). The Thompson, the M1, and the Sniper all have high accuracy, and are good choices for efficient killing. Something that many Zombies will do, however, is jump up and down repeatedly as well as simply moving forward, which can lead to well-placed shots missing and wasting ammo. They will be able to get closer, and with luck, may get close enough to do damage. Survivors will also do this in FFA, but the difference is, they will shoot back. Use the element of surprise and be ready to hide behind cover to do some significant damage to your opponent before he/she fires back.

Using Cover
Obstacles and buildings in the map allow for players to get closer to their enemies and put a lot of lead into enemies, and vice versa. If however, for some foolish reason you are nowhere near cover, there are two paths of action you can take. The first is to switch away from any items and weapons, you are carrying, and run to the nearest cover available, while simultaneously bunny-hopping. Pop off a few shots to possibly scare off a low-health opponent. Bunnyhopping is explained in the lower close combat section. If your opponent has a high powered weapon like the SPAS or an automatic, and you are low on health and have a weaker weapon, this course is advised. You can reload/use Pills or a Medkit to heal yourself and prepare for combat. Your enemy has got the jump on you, and you probably don't want to take a chance on your opponent's accuracy. If your opponent has, on the other hand, a Sniper, do not run. Advance on your opponent, firing as many bullets as your weapon allows for in the short period of time it takes for the Sniper to reload a shot. Do as much damage as possible, because you want to kill the Sniper user before he/she can reload and take another shot at you. After two or so seconds, take cover again, as soon as you see the Sniper return to its idle animation, because they will fire that shot as soon as they draw a bead on you again, and that shot could easily instakill you if you have 150 HP or less. There is a possibility that the enemy will be carrying another weapon, like the MP5, and in that case, run for cover, because the MP5 is incredibly overpowered for a secondary.

3rd Person View Mode
You will continuously come into situations where Zombies or a Survivor with a strong melee gets close enough to cause trouble. To ensure that you have full awareness of your surroundings, make sure you are in 3rd person view when you are in an area where Zombies can come from behind or Survivors can flank you, so that you can see all around yourself. This way, there's no gun obstructing your view, and Zombies have a harder time surprising you. In third person, it's also possible to look and fire around corners, without exposing one's body parts. In FFA, you should bunny jump and "lead" your target. Move your mouse up and down to counter the camera movement when you are jumping. When in close combat with your enemy, Zombie or Survivor, you should try to trip them. Targets on the ground are easier to hit and can receive the full blast of a shotgun.

1st Person View Mode
1st person view is a very situational camera position in R2D. In 1st person, your active tool can cover a significant portion of your screen and enemies can surprise you from behind. It is generally better to use 3rd person view, but in a few situations 1st person is more advantageous. One of those situations is when you are backed up against a wall in a map, and several zombies are charging you from the front. You cannot really be flanked by a zombie in such a situation, so the main advantage of 3rd person view is negated. Also, if you are in 3rd person view mode and you back up against a wall, your camera may not ignore your own body, making it hard to see anything around you. In first person, your weapon(or other item) only covers a relatively small portion of the screen, and you don't have to move your camera around with the RMB(right mouse button), instead having it locked to your cursor, which is locked to the center of the screen. There is no chance of you accidentally moving your cursor off the screen, like there is in third person, or of momentarily losing track of your cursor when you're trying to knock out several zombies before they get too close. In just about all other situations, however, 3rd person view is much, much more preferable.

Using Melees
If possible, use a high damage melee weapon to kill off zombies if trapped in hallways. Melees are critically important, because most of them knock down enemies on hit, and don't require as much accuracy compared to guns. The weapons that knock down enemies are also useful against C4 Crawlers, especially the Ice Sledge, which doesn't do much damage(usually a con), preventing the Survivor from embarrassingly blowing him/herself up, and it also freezes the Crawler, neutralizing the Crawler's main advantage, high movement speed. However, the Crawler can still press Backspace and suicide, detonating its explosive charge. Therefore, players should quickly back off from C4 Crawlers and use their guns to kill them once the Crawler(s) have been knocked down. Weaker melees are primarily used to enable a Survivor's escape, to knock down Zombies/Survivors and shoot them(conserving gun ammo), or to finish off enemies. All melees, however, require luck and timing to register a successful hit, although this is not as much of a priority for Katana and the Chainsaw. 3rd person is generally advised for melees, as Zombies will generally try to jump and run around you to stay alive longer.