Of course, while playing may be fun, the most excitement is born from winning... or better yet, dominating the board. The weapons and obstacles in ROTT are notorious for causing as many suicides as opponent frags, and rarely anyone has avoided the frustration of launching a volley of drunk missiles at an opponent in close quarters, and succeeding in only killing themselves while the opponent runs off without a scratch. Well, enough of that I say!
So, without further ado, here is a listing of the best tried & true, time-tested techniques that will keep the COMM-BAT game board piled high with your opponent's bodies...
1) Uh.. what does this button do?
Most people grow fond of one weapon in particular and shun all others. Certainly, the drunk missiles are by far the most abusive weapon in the game next to god and dog modes, but that does not mean they are the only weapon to learn to fire effectively. While memorizing item placement on a map may help you win consistantly on one board, it will not help you win consistantly on a whole. The key to winning is to learn which weapons work on which boards and knowing how to use them to brutalize your opponents. Tight, symmetrical maps akin to “Checkers” scream for firebombs, and expansive chambers such as the main room in “Sign Language” are won with drunk missiles. Surprisingly, very few people realize the strength of the split missile. The split missile is one of the best weapons in the game on small levels, and timing, accurate judgement of distances, and a little luck will tally up an obscene number of kills. The split missile's strength is that you can hold the fire button down and allow it to split into two heat seekers when you release. This nifty little weapon allows you to actually shoot around corners down a corridor! Certainly, it won't win games in and of itself, but when you're at a loss while searching for your opponent on levels such as “Joustin' Time” and “Mark's Madness,” the split missile will give you a definite edge.
2) What time is it?
That timer in the top right corner of your screen is one of the best pieces of equipment you can carry. If the options on the master computer in a COMM-BAT game are left at default, an item such as the asbestos armor will respawn exactly one minute from when it was last picked up. Most people have been unfortunately schooled that waiting in a room for a weapon to appear is the same as painting a bullseye on your chest. However, if you know when an item was last picked up, you can time your whirling trips throughout a level to coincide with the respawning of an item. To illustrate: The level “Crystal Fields” only contains one suit of armor, and the person who maintains the armor the longest will generally win. In most cases, the armor is snatched up when the timer hits 0:02. So, regardless of whether you were the one lucky enough to spawn facing the asbestos vest, you can be certain the armor will reappear at 1:03. Waiting in this room will get you killed, running may give you half a chance. Watch the clock and time your movements so that you'll run over the armor platform at precisely 1:03, do this again at 2:04, 3:05, etc... and you'll cruise onto an easy victory. This tip will generally assure you a victory on any level which contains one suit of asbestos armor and stores of heat seeking weapons.
3) W-E-A-P-O-N
Some weapons are useful in more ways than one. The firebomb has a unique feature that can allow you to pull off some outstanding feats of arial artistry. To illustrate this I'll use the level “Yellow Brick Road” as an example. In that level, there is a room which contains a god mode suspended one story in the air above a spinblade that passes along beneath it. The ‘correct’ way to get to the god mode is to first go into that room, move the pushwall out of the path of all the pillars, backtrack through the level and proceed through the series of small chambers until you can hop the pillars and fall onto the god mode. This will usually take about two minutes to complete, and that's assuming you get back to the room first to even get the god mode. Now, a much, MUCH quicker way to get the god mode is to run to the room with the firebomb, then head to the “god room.” Once there, turn your back on the god mode, point the firebomb at the floor, and pull the trigger. The blast will deal you considerable damage, but if you've judged the distance properly you'll be flung up and back into the god mode before taking lethal damage. This takes a mere 25 seconds to complete! This firebomb trick obviously works best in conjunction with a suit of asbestos armor, but in this scenario you should be able to pull it off without killing yourself, since you'll become god before all the effects of the firebomb blast are dealt. This trick allows you to get to any item that is suspended up to three stories in the air and also allows access to elevated passages and over small obstacles such as dividing walls and rows of pillars.
4) Gun Control, Gun Control
In some cases, dual pistols or an MP-40 is a better weapon than a rocket. When faced with low walls, rows of pillars, or a fence, it's possible to shoot an opponent on the other side with the MP-40 and deal some damage before flushing them out within range of rockets. Also of extreme importance is to learn to aim on the fly. Learn to reach those hard to hit keys like PageUp or Home without breaking your strides from the normal configuration of keys or mouse. If you can launch a flamewall or a heat seeker over a fence and regain your bearings in one motion you've already got a tremendous advantage over your opponent.
5) Backpeddle
A useful trick I discovered last summer was to backpeddle. Launching a volley of drunk missiles while in a tight corridor or standing on a platform of GADs will either maim or kill you, but if you backup while pulling the trigger you can succeed in getting off your shots while backpeddling from the explosions you create at your feet and the walls on either side of you.
6) Listen and Learn
ROTT provides several things to listen for: doors, footfalls, launched weapons, and the hollow ‘boing’ when a new item is picked up. All of these give ample warning of what is lurking ahead or charging from behind. The whizzing noise of the drunk missiles means one thing - round the nearest corner quick! With all the heat seeking weapons in the game your best chances for survival are to keep your back to the wall, listen to what's around you, and always try to keep some obstacle between you and any possible incoming heat seekers.
7) You Might As Well Jump
The final key to winning consistantly at ROTT is control when springing from a jump pad. As long as there are levels where it's possible to run off the edge of the map, there will always be hordes of daring souls lining up to jump at the weapons suspended 10 stories in the air near the edge of the level. A good 75% of the losses on levels such as “Joustin' Time” are caused by suicides resulting from ill-fated movements in mid-flight. One of the most peculiar features in ROTT is the ability to redirect the course of your jump; to turn and move while in the air. Capitalize on this and remove the elements of risk from jump pads and you'll quickly pull ahead of the pack.