Dealing With Delay

Posted by: DLight

Article by David "deLiGHT" Light

Delay is understandably known as an ugly thing in gaming; often times it can mean the difference between a great three-frag moment and forum-fodder disaster. In fact, delay pretty much anywhere in life is universally frowned upon. I remember when I had just arrived in Los Angeles, California for the 2007 CGS combine. I arrived at around 9:45am, didn't get out of the airport until 11:30. By the time I got to the Hotel, I pulled out my DS with the knowledge it would be another 6 hours until my roommate arrived and checked us in. Needless to say, I had a long day. Yes, delay can be a very boring thing. There are times, however, where delayed action can actually be one of the better moves a person can make, at least in the gaming world. This isn't to say lag is good, but rather that patience is grand.

Sometimes a player needs to step back from the situation at hand to accurately access all possible options, and ensure everything is mechanically correct; crosshair at head height, far enough around a corner to peek out in the appropriate amount of steps, enough ammo for the job enough money for that Snickers and Snapple combo at the Hotel shop. And while offensive-minded adjustments such as these are important, the most interesting benefit of delayed action is the realization that its foundation sits on two polar principles that are equally valuable.

1. A player cannot hit what he does not know is there.
2. A peeking player always has the reactionary advantage over the unsuspecting.

These two truths are not infallible, but they are likely the most concrete of ideals we have in competitive gaming. What these two principles mean in the grand scheme of things can be applied to a multitude of situations over, and over and over again. And surely they have been used over, and over and over again by top players around the league. It's not something that is normally taught (however it has been discussed in limited circles), but it is certainly an option every player should have in their repertoire of responses.

Let's apply these principles for a moment to one very common example used in explanation, and then again in an advanced one.

In the first situation, we have a player lined up with a rifle behind the platform box in the B-bombsite of dust2. Normally a player that feels obligated to cover the entrance of the site from this position would have to peek out over or beside the box to gain a clear view of the tunnels and entering opponents. The disadvantage in this situation of course comes with the reality that players will be peeking you, and checking your position, thus washing away any positional advantage you feel you have other than pure leverage over the area. Even worse, an AWPer could be the peeking player and simply take you out before you have time to respond. Other than throwing a smoke into the tunnel entrance -- which is merely a temporary solution -- there's not much else you can do here by covering the angle directly, and statically. Instead, you must employ some delayed action.

Put yourself in the same situation the player above is described to be in. How would you best approach it? One way involves being more dynamic in your coverage style. Instead of standing still and giving the opposition a chance to gain a reactionary advantage by peeking you first, try to turn the tables on him; spend time behind the box, hidden from view and peek on a somewhat random basis. Now, the peeking is not completely random. You must actively cover the tunnel so you must have some kind of visual on the area for a reasonable amount of time. The key is to set your maximum time hidden from view under the assumption the opponent came around the corner and began working his way into the site the very second to went hidden again. If you do this correctly, and allow the opponent enough time, you'll likely catch players silently working their way into the bombsite -- players that have likely already combed over and discounted any aggressive existence from your location.

These kinds of things must be done with a reasonable amount of intelligence; you must know how long is too long, how short is too short and most importantly, whether or not you're risking not only your leverage over the area but the lives of your teammates. This is how we arrive at a more advanced example.

The following video is of Counter-Strike 1.6, but the idea is the same in Counter-Strike: Source



In the video, you'll see myself on the defensive side of Mill coming over from spawn-side to support my teammate on the bridge of Site 2. While trying to move into a closer position, my teammate was taken down and I was the only immediate defense of the site. While trying to backtrack I'm compelled to fire, which made the player(s) on the steps well aware I was inside of the site. I realized once I was behind the box that they would not have a concrete idea of just where I was, simply that I fired at them. I immediately recognize my teammate was shot by an AWP just after he took down a player with his rifle. This means my primary threat is that AWPer, as I understand there are other players battling in middle. So, what's my object here?

My objective is to avoid the AWPer while still defending the site. I understand that because of the timing of the situation, it's possible that by the time I got behind the box I could be expected to peek soon, with the AWPer having his sights set and waiting for me. This is where delayed action comes in. I take a little longer than normal to peek, because I apply the situation to the principles. I understand there's a player who doesn't know where I am, but may expect me to be at the location I'm at. All I have to do, is time when I believe he will end his observation of the area (the time he will wait for someone to peek him) and catch him during his second or third locational scan. Instill doubt in their mind, and they will will begin to trust their eyes too much and feel too safe. They are no longer sure where you are, and that's all the advantage you need to make use of both principles.

After taking out the AWPer I know I wont dare be peeked by another player, and if I am, they will wait an extended period time for me to come out so I have plenty of time to make a move over to middle and support -- leaving the site unguarded for a second in a calculated risk. Upon returning, I make an initial peek and begin the process all over again -- stop, breathe, time it just right and peek. However, towards the end of my process I realized my aim had trailed off and my crosshair was way too high for where I was peeking, so I reset my crosshair to the appropriate level and re-approached the process (essentially taking double the amount of time). What I did not know here, was that my teammate had let a player slip by unseen through middle. Under normal circumstances, I would be pretty much screwed here. I would surely be shot by the approaching player in a simple quick-step attack once he approaches the angle I'm aiming, or my AWP would simply stick out enough to get me down-right wrecked. But, because I realized a flaw in my aiming and corrected it, I bought myself enough time to essentially luck into a position where I'm actively peeking an angle and expecting to fire on a player that is expecting to get the drop on me. The reactionary advantage I had was so great, there was not much alternative but for me to strike first -- and with an AWP, that can be fatal.

Remember what I said about turning the tables? That's what can happen when you're Dealing with Delay.