Controller Settings

Before you start logging in thousands of hours of MLG, you need to discover your perfect controller settings. This can take a couple hours or even days to adjust. First of all, you need to find your preferred button layout. Currently, the most popular (in MLG) by a little is Bumper Jumper, followed closely by Default. There are also a few pros using Walkie Talkie and Boxer. Bumper Jumper, which makes the melee button right bumper and jump left bumper, has seen an inlux in people using it because it offers many advantages with the least ammount of disadvantages. 

Here are the pros and cons of Bumper Jumper:

Pros:

-You can jump and melee while looking around, which is a huge advantage at close range

Cons:

-It takes a while to get used to, and your melees will suffer

-You might begin to "overjump"

Summary:

-Basically, the pros heavily outweigh the cons, and switching to Bumper Jumper, which I use, is a great investment.

The second most popular layout, Default, is mainly used by people who find it hard to switch from too much Halo 1 and 2 and prefer jumping with the A button. The ones who want to switch often find themselves using Walkie-Talkie and Boxer, both of which keep the jumping button in place.

The other, equally as important aspect of your controller settings is sensitivity. If you have ever played a Custom game in Halo, you have probably heard someone say," I'm going to try a lower/higher sensitivity." This is because everyone has a different preference. Personally I use 3 because it is both smooth and is fast enough to maneuver with in close range combat. Here are some tips on whether to use a higher or lower sensitivity.

For higher: You can turn around easily and put in shots on people faster. You also have an advantage in close range, melee battles. 

For lower: Your Battle Rifle aiming is significantly steadier, and you play a little more consistently.

After you make up your mind on these two settings, you still have some small options on stick layout, crouching, inverted, etc. I suggest you keep all these at default because they either have a huge or small impact on your gameplay.

Rules to Play By

This is a good set of rules by Trajan from the mlg forums on using meta-gaming and decision-making to improve.

AT ALL TIMES, YOU SHOULD...

1) Build an advantageMake the kill as easy as possible. To get an advantage, you should always be trying to...

1a) Trap your opponent
This is when you want to build up the advantage by closing off his options and forcing him to react to the battle.
- At the earliest stages of a kill (still searching for a target)...You want to do this is use a power position or power weapon for the other guy to "fall into". Just wait for the other guy to wander into your awareness and then you can start the kill. Having a powerful position or weapon means when the other guy runs into you, you'll have a default advantage in getting the kill.

- In the middle stages of the kill (target acquired, shots not yet fired)...Find a way to open the battle to put as much damage on the other guy as possible while keeping yourself as safe as possible. Usually, you'll just have to go back to the same thing you always do: start jammin' that R trigger. But, if you can safely assume that he doesn't know where you are yet, maybe you should throw a nade instead of opening with shots. Be creative, there are usually a lot of different ways you can open up a battle if you've got the advantage in the opener.

- In the ending stages of the kill (he's weak, let's go for the finish)...You're not home free until he's dead! In the wild, a wounded animal is the most dangerous animal because it knows exactly what it needs to do to survive and it is gonna get desperate. This is true in Halo as well. So, if he's in a position where you don't know exactly what's going on, you still need to treat the kill with caution. This especially includes (but isn't limited to) any time when the other guy gets into cover before he dies. So, you need to close off his options by giving him something to react to, like a grenade to flush him out.

1b) Getting more info
Sometimes, you can't build up a big enough advantage to the point where going for the finish is reasonable. Or, even if you have the other guy completely trapped, maybe you don't have the resources (shields, nades, ammo) to go for the finish. So, you need to give the other guy another chance for him to fall into your awareness. Let him go for now and see what he does and in the mean time, just call it out for your teammates. Maybe they're in a position where they can do something....


2) Neutralize their advantage
Unless you're VASTLY more skilled than the other guys, you'll be in a lot of battles where you can't necessarily win by just reacting. So, you'll need to get away from that battle to force them to pull back for more info. Now there's basically two ways to do this:

2a) Find a counter for their tool
This means either neutralizing their weapon's effectiveness or their positioning advantage. Each weapon has a counter. You can out-strafe a BR, you can knock a sniper out of scope, and you can run from a mauler.
The exception is the rockets. They're a pure awareness weapon where if the other guy has some sort of awareness advantage, you are in big trouble (unless you're fighting Puckett). So you simply need to avoid the battle and engage by sneaking up. That means doing stuff like:
- Making sure to only approach the battle if you've got high ground
- Jump away from walls and floors if they see you
- Being very careful when checking Green Hall if it's Pit TS and the game is in a standoff
- Etc.

To counter their position, you usually just get tricky when using cover. Typically that means putting yourself in a spot where they can't shoot you and they have to do something else like chuck a nade or pursue a melee. But don't assume cover means that you're safe. A good player WILL find a good way to pursue, so do what you can to make your getaway as difficult to chase. Check out here at 14:30 on the game clock when Lunchbox gets trapped in a teamshot. Instead of dropping off the pillar and hiding around the corner at the bottom of the base (like everybody does), he guesses (correctly) that they might nade there and instead hides in the carbine blocks to safety. By the way, a weak Lunchbox is a VERY difficult kill to chase, even when compared with most of the other pros.

2b) Keep them guessing
Suppose you ran into the carbine block every single time you were weak. Another player would no longer nade the base corners and instead just go right for the carbine blocks. A smart enemy can figure out player tendencies and will attack them. If you don't ever use all your available options when you play, the other guy will treat the situation the same as you as not having any.

A great way to keep people guessing is to be unpredictable just for the sake of it. Sometimes doing unnecessary things - like popping back out one more time just to put on one more shot, or juking at weird moments to surprise the guy later down the line, or picking a really weird strafe - can go a long way. If a guy is weak and nades himself into a little corner, maybe just charge through the nade. He'll second guess himself next time he's weak.

Sometimes not doing something is just as important. Suppose I'm playing Onslaught CTF and I'm in the B Carbines when I get the first two shots on someone Top B. If that guy starts returning fire, maybe I should just run away into my Flag and call him out for a teammate. To him, it's a situation where I'd logically pop out to finish him so he has to wait for my attack, but I can just take the moment to start shooting at someone else while he gets ambushed by my teammate.

Pros used to say back in the H2 days that they would treat a weak Strongside completely differently than any other kill and I think they would say similar things now about a player like Pistola. Presenting yourself as one of those players will make someone much more hesitant before going for the trap on you. Of course, this doesn't mean throw your life away for the sake of unpredictability, but this means take calculated and creative risks. You want to be the one controlling the tempo, not the other guy...After you've exhausted LITERALLY everything that you can come up with for rules 1 and 2, you have only one last resort and that's to...


3) Do something crazy!
When the battle gets into the "desperation" stages for either player, the situation becomes really different. Most players play these moments by reflex and do their "go-to crazy something", like going for the ninja assassination or waiting one second behind the corner and then jumping out to "surprise" the other guy with your jump back.

You ever noticed how rarely these things work?I mean actually try your hardest to give the other guy something really weird to work with. Try to do something that you've never seen anybody do before ever. Use geometry to make your strafe weird. Or, if you're shots down, not running away and simply going into out-BR mode can really freak a guy out.

One of the best "do something crazy" moments I've seen came from Mackeo in Dallas '08. Watch from Legend's PoV with 26:10 left on the clock when Mackeo Gandhi-hops off the Flag block to get the out-BR. Notice that Soldier187 was actually teamshooting with Legend. Both of them just missed tons of shots because they had no idea what Mackeo was up to.

You don't want to go into "do something crazy" mode all the time, or else you'll just be on of those kids who gets backsmacked while going for the ninja over and over again. But, you do want to use your creativity when it comes to getting out of situations. Nothing is ever too weird....

Random things to keep in mind:

- You can get out of any situation if you spot the escape soon enough
- Use all your information, like new spawns, power-ups, or the sound of someone's gun reloading in your headphones to judge when the advantage changes
- Always respond, never react- Little things help! Things like putting your head down and making it look like you're gonna Strongside away can make a juke look much more convincing
- Don't over-estimate your opponent - anybody can be trapped if you do it properly
- Focus your efforts! Your goal is the objective of the game (kills, flag, ball-time, hill), not getting the kill
- It's okay to choke, you'll have another shot, just relax
- Don't think about trying to have a certain playstyle when you play the game. Just make the rightest choice you can think of every time. You'll learn what your strengths are and later that will affect your choices, which will create your own style
- If you have a weakness, don't hide from it, work on it...

So there you have it, my personal rules on individual skill. They may not work for you as well as they work for me, but it's what's gotten me as far as I've come. I just try to pick whether the situation calls for building my advantage, neutralizing theirs, or doing something crazy and as long as I pick right, things end up going okay.

They all sound really really simple and you probably read this and thought "this is obvious". And really, it should be. But, too many players lose sight of the bigger picture and freak out and get too focused on one thing so they stop improving. I'm just articulating this thought so you can see the bigger picture spelled out for you and have an easier time pinpointing your problem when you come up short. Whenever I fail, I just reflect and ask myself if I didn't do a good enough job of building the advantage, neutralizing the advantage, or if I could've done something crazier.

Pro Gameplay

An important aspect of getting better is analyzing gameplay by professional gamers. Fortunately, Halo 3 was designed to share gameplay. You can even find a lot of gameplay online! Just make sure you know how to watch and analyze it effectively. First and foremost, you want to carefully watch the decisions that the pros make. Good decisions is what separates the amateurs from the pros. Secondly, make sure to pay attention to their strafes and nades, both of which can help your game quickly. Everything that pros do were done with a purpose. Pros also don't waste time either, and are always holding a position, retreating, or making a push. Picking up the small things is crucial, so going over the gameplay a couple times is perfectly normal.

The official place to watch gameplay is at mlgpro.com, but i recommend using vodsearch, which can help you find the game quickly by using detailed criteria. However if you are looking for high definition gameplay, you should go to TwistedKhaos's youtube channel, where he frequently updates great Halo 3 gameplay in 720p. Furthermore, if you want to interact with the gameplay by watching multiple players and seeing how they setup, teamshot, or rush, then you are best off downloading the games directly from the pro's file shares. Luckily, they put up their best gameplay regularly.

Strafing Guide

Strafing is when a player moves in an attempt to not reach a destination, but throw off the enemy's aim with the goal of making themselves more difficult to kill. Strafing is an essential part of an experienced players arsenal, and through the years has gotten more advanced. Jumping, stop-and-going, gandhi hopping, and many other methods have been incorporated into the strafe, making it incredibly difficult to kill an experienced strafer. Here I'm going to teach you the types of strafes and how each can help you in your game. However, remember that your strafe is nothing without your aim and vice-versa.

The two standard side strafes are the short and long strafe, consist of moving your analog stick side to side. Short strafes are more effective in close to medium range battles, while long strafes are better in long range. With short strafes, you move the left analog stick side to side as quickly as possible, tapping the edge of the controller hole every time. With the long strafe, you move the stick side to side, but instead of tapping it, you hold it for a certain amount of time. While the side strafe makes it difficult for your enemy to shoot at you, this strafe is less useful against experienced players. To maximize the effectiveness of the side strafe, you can mix up your motions by using both short and long strafes in different combinations, or even add extensions such as a jump.

With jumps, it is most beneficial to add during your third or fourth shots of the BR battle because it can give you an advantage in the most crucial time of the battle (when you are most likely about to die). A common mistake with jumps is jumping straight up. Although this is effective at close range, at long range, you are just a bullet magnet, attracting bullets easily. The solution to this is to jump sideways at as low of an angle as possible. This will make you noticeably harder to hit. However, you should jump as little as possible(1-2 times a battle) unless it is absolutely needed because your movement it very limited and can become a bad habit, especially on bumper jumper controls.

Tap strafing is the most popular among experienced and skilled Halo 3 players and one of the simplest and most efficient. The tap strafe is done by tapping the left analog stick 2 or 3 times to the left, then 2 or 3 times to the right, and repeating this. This develops an extremely unpredictable outcome every time you strafe because of the endless combinations that can be used, which can throw off even the best players. When you use the basic long and short strafes, you have a delay between changes of direction and have to stop for a split second, making it easy for your enemy to shoot you. On the other hand, tap strafes keep your momentum going and don't give your enemy any time to react.

Although tap strafing might be the most effective for most situations, you should try and mix up all these types of strafes and jumps depending on your shield, position, and events going around you. Practice with these strafes and you will soon be out-bring players naturally!

MLG Settings and Gametypes

In order to fully understand Halo 3 and improve in MLG you need to have a deeper knowledge of the settings and gametypes involved. Major League Gaming tries to keep exactly 11 different gametype and map combinations, with changes whenever one is not competitive as another option. When these changes occur, a new version of the settings are created with a number (ex: v1) Currently, the 11 combinations in version 6 are Multi-Flag on Onslaught, Narrows, and Pit, Team King on Construct, Team Oddball on Guardian and Lockdown, and Team Slayer on Amplified, Guardian, Construct, Narrows, and The Pit.

The settings in MLG gametypes are slightly different from the normal Halo 3 settings that you might be used to playing. Aside, from starting with a Battle Rifle, the two noticable differences are that in MLG, you run faster and your shield recharges slower. These changes were made to increase the speed of gameplay to make it more entertaining and to discourage "camping". You will also notice on the maps that most of the weapons are taken away or put in a different location, with the addition of some powerups. If you are not familiar with these settings, you should play more MLG settings as much as possible and practice on all the maps and gameytpes regularly. It is also helpful to go into the MLG playlist, where you can find more experienced players and learn from their playstyles.

The current settings in all MLG v6 gametypes are:
Primary Weapon = Battle Rifle
Custom Powerup Traits, Duration = 3 Seconds
Custom Powerup Traits, Damage Resistance = Invulnerable
Custom Powerup Traits, Shield Multiplier = 3X Overshields
Custom Powerup Traits, Shield Recharge Rate = 200%
Custom Powerup Traits, Player Speed = Unchanged
Shield Recharge Rate = 90%
Damage Modifier = 110%
Player Speed = 110%
Motion Tracker Mode = Off
Suicide Penalty = None
Betrayal Penalty = None
Team Changing = Not Allowed

Oddball Settings:
Score to Win = 250
Ball Carrier Traits, Damage Modifier = 50%
Time Limit = 15 Minutes

Team King Settings:
Score to Win = 250
Hill Movement = 2 Minutes
Hill Movement Order = Sequence
Time Limit = 15 Minutes
Respawn Time = 10 Seconds

Team Slayer Settings:
Time Limit = 15 Minutes
Vehicle Set = No Vehicles

Click here to dowload these gametypes and maps

Callout Pictures

Thanks to MLGIcon, Note:Begin some callouts on symmetrical maps with "our" or "their"



Guardian


Construct


Narrows




Onslaught





The Pit



Lockdown



Amplified


Assembly(not an MLG map yet)

Teamwork

Perhaps the most important aspect of competitive Halo, and especially Halo 3, is teamwork. Compared to the first two Halos, Halo 3's multiplayer in MLG tends to focus on how every player works together rather than individual skill. Here I will give you some tips on how to be a better team player and win more because of it.

The two main aspects of teamwork are communication and coordinating strategies. Both of these are huge and have many contributing factors involved.

Communication
The most important factor of working with your team is calling out where the enemy is at all times so you can team shot them effectively. In order to do this, you must already know every map and what each location is called. For all the detailed callout names, read my call out post. Also, you need to call out the status of the enemy, including their health(ex:One Shot) and their movement(ex:He's going to Snipe). You also need to make sure your teamates know your health and position(ex:I'm weak, getting double teamed). Another important part of communicating is saying where the other team will likely spawn, depending on where the other team has recently died, or where your team is. However, calling out locations is only half of communication. You also need to call out general strategies that your team is in position to make. This leads to the strategy aspect of Halo.

Strategy
To form any strategy you first need to have a deep understanding of the game and what works and doesn't. Then you need to work with your teamates to coordinate breakout rushes, setups, and rushes. Breakout rushes should be understood by each teamate prior to the beginning of the game, and focus on getting the power weapons and powerups quickly and efficiently, gaining control of the map. For setups, the purpose is to get in a position where you can team shot and trap your enemy, making them feed you kills. This is especially evident on Guardian, where a Snipe Tower/Jungle setup will rack up kills for a long time. Rushes are especially important in Halo in order to get a power weapon or simply get a rally of kills by catching the other team off-guard and killing them off spawn. For example, when the Overshield is about to spawn on the Pit, you should tell that to your teamates and make your way to its location and try to secure it. However, you should never rush by yourself, and instead position yourself close to your teamates so you can team shot together. Rushing as a team is especially important in objective gametypes, where a group rush towards the flag, ball, or king can result in an easy capture or points.