The Call of Duty series has a long standing reputation for fast-paced, adrenaline pumping, and, sometimes downright brutal multiplayer experience, and Modern Warfare 2 lives up to that reputation with aplomb.
As you wade into the thick of the action, it's not uncommon to find yourself with more targets than you have the ammunition (or time!) to shoot. With all of Modern Warfare 2's methods of player detection, old and new, a busy game can very quickly become a total sensory overload as you turn from trying to eliminate the opposition to simply trying to survive.
While a quick aim, a well set-up class and good game-sense will get you a long way in these situations, new players often find themselves completely overwhelmed by the opposite end of the spectrum - when things get quiet. Whether the game mode is Search and Destroy or simply a low population game on a big map, the different mindset required to succeed in these situations is arguably harder to learn; so GameReplays.org is here to give you a helping hand.
The usual methods of detection you will get accustomed to using right off the bat are all visual. You might see their blip on the UAV or on a heartbeat sensor, you may see their tracer fire or even just see the player themselves. These are all situational and prone to failure - the UAV only sweeps every few seconds and heartbeat sensors are also short-range. On top of this, many players take perks to remove themselves from these methods of detection. Tracer fire is only a rough estimation of their position for the duration they are firing and spotting the player usually means they can see you too, so it's a direct battle of reactions.
There is another, less documented method of detection and general awareness that many new players have not yet learnt to use - sound. Sound has drawbacks just like the other methods, however sometimes it is all you have so using it necessary.
To the experienced listener, gamesounds can give almost pinpoint guesses at enemy positions. Listen out for particular footsteps - metallic footsteps sound when someone walks on metal stairwells and walkways, footsteps are clearer and more defined when walking on concrete than on grass. Maps like Scrapyard are excellent for sound as there are so many different surfaces to build up your mental image of the enemy positions.
As with all these things though, sound works both ways so it is important to know how to minimise your own sound while listening for the enemy. Most things you do in this game make sound - moving, firing (obviously!), reloading, switching weapons, falling and planting (or defusing) the bomb.
The most common sound you will hear will be movement:
Sprinting makes the most noise.
Running ('normal' movement) makes less, but it is still painfully noticeable.
Walking ('normal' running but while aiming down the sight (or ADS)) is completely silent.
Crouching and crawling are both completely silent too, whether you are ADS or not.
Movement Speeds
Movement speeds for these modes of movement are different for different weapons. For all weapons, sprinting is fastest, followed by running. For players using a sub-machine gun (SMG) or those holding a handgun or shotgun, walking is faster than crouching. For players with a light-machine gun (LMG) or assault rifle, walking will be slower than crouching.
If the situation is quiet and any noise you make could give your position away, it is generally advised that you never run. Unless you have to travel long distances and running in between sprints is unavoiable, don't run. Sprinting makes noise however you get the most travel out of it, so switch between sprinting and walking (for SMGs and pistols/shotguns), or sprinting and crouching for those with heavier weapons.
However, even when moving around silently, there are unavoidable noises that occur in certain situations, such as walking/crouching across small lips and drops. You might be able to walk up them silently without climbing, however going back down the game detects a drop (your position is denoted by a singular point on the floor, it doesn't account for how a person might place one foot down the step and then the other) and makes a scuffle sound. There is usually nothing you can do about these small steps so you need to know where they are and be ready for any attention you might draw.
The following short clip shows a 1v1 situation. At just after 0:01, you hear a short but crucial footstep as the enemy leaves the building. The sound is immediately to the right, so you know he's on the other side of the shipping container.
The offending step is shown below.
Using the sound to your advantage goes further than you might think, if you know your opponent is also listening then you can play mindgames by sprinting in one direction and then silently moving away or 'fake planting/defusing' - triggering the sound to bait a waiting defender into thinking you're defenseless. This can have a huge success rate on public servers - match players will be ready for it though.
In this clip, although you can just spot the bomb planter running off into the corner, he is too far to realistically attack given the poor vision and plentiful cover. Rather than give my position away, I move silently to the target so that the first thing he hears is the defuse. He panics and rushes out to kill me, prefiring around the corner at where he thinks I'm defusing the bomb. Note my choice of position - he has to come around either my front or the small path behind me, and by facing the way I did I could hear clearly which route he was taking.
Modern Warfare 2, like its predecessor, has excellent sound and when things get sneaky we strongly recommend you turn it up. If you take your victories more seriously then you might even want to invest in a good headset.
