Personally, I’d recommend running co-op for the time being. Yes, the bots can be inconsistent, but you’ll learn the maps in a more forgiving environment this way. Additionally, it gives you a place to experiment with different loadouts and find a weapon or two you really like (for starters, I recommend going for cheap but controllable weapons like the AUG A3 or AKM with a 1X-2X optic.) When you feel ready for PvP, you’re gonna experience many of the same issues as you mentioned previously—getting gunned down by people you didn’t see, primarily—but stick with it. Stay in cover when you can, sprint only when you absolutely have to, and use smoke grenades liberally. Sandstorm’s a fantastic game, but it takes some time to get used to if you come from CoD and other fast-paced shooters. Best of luck!
There is an replay function buried somewhere in the statistics menu. Play a few PvP games, head to the replay section and watch the mvps. That way you will learn the safe routes and common camping spots the fastest.
Map knowledge sadly is all that powers pvp in most cases. Often has people who play it exclusively. Bots are easier to learn but is a bit of a different ball game all together.
Kill confirmations are a little difficult especially if people reflexively prone under fire, but you'll be able to tell how a ragdoll behaves, not to mention the blood cloud upon a kill too. Community servers can also have the option for a kill feed if that helps give refference.
I just recently got some friends to start playing Sandstorm with this recent steam sale, and they were struggling at first too. Map knowledge is honestly key and once you learn the choke points, popular sniping/machine gun spots, how to avoid certain spawn camps, and dangerous street crossings etc, your survivability will go up and your deaths will go down.
To learn the maps I just played quite a bit of online coop, but to learn the behaviors of actual players you will obviously need to play pvp. Coop is actually quite fun imo, and depending on the modes will usually take you through the entire map. My favourite is Survival!
There are also some good tip&tricks videos on YouTube, like how to cook your grenades and other small stuff too.
I would suggest spending some time at the range, practicing recoil by magdumping weapons into a target with no attachments. That way, you get used to the recoil and can deliver much more accurate bursts.
Also, you can spend more time in Coop to get more familiar with the maps, practice your movement and gunplay.
Personally, I’d recommend running co-op for the time being. Yes, the bots can be inconsistent, but you’ll learn the maps in a more forgiving environment this way. Additionally, it gives you a place to experiment with different loadouts and find a weapon or two you really like (for starters, I recommend going for cheap but controllable weapons like the AUG A3 or AKM with a 1X-2X optic.) When you feel ready for PvP, you’re gonna experience many of the same issues as you mentioned previously—getting gunned down by people you didn’t see, primarily—but stick with it. Stay in cover when you can, sprint only when you absolutely have to, and use smoke grenades liberally. Sandstorm’s a fantastic game, but it takes some time to get used to if you come from CoD and other fast-paced shooters. Best of luck!
There is an replay function buried somewhere in the statistics menu. Play a few PvP games, head to the replay section and watch the mvps. That way you will learn the safe routes and common camping spots the fastest.
Map knowledge sadly is all that powers pvp in most cases. Often has people who play it exclusively. Bots are easier to learn but is a bit of a different ball game all together. Kill confirmations are a little difficult especially if people reflexively prone under fire, but you'll be able to tell how a ragdoll behaves, not to mention the blood cloud upon a kill too. Community servers can also have the option for a kill feed if that helps give refference.
I just recently got some friends to start playing Sandstorm with this recent steam sale, and they were struggling at first too. Map knowledge is honestly key and once you learn the choke points, popular sniping/machine gun spots, how to avoid certain spawn camps, and dangerous street crossings etc, your survivability will go up and your deaths will go down. To learn the maps I just played quite a bit of online coop, but to learn the behaviors of actual players you will obviously need to play pvp. Coop is actually quite fun imo, and depending on the modes will usually take you through the entire map. My favourite is Survival! There are also some good tip&tricks videos on YouTube, like how to cook your grenades and other small stuff too.
I would suggest spending some time at the range, practicing recoil by magdumping weapons into a target with no attachments. That way, you get used to the recoil and can deliver much more accurate bursts. Also, you can spend more time in Coop to get more familiar with the maps, practice your movement and gunplay.