Ghost Mode: A Professional Guide
I have included two videos for BL and GR side in GM. Both are straight forward, easy to understand and give clean techniques. These are my personal methods/ techniques that I find work best through years of experience. I will be giving detailed information in stages for both GR and BL sides in Ghost Mode.
Here are the two videos for quickness.
BL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEFYnH2ZBDQ
GR:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIZicOLbHMY
If you don’t know what this is, then you need to play a little bit more of CrossFire! Ghost Mode is a unique mode within CrossFire that gives an exciting but also fresh experience from other modes. GR are exactly the same as they are in any other mode, however BL are ‘ghosts’ rather than standard soldiers hence the name Ghost Mode. BL become semi-visible when walking or running but remain 100% invisible if stationary. They also have the ability to use a bhop method to move around whilst keeping invisible. It can be a lot of fun.
First of all, what is pinpoint and why is it so talked about amongst ghost mode? Pinpoint is a method to locate where a ghost is situated, it requires a minimum of 2 left and right speakers, audio turned on and is prominently used with headphones over external speakers. Pinpoint is one of the few good methods to play ghost mode successfully.
Make sure you have at least 2 working speakers in stereo mode. 5.1 are advantageous but not a necessity. Avoid external speakers and use headphones or earphones for best results.
BHOP stands for bunnyhop, it is when a player can move at great speed whilst constantly crouch jumping (timing each jump perfectly) whilst remaining invisible. If you bhop as BL in ghost Mode, done correctly, you will not be seen and keep invisible. There are several types of basic bhop to learn, those will be explained in the BL Ghost section further down the page.
Comments
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Latest Update: 07/06/2013 (dd/mm/yyyy)
New EQ, works 100%
Video Guide:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIZicOLbHMY
2.1 Stereo audio is what you need, this will allow you to pinpoint. No names appear above any ghost, they become visible when they walk, run or jump without bhop.
PinPoint is a method to killing ghosts without even seeing them move. Yes you did hear right, ghosts constantly give out noise even when not moving and this noise is the sound of heavy breathing. Breathing is where that ghost is located, it increases or decreases in volume the closer or further away you are to it.
Below is an accurate step-by-step guide on how to properly pinpoint. Starting from the absolute basics.
Shoot a little lower than directly infront of the breath, this is because ghosts might be crouching and you miss the shot by aiming up too high.
1. Move your cursor left and then right, you will hear breath coming from the ghost in either left/ right side of your headphones/ speakers. The further left/ right you turn the more you will notice a difference in volume and direction.
2. Right in-between your left and right side is what I call the ‘centre point’, it is when sound, or breathing in this case, suddenly jumps from left to right or visa-versa and you hear the sudden change from left to right. With 5.1 you actually have a centre speaker so you can more accurately pinpoint the breathing but you don’t have the sudden change from left to right, so in a sense it can be more difficult to pinpoint (personal opinion).
3. You are able to hear breathing through walls, this gives you a huge advantage over ghosts. Keep your cursor on the breathing location whilst looking at the wall, run around the wall and shoot at the breath. The ghosts won’t see it coming and will think that you’re hacking, it’s that good!
4. Always keep an ear out for different surface noises. Wood, metal, water and dirt etc, all give you an indication of where the ghost is located and from this you can predict what route they are taking, especially in Laboratory or Bio Facility when they run around on the top floor.
5. Keep an eye on your mini-map in the top corner. An 'X' marker appears where your ally has been killed, use this to your advantage and watch out for nearby ghosts.
6. Use burst-fires and avoid spraying. Shots of 5-9 bullets is good when there is a ghost present or when you are guaranteed there is a ghost with your pinpoint. Spraying can help when there is a few ghosts running at you, but even then you should use controlled bursts to each one.
It’s one thing pinpointing but it’s another story when the ghost is stood on top of an object or below in a tunnel. It can be difficult to differentiate heights, especially with a fast paced hopper.
1. Volume can be increased or decreased by a fragment depending on how high or low the ghost is, but it is possible to hear this alteration especially if your computer volume is at least 40-50. I use 65-70.
2. Sometimes logic comes into play and you can calculate that it is more likely for the ghost to be stood above or below, especially if the breath is resonating from a corner near an enclosed space, for example the unit outside of vent entrance in Laboratory near B Side next to the servers.
I can’t stress how important your movement pattern is! Once you have a good movement pattern you can save yourself from being killed and harder for the enemy to predict your route.
Quick tip: Swap your crouch/ jump keys around in options. I find it a lot easier to move, jump or bhop this way as my fingers are more relaxed.
1. Never walk/ run in a straight line, only walk in select areas and run most of the time.
2. Walking is an easy way to die, you are slow and a hopper can kill you before you have any time to react. Walking in enclosed spaces can help when you are against the odds so you are able to clearly hear them make noise. When against the odds, use the map to your advantage; manouver around object, gain height advantage, narrow spaces etc.
3. Running should be standard. It makes noise for ghosts to hear but they’re going to find you regardless, running allows you to gain enough speed and time to move away from any hopping ghosts, it also gives you the speed to have a sporadic movement pattern which can help you avoid being killed.
4. A sporadic movement pattern can come in many forms so I will give you my pattern, ultimately it comes down to personal preference (and so you're not a sitting duck!).
-Never move in a line for more than 2 seconds. (Straight, backwards and diagonal)
-Move in semi-circles or curved lines.
Keep an eye out for these extra benefits! Sometimes ghosts can be seen as an invisible silhouette when they move, even if they’re stationary! Of course if they run, walk or fail bhop then you can see them turn semi-visible.
-Blood
-Lights
-Red light emitters
-Water splashes
-Bullet traces
-Grenade traces
-Lasers
-Smoke
Defusing the C4 is one of the most risky elements to securing victory. There is a fair few methods that each work to their own advantage dependant on the situation that you’re faced with. Let’s get started in no particular order.
1. Defusing - When you are defusing, never look down to the ground. Try looking as far up as you can and in the most likely direction that ghosts may come from. This way you can react faster and save your own bacon! Also you can still look around whilst defusing, just don’t turn around too far otherwise it will automatically cancel. You are able to defuse the C4 through walls a good example is B Site in Laboratory; on ground floor, the wall facing opposite to the back tunnel, you can defuse through that wall, also you can sometimes hide around the curving the wall, giving you some protection and less space to get killed.
2. Defending – To defend you need to keep close to the player defusing and never walk too far astray otherwise you may not have enough time to react. Search in the most likely/ nearest entrances for any approaching ghosts. Know your map, get familiar with the most common routes to that Bomb Site, in most cases you can keep close to a wall and hear the ghost approaching from the other side giving you a huge advantage to pre-fire or surprise attack them, but if you do hear them approaching don’t wait for them, you go to them!
3. Identity – You can fool the ghost into thinking you’re the one defusing when it actually isn’t, this can give just enough time for the defuse to be successful as the ghosts attack takes time to execute. To do this, look as if you are defusing in the same position as the real player defusing is, so let’s say if he is crouching and looking up, you do the same but right next to him or in front, so then the ghost cannot tell who the real player is defusing.
4. Distractions – These methods are not the best and can even be frowned upon. Flash bangs, grenades or smoke grenades all pose positive and negative effects. Flash bangs if thrown around a corner can blind approaching ghosts but if thrown at the C4 then your entire team can become blind, not a smart move. Grenades on the off-chance kill a ghost but usually they only prove to damage team members and cause a loud bang so you can’t hear ghosts breathing. Smoke makes noise so it’s harder to hear ghosts, hard to see your own team members and the C4, however, ghosts become visible if they fail bhop, run, walk, jump or by the smoke glitch.
In-game settings are a little further down the page, go check them out.
-Body Armour
-Bullet Proof Helmet
-No Fall Damage
-C4 Setup/ Defuse Kit
Any gun that is silenced will work a charm. Keep to guns that have a low 'thump' sound like Dual Desperado or have no harsh sounding shots (m12s, ak47 have harsh shots). Below is a list of ideal guns jsut to give you an idea, in no perticular order.
Surpressed weapons are not the only option, standard GP guns too can be as good.
Primary:
-G36K
-M4A1 and variants
-Dual Desperado
-Winchester
-Type89 (a little slow reloading mind you)
-Famas
-K1A
-TAR21
-QBZ
Secondary:
-Desert Eagle
-Mauser
-M23SOCOM
-M66
-Anaconda
-Double Barrel
-M9
-Mateba
Pretty much you want ones that can handle volume and don't crackle when you bump it up a some notches; Galaxy S3 in-ears are terrible for audio quality and cannot handle loud volumes., however SoundMagic PL11 are a dream in comparison.
5.1 Surround sound headphones can really help, you can hear breathing from behind you a lot clearer and they have a centre speaker! CrossFire does not currently support 5.1 sound, it is virtual 5.1, but that still helps a lot of players if the Ghosts Breath is behind or infront of you. Shadow Mode supports 5.1 audio.
My SoundMagic PL11 in-ears work like an absolute charm and are only £20, maybe even less these days.
Remember this list below is more of a guideline, people from the community that I've asked use these and it's to give you an idea of the available headphones that are out there.
-Roccat Kave - Real 5.1 surround sound
-SoundMAGIC PL11 - These are in-earphones 2.1 stereo and they work like a charm! I used to use these and they never let me down, worked really good for Ghost Mode.
-ASTRO Gaming A40 Audio System - These have amazing audio quality, 7.1 and excellent microphone quality.
-Turtle Beach x12 - 2.1 Stereo, high quality audio, picks up breath fairly decent, more of a personal preference headset as many people will give good/ bad points to these.
-Razer Kraken
-Tritton Pro+
You'll want to increase your volume so you can hear Breath Down from 13-15 metres (BD is now 17metres). Equalizers can help you hear Ghost Breath differently, not always for the better to be totally honest; Using an EQ can help you hear the breath 'clearer' and 'can' lower gun noises, or it will make things seem worse it really depends on the settings. If you don’t know if you have any EQ panel, Google your soundcard, usually it’s down to the audio software installed.
The settings below are good to get you started but will make other guns harsher, basically it's a starting point to help you identify with Breath Down more easier so you can move forward in your skill development.
Equalizer APO should work for most people, not tested on IOS, APO can take time to install and always remember to manually turn on/ off when you don't want to enable it.
You will find that you may not like or even need an Equalizer, it is after all just a minor help.
Equalizer APO
Follow my instructions and you'll be fine. Only for windows sorry.
1. Download: http://sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo/
No restart yet.
Install, select the audio devices that you use (headphones -high definition or speakers-Xfi-SoundBlaster etc etc) (NO restart yet).
2. Download: http://www.mediafire.com/download/misoyx8c4258afo/GMEQ_1_desktop1.req (Save to Desktop for ease)
3. Download: http://www.mediafire.com/download/h8ajhovw7danivq/wizardinstallv5.exe
Install it and do system restart
4. Open up Room EQ Wizard 5, click Meaure in top left, Continue anyway, click Start Measure, OK.
5. Click EQ top right, select the tab Equaliser: DSP1124p then select FBQ2496.
6. click EQ Filters at top of window, click blue folder (open) and select the GMEQ_1_desktop1.req you downloaded (to desktop in Step 2). click save (icon next to blue folder on the right), name it gmeq1, and again name it gmeq1 save to Desktop.
7. go to main REW window, File> Export> Export Filters as text, name it gmeq1, again name it gmeq1 save to desktop.
8. Close down REW, click Save to save the measurement.
9. Copy the gmeq1.txt on your desktop then go to C:\Program Files\EqualizerAPO\config and paste it. Open the Config.txt file, rename Include: example.txt into Include: gmeq1.txt and save.
Now you should hear an immediate change in audio, it will sound very different. This is 100% correct and you have been successful
To Disable
To disable the EQ (turn back to normal audio) open Config.txt and change Include: gmeq1.txt to Include: none.txt and you're back to normal.
To Enable
To re-enable the EQ audio, simply change Include: none.txt to Include: gmeq1.txt and boom! Done.Have a mess around, the 4 in the middle is where breath is heard most.
No grenade radio messages! This will help you out a whole bunch, you will not have bleeding ears at the start of every GM match. This is allowed and is breaking no rules, download link below.
ModHub Link:
http://modhub.org/othermods/656-cf-tool
These are some in-game settings that might help you. Lower texture helps you see ghosts if they turn semi-visible, blood helps you to better see when you hit a ghost and 95 gamma lets you notice when ghosts turn semi-visible easier.Game Settings
If you use any ak47, m12s or ARX or something then it will be harder to hear ghost Breath and can distract other team mates.
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Latest Update: 26/05/2013
Added new melee Aluminum Bat and a little re-jigging of text.
Video Guid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEFYnH2ZBDQ
Always be aware that your character is always making a noise from breathing, this is called Breath, GR can hear your characters Breath noise and track you down if they are near you. However, take note that GR make noise as well from running, shooting or throwing grenades (Walking does not make noise but leaves them vulnerable to fast bhopping attacks), with that you are able to roughly estimate where abouts they are situated, so then you can plan your route to attack or escape.
These are essential if you want to play as BL, a little practice with a little bit of time and you will soon be fluently using these methods. You won’t be a ‘pro’ instantly; it takes time like anything else.
This is the primary method for BHOP, begin with this type and you will have the first start to becoming a hopper. I will go through sever steps on how to Backwards BHOP:
-Keep hold of Crouch. Move back with S key (or your custom backwards key) and after the first split second (0.3 of a second) Jump, still holding Crouch and S key.
-As soon as you hit the ground press Jump again. Time it correct or you will stall, this is called BHOP. After the second hop you can let go of S key.
-It’s all down to timing and you get faster as you keep jumping. Three jumps give you maximum speed.
The same as Backwards BHOP but forwards, this type can really help you out getting kills and in most cases is a must have.
-Start off the same as you do with Backwards BHOP.
-On your second or third jump turn your cursor around 180 degrees. So you are now facing forwards. At this point there is no need to hold S or W key (Backwards or Forwards keys).
-Keep holding Crouch and jump as soon as you hit the ground. Keep jumping and this is Forwards BHOP.
This can be used for both Backwards and Forwards BHOP types. It is the the motion of moving forwards/ backwards whilst moving to the side rather than a straight line.
-Whilst you are using BHOP, just slightly look to either left or right sides and hold A or D key. Example: Look left slightly and hold A key whilst hopping, you will bhop forwards but swurve to the left. Again, look a little to the right, hold D and keep hopping and you will swurve to the right.
This is one of the most valued hops you can use, it can save your bacon on multiple occasions. It is the motion of moving your curser left to right after each jump whilst moving and holding the keys [W, A/ D] or [S, A/ D].
-Start off with a backward BHOP.
-Whilst bhopping hold S and after each jump just look to the side a little.
-You'll find that you ar starting to bhop in a curved line, even a circle if you keep at it. Imagine driving a car in reverse around a corner.
Timing your jumps can help you avoid fall damage and manouvre around or on top of objects making for a great bhop route. I will explain No Fall Damage and Ramps but all starting the jump with no pre-speed.
1. To avoid fall damage, once you jump off from a height be sure to hold crouch, as soon as you’re about to hit the ground hit jump and you will receive no fall damage. It can be very tricky so keep practicing. Timing is key to this handy tip.Same applies to if your not holding crouch, but if you don't hold crouch then you will turn visible when jumping.
2. (a - Ramps are a pain in the rear end! There are so many ups and downs to them, first of all being at the top end is always the best advantage point; it gives you the opportunity to easily hop down and swipe at your enemy. When hopping down, time your jump perfectly and you will increase in speed and distance, so each hop will be faster than the last but the max speed that you can move at is on your third hop, like ordinary bhop (but you may reach max speed on first hop).
2. (b Now, timing jumps when moving up the ramp is very difficult. Timing comes down to how fast or slow you are moving, all I can suggest is to realise if you jumped too soon or too early in contrast to the speed you were going, then try and try again. Eventually you will become familiar with ramp hops and the timings to how fast you're going, it just really takes a lot of practice.
3. Jumping on objects is a similar practice, whilst bhopping, realise the speed you're travelling at and estimate when you will hit the object surface and immediately jump as soon as you tap it. Once you get the hang of it, you can bhop fast and jump onto objects avoiding the enemies attack.
As explained in the GR section certain elements can make you become visible to the enemy even if you are not moving, but only at certain angles:
-Blood, lights, red light emitters, water splashes, bullet traces, grenade traces, lasers and smoke.
Refer to [MOD]Nonnens Ultimate Melee Guide for damage stats, techniques and anything you could possibly need: http://forum.z8games.com/showthread.php?t=227255
I will name every melee in order of 'best' to 'least' but ultimately it's personal preference and is highly opinionated. I'll stress once more, these are going in order of most powerful/ OP. I want to point out that Knife and Axe are classed as the most 'fair' melees to use, especially for competitive play.
Keep in mind some of these weapons are very powerful and are seen as over powered ‘noob’ options, I disagree completely. If it is ‘nooby’ and easy to get kills, you simply need to be better and not get killed in the first place (of course is someone is lagging and they stab with Shovel, your chances of reacting/ surviving decrese quite a bit - yet another reason why some of these melees are seen as 'OP'). GR have powerful guns, silenced weapons, close range 1-hit killers, grenades and melees, so it’s only fair ghosts get to have good weapons too (of course in competitive matches there are rules that limit you to use GP weaponry, this pushes your skills as both GR and BL and is good training in general).
1. Kukri – By far the best if you are a ghost, the speed of both slash and special attacks are immense. Damage is extremely high and range is very large. Noise level is small and weight is low. However, the Stab attack makes a noise before it actually attacks.
2. Kriss – Made for slashing, it annoys a lot of GR players because of this. Special attack has long range and is usually a 1-hit kill but it is difficult to aim, you have to be very accurate. Slashing is extremely fast and has a very large range. Noise Level is medium and weight is low.
3. Axe – Slashing power and speed is pretty good, Stab attack is usually a 1-hit kill but deals 80 damage to the Arms, which can be frustrating. Don't assume the stab is always going to be a 1-hit kill, you can easily hit the arm instead of chest, we’ve all done it and know how annoying it is. Stab has no sound before it attacks, making it a deadly silent killer.
4. Aluminium Bat – Similar to the Katana but slightly lighter, doesn't make noise when holidng stab (but makes noise when preparing stab and releasing stab) and is very powerful. It has a very wide wide range but you really need to be up close and personal for it to hit, can be easy to get a kill when rotating at high speed, makes a "thud" sound which is a little harder to hear compared to a high slash from Kriss and it looks pretty nice too, maybe someone should arrange a baseball game or something.
5. Knife – Slashing is low damage but very fast, special attack can be difficult to aim with and is usually a 2-hit kill, sometimes 1 to the chest when jumping and ofcourse 1hit to the head. Noise level very little and weight is extremely low. The Knife can really put your aim and bhop to the test, looked up to highly in competitive play. Just takes a lot of practice to rake in the kills.
6. Shovel – Has long range with its Stab and Slash attacks. Slashing isn’t that powerful but Stab is usually a 1-hit kill with long range. Noise level is high and weight is low.
7. Wrench – I like wrench, it has a nice attack sound. High attack power, fast slashing and medium special attack speed. Wrench tends to be a 1-hit kill with special, slashing is medium-fast. You have to be accurate when aiming. Noise level very low and weight is low.
8. Katana – Is extremely slow, slashing is slow but powerful and has an immense range. Special attack is always a 1-hit kill and has very large range. Noise level medium-high and weight is very heavy. The heaviest melee around.
9. Brass Knuckles – Extremely light eight, you can move around nearly as fast as knife. Slashing is medium speed with medium attack power. Special is 1-2-hit kill. Noise level is high and weight is very light.
10. Police Baton – Don’t forget your hat and hand-cuffs sonny Jim! More of the un-used melees, it has medium slash speed with medium attack power. Special is powerful but very accurate, so aim well. Noise level is high and weight is medium.
11. Nightmareblade – I think is one of the least used melee weapons around. Slash speed is medium-high, same applies to slash attack power. It’s special is very similar to Wrench, can be 1-hit kill, deals high damage but is very accurate. Noise level is very low and weight is low.
12. Machete – This is on par with Police Baton and Nightmareblade. Slash speed is medium and attack power is also medium. Special attack power is high, maybe 1-2-hit kill. Noise level is medium and weight is medium.
- Body Armour, Bullet Proof Helmet, No Fall Damage and C4 Setup/ Defuse Kit, Breath Down and Noise Down. Armour can be looked down upon by players as it takes even more bullets for a kill.
-Breath Down doesn't always work in your favour, having no Breath Down can actually give you an advantage; for starters you are further away from the enemy so generally speaking it will be a little harder to aim/ pinpiont you, no BD mixed with BD can be a deadly combination as it really messes up pinpoint and leaves you to get in close for the kill and finally no BD at time can be harder to pinpoint as it is louder, more muffled and not as direct/ enclosed as BD is.
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I think this should help a few people out, took me a long time to complete.
Thanks to everyone looking through it Don't forget there are video guides for both GR and BL that are at the top of each GR and BL sections.
This post can also be a reserved slot for any future updates. Thanks. -
Omg sticky this now. I thought it'd be a guide that everyone already knew this stuff but there is defiantly some new stuff I haven't seen in any other guide of GM. Now I can finally get a equalizer and we have the same headset so I can relate to this even more. Also just learning some new strats to GM is awesome
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I think this is an incredibly well-written and helpful guide, madanki
I've heard about changing the Equaliser in order to hear breath better but I've never actually done it, 'cause I might get used to that setting and will never be able to play on another PC At least now I know how some people can pp so well :P -
That's good news! Happy it helped you out and thanks for the feedbackOmg sticky this now. I thought it'd be a guide that everyone already knew this stuff but there is defiantly some new stuff I haven't seen in any other guide of GM. Now I can finally get a equalizer and we have the same headset so I can relate to this even more. Also just learning some new strats to GM is awesome
Good idea! I'll get onto that shortly, I think it will help a lot of people.FrozenSyther wrote: »Hmm you should also add some good headsets with different price ranges, it'll help several people out.
For example;
$10~$20 Headset A (highly recommended)
and so on.Great guide.
I'm sure it'll help me out a bit in GM.
Thank yougreat guide!I think this is an incredibly well-written and helpful guide, madanki I've heard about changing the Equaliser in order to hear breath better but I've never actually done it, 'cause I might get used to that setting and will never be able to play on another PC At least now I know how some people can pp so well :P
Thank you Azureus! With most EQ panels you are able to turn it on and off. -
Thank you Azureus! With most EQ panels you are able to turn it on and off.
Yeah I guess Just a small suggestion, should you include the mod to decrease or even get rid of the "fire in the hole" sound? I think it would be extremely helpful
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