Some straferunning exersizes to practice

Within Facility.zip (the zipfile package of all of the Deathmatch Training Facility materials) there are Doom2 Demo files that show some excersizes that will help you get a feel for straferunning. You can take a look at "begin.lmp" in that zipfile, where I demonstrate the following excersize almost right away.

 In the training facility, the first room on the right in the West Wing of the building is the Basic Agility and Circle Strafe area. This room is actually 3 in 1, but we will only be using the agility and circle-strafe section now. You will see from the recording that there are a number of straferuning manuvers practiced here, each done precisely and --without mouse use--. These manuvers are the basics of straferunning, and it is how I learned to do it, and how I have taught others. Do them as precisely as you can, at first with the main concern NOT being your speed, but how accurately you can maintain the pattern. Do not move the mouse while doing them. These patterns serve as a beginning to learning and feeling natural during straferunning -- the actual executions of these patterns will generally not be useful in a real deathmatch. The value in learning them is in learning the basics of the control of straferunning.
 

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A major part of the underlying movement in strong SSG technique
lies in accurate control of intricate, rapid Straferunning

 

 Start with the big white diamond-shape, and move on to the more complex shapes when you feel ready. Note the direction reversals I do in the recording, you need to learn all of these patterns in all directions. The first pattern is simply a precise diamond shape, the second is a sideways 8 shape, and the next shape is a regular 8 shape.
 
 

Click for movie of beginning of excersize #1
(594 K download, about 3 minutes on a 33.6 modem)

 Note that as long as you dont fire any weapons, the cyberdemons ignore you.
 

 Straferunning effectively inside of corridors is clearly more difficult than moving in an open area. Straferunning backwards through corridors is even harder...so I am leaving these topics as a discussion for intermediate skilled players, which is after the beginning player has had time to feel at-home straferunning in the open.
 
 

 Return to Beginnings of good player movement page