Preparing for a match / tournament

[Uteena PMS]

Hello.
I've been trying out for the iPMS Halo 3 division these last three weeks, and am currently a recruit.
After I started this, I've noticed more than ever before that some practices I feel more "in the mood", and sometimes I do better than at other times etc. I.e. monday and tuesday I did really bad. And some practices it takes me like an hour to get "into" it and from that point on I'm doing good.

So I was wondering how other people prepare for matches, practices, tournaments or whatever. How do you get in "the mood" and do well?
How do you deal with problems like that in a tournament or some major event?
Am I the only one who could suck one day/hour, and the next be at my best? :o

[Freakstylez]

That's everyone. Personally, I don't have any set way to amp myself up for games. A warm-up or two can help with getting your fingers prepped, as well as your coordination, but it doesn't guarantee you'll be "in the mood" as you described. Methods of getting zoned for a game are varied among people; some enjoy certain kinds of music, others do so just by playing and focusing. I don't generally have much trouble getting into the zone, because I tend to focus a lot of my attention on the game, and emotion plays a great deal into that. If you're playing to win and things go wrong, frustration can help keep you on edge; of course, balancing inward frustration, outward calm, and mechanical precision (that is, keeping things together even in a tight situation) is difficult.

I'm a very modest person—though I tend to think the people murdering me on Halo are scrubs (most of the time I'm killed by stupidity rather than skill)—so I believe I'm always terrible, or always have in mind the worst possible scenario. Sometimes, it turns out to be true; but sometimes, I'm pleasantly surprised to see that I'm MVP with a very commanding lead.

[Uteena PMS]

Aw Lieunacy, I think you're the only one who can see my posts or something. :P

I've never concidered myself a good player, not yet. I mean, I'm practising (Halo 3 is my game of choice, and I'll hopefully keep playing for a looong time) and getting better, but I know that many if my friends ie have been playing shooters since Goldeneye and Doom, and playing against them is nothing I take lightly. But I have improved since I first started shooters when I got my 360, and I can now easily take on a few of the people I first played with that used to pwn me in FPS.

But I guess that if I'm having a really good day I'll be more amped up for playing, or sometimes when I get home from a evening on out and after a few drinks that kind of calms ny nerves and I'm more aggressive as I play and sometimes that works too. But I don't feel that it's really something I can "control", if that makes sense. I just want to always be ready, amped up and in the mood, at least for the important matches.
Some of the PMS that I practise with seem like that always are ie. And I cant imagine that Ogre1 wakes up and gets his ass kicked in Halo 2 just because he's not in the "zone", haha.
Anyways, my first evening playing with the iPMS/iH2O I was super nervous. I thought I did quite well that first day though, even played a few FFA matches (which I probably have only tried once or twice before) and did quite well. So that day nervousness worked in my advantage.

Yeah well, maybe there's no easy way to works this out. But tonight I'll try having my own little "dance session" with really loud music and a lot of jumping around before gaming, hopefully that'll work!

[Dark Dajin H2O]

He's a stalker... :p j/k!

Personally I dont really prepare. I just go into a game and expect nothing, so every kill is a bonus. I find that if I am trying to get myself hyped, I tend to be more twitchy in the game and miss more often. Thats just me personally though.

Do your thing and we'll see how it turns out tonight :)

[Corpasp]

i personally sit down, talk to notstupid till she winds me up and then for some reason i feel like killing Dajin... so there's my motivation... don't take it all personally people, i love you all really.

[o0 KaLi 0o]

hahahaha if im wan to focus i have my rotine..

I sit down on the floor legs crossed i have my drink next to me.

Remote in case tv changes channel or sound needs changing and then my headset.

If im doing rumble/lone wolf ill have my music blasting on something to get me foucused nothing relaxing cause u ganna keep to the best and it helps u play..

with a team ill frown and ingore anything esle in the room but what i need to be looking at.

Even i have bad games hun and when i lose and get stressed i say "grrrrrrr" "woooshhhaaa" and then go pick on Corps,drum,sylar or of course everyones fav dajin :P breath play again

[Uteena PMS]

NOTSTUPID: Doesn't the music get distracting though? Music often hypes me up, but it distracts too and I can't hear people with swords/shooting etc. Maybe I crank the volume too high. :o

Corpasp: For some reason, when I'm on team with NOTSTUPID and she's calling out I often get in the "zone" better, so maybe she has some sort of special ability, haha. Besides, I'm a "team player", FFA doesn't really fit me so I guess having a team that are coordinated is important, and some players are more alike in that sense I guess.
Strange motivation though, do you still go after him if he's on your team? :p

Dajin: Yeah, I guess I often expect too much, and sort of feel that I have something to prove or something. At times though, I just jump into situation in the game that I really can't win, and just do soemthing really stupid like suicide, jump off the map or take on three people at once. You know the situations where you react before you think, hahaha.

[TripleRed H2O]

I agree w/ everyone here, like NOTSTUPID when Im doin Lonewolf I have the Music blasting on my turtle beach headset and not worry about the game, I just play and at the end of the match find out how I did. But when Im in a team match, I turn the music really low and the "KEY" is comunication with your team members, it is team and your only as strong as your weakest link, so call where you died, if you saw an enemy goin towards, or followin one of your teram mates, and get to know your teams prefix (mine is R13) so that you can call him/her out quikly, and trust me you'll do much better like this.

[Freakstylez]

Music distracts me while playing, too. I love me some music and it can incite a million different emotions, but I just can't be bothered to listen while playing a game. Never have been able to. Hell, even on an arcade game like Hexic.

As it were, I'm also not a fan of FFA. It's fun with a group of friends when you can all scr*w (seriously, that's censored? Get lives!) around and not be pressured to win or do well, but when it's more serious, I just hate being alone. I've been like that since I first started playing games. Maybe it's because I was introduced to cooperative games so early, like Streets of Rage on the Genesis, or Ninja Turtles on the NES, or even actual arcade games. Even stranger? In Campaign, I still feel better when I have marines with me! I don't know why, but I always strive to keep them alive. It's like hearing someone's sarcastic remarks keep me leveled and keeps me enjoying the game a lot more.

As for the Ogres... they p*ss pure liquid skill, as do some other talented MLG players. I'd probably get rocked if I had 1000% shields, and they had none. Ok... that's an exaggeration, but still. :D

And Uteena, we need to play again, but I guess a 7 hour difference can be a pretty big hindrance to that!

[Uteena PMS]

Well, if you're up for some gaming a little early in your day then sure, but I'm trying (not working too well though) to get to bed earlier. :)

[Freakstylez]

Well, if you're up for some gaming a little early in your day then sure, but I'm trying (not working too well though) to get to bed earlier. :)

I don't mind gaming earlier in the day, but lately it hasn't been working out. Haven't been awake before 11am in over a week.

Oh, well. If you're on later today, I might be up for a game. As it stands, however, I just quit a match and took a -2EXP hit because the game was that bad. Ugh... EXP penalties are stupid, especially in social games. Ranked I can understand, but social... it's about fun, and when you have a bunch of (long, censored list of potentially bigoted statements and insults) in your game, it's hard to even have the slightest bit of fun.

[H2o Redeemer]

When I have a tournament coming up I will usually play alot (10+ hours a day) for the 2-3 days leading up to it, then I don't play at all before the tournament, most of my friends think that it's unorthodox to do that, but if I play right before a tournament I will end up doing bad because I'll be warn out a little. As for practices, I start of slow, may take a game or two to warm me up then I am fine. Like previously stated everyone is different like I have a friend who will turn on his iPod and drink 3 consecutive red bulls right before a tournament match then he goes crazy and does amazing, its quite odd.

[Leeeeeeeeee]

Usually I sit down, close my eyes and picture the game plan.

ie: critical points, how i want to handle certain situations, etc.

[Ampshi]

Warm up about 4-5 Games, You never get truely warmed up after just 1 .... and I always seem to play best when Im having fun and not stressing, like if Im playing decent kids, I dont think to myself how good they are but have a positive outlook on it and think about how much better I'am then them... and even when you get bullshitted like killed by the rocket kid or some lucky nade, just take it in and forget it, let yourself know that he got lucky because if you sit there and stress about it its gonna throw your game off. So being Calm and relaxed honestly is my best point I cant play good when im pissed

[Butler47]

I meditate.


I just clear my mind of all thought and get in the "zone." Theres a Taoist term called Wu Wei which is translated paradoxically as action with out action. Or simply effortless action. Basically you all have experienced this, its like when your a natural. Or you don't even think about what your doing you just do it. Playing a sport or video game or fighting etc Its when you get in the zone, so I try and achieve that by meditating and generally calming myself before a match.

[NeoViper9889]

I would have to say the opposite for what NOTSTUPID said. I personally like to get relaxed. IMO the more relaxed you are, the quicker your brain can send the signals to your fingers. When your listening to music that gets you pumped up, I can't play. I honestly play rather terrible. But it doesnt matter what music you listen too, as long as it isn't cranked...

Well thats how i do it :)

[Crash]

I've always found that in almost every competitive activity I've participated in the preparation is what is the most important. When you go into a tournament knowing everything possible about your weapon load outs, the intricacies of the map, and the tendencies of most players, and feel good that you have done what you need to prepare; the game sorta plays itself.

On the flipside, if I didn't do my homework, I'm usually sweating bullets.