Protecting the Red Armor

The RA respawns every 20 seconds - When you have control of the RA and want to go hunt your opponent, do either one of two things.

• Go and find your opponent, but be back at the RA before the 20 seconds is up. In fact, you'll want to be back with at least 5 seconds to spare - you don't want to get back to find your opponent sitting on top of the RA, waiting to ambush you.
  

• Leave the RA to find your opponent, but do not commit to the hunt until you know where he is. Hang around from the GL platform to the RA area until you know he's on the other side of the level, then go and hunt him. If you follow this routine, the enemy will always be in front of you. Thus, you'll never have the RA stolen from you, nor will your opponent ever be able to sneak up behind you. See demo.
  

 
Retaking the RA room

When you don't have control of the level, you really only have three options to choose from in order to regain control.


1. Killing your opponent - the most obvious, though usually not easiest, choice.


2. Forcing your opponent out of the RA area - You usually have to hurt your opponent severely to chase him out of the area.


3. Sneaking into the RA room and stealing the RA - Although difficult against some of the better players, this tactic works well against most players. There are some tendencies people tend to follow that you can learn to take advantage of, which leads to the several different methods you have to choose from to sneak into the RA room.


• Wait underneath the GL platform, against the wall near the nail gun.

  Under the GL platform

  
  Wait there until you hear the enemy pick up the GL, which is directly above you. As soon as you hear it, run underneath through the long corridor, up the stairs, and to the RA. (Remember not to pick up the nails!) At this point, you have several options… but we will get into that a little later on. (See what to do once you've sneaked in)

• Wait in the lower area, usually underneath the GL platform, and shoot the floor panel leading to the lightning gun. When your opponent hears that, he'll usually walk up to the GL platform to get a good shot at you (he thinks you're going for the shaft). If you chose to shoot the panel from underneath the GL platform, wait till you hear the GL being picked up, and go through the long corridor, as you did in the first tactic. If you chose to shoot it from another angle, wait a few moments, then go from the short corridor into the RA area. (See what to do once you've sneaked in). See demo.

• Wait in the short corridor and listen carefully. When you hear your opponent hurt himself and pick up the RA, listen for what he does next. If you do not hear him drop down from the ledge, it almost definitely means he's going towards the GL platform. Wait a couple of seconds, then take a peek. If it's clear, go for it. If not, you can always back out and teleport back to the safety of the GA. (See what to do once you've sneaked in). See demo.
  

 
Attacking the RA room

The RA area in DM6 is not unlike the RL area in DM3 - Try as you may, you will almost inevitably lose control of the area at least once during a game. Therefore, it is equally important to know not only how to maintain control, but how to take it back. When attacking the RA room, there are two basic ways you can come in: From the top (GL platform) or from the bottom (short and long corridors). There are advantages and disadvantages to doing both.
• Attacking From the Top
  

  If you think you are a better shot (especially with the lightning gun) than your opponent, you'll probably want to attack him from the top. Attacking from the top lets you fight on even ground, where fighting skills are most crucial. Although your point of attack is more predictable, it is a lot easier to pressure/force the enemy to run from the RA area when you come in from the top. The reason for this is because when you're attacking from the top, he knows you will meet each other face to face. You are on even ground, so you can also shoot at the ground, rather than having to depend on radius rocket damage from the wall or hitting them directly. When you're coming from the top, he knows which direction you'll be coming from. However, because he knows, it makes it easier for him to run. What will probably be going through his mind when he's sitting on top of the RA hurt is: "I can wait here, knowing that he is going to be coming any second and taking me on head-on, or I can drop down and run away through the short corridor and give myself a chance to regroup." Needless to say, if he feels you're a better shot or that he is more hurt, he will choose the latter.

• Attacking From the Bottom
  

  The key to attacking from the bottom is getting to the stairs area without sustaining much damage. It's highly unlikely that you'll be able to kill the opponent picking at him from long range; you can, however, hurt him from long range, then attack him when he's hurt. An important thing to remember is that the RA respawns every 20 seconds. That means that if you sit and pick at him for too long, all those rockets and all that work will go to waste. He can just pick up a new RA and the health pack near the stairs… and he'll be as good as new.
  

  So why is it important to get to the stairs quickly? Because anywhere you are before it, he'll have the advantage over you. When fighting from the bottom, you are susceptible to floor-shrapnel damage. No matter where you are underneath him, he has an angle to shoot at you and hurt you; whereas for you, being underneath, you have no shot at him. Additionally, fighting with rockets from the bottom, you have to shoot the walls behind him (which can do little damage if he's standing close to the ledge rather than with his back against the wall.) You can, of course, try to hit him dead on, but those shots are very difficult.
  

  Once you are on the stairs, though, things are evened up quite a bit. In fact, you may even hold the advantage here. Being on the stairs gives you both horizontal and vertical mobility. This means that your opponent will have to aim both vertically and horizontally to hit you well. Since you are the one choosing which direction you're moving, you basically are only aiming left and right. Keep running up and down the stairs, but making sure you are not doing it in a predictable pattern. When he seems to be finally settling down and getting some good shots in, switch… and run all the way up the stairs and around the platform. This will force him to adapt his aim once again, thus giving you the advantage.
  

 
What to Do Once You've Sneaked Into the RA Room

Okay, so you've finally made it into the RA room without being detected by your opponent. However, the chances are, if your opponent is good, that the RA will be there less than half the time you actually make it in. So what do you do? Do you wait for the RA to respawn and hope that your opponent doesn't come back before then? Well, fortunately for you, there are many different options you have to choose from at this point.

a. Sitting on the RA




b. Waiting near the RA




c. Waiting at the health pack




d. Waiting on the stairs




e. Waiting near the RL




f. Waiting in the corner




g. Waiting on the side of the hole




h. Sitting on the ledge above RA

 
Important Rocket Jumps