*PLEASE NOTE ~ All of the material in this thread was created by Pulser. It is 100% original, and written based on my personal event experiences. Do not re-post this guide anywhere without permission!

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Don't Choke -- A First-Timer's Guide to Tournaments and Events

Contents:
1.) Introduction
2.) Fun Factor
3A.) Playing on LAN
3B.) Trash Talking
3C.) Coping with Stress
4.) Make Yourself at Home
5.) Clutch Kids V.S. Choking Champs
6.) Notes

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1.) Introduction

Welcome to Pulser's guide for events and tournaments! The purpose of this guide is to help you prepare yourself for events/tournaments by knowing what to expect, what obstacles you will face, and how to overcome them. Everyone is different, and everyone has different ways of dealing with pressure, stress, boredom, anger, sadness, and extacy. These are all emotions that you will likely experience, and they can propel you forward to victory and success, but if managed poorly they can cause you to sink into a rut that it is very difficult to get out of.

Whether you are going to have fun, try to improve your game, looking to "go pro," or just going for Halo 1 and beer, this guide will help you make the most out of your event experience. Be sure to read Chapter 6, it is short but it contains some important information!

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2.) Fun Factor

Most of the people who attend MLG events are people who take the game of Halo at least somewhat seriously, and they enjoy and/or excel at competitive MLG gametypes. No matter how serious about the game you are now, everyone originally started playing because it was fun. If you are not having fun, then you should not be playing the game. However, Halo has its up's and down's, and for people like me, the up's outweigh the down's by a longshot. The same is not true for everyone.

Events are fun. If you like Halo, you will love going to an event. I remember my first MLG Event very clearly... I remember getting my Player Pass from ShocKWav3, walking into the venue, and seeing row after row of televisions, and hearing the roar of 1,000 Battle Rifles firing constantly. The feeling you get at that moment is incredible, it's like waking up on Christmas morning as a little kid... the magic of it is very difficult to discribe.

No matter how much fun you're having, stress will always be a factor. It is normal and healthy to feel stress, but too much of it can wear you down, causing you to play worse and not enjoy yourself as much. You can read more about stress in Chapter 3C.

So remember, be competitive, be serious, focus, and play at the top of your game, but don't forget to have fun. NFL Football players get paid millions to play the game they love, they have tons of pressure put on them everyday, and their career is constantly resting on their ability to perform. They feel so much pressure, but they still love the game, and they still have fun playing it. Halo is not a sport (in my opinion) but the analogy still works. No matter what, don't forget to have fun!

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SECTION 3 : A, B, and C : Coming Prepared

3A.) Playing on LAN

LAN is almost the complete opposite of Xbox Live. All tournaments and MLG events are played completely on LAN. The letters in "LAN" stand for "Local Area Network." Think of it as a little mini version of the world wide web. Except instead of stretching around the whole world, it stretches around the whold room.

LAN is more fair than XBL in every possible way. There are never communication problems due to broken mics, being dead, or connection problems, so team work is much more efficiently executed than on XBL. Cheating of any kind is almost impossible when playing on LAN, and if something occurs that is considered cheating, the offending team is penalized by the game's ref or the torunament organizer. The most obvious difference between XBL and LAN is in the quality and consistancy of the connection between the players. There is still a host when playing on LAN, no matter what other people say. It is not possible for more than one Xbox to have host, and there always has to be one Xbox that is host. However, the difference between host and everyone else is almost completely unnoticable on LAN, as opposed to the significant advantage that host has on XBL. Everyone in the game has equally effective splash damage from explosive weapons, the melee range and effectiveness is almost completely the same for everyone, and the quality of the connection allows everyone to use weapons such as the Battle Rifle and the Sniper Rifle effectively long range, quite contrary to XBL.

How do you get ready for playing on LAN? Well, the answer is simple... you practice on LAN as much as possible. Play on LAN rather than XBL whenever you get the chance. When playing online, play off host. Play on a good, relatively fair host, but avoid playing on your own host as much as possible. Playing on host in XBL matches will cause you to form bad habits that will hurt your LAN game. When playing off host, be sure to always shoot accross the map, even if you know you won't get the kill. You still need to get into the habit of shooting at far away targets so that it will be instinct when you play on LAN.

There is one more major change you will have to make. That is playing on splitscreen. It is true that you have to play on two-way splitscreen in the early rounds of MLG events and most other LAN torunaments. At MLG events, the first five rounds of Open 4v4 are played on splitscreen, and the first five rounds of the Open FFA are played on splitscreen. In 4v4, each team has two televisions, with two team members on each screen. In FFA, there are four televisions for everyone in the game, and you must share a screen with one other person. This brings a whole new element into play: screen watching. Nobody likes it but everybody does it. I once got knocked out of FFA becuase the person I was sharing a screen with killed me 27 times. Screen watching is something that will happen, and you will have to learn to do it if you want to do well in FFA. Sorry, it's a fact.

3B.) Trash Talking

Here it is, everyone's favorite topic. Trash talking. It happen at events just like it happens online, except it's a bit different... now when the skinny 12 year old kid with a squeaky voice teabags you, you can stand up, walk over to him, and then take whatever action you deem necessary to shut him up. (Violence is NOT a good thing. Challenging someone to a fight at an event does not make you cool, and talking smack you can't back up is a lot harder when you are face-to-face with the person).

You can't mute the guy who's yelling at you, telling you that you're terrible, but you can fight back. It is important to be able to defend yourself in a smack-talking battle. Don't be afraid to celebrate when you get a clutch play, and don't hesitate to trash-talk your opponent. It is part of the game, and getting inside your opponent's head can prove to be an effective strategy. Just remember to be mature, and don't overdo it, becuase there are refs at every station for a reason.

As for dealing with other people trash talking, you can wear headphones, block them out mentally, ignore them until they shut up, put them in their place with a witty comeback, or just outplay them in the game to make them be quiet. Whatever method you prefer, make sure that you don't let people's smack talk get to you, because it will effect your playing.

3C.) Coping With Stress

As mentioned earlier, stress is something that it is normal and healthy to feel at a torunament. You are worried you might play poorly, you may be excited about your first time attending an event, you might be nervous about your teamates not playing well, or you might have social concerns. As for the last thing, I can safely say that you should not be nervous or afraid of meeting your online friends face-to-face. When I was getting ready for my first event, I was thinking about how I would be spending a whole weekend with people I had never even met face-to-face, maybe even some people I had never seen a picture of. As soon as I arrived, all of my worries went away. If you get along with someone online, you will hit it off right away in "real life." At my first event, I recognized my friends from their MySpace pictures, I introduced myself, and instantly it felt like we had know each other for ever.

As far as nervousnes goes, it's something you will probably feel at some point, even if it's just a little bit. It is normal and healthy to be somewhat nervous, it causes you to be more focused, but it can also cause you to play poorly. Never, ever get too nervous about your performance, and never, ever get too frustrated. When there is only five minutes left in your FFA and your in 8th place, don't freak out. Just try to play the game like you would any other game. Easier said then done, eh? You have to make sure you're comfortable and as relaxed as possible, something we will get into in Chapter 4.

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4.) Make Yourself at Home

The environment of an MLG event is incredible. There is so much energy and excitment. It's fun, but when you're trying to concentrate on playing at your absolute best, sometimes discomfort can negatively effect your game. Think about how you play when you're at home, playing Team Hardcore by yourself or running FFA's with friends. How do you sit? How loud is your television volume? How close to the screen do you sit? Are you wearing shoes? Headphones? All of these things play a part in how well you play. As you practice, you develop muscle memory. BXR becomes an instinct, you strafe without even thinking about it, and you learn to doubleshot at the perfect times.

The environment you are in is directly tied to your muscle memory. It is a proven fact! If you are used to playing on a 50 inch plasma screen television, laying down on a couch in a big room with an XBL Headset on, you will not play as well sitting in a chair two feet away from your standard size television screen. Some things cannot be changed, but try and make yourself at home when you're playing in a competitive match at a tournament. I personally like take off my shoes, turn up my headphones, and lean forward in my chair, with my elbows on my knees. If I try and play with my shoes on, I don't do as well. It's a very small change, but it effects the brain in tremendous ways. This might sound crazy, but there is medical research that shows convincing evidence that environment effects performance of practiced tasks, such as perfectly executing a clutch doubleshot.

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5.) Clutch V.S. Choke

When talking about performance at events, as a general rule, there are two types of people. Some people thrive off of the energy, get an adreneline rush, and play at their absolute best. We will call these people "clutch kids." Then there are those who might be an online warrior, or just an inexperienced player. These people practice day in and day out, and they are consistent, but when the time comes and they are put to the test, they breakdown because they are stressed, overwhelmed by pressure, or lacking in self-confidence. We will call these people "choking champs." Naturally, you are one of these two types of people. Some people thrive off of pressure, and others crack under it.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

No matter which type of personality you have, you can increase your ability to play well under pressure by following all of the advice in this guide. If you have fun, come prepared, cope with stress, and make yourself at home, you won't choke. You might not make pro bracket, you might go negative in some of your FFA games, you might even get knocked out first round or lose every match your team plays. But if you know that you did everything you could to be ready and you played the best you could, you should be happy with yourself, and you should consider your first event a success!

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6.) Notes

+ The televisions used at MLG events are 20''
+ Two-way splitscreen is played until Round 5 of the Open FFA
+ Two-way splitscreen is played until Round 5 of the Open 4v4
+ Headphones are allowed to be worn during Open FFA Rounds 5 and up
+ Headphones are allowed to be worn during the Open 4v4
+ You mush bring your own controller to play with (no wireless controllers allowed)
+ It is prohibited to open the disk tray of an Xbox that is property of MLG
+ It is prohibited to press the power button of an Xbox that is property of MLG

OFFICIAL MLG RULES

General Rules
1. No Grenade Jumping.
2. No getting on top of any Warlock Ledges.
3. No Super Bouncing.
4. No communication between Players during FFA Games. Taunting is permitted.
5. No hiding the flag inside walls or other structures.
6. No leaving the normal boundaries of a Map.
7. No Action Replay.
8. No placing the oddball or bomb out of reach.
9. No Guardian Suicide.
10. No Teleport Jumping on top of bases.
11. No looking at an opposing Team’s TV or projected screens by Players or Coaches.
12. No quitting out of a Team Slayer Game.
13. No use of the Covenant Elite Character.
14. The higher seeded Team must play as the Red team and the lower as the Blue team.
15. Quitting from a non-Team Slayer Game, before it has ended, without referee’s permission will leave your Team shorthanded or result in a Forfeit if all 4 Players quit.
16. Players who are caught giving kills to other Players during a FFA Game will be warned. Players receiving two warnings during the same Game will be disqualified.
17. Incorrectly ending a Game without referee’s permission will result in a Forfeit.
18. Players must use their registered MLG Login Name during all Games. No Team Name abbreviations are allowed.
19. No Warm-Up Games may be played outside of scheduled Warm-Up periods.
20. During scheduled Warm-Up periods the winners can stay, but the losers must get up. Teams still active in the Event have priority over open Stations during this time.
21. When Players are given the option of using Full-Screen, Teams can use 1-4 TVs.
22. Players may not raise the volume above 30 for Samsung and 50 for Phillips TVs. This rule doesn’t apply to Station 1 or Players using headphones.
23. In the case of an Xbox/TV malfunction, the Game will be restarted from the beginning unless a Team was winning a Team Ball Game by more than the time remaining in the Game.
24. Games started without the approval of a referee will be restarted.
25. If a Player/Team fails to report to their Station within 5 minutes of the announcement, they will Forfeit the Game. 10 minutes after the announcement, a Team will Forfeit their Best of 3 Game Match or the 2nd Game of their Best of 5 Game Match. 15 minutes after the announcement, a Team will Forfeit their Best of 5 Game Match.

Disqualification
1. Breaking any of Rules #1-4 will result in a Foul. Fouls stay with a Player/Team throughout the Event. Two Fouls during one Game will result in a Forfeit of the Game. Once a Player/Team reaches two Fouls, each additional Foul will result in a Forfeit of the Game.
2. Players found breaking Rule #5 will be asked to remove the flag from its hiding spot immediately. If the flag is not removed immediately the Team will Forfeit the Game.
3. Breaking any of Rules #6-15 will result in a Forfeit of the Game.
4. Any sign of cheating may result in a Forfeit of the Game and possible ejection.

Pro Circuit Conduct Rules
Minor Infraction - Acts of misconduct that will result in the issuing of a Warning. These acts include, but are not limited to opening an Xbox or Xbox 360, raising TV volume above the maximum allowed volume, communication between Players and Spectators, excessive use of vulgar language, and Coaches taunting opposing Players.
Major Infraction - Acts of misconduct that will result in the issuing of a Technical Foul. These acts include, but are not limited to the verbal abuse of a MLG Staff member, the use of vulgar language aimed at an opposing Player, verbal abuse of an opposing Player, and excessive taunting or celebration by Coaches or Players.
Warning - The penalty for a Minor Infraction which stays with a Player or Team for the remainder of the Competition. Two Warnings will result in a Technical Foul.
Technical Foul - The penalty for a Major Infraction that stays with a Player or Team for the remainder of the Competition. Halo 2 Players who are penalized with a Technical Foul will not Host the next Game they or their Team are scheduled to Host. RSV Players who are penalized with a Technical Foul will force their Team to stand still for the first 10 seconds of the next Game. These penalties, if necessary, will be carried from one Match to the next or one Competition to the next. Coaches receiving a Technical Foul will have their Coach Pass and privileges taken away.
Ejection - The penalty for acts of misconduct deemed so inexcusable that they will result in the Player being asked to leave the Competition. These acts include, but are not limited to intentional Forfeiting or conspiring to manipulate the Rankings or Brackets, unsportsmanlike physical contact, and maliciously throwing objects at another person. Three Technical Fouls will also result in Ejection.

Illegal Controllers
1. Any controller with Turbo or wireless capabilities.
2. Keyboard & Mouse.


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Author's Note: I wrote this in hopes of giving first timers a leg up so that they can play better, advance farther, and have more fun at events and tournaments. This thread is intended to be a help tool. I am NOT trying to show off that I know everything about events, because I DON'T. I am simply trying to provide a source that people will find helpful. The sole purpose of this guide is to help people make the most out of going to an MLG event.

Thanks,
Pulser

wow. I like this thread.

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good post, I just would like to say I love playing in the first rounds of the ffa and u can tell everyone is so nervous its hilarious and such an easy win

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This is perfect. Definitely needs a sticky.

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Thank you. I had this idea a while ago, but I just never got around to typing it all up. I had a few hours on my hands, so I thought this would be a good way to spend it.

I hope this proves to be useful to people.

Good Read, Definatly should come in handy one day. Nice Job Pulsar =)

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good write up. and gun shot, ur ruthless haha

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Sticky. This. Now.

good posting

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Great job, Pulsar. This will surely help some kids going to Dallas