Half-Life 2: Deathmatch Etiquette

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So, you’re ready to go out onto the big ol’ internet, fight the good fight and show the world what you’re made of, eh? That’s great young grasshopper, but you’ll want to hold back for just another moment before you log on to Steam. See, much like the real world, there’s a sort of common law that prevails throughout online games. While there are no internet police to beat you down without a warrant should you violate them, you’ll probably be shunned by the community and find yourself kicked from servers often. Therefore, listen to some of the following advice and bone up on these terms/rules before setting foot into the game.

Common Terminology

Though some of this may be familiar to you already, be it through other games or internet chatting, we’ll list a series of common shorthand phrases with their definitions here.

gg = good game

gf = good fight

gl = good luck

hf = have fun

afk = away from keyboard

bg = bad game

teams = the teams are uneven, someone on the team with too many players should join the team with too few.

Basic Guidelines

Throughout the game, you may occasionally find players facing a corner. This usually means that they are typing a message or taking a bathroom/food break. Normally it’s a good idea not to shoot said players until they begin playing again. In private games or one on one matches however, the rules regarding this are up to both you and your opposition to decide.

Another common occurrence is the complaint of camping. Traditionally, camping is defined as a player staying in one spot (usually around a powerful item or weapon) for an extended period of time. Some severs even go so far as to automatically slay players who hang around an area for a pre-determined amount of time. Although there are always ways to counter campers, many servers simply don’t want to lose players who dislike it and therefore ban it. Whatever your stance is on the camping debate, it pays to check out the opening splash screen to see if they have any rulings on it and to make sure to follow whatever it says.

This rule should—in an ideal world—go without saying, but unfortunately it still happens and therefore should be mentioned. Avoid any sort of racist or hate-filled speech while playing online. You may personally dislike a given person’s race, gender,or sexual preference, but keep your own views to yourself whenever you go into a server… or any public environment for that matter! Most server administrators will quickly ban breakers of this rule without warning.

Try to avoid saucy language while playing online as well. Though the game is rated M and you’re essentially free to say whatever you want, the servers you play on are the equivalent of someone else’s backyard. Respect individual server operators’ wishes and keep the sailor tongue to yourself.

While we’re on the topic of all things saucy, avoid using pornographic sprays while in-game. Sure, it’s funny to you and a few of your friends, but most gamers feel that if they wanted to see naked women on their screens, they would go to a porn website. Game servers are for gaming, so respect that.

Microphones are wonderful devices for communicating with your teammates and for laying down some good-spirited ribbing. They are not, however, your platform to free style rap, scream at your mom to get you some chocolate milk or blast "Pasty Nerd’s Techno Hits 2000.” Keep your chat quick, clean, and concise. This will not only let the other players understand you, but will also not make them want to drive a fork through their ears every time they hear your voice. A good rule of thumb is to make sure that anything you wouldn’t type, you don’t say.

Never, ever give your Steam account information out over the Friends program or through external e-mail/chat programs! Some people out there claim to be from Valve Software and ask for you username and password—don’t fall for this crap! Valve will never contact you except by e-mail and will never ask for your account information. Additionally, don’t give out your username to someone unless you personally know and trust them. We’re not attempting to sound like your folks and nag you about playing after dark, but a little common sense pays off on the internet.

If you find that a given server’s rules or admins are unbearable, simply leave the server and find another to play on. There are a few crummy servers out there with their fill of prepubescent punks, cheaters and lame rules, but you are better off simply avoiding them like the plague rather than trying to convince the people on them that they are in the wrong. There are bound to be plenty of servers out there with a great community matching your gaming mindset.

When you’re in a server, please remember that this is a game and not a chatroom. Flirting with some 40 year-old guy pretending to be a thirteen year-old girl will not only seem sad and desperate, but will also clog up the microphone channel and chat space. If you want to socialize, do so through the Friends program or an external chat program while letting the rest of the players enjoy the game.

Finally, it’s time to repeat the cardinal rule of multiplayer gaming. Don’t cheat! Simple isn’t it? Don’t even dream of using any sort of aimbot, wallhack or speedhack—you’ll soon get caught, tarred and feathered—and much-deservedly. Not only that, but you’ll also find your games rendered useless due to Valve’s strong anti-cheat policies. Besides, cheating only kills the fun of the game for everyone involved… and what sort of person are you if you get your jollies by ruining peoples’ fun?

If you make sure to follow this guide you’re bound to keep yourself within the good graces of the community and Valve themselves. So, now that you are in the know, gl and hf!