Halo 1 & 2 for PC
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  • Subject: Leading the target?
Subject: Leading the target?
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do other people have to lead the target when playing online? On Xbox there's really no time in between firing and hitting w/ the pistol or sniper rifle but on online if I fire at the person when they move, I miss. It's a pain in the butt. Do other people have the same problem? I have a fairly good internet connection (DSL) but I have to lead the target enormously on maps like Gephryphobia.

  • 06.05.2004 6:15 PM PDT
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Posted by: AlphaAndOmega
do other people have to lead the target when playing online? On Xbox there's really no time in between firing and hitting w/ the pistol or sniper rifle but on online if I fire at the person when they move, I miss. It's a pain in the butt. Do other people have the same problem? I have a fairly good internet connection (DSL) but I have to lead the target enormously on maps like Gephryphobia.


It depends on your ping in regards to the server but leading is a part of HaloPC and HaloCE. Try sorting the servers by Ping. Being on a low ping server will help your leading but it won't totally eliminate it.

It took me some time before adjusting to the leading in Halo. Just be patient and you'll get the hang of it.

  • 06.05.2004 8:50 PM PDT
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Yeah, leading is part of the game in HaloPC. It will help if you understand a little bit how the game works. First, the reason you have to lead is because the "real game" is taking place on the server, and what you see on your screen is a step behind what's actually taking place on the server. That's why you need to lead ahead of the target on your screen. The faster something is moving, the more you need to lead. So, you'll need to lead a Warthog or Ghost a little more than you lead someone on foot.

Ok, so how do you know how much to lead by? It all depends on your ping (press F1 to see what your ping is in that game). Higher pings mean more leading. The way to figure out how much to lead by is to listen for the little "beep" that lets you know the server registered the hit. If it doesn't beep, your shot missed (even if you saw the guy's shields flash). The beep is kind of hard to hear at first, but once you know what to listen for it's easy. Let's say you're shooting someone with a pistol. As you're shooting at him, experiment a bit until you start hearing the beep. Once you're hearng the beep, then you'll know the correct leading distance. For example, if you're shooting and you find that you hear the beep if you lead by a half inch, then that's what you should do. With a little practice, you'll find that most of your shots will start hitting and you'll be much more effective.

The sniper rifle bullets travel much faster so your lead distance will be slightly less than with the pistol. But the hard part about the sniper rifle is you only have 4 shots per clip, so you don't have many bullets to experiment with. What you need to do here is just basically memorize lead times. You'll get a feel for it after a while, especially if you play on the same servers consistently (or servers with similar ping for you). For example, you'll find that if your ping is 66, you'll need to lead by such-and-such, and if your ping is 100, you'll need to lead a bit more. Once you get the hang of it, it's not too tough. And you'll have a huge advantage over other players who don't know how to lead correctly.

Leading also applies to explosives and rockets. If you're trying to take out a warthog with a grenade, time the grenade so that it goes off under the front of the hog. Because the real game is taking place on the server, the hog you see on your screen is a step behind the real hog, which is why you should time the explosion toward the front of the hog. If you do it this way, you'll eliminate 90% of the annoying warping, where you hit the hog and it suddenly snaps back on the ground like nothing happened. Same thing for rockets. Make the rocket hit the front of the hog you'll get a kill most of the time. If you hit the back, it will show a hit on your screen, but the "real hog" on the server would have missed your rocket completely. That's why it snaps back on the ground when the server updates your computer that your shot missed, and your computer corrects itself.

It sounds complicated, but don't give up. It's really a lot more simple than it sounds. And once you get the hang of it, you'll have a big advantage over those who don't understand leading. Just practice a lot, try to play on low-ping servers, and keep in mind that the "real game" is a step behind what you're seeing on your screen and aim accordingly. You'll get the hang of it soon enough. :)

  • 06.06.2004 3:30 AM PDT