To kill or not to kill, that is the question; to paraphrase our old friend,
BaRD_ Will. As any seasoned NOLFer knows, when it comes to chat killing everyone
has his or her own idea of what is acceptable and what isn’t, and no amount
of reasoned, logical argument will be able to sway them from their beliefs.
Some players think that the blue chat sign is an impenetrable shield of invulnerability,
which if breached entitles the chatter to spew forth an expletive filled tirade
in the direction of the violator. Other players kill anything they see, “ This
is war! “ they argue. The friendly, convivial nature inherent in the game contrasts
with NOLF’s violent, competitive aspects most vividly while trying to deal
with this question. In many ways, the topic is like gun control, abortion or
the death penalty with no easy answers to be found. All that I can offer to
the debate on the subject are my own thoughts, based on my experiences as a
NOLFer who has made quite a few friends online while, still playing hard enough
to stay in CSports top ten most of the time. I know that many people think
that CSports is a joke in determining who the best players are, but I am sure
that most of us would agree that it does accurately reflect the amount of time
one spends playing NOLF. So let me just say that I spend way too much time
playing NOLF, and that I enjoy talking to friends while doing it. With all
that in mind, allow me to share with you my views on the subject of chat killing.
Chat killing is a necessary part of the game sometimes, so expect to risk
your life when you chat. That means chat in a safe place, find a corner or
some form of cover. Don’t chat in the open or in the normal paths of attack
or most egregiously of all, near the intelligence briefcase. If I turn a corner,
or crest a hill, and I see Craxx, Coldkilla, Joe Momma, or any other great
player chatting 20 feet in front of me, I kill them as quickly as possible.
I expect the same from them and I’ve never heard “ chat killer “ from good
players under those circumstances. The people who seem to complain the most
are the newbies that I frag while they chat in the intelligence room as I try
to score. I mean come on, what do they want me to do, wait until they shoot
at me before I take a pic? I’ve had people swear at me for chat killing when
I’ve literally gotten stuck with them in a doorway and the only way I could
get through it was to kill them. Perhaps the most confusing thing to newbies
and veterans alike is the willfulness of the blue chat sign itself. Sometimes
it appears and sometimes it doesn’t and sometimes it never goes away. It is
not chat killing if you can’t see a chat sign, or if the person with the chat
sign is bunny hopping. Blame the problem on lag, a bad server or a net code
issue, but the fact remains that the chat sign is a fickle thing that can’t
be relied upon. In general, if someone, who is chatting, is in a position to
impede your scoring chances, kill them without thinking twice. There are other
times however, when chat killing is not only ill mannered, but also downright
stupid. Don’t go out of your way to chat kill just for the frag point. That
would be, for instance when you have to scope in with a weapon to shoot someone
half a map away who’s not interfering with you and who is not in a position
to imminently score a pic. This is not good NOLF etiquette; let your defenders
deal with the chatter when he or she gets closer to them. And when you’re on
defense and have a chatter lined up in your sights at a fairly long distance,
it is good sportsmanship to give them the benefit of finishing their last conversation
before sending them back to their base to respawn. While I’m on the subject
of respawning, a downright stupid chat kill would be to frag a far away chatter
just as you are about to enter their base to take a pic. This may cause an
angry, chat killed defender to respawn near the intelligence item that you
want to photograph with the thought of killing you foremost in their mind.
The other team already wants to kill you, don’t make them angry as well. Some
other chat kill no-no’s would be, killing newbies asking questions such as, “ Where
are the glasses? “, or “ How do you use the zip cord? “, the NOLF community
is small enough already without turning off new players, and also, fragging
people who are nice enough to say, “ Please don’t kill me, I’m chatting. “ This
last example, of someone declaring their chat status and asking for reprieve,
is to me the height of good NOLFing manners and should be respected, as long
as the chatters stay out of the line of fire. Two final observations, when
you chat kill someone by mistake, you know that you have and you know that
in the heat of battle it will probably happen at another time, just say, “ Sorry,
I won’t do it again. “ and then try your best to see that it doesn’t. And finally,
if you are the one chat killed and must voice your protest, don’t swear a blue
streak, as it makes you sound stupid, just say sarcastically, “ Nice chat kill. “,
not only will you get your point across effectively, but it also allows the
alleged offender a chance to explain himself without rancor. Who knows? You
might even score a pic while your opponent is typing you an apology, which
when you think about it, is the ultimate payback. G2G, CYA
