Request:Duel Guide

[=Omerta=]

I am totally clueless how the duels mechanics work and I know for a fact that a submission in the guides section would be greatly appreciated.

Or perhaps provide some links to guides to help me through.

[Certified Fentanyl Dealer]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbh0V-Jxiuw

www.youtube.com/watch?v=H90CTRWjG_M


It's NOT easy to get a hang of. You have to pay close attention to two different areas of your screen which can be a pain if you have a big monitor. But it is possible.

[=Omerta=]

Sorry I never got back to you sooner ,but thank you for the links.

I'm going to try this out now.

[Valeriaan]

I'm by no means an expert on the duel mechanics, but here are a couple of tips:

- You can change the mouse sensitivity for duels in the options menu. Try putting it on maximum sensitivity for the best effects. This won't change anything with regards to your mouse sensitivity outside of duels.

- At the start of the duel, get your hand to the left - about 90 to 90% of the way. If you're in position, the way you holds your hand will change slightly. Tap left periodically to keep his hand in place. If your hand is in the right place, you will notice as the standoff continues that the hand will come closer to the hilt of your weapon.

- The focus reticle moves all over the place because your last mouse movements are being accelerated. You can counteract this by moving your mouse rapidly from the left to the right and vice versa (this will help keep the reticle in place). This isn't easy, but it helps tremendously.

- During the duel, divide your attention between your drawing hand and the focus reticle, trying to keep them in place as much as possible. Focus builds faster on the head, but is harder to keep there. I usually place the reticle on their neck (between their torso and their head).

- Anticipate on the movements of your opponents - try to keep the reticle close to where they will step. The most difficult part is using gentle motions - if you move too fast or abruptly, you will stop focusing. Gentle movements are the key.

- As soon as you hear the heartbeats start, focus your attention on the hand of your opponent and keep half an eye on your own hand and the focus reticle. As soon as his hand moves, unholster your own weapon. Wait a split second for the crosshair to tighten on his body before you shoot. Or you can shoot as soon as the heartbeats start, of course; but that's dishonourable.

- When your opponent fires first, you can dodge his bullets, but only if your own weapon is unholstered. Bear in mind that your opponent shoots where you are at, so if you dodge first and he shoots, you won't dodge the bullet! You need to dodge after the shot has been firec and you only have a small window to do so, so this requires some practice.

- Some opponents fire faster than others, but there is no "guaranteed" time when they will draw. In the "duel mode", Henry Plummer will draw very fast, for example, after the first or second beat. Pat Garret draws after the third of fourth beat, and Jesse James and Billy the Kid usually wait until after the sixth to eight beat.
Also, with regards to Plummer in the "duel mode", make sure you hit him and not the explosives all around him or you're both dead.

- For the two brothers: the right brother always shoots first, so focus on him. Make sure to take the left brother out fast, though. If you're fast enough you can take them both out before they can shoot, but usually you'll have to dodge a bullet or two.
Pay close attention to the number of shots that have been fired: if you dodge the shot of the first brother and you immediately dodge the shot of the second brother before he has fired, he will kill you because he shoots where you are at. Wait until after you've heard his shot and then immediately dodge.

- For the Mexican standoff: you will need to build focus on the one who is looking at you. This is easily the most frustrating duel in the game, because sometimes your two opponents will look at each other, and sometimes they will both look at you... And sometimes the opponent that's looking at you will look away at the last moment.

The controls are counterintuitive and it requires some getting used to, but a bit of practice goes a long way. Alas, there's also a fair bit of luck involved. The duels are easily the most frustrating part about the whole game. Those in the story are a fair bit easier than the ones in the "duel mode", though.

Hope this helps, even if only a little bit.