What is Deathrun?

Deathrun is a popular mod for Call of Duty 4 created by BraXi. The mod originated from the Counter Strike games and the objective is simple: finish the obstacle course and kill the activator.

At the start of the round, the activator is randomly selected and the match begins. He must eliminate all the jumpers. If a jumper completes the course, they are given the option to have a 1v1 with the activator in an end room. The round ends when either all the jumpers die or the activator is killed. The map lasts for an average of ten rounds until a new one is voted or the next map in the rotation begins.

Jumpers

The aim of the jumper is to finish the course and kill the activator. If a jumper reaches the end of the course, they are given the chance to enter one of several different end rooms to have a 1v1 with the Activator. The jumpers

are armed with a variety of handguns and sniper rifles depending on their experience level.

Jumpers can level up by killing the activator and activating traps when they are the activator. They compete for the records at the end of each map.

The Activator

The purpose of the activator is to kill the jumpers. Do this by activating the traps (This is done by pressing the F key at the stations). These traps can wipe out jumpers in a variety of ways. Experience points (XP) are sometimes awarded for activating traps (+10 XP) and always awarded for killing the jumpers.

The activator is armed with a tomahawk that is used to melee, it cannot be thrown. This weapon offers an advantage over the jumpers combat knife, as it swings faster and has a greater range.

End Rooms

When finishing the course, the jumper selects the 1v1 scenario. The four common end rooms are: knife, sniper, bounce and weapon.

Knife and sniper:

These are simple rooms; the jumper and the activator are teleported to an arena and are left to battle.

Bounce/Jump Room:

This room is slightly more advanced than the previous rooms. The contenders are teleported to the bounce arena. They begin at opposite ends and must Race to the centre to collect the random weapon.

The aim is to eliminate the other player, with both of them

being armed with a tomahawk. If you fail here, you do not die, instead, you are teleported back to the beginning of the sequence. This room requires practise to be successful, you must learn how to hit each bounce effectively.

Weapon Room:

The final room, Weapon, is set up like the sniper arena. However a random weapon from the cod4 arsenal is selected and the contenders duel.

Records

At the end of each map, usually after ten rounds, the records are displayed along with the score board. These records consist of the following: highest points, highest deaths, most headshots, most kills and fastest time. A jumper should aim to be on the records to compete with against others.

Unlockables:

Deathrun allows you to customise your character by unlocking things as you level up. This section covers what you can unlock.

Weapons

The Deathrun mod only offers high mobility weapons from CoD4. Other weapons can be obtained by completing secrets, something which is discussed further into the guide. In this section I will cover the weapons that jumpers are able to spawn in with.

Handguns:

These weapons are ideal for the jumpers. They provide a decent amount of fire power whilst maintaining full mobility.

Handguns excel up close, providing a jumper with an accurate weapon that is quick to shoot. If employed correctly, they make light work of the activator.

Name Info Damage Unlock Level

M9 -Starter Handgun -15 round magazine -Chambered for 9mm

-40-20 -3 shot kill close range -4+ at a distance

Level 1

M1911 .45 -2nd Handgun -8 round magazine -Chambered for .45

-40-20 -3 shot kill close range -4+ at a distance

Level 3

USP .45 -3rd Handgun -12 round magazine -Chambered for .45

-40-20 -3 shot kill close range -4+ at a distance

Level 7

Desert Eagle

-4th Handgun -7 round magazine -Chambered for .357

-50-30 -2 shot kill close range -4+ at a distance

Level 9

Colt Anaconda

-Final Handgun -Ported from WaW -6 round Cylinder -Chambered for .44 -Most powerful

-50-35 -2 shot kill at close range -3+ at a distance

Level 12

Sniper Rifles:

These higher calibre weapons give jumpers a long range capability, whilst retaining full mobility. A sniper rifle is deadly at any range, but suffers heavily from its low rate of fire.

Name Info Damage Unlock Level

M40A3 -1st sniper rifle -5 round magazine -Chambered for 7.62mm NATO

-70 -1 shot kill upper body 1.5x multipliers

Level 12

R700P -Final sniper rifle -4 round magazine -Chambered for 7.62mm NATO -More idle scope sway than the M40A3

-70 -1 shot kill upper body 1.5x multipliers

Level 24

Characters:

In Deathrun you can unlock a variety of custom characters that have been ported into the game. These are unlocked by gaining xp and ranking up. As you can see here, the first character unlocked is Zakhaev at level 3. You should aim to unlock 50 cent at level 25!

Sprays:

Sprays are another unlock in Deathrun, press your Grenade button to spray the selected image onto a surface. As you can see, there are a huge variety of sprays, ranging from [AR51] artwork to more comical characters.

The Course:

The Deathrun maps consist of a variety of traps. In this section, I will cover some of the most common traps.

Platforms & General Guidance:

These basic platforms can become a real nuisance if you dont know what they do when activated. Firstly, they can move in several ways: up, down or in a circular motion. The vertical movement makes it easy to jump between them.

However if the trap is moving in a circular motion, it is slightly different. Simply jump ahead of it so you land straight on top. This is called leading. You must compensate for all moving traps, or you will fall short, leading to death.

On older maps, dummy platforms are common traps. The example pictured here is on mp_deathrun_semtex. This means that if the trap is activated, and you jumped onto it, you would fall straight through and die. Remember, if in doubt; shoot the obstacle first to see if it is solid. If you can see bullet impacts, then it is safe.

There are also some platforms that require precise and adjusted movements that take time. Traps like these can be activated so that they move up and down, trying to throw you off target even more. To counter this, use small, controlled movements and adjust your position on the platform if you need a run up. Remember, take your time.

Rotating Hammers:

Another popular trap consists of a number of hammers spinning. These will easily knock you off, to counter this, sprint between them one at a time. Get as close as you can to the next hammer or you will be knocked of by the previous one. You must be as fast as possible

Spikes, sweepers & squashers:

These are simple traps that are extremely fast. They come out of a wall or ceiling and hit you. Make sure you know where these are. Try to trick the activator by running near them and jumping away.

Rotating Cylinders:

These are rather simple traps that anyone can pass. Normally, you would just run to the other side. However it isnt that easy, when activated they rotate at a high speed throwing any unlucky jumper to their death. Simply run across when they are stationary to

reach the other side safely.

Rotating Floor:

On maps such mp_dr_jurapark, there is a rotating floor that will throw you off if you are not careful. These traps are very inconsistant, try to jump on the platform when it is at a 45 degree angle and hop off the top of it. This trap requires you to experiment and practise yourself. Often times, one side of the platform has a low friction value, and you will slide to your death if you jump onto it.

Low friction areas:

Some paths and walkways have areas with little friction. The end of mp_deathrun_illusion is pictured here. The best way to cross these traps is to use slow, controlled movements. You should pass

these traps with ease.

Crouch Spaces:

Some traps require you to crouch into a small area to progress through the map. The best way to do this is to sprint for a run up, then crouch in mid air, all whilst leading you towards the target with your mouse. Again, jumps like these require practise. A good example of this is mp_dr_meatboy.

Secrets:

On several maps, there are secrets. These offer an alternate route to completing the map and sometimes give weapons that are not available through normal play. However on [AR51] CRK Deathrun, secrets that skip a lot of the traps, or give overpowered weapons (Such as explosive ammo on skypillar) have been removed by the Server Admin in charge of deathrun. This has been done for balancing reasons so that everyone can have an equal chance.

Tips and Tutorials:

Deathrun is heavily skill based. To level up and gain access to unlockables, you must earn XP. You should learn the maps and skills required to finish first and kill the activator. In this section, these essential skills are broken down to help you do this.

Frames Per Second (FPS):

The CoD4 engine (Proprietry iw3) works in a way that allows FPS to effect the movement of players. Frame Rates work in height levels which also effect the distance you can jump. Here is a basic break down of the three main FPS values.

125 FPS 40.5 Height Units

250 FPS 41.5 Height Units

333 FPS 46 Height Units

These frame rates can be used for different jumps, 125 is the most common, used for strafe jumps of all distances. It is the main value for deathrun. 250 is used for distance jumps, as well as correction of movement in the air. (Known as airstrafing). 333 gives the best performace for distance jumps. This allows you to airstrafe effectively, as well as gain extra hight from bounces.

Strafing Jumping:

This is used to increase jump height and distance. Strafing allows you to jump further and higher with ease. Begin a basic strafe by following these instructions. You need at least 125fps to strafe effectively.

Frame Rate:

- To Display your FPS type /cg_drawfps 1 into the console

- Lock your fps to 125 by typing /com_maxfps 125 into the console

Increasing Your Frame Rate:

- Lower the graphical settings - Play at a lower resolution - Disable any visual effects - If you are really struggling

use the yitch3 fps config here: http://bashandslash.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=320&Itemid=74

Performing a Basic Strafe:

- Now turn either 90 degrees left to strafe right, or 90 degrees right to strafe left

- sprint holding forward and the directional key

- Whilst doing this make a 95 degree arc with your mouse in the direction you want to go

- Face where you want to land

Strafing Tips:

- You need to maintain a steady rotation to achieve maximum distance

- Do not flick the mouse, instead, rotate steadily - Strafing is all about speed, crouching when you

strafe provides more distance and height - This requires a lot of practise to strafe

effectively over long distances - Once you learn how to do it, you wont forget.

Bounces:

A bounce is a glitch in the CoD engine that has an interesting effect. If you hit an angled surface at speed, it will throw you forwards and upwards with considerable force. Many deathrun maps use bounces to move between areas. To bounce consistently, you need to be able to strafe. In this section, you can learn how to bounce correctly.

Identifying a bounce:

Bounces come in a variety of sizes. You can easily identify them as a triangle stood up right, forming a platform angled at 45 degrees. They are usually coloured with yellow and black striped lines.

How to hit a bounce:

- Strafe jump onto the bounce - Control your landing

Tips:

- Hit the top corners of the bounce for distance

- Hit the bottom corners of the bounce for height

Hitting the bounce sounds very simple, however, some of them only work if you hit a certain part of the platform. This results in very inconsistent performance. Bouncing is a lot like strafing, you must practise to become good at it.

Thats it! Everything you need to know about deathrun, compiled into one guide. Dont forget, being a good jumper comes with time & practise. Good luck out there, get your name on those leaderboards!

The End room!

Guide to CoD4 Deathrun:

Created by [AR51]Doge

Original write up

All Screenshots taken by myself

Credits:

Call Of Duty 4 Modern Warfare Created by Infinity Ward, published by Activision November 2007.

Deathrun Mod 1.2 Created by BraXi

[AR51] CRK Deathrun Created by Head admins Kevinos & Substanz, formally managed and updated by cuba

Artwork [AR51]Scruffs, May 2014

CoD Jumper For the information regarding FPS in CoD4

All rights go to their respective owners.

Authors Note:

It was interesting writing this, putting a game I play daily into words. I enjoy sharing skills with others and this is something which I would definitely do again. I would like to thank everyone involved in the maintenance of [AR51] CRK Deathrun. It has really improved since I first joined back in April 2013. Great job guys, keep on jumping! Finally, remember, Activators are supposed to activate!

Thanks for reading!

[AR51]Doge