A very unique mod that almost every Half-Life player will love is Battle Grounds. Battlegrounds is basically your typical Revolutionary Mod, which involves muskets, bayonets, knives, and sabres, in an all-out battle for freedom of the colonies, and the eventual establishment of the United States. You can play as either the Americans, or the British, and you battle out on scenic maps for control of the colonies.

The best part about Battle Grounds is the special effects/graphics. While the animations may not be pleasant to watch, many of the maps are designed with a colonial etiquette. You'll often find scenic pathways, caves, and secret routes which represent the various forces of nature. Many towns are filled with loading docks, barrels, ships, and cannons. Yes, there are aimable cannons in BG, but that's not the point. Character models are decent, a bit elongated, but get the job done. The best part though is the special effects. On certain maps, cannonballs constantly bombard the battlefield. Exploding barrels, caves, and caverns all have great lighting effects from bullet shots. Even the reload animation is very detailed, with the loading of powder, and the plugging of the bullet. It's nice to be a colonial sharpshooter IN a colonial environment.

Music is also very pleasant throughout Battle Grounds. Many high-peeping drums can be heard on the battlefield, along with the yankee doodle song. It gives you the spirit to fight for freedom, or condemn those who go against the king. Sounds are very well composed. You can hear screams, battle cries, and what not in the background. I must warn you though, there is an annoying "Freedom!" sound in the game that many players enjoy using. You'll understand what I mean when you try out the mod.

Anyhow, the gameplay in BG is simplistic, and not too hard to get a handle of. Basically, each map is a capture the point map. Certain points must be captured by a soldier who has to stand on the point for a variable amount of time. If there is more than one soldier at a point, then both of those captors share the capture, and both must die for the point to be lost. There's a lot innovation involved in capping, but you can discover that for yourself. Guns in this game rule. As you know, muskets take a long time to reload, but in BG, it takes anywhere from five to ten seconds. Some muskets are very inaccurate, but make up with a blastful shot. While others are accurate, but not as powerful. This game was designed for both meleeing and close combat as you can easily duke it out against an opponent in a duel. Melee combat is fun because using your bayonet, butter knife, or sabre is always fun in killing someone. Battlegrounds is a great combination of using wits, shooting abilities, and slashing strikes. You have a stamina bar, which decreases very quickly when you duck, jump, shoot, or reload. Thus, you won't find any crouching freaks in this game, mainly since it eats up stamina. Battlegrounds has a lot of unique maps, but there are some flaws within the game.

The biggest problem is lag. For some odd reason, the netcode doesn't work very well in Half-Life, so you can expect to get lag when playing Battlegrounds. Any when I say lag, I mean some servers play with a constant (300-700) ping. Some games your ping will be fine, but most people will lag in Battlegrounds. Secondly, there's a lack of servers available. This mod has recently become popular in the Half-Life community, and almost ALL servers are filled. So if you do find a vacant spot, use it well with your abilities. Battle Grounds is a unique mod that puts warfare back in the days with muskets and close combat. Rather than being a skilled shooter, you have to be both lucky and able to attack on the run. Teamwork is a necessity, but not always essential to winning. If you can slice your way through, and make smart decisions, then expect to have a great, and fun experience with this mod.

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• The British Loyalist is the only class in the game with a rifle.
• The Pennsylvanian Rifle (.50 calibre) is the most accurate, but least powerful gun in the game.
• Muskets with bayonets are powerful, rampaging weapons if used correctly. Always conserve shots, and use them when necessary. Remember, reloading and shooting takes away from stamina.
• Although this hasn't been proven, more stamina will give you a better accuracy on your shot. Thus, avoid crouching unless it's absolutely necessary.
• Try to get use to using the walk button. Walking allows you to move slowly, but your aim is perfect as long as you don't run. Use walk to regain your stamina, and you can shoot very accurately while "walking" on the move.
• Try aiming for the head with a bayonet. A head shot with the bayonet is an instant kill.
• Avoid facing Commanders in close combat. Their pistol is devestating, and reloads quite quickly. Their sabre is also a wielding threat.
• The sabre takes time to master. It doesn't yield much damage, and has a slow attack.
• The butter knife is great for swift attacks, and gutting your enemies dry. Try to jam someone with it up close.
• Always share a cap point if you can. Whenever you see a cap point, run over it regardless. Not only does this give you more points, but it also helps your team keep a capture point.
• On certain maps, avoid sniping. It's a waste of time, and you aren't helping your team out by not following the objectives. Besides, accuracy with muskets is all luck.
• When approaching a spawn, check the Reinforcements clock. You don't want to get caught in the middle when an enemy spawns.
• Avoid cannons. Cannons are easy kills for your enemies, and remember certain spots on the maps where cannons are mounted.
• Cabins and shelters are great places for reloading, but avoid camping them. It only makes you an easier target since your head is exposed to the enemy.
• Stay calm. Too many people in BG try to scramble by jumping. If you're trying to avoid multiple shots, simply dash around in slow and fast patterns. DO NOT duck or jump, since your stamina decreases.
• Pick a class that fits the map. On maps with big open fields, be a Loyalist or Soldier. Remember, Loyalists are highly accurate, so expect to get picked off by a long distance.
• Flanking is the biggest advantage in BG. Whenever there is an alternate path, take it. Flanking your enemies lets you get plenty of melee kills, and saves ammunition.
• If an enemy is hiding in a trench or behind a wall, rush the wall, and then suddenly start walking towards it. Walking will immediately increase your aim, and then you can pick him off when he raises his head. Ducking will only place you at the same level as him.

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