Section 8 Gameplay Guide

Section 8 Gameplay Guide
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Section 8

Section 8 is a fast-paced first-person shooter which features futuristic soldiers in deadly battle. The game is best enjoyed as a multiplayer experience. You can read more about it in the Section 8 review. In this article we will be providing a basic guide to help new players get into the action.

Controls

The controls are typical FPS so you should pick them up easily. W, A, S and D for movement, left mouse for fire, right mouse for zoom and mouse wheel to change weapon. The Space bar will fire off your jetpack, which is like an extended jump, and holding down Shift will enable you to sprint at breakneck speeds. You can jump into vehicles with E, reload with R and crouch with C. If you want to bring up the map simply hit M.

Load Outs

The game has a wonderfully customizable system of load outs. There are some pre-prepared examples for specific character classes or you can create your own. It is worth starting out with a couple of existing profiles so you can get a feel for the game. You will most likely want to create your own once you get used to it. The beauty is you can change your load out during the game by going to any Supply Depot that your team controls.

Each load out allows you to select two weapons, two pieces of equipment and ten passive modules. The passive modules offer various boosts to your abilities and include things like damage boosts, lock on bonuses and improved armour. This system is fairly versatile and it is a good idea to develop a defensive load out and an attack load out so you can switch between them during games as needed. You can read more about the weapons in the game in the Section 8 Weapons Guide.

Burning In

Section 8 Combat

Each game starts with a death defying leap from orbit into the atmosphere. You plummet to the planet surface and when you get close to the ground you need to apply your airbrakes. This is a great respawn mechanic and a fun introduction to the action. To begin with you’ll need to select a point on the map to land. Make sure you do not select a spot which is covered by enemy anti-aircraft guns or you will be landing in a wide radius in very small pieces. Seriously if you choose an area covered by the big guns you will not make it to the ground.

It is a good idea to select a spot close to the action but not so close that you’ll take fire immediately. As you get close to the ground you can direct yourself and you can apply the brakes for a smooth landing. If you continue to fall at top speed you’ll slam into the ground and it will take a moment for you to recover during which time you’ll be a sitting duck. The only time it is worth landing at full speed is when you are aiming to land on top of an enemy and crush them to death but this is a tricky manoeuvre to pull off. Proper application of your jetpack will let you coast in and swoop down to land on a roof or vantage spot. If you get the spot and timing right you can come down just outside an enemy zone and swoop in to attack in a fluid wave of death.

Victory Points

Section 8 CP Assault

Each map has several Control Points which the two teams fight over. The aim is to score as many Victory Points as possible. You score Victory Points in three ways:

  1. by holding Control Points
  2. by killing enemy soldiers
  3. by completing Dynamic Combat Missions

You need to score a specific number of Victory Points to win the game. This is a server setting so it could be 1,000, 1,500 or 2,000.

Control Points

These are the main focus of the game and they appear as computer consoles. You stand next to one and a bar will appear to indicate that you are taking it over. Once it is owned by your team your flag will go up and the various support structures in the area will also be on your side.

There are Rocket Turrets and Mini Guns which will automatically fire on any enemy in the vicinity. They can be destroyed and repaired. There are also Supply Depots where you can recharge, reload and change your load out if desired. The Anti Air Gun Turret stops any enemies from burning in too close to the Control Point and finally there is a Sensor Array which warns of approaching enemies.

Dynamic Combat Missions

You can earn extra points by completing dynamic combat missions which seem to pop up fairly randomly throughout the action. You can also stop your opponent from earning by foiling their DCMs. The Convoy mission charges you with delivering a massive truck to a destination. It is a two-seater vehicle which can fire rockets but it will definitely need an escort if you expect it to arrive unharmed. The driver can fire rockets and the passenger can fire mortars. It moves very slowly.

VIP missions are the most common DCMs and they involve protecting a VIP as he lands and makes his way to a specific CP on the map. Intel missions challenge you to collect an Intel package from somewhere in the map and get it back to your CP. Commando missions charge you with taking a specific CP from the enemy before the commando who spawns in is killed. He will lead your assault so don’t waste time in joining him.

Vehicles

Section 8 mech

There are two additional vehicles other than the Convoy truck. The first is the Heavy Armor which is essentially a small mech suit. A single man sits inside. It has dual mini-guns for some outrageous firepower and a hefty melee attack (F) which you do not want to get caught by. The Heavy Armor can also jump and if it lands on you don’t expect to wake up anytime soon. It is fairly manoeuvrable and the melee attack also works well against fixed and deployable structures like the Rocket Turret.

The ultimate vehicle in the game is the Tank. This is a nightmare to fight. It holds four men and packs a machine gun, rocket launcher, mortar turret and cannon. It may be slow and tough to manoeuvre but it packs a serious punch and if you get caught out in the open by one of these you are dead.

Team Work

Section 8 is great fun if you play with a group of players who engage in team work. Coordinated attacks are definitely the route to success. Remember not to get too distracted by the DCMs because capturing and retaining the CPs should always be the main aim. This concludes our basic guide and should be enough to get you started. Time to Burn In.