Overview
Ever browsed servers and seen a server that says “surf” and wondered what the heck that was all about? Or maybe you joined one just to see if there were any waves and cool beaches with people on surfboards for some reason, but got confused when all you saw were some triangular ramp looking thingies? Well, this guide should give you an understanding what this fun game mode is all about.
What the heck is “surfing”?
Best question to start with. When I first saw a server that was labeled surf, I truly thought I was gonna see some custom models of surfboards, waves, beaches, actually surfing stuff. Man was I wrong. “Surfing” is when you “surf” or, more simply put, slide around a combination of triangular shaped platforms in order to gain speed, fly around, and “surf” around the map. If you are fimiliar with air strafing, surfing is similar in that instead of flying in the air, you use the platforms to slide on.
(If you don’t know what air strafing is you definitely need to learn that. I go over this briefly later on in the guide.) In addition, servers can have different game modes on surf maps, such as RP and DM.
Now you before you start anything, you should practice this on a lan server. I prefer the map surf_10x_Reloaded, but you can choose any one that you think will be best to practice on. Another important note is that if you make a lan server, be sure to set sv_airaccelerate to 150 by bringing up the console and typing “sv_airaccelerate 150” without the quotes. This will allow you to get the most speed and turn out of your surf.
Great. Now then, how the heck do I surf!?
Woah, woah, cool your jets, I’m getting there.
You see those big triangular ramps? Those are what allow you to surf and fly around the map. Most of the maps are set up in a way that the ramps take you towards elevated platforms, teleporters, weapons, etc. The ramps give you speed as you surf on them, which you can then use to fly around.
Most maps have a fairly big, long, and curved starting ramp in front of the spawn. To surf on one you need to hold A/D while going down the right or the left side of the ramp respectively. Do not press W or S while going down a ramp because this will cause you to lose speed and fall off ( I will explain more about this later). For example, if I was to jump down the starting ramp on the left side, I would hold my D key while looking straight. If you do this correctly, you will not slide off the ramp, but rather stick to it and gain speed. Looking horizontally will affect your direction, but if you just look straight down the ramp, you will go straight. Looking vertically doesn’t really have any change in direction, but it’s important to note that the direction you are looking is not necessarily the direction you are going.
Now if you have fallen a couple times, killing yourself in the process, don’t fret. It takes practice.
I still am not very good at it to be honest. I would suggest that you should start elsewhere, such as bunnyhopping or better yet, Parkour mod on Garry’s mod if you are really having trouble with understanding the physics of the Source engine. Knowing how air strafing works really coincides with surfing and allows you to link all your lines together, which is what you will do next.
Sweet, I just flew off my first ramp! Now what?
Awesome! If you were able to stay on that ramp and jump off it, you must have this down to science by now. So, what do you do after you finally surf straight off the end of that first ramp? I’ll tell you what you do! You go air strafe and surf another one!
Air strafing is a technique that allows you to turn and fly around in the air. It is pretty essential in surfing if you wan’t to keep your momentum and hit some other ramps. To air strafe, you are going to want to hold A/D and move your mouse smoothly left or right respectively while you are flying in the air. Do not press W/S while air strafing or you will lose speed. For example, say I just shot off my ramp and I’m now flying in the air. The next ramp I want to hit is to my left so I hold A and I smoothly move my mouse left, making my characters view turn in a very “elliptical” way. When I’m about to land on the ramp’s right side, I hold A and surf that ramp. Vertical look doesn’t really have any affect here, but horizontal look is essential just like with surfing. If you were to fly in the air and only look around, you would not turn, just your view. If you were to only hold A/D, nothing would happen unless you moved your view.
Eventually, you will get the hang of it, and after you fly off one ramp, you will be able to air strafe and land on another ramp to continue your line.
Hmm, got any more tips?
Oh yes, yes I do, thanks for asking. Now, surf is mainly just ramps and flying but there are some other key elements you should know.
- Pressing W or S while on a ramp surfing will make you slide and fall off the ramp. Pressing S while in the air will make you completely stop and fall straight down.
- Remember, there is still fall damage! Most maps teleport you to a jail or other area if you fall all the way down, but if you land on a platform you will die. That’s why many maps have water placed on platforms because falling on water will deal no fall damage. So always try to land on water if possible. (Ladders will also do no damage if you happen to land directly on one.)
- Bunnyhopping is a great way to keep up your speed on flat parts, and in some cases it is essential to keeping on course. Just make sure to time your jumps well!
- Angling yourself more towards the bottom of the ramp will increase your speed. If you need to get some more speed and height off a jump, a good trick is to angle yourself toward the bottom ledge of the ramp, and then angle yourself toward the middle at the end of the ramp. This will sort of “slingshot” you and give you some extra jump.
- In death match, the glock is actually pretty accurate for mid-air shots. The shotgun is also a great choice for shots that are on ramps or in the air.
- When falling on to another ramp, try to transition into it angled a bit downwards as to not lose speed. Landing on another ramp angled upwards may cause you to slow down. Just experiment and try to make the transitions flow.
And the most important of them all: HAVE FUN!
Don’t give up because you can’t seem to surf or fly around. Just keep trying and I promise you will eventually be able to get speed and transition all around.
Some more info?
Yep. I just made this guide because I noticed that Steam had just released this update, and I felt I might as well put out a quick guide for those who wanted to know. I’m not a total 1337MLGPRO at this, but I still figured I could make a guide for those who are in the blue. Feel free to comment, suggest any additions, give some constructive criticism, etc. I’ll eventually add some videos to this when I become un-lazy.