ESFI World

ESReality.com user Memento_Mori has put together a basic timing guide for Quake Live players. Complete with timing tables and math calculation rules, the guide discusses everything from learning the three basic steps of being able to time items, which items to time and each powerup's role, actions to take while in control and out of control and more.

The guide also includes a set of rules to take into account, specifically dealing with the issue that arises when a player is in control of the map and the two major powerups, Mega Health and Red Armor, appear at the same time.

Below is an excerpt from the guide:

Planning Helps

To attack the first problem, one suggestion is to invest more efforts into connecting your duelling plans with the timing. The reasoning is the following:

If you try and remember the timing of an item for the sake of it, you may find that ok for a minute or two, but then after a while your brain may go blank. Instead, you can try to strengthen your memory by associating your plans with the timing knowledge you just acquired. To exemplify: it is much easier to remember that red is at 2:47, if you think this gives you the ten seconds you need to go grab rocket, pickup the two health bubbles, and take the jump pad to go to the top floor to be in position to challenge the next red spawn, rather than just knowing that red is at 2:47 and period. Even if you then forget about the perfect time, you still did the right move, and are in a good position.

If you find it hard to do timing in a map, try to consider the available paths the map offers, how much time it takes to travel from item to item, so that the next time you play you already have a plan before even taking the items. The more you can plan in advance, the easier it is while playing.

Source and complete guide: ES Reality