This is an index, but its also a handy guide to tropes specifically relating to common player tactics deployed in video games. Taking a read through these tropes may even give you some tips to try during play...
Tactical Tropes include the following:
- Button Mashing
Don't know which button to press? Completely new to a Fighting Game? Press anything and hope for the best. Some educated guessing is advisable though, what did you think pressing forward and B would do?
- Cherry Tapping
Less a tactic and more a form of humiliation. Deliberately using a weak attack or deliberately weakened character to defeat the enemy in the most embarrassing way possible.
- Confusion Fu
Remember, predictability is a weakness. I hope you people who play Fighting Games are listening!
- Elemental Ignorance
For when you just HAVE to use fireball on the fire elemental.
- Fishing For Mooks
Too many to deal with at once? Try luring them away one at a time and continuing the slaughter from the shadows!
- Hit-and-Run Tactics/ Kiting
Shoot, run away, shoot, repeat.
- Immune To Flinching / Super Armor
Certain contexts where a character can endure attacks without flinching, getting knocked back, or having their own actions interrupted.
- Item Farming
Grind for items for whatever purpose.
- Knockback
Getting moved or pushed around when you take damage, or for its own sake.
- Ring Out
You made your opponent step out-of-bounds. You win!
- Lead The Target
Shoot along the path the target is likely to follow to avoid them "outrunning" your shots.
- Leeroy Jenkins
(Though this is more an absence of tactics.) The Berserker in video game form.
- Level Grinding
Committing mass murder of random monsters for experience.
- Min-Maxing
Unbalancing equipment, spell casts, armour and any other stat-influencing items to privilege a specific trait to the detriment of another. A common tactic of a Munchkin.
- Money Grinding
Get enough money for whatever purpose.
- Mucking In The Mud
You know that when you see a mudpit or a mud bog, you can go through it. Just be aware that there are only a few safe spots, and there are some swamps in which you can go too deep...
- Ninja Looting
Refusing to share the best items after a team effort has brought an enemy down. Very frowned upon.
- No Scope
Not using the scope to aim on a weapon you would be expected to do so with (e.g. a Sniper Rifle).
- Path of Greatest Resistance
The way to go is the way the enemies are coming from.
- Pause Scumming
If in constant danger of death, pause often, giving you more time to react.
- Save Scumming
If in constant danger of death, save often, minimising loss of progress.
- Sequence Breaking
Breaking the pre-determined order of events the game designers have laid out. May shorten the game considerably... or screw up your game file. A risky tactic but valuable for completing Speed Runs.
- Shoot the Medic First
Shooting the healer of the enemy group to prevent him from healing the others/himself.
- Strategy Schmategy
Being unpredictable because you have no idea what you're doing.
- Tactical Rock-Paper-Scissors
Infantry get up close and personal with crossbowmen, crossbowmen make horse-kebab, cavalry runs down footmen, thus closing the circle. That sort of things.
- Whoring
Using only one narrow tactical option to devastating effect, often to the chagrin of other gamers.
- Zerg Rush
Sending waves upon waves of cheap, weak units in order to overwhelm a more tech-aware enemy with sheer numbers.
