Mouse :
Mice are to be used with a keyboard, not alone. Those that manage to control the
mouse with a keyboard will be amongst the best players. Mouse players will
examine a room very quickly and aim their targets with ease, regardless
position.
Joysticks and other stuff :
Do
not use joysticks ! Well, if you want to give it a try, it's up to you, but
you'll
have a hard time. Remember, you're controlling a being, not a vehicle or a
plane.
Advanced Tactics :
If
you want to be a good player, you have to be quick in taking decisions during
play.
Mastering strafing is a good thing to do, whilst learning to crouch and jump in
critical positions will help you too. Never panic, try to learn from your
mistakes
and
also note your opponent's defects (if any !). Be sure that you know the level
you're going to play, otherwise you're heading for trouble.
Using weapons :
Learn how to use your weapons wisely. Try to hurt your opponent as much as
you
can in the least amount of time (not in real life, unless, you're really pissed
off). But remember, not to hurt yourself, such as, letting a grenade in your
pants.
Committing a suicide is considered to be very lame.
How to increase performance in terms of hardware :
Obviously, the more powerful the CPU is, and a good amount of RAM, ensures
good performance. But nowadays, as games tend to be more realistic in 3D,
video memory suffers most. So, to solve this problem, an extra 3D graphics card
will ensure good performance, even if your computer isn't amongst the top dogs.
For
example, I had a P-120 with 48 Mb ram, but with a 3DFX card, and Quake 2
ran beautifully with a good resolution. Prices differ, and even their
performance.
Nowadays you can find good video cards with both 2D and 3D capabilities.