NEOTOKYO° does not do a great job explaining many of its mechanics. While there do exist detailed guides concerning classes, weapons and skill-based movement, much of the knowledge required to perform well in a competitive environment is not written down in any of the guides or the round start hints, and has been passed down through word of mouth. This guide is aimed at ameliorating the issue. Though it is mainly intended to serve newcomers who are only familiar with basic gameplay, I have found that even some seasoned players were unaware of some mechanical aspects elucidated in this guide, so it may prove useful even to an experienced reader.

Several quality-of-life fixes exist for NEOTOKYO°, created by the community. Here are some of the most popular ones. Installation instructions for each of the fixes (if required) are available in their repositories.

• FOV changer.[github.com] Allows field of view to be changed according to user preference.
  
• Quieter round end sounds.[github.com] NEOTOKYO° round end music does not scale with game music volume, and may be too loud on some systems. This file replacement solves the issue.
  
• HUD bug fix. The infamous HUD bug may randomly disable teammate icons, often leading to teamkills. It may be fixed on most servers by typing !hud in chat, which reloads the HUD. In order to not have to do that, you may paste the command bind tab "+showscores;hud_reloadscheme" in your console, which will reload the HUD every time you open the scoreboard (keep in mind that it also refreshes the chat).

• Every map has a number of fixed ghost spawn locations. On competitive servers, the location changes every 2 rounds, meaning that each team gets to play a round with a specific ghost location from both team spawns (i. e. both sides of the map). On casual servers, it changes every round.
  
• Pressing the use key on the ghost will pick it up, automatically dropping your primary weapon. This does not work for weapons, so if you find the ghost obstructed by dropped weaponry, you can utilize the use key to avoid the risk of unintentionally picking up a gun instead.
  
• The characteristic sound of the ghost being picked up will only play if the ghost marker is within your field of view at the moment of its taking. Make sure to glance at it every so often if you're trying to control it, because the sound will not alert you if you're facing away.
  
• When picked up and equipped, the ghost will take a few seconds to start displaying enemy markers through walls. During that period, if enemies are nearby, it will produce beeping sounds; the more frequent the beeps, the closer the enemy. It is typical to call out 'beeps' when this is the case. Rapid beeping may indicate imminent contact, so you may be better off dropping the ghost and defending yourself if you hear them and there are no teammates nearby.
  
• Apart from additional XP awarded for capturing the ghost, 1 XP point is given to the ghost carrier if the round ends through all enemies being killed while they are holding the ghost. More on this in the 'Experience Mechanics' section.
  
• Most servers have a ghost overtime plugin. If the ghost is held by a player when the round timer runs out, ghost overtime is initiated, setting the timer to (usually, depends on server) 45 seconds remaining. If the ghost is dropped during overtime, there is a grace period in which it must be picked back up, otherwise the round ends. The grace period slowly (1 timer second per 4 real life seconds) decreases in length from its maximum value of 15 seconds as the round progresses, so holding the ghost for 8 seconds, dropping it for 12 seconds, picking it up and dropping it again will leave 10 (15 - 20/4) seconds of grace time.
  
• Most servers have an anti-ghosthop plugin, preventing players from reaching high speeds through bunnyhopping while carrying the ghost. The speed limit usually allows for the velocity boosts attained through wallrunning, wigglewalking and slower bunnyhops. More on these movement mechanics here.
  
• Most maps have ghost clips, preventing the ghost from becoming unreachable in gameplay. However, they are not perfect — please report any such spots you find to mappers.
  
• Some maps have areas intended to only be accessible to some classes, i. e. to recons and assaults or recons only. Placing the ghost within them may render it unreachable to other classes, or indeed entire teams (provided they have no recons, or all their recons are dead). Be mindful of this when bringing the ghost into such areas, as dropping it there may leave your teammates unable to pick it back up. This can also be used to force a tie against an enemy team, though this strategy is frowned upon by some players.
  
• Remember that the ghost can be moved by gunfire or explosions. This can be either a boon or a detriment depending on the specific situation.
  
• If the enemy has a sightline on the capture zone and you are in possession of the ghost, a common tactic is to throw it from cover towards the cap zone and then sprint or hop towards it yourself, clearing some space at full speed before getting the movement speed debuff that comes with carrying the ghost. The usefulness of this maneuver is very map- and cap-dependent.
  
• It is common to pass the ghost to the lowest-health teammate, as the ghost carrier usually stays back and does not need to make use of their health pool in head-on gunfights.

• The experience thresholds for weapon unlocks are -1, 0, 4, 10, 20 for Rankless Dog, Private, Corporal, Sergeant and Lieutenant respectively. Rankless Dog players are confined to using the MPN.
  
• Kills give 1 XP each. Most servers have an assist plugin that also gives 1 XP to the attacker when an enemy player damaged by them for 51 or more HP dies. What said player is killed by does not matter, whether it's a regular kill, a teamkill or suicide.
  
• Teamkills and suicide deaths both give -1 XP each, i. e. deduct 1 XP.
  
• Surviving a round and winning a round both give 1 XP each, unless one's team wins the round by capturing the ghost.
  
• Capturing the ghost gives all surviving players on the winning team a full rankup, i. e. their experience is set to the next threshold: if a player has 0 XP, they are set to 4 XP; if a player has 4 XP, they are set to 10 XP; if a player has 17 XP, they are set to 20 XP. Because of this, caps are more impactful further into the game, as well as right after your teammates reach a new rank.
  
• Winning the round by eliminating all opponents while the ghost is in the winning team's possession gives the ghost carrier 1 XP; this does not apply when the round is won through capturing the ghost.
  
• Due to the high impact of a ghost cap win on a team's weapon economy, it is common to try to capture the ghost instead of winning through kills whenever possible, to the point of purposefully avoiding enemies or not shooting back at them. This is why the ghost carrier may sometimes say 'don't kill'.
  
• For the same reason, if heavily outnumbered while the enemy is carrying the ghost, it is better to die in honorable combat rather than allow the ghost to be capped.
  
• Most servers have an anti-cap-deny plugin, automatically awarding the capture XP to the winning team if the last player on the losing team suicides. Moreover, a suicide will lower the final player's XP count by 1, so fighting to the death is always the superior option to letting the enemy cap.
  
• Killing players after the end of a round still gives XP.

• Detailed weapon stats can be found in this guide.
  
• All rifles (MX, MX-S, ZR-S, ZR-C, ZR-L, MOSOK, MOSOK-S) are perfectly accurate (0 spread) on the first shot when aiming down the sights.
  
• Accuracy decays very quickly while spraying, almost reaching full bloom by the third shot. Therefore, for accurate shots it is best to tapfire, waiting 200-300ms between clicks, or to fire in two-round bursts. However, most players prefer to spray at all ranges — it may be more random, but is usually just as (if not more) effective through sheer volume of fire.
  
• Jumping increases spread, but not significantly. Crouching decreases spread, but not significantly. Many players will jump in combat, as that makes them harder to hit.
  
• The automatic weapon with the smallest diameter spray is the PZ.
  
• Just like in Counter-Strike, the currently held weapon affects movement speed. The knife, pistols (Tachi, Kyla, Milso), grenades and MPN, SRM and SRM-S submachine guns allow one to run at full speed when equipped, so, unlike Counter-Strike, there is no need to switch to the knife to move faster, as a pistol provides the same benefit. Carrying the ghost (equipped or not) comes with a significant movement speed debuff and disallows sprinting.
  
• The heaviest weapon in the game is the PZ. Recons cannot pick up the PZ off the ground on most servers (some use a plugin that allows them to do so).
  
• Aiming down the sights of shotguns (SUPA-7, AA-13) does not affect spread (unless the SUPA-7 is loaded with a slug), so it is common to only use hipfire with shotguns.
  
• Shotguns cannot penetrate static glass or any other surface that would otherwise be wallbangable; they can, however, penetrate breakable glass.
  
• The AA-13 is the highest DPS weapon in the game, followed by the MX.
  
• There is no damage falloff in NEOTOKYO°, which means a projectile does the same damage at any range, including shotgun pellets. This makes the AA-13 deadly even at long range.
  
• Both of the shotguns are capable of one-hit-killing recons and assaults, provided enough pellets land. Supports, on the other hand, require at least two shotgun shots in order to secure a kill on them at full health.
  
• The SRS sniper rifle can one-hit-kill recons to the body and assaults to the head.
  
• Choosing the wrong weapon on the weapon select screen is not fatal: opening the console and typing 'retry' will reconnect to the server, showing the weapon select screen again if the round has not started yet and allowing a different choice to be made, though loading back into the server may take a few seconds.
  
• Some maps have bulletproof glass (indicated by a texture with text indicating so), which cannot be penetrated by regular gunfire. However, shooting at the edge of the glass where it meets the metal frame can bypass this, allowing for an unexpected angle of fire.
  
• Smoke grenades last for 20 seconds.
  
• If a player drops a detpack detonator during its use animation (i. e. pressing the button), the next one to pick it up and equip it will play out the animation and trigger the placed detpack to explode.

This is a glossary of common terms used in competitive play, intended to be referenced by players new to NEOTOKYO° semi-competitive pick-up games.

• Ghost calling — using voice or text chat to call out enemy locations while carrying the ghost.
  
• Cap — ghost capture zone. To cap is to win the round by bringing the ghost to one.
  
• Beeps — a call made by the ghost carrier indicating that enemies are nearby. See the corresponding bullet point in 'Objective Mechanics'.
  
• Close ghost — a ghost spawn location within immediate reach of a team upon round start. Oftentimes someone will volunteer (or request a volunteer) to pick up the ghost and provide ghost calls early into the round or simply move it to a more defensible location further away from enemy capture zones.
  
• Prenade — a grenade throw, often using a lineup, early into the round, towards a position where enemies have not been seen but are expected to be. Aimed at disrupting rushes or predictable play from the enemy team.
  
• Support/assault/recon stacking — playing a team composition consisting exclusively (or almost exclusively) of a specific class. Usually done when a map favors a specific class or as a way to catch the enemy team off-guard.
  
• Detrush — a tactic used by recons that involves bunnyhopping to an enemy position (usually early into the round) and deploying a detpack, sometimes getting several kills and sometimes killing the detrusher in the process.
  
• Scrim — a non-ranking match pitting two tournament teams against each other. Usually used for practice.
  
• Scrug — a match where one side is comprised of a tournament team and the other of volunteers not necessarily belonging to one (or any) team.

Hopefully this guide has taught you something new. It will remain updated for the foreseeable future. If you are interested in organized play or have additional questions, you should join the Active NEOTOKYO° Players Discord[discord.gg]. It also hosts useful resources, such as callout maps, additional guides and map feedback threads.
Any suggestions or additions can be left in the comments; you can also contact me on Discord, my username is thellia.