How to Surf!
This is a simple guide teaching you how to surf, this guide will not teach you how to surf in any style other than normal but will however tell you what they do and how you can set them up if you need. I will go through the styles from top to bottom, beginning with normal and ending with rewind.
If you want to begin surfing but have no idea where to begin then this guide will really help you out, the first segment of the guide will cover the basics and then as mentioned above the guide will proceed to show you the different styles.
Getting to Grips
So you've just joined the surf server and if you're reading this it most likely your first time surfing. You've tried going down the ramp and you just fall off, you keep trying and the same keeps on happening.
To start off with you're going to need to be at the start of the map, then pick a side of the ramp you'll want to begin with, some maps won't give you an option but that won't matter.
Surfing generally goes by this rule: If you're on the left side of the map you'll want to hold down D on your keyboard, this would be the opposite for the other side of the ramp.
A for Right, D for Left
Doing this will ensure you stay on the ramp and don't fall off, obviously that's not all you have to do but with enough practice you'll figure out the rhythm and how to string the movements together.
If you want to turn a corner, do not ping yourself off the top of the ramp, all you need to do is gently let yourself off of it. If you need to turn left and you're already on the left side of the ramp then you need to pull your mouse to the left whilst holding A and you will as mentioned gently drift to the left.
If you're on the right side of the ramp you need to very gently flick as it's slightly more distance to travel but not much, you still need to hold A and pull to the left. Turning the right follows by the same logic but just switching the key you press and hold to D and pushing your mouse to the right.
You shouldn't ever have to flick ridiculously hard unless you have to reach something high up, some maps have endings like these.
Below I will list some methods and tips to make surfing easier for yourself.
Corner Ramps - If you find yourself coming towards a corner piece when surfing it's wise not to use the same method as surfing on a normal ramp. Instead you need to do the opposite - When coming to a corner piece you can identify it's direction and do this: If the piece of the ramp is turning right do not hold A and try looking right as you will just fly off of the top of the ramp, what you need to do is hold D and turn right in tune with the ramp and you should stick to it, generally not timing this right will slowly push you up or down entirely depending on how fast or slow you turn.
Key Bindings - If you want to you something other than your mouse to turn you can make binds, most professional surf players use their mouse wheel to turn as it feels very fluent. In the box below is the binding for the mouse wheel however you can change this to your liking.
Unreal Mode Tip - If you have overshot a jump and need to hit the floor quickly then using your super jump will actually stick it in reverse and shoot you towards the floor. This will only really work if you are already falling down, this will only speed the process up.
Styles
In this portion of the guide I will cover the different modes and how they work plus any set up you need before it. Normal mode will not be covered as I've already done the basics of surfing and normal mode has no special features.
SW
In SW mode you only get to use your S and W key as hence the name.
You will find this mode to be much more difficult than the usual as you cannot see where you are going, below I will explain how SW works but not too in depth, the reason for this is that I have had no experience with properly surfing with the modes that aren't normal, you'll find that they aren't comfortable and you won't be using these until you've become very experienced.
Much like regular surfing you'll want to be holding W if looking at the ramp and S if looking away from the ramp, the server will prohibit you from using the regular keys unless you are on the floor.
HSW
HSW A.k.a Half Sideways surfing is a very difficult style to explain so I am going to give you a link to a YouTube video where a player who knows how to surf HSW really well and does a run through of a surf map and also a guide from players who have made it that know the mode 100 times more than I do. You will rarely find players using HSW mode on the server as of how difficult it is to you.
If these guides do not help you're on your own.
Click me to be taken to the guide
Click me to view the video run-through of HSW mode
W-Only
W-Only mode is a good mode to use when you're bored and wanting to mix up the way you're surfing, the surfing is the same as SW mode just taking away the S. This is basically handicapping yourself but gives you some style points in return. Turning corners with W only has to be very precise or you will have to do a full turn to get back to the right path.
A-Only
A-Only is the same as above, just minus all other keys. This is much easier than W-Only only but still difficult, you will actually be able to see where you're going but depending on the map this style with vary in difficulty, unlike W-Only you can either revert yourself 180 degrees or 360 degrees.
With this mode if you end up on the left side of the surf ramp you will have to look backwards, so if you can try to stick to the right and only go left whenever needed.
Practice
Practice mode is just regular surfing, the only difference is you aren't able to gain XP and records aren't counted. You will be given noclip in this mode and is used for practising maps.
Low Gravity
Low Gravity mode is a very simple style where the player will have their clientside gravity lowered so that they jump higher and sit in the air ever so slightly longer, this is a very simple mode and fun to use, you'll find that server records in Low Gravity are very similar to those done is Normal mode as the jump will slow you down, sometimes they're faster.
This mode is purely to enjoy in my opinion and serves no extra challenge unless you're on a map where you have to be precise.
Unreal
Unreal mode is a very popular mode within the server, in this style you can right click twice* to "super jump" which in use generally gives you a large speed boost, this mode does not restrict any keys. You'll find yourself getting much faster times on this mode due to the boost but going too fast can end up making you feel like you're rushing and making too many moves at once, if you shake your mouse and try to de-sync your mouse and keyboard movement then you should slow down but if you don't do it right you'll just stop and mess ruin your run.
*For Unreal mode to work properly you need to disable right click restart in your settings in-game (found in the server not on Garry's Mod).
Rewind
Rewind mode is a mode that allows you to go back in time a short duration, you can use this and time it well enough to give yourself a speed boost at the cost of your run time, this mode is fiddly one. I suggest experimenting with this style to see what you can do.
Closing Message
If you still need help with surfing it is advised that you use Google to help find more of the help you may need, I've made my best attempt to cover all of the beginning points of surfing, as I've stated the reason I've not gone too in depth on the more advanced styles is because I am not too good at them myself so it's difficult to give good advice, hopefully what I've supplied should suffice enough for you to learn and grow into an excellent surfer whilst playing on our server.
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