Making money

We began scheming up plans on how to maximize our score in Mesa Duel so we could rake in some dough once we started playing cash games. Heading straight for the armor - which shields you from damage - at the start of each match was important for locking in the 2,000 bonus points you can get for having a full health bar at the end of each match. Timing our reloads and switching weapons when enemies were nearby, also helped us consistently score more kills. Returning to the armor's spawn point every 30 seconds was useful too, as we could wait for the bots to start wandering in en mass to meet a shotgun shell to the face.

It was time to kick things up and notch and try our hand at testing our skills for bills. We started things off slow, by playing a few Score Based rounds for 50 cents a pop. If we won, we'd receive 85 cents for a 35 cent profit. If we lost, we'd be 50 cents poorer.

It's funny how the mindless bots were no longer a laughing matter once a little money was riding on every second and every shot. Each miss meant a slightly lower score, and every moment wasted on reloading was precious time that could have been spent killing.

It was a tense experience, especially since we found ourselves on a losing streak. In an attempt to pull us out of the downward spiral of defeat after defeat, we began upping the ante by signing up for three minute Score Based rounds in Mesa Duel for $2.00 entrance fees and a $3.40 pot.