I can't seem to ever have more kills than deaths. Seriously. No matter how many times I beat that game on Veteran, I can' stop rushing and playing like a berserker, which is stupid in the slightly-more-tactical-world-than-Halo CoD4 is! 

1.  Use Matyrdom
2. Spam nades like no fucking tomorrow
3. Use 'noob-tube' any chance you get

If you want to be a beserker/rusher, play until you can unlock the P90.

"

1.  Use Matyrdom
2. Spam nades like no fucking tomorrow
3. Use 'noob-tube' any chance you get

You'll be just fine. :3"

Most people have more deaths than kills. If you check the score at the end of the match, you'll see that (despite it sounding mathematically improbable) most of the people are .500 or below.

People have written at length on this phenomenon about how the "10% dominates the 90%" and how this makes it difficult for game developers because they really don't give a shit about the 10%, they want the 90%'s money instead. I think Infinity Ward nailed it, because COD4 is still fun when you have more deaths than kills, IMO.

EDIT: Also, if you've just started playing MP, you should be aware that the game gets a little easier as you get a higher rank and unlock more stuff.

erm halo is more tactical than cod 4 and try camping. gets em every time

I would have to agree that Halo is more tactical than COD4. That isn't necessarily a bad thing though.
I play pretty good but I don't have more kills than deaths either. I was playing Headquarters on Shipment and I got spawned killed 90% of the time and when I didn't I got killed by another random nade not too long afterward.

I find CoD4 to be incredibly easy, actually. I'm only halfway through my 3rd prestige, yet I consistently beat players with much more time invested in the game, and rarely ever go negative. That's actually the reason I don't play the game much (and the reason I'm still on my 3rd prestige) -- it isn't much of a challenge at all compared to Halo or Shadowrun, the other two console shooters that I play.

Since you said earlier that you've beaten the game on Veteran multiple times, I'm guessing your aiming ability isn't what is hampering you (with all of the reticule magnetism and aim-assist in the game, the shooting isn't the difficult aspect). More or less, the game comes down to awareness and positioning. It sounds to me like you're getting yourself into the bad habit of charging and running around mindlessly, which is the exact opposite of what you should be doing. The key to success in CoD4 (for me, at least) basically comes down to making sure that you reveal your position to your opponent after he reveals his position to you -- if you shoot first in this game, you'll certainly win. You need to be deliberate in your movements, and always have a sense of direction, because a "chicken with its head cut off" approach will never be successful (unless you just have ridiculous luck).

Here's a few tips that I follow in most every game of CoD4 that I play that should help you to consistently go positive:

• Setting yourself up in key hotspots on the map (not camping per se, but actively patrolling a high traffic area) is always a good idea. Constantly be on the move and actively be seeking the enemy, but don't be predictable or follow the same pattern over and over again.
• Instead of just rushing the enemy relentlessly, look for alternate routes for flanking as much as the map allows (no real way to do this one on a map like Wet Work, but on maps like Crossfire, Strike, Crash, and District, it can make all the difference).
• Have some consistency between your different class builds. Having vastly different perks and equipment between classes means that you must adapt to different gameplay abilities every time you change classes. For example, I use Extreme Conditioning, 3x Stun, and Stopping Power on every one of my classes except my Stealth class (which is 3x Stun, Extreme Conditioning, and UAV Jammer). Your classes should compliment your physical abilities at the game, not limit them.
• Picture the map in your mind, make note of where your teammates are, and then make an educated guess as to where the enemy will be. On most maps, after you survey where you and your teammates are located, there are only 1 or 2 possible options for where the other team is. Just know at all times, even if you don't have a UAV up, where the enemy will be.
• DON'T FOLLOW YOUR TEAMMATES! The biggest mistake I see a lot of players make is that they gravitate towards large groups of teammates. That's stupid, not only because it's an easy multi-kill in most cases, but because you instantly become more visible. If I call up a UAV, the first place I'm headed is the area with the largest concentration of enemy players. I don't care about the 1 or 2 stragglers on the fringes of the map (unless they happen to be a Sniper that's been giving me trouble and I need some revenge), because I'm looking to get as many kills as I can, as quickly as I can. Avoid grouping up, and don't follow directly behind a teammate into a fight, because chances are the guy who kills him will kill you too.
• Play the opening portion of the game very conservatively and cautiously, with the ultimate goal being to obtain for your team the first UAV of the game. For me personally, having that first UAV opens the door for so much more, because I can be much more strategic in my movement. I might not get anything past a UAV before my first death of the match, but if I can see where the enemy is before they see me, I can start to rack up killing sprees and calling in Airstrikes and Helicopters.
• Last, but certainly not least, don't ever "throw your life away". If you are willingly placing yourself in a situation where you don't know with almost 100% certainty that you're going to come away with a kill, then don't go into that situation. If you start to rack up a few deaths (without kills to accompany them) here or there, those are just kills the other team is using towards another UAV or Airstrike or Heli.

My K/D on Halo 3 is 1.36, and I regard myself as a mediocre-to-good Halo 3 player. I was surprised to find that a lot of people have K/D ratios under 1 in CoD4. I don't own CoD4 and thus don't know the differences, but I wonder. Is this because there is a ridiculous amount of airstrikes going on in CoD4?
I guess one difference is CoD4's system of awarding more experienced players. In Halo 3, a Private has the same assets as a Brigadier, while in CoD4 it seems to me like a newcomer has slim to no chance of beating an experienced player. I guess my advice is just to stick to it. You'll either get the assets you need to lift your ratio, or just become insanely good.

Fosssil's post above reminded me of something else about COD4: airstrikes and helicopters. COD4 naturally stretches out the difference between really good and pretty good players on the scoreboard with those features. Don't feel too bad about it- a guy that might only be .2 better than you in the FPS-kills-to-deaths ratio is likely to get credit for a lot more kills, because he'll get more streaks of 5 which sets off (essentially) a jackpot bonus.

That makes him look insanely better than you, when he's not. In reality, he's just moderately better than you :)

EDIT: Benny beat me to my point above.

"erm halo is more tactical than cod 4 and try camping. gets em every time"

"Sorry for the long-winded post; hopefully you can use some of these tips to help you improve. If you need some clarification or any other suggestions, feel free to shoot me a message."

Spawn-kill are horrible and the main reason i hate Call of Duty... i just play with my friends now

"My K/D on Halo 3 is 1.36, and I regard myself as a mediocre-to-good Halo 3 player. I was surprised to find that a lot of people have K/D ratios under 1 in CoD4. I don't own CoD4 and thus don't know the differences, but I wonder. Is this because there is a ridiculous amount of airstrikes going on in CoD4?
I guess one difference is CoD4's system of awarding more experienced players. In Halo 3, a Private has the same assets as a Brigadier, while in CoD4 it seems to me like a newcomer has slim to no chance of beating an experienced player. I guess my advice is just to stick to it. You'll either get the assets you need to lift your ratio, or just become insanely good."

I'm the same. The annoying thing is, I occasionally have a game where I completely own the enemy, and then the next game I'm back to sucking again. Not that it matters, as long as I'm having fun it's all good.

 I can' stop rushing and playing like a berserker,

"

1.  Use Matyrdom
2. Spam nades like no fucking tomorrow
3. Use 'noob-tube' any chance you get

You'll be just fine. :3"

Go to that small level (forgot what it's called) with a bunch of boxes, and keep using a shotgun. I'm level 50 because of that.

"Go to that small level (forgot what it's called) with a bunch of boxes, and keep using a shotgun. I'm level 50 because of that."

"crunchUK said:

"erm halo is more tactical than cod 4 and try camping. gets em every time"

In normal modes, you are right. Hardcore Team Deathmatch is where the real shit goes down."

"BiggerBomb said:

"crunchUK said:

"erm halo is more tactical than cod 4 and try camping. gets em every time"

In normal modes, you are right. Hardcore Team Deathmatch is where the real shit goes down."

Is it weird that I do much better in Hardcore than in regular modes?"

Some real good points have been made, no problems with them.  Sounding real nice.
Somebody mentioned to take your skills to hardcore DM. 
I very strongly second it. 
You mentioned that you have a problem running straight into death.  Hardcore mode really helped me out with this.  Especially S&D.  You need to play tactically in that arena, or else you will eat it hard.  Plus its a nice way to rack up some points.
Hardcore is basically all I play now.  I just got tired of having to pour half a clip into one of the enemy in order for him to die painfully, I just switched over. 
And my stats don't hurt too much from it either . . . 1.06 ratio__20.8something accuracy. 

I use five separate kits that keep the kills a-comin'.  All of them are named after either movies or movie references:

Yeah it's pretty hard to bring your kill/death ratio up once it's below 1.0. Mine is 1.52 kill/death ratio, but it was like at 1.64 yesterday. I hope I can keep a stable kill/death ratio. It really pisses me off when mine is under 1.0.

MIne is like .91 last time I checked. I haven't been doing that good lately, don't even play it that much either. too many great suggestions, I don't have any more.

practice more you will get better at the game over time

I suck at CoD as well but I still find it incredibly addictive and fun. I didn't call in a chopper until I was like a rank 25 or something absurd like that. Just try to build the perfect classes and go for challenges with every weapon to get yourself well-rounded with them. You'll get better at the game AND you'll rank up faster.

"

1.  Use Matyrdom
2. Spam nades like no fucking tomorrow
3. Use 'noob-tube' any chance you get

You'll be just fine. :3"

Use the advice above posters have given you, but it boils down to practice. You have to learn what works, what doesn't, and improve your skill and reaction times, it takes awhile. I'd get into more details but the above posters have nailed it.

Reaction times and general accuracy really helps out.

Finding a weapon that suits you best also helps out considerably. Determining a favorite weapon and getting used to its fire rate, kick back, and iron sight gives you that edge. You'll need all you can get.

Iron sights also gives you more chances to load out your weapon with Grenade Launcher/Silencer.

Dead silence is by far the best third perk for stuff like hardcore TD/S&D.

Also remember when nearing a corner, don't sprint by it, if you meet and enemy at that corner it would take you a second to take out your gun. Also it helps out with claymores if you're careful enough.

You can't possibly be worse than I am, online.  One thin about it though: even when getting stomped,  CoD4 is fun as hell to play. Now that's the mark of great game, if I say so myself!

"I find CoD4 to be incredibly easy, actually. I'm only halfway through my 3rd prestige, yet I consistently beat players with much more time invested in the game, and rarely ever go negative. That's actually the reason I don't play the game much (and the reason I'm still on my 3rd prestige) -- it isn't much of a challenge at all compared to Halo or Shadowrun, the other two console shooters that I play.

Since you said earlier that you've beaten the game on Veteran multiple times, I'm guessing your aiming ability isn't what is hampering you (with all of the reticule magnetism and aim-assist in the game, the shooting isn't the difficult aspect). More or less, the game comes down to awareness and positioning. It sounds to me like you're getting yourself into the bad habit of charging and running around mindlessly, which is the exact opposite of what you should be doing. The key to success in CoD4 (for me, at least) basically comes down to making sure that you reveal your position to your opponent after he reveals his position to you -- if you shoot first in this game, you'll certainly win. You need to be deliberate in your movements, and always have a sense of direction, because a "chicken with its head cut off" approach will never be successful (unless you just have ridiculous luck).

Here's a few tips that I follow in most every game of CoD4 that I play that should help you to consistently go positive:

• Setting yourself up in key hotspots on the map (not camping per se, but actively patrolling a high traffic area) is always a good idea. Constantly be on the move and actively be seeking the enemy, but don't be predictable or follow the same pattern over and over again.
• Instead of just rushing the enemy relentlessly, look for alternate routes for flanking as much as the map allows (no real way to do this one on a map like Wet Work, but on maps like Crossfire, Strike, Crash, and District, it can make all the difference).
• Have some consistency between your different class builds. Having vastly different perks and equipment between classes means that you must adapt to different gameplay abilities every time you change classes. For example, I use Extreme Conditioning, 3x Stun, and Stopping Power on every one of my classes except my Stealth class (which is 3x Stun, Extreme Conditioning, and UAV Jammer). Your classes should compliment your physical abilities at the game, not limit them.
• Picture the map in your mind, make note of where your teammates are, and then make an educated guess as to where the enemy will be. On most maps, after you survey where you and your teammates are located, there are only 1 or 2 possible options for where the other team is. Just know at all times, even if you don't have a UAV up, where the enemy will be.
• DON'T FOLLOW YOUR TEAMMATES! The biggest mistake I see a lot of players make is that they gravitate towards large groups of teammates. That's stupid, not only because it's an easy multi-kill in most cases, but because you instantly become more visible. If I call up a UAV, the first place I'm headed is the area with the largest concentration of enemy players. I don't care about the 1 or 2 stragglers on the fringes of the map (unless they happen to be a Sniper that's been giving me trouble and I need some revenge), because I'm looking to get as many kills as I can, as quickly as I can. Avoid grouping up, and don't follow directly behind a teammate into a fight, because chances are the guy who kills him will kill you too.
• Play the opening portion of the game very conservatively and cautiously, with the ultimate goal being to obtain for your team the first UAV of the game. For me personally, having that first UAV opens the door for so much more, because I can be much more strategic in my movement. I might not get anything past a UAV before my first death of the match, but if I can see where the enemy is before they see me, I can start to rack up killing sprees and calling in Airstrikes and Helicopters.
• Last, but certainly not least, don't ever "throw your life away". If you are willingly placing yourself in a situation where you don't know with almost 100% certainty that you're going to come away with a kill, then don't go into that situation. If you start to rack up a few deaths (without kills to accompany them) here or there, those are just kills the other team is using towards another UAV or Airstrike or Heli.

Sorry for the long-winded post; hopefully you can use some of these tips to help you improve. If you need some clarification or any other suggestions, feel free to shoot me a message."

1. Some perks work well with others: Ex. If you want to go Rambo then I recommend Juggernaut and Extreme Condition
2. Use Iron Sights: If its still not helping then rack up enough kills to at least get the Red Dot Sight.
3. AK + Silencer = Deth!
4. If you decide to plant claymores, plant them far enough to where you can barely see the red lines. That way if your enemy starts sprinting towards the door all you would hear is KABOOM!
5. When in doubt, whip it out: if you run our of ammo in your clip and you know the enemy is coming just pull out your pistol, use your sights, and pull that trigger as fast as you can. You would be surprised how effective it is especially with a silencer. Plus its real funny if you have Eavesdrop perk then you can hear the person you just killed swear like a sailor.

I hate to say this, but you suck at shooters, if not gaming in general, if you''re not good in call of duty.  It's made to be super accesssible and loads of the madden only crowd plays it.  It's not like Halo where you'll be owned it you just start, I was ranking in the top 3 with my first COD4 games consistently.
M16 + Stopping Power + Juggernaut = win, it's also the newb thing (maybe the auto m16 ish gun would be the newbier version).  I personally like steady aim and piercing and a m16

I always find if you want a good K/D just be a Sniper, it takes a bit of getting used to but most takes a shot to the chest will kill them in one with Stopping Power on. Then it's just a case of learning the maps, picking the best sniping spots (especially in the first 2 mins of the game where you can pick off all the rushers). Make sure you keep claymores to protect yourself as well.

Find the weapons and perks which works best for your play style and go from there. If you realize a perk is useless, trade it out until you find what works best for you.

The kits I use vary a lot depending on the map I play. On crash for example, I like to use an Assault Rifle with a silencer and an M14 with a red dot sight/silencer.

But like I said, try what works best for you and experiment your way to what you consider the perfect class.

You rambo dudes are annoying.  You run in, die, respawn, then run in and die again, not unlike the AI in singleplayer.  In turn, that gives the enemy UAV, airstrikes, and helicopters, which kill you even more, and then pretty soon the enemy teams' only concern is fighting over who gets to call in the next helicopter.  Just try to play it safe more, don't charge after every enemy you see.  Try and patrol one area of the map, have a rhythm to how you move across the map, know possible spawns and hiding spots; it's like driving around a race track.

Just do what a lot of people online do nowadays, camping.

Personally, I  never camp, but its an effective tactic for many others.

Also, people cautious of your surroundings and aim accurately.

Dude, I'm with you.  I'm just plain awful at that game.