[Zodiac Eclipse tries out some FPS games. -- CTZ]
It has come to my attention that I can no longer sit idly by and ignore the first-person shooter genre. We got off to a rocky start back in my formative years and since then, well, I haven't really made an effort to rekindle the relationship. I'm willing to take the blame in this regard. Sure I could have picked up a game from time to time, given it an honest try, but the truth is, I didn't realize I was missing anything.
My first attempt at FPS was Duck Hunt. It doesn't get much more first-person then that, you are literally holding a gun for crying out loud. Sadly I was only four or five at the time and my childish dexterity was ill prepared for the challenge of simulated duck slaughter. To make matters worse, my only friend in the neighborhood at the time was a few years older then me and had marginally better hand-eye coordination. Based on these early matches I decided I just wasn't cut out for shooting games.
This is how I remember it Fortunately Nintendo had anticipated that some of us would be less gifted when it came to hunting and had also included
Super Mario Brothers on the same cartridge. To be fair I wasn't much better at running and jumping then I had been at shooting, but there was one supreme difference for me.
Mario Brothers had a story. The game manual was my bedtime story of choice for many weeks, much to my parent's dismay (the actual story part was only about a page long and I always insisted on hearing the whole manual), but this is what formed the foundation of my love for RPG's.
As the years passed, I made one or two more feeble attempts to appreciate shooting games, trying something just long enough to decide that I'd rather play something else. I remember popping in a
Tomb Raider demo disc once, walking down an alley and being shot immediately. I never tried it again.
It's not that I was resentful toward FPS games, rather I was just overly accepting of my personal limitations. Why bother playing something you're not good at when you could play something you already know you enjoy? It just didn't occur to me that if I practiced I might have gotten better.
Meanwhile, my love for RPG's continued to grow and blossom until the day I discovered MMO's. The idea fascinated me, playing a game online with other people, it sounded amazing. Sure I'd enjoyed some arcade shenanigans in my day as well as the occasional two-player games, but since I didn't even have a real computer or Internet access until I was out of high school I was a little behind on the new technology.
So I stared playing
Star Wars Galaxies and discovered that I loved the social aspects of gaming more then I'd realized. I could spend hours just chilling in a cantina watching the performers and chatting with my guild mates. Ironically, my belief that I was innately bad at shooting caused me to give up on the rifleman profession and take up swordsman instead. Eventually I did get over my boycott of projectile weaponry and became a commando, but that took some time.
The good old days Sadly, as all good things, this too came to an end and after several years of bouncing around all the different pay and free MMORPG's I could find, I realized I just missed the community feel I'd had in my first MMO.
I had mostly ignored the
Halo craze that had been going on for years, except for the first few seasons of Red vs Blue, and subsequently wrote off any other popular FPS as, “not my thing.”
Recently however, I've begun to wonder if I gave up too soon. While MMO's are largely social gameplay experiences, you can't just start playing and expect anyone to want to play with you. First you're expected to gain some levels, get better gear, and perhaps most importantly know all the ins and outs of your class. No guild will take you until you've optimized yourself to meet their strict specifications and any that will take you without condition aren't worth joining. Lately, I just don't have enough time to invest in getting a character to the highest level just so I can find other people to quest with.
I was pleased to learn that FPS cuts through all this level grinding nonsense and just drops you into a match with other people who don't know or care if your Runekeeper is level 60 (if you tried to tell them I suspect they would just shoot you). Furthermore you can get away with playing for as long or short as you please. No more standing around for an hour waiting for your guild mates to assemble just to find out that GOOberBOb hasn't completed the correct quests yet.
It was on a boring evening of mulling over this dilemma that I came across Niero's
bizarre FNF teaser ad for Quake Live. I'd always considered myself excluded from FNF since I don't own any of the hip new consoles, but since my PC has been tricked out for MMO's I was pretty sure I'd be able to run
Quake, and bonus, I wouldn't have to buy anything (I honestly can't remember the last game I bought for myself).
During my skills test I did manage to perform the jump to qualify for an intermediate skill level (after a few tries) but decided that since I wasn't the least bit confident in myself I'd better start smaller. I walked right into the beginners entrance and promptly got my butt handed to me by the training bot.
The face of death It has became clear that my old RPG habits make me my own worst enemy. My first problem is I don't move nearly enough. In MMO's the first thing you learn is not to run around wildly because then the healer can't select you. In FPS games, standing still is a death sentence and even realizing this I still find myself occasionally rooted to the ground in fire fights.
Another problem is aiming. My accuracy is only about 17% and that's after a few weeks of practice. I just can't seem to ever get my mouse over my opponent when we are both running zigzag patterns around each other. Typically this ends in me getting stuck against a wall or stopping for a moment to target them and quickly dying.
Overall, the learning curve in FPS games is steep. In an RPG you can always look up the solution and in MMO's other people will frequently answer newbie questions or do pity quest runs with you. FPS game is everyman for themselves. The pace is also immensely faster. If you have time to think about what you're going to do then you already have a bullet in your back.
I'm doing my best to give FPS games a fair chance this time. I played the practice levels in
Quake and learned basic rocket jumping and a little strafing, but the more I watch other people play the more I realize that I'm really behind on the basic skills required by FPS games.
No I don't want to help you on your epic quest, I'm here to kill stuff Basically, I've come to the conclusion that I'm just an RPG player by nature, but that doesn't mean I can't frag random strangers (and occasionally fellow community members) in my spare time. I've noticed myself getting marginally better the past few weeks and if I can keep up the momentum I'm sure that, while I'll never be the best, I won't always have to be the worst. That's enough for this RPG player.
Contest:
3:00 PM on 07.12.2009
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Come to think of it, that's probably why I always returned to RPG's after playing an FPS. Good blog.
Try Team Fortress 2.
It's much easier than Quake, for the simple fact of it being slower paced. I'd bet you make a great Engineer. Or Medic.
Or Pyro. Everyone makes a great Pyro.
Have you noticed that the FPS/RPG games are overwhelming at the moment?
Why not treat yourself and get either a next gen system or a decent PC, and play some great FPS/RPG games.
Some suggestions: Fallout 3, Elder Scrolls, Mass Effect, and Bioshock. These games are great, and don't really require any skill in the FPS genre to enjoy!
Good luck on finding your way!
Good write up.
I had a similar problem, only based in the RTS genre. My mind is analytical by nature, and it has never adapted well to FPS games like Quake or Unreal Tournament.
The key (for me) was to ignore thinking about what I was doing and concentrate instead on everything I was going to do and everything my enemy could do. I turned my RTS brain into my biggest key to success in FPS games. Probabilities about where enemies would go, where they might congregate, weapons they might choose, tactics they might employ, is what I focused on. I found that my accuracy improved, along with my coordination and skill. Probably thanks to the fact that I stopped thinking so hard about those things. Instead I endeavored to out-think my opponent rather than purely outplay them.
Perhaps you could apply a similar method.
Also, I have to echo TF2 sentiments, game's awesome!
@ Daxelman & Funksy I've actually considered TF2 since so many dtoiders and steam people seem to be into it, if I can ever get it on the cheap off steam I might have to quit making excuses and actually try it out.
@ ETERNALDARKWING, VASHTS, & Steel Squirrel I miss it too guys, /sigh.
@ Blindfire remind me never to challenge you to a chess game, still you make a great point. Perhaps I need to rethink my strategy a bit.
Make sure your sensitivity is just right for you, too fast and you'll miss targets by inches, too slow and the targets will run pass your aim.
If your considering TF2, can I add you on steam? I need more Dtoid people on my list because most of em are mainly PC gamers, I need someone to talk about other games >.>
Also, when playing with people you know it's a laugh and leads to good times
FPS games like Quake. Doom etc were never for me, as it was all about the kill, and little substance.
What changed it for me were Goldeneye on N64, and Half Life on PC. Half Life especially was great for a single player with a cool story to tell. and the multiplayer game was icing on the cake.
I also agree, that Quake is too hard a place to start for you. Try Orange Box, where you get 5 FPS games in a pack. Half Life 1, 2 and Portal, you can play at your own pace and get to grips with them. Team Fortress 2 you can use when you are more confident to take you skills online, and its more of a team effort, than a owning everyone fragfest. Its always better to go for team based games like Call of Duty 4, Left 4 Dead, Quantum of Solace, and most FPS games are like this now.
Whether you are playing on a PC or console, I suggest you pick yourself up an Xbox 360 wired controller, as most PC games support it, if a mouse and keys are too much for you, this will help a lot.
Once you have your FPS legs, maybe we'll see you online. Also check out Bioshock for sheer awesomeness, and Bioshock 2 in October.
There are many times I miss WoW, because of the social aspect of it. When I look back, when I first quit I didn't miss the game, but I really missed the people. I had made so many online friends through that game, and I missed playing with them. Maybe one day I will go back, but that day is not today.
Great write up Zodiac. I enjoyed it. :-)
"Just an RPG girl ... <guitar riff> ... living in an FPS world"
@Jozo, feel free to add me, my name should be the same there and I'm already in the dtoid group. Since I don't actually buy many games I'm not on a lot, but you can always pm me here.
@SilverDragon, Yeah I know I will never get the same quality from a FPS community, SWG was like a second home to me and nothing will ever top it in my eyes, but its a pretty nice extension of this community and I'd love to be able to play with you guys more. Since next gen console ownership isn't likely to happen anytime soon this seems like my best bet. Until SWTOR comes out at least, I'm so dragging everyone over to try that.
Also, the title was actually a play on Barbie Girl, your mind rocks infinitely harder then mine.
As a matter of fact, all the Dtoid members should join up and try to roll on 2fort2furious.
It'll be the best day of your life. Guaranteed.
This reminds me, what ever happened to TFTuesdays?
And who can honestly resist the siren call of a first-person puzzle game in Portal? =P
You're right that FPS games do have a bit of a learning curve, but once you've conquered the basics I think that the social aspect tends to evolve more as you participate with clans or in team based games. Capture the flag is one of the more basic team games where people tend to coordinate - calling out if they are doing offense or defense, what the enemy is doing or calling for cover if they have the flag. When you play with a good team that talks, the interplay and coordination is really fun and creates a special feeling that you're part of something bigger. I think that clans are likely similar in socialization to guilds. It's usually a larger group of people that all get to know each other and often play regularly.
TF2 is a good game... very team based with different character classes, so the teams tend to coordinate more than in other games. It's good to try different shooter games, because just like RPG's there is a great diversity of games and styles out there.
Myself... I tend to play FPS games for the challenge and the socialization, and I tend to play solo RPG games to relax. One good thing about FPS is that there is always a game up and as you said, you can just jump in for a game or two pretty much anytime.
... shooter games aren't for everybody... but the more you play, the easier they all become and there are some truly great shooter games out there - so it's definitely worth giving it a try! :)
I would like to emphatically suggest Team Fortress 2. I'm going to create a blog about it in the next couple of days when I get a moment. I've put somewhere between 150 - 200 hours into that game...I absolutely love it. And it's only $20 on Steam.
Team matches on Quake tend to suck because either nobody talks to anyone or they just yell at each other for sucking. Not really conducive to a good working environment. I'll be looking forward to Nerdy Suits upcoming blog for more info, but you guys may have saved FPS for me already.
Thanks again for all the feedback!
Waiting in line for a doctor to get buffs so you could go kill stuff. Crafting armor by the truck load hoping for mind resistance. Constant harvester runs.
Good times. Good times.
mind poison > all
Oddly enough, it's the complete opposite for me, I've been moving from FPS's to RPG's. It just becomes a learning game. If there is one thing I've learned, its that nothing is out of your reach if you put the effort in.
I still hate FPS games, but Half Life is still kickass. And another reccomendation from me for TF2. It remains to be the only multiplayer FPS I've ever played for a period of 5+ hours without it being grinding to unlock some add-on for a rifle which I'd never use.
I share your FPS pain.
/medic is not for those low on patience
@Zodiac: While we're bringing up game suggestions, have you tried Fallout 3? Kinda makes a nice middle-ground between RPG and FPS, if you want to ween yourself over. And yeah, there's TF2. Though you should also try the rest of the Orange Box as well.
Try out BioShock, even us, less blessed with hand coordination can have a good time, and just like Arch649 also said, try Deus Ex.
It's better tho finish the single player a couple times before heading into the multiplayer world , that's what i'm doing with Halo 3.
Sorry, i fail at english.
Other people have already mentioned it in the comments, but it bears repeating. The Quake series is very skill-based, very "every man for himself" type of gameplay, and it is not a good indicator for how many FPS games are. I think you would find that more team-based FPS games, like Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead, Call of Duty 4, or Halo 3, would get you into the genre just as much (if not more) than Quake Live, but they also make up for the limitations you mentioned.
People typically will help teach you things you need to know. In many cases, sound strategy and/or solid teamwork trumps pure skill when it comes to winning. You may end up with a less than one kill/death ratio, but if you were an asset to help your team win, then it's worth it. You will also find that some classes/weapons are much better suited to being stationary rather than frantically circle-strafing.
Heck, if you were to pick up CoD4, you would even catch a bit more RPG style in the game, as you level up and unlock new abilities and weapons with time. And again, it's only skill based insofar as good players will unlock stuff more quickly, while not-so-good players will still unlock everything, just more slowly.
To summarize my point, I really think that if you are into the idea of social gaming, and especially with the FPS genre, then Quake Live is probably the worst choice you could have made. But then again, it was free...
Also VTM: Bloodlines is fuckawesomewin.
There isn't a problem with not going the FPS route, if its not your thing its not your thing. I'm kinda the opposite. I like FPS games and do enjoy an RPG here and there.
@Dexter345, I agree I made several over generalizations since the entirety of my experience thus far is in Quake live and as you and everyone has pointed out that is the worst place I could've started. I'm fully intending to give Team Fortress 2 a try as well as a few other games to round me out a bit more.
@bluexy, Didn't you still beat me? I think it got close at the end, and was probably the closest I've ever come to a win. We should go again some time :P
Thanks again for all the helpful comments guys and gals.
The game is insane. The rules are simple, but the community has been around so long that the players are absolutely ridiculous. Don't let it discourage you from the genre.
First, I'll recommend Battlefield Heroes (www.battlefieldheroes.com) because it's also free and has a mix of shooting and using MMO-like abilities. It's also far more forgiving than most shooters I've played.
I also recommend Orange Box, as a whole package. The Half-Life games are some of the best in the genre, Portal is a must for anyone, and Team Fortress 2 is a great multiplayer FPS - especially coming from MMOs and having that team/class dynamic.