One of the first things that you should evaluate when you have a new first person shooter is the primary weapons. What kind of spreads they have, their recoil, the trajectories, the damage they do, how fast they reload, etc. will help you out immensely in the long run. This doesn't take very long and is certainly worth the while, so I recommend doing it before you take your new guns online.
Spread: You can test this simply by firing your gun of choice at a wall in single-player mode or on a closed multiplayer server. You should watch to see how much it spreads at close range, middle range, and 100 feet or so. The important thing to do here is aim, but don't correct yourself. Aim at the center, but don't move the reticule once you hold down the trigger. This tells you how accurate your gun is and how reliable it is to hit at close, medium, etc. This can also give you a hint as to how far away and in what role you should use that weapon.
Recoil: Recoil is as easy to test as spread, and just as important, because it determines how far up or down your shots go. This can be tested in the same set of shots as spread. Anyway, shoot at a wall, and check to see how far up or down the shots go. This can be used as a benchmark to help you aim. With sniper rifles, be sure to take this into account when you're shooting. Do this from 50 and 100 feet, which, again, will help you determine what the use of the weapon may be.
Trajectories: How far can you shoot this gun? This can be a hard one to test, and the only way I can think of is to shoot on a barren stretch of land and look for the bullet hole. Either that, or get a friend to stand at a given range, then keep moving back until you can't hit him anymore. This isn't as important as recoil or spread, but if you know the trajectory of your gun, you know just how far you can be and still snipe that guy, and if you know the trajectory of your enemy's gun, you know just how close you can stand without getting shot.
Damage: Will this kill a guy in one hit, or will it take a bunch of shots to bring him down? This is the only test where you need another person. Equip the gun, then shoot them; first in the leg, then kill them. Then shoot them in the torso. If that doesn't kill them, make it so. Then shoot them in the head. You kill them in between so that you can test how much each individual shot does, instead of as a whole. This can be very time-consuming, so get a patient friend.
Reloading: This isn't really something to be tested so much as something you have to know. You must know that if you shoot a LAW and there are still people around, then you have to switch weapons and shoot with that. It's better to overestimate than the other way around, because if you're caught without a gun, you're as good as dead.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
My Favorite Weapons
In any FPSs you play, you have a favorite weapon, right? Of course. You've gotta know where the weapon is, why it's good, and how to use it. Here's mine.
Star Wars Battlefront II: Shotgun. Everyone uses the shotgun in SWBFII, and that includes me. Its spread shot is good for small areas like the hallways of Tantive, Death Star, and Mustafar. In addition, the Engineer gets such weapons as detonation packs and generic health and ammo, which can be an enormous help if you're dying. Engineers also get a fusion cutter for hacking into tanks, repairing turrets and droids, etc. Although they're only a basic utility class, they get a lot of use and are my favorites.
Combat Arms: Although I've played this game a fair amount, I don't have any outstanding weapons. Of the ones I have, my favorite is the M4. You can shoot at people, and they'll die. The Sniper Rifle is good, but it has nothing like the power of the M4. It, like any respectable machine gun, will do the job and do it fast.
Halo 3: Spartan Laser. Although it's not the easiest to find, it is one of the strongest weapons in the game and the only one (I think) that can kill vehicles in one shot. And besides, there's nothing like an opponent looking down at his chest to see a red line, then being blown up. Nothing beats the satisfaction of shooting people with a Spartan Laser.
These are my favorites, but what are yours? Comment and let me know.
Star Wars Battlefront II: Shotgun. Everyone uses the shotgun in SWBFII, and that includes me. Its spread shot is good for small areas like the hallways of Tantive, Death Star, and Mustafar. In addition, the Engineer gets such weapons as detonation packs and generic health and ammo, which can be an enormous help if you're dying. Engineers also get a fusion cutter for hacking into tanks, repairing turrets and droids, etc. Although they're only a basic utility class, they get a lot of use and are my favorites.
Combat Arms: Although I've played this game a fair amount, I don't have any outstanding weapons. Of the ones I have, my favorite is the M4. You can shoot at people, and they'll die. The Sniper Rifle is good, but it has nothing like the power of the M4. It, like any respectable machine gun, will do the job and do it fast.
Halo 3: Spartan Laser. Although it's not the easiest to find, it is one of the strongest weapons in the game and the only one (I think) that can kill vehicles in one shot. And besides, there's nothing like an opponent looking down at his chest to see a red line, then being blown up. Nothing beats the satisfaction of shooting people with a Spartan Laser.
These are my favorites, but what are yours? Comment and let me know.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
First Person Shooters - Top Eleven Ways to not Get Killed
Many people play First Person Shooters like they have a million lives. The main trick to not getting killed is - don't.
11: Crouch. This way you can hide behind things that normally wouldn't conceal you. Also, this can get you some kills when people come around a corner and aim head height, only to find that you're crouching. You must move fast, though, or you'll get shot in the head once the surprise has worn off.
10: Pretend that you only have one life. Although this may decrease the number of kills you get at first, eventually it will help you find the map's best hiding places and be able to quickly think about how not to get killed in a combat situation.
9: If you hear bullet sounds, crouch and hide. This one's simple enough. If you're getting shot at, duck and hide, and most of the time, they'll come looking for you. If you have time, check where the shots were coming from, so you can ready your gun in that direction. Plus, if people can't see you, you're a lot less likely to get shot at, especially because in most FPS's, you don't show up on the other team's minimap.
7: Let your buddy go first. Although this may seem cruel, he'll probably want to go first anyway, so let him get the kill, but if he gets fried, you'll probably just want to throw a grenade and run. Note that this probably won't work with the same person twice.
6: Don't stop in open areas. Sprint through the intersections and make sure you have a gun covering all sides. If you're going into a building, run from cover to cover, especially if you've seen an enemy. Stay away from windows for long times, as this can get you sniped very easily.
5: Don't try to knife people. Chances are, by the time you've gotten that close, they'll have turned around and shot you in the head. Just take the opportunity to punch a couple of rounds into your opponent.
4: If the game allows you to see enemies on the minimap, then use it. If you see a cluster of enemies, find a different way to go. If there's only one and you're a good shot, or if you have a bunch of guys, send one out, then have him run back. This can lure the one enemy into your trap.
3: Get into vehicles. Although people say this is cheap, it saves your life. However, be aware, because vehicles are more often than not big targets for grenades, missiles, etc. If you're about to die, a tank is your friend. Just kill everyone with the tank's guns before they can shoot at you.
2: Reload whenever it's safe to. Reloading in combat sucks and is very likely to get you killed. Also, if you're hiding and people are there, they can hear you reloading and catch you off-guard. If you have time, always take a fresh clip of ammo into every fight.
1: Don't be stupid. This is how most people die in FPSs, and it's fairly easy to avoid. Use common sense, and you'll be fine.
11: Crouch. This way you can hide behind things that normally wouldn't conceal you. Also, this can get you some kills when people come around a corner and aim head height, only to find that you're crouching. You must move fast, though, or you'll get shot in the head once the surprise has worn off.
10: Pretend that you only have one life. Although this may decrease the number of kills you get at first, eventually it will help you find the map's best hiding places and be able to quickly think about how not to get killed in a combat situation.
9: If you hear bullet sounds, crouch and hide. This one's simple enough. If you're getting shot at, duck and hide, and most of the time, they'll come looking for you. If you have time, check where the shots were coming from, so you can ready your gun in that direction. Plus, if people can't see you, you're a lot less likely to get shot at, especially because in most FPS's, you don't show up on the other team's minimap.
7: Let your buddy go first. Although this may seem cruel, he'll probably want to go first anyway, so let him get the kill, but if he gets fried, you'll probably just want to throw a grenade and run. Note that this probably won't work with the same person twice.
6: Don't stop in open areas. Sprint through the intersections and make sure you have a gun covering all sides. If you're going into a building, run from cover to cover, especially if you've seen an enemy. Stay away from windows for long times, as this can get you sniped very easily.
5: Don't try to knife people. Chances are, by the time you've gotten that close, they'll have turned around and shot you in the head. Just take the opportunity to punch a couple of rounds into your opponent.
4: If the game allows you to see enemies on the minimap, then use it. If you see a cluster of enemies, find a different way to go. If there's only one and you're a good shot, or if you have a bunch of guys, send one out, then have him run back. This can lure the one enemy into your trap.
3: Get into vehicles. Although people say this is cheap, it saves your life. However, be aware, because vehicles are more often than not big targets for grenades, missiles, etc. If you're about to die, a tank is your friend. Just kill everyone with the tank's guns before they can shoot at you.
2: Reload whenever it's safe to. Reloading in combat sucks and is very likely to get you killed. Also, if you're hiding and people are there, they can hear you reloading and catch you off-guard. If you have time, always take a fresh clip of ammo into every fight.
1: Don't be stupid. This is how most people die in FPSs, and it's fairly easy to avoid. Use common sense, and you'll be fine.
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