Competitive shooters vs Today's shooters

[Deadlyraver]

For years, FPS games are becoming more and more popular by the masses. Famous franchises such as Call of Duty and Battlefield are front row at your local GameStop, yet gamers embrace their experiences entirely upon acquiring a copy. Times in video games are booming through the community, as more and more people begin and enjoy playing more games in FPS.

However, there is an overlooked part of the gaming world that we once knew since the coin age, and that is competition.

It still exists, very much so, but the fundamentals of the idea itself is invalid to the eyes of many. Less tournaments show up in my city, and people tend to talk more about Elo ratings, K/D ratios, and Rank on their profiles. I dislike this concept entirely, as that is more of a demonstration of individualism instead of competence in gaming. But tournaments are still around, may not be close but very much there, so what am I really ranting about?

The real reason is that the majority have forgotten what competence really is in gaming, how it is really demonstrated yet shown to others. I see try hards, hatespeakers, and exploitees take over every server because of the spoon fed bull$**t the developers have been feeding to them. All of it being a gimmick, games are more about drawing emotions out of players now more than skill, as the list of handicaps given to them lengthen each year.

From Perk systems to Vehicle Packages, it would only make sense that players use these more as a form of aggression towards their gaming experience rather than to demonstrate any skill. There is no such thing as the "world's best trinity missile user" for this very reason. On top of that, there are all these gap closing attachments that can make guns "multi-purpose" yet bring ease of use to players, taking the use of skill out of given situations entirely where it was once needed. We know this well in the Call of Duty franchise at times when one can mow down Domination with LMGs and Rapid Fire SMGs. Map usage doesn't mean anything if there is an attachment for it.

But I have talked about the problem, how do I think we should solve it? It is simple, play a game mode without any perks, attachments, strike packages, vehicle upgrades etc. and see the end result ourselves. If gamers who claim to be skilled really are as they say, put them in their place through trial and error.

Then there is the game's common impressions. I own both Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts and I must say, they really try to make you feel so special from one action to another. Earning ribbons and flashing "Squad Point Earned!" banners all over the screen gives me so much feedback to pay attention to in the middle of a heated battle. Fun fact: On the first day I played both, I turned off their HUDs entirely. They try really hard to make gamers feel empowered and confident in times where that is endangered, creating a loophole that taints our community the moment the player is back at ground level after a shot to the head. We heard all existing hate speech, so i don't need to explain that. And why the kill cams? Why bother disclosing the player's strategy to kill you, the location he killed you from, and the idea of going back there? Simple logic: If lightning can strike twice, so can a bullet to the head.

But why do these unnecessary features exist? My theory is that they try to manipulate anger, which an expression of fear (the #2 most powerful emotion beside Happiness) in order to convince players to act aggressive towards a game. Playing the game more often, buying DLC, and coming up with hate tactics/speeches usually seems to be the end result in which I hypothesize. But a competitive gamer does not think that, they simply think of the objective, their initiative for their clan/team, and the possibilities that can open that up. In other words, don't beat the player, beat the game. I try to show example to this by ignoring the bad players and proving myself through action instead of reaction, yet implying "good game" instead of "gg" and even encouraging tactics to my team.


My reason for opening this thread up is that I want to express my opinion about today's FPS games, not to vent or to show hatred to certain people. I do not oppose the players but the circumstances that draw them to their actions. I respect all gamers, just not the games and perhaps hackers wherever they may be.

Tell me your opinion about today's FPS games!

 

[DF is BUSY]

all in all, i miss the good ol' days of straight up FPS, better man/team wins

c.s 1.5/1.6 days were truly the best.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

If you haven't noticed, FPS action games have gone stale a long time ago. The stuff you listed exists for two reasons: 1) consumerism (it means profits, EA and Actibliz are both publically traded for-profit companies) and 2) buzz factor: when someone sees those "kill shots" they tell their friends "that's so cool" so they go and buy it too. Once the purchase is made and as long as you don't sue them, they really don't care if it adds are removes from gameplay.

I quit playing FPS action games a long time ago (2005-2006'ish). FPS games since only entertain me for, at most, 10 hours before the little light bulb goes off in my head that screams, "you've played a dozen games like this one already!" And so I quit. The only FPS games worth it in my mind are the likes of adventure/RPG like Far Cry 3, Fallout New Vegas, and Deus Ex (all three).

If I wanted to shoot at human beings all day long, I'd join up with Black Water or some other mercenary corporation. "All's fair in love and war" (Frank Smedley) so hacks be damned.

 

[Gas2100]

i still remember playing Delta Force 2 o_o miss that game

 

[KainXS]

Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty Ghosts are competitive shooters . . . . . . what

I don't agree they are both spiraling into shooters . . . . . for kids and have become cash whores.

I don't see it.

 

[Deadlyraver]

all in all, i miss the good ol' days of straight up FPS, better man/team wins

c.s 1.5/1.6 days were truly the best.

I miss the idea of fighting players under equal terms as well, where the maps showed symmetry and the guns options where your only set of options. I miss CS and occasionally play the title to refresh myself with such an experience.

 

[xenocide]

The real reason is that the majority have forgotten what competence really is in gaming, how it is really demonstrated yet shown to others. I see try hards, hatespeakers, and exploitees take over every server because of the spoon fed bull$**t the developers have been feeding to them. All of it being a gimmick, games are more about drawing emotions out of players now more than skill, as the list of handicaps given to them lengthen each year.

I have no idea what you're talking about here. How can you complain about people not being competitive while also complaining about "try hards"? If they are trying hard they clearly have competitive spirit, unless you're complaining about their sportsmanship which is a completely different issue.

From Perk systems to Vehicle Packages, it would only make sense that players use these more as a form of aggression towards their gaming experience rather than to demonstrate any skill. There is no such thing as the "world's best trinity missile user" for this very reason. On top of that, there are all these gap closing attachments that can make guns "multi-purpose" yet bring ease of use to players, taking the use of skill out of given situations entirely where it was once needed. We know this well in the Call of Duty franchise at times when one can mow down Domination with LMGs and Rapid Fire SMGs. Map usage doesn't mean anything if there is an attachment for it.

Most of this information is false, sorry. Although I mostly hate the Perk System, it exists for a reason--to add more variables to gameplay. Infinity Ward introduced it in CoD4 because the CoD Experience was getting stale. They needed something that changed up the way the game played on a base level, so they came up with Perks. It allows users to pick different skill sets to go along with customized weapons. Yes they can be annoying at times, but there definitely are people that take advantage of more obscure or less known combinations, and there are very few instances of Perks being outright broken (Last Stand was bullshit).

Attachments have nothing to do with level design, and certainly don't cover up flawed\poor map design. You can't just pick a perk that allows you to 1 shot everyone with perfect accuracy, they are mostly small changes in the way your character functions (slightly longer knife range, not detected by UAV, quicker reload, etc). And you can't in good faith say newer titles have mechanics that are game breaking without looking at now iconic elements of older FPS titles; Rocket Jumping, Frame Glitching, Bunny Hopping--all present in classic titles like Quake and Unreal that gave you a huge advantage.

But I have talked about the problem, how do I think we should solve it? It is simple, play a game mode without any perks, attachments, strike packages, vehicle upgrades etc. and see the end result ourselves. If gamers who claim to be skilled really are as they say, put them in their place through trial and error.

No, you've talked about what you percieve to be the problem, I see no problem. There are certain things in games that I don't like, the solution is I don't give a shit about those games. It sounds more like you're just sick of generic modern combat military first person shooters, which is a legitimate complaint, I wish there were more modern low hit point arena shooters (in the vein of UT2K4 and Quake) but unfortunately there isn't a large enough market for that.

Then there is the game's common impressions. I own both Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts and I must say, they really try to make you feel so special from one action to another. Earning ribbons and flashing "Squad Point Earned!" banners all over the screen gives me so much feedback to pay attention to in the middle of a heated battle. Fun fact: On the first day I played both, I turned off their HUDs entirely. They try really hard to make gamers feel empowered and confident in times where that is endangered, creating a loophole that taints our community the moment the player is back at ground level after a shot to the head. We heard all existing hate speech, so i don't need to explain that. And why the kill cams? Why bother disclosing the player's strategy to kill you, the location he killed you from, and the idea of going back there? Simple logic: If lightning can strike twice, so can a bullet to the head.

The HUDs aren't intended to distract you, they are intended to display meaningful information, and in FPS's with progression elements it helps to know when you've unlocked something new so you can start using it asap. Killcams exist because modern games are a lot more chaotic than games in the past. I played Counter-Strike for something like 10 years, and when you died in Counter-Strike you immediately knew because everything was so boxed in and most of the time you saw the person before you died anyway. In BF4, there are times when I blow up because someone mortared me and I have no clue where on Earth they were, considering a map in BF4 is probably about 10x the size of even the alrgest Counter-Strike map. It has to do with the scale of the games and the chaotic nature of them.

But why do these unnecessary features exist? My theory is that they try to manipulate anger, which an expression of fear (the #2 most powerful emotion beside Happiness) in order to convince players to act aggressive towards a game. Playing the game more often, buying DLC, and coming up with hate tactics/speeches usually seems to be the end result in which I hypothesize. But a competitive gamer does not think that, they simply think of the objective, their initiative for their clan/team, and the possibilities that can open that up. In other words, don't beat the player, beat the game. I try to show example to this by ignoring the bad players and proving myself through action instead of reaction, yet implying "good game" instead of "gg" and even encouraging tactics to my team.

You're throwing a lot of random information out. It has nothing to do with manipulation, and any anger or resentment is strictly on the user. I know I get more angry with video games than I ever have with people, and it's usually for a specific reason--I hate being outplayed. When I die in BF4 or Counter-Strike or Quake 3, it pisses me off because I want to get better, I died because I wasn't good enough to outplay my opponents. It's not exclusive to Online Shooters either; I remember throwing N64 controllers around while trying to beat levels in Goldeneye and Super Mario World, it is just how some people are.

You're also addressing Sportsmanship, and shit-talking is not something new. Whenever I play BF4 I see an overwhelming majority of people say GG or joke around when they get outplayed. On the other end of the spectrum there are plenty of people with poor sportsmanship, but this is hardly a new concept and definitely not exclusive to modern fps titles. As I said, I played Counter-Strike for about a decade, and played it competitively for several of those, and that game was just as--if not more--toxic than any game I've played in recent years. It had a high skill ceiling and people were very quick to remind you of how much better they were (even if that wasn't always the case). I've had people give me a hard time in (off the top of my head) CS, DoD, Quake3, UT2K4, WC3, SC, SC:BW, DotA, DotA 2, LoL, PoE, Diablo 3, World of Warcraft, Rift, SWTOR, Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, Halo, SC2, GoW, CoD, BF, and hundreds of other games. It's not something new, and it's unlikely to ever disappear. It has nothing to do with game mechanics, and everything to do with people.

Tell me your opinion about today's FPS games!

We need more diversity. Tribes Ascend was the first real attempt at a modern low hit point arena shooter, and I think that's a shame. I want to see a new Unreal Tournament or Quake Arena, but those companies apparently forgot how to make and release games since all we get are Bulletstorm, Gears of War, and Rage--which had their moments but abysmal multiplayer, and mediocre PC presence.

 

[Deadlyraver]

I have no idea what you're talking about here. How can you complain about people not being competitive while also complaining about "try hards"? If they are trying hard they clearly have competitive spirit, unless you're complaining about their sportsmanship which is a completely different issue.



Most of this information is false, sorry. Although I mostly hate the Perk System, it exists for a reason--to add more variables to gameplay. Infinity Ward introduced it in CoD4 because the CoD Experience was getting stale. They needed something that changed up the way the game played on a base level, so they came up with Perks. It allows users to pick different skill sets to go along with customized weapons. Yes they can be annoying at times, but there definitely are people that take advantage of more obscure or less known combinations, and there are very few instances of Perks being outright broken (Last Stand was bullshit).

Attachments have nothing to do with level design, and certainly don't cover up flawed\poor map design. You can't just pick a perk that allows you to 1 shot everyone with perfect accuracy, they are mostly small changes in the way your character functions (slightly longer knife range, not detected by UAV, quicker reload, etc). And you can't in good faith say newer titles have mechanics that are game breaking without looking at now iconic elements of older FPS titles; Rocket Jumping, Frame Glitching, Bunny Hopping--all present in classic titles like Quake and Unreal that gave you a huge advantage.



No, you've talked about what you percieve to be the problem, I see no problem. There are certain things in games that I don't like, the solution is I don't give a shit about those games. It sounds more like you're just sick of generic modern combat military first person shooters, which is a legitimate complaint, I wish there were more modern low hit point arena shooters (in the vein of UT2K4 and Quake) but unfortunately there isn't a large enough market for that.



The HUDs aren't intended to distract you, they are intended to display meaningful information, and in FPS's with progression elements it helps to know when you've unlocked something new so you can start using it asap. Killcams exist because modern games are a lot more chaotic than games in the past. I played Counter-Strike for something like 10 years, and when you died in Counter-Strike you immediately knew because everything was so boxed in and most of the time you saw the person before you died anyway. In BF4, there are times when I blow up because someone mortared me and I have no clue where on Earth they were, considering a map in BF4 is probably about 10x the size of even the alrgest Counter-Strike map. It has to do with the scale of the games and the chaotic nature of them.



You're throwing a lot of random information out. It has nothing to do with manipulation, and any anger or resentment is strictly on the user. I know I get more angry with video games than I ever have with people, and it's usually for a specific reason--I hate being outplayed. When I die in BF4 or Counter-Strike or Quake 3, it pisses me off because I want to get better, I died because I wasn't good enough to outplay my opponents. It's not exclusive to Online Shooters either; I remember throwing N64 controllers around while trying to beat levels in Goldeneye and Super Mario World, it is just how some people are.

You're also addressing Sportsmanship, and shit-talking is not something new. Whenever I play BF4 I see an overwhelming majority of people say GG or joke around when they get outplayed. On the other end of the spectrum there are plenty of people with poor sportsmanship, but this is hardly a new concept and definitely not exclusive to modern fps titles. As I said, I played Counter-Strike for about a decade, and played it competitively for several of those, and that game was just as--if not more--toxic than any game I've played in recent years. It had a high skill ceiling and people were very quick to remind you of how much better they were (even if that wasn't always the case). I've had people give me a hard time in (off the top of my head) CS, DoD, Quake3, UT2K4, WC3, SC, SC:BW, DotA, DotA 2, LoL, PoE, Diablo 3, World of Warcraft, Rift, SWTOR, Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, Halo, SC2, GoW, CoD, BF, and hundreds of other games. It's not something new, and it's unlikely to ever disappear. It has nothing to do with game mechanics, and everything to do with people.



We need more diversity. Tribes Ascend was the first real attempt at a modern low hit point arena shooter, and I think that's a shame. I want to see a new Unreal Tournament or Quake Arena, but those companies apparently forgot how to make and release games since all we get are Bulletstorm, Gears of War, and Rage--which had their moments but abysmal multiplayer, and mediocre PC presence.

I'll admit, I am biting a bit more than I can chew here when people are the topic but the game, to me, never goes stale by features. I find it goes stale when there is an end result with the same reasons. If the game gives you a moment to share to everyone, you enjoyed it and we are happy you did and showed it to us. A moment that anyone can share makes the experience a lot less significant however making the presentation of the game extremely underwhelming when what you can do in the game can be done by everyone else. Why do I say such? Because our experience with games plays a role to identify each other, addressing your opinion to diversity. Therefore, our opinions technically support each other and I am happy you have similar beliefs.

Seeing a game experience as stale through old variables doesn't make any sense if it brings a balanced experience to all players. Call of Duty, Battlefield, and other games are taking advantage of it and therefore don't bother working on map design as much, places to balance most if not all variables, and then finish it off with a price tag that we can stare at each other wondering "Well....are you going to buy it?"

I couldn't care less if negativity existed beforehand, its there even in real life activities and I accept it's existence but try not to get involved. The reason I mentioned it being a case in modern shooters is that they try to use it as leverage to convince players to play more under negative conditions. Trying again upon failure over how you are with games is one thing, but to be encouraged to think that way is completely different. To be more precise, they like to rub it in your face more than explain your mistakes in a dignified matter. Anger is a common expression, yet can be cleared up in a game that offers you a learning experience, killcams are supposed to do that but is perceived differently in comparison to the TF2-based "snapshot" cam. The differences are that one shows the information you need to learn from your death, such as the health you had beforehand and the number of rounds they pumped into you in certain places from the damage source, the other simply rams your death straight down your throat in hopes of adding more wood to the fire.

Sportsmanship doesn't exist in video games unless it is in a tournament or end game, because the world of anonymity is on your side when you call someone names and get away with it. If you were beside that person, I'm pretty sure he/she wouldn't say any of those things to you if he wanted to play the game more than you, why? Because we are selfish people and tend to look upon opportunities and vantage points to seize from.

My information may be random to you, but its a hypothesis for a reason. Because theres can be things that are true and false, yet required more observation to be fully verified.

I am thankful to see your response to my opinion however, because it was in your perspective which is rare from most people I meet.

Cheers

 

[natr0n]

To me it seems modern shooters are all about ranks/ranking up and dlc.

 

[Eroticus]

Operation Flashpoint Cold War Crisis ! Was best fps ever .. for today is BF4 awesome MP =)

 

[Nordic]

This is why I love natural selection 2. It is a throwback to oldschool gaming with a competitive spirit. I am not a competitive gamer but I enjoy playing with competitive gamers.

 

[RCoon]

CSGO is still highly regarded, and has tournaments. These manshoot games designed to make players grind indefinitely for ranking and weapon unlocks are there as timewasters for people who come home from work and need to relax. They were designed to make money and to keep bored grownups tired of work, and kids who want to be Carl on Duty entertained.

If people want to be competitative, they play CSGO to show their skill. If you state your K/D ratio in CSGO, most pros will probably laugh at you and tell you to go back to Hello Kitty Island Adventure. If you want light entertainment, then I see no problem with CowOn Duty or BF, it's all about recreation. The second you start criticising people's choices of recreation is around about the point you should leave wherever you are and have a good hard look at yourself.

Personally I play both BF and CSGO, and I'm very clear about the difference. I don't complain about the nabbers in BF because the game isn't balanced. And likewise in CSGO I don't call shots lucky, it's just GG to the guy who outplayed you.

 

[Bo$$]

2 days ago, I played UT3 after years, I haven't even touched another game since
Was thinking of buying UT99

 

[AsRock]

Operation Flashpoint Cold War Crisis ! Was best fps ever .. for today is BF4 awesome MP =)

I would have to say OFP Hell yes and hell no to Crisis although Ghost Recon must go long with OFP.

Arma 1, 2 or 3 are not like OFP but about thee only good FPS game out there these days.

Games like BF just bore the shit out of me endlessly

 

[Drone]

I don't care about all this crap. But I remember good olden days playing doom through this sort of connection

 

[droopyRO]

What about tactical shooters ? Rainbow Six Rogue Spear, those games are dead and buried.
Statistics "ruined" these games, Delta Force, Quake 3 and Half Life(loved those laser mines) didnt have stats except at the end of the round, so it was all about you team winning(nobody cared about levelup rank KdR) plus back then few people in my country had PCs and internet connection, you were forced to go to an Internet Cafe, competition is different when you can actually see the people you are playing against, it cand get physical

 

[DayKnight]

The amount of fun and experience I had and learned playing MOHAA (multiplayer) cant be matched by any game till now or ever.

 

[SKBARON]

Battlefield 2 was a lot of fun for me and my friends. Countless days were spent playing on local networks, taking out enemy F-18 with SRAW from behind the control tower on the carriers and so on

 

[RejZoR]

There is no shooter like Unreal Tournament 99 and Quake 3 Arena. Old but still epic beyond anything else. And the first games that brought proper bot fights for those unfortunate enough without decent internet connection. Godlike/Inhuman bots were very human like and also very challenging. So much that i've been playing UT99 for nearly 10 years with only 2 test matches online using 56k. The rest was bot carnage with countless mutators and mods, new maps and so on. Epic memories.

 

[repman244]

I would have to say OFP Hell yes and hell no to Crisis although Ghost Recon must go long with OFP.

Arma 1, 2 or 3 are not like OFP but about thee only good FPS game out there these days.

Games like BF just bore the shit out of me endlessly

OFP is called Operation FLashpoint: Cold War Crisis.
Crisis!=Crysis

 

[AsRock]

OFP is called Operation FLashpoint: Cold War Crisis.
Crisis!=Crysis

HAHA my apologizes, Yes i know it was just a miss reading crisis part but at least i did not take it for the crappy Codemasters version HOHOHO.

 

[kn00tcn]

i like both modern & old school (quake3 cpma & ut2k4 specifically)

if you want your old school, you better be aware of rekoil http://store.steampowered.com/app/243320/

i've been trying the beta, definitely promising even if some of the movement feels awkward

there are some other indie ones too, i forgot the names but there are a couple quake/UT styled scifi type ones coming soon

 

[FreedomEclipse]

as far as MP goes, CoD:1 was my first 'real' multiplayer game. It was around the time i got broadband and was actually allowed to use the internet for entertainment and not just homework. CoD:1 is still ranked top 5 in my list of all time greatest fps games.

While at college though I did play a lot of Quake III Arena and UT99 across the network. I had a CD from a PC gaming magazine with thousands of UT99 mods on it, so that kept me pretty much entertained when I wasnt allowed to use the net for gaming. I was getting quite good at taking the bots on at godlike so I started messing with individual bot characteristics to make more of a challenge - the god of all godlike bots. Stupidly high almost 100% accuracy and a play style that made them bunny hop a lot... but they were fast movers lol. I couldnt take one on head on unless my other bot team mates distracted him first.

I tend to get annoyed when youtube commentators who play on console say "<insert recent CoD title here> Is the best CoD of them all" when in reality they never experienced the first game which gave birth to the rest of the CoD franchise. People whine and complain about killstreaks and how the game has become a game where you just camp for kill streaks because the player with the most kill streaks in the sky wins the game. Elpresador is an idiot but he makes some good arguments. Hes always crying in his videos about having a vanilla game type where there are no killstreaks or perks and everyone is on a level playing field, take away all the perks & Killstreaks and its literally CoD1 with modern weapons and graphics.


Id like to think that CoD is salvageable by the PC community - drag the game out of the toilet someone tried to flush it down in, gave the community back sdk tools and let the community help the game grow - CoD1 probaby still had a huge following of dedicated players 4-5 years after its initial release - community created content just helped that game flourish and grow and grow. I know I definitely played that game non-stop every evening for at least 3years before I eventually left with the rest of my friends to join the battle in BF2.

With the state EA and Actibliz are in as money grabbing whores, I dont think there will ever be a fps that will topple the shooters of old. They will release solid fps games but they will always fall short of that 'golden age'

 

[scoutingwraith]

There is no shooter like Unreal Tournament 99 and Quake 3 Arena. Old but still epic beyond anything else. And the first games that brought proper bot fights for those unfortunate enough without decent internet connection. Godlike/Inhuman bots were very human like and also very challenging. So much that i've been playing UT99 for nearly 10 years with only 2 test matches online using 56k. The rest was bot carnage with countless mutators and mods, new maps and so on. Epic memories.

Yeah i recently re-installed UT99 GOTY and UT2004 and to be honest i have forgotten how much fun they are to play even with Bots. Oh and yeah Bots on the hardest difficulty are really hard.

 

[xenocide]

I apparently am in the minority by thinking CoD2 was a huge improvement on the original CoD. I played the crap out of 2. I am hoping that Epic Games will get their head out of their ass and make a new UT game, but that seems highly unlikely considering they are more focused on their Engine than actually using it. Don't even get me started on ID...