First Person Shooters: Aloofness or extreme concentration?

Mitth`raw`nuruodo · Post by **Mitth`raw`nuruodo** » 2004-05-06 11:52pm

I have noticed that there are two ways (for me at least) to play a FPS. I can either really get into it, thinking strongly about strategy, anticipating things. Or, I can just pop on some music, zone out, and react. Cruise around the map, killing someone if I find them, but not especially looking for them.

I tend to get about the same amount of kills either way. But I feel a lot better about the game when I play it with aloofness. A win is still good, but losses aren't as bad. Hell, I'm not even especially trying, I can expect to lose. On the other hand, if I try as hard as I can and lose anyway, I tend to get pissed.

Basically, this whole thing was to ask the following: How do you tend to play in first person shooters? Are you extremely concentrated? Or do you just kinda cruise around, detached from your surroundings?

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2004-05-07 12:12am

It depends on the game, difficulty, and if I've played it before.

If I've never played it before, I'll be very serious about it, concentrating wholey. Likewise if I'm playing a game I've beat on a high difficulty setting.

But, for a game like HALO, I just pop it in and let myself goof off.

Damaramu · Post by **Damaramu** » 2004-05-07 12:27am

In Desert Combat, I'm always on the lookout for snipers, choppers, etc. It pays to be paranoid sometimes.....

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2004-05-07 12:56am

Depends. If its a team game, I'll play seriously. If not, I usually just relax and have some fun with it.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2004-05-07 12:59am

Well, it really depends on the game - for example, in UT, your objective in Deathmatch is to get as many kills as possible, so of course I'll be running around looking for people to gun down. In NS, I'm a bit more team-oriented and alert, since ambushes are a common occurance.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2004-05-07 01:21am

If I concentrate too hard, I do badly. If I don't pay attention, I do bad.

There's always been this certain "zone" that I sometimes go into. When my mind is in that state, I achieve almost godlike power during FPS games. Clearing entire rooms of people becomes relatively simple.

I always try to get into that mindset somehow, but it's difficult. It's a sort of calm, almost meditative state where you feel one with the game.

Now you're all scared of me.

Shark Bait · Post by **Shark Bait** » 2004-05-07 01:38am

I try not to concentrate to hard either I also attempt to achieve the meditative state of a gaming zone.

Icehawk · Post by **Icehawk** » 2004-05-07 01:40am

Although it depends on the game and the level, I kinda zone out but also concentrate on things at the same time. Sorta like tunnel visioning i guess.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2004-05-07 02:41am

I try to feel The Force.

Generally lets me do ok.

Einhander Sn0m4n · Post by **Einhander Sn0m4n** » 2004-05-07 02:55am

Do or do not, there is no try.

I do very well when I let myself flow through the game sort of (I guess) a Jedi flows through a lightsaber duel...

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2004-05-07 03:17am

Gandalf wrote:I try to feel The Force.

Generally lets me do ok.

Do you also wear a helmet with the blast shield down?

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2004-05-07 03:28am

Depends really~ Natural Selection demands concentration - getting killed can cost the game depending on the situtation

If it's Doom or UT2k4 demo I mellow out.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2004-05-07 03:32am

neoolong wrote:
Gandalf wrote:I try to feel The Force.

Generally lets me do ok.
Do you also wear a helmet with the blast shield down?

Sort of. At times my hair can obscure much of my vision.

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2004-05-07 06:21am

Depends on the game, mop up during MTW I pop in some music, UT I go into a trance state that lets me own the server.

Post by **RogueIce** » 2004-05-07 03:55pm

Haven't done FPS in awhile, but I guess it depends on the game.

In something like UT, where hopping around like an insane jackrabbit on speed is a good thing, I wouldn't take it too seriously. Trying to play "seriously" led to much pain, frustration, and a shitty kill ratio.

If, on the other hand, the game actually supports something resembling real dynamics, then I'd be more serious about it (playing a bit of Rogue Spear comes to mind).

And by serious I mean thinking more along the lines of "real world" tactics and such.

consequences · Post by **consequences** » 2004-05-07 04:06pm

Shinova wrote:If I concentrate too hard, I do badly. If I don't pay attention, I do bad.

There's always been this certain "zone" that I sometimes go into. When my mind is in that state, I achieve almost godlike power during FPS games. Clearing entire rooms of people becomes relatively simple.

I always try to get into that mindset somehow, but it's difficult. It's a sort of calm, almost meditative state where you feel one with the game.

Now you're all scared of me.

No, I understand exactly what you mean, Its that state of being that lets you gun down four people with 1% of health remaining. I never try to force it, that just doesn't work for me.

Thirdfain · Post by **Thirdfain** » 2004-05-07 04:28pm

No Nirvana like a The Specialists Nirvana- Leaping into a room, Slow Motion, and placing a three round burst of M16 rounds through the brainpans of three different enemies.

Being in the Zone for an FPS is one of the great experiences in life.,

consequences · Post by **consequences** » 2004-05-07 04:33pm

Thirdfain wrote:No Nirvana like a The Specialists Nirvana- Leaping into a room, Slow Motion, and placing a three round burst of M16 rounds through the brainpans of three different enemies.

Being in the Zone for an FPS is one of the great experiences in life.,

And being the victim of someone else's zone can really suck. I'd really like to know how anyone can pull the trigger of a magnum coming off a ledge, turn while falling, finally have the gun fire, and have the bullet go 100 feet down a badly lit tunnel, straight through my head when there's no way he should have been able to see me.

Post by **RogueIce** » 2004-05-07 04:36pm

consequences wrote:
Thirdfain wrote:No Nirvana like a The Specialists Nirvana- Leaping into a room, Slow Motion, and placing a three round burst of M16 rounds through the brainpans of three different enemies.

Being in the Zone for an FPS is one of the great experiences in life.,
And being the victim of someone else's zone can really suck. I'd really like to know how anyone can pull the trigger of a magnum coming off a ledge, turn while falling, finally have the gun fire, and have the bullet go 100 feet down a badly lit tunnel, straight through my head when there's no way he should have been able to see me.

Welcome to life in FPS shooters.

That's why I take the silly games not so seriously. If I'm beaten in a game where you can leap around like you're on a fucking Pogostick from Hell, and still fire your rocket launcher accurately... Well, really, why bother?

Pu-239 · Post by **Pu-239** » 2004-05-07 05:59pm

I'm impulsive and stupid, and simply charge at the enemy to get shot at, or forget to look to the right of the door. That, plus 1/2 second response time to stimuli.

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2004-05-07 07:27pm

Thirdfain wrote:No Nirvana like a The Specialists Nirvana- Leaping into a room, Slow Motion, and placing a three round burst of M16 rounds through the brainpans of three different enemies.

Personally I like doing sideways stunts in slo-mo with the sawed-off shotgun. It's most satisfying since you're earning one hit kills without using the pussy awp-wannabe rifle~

YT300000 · Post by **YT300000** » 2004-05-07 07:34pm

I get really deep into the game, thinking about where good sniper spots are, where I can find powerups, etc.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2004-05-07 10:16pm

Depends on the game; in something slow and deadly like INF, I play slow; on standard twitch games like TS and UT2k4 I throw on some trash techno and Zen out.

McNum · Post by **McNum** » 2004-05-07 11:06pm

For me it's a matter of difficulty. I like to prance about all relaxed and that's usually what I do. Until I meet a challenge... The something clicks and I go into high gear. That often means that I make shots I never thought possible or do moves I never really practised. Like comboing other people's Shock Cores in their face in UT2004 and stuff like that...

Usually it's low gear and some strange combination of mutators in UT2004, though, I like silly offline games. Currently I have a minigun arena thing going. Only the minigun has been altered to fire 100 1 damage shots per second... That's a low gear weapon that can really make a mess.

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

First Person Shooters: Aloofness or extreme concentration?

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First Person Shooters: Aloofness or extreme concentration?