Rock, Paper, Shotgun

01/09/2009 at 19:50 MacBeth says:

Pre-ordered as well, enjoyed the beta though didn’t really sink enough time into it to figure out optimal builds etc. Mostly just played a mixed setup with a sniper rifle and machine gun for a bit of close up action. Good ‘drop in’ fun (see what I did there?)

01/09/2009 at 20:09 ruaidhri.k says:

The last time I did sub orbital HALO insertion I kinda botched the landing. Michael Bay said it was only about 8 out of 10. Maybe 8.5.
Such is life.

01/09/2009 at 20:29 Shalrath says:

Optimal builds MUST have a repair tool. It sucks, but it’s totally required. I’ve survived dozens of battles where I ran out of ammo and just healed myself while I dodged between obstacles, fixing myself.

I also like using the Sensor Blocker, but really there are a lot of good choices for a secondary, like grenades. The knife is… meh. You have to play against people who hold still and never look behind them, and honestly a few nades/shotgun is more practical.

I think the AR is, unfortunately, the best weapon. As with almost every shooter ever, it just is more useful against multiple targets than a sniper rifle, has enough ammo to out last a shotgun (plus better mid and max range.) The machine gun is, in my opinion, not worthwhile. it’s SOLE advantage over the AR is ammunition amount. In terms of quick damage, shield piercing, rate of fire, accuracy, the AR is superior.

In terms of the armour slots, it’s MOSTLY up to you. I tend to go for the larger single bonuses than the mix ones, I.e. +5% to damage is better than +2% damage, +2% lockon time, etc. I max out + damage wherever I can, and tend to use the speed one as well.

I’m definitely getting this game once it comes out. The only things I hope are changed are: A) supply depot’s in threes are basically unbreakable. While the turrets themselves are usually crap, a well-linked triple turret + triple depot can be game breaking. B) Make rocket launchers worth using. It is currently the worst anti-personelle weapon, and almost useless against convoys/mechs because of the long reload time, low damage, low ammo count, worthless lock’on (because the missile isn’t instant hit, the lock makes you MISS moving targets.) Hopefully mortars make up for this, but currently in a convoy truck or mech, I am never scared of Missiles. Sniper rifles are basically scarier.

01/09/2009 at 20:54 medwards says:

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Games for Windows Live basically ruins Dawn of War II. Can’t wait to see how trashy it is for this.

01/09/2009 at 22:52 Larington says:

So thats what I was doing wrong in the beta, you’re supposed to use your knife on that huge metal armoured thing instead of rockets or machine guns…

02/09/2009 at 02:54 Ybfelix says:

I hate the finger-on-ear-every-time-to-show-I-am-radio-talking thing. Do real soliders do this? In Gears of War, Marcus and Dom both pressing their invisible earplug in exactly the same pose while walking were quite a hilarious sight. Can’t military make a better earphone or hand-free design? And guy in trailer is wearing a powered armor helmet, come on.

02/09/2009 at 03:16 P7uen says:

@ruaidhri.k
“sub orbital HALO insertion”

Eek.

02/09/2009 at 05:46 Spectre-7 says:

I find it strange that people keep comparing this to Tribes. The ability to set down strategic structures is certainly somewhat evocative of Tribes, but it seems to me that some other other titles are more direct inspirations. The combat has a sluggish feel much closer to Halo (IMO), and their deployable implementation reminds me much more of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. The weapons also completely lack the creativity of Tribes’ arsenal.

If you’re looking for something that actually feels like Tribes (at least in control, movement and combat, if not vehicles and deployables), check out Fallen Empire: Legions over at instantaction.com

02/09/2009 at 06:20 undead dolphin hacker says:

Oh Section 8. Unsurprisingly it’s already the Kohan of FPS’s, with self-proclaimed “FPS veterans” shitting on the game for not being… Halo-y or Unreal-y or Battlefield-y or Call of Duty-y enough. They’re FPS fan equivalent of the RTS fans that raged against Kohan for its lack of micromanagement and special moves and macro-level play and and and…

I love Section 8, but I’m not naive enough to think it will do anything better than become a sleeper hit/cult classic like Kohan. Magazine reviews will trash it, IGN/Gamestop will stay safe at 7-8, and the more indie writers will probably dig it.

02/09/2009 at 10:25 Dominic White says:

Everything about it is anathema to the PC gaming hardcore. There’s regenerating shields, lock-on, slow, methodical movement, limited jetpacking and weapons that take more than a second of sustained fire to kill people.

It’s the opposite of Tribes. It’s everything that Counterstrike addicts hate.

I really like it. It’s a game where, while direct FPS skill is important, smart play often beats fast play. You can be the fastest gun in the west and be able to draw a perfect bead on someones head from a thousand paces, but if the other guy has cover, has support, or just plain has a plan, you could well lose.

The beta alone gave me a whole raft of little moments where I’ve overcome disadvantages through clever play. So much better than praying for a near-random headshot.

02/09/2009 at 14:55 undead dolphin hacker says:

@Tei

Didn’t say it SHOULD be a cult game, I’m saying it probably will turn out to be one.

The gameplay, especially the gunplay, is simply too unfamiliar to gamers. The Hardcore FPSer’s don’t even want to try to understand that Shields = better defense, but only at long range and Armor = flimsier defense, but at all ranges, especially short. They refuse to understand that the Rocket Launcher does pathetic damage vs shields (unless it’s a vehicle), and thus simply doesn’t work against infantry if they have any shields remaining. They refuse to tweak suits to get what they want out of the game — if you like Tribes and value high maneuverability, trick out your armor with all the Jetpack regeneration items; if lockon makes you so angry that you’d rage on a forum about it, make a suit that greatly hampers lockon time and duration.

No, every mainstream review will read (to them) as:

-Guns aren’t powerful or simply don’t work much of the time.
-Jetpacks don’t last long.
-There is autoaim which removes all ‘skill’.
-There is no locational damage which removes all ‘skill’.

Of course if you play the game you’ll realize:

-The guns are powerful in the situations they’re designed for (maybe excepting the Shotgun, which wasj ust kind of bad last time I played).

-Jetpacks are for quick escapes or advanced maneuvers, the weapons aren’t designed for midair combat.

-Autoaim lasts an extremely short time and is really designed to be a Sniper’s friend and a hard counter to Jetpacking enemies. In close range it’s pretty much worthless against anyone with a brain.

-Locational damage doesn’t fit the design of the game; fights would end way too fast if headshots wrecked armor faster than it already gets wrecked (and it gets wrecked very fast as is); Snipers are actaully specialists that have to sacrifice any kind of utility for raw damage if they want to do well as a Sniper, allowing headshots would allow Snipers to wear full shields and maneuverability and become a super class instead of just an obnoxious finisher class as they are now.

02/09/2009 at 23:37 Melf_Himself says:

You can do it Master Chief!!

Oh, wait.