While we're on realism,

It's good to be a FPS fan. by SeaTurtle on 2016-05-07 00:49:00 UTC Reply

The Battlefield series is going to the First World War and I now have a mighty need for a newer, high-performance PC.

Also, DOOM.

Any other FPS fans in the PPC? Come on in and join the hype train.

A few thoughts on FPS games. by PoorCynic on 2016-05-10 04:26:00 UTC Reply

I've been drifting away from FPS games for a while now. The modern/future stuff has never really appealed to me, and I stopped played Team Fortress 2 about a year and a half ago due to growing disillusionment with the matches and the community. The only FPS games I still play on and off now are from the Borderlands series.

That being said, I recently felt the itch to try them out again. See if new developments made them more palatable. So I tried out both the Overwatch beta and Battleborn (I decided to pick up the latter after enjoying the Battleborn beta earlier this year). I have to admit: I'm won over, for the moment. Both games are pretty good.

I especially want to give a nod of appreciation to Battleborn, which seems to have received short shrift from much of the gaming community. It is definitely not a perfect game, but I'm having a very good time with it. I honestly wasn't sure if I would enjoy the MOBA aspect of it (not a big fan of the genre), but those features are not overpowering. Versus matches aren't the drawn-out slogs I was worried about. The cooperative story missions are a definite plus. I've always preferred co-op multiplayer to competitive, and this provides that.

While Overwatch doesn't do anything with co-op, it's still a pretty fine experience. I've gotten pretty good with both Mercy and Zarya. I look forward to the game actually coming out.

SHAMELESS PLUG INCOMING

If anyone wanted to check out a bit of Battleborn for themselves, I recorded myself playing one of the story missions. (The video contains sci-fi violence and some swearing.)

PS: I hate to admit it, but I really liked that Battlefield trailer. I've missed historical shooters.
I like TF2 best, though Overwatch looks like fun. (nm) by eatpraylove on 2016-05-07 16:31:00 UTC Reply

Hey, a TF2 player. by SeaTurtle on 2016-05-07 22:22:00 UTC Reply

Favourite class and map?

I play Engineer, Medic, or Demoman reasonably well and can't stop playing Badwater.

Another TF2 player here. by Badger421 on 2016-05-08 04:27:00 UTC Reply

I don't play much these days because I've been getting lag spikes since the Gunmetal update, but when I did I played Spy, Sniper, or whatever the team happened to need, in that order. My favorite map is probably either Hightower or Degroot.
Another TF2 player. by Storme Hawk on 2016-05-07 23:41:00 UTC Reply

I play (and like) Pyro, Heavy, Engineer, Medic, Soldier and Scout in that order. As to favorite map, it's been a while since I've played anything that isn't CTF so it's got to be 2Fort.
Well, I haven't played online yet, but... by eatpraylove on 2016-05-07 22:50:00 UTC Reply

I think I'm getting reasonably competent with Pyro or Soldier. I dunno; I got Terraria at the end of 2015 and it really sucked me in. I remember liking the Lakeside map the best. It's so dramatically different from all the other default ones, even Nucleus...:)

Speaking as somebody who played both of these... by Matt Cipher on 2016-05-07 18:06:00 UTC Reply

I say TF2 is gonna die to Overwatch.

Dear God, speaking of FPSes. by Larfen J. Stocke, esq on 2016-05-07 03:23:00 UTC Reply

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeF3UTkCoxY

Look at those dislikes!
Call of Duty: Infinite Salt.

I wonder how many puppies the COD staff had to kick to end up with this.

Hm. by SeaTurtle on 2016-05-07 03:45:00 UTC Reply

I think people are getting tired of the "future warfare" stuff. I mean, I get this distinctly Halo vibe when watching this— and I have to admit it's quite déjà vu.

Compare that to Battlefield 1 where the opening shot is literally a First World War era soldier bashing his foe's face in with a trench club and... well, that's new. That's exciting because few major FPS titles portrayed WW1. And by god, does he game look gorgeous.

Standards are raised. by Larfen J. Stocke, esq on 2016-05-07 03:51:00 UTC Reply

Here's hoping Battlefield lives up to them, eh?

Though Battlefield 1 is slightly unrealistic... by SeaTurtle on 2016-05-07 04:04:00 UTC Reply

...in the sense that the British Mark V tanks are actually working. I'd pay good money if DICE made it a feature that, while driving the tank, the player would be deafened by the engine, lose health due to said engine not having an exhaust pipe and thus slowly gassing its crew to death, and that the tank be prone to mechanical failures :P

On the up side, the commonality of bolt-action weapons in that era means that mêlée weapons can be balanced and play a significant role in the game as opposed to being used as last resort or humiliation weapons. It would quite accurately reflect history, where a knife or a club could be wielded much more easily than a rifle.

But at the same time... EA. Stupid, blasted EA Games.

Please, DICE. Be strong and don't screw this up.

While we're on realism, by Larfen J. Stocke, esq on 2016-05-07 04:14:00 UTC Reply

They should also add a feature where, as your character stays in the game, they very slowly go insane, and eventually leave the war a broken shell of what they used to be.

Bonus points for whoever has the least PTSD at the end of the round!

But, really, I do wonder if one could do balanced and realistic tank gameplay.
From what I understand, it came down to complete luck that your tank would even start.
Doesn't sound too fun to me.
I suppose there's a 'Guns of Icarus' sort of thing crouching in the corner somewhere around that, but Guns of Icarus uses a whole lot of suspension of disbelief (hitting things with wrenches makes their damage worse, in my experience.)

Tank technology evolved greatly by the end of the war. by SeaTurtle on 2016-05-07 04:34:00 UTC Reply

For example, the French Renault FT was an excellent light tank that was considerably speedier and modern in design compared to its heavier counterparts. They were also quite mechanically reliable, too!

Though the PTSD might be going a smidgen too far.

Aww. by Larfen J. Stocke, esq on 2016-05-07 04:44:00 UTC Reply

It's kind of cute looking.

It's sort of unrelated, but that name reminds me of something beautiful I learnt about a few days ago.
The RP FLIP.

It is a research ship designed to turn 90 degrees in the water, and stand up.
It's one of the most stupid looking technological wonders I've seen in my life.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. by Larfen J. Stocke, esq on 2016-05-07 02:34:00 UTC Reply

There are many things to know about this game.
1. It is coming out in August.
2. It looks amazing.
3. I won't be able to play it because my laptop is rubbish.

Well, bugger.

I'll just watch the trailer again and squeal at all the cybernetics.
Aah Battlefield. by Storme Hawk on 2016-05-07 01:44:00 UTC Reply

It's been an age since I last played a Battlefield game, but I still listen to the theme sometimes because it's just that good.

I like how they're releasing Battlefield 1, like 10 years or so after Battlefield 2.

As to hype, Dawn of War III was recently officially announced. Hopefully the the game makes more sense than the trailer.

Oh, Battlefield 2, how I loved you. by SeaTurtle on 2016-05-07 03:38:00 UTC Reply

64-man Strike at Karkand Infantry-only all day, everyday. Those were the days...

I did see that Dawn of War III trailer. I'm sure this is just a hype trailer with no plot involved. It's there to feature glorious scenes of battle, chainswords, and the promise of a great upheaval.

I really hope the Imperial Guard show up again in an expansion or something. I love those guys!

If we're hyping video games... by Desdendelle on 2016-05-07 01:23:00 UTC Reply

I'm going to hype Stellaris, which is Paradox Interactive's latest grand strategy game... with a twist: it's IN SPACE!
Its release date is pretty close, too: May 9th; that is, this Monday!