Games Discussion Thread

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

I did read what you said, but I still say, I am better with joysticks than mouse. That's how I am. Competitive or not.

And I'm not really going to bring in competitive tournaments into this discussion. I'm not good enough to be in one, nor will I ever be. Games for me are for fun, win or lose.

 

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

Accuracy isn't the same as competition. It's perfectly possible to have deeply competitive gameplay regardless of input method. While overall I can certainly agree that the mouse has got to be the best input method for shooters yet, I'd actually say that I'm personally more accurate aiming at speed using analogue sticks. Though faster at target acquisition with a mouse. Though that's really because I don't own many shooters on PC.

As I've said before when this subject has came up, when it comes to analogue sticks it depends and varies heavily with each game. Some screw it up royaly (Turok 4. Didn't use any analogue. On/off aiming.), some do ok (Halflife 2 port. Used analogue, but didn't make very good use of speed adjustment on holding the spin, felt twitchy on small movements and sluggish on full turns), and others truly understand the analogue stick and get it perfect. (Halo. Actually tracks not only the distance you've pushed the stick, but how quick you did it. Re invented the console shooter, and defined the basic control method for everything to come after it.)

If you'd ever seen the higher tiers of the MLG Tourneys for Halo3, you'd be excused for thinking they were using mice. The sensitivity settings they use and the precision they must have to control it like they do is scary. Whilst I'll still agree that the mouse is superior, I get the impression that your heavily underestimating well programmed analogue stick control.

[Edit- took far too long to click submit there, didn't see that]

Ok, I see what your saying there now. Though if you think that competitive gaming and big money tournaments are limited to the PC then your certainly missing a large part of the picture. It may certainly be dominant on PC, but it's definitely there and growing. As long as there are players available that are willing to take a game to ridiculous levels of skill in their chosen field, the input method really is irrelevant. No MLG Halo player is going to up and decide to start playing Unreal Tournament instead just because he might be able to make some macros. The amount of money or zeal competitors or sponsors are willing to put into a game has zero connection to platform, genre or input device.

Found this with a 30 second google. Article dated October 2007.

You must be registered to see the links

My brother also won a £200 runner up prize last year in a much smaller UK tourney. You don't want to try telling him that console controls are too slow/simple for competitive play, trust me.

 

[ToxicShock]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

I don't at all strike away the possibility that joysticks are more accurate for somebody, but I still can't see it myself. There just seems to be much more total control and usually easier sensitivity settings with a mouse, so I don't understand the joystick being better. I guess it could be, I just have no idea how.

 

[Newbie]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

I know I personally am more accurate with joysticks than a keyboard, and that I tend to end up somewhere just slightly up and to the left of whatever I was aiming with the mouse. I have never, and will likely never be, good enough to be considered pro at a given game. Generally on analog I'll run the sensitivity up to six or seven. I haven't really messed with the PC settings at all, maybe I'll give that a shot.

 

[Alias]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

I did read what you said, but I still say, I am better with joysticks than mouse. That's how I am. Competitive or not.

And I'm not really going to bring in competitive tournaments into this discussion. I'm not good enough to be in one, nor will I ever be. Games for me are for fun, win or lose.

That's fine but if you're not talking about professional gaming, then you don't fall under what I'm talking about in the first place. My original point, which most if not all of you seem to be missing, was speaking of a competitive, professional level of gaming, in counterpoint to Sponge's argument that the Wii is meant for only casual gaming. My point was, that's fine for me, personally, because if I ever wanted to game professionally, I would use a PC; thus, the Wii is the only console I would need.

@US: I certainly don't think that nobody runs tournaments on console games. But if you show me some sort of world championship that ran a game on a console, that had a PC version, and didn't have a separate tournament for the PC, I'll eat my words right here and now and never speak of it again.

Just clicked on that article, and yeah, they were solely running it for Xbox, and didn't run the PC version. Case in point.

edit oh haha i'm dumb. ok. case closed, alias is wrong, apparently consoles have become more competetive lately

 

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

Sadly the PC gaming market has been in decline for several years now. (Anyone know if that trend is still continuing or has it levelled out perhaps?) As far as I can see/attempt to predict, the scope of console tourneys is likely to exceed PC tourneys soon enough, simply through force of numbers in those interested in/eligible for them.

I kind of enjoy the cheeper PC game prices, and how quickly it can drop after that (FarCry1 brand new, for 50p anyone?), but I kind of worry whether we're already missing new PC titles because they aren't worth developing. And that aside, you can also see plenty of examples of games that were once PC exclusive, becoming multi format games and the PC version being treated as a half assed port rather than the original.

To quote my friends manual for the PC version of Operation Flashpoint 2, "Please do not remove your hard drive or memory unit during saving."

I mean honestly. '_'

 

[Incubus]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

I don't understand all you crazy people with your joystick accuracy in shooters.

But this is because I don't play much in the way of console shooters.

And yes, it is sad that PC is becoming the realm of half-assed ports that come out several months after it does on console in order to boost the console sales.

 

[Kusanagi]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

Given a good mouse and an appropriate surface to use it on, I'll always be more accurate with a mouse.

The nice thing about controllers, in my opinion, is that I can be consistently accurate with them, given that the controller isn't breaking/broken, due to the face that I don't NEED a surface to put the controller onto.


Personally, I love my consoles. Playing against someone over the internet is all well and good, but nothing beats sitting on the couch with a buddy or 3 and playing some co-op; or maybe you're a competitive bunch, and like versus, in which case it's always fun to have your opponent right there to mess with - like covering their eyes or messing with their controller, and as long as it's done in good fun, it leads to fun times for all.

And that is my biggest complaint about games nowadays: the serious lack of couch co-op. I know why they did it, but it's still bullshit.

 

[Alias]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

As far as the whole mouse vs joystick in accuracy goes, I do have to put out one last thought: Even for those of you that feel like you're more accurate with joysticks, when you consider ordinary browsing on your computer, would you rather use a mouse, or a joystick? No game, just regular surfing the web, or navigating through directories on your computer. Joystick or mouse?

 

[Newbie]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

Having used the web browser on the PS3 to watch giant youtube I can honestly say that yes I prefer the mouse for simple tasks. I suppose it's simply a matter of habit; I started on consoles and arcade cabinets, unwieldy joysticks and buttons, no options. I never had a gaming compy as a kid, it was always for schoolwork and whatnot. Literally the only games I will pick PC over console for are strategy, but I will make that choice every time.

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

As far as the whole mouse vs joystick in accuracy goes, I do have to put out one last thought: Even for those of you that feel like you're more accurate with joysticks, when you consider ordinary browsing on your computer, would you rather use a mouse, or a joystick? No game, just regular surfing the web, or navigating through directories on your computer. Joystick or mouse?

For surfing the web? Mouse. Shooters, still analogue sticks. It's not like I've never played shooters for the PC either. DooM3 and Return to Castle Wolfenstein were my video game crack back in the day.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

It depends on the type of shooter, methinks. For precision games like Counterstrike and CoD, a keyboard and mouse is a little better. For the more run and gun types of games like Halo and Doom, I'd say the superior turning speed of a joystick is a little better.

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

Bringing the conversation back to Dragon Age... again...
There's new content available. Leliana's Song it's called. It delves into the bard's back story, how she came into Ferelden, and got into the chantry and betrayed by her former mentor. I'm not sure how long it is as I've yet to actually beat it, but it's pretty good so far. The actress came back to do Leliana's voice again and every bit of dialogue you select she speaks. She does look quite different though. I was quite surprised. I miss her hair from the first game.

 

[DeMatt]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

For FPS's, yeah, keyboard + mouse is what I favour. Flight-sims, though... mouse is probably the WORST option. Either it's "move stick while mouse is moving", or it's "bind the mouse inside a box, and pretend the pointer is the top of the stick". The former results in ridiculous amounts of mouse movement. The latter results in me unable to fly in a straight line.

 

[Incubus]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

Ah, I'm reminded of learning BF1942 flight with mouse.

It was mostly me clawing to stay in the air for a long time. Surprisingly effective for dodging incoming fire, but makes lining up a bombing run difficult.

Last I played, I was able to bomb fairly well, but not dogfight. The people online are insanely good at dog-fighting. Also odd, dogfight is in my browser's dictionary, but not dogfighting.

 

[Kusanagi]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

I absolutely CANNOT dogfight while using a mouse. I can make some pretty epic dodges and escapes, but I can't aim worth shit. Give me a Joystick, however, and I'm AWESOME.
Well, okay, I'm decent, but I'm infinitely better than I was with a mouse.

Of course, thanks to Planetside, I'm better than I used to be, but I'm still total shit compared to most others.

 

[Unknown Squid]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

Curriously, if you gave me the web browser interface on the wall of a video game building, and I had to shoot the links and buttons using joysticks, I bet I'd do a lot better at that than trying to use joysticks to scroll a cursor along normally using sticks.

Though this talk of joysticks just made me realise how much I want to play a game again with a "real" joystick. A proper full size flight style one. I want to take another shot at the old X-Wing, see if I can earn the same medals my dad proudly displayed. Or maybe the full version of the original Crimson Skies demo I had. Hell, I could try Rogue Squadren again. That was meant to be a good game right? I never saw any of it since I was never able to get past the damned canyon training mission. -_-

(I was very young at the time ok...)

 

[Quartz]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

Usually when I'm looking to play a game with a joystick, IL-2 Sturmovik is the game of choice. Something about shooting down nazis in planes just never gets old. Okay, so usually it's more watching my plane flop around impotently after losing half a wing or something, but the point stands!

 

[Kusanagi]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

BLARGLE DRAGON AGE BLARGLE

New issue of Game Informer:

You may be controlling a different character in Dragon Age II, but the choices your Grey Warden made in Origins are still imported from your save and reflected in the world..... and the team at BioWare wants to make sure your decisions carry over - even if you want to play Dragon Age II on a different Platform. "We're not getting into specific details, but the goal will be to make it so that even if you played the first game on the PC and the second game on console, we'd be able to react to your choices," reveals executive director Mark Darrah. "Now, we'll see what Microsoft and Sony have to say about that." The team has an established canon if you start fresh.

Hawke's interactions unfold in a Mass Effect-like conversation system.

Also, there will be a little symbol in the center of the selection wheel to give you an idea of the choice's intent (angry, sarcastic, etc.)

You'll be able to change your appearance and class, but your race (Human) and origin are set in stone. This might seem like you're making less choices, but actually this means you're making more choices as you go, rather than right at the start.

Also like in Mass Effect, the player-character is voiced in this one.

From what I'm reading, it seems like there won't be a lot of traveling: instead, Hawke's story is being told by someone, so you'll pretty much jump from one important battle/conversation right to the next one, with transitional dialogue in-between.

Apparently a LOT of work went into the decisions your character makes this game. Also, you can be openly hostile with party members, and instead of leaving, you might get a combat bonus for them. The biggest thing is, they'll NEVER leave.

The classes are apparently going to be more varied from one another. It might lead to less skills/abilities, but the skills will get more depth. An example they gave is the Fireball spell for the Mage. Let's say you really like that spell. Apparently you'll be able to "enhance and customize" that spell to suit your liking.
Also, combination isn't limited to spell-casting now. An example they gave is of a Warrior using Sunder, and then a Rogue using Backstab, and that combo creates another effect.
AND ANOTHER THING. Apparently Spells have a chance to perform their own "finishing blow" animations now.

One more thing. Apparently the PC and Console versions are more different form each other in their approach to combat now. Where the PC version retains Origin's "pause" function, on the Console, spells/abilities will activate as soon as you press the button for them, allowing combat to be smoother and faster.

 

[Copper]

Re: Games Discussion Thread

Iiiiinteresting. What I also find interesting is that I went *today* to see if my local Gamestop had the August issue and they still had July. So either the store I went to is behind or someone's got a subscription *laughs*