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DeadOfKnight
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Older FPS Titles

Mon Aug 26, 2013 2:46 pm

I've recently tried to get into some of the more critically acclaimed FPS games, specifically Deus Ex and System Shock 2, but I just can't get very far before I get fatigued by the extremely clunky controls. I've been spoiled by having all modern FPS games, including console ports, use basically the same control scheme. I find it odd that these games play so differently as my first introduction to the FPS genre was even older games like Doom (actually Chex Quest) and Half-Life. I must admit, I tried to get into Quake 3 as well but that game also introduced a lot of weird mechanics such as strafe and rocket jumping that I just couldn't get used to, but at least that game was very playable without them. I pretty much couldn't do any kind of stealth movements in Deus Ex without re-learning how to play that game, and run and gun is just not a viable playstyle unless you're really good. System Shock 2 just has a really messy control scheme in general, as Q and E are for peek, not strafe, and S is for crouch, not reverse, and then you gotta switch between modes to use the cursor for menus/interaction. I dunno, these games just play a bit weird for my liking. It is my understanding that these are very good games and may very well be worth the trouble of learning how to play them, but it just seems like a big headache to basically learn how to play from scratch when I can play 100 other games I already know how to play instead. Any advice on how to get over this?
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TheEmrys
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Re: Older FPS Titles

Mon Aug 26, 2013 3:16 pm

I don't know what you mean by "clunky controls." Going back to Spear of Destiny (first fps I played), the controls were all pretty much the same. Shoot, its because of the early use of the arrow keys that I still use the 10-key, but there have been a couple of different threads on that. If you just can't do the keypad/arrow keys, why not simply remap? I had to do this to play Skyrim, because all the 10-keys I use were "reserved."
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bthylafh
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Re: Older FPS Titles

Mon Aug 26, 2013 3:25 pm

Remapping would have been quicker than complaining about it. :wink:
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DeadOfKnight
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Re: Older FPS Titles

Mon Aug 26, 2013 4:00 pm

bthylafh wrote:
Remapping would have been quicker than complaining about it. :wink:

Well it's not just the way the keys are mapped, but that does help out quite a bit.

Heh, too busy focusing on the stuff I can't really change that I overlooked the things I can.

Thanks.
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puppetworx
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Re: Older FPS Titles

Mon Aug 26, 2013 4:20 pm

I had a similar experience with BioShock. Awesome reviews and reputation but when I first played it a few months back the game felt extremely clunky even when I remapped the controls. Honestly I think it's just the unpolished nature of an old game engine, I don't think there's really anything you can do.
 
PenGun
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Re: Older FPS Titles

Mon Aug 26, 2013 4:44 pm

Weird mechanics are strafing and rocket jumping? LOL.

Um strafing is sideways movement. You could think of it as dodge if that helps. If you cannot effortlessly strafe Q3 will be impossible, well against humans anyway. I actually have trouble understanding how you can play any FPS game without being able to effortlessly strafe.

Rocket jumping is a small test of skill and a lot of fun. I quit playing Q2 because of the accursed grapple which made rocket jumping useless. It' requires you to take some damage but not much if you get the timing right.
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DeadOfKnight
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Re: Older FPS Titles

Mon Aug 26, 2013 6:56 pm

PenGun wrote:
Weird mechanics are strafing and rocket jumping? LOL.

Um strafing is sideways movement. You could think of it as dodge if that helps. If you cannot effortlessly strafe Q3 will be impossible, well against humans anyway. I actually have trouble understanding how you can play any FPS game without being able to effortlessly strafe.

Rocket jumping is a small test of skill and a lot of fun. I quit playing Q2 because of the accursed grapple which made rocket jumping useless. It' requires you to take some damage but not much if you get the timing right.

I said strafe and rocket jumping, not strafing and rocket jumping. Strafe jumping is not so easy to get down; it's harder than rocket jumping. Strafing is easy.
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PenGun
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Re: Older FPS Titles

Mon Aug 26, 2013 10:08 pm

DeadOfKnight wrote:
PenGun wrote:
Weird mechanics are strafing and rocket jumping? LOL.

Um strafing is sideways movement. You could think of it as dodge if that helps. If you cannot effortlessly strafe Q3 will be impossible, well against humans anyway. I actually have trouble understanding how you can play any FPS game without being able to effortlessly strafe.

Rocket jumping is a small test of skill and a lot of fun. I quit playing Q2 because of the accursed grapple which made rocket jumping useless. It' requires you to take some damage but not much if you get the timing right.

I said strafe and rocket jumping, not strafing and rocket jumping. Strafe jumping is not so easy to get down; it's harder than rocket jumping. Strafing is easy.


Indeed, I misunderstood. Still I'm not sure I agree strafe jumping is harder than rocket jumping. Good minimum damage rocket jumping requires pretty fine timing.

I think you mean what I call bunny hopping, although many call it strafe jumping. It really came from Doom and Doom2 where using forward and strafe together was quite a bit faster than straight ahead, don't get me started on wall runs. Add hopping in Q2 and the damage was done. Never used it, you did not need to in Q3 anyway, being there always trumped running for the 'whatever'.
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NovusBogus
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Re: Older FPS Titles

Tue Aug 27, 2013 12:29 am

I feel your pain, though for me it's the graphics that block the enjoyment. There's this period from about 1999 to 2004 where the 3D visuals are at a very uncomfortable point in the uncanny valley, which is a real shame because that era contains some of the best first person games.

I use arrow keys so I've never had an issue with UI or controls, it all gets remapped no matter what the defaults are.

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