Run and gun. Whenever it involves a multiplayer shooter, these words are usually what apply to them. It doesn't matter if it's Call of Duty, Battlefield, Killzone, or any other shooter out there, running and gunning seem to be how many gamer's play these games. While games like Socom and Americas Army took a more strategic approach to the digital Battlefield, Most players prefer the fast and frantic firefights of their counterparts.
I,like most gamer's, have played most of these games. And I admit that leveling up and unlocking weapons as I go was the most clever feature to include in a multiplayer shooter. But since these games hold an arcade feel to it, realism takes a back seat.
While the gameplay is still top notch, there are problems I seem to have when playing these games with other people. Mostly concerning the option of playing defensively over rushing the enemy every time I see one. And this is one trait that has caused a lot of arguments in between me and my friends.
This may not come as much of a shocker, but I prefer the three Modern Warfare games over Black ops 2. My main reason was the quality. I personally feel that the Modern Warfare games have a bit more quality over the Black ops games. I like Black ops because it has bot's for multiplayer modes, and comes in handy if you don't like playing with other people.
Modern warfare doesn't have that feature, but makes up for it with the same leveling and prestige as the online game. So that made it a natural choice whenever me and my friends decided to get together for a gaming session.
All usually seems normal at first: We chose the mode, which always turns out to be Free for all, modify our guns and killstreaks, and start the match.
Everything play's out like normal, until I take the defensive stance. That's when the accusations fly.
Before I go into detail what happens next, these are the settings for our multiplayer sessions:
.1 Fast health regeneration
.2 We only posses half of our normal life over the normal value.
.3 Time is unlimited
.4 100 kills
.5 Radar always on
I never figured out why my friends like to down our life meters to half of what we're supposed to have, but I got used to it after a while. The problem is that weapons kill much quicker. This is why i decided to play a bit more defensive.
The session
The map of preference is Dome. Since we were only three players, Dome is a small map that makes finding players a simple task without having to cover much ground. And with the radar always on, it becomes even easier.
Weapons don't matter. Sometimes we suggest the occasional sniper battle, but SMG's take the center stage.
The scenario play out's in this fashion: As the game starts, we start searching for each other. Since the radar is constant, it's just a matter of following the red dot around.
I manage to kill a few times, but the death's start to pile more than the kills. That's when I start to play defensively over the occasional run and gun.
Walking into a hallway, a few bullets whiz by me. I quickly duck back behind a wall, watching the red dot on my radar closely. As the dot moves in on my position, I already have my weapon ready. He tries to counter me and jump around the corner. That tactic fails as I predicate his next move correctly. I kill him and then move to another position as I see another enemy close to my position. And proceed to do the same.
After the 5th or 6th kill, the infamous accusation is thrown at me:
CAMPER!!!!!!!!
Despite the fact that I was only standing in the corner for about 3 seconds before he turned the corner, I get accused of this a lot. It doesn't matter if I was there for a split second, if I killed the guy while standing still, I was camping.
Ignoring their claims for the time being, I continue the strategy since it's working and I'm catching up. With each kill however, things start to get annoying, with my friends either tsking, or mumbling under their breath.
Things start to get tense when my friend has the nerve to ask : Do you do anything else but camp?This annoyed me, since I knew that camping meant staying in ONE spot for the whole game. I was moving from place to place depending on the situation, and posting myself accordingly. I looked at him and asked:
Do you do anything else but complain?
This was where the tension really started, While he was complaining about my so-called "camping" habits, I told him to stop complaining over the fact I was OUTSMARTING him.
The session ended sooner since I just put down the controller and left. And later that night, I reviewed what had happened.
Defense over offense
Whenever I play a FPS, I usually pace myself and try to find the situation that would give me the high ground over the enemy. And the main reason I don't run and gun that much is because I usually end up dead.
If I was camping, I would have remained at one spot for the duration of the game. But I didn't. Instead, I watched the radar, watched the enemy dots, and found a location that gave me the advantage.
And it's the one thing I play by: Engage the enemy when it's to my advantage. If I try to run and gun to much,I might as well put a "free kill" sign on my back.
I'm pretty good at taking covering to. In all truth, my friend is really good at the game, so he spots me before I even knew he was there. So I keep myself close to cover. And if he shoots and me and hits me, or the bullets miss and I still can't see him, I can duck back into safety. I guess that's what annoys them the most. I like to outsmart them. Nothing is more satisfying than catching my friends off guard or foiling a plan. When it does happen, I get a bad look. But I just smile back and say:
Problem?
Jokes aside, The usual problem I have is their complaining. If I was online, it wouldn't be a problem. Just press the mute button and be done with it. But what happens when your sitting next to each other? The answer is simple: you have to listen to every single complaint. Similar to a teacher who likes to criticize even though you obviously got the answer right.
One or two complaints usually slide without any other than the cold shoulder. But when it happens with every kill, then your asking me to throw the controller in your face.
You see Di5a5terp13ce, this is your weakness. When playing games like this, players will do anything to get in your head or throw you off your concentration.This includes insults and excuses as to why you killed them.It's in situations like these you have to block out whatever the other players are saying. When playing fast paced games like Call of Duty,most gamer's are usually used to responding with reflexes over a good defense plan. Those who use their minds over their reflexes are sometimes shunned or accused of cheating when they haven't. This is the situation with your friend. The best thing to do is ignore him and continue to play to your advantages not him.
My other reason is that I like to have a plan. Is the enemy aware of my presence? Is he distracted enough for me to assault him? Or is it best to just stay put and wait for him to come to me?
I like to wait because it gives me time to react. Things in Call of Duty get frantic and I sometimes do not have time to react to the events that are happening around me.
By observing the battlefield, I should have a better understanding on how to react when someone charges me.
Playing conservative is not cheating
No matter what my friend says, playing conservatively isn't cheating. And I think that they do not like being outsmarted. I realized that running and gunning wasn't working for me. So I asked myself: How can I play or what can I do that will give me an advantage? Turns out one of them was paying close attention to the radar.
Whenever you play a game, it's up to you how you decide to play it. And if someone can't take the heat, then they should just go play something else. And I bet there are plenty of gamers who can relate to this story.
I don't play conservative to cheat or to annoy anyone. I play that way because it works best for me. I don't camp either, but if the situation call's for it, then so be it.
Because, at the end of the day, sometimes a good offense is a really good defense....
Question: Have you ever had similar experience while playing split screen with your friends?