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Digital Gaming => Computer Gaming => Topic started by: MengJiao on April 23, 2020, 07:02:19 PM

Title: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: MengJiao on April 23, 2020, 07:02:19 PM
   Apparently something that happened with Battlefield V recently (only an announcement of some plan -- but in the AAA world apparently not only is the image crucial, but so is the image of the image and the hype of the hype) that is expected to be driving lots of BatV players to HLL.

   I suppose that is interesting and/or mysterious.  It seems especially mysterious to me since I hadn't even heard anything about BatV until people started talking about it in Post Scriptum.  Now, of course, I only hear about these things while waiting to die horribly in HLL.

   Actually, lots of things are news to me belatedly in the FPS world.  I only learned that HLL was getting more "toxic" when it was mentioned in HLL as I was waiting to die horribly.  I'm pretty bad at relative levels of toxicity; most FPS seem pretty toxic to me most of the time.

   So what's the deal with BatV?  No more plans to have more WWII settings?  Just 'nam is in the future?  Or fantasy future?

   PS: oh!  Its future is that it doesn't have much of a future:

https://www.pcgamer.com/battlefield-5-is-wrapping-up-but-theres-one-more-update-to-come/
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: al_infierno on April 23, 2020, 08:47:09 PM
I liked BFV but always felt there was potential to add more theaters and factions.  Even after adding the PTO, the game felt narrow and shallow even compared to previous games.  It's a shame won't get the Eastern Front.
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: MengJiao on April 23, 2020, 09:54:44 PM
Quote from: al_infierno on April 23, 2020, 08:47:09 PM
I liked BFV but always felt there was potential to add more theaters and factions.  Even after adding the PTO, the game felt narrow and shallow even compared to previous games.  It's a shame won't get the Eastern Front.

  It's odd, but people in HLL are already griping about inexperienced players coming in from BATV -- which probably is not actually happening yet if it ever will.
  We (the US Army side)lost the most recent battle partly because I pushed two attacks (as an overly aggressive SL, ie a corporal) that went way too far and gathered too much momentum.  We were way off balance when the counter-punch came -- but it definitely wasn't because of inexperienced players -- possibly just over-exuberant players.  Still there's a lesson in that all of some sort. 
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: al_infierno on April 23, 2020, 09:57:22 PM
I've actually had HLL in my Steam library for ages now, it feel like, but I've never tried it.  Maybe I should fire it up and give it a shot - dilute the skill pool just a little bit O0
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: Yskonyn on April 24, 2020, 01:17:48 AM
What is HLL? At first I took it as some internet slang for referring to Hell, and initially thought Meng's account was hacked by someone proclaiming hell and damnation inbound for BF5 players somehow. Lol!
It took me twice to read over before I reckoned HLL must be another game. :D
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: -budd- on April 24, 2020, 02:14:30 AM
Hell let loose
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: MengJiao on April 24, 2020, 06:21:51 AM
Quote from: al_infierno on April 23, 2020, 09:57:22 PM
I've actually had HLL in my Steam library for ages now, it feel like, but I've never tried it.  Maybe I should fire it up and give it a shot - dilute the skill pool just a little bit O0

  You should join up and not follow any squad leaders named Lloyd when they head off toward the distant end of the map.  I would say -- join the Germans since they seem a little more poised lately BUT on the US side you can lose by just a little (our exuberance made up for our excesses, I guess) and have a good time.
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: Apocalypse 31 on April 24, 2020, 06:49:04 AM
I dont own HLL but have played Squad for many years (side gripe: this game will never be finished)

Squad just feels empty and lifeless. For a game that FORCES teamwork, I haven't found many people that want to work as a team. In most cases, people are afraid to step up as Squad Leader. OR they would rather sit behind the line and play minecraft, building massive FOBs. Very few can rally their squad and attack the enemy.
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: MengJiao on April 24, 2020, 07:55:47 AM
Quote from: Apocalypse 31 on April 24, 2020, 06:49:04 AM
I dont own HLL but have played Squad for many years (side gripe: this game will never be finished)

Squad just feels empty and lifeless. For a game that FORCES teamwork, I haven't found many people that want to work as a team. In most cases, people are afraid to step up as Squad Leader. OR they would rather sit behind the line and play minecraft, building massive FOBs. Very few can rally their squad and attack the enemy.

The "squads" are really small in HLL -- six players -- which I think works well most of the time.  The "officer" ( = squadleader = corporal) can do a lot of useful things without being overloaded.  As noted above, my ralling and attacking last night  (it was great to see most of the squad storming a trench and then winning a firefight and then pushing on clear to the final objective) was fun but probably not what we needed to win against a well-played German team.
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: Father Ted on April 24, 2020, 11:52:03 AM
Quote from: MengJiao on April 23, 2020, 09:54:44 PM

  It's odd, but people in HLL are already griping about inexperienced players coming in from BATV
   -- but it definitely wasn't because of inexperienced players -- possibly just over-exuberant players.  Still there's a lesson in that all of some sort.

One thing I've learnt from playing these sorts of games is that a loss is never the vocal player's fault - it's always his noob team.
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: W8taminute on April 24, 2020, 01:35:20 PM
I like playing Heroes & Generals even though it's not as pretty as modern AAA titles. 

H&G is also very old school and the grind in leveling up your characters is very long but at the end of the day this game delivers a lot of joy both in the FPS gameplay and the role playing elements of creating and building characters.  It's also free to play, not pay to win, and pay to level up or unlock stuff faster is optional. 
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: MengJiao on April 24, 2020, 04:58:59 PM
Quote from: Father Ted on April 24, 2020, 11:52:03 AM
Quote from: MengJiao on April 23, 2020, 09:54:44 PM

  It's odd, but people in HLL are already griping about inexperienced players coming in from BATV
   -- but it definitely wasn't because of inexperienced players -- possibly just over-exuberant players.  Still there's a lesson in that all of some sort.

One thing I've learnt from playing these sorts of games is that a loss is never the vocal player's fault - it's always his noob team.

  Since I'm usually on the command channel and the US Army in HLL is pretty relaxed, I hear a lot of "Oh well...not bad for a bunch of noobs...it was very close" (which is often true) while seeing hyper-crazed lower-ranks typeing, typeing typing about how bad our team is (which is often true also).
And I sorta sympathize with everybody because I myself personally have never been very good at FPS for the most part -- though occasionally I have some nice streaks of being quite good.
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: MengJiao on April 24, 2020, 05:02:19 PM
Quote from: W8taminute on April 24, 2020, 01:35:20 PM
I like playing Heroes & Generals even though it's not as pretty as modern AAA titles. 

H&G is also very old school and the grind in leveling up your characters is very long but at the end of the day this game delivers a lot of joy both in the FPS gameplay and the role playing elements of creating and building characters.  It's also free to play, not pay to win, and pay to level up or unlock stuff faster is optional.

  I did play H& G for awhile, but even for my average FPS badness --  I was unusually bad at that game.  My best gambit was the machine-gun on a motorcycle ploy which occasionally worked for me which just shows how really bad I must have been.
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: W8taminute on April 24, 2020, 05:58:56 PM
Quote from: MengJiao on April 24, 2020, 05:02:19 PM
Quote from: W8taminute on April 24, 2020, 01:35:20 PM
I like playing Heroes & Generals even though it's not as pretty as modern AAA titles. 

H&G is also very old school and the grind in leveling up your characters is very long but at the end of the day this game delivers a lot of joy both in the FPS gameplay and the role playing elements of creating and building characters.  It's also free to play, not pay to win, and pay to level up or unlock stuff faster is optional.

  I did play H& G for awhile, but even for my average FPS badness --  I was unusually bad at that game.  My best gambit was the machine-gun on a motorcycle ploy which occasionally worked for me which just shows how really bad I must have been.

One of the keys to H&G is to not be afraid and get to the point.  Once there you usually will kill a couple of baddies until you get stopped.
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: MengJiao on April 25, 2020, 06:22:37 AM
Quote from: W8taminute on April 24, 2020, 05:58:56 PM
Quote from: MengJiao on April 24, 2020, 05:02:19 PM
Quote from: W8taminute on April 24, 2020, 01:35:20 PM
I like playing Heroes & Generals even though it's not as pretty as modern AAA titles. 

H&G is also very old school and the grind in leveling up your characters is very long but at the end of the day this game delivers a lot of joy both in the FPS gameplay and the role playing elements of creating and building characters.  It's also free to play, not pay to win, and pay to level up or unlock stuff faster is optional.

  I did play H& G for awhile, but even for my average FPS badness --  I was unusually bad at that game.  My best gambit was the machine-gun on a motorcycle ploy which occasionally worked for me which just shows how really bad I must have been.

One of the keys to H&G is to not be afraid and get to the point.  Once there you usually will kill a couple of baddies until you get stopped.

As usual, I don't remember what went wrong -- I only remember the times all went well. One possibility is that there wasn't much cover and that the terrain was kind of quirky and not very useful for me (for some reason).  By contrast, one thing I can usually do as a squad leader in HLL is to position my outpost (a spawn point for the squad) to use the terrain and relative location so that the squad and me can spawn safely, with lots of options for defense or getting into the battle.  I guess spawning in FPS is always a fraught topic and occasion and I like the moderately chaotic and contestable and destructable and ever-shifting spawn methods in HLL; I can occasionally even get them right.
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: Bardolph on April 25, 2020, 11:46:32 AM
Biggest struggle in HLL is getting the guys on your team to play the objectives, and to understand when and how to defend the ones you have.

I still lose most of the quick draw incidents, but I get plenty of kills playing smarter than the other guy.
I end up squad leading when no one else will do it, I play a lot of the support class for the same reason. When my brother is on we'll often form a two man squad with one of us doing support and just concentrate on getting supply nodes placed and putting up garrisons.

HLL is not perfect, but it has grown on me. And I like it way better than Post Scriptum or Squad. Probably still like ARMA the best but HLL gets me that WWII fix.
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: Jarhead0331 on April 26, 2020, 04:52:15 PM
This is pretty good.

Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: al_infierno on April 26, 2020, 05:02:29 PM
^ Holy shit, that was perfect.  Makes me wanna watch Downfall again...
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: Dammit Carl! on April 27, 2020, 07:19:32 AM
Wow.
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: Skoop on April 27, 2020, 10:42:59 AM
What makes HLL better than PS ?  Both games seem so similar.

I love the realism in PS, for playability I'd love to see some smaller high intensity maps that focus on quick combat, it's sucks to spend 15 mins traversing a map then die instantly.  Having a game mode that drops players right into telephone booth of a map would be great for perfecting skills.  I know it defeats the purpose of these games, but the combat is great in both these games and sometimes I just want to jump in for 30min and have at it with out spending so much time navigating a huge map. 
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: Gusington on April 27, 2020, 11:28:08 AM
'I'll see you on Call of Duty.'

HAHA
Title: Re: Mysteries of the FPS-world
Post by: MengJiao on April 27, 2020, 05:13:54 PM
Quote from: Skoop on April 27, 2020, 10:42:59 AM
What makes HLL better than PS ?  Both games seem so similar.

I love the realism in PS, for playability I'd love to see some smaller high intensity maps that focus on quick combat, it's sucks to spend 15 mins traversing a map then die instantly.  Having a game mode that drops players right into telephone booth of a map would be great for perfecting skills.  I know it defeats the purpose of these games, but the combat is great in both these games and sometimes I just want to jump in for 30min and have at it with out spending so much time navigating a huge map.

  I enjoyed Post scriptum for about a year, but I switched to HLL a few months ago for smaller, more atmospheric maps (roughly 2km by 2km or about one fourth the area of small PS map) and smaller squads.  I think you can actually get into action pretty fast in both games if you learn how to cope with the rather chaotic (but kind of useful and dynamic) deployment/spawn systems.  I haven't played PS lately but what I recall most fondly about it was that you could hit people at a satisfying range (even in trucks) with the standard Enfield Rifle.

   But, since I'm playing HLL these days, I should try to say some more definite good things about it:
1) the garrisons and outpost and engineering nexuses provide strong motivation for momentum and coordination -- if all goes well a battle can shift very quickly to the side that is using the "logistics" involved in all that while fighting well
2) But -- all things being equal and both sides messing up a bit -- battles can go on see-sawing dramatically for 90 minutes
3) There's a big update coming that should have a "ballistic" aspect to the tracking of hits (not to mention adding tracking possibilities for de-bugging and the isolation of possible cheating) and the apportionment of damage...so maybe I'll get more hits with the basic M1 rifle.
4) There's a big update coming with more vehicles (armored cars, jeeps, half-tracks and trucks)

I should add that there are plenty of things I miss about PS -- the most notable being mortars.  I don't see why there is division-level artillery within 2 kilometers of the other side's division-level artillery just sitting around in HLL.  PS 3 kinds of mortars.  Even a mid-range (80mm-ish) mortar depolyable like an AT gun by medics and Padres would be nice.  Or maybe a mortar half-track?