The Art of Weapon Balance

Weapon balancing is a very important element to the first person shooter genre, to the point where it can either make or break a game. Despite this, many games seem to fail in this category, Some shooters typically offer just a couple weapons that dominate the entire arsenal, while the rest fall under them in terms of overall effectiveness. This is a really bad thing because it promotes mindless gameplay. Instead of forcing players to constantly think and adapt to each situation as they come by, the match often comes down to picking up one strong weapon and then easily blasting everyone away with no significant strategy or effort required. Where's the intellect in that? It's just brainless. With a game such as this, there's pretty much no strategy at all when it comes to choosing the right gun for the job.

Weapon balance is important because it brings a tactical element to the table. With a balanced arsenal, each weapon has its own unique set of pros and cons, as well as a certain situation where it dominates. This encourages players to use every weapon in the sandbox, rather than the whole game being centered on just a few. This design philosophy makes for an experience in which players have to constantly be on there toes 24/7. You have to use your mind at all times while playing the game, because if you aren't using the right weapon at the right time, your enemy will have a significant advantage over you. Another important part of weapon balance is to give each weapon a decently sized skill gap. If a weapon doesn't require much skill, this means you don't really have to try all that hard to score some kills once you have this weapon in your hands. There shouldn't be an easy way out like that, you should ALWAYS have to use skill to succeed, no matter what.

This is in stark contrast to something like Halo, where one weapon is always obviously better than another. Don't get me wrong, I like Halo, but this is a still a pretty major flaw when it comes to weapon design. You don't really have to think all that hard when choosing a gun in this game. With Halo, it pretty much just comes down to Rockets > Sniper > Shotgun > BR > AR. While this may be somewhat different for noobs (BR/Sniper does require some precision aiming), in a decently competitive match with intermediate to high level players, this is pretty much how the game goes.

I would much rather play a game with more strategic complexity, where every weapon is just as good as another in their own specific situation. The only reasonable exceptions to these rules should be starter weapons. They need to be a little weak because the player should be encouraged to move around the map and collect more weapons instead of just playing passively the entire damn time. Of course, there also needs to be a fine balance. A player should at least be able to defend himself a little bit, so the game isn't just a cheap mess of spawn kills. However, something like Rocket Launcher vs Battle Rifle in Halo is way too huge of a gap. If you have a BR and you encounter someone else with Rockets, you're pretty much fucked and there's NOTHING you can do about it, and that's bad.

I know I keep bringing up Halo, but this one of the best examples I can find in terms of how mindless a game can be when the weapons aren't properly balanced. Some fanboys try to argue that "If a weapon isn't overpowered, no one will fight for it." Bullshit. In Quake 3 Arena, for instance, none of the weapons are overpowered yet you always see people fighting for them on the map. It happens all the damn time. This is because in a game like this, each weapon dominates in their own situation. If you don't go around collecting each of the weapons, when a certain situation arises you may be at a severe disadvantage, simply because you don't have the right gun for the job. Players are highly encouraged to get every weapon on the map so they'll be properly equipped for each situation that arises. This right here proves that something on the map doesn't have to be overpowered for players to fight over it. Something can be perfectly balanced AND highly valuable at the same exact time, so the aforementioned fanboy argument is completely invalid.

To summarize this entry: A balanced arsenal is good because it requires players to adapt to situations and continuously strategize. An unbalanced arsenal is bad because it encourages mindless blasting and makes for an overall lack of strategy when it comes to choosing the right gun for the job.

To end off, here is a list of what I find to be the basic rules of weapon balance:

1. Every weapon has to be significantly useful in a certain situation.
2. Every on-map weapon has to be overall equally effective as the others.
3. Every weapon must require a decent amount of skill.
4. You should at least be able to defend yourself with your starting weapon, until you find a better gun that is. It should be somewhat weaker than the others, but not too drastically.

DOOM Review

Remember all the way back to the early 90s. There was one game that helped define the good side of the FPS genre. It may have not been the first shooter ever made (that honor goes to Wolfenstein 3D), but it's definitely one that initially popularized the FPS genre. This is probably one of (if not) the most revolutionary titles in the entire gaming industry. This is DOOM, and here is my review.

Presentation

Engine-wise, Doom is a step up from Wolfenstein 3D in just about every single conceivable aspect. Wolfenstein's engine is overly simplistic to the point where it just ruins the game. The game consisted of various block mazes without any support for diagnol walls or stairs, and the ceilings and floors were just plain colors. Doom's engine, on the other hand, supports angled walls, ceiling/floor textures, a level of verticality, and decent lighting effects via bright map, and although this may seem like basic stuff by today's standards, back in 1993 this was one of the most graphically advanced games of its time. Sure, technically it may have not been "true 3D", as characters and items are represented by 2D sprites, and the game lacks the ability for the player to look up or down, but remember this was way back in the day when we still had Microsoft DOS and Super Nintendo.

I really do enjoy the game's visuals when it comes down to the environments. It uses various, vivid colors while still being able to maintain a semi-haunted feel. The military bases look very "alien", as in something you wouldn't find on Earth, which actually does make a lot a sense when you consider the fact that the bases you explore are actually located on the two moons of Mars. The demon areas look very, well, demonic, for lack of a better word. Many demon areas feel very ancient and temple-like, which is a stark contrast to the military bases often outfitted with advanced technology and toxic waste canals. Most areas are able to easily stand out from one another with only a couple exceptions, meaning that when you get lost, it's usually your fault rather than it being typically due to repetitive layout and graphic design. which was the case with Wolf3D. Levels feel very vacant and empty despite the countless enemy hordes that you encounter, giving you a feeling of isolation. Seeing as you're one man army stranded in the depths of hell, it seems to work pretty well.

The game has a kickass soundtrack that really complements the fast-paced action. Background themes are heavily composed of electric guitar riffs, taking influence from various heavy metal bands like Metallica. Unlike many shooters these says where the music is completely forgettable, these tracks have very catchy melodies. The music department is an area where this game truly shines. It's actually one of my favorite video game soundtracks of all time, believe it or not. Ialso like some of the game's sound effects. All of the weapons have bone-crunching sound effects that bring chills down your spine. Each of the enemies also have pretty distinct sounds when it comes to spotting you and attacking, although for some reason they all share the same exact roars when damaged, but that's just a minor nitpick of mine. 

Story

The story of Doom is pretty much nonexistent, save for some text in the manual. The Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC) has been experimenting with teleportation on two of Mars' moons: Phobos and Deimos. The project goes horribly wrong and they accidentally open a portal to Hell. The Hellspawn invade and slaughter everyone there, now you're all that's left between them and Earth. Honestly I wish the game had a bit more narrative, but really that's just one of my nitpicks.

Gameplay

Doom is a fast-paced, up close and personal shooter with top-notch gunplay. Strafing is essential for dodging enemy projectiles, and cover is necessary for avoiding hitscan attacks. The game doesn't have sprint in the "conventional" sense as we know it today, because in Doom, you're able to move insanely fast while being super accurate at the same time. It doesn't have regenerating health either, meaning you really have to memorize the map and manage your resources for survival. The game heavily encourages map movement, because you simply aren't able to regen health by hiding in cover for eight seconds. The game doesn't really have any reloads either, and it's a good thing because it means there's really nothing to interrupt the flow of combat. All in all it's very fast-paced, high adrenaline gunplay that doesn't hold your hand.

Level design is semi-open and pretty non-linear when you compare it to the mindless, on-rail military shooters like COD. It's all very labyrinth-like. The game really emphasizes exploration, memory, and critical thinking in the majority of its levels. It's all designed with a pretty good sense of mystery, wonder, and intrigue. You're most likely going to be confused by some of the level layouts at first, but soon enough you'll be able to put the pieces together and you'll find yourself quite satisfied upon finding the level exit. Believe me, this game has some of the most intriguing level designs that I know of.

The main objective of each level is fairly simple: slaughter everything in sight and find the exit switch. Usually to reach the exit switch, you'll often need to collect various keycards that serve to open locked doors. Sometimes this results in occasional backtracking here and there (good backtracking mind you, as it always results in you reaching a whole new area). Personally I like to see more varied objectives in FPS, rather than it being the same thing every level, but seeing how this was one of the earliest first person shooters, it's highly forgivable, and despite the lack of variety in objectives, the game always manages to stay very, very fresh, and be very, very fun, so in all fairness, this is nothing more than a personal nitpick. The top-notch level design, as described above, is what keeps the game from going stale.

Weapons

Doom's arsenal may seem sort of lackluster and standard at first glance, but in all reality, the game has essentially defined many well-known staples of the genre. Overall, it's very centered on close quarters combat, yet also manages to be pretty diverse at the same time.

In the beginning, you start with two weapons: your bare fists as well as a shitty pistol. I'm gonna say it right now, the fists are pointless. Never use them. They deal the same low damage as the pistol and are quite obviously more limited when it comes to range. Even when you wish to conserve ammo, still don't use them. Your enemies will quickly mow you down with bullets, fireballs, and superior melee, and you simply won't have the chance to deal much damage. You even get a Chainsaw later on that hits 4x as fast, essentially replacing the fists as your goto melee weapon. Plain and simple, the fists suck. The Pistol really isn't all that great either with piss-poor damage and piss-poor firing speed, but it's still passable for taking down a couple lower-class enemies here and there, and it won't be long until you get your hands on a superior weapon.

The Shotgun is your general purpose weapon in the game, and you come across it very early on. It fires a tight horizontal spread of seven hitscan pellets, and packs a punch at closer ranges. This is quite possibly my favorite shotgun in video game history. Despite being weaker at longer ranges, it's still extremely useful at any distance, and can even serve as an improvised sniper rifle. It's main downside, however, comes in the form of a slow rate of fire, so it's important to use cover well and maintain the element of surprise while using this weapon. Throughout the lost Phobos moon base and the depths of Hell itself, this trusty boomstick is your best friend, and ultimate key to survival. Compared to other weapons, it has a distinct "shoot, sidestep, shoot" pattern, you don't have to worry about maintaining your accuracy while dodging, rather you shoot and strafe separately.

Next you get the Chaingun, which serves as the game's primary automatic weapon. It has less consistent accuracy than the Shotgun but it has a fast rate of fire with a wide spread. While the Shotgun is good for slaughtering foes one at a time or taking down a smaller group of enemies, the Chaingun is meant for those situations where an entire army is after you. While using this weapon, it's fairly important to fire in short bursts to conserve your ammo count, because this weapon burns through ammo FAST, and because of its extreme usefulness, you never really want to find yourself wasting bullets.

The Rocket Launcher is (quite obviously) an explosive projectile weapon. Very useful for taking down upper-class enemies, due to its high stopping power. With this weapon, you're going to want to lead ahead of your targets because the rockets move painfully slow. It's blast radius is relatively small for this type of weapon, so it's not really good for taking down several nooks at once, but the weapon has high damage capabilities on direct hit, which overall makes it a very useful weapon. The "reload time" (the delay between shots) is just around half a second, not fast enough to the point where it's overpowered, nor slow enough to the point where it's useless. Overall a very good weapon that you shouldn't pass up.

The Plasma Rifle (aka the Plasma Gun) is the first of two directed energy weapons you'll be using throughout the game. It's pretty powerful, is fully automatic, and has a high chance of stunning enemies. It's good against anything, really, from small groups of lower-class enemies and large demon armies to upper-class foes and even bosses. It's a very useful projectile weapon at mid range with only two downsides: the slower projectile speed and the cooldown animation that occurs after letting go of the trigger. It's really lackluster at long range despite its pinpoint accuracy, mostly due to its slow projectile speed, but despite these downsides, it's probably my favorite weapon to use, even slightly more so than the Shotgun. That stunning ability proves to be very useful. In multiplayer the weapon tends to be really good for area denial purposes due to its larger projectiles.

Last on our list is the BFG9000, also known as the Big Fucking Gun, or the Bio Force Gun if you ever watched the shitty movie adaptation. It has to charge up for around .8 seconds before firing, but man is this weapon so fucking beast. It generates a slow moving ball of green plasma that will explode on impact, able to clear out an entire room in one giant blast. After the initial explosion, there will be a series of invisible shockwaves generated from the point of impact, finishing off whatever's left standing. This is one powerful weapon, but always keep in mind that ammunition is rare. You want to make every shot count. Only use the weapon when you need it most, or you can just do what I do: save it for the boss battles.

All in all Doom's arsenal has heavily influenced the genre as a whole, popularizing many staples of FPS, such as shotguns, chainguns, rocket launchers, and energy weapons. For the most part, each of Doom's weapons are all equally awesome in their own special way.

Enemies

There are two different breeds of enemies that you'll encounter on this quest: your fellow soldiers that are possessed by Satan, and the evil hellspawn that wish to eat your soul. The enemy soldiers are individually weak but use hitscan bullets that are incredibly hard to dodge, thus requiring you to use cover effectively. The hellspawn are individually more powerful and use damaging melee attacks as well as plasma fireballs that can be dodged with good enough reflex. Enemy soldiers will drop ammo upon death, while the hellspawn do not.

There are two types of enemy soldiers: the Zombieman, and the Zombie Sergeant (I like to call him Sarge). The Zombiemen use weak rifles that fire pistol shots for some odd reason, and are the basic footsoldier you'll often be fighting throughout the game. It only takes a few pistol shots each to kill them. The Sergeants use a weaker variant of your Shotgun that fires three pellets rather than seven, and although they have the same exact low health as the Zombiemen, they're way more dangerous because they can quickly shave a load off your health. Always take the Sergeant(s) down first in any combat scenario, because their ranged attacks can't be dodged like fireballs.

The Hellspawn are way more varied overall. The first type you encounter is the Imp. They're somewhat tougher than human soldiers but not by much, and can still be slayed with a single shotgun blast to the face. Demons are the second kind you encounter. They have tougher armor and superior speed compared to the Imps, but can't send out fireballs like the latter. They are restricted to merely charging forward and eating the player's flesh. There is also the Spectre, which is simply a second variant of the Demon that utilizes partial invisibility. The Cacodemon is perhaps one of the more memorable enemies in Doom, owing to its unique appearance and round shape. It constantly flies around while launching fireballs at a moderate speed, and can take approximately six shotgun blasts to the face, with over twice the durability of a Demon. The Lost Souls are these flaming little skulls that wander around and will charge the player upon first sight, but are very, very weak and serve as nothing but a minor annoyance.

Doom also has bosses, including the Cyberdemon, the Spider Mastermind, and the Barons of Hell (who may also appear individually as mini-bosses). The Cyberdemon is encountered at the end of Episode 2, and uses an arm-mounted rocket launcher that deals massive damage upon direct hit. The best weapon to use against him (aside from the BFG) is the Plasma Rifle due to its high damage and stun, but in all honesty it's way more fun to use the Rocket Launcher because it turns the fight into an intense duel, rather than a one-sided engagement. The Spiderdemon uses hitscan Chainguns with explosive ammo, and honestly if you don't have the BFG by now, you're fucked. The Barons of Hell are encountered multiple times throughout the game, and although they're definitely weaker than the big two, they still pose a significant threat if you lack the Plasma Rifle or BFG9000.

The enemy selection in Doom is overall very memorable and diverse. The AI may be lacking of course, but the sheer numbers is enough to make you shiver. 

Multiplayer

Doom's multiplayer natively supports up to 4-player LAN in an all-out Deathmatch, as well as cooperative play. This is limited to the point where most gamers may want to stray away, but fear not my friend. There exists Zandronum, one of the many sourceports that can be played with Doom. This multiplayer modification serves to increase the player count and bring additional game modes to the table, such as Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Last Man Standing, Terminator (aka Halo's Juggernaut), and the works. By default the game does use damage randomizers, but there are server commands and mods that can be used to be disable them, for those who prefer more competitive gameplay.

The kill times in multiplayer seem to drag on a bit TOO long. While long kill times are essential for a good multiplayer FPS because it requires direct combat and prolonged accuracy, it's so long to the point where battles don't ever end and it just becomes stale. Maps are typically small and asymmetric, and coupled with the fast movement speed, I'd recommend this game for some smaller scale free for all matches with your buddies, for around 4 to 8 players.

Conclusion
In my opinion, Doom is one of the best first person shooters of all time, hands down. Fast paced close quarters combat, open-ended level design, highly versatile weapons, varied enemy classes, what's not to like? I only have but a few nitpicks: the lack of narrative, the lack of varied objectives, and the arsenal could've been just a BIT more distinct, but again, these are only nitpicks. The game is just AWESOME, and you should play it. Doom is a game that helped revolutionize the entire industry, and it's legacy is one that'll never be forgotten.

Rating: 9.7/10

DOOM 4 Weapon Idea

I feel that Doom 4 could definitely give us a couple new weapons for us to slaughter the demon horde with. I just came up with one particular concept for a new weapon that would easily fit into Doom 4's arsenal. I call it the Shredder (and no, not the one from Turok 2). It would function as a stylish replacement for the Chainsaw, being a handy melee weapon with a vertically rotating razor blade, allowing you to saw opponents.

Now how would this would differ from the normal chainsaw, you might be asking yourself. The weapon would have an alternate fire that would launch the blade out, slicing enemies that stand in its ways. Upon making contact with a wall, it would create a fairly small explosion on impact, and then split into two fragments, with each fragment splitting into two more upon hitting another wall, and finally each of those splitting again upon hitting yet another wall. After all of this occurs, the eight pieces would then disintegrate upon their next impact with any surface. It would be good for clearing out rooms filled with lesser enemies, and it would also lead to extreme chaos in multiplayer.

After you launch the razor blade out, another one will be loaded into the weapon after a brief delay. If you press the primary fire again before another blade is loaded into your weapon, you will be able to detonate the launched out razor blade during it's flight, dealing some light splash damage and immediately splitting it into eight.

Halo 5 Spartan Abilities

Halo 5 will feature "Spartan Abilities", which are default abilities that can be accessed by all players. Despite my ranting earlier, I decided to look more deeply into gameplay footage so I can make a proper analysis, rather than blindly hating the game for Sprint/ADS without even looking at how the different features are implemented. Below I will discuss my first impressions on each of the Spartan Abilities.

Thruster Pack
Serving as a quick boost of speed in any direction, the Thruster Pack seems to work great. I never once thought it would be a bad idea to implement this as a default ability, as it enhances strafing and also allows players to dodge incoming projectiles (rather than being helpless if a rocket is coming their way).

Ground Pound
At first I detested against players being able to one-shot-kill off spawn, but this move has quite some delay to it, meaning it might not be as overpowered as one would initially think. Players actually have a good amount of time to dodge incoming ground pounds. Not only this, but apparently it takes quite a bit of accuracy to line up your ground pounds, although I'll have to play it for myself before I'm able to confirm or deny this. The attack also deals some light splash damage, presumably in a shockwave effect.

Clamber
This ability lets you climb up ledges, and I'm not a fan of it for a couple reasons. My main gripe is that it takes away the emphasis on crouch-jumping. Anyone who's ever played a well-crafted ninja map knows what I'm talking about when it comes to the elite skill of crouch jumping. Of course I am exaggerating quite a bit, but regardless, crouch jumping is way more skillful compared to automated climbing. Whereas crouch jumping requires good timing as well as a nice place to jump from, clambering is simply a matter of getting close to a ledge and allowing the game to do the work for you. As I mentioned before, this ability can make the game feel a bit automated at times, which is my second problem with this.

Sprint
Sprinting is back, and while it may be somewhat more balanced than previous iterations in the series, it's still quite game-breaking at the same time. All players now have unlimited sprint, but cannot recharge energy shields while doing so. Although I appreciate the fact that players aren't able to cheat death as easily as they could in Halo 4, I feel that it still allows them to significantly delay it, simply because if you happen to be running away, your pursuers can't keep up with you AND shoot you at the same time, rather they have to choose between one or the other. It often results in many cat-and-mouse chases, destroying the game's flow completely. It's like a chase scene from a Kung Fu movie, but on a strict budget and getting in the way of the action, rather than enhancing it. I would've liked to see it removed as Thruster Pack seems like a nice replacement.

Slide
Whenever you reach the terminal velocity of a sprint, you're able to go into a slide via the crouch button. This makes you a smaller target, and can allow to quickly close the gap with enemies for a stylish shotgun kill. However, I feel this ability is redundant and should've been combined with the Thruster Pack, considering that both can be used for the same exact function with little to no difference.

Charge
As long as it's not 1sk or comes with too much knockback, I'm fine with it, although I'd like to see it combined with Thruster Pack: initiated by meleeing during a thrust, which in turn grants extra knockback to your punch, but not enough to be considered overpowered.

Smart Scope
The last but not least. Smart Scope, also known as ADS, is the most controversial new player ability in the game. However, I change my mind on this one after watching around 20 minutes of gameplay footage. It seems to be implemented like it was in Brutal Doom, rather than the shitty modern military shooters we all seem to identify this feature with. Here it essentially acts as a reskinned zoom, with no accuracy penalty to hip firing, no movement penalty to aiming, and it also comes with descope, which is good as it balances longer range combat and is not random like flinch was in Halo 4. Any weapon has the ability to Smart Scope, although some do it better than others (for instance, zooming with a BR is better than zooming with the AR). With the AR it seems to function just like the zoom in Quake 3, which is totally fine in my eyes. Overall it doesn't seem to change gameplay at all, only being an aesthetic difference to the traditional zooming from past installments. My only problem are the way the sights look themselves, especially on the BR/SMG, although this is a minor graphical complaint and as such does not really matter all that much.

Summary
Thruster Pack = Good
Ground Pound = Good
Clamber = Shit
Sprint = Shit
Slide = Good (but Redundant)
Charge = Good (but Redundant)
Smart Scope = Good

Overall = 5/7 (Meaning about 70% of these abilities are alright)

Super Castlevania IV = Overrated

Super Castlevania is a really exceptional game, however, sometimes I feel that it's kind of overrated compared to its predecessors (excluding Simon's Quest, that game was shit). With Castlevania IV, many fans look at things such as the improved air control, as well the ability to swing your whip in any direction, as the game's selling points. However, I disagree entirely and it really takes some of the fun out of the experience.

Castlevania, at it's core, is a game that was all about patience, timing, and planning. You weren't allowed to change direction in mid-air, simply because the game encouraged players to be patient and wait for the right time to jump. Whenever you died during a platforming section, it was often because you messed up on your timing. It wasn't the games fault that you fell into a bottomless pit, it was your fault for jumping too early or too late. While there's definitely some cheapness in the game (player knockback being extremely aggravating to me), the control wasn't necessarily bad. It was restricted for a reason, and that's because the game was all about timing. If you weren't patiently, you were penalized for it. Super Castlevania IV takes this entire aspect out of the game.

Not to mention that the sub-weapons are underpowered as fuck. You can use the whip for just about any situation because of its increased length, and the ability to swing in multiple directions. In the previous Castlevanias, the whip was designed to be less useful, which was for a good reason. This encouraged players to use their sub-weapons for situations that the whip isn't good for. And the funny thing is, in Super Castlevania IV there were certain parts of the game where they expected you to use a specific sub-weapon to clear the area, but the whip was so immensely overpowered that you have no need for the sub-weapons in the first place. All you ever had to do in that entire game was just spam the whip 24/7. Where's the strategy in that?

If they were going to put so much emphasis on the whip, the game should've been better designed around it. They had those grappling sections where you had to use the whip in order to swing from place to place, but aside from that, there were no other obstacles that allowed for cool, unique ways to use the whip. I would've liked to be able to lasso a small enemy with the whip and throw it as a projectile (like Super Mario Bros 2, but a bit more badass). What about being able to ride on ziplines? That would've been cool. How about a spin jump attack that uses the whip, sort of like Zero's double jump from the Mega Man X series? I feel that there were some serious missed opportunities.

Noob's Guide to Strafejumping

Strafejumping is probably the first skill I learned while playing the Quake series, because it comes at no self damage, and in actuality it's not all that hard to do.

Simply hold the forward key as well the left or right strafe key, all while continuously jumping. Now during these jumps, you must move the mouse toward the direction of the strafe key that is being used, which is essential for gaining maximum the speed and acceleration. It's also really good to alternate between the two strafe keys for every jump, this is yet another technique that will allow you to utilize the full power of strafejumping. Just be careful not to bump into any walls, or else friction will take into effect, thus slowing you down immensely.

Once you've mastered the basis of this technique in Quake 3, now it's time to move onto circlejumping, which is often used to begin a set of strafejumps. It's useful to gain a sudden burst of speed that, when combined with strafejumping, allows you to unleash your inner speed demon. Firstly, turn your character 90 degrees away from the direction you plan to move in. You then hold forward and either the left or right strafe key (depending on the direction you wish to take), while turning your character to face ahead. From that instant, begin your strafe jumping and you are all set. The 90 degree turn is essential for maximizing your starting acceleration.

Tutorial video is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOffE5_k2f0

Resident Evil and Survival Horror

Resident Evil is an example of an awesome game that essentially gave birth to its own genre, which we know today as Survival Horror. The stiff, clunky controls, the claustrophobic map design, and the individual strength of zombies were three core elements that made this game a classic. You were not a powerhouse by any means, you were a weak, frail human being in the midst of a dreaded zombie apocalypse.

My problem with modern Resident Evil is the sheer fact that it isn't Resident Evil. It's no more about avoiding confrontation and desperately trying to hold on for dear life, now it's just a generic action game with third person shooter mechanics. Now you can easily take on an entire zombie horde at a time, unlike classic Resident Evil where just two average zombie could prove to be a significant threat. Modern Resident Evil needs to buff the zombies, make the environments tighter and more claustrophobic, bring back the slower pace, and make ammunition less common, all so the series can be brought back to its roots as a survival horror game. 

One thing that has to go is zombies using guns. This isn't Gears of War. I don't mind Tyrants using heavy weaponry, but don't ever give a fully automatic assault rifle to the average zombie. It works for the Flood in Halo, but not for zombies in Resident Evil.

THE CENSORSHIP OF 343 INDUSTRIES

343 Industries has now proven themselves as a greasy, disloyal, money-milking corporation with no care for their fans, and no passion for the gaming industry. 

Around the past 24 hours there has been a leak displayed of Halo 5's multiplayer gaming, displaying Sprint and Aim Down Sights. Didn't the vast majority of the community vote against sprint? Didn't just about EVERYONE say "FUCK NO" to sprint? Yet they do it anyway ON PURPOSE to the displeasure of their fan base. Behavior such as this disgusts me, but it gets even worse.

They make the mistake, but they don't want to handle the consequences. My he forums has been in hell for the past day, fans outraged and criticizing 343i for their actions, I don't blame them. This is TWICE IN A ROW now. I forgave them for Halo 4 due to it being their first game but this draws the line. The company has temporarily banned hundreds of forums users for calling them out on their shit, Censorship at it's finest.

Thankfully I can get around their bullshit bans through some special tricks up my sleeve, but regardless, they are being unfair to their fan base, considering that THEY KNEW this was going to happen. I am currently thinking of beginning a massive Halo 5 boycott group, like the one they started for Left 4 Dead 2, but this one is guaranteed for success if I so choose to go through with it.

Later I'll post the image confirming my ban, I'll post the link to the leaked gameplay footage, and I'll also be citing my sources, but as of right now, I'm tired as shit. One thing I will have to say though, as a passionate competitive FPS gamer, I am disgusted. This kind of shit wants me to strangle myself in my own intestines.

Realism is the Enemy

One major problem with the modern military shooter (MMS), as I like to call it, is that they try so hard to be "realistic". Well...it's a fucking video game. Why? Why try to make it seem realistic if it's never going to BE REAL? The funny thing is, there are some gamers who believe that a shooter HAS TO BE realistic in order to be good. Why? Why this random requirement? It really makes no sense if you think about it. Since the game is in a virtual space and isn't going to be real under any circumstance,,,wouldn't want to focus on not being realistic? Wouldn't it be more fun to be able to do things that you can't in real life? Games allow for these opportunities, yet some stupid minded people like to dismiss any unrealistic game as being "bad". What the hell happened to creativity? I'd also like to mention that these dumbasses don't usually have a problem with Minecraft, Mario, or Street Fighter. So these genres are allowed to be unrealistic, but shooters can't be for some reason? Flawed logic. Realism is nothing but a restriction to creativity.

Redesigning Halo's AR

The two main problems with Halo 3-4's Assault Rifle is that (a) it's useless and (b) it requires little to no skill. This is my concept for a redesigned AR, which aims to correct these two problems.

Make it classic-style with a 60-round clip, but with little spread, rather its balancing factor would be high recoil (like the SMG's recoil on steroids), so it would be more about recoil management and continuously tracking targets rather than charging and spraying n' praying. It would kill faster than the BR but would be close to mid ranged focus (but somewhat longer range than previous ARs). It wouldn't be a starting weapon, rather that would be the BR's role. The AR would be more or less a reliable weapon for suppressive fire, very powerful with an insane rate of fire, it would have an insanely loud firing noise to intimidate foes. Essentially it would replace the SAW, and would function like an AR/SMG/SAW in one but neither overpowered nor underpowered. It would also have a grenade launcher that could send grenades farther and faster, utilized by pressing down the left trigger while holding the AR with the frags equipped. It would be extremely hard to hit with due to the increased bounciness, rewarding skilled players with its high damage output.

This design gears the AR toward defensive play and suppressive fire rather than mindless charging. It would be a pickup rather than a starting weapon, so it'd be entirely balanced out. Overall perfect idea for a redesign IMO. Let me know what you guys think in the comments, and feel free to follow/subscribe to the blog.

Why Sprint is Bad for Halo

Sprint supporters, I ask you to sit down and have an open mind, please listen to the entirety of this post. You will see why sprint is bad, and I'm sure you won't be able to find any positives to counter against my reasons. This isn't putting you down, this is so you will gain knowledge about competitive FPS. Here is a brief summary of my reasons as to why FPS sucks.

• They lower the base movement speed to compensate for lack of sprint, thus reducing gameplay emphasis on strafing (aka rapidly randomizing your movements to throw off your enemy's aim). Less strafing means the game is less skillful, thus taking away a lot of competitive depth.

• It allows players to run away more easily, pretty much delaying death. In classic Halo, retreating used to be about map knowledge, planning your routes, as well as using grenades to cover your tracks and hold off pursuers, but now you can just tap a button and go into a lengthy dash. If your enemy wants to chase you, they cannot shoot you while doing so.

• Halo used to also be about positioning, but nowadays you receive no consequence for how you choose to run into battle. It used to be strategic, now you aren't punished by death for bad positioning, even if you're playing mindlessly. In Halo 1-3, you couldn't get away with crap that you could in Halo 4, and it's because the classic games lacked sprint.

• Using sprint takes away your ability to participate in combat, so it doesn't really make the game faster-paced, rather this feature completely interrupts the action and destroys the flow of gameplay entirely. The FPS genre is one that is centered around combat. Mobility and combat should not go against each other, rather they should be intertwined.

• They made the maps larger to compensate for sprint, so it doesn't really help you travel faster.

• Sprint also runs out often, serving as a major pacebreaker, immediately killing all of your speed. this serves as another reason as to why it doesn't make the game fast paced.

Conclusion

343i, just bring back speed boost and have it come with sprint. This way it'll further encourage map control and give people what they want, without destroying the game. It does work fairly well as a pickup (I've tested it in Reach, and it's also been done that way on Promod). No matter what though, DO NOT bring it back as a starting ability.

Halo's Grenades

I am in love with Halo's grenades, especially in Halo 2/3 with the introduction of the Battle Rifle (BR). Not only are they useful for popping off an enemy's shields, allowing me to finish 'em with a quick shot to the head, they are also very useful for retreats. Whenever I'm fleeing an engagement, all I really need is a well-timed grenade bounce in order to delay or damage my pursuers. Having a problem with campers? Just chuck one or two grenades in there in order to weaken 'em, then finish the bastard off with your trusty BR. Don't forget about plasmas that stick to enemies.

All-in-all I like Halo's grenade system. It makes the game unique without breaking it. When some games like COD try to be unique, they usually tend to destroy themselves from the inside. What do you guys think about Halo's grenades? And do you prefer frags of plasma? Let me know in the comments below!

DOOM Doesn't Need an AR

I occasionally hear some people claim that apparently Vanilla DOOM "sucks" as it lacks a conventional assault rifle or other long-range weapon. A Combat Rifle is currently featured in Brutal DOOM as one of the two main weapons, used frequently alongside the Shotgun. It's very accurate and has a good rate of fire, making it pretty good for mid to long range combat, but personally I find it very unnecessary.

DOOM was always geared toward close quarters, which is particularly due to the main weapon, the Shotgun, being more powerful the closer you are to your target. It was all about getting into your enemy's face, blasting off a quick shot, and frantically dashing back into cover until the reload was finished. Now that whole element of gameplay is much less prevalent, at least is single player (due to slow enemies), because now you can simply keep sniping foes from a distance without ever needing to get up close and personal. At least it isn't as useful in multiplayer, because all your enemies are just as fast as you are.

I wouldn't mind the Combat Rifle as much if it wasn't as common as the Shotgun. If anything, the pistol should be brought back as the starting weapon, and you should acquire the Combat Rifle later down the road with a more limited ammo supply.

Clan Arena is Truly Awesome

Clan Arena (CA) is a gametype in Rocket Arena 3, a modification for the Quake 3 Arena, and is also found as a default gametype in Quake Live. This team-based gametype starts each player off with all core weapons, extra ammo, and full health/armor. It takes every item off of the map, even ammo and health pickups, so there is no way to improve your condition. Each player only has one life, and self-damage is removed.

I really like this gametype. I'm usually against anything that lacks on-map resources (as it takes away the gameplay element of map control), but something feels different in this gametype. It feels...even. Even more even than the standard Duel. Most games that lack map control tend to have some feature that destroys the even playing field, usually customizable classes. In the case of Clan Arena, however, the lack of map control actually enhances the experience. While I still prefer traditional FFA or CTF compared to this, I still really like this gametype, and it's somehow equally as good for competitive play as it is for casual play. On a side note, one thing I also really like about Clan Arena is that there is no self-damage, allowing you to perform rocketjumps and plasmaclimbs without hurting yourself in the process, although there's less of an incentive to do so, mainly due to the lack of on-map items, but hey, it's still pretty cool...I guess.

I typically like to play Clan Arena for warmups. What do you guys think about this gametype? Please let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear what you guys have to say.

Dueling in Quake: Aggressive vs. Defensive

Having learned from the skills of many professional players, including the likes of Fatal1ty, ZeRo4, Dkt, Rapha, Strenx, Evil, and Cypher, I know one thing when it comes to Duel: when to play defensively, and when to go full-on aggressive. If you want to learn a thing or two, please read the post below!

Defensive

Defensive play in Duel centers around fleeing and avoiding confrontation, all while trying to build up your gear. You should play defensively in three major situations: (a) when you have respawned after getting killed, (b) when you have survived a confrontation and lost a good portion of your health/armor in the process, and finally (c) when you have a significant point advantage and you want to avoid damage at all costs.

Aggressive

On the other hand, go fully aggressive when you have achieved full armor, so you can maintain map control and continuously frag your enemy. Use brute force to dominate the power positions, and constantly chase after the fleeing player to rack up some quick kills, allowing you to add to your point advantage or simply catch up to your opponent.

Quake Live Weapon Guide

Here is where you'll learn about each of Quake Live's core weapons (these do not include the BFG, HMG, or any of the TA weapons).

Gauntlet (Gaunt)

The standard-issue melee weapon. It's only really good for humiliating lesser skilled opponents, so I sincerely advise you not to use it for a competitive match. It deals 50 damage a hit, and there's not much else to say about it, other than the fact that your enemy will fly back upon getting hit.

Machinegun (MG)

Your starting weapon. Perfect sidearm and finisher. It deals 5dmg per shot (7dmg for HellHaus and VQ3 settings) and fires ten times a second, resulting in 50dmg a second (70 for HellHaus). It's hitscan, meaning that it can hit targets instantly at any range, but it also suffers from being overall weakest weapon in the game. It is really useful for cleaning up weakened and/or unarmored targets, and is also good for holding off enemies at mid-long range until you've managed to find a better weapon. Not to mention it also has low spread. However, you need to keep consistent aim on your targets to deal any damage.

Shotgun (SG)

A close range weapon that fires a powerful spread of multiple hitscan projectiles. It's the easiest weapon to hit with and the hardest weapon to dodge, but deals piss-poor damage at anything except point blank. Other than being the go-to guy for close quarters combat, it's also often considered to be a noob weapon due to the general lack of accuracy being required. But do not be fooled, as although it may be easier to hit with when compared to other weapons, it's not overall easy to use like a COD shotgun (due to Quake being much faster paced), not to mention it also has a very situational use during competitive matches. The weapon's reload time (aka the delay between shots) is exactly 1 second. 

To dodge the Shotgun, simply keep your distance, but always keep in mind that no matter how far you are, you're very likely to get hit by at least one pellet.

Grenade Launcher (GL)

Not really designed for direct combat, rather it's meant for covering your tracks and holding off enemies while retreating. It has similar damage and reload time when compared to the Rocket Launcher (which is described in next paragraph), but has a larger blast radius. It's projectiles are affected by gravity and do not explode on impact, rather they bounce off surfaces and take a moment to detonate. With Grenades, you can easily transform any chasm, hallway, or staircase into a complete deathtrap, which is perfect when you really need to delay your pursuers.

Rocket Launcher (RL)

A really good jack-of-all-trades weapon. It's actually the most powerful weapon in the core sandbox (minus the BFG, but that isn't included for competitive play). It deals 100 damage on direct hit, and up to 85 with splash damage. The weapon's reload time is exactly .8 seconds. The slow projectile speed requires you to lead your targets, so although it has 1sk potential, you need great skill to use it effectively. Typically I recommend that you aim around your target's feet so you'll hit them with the explosion. Aiming for a direct hit is usually a bad idea, as your enemy will typically be able dodge. 

You can also rocketjump by launching a rocket down at your feet as you jump; the explosion will enhance your upward acceleration, allowing you to reach greater distances at the cost of self-damage. The better your timing, the farther you'll go and the less damage you'll take in return. Rocketjumping takes quite a bit of practice to master, but doing so will allow you to have an easier time with traveling from place to place. I highly suggest practicing your rocketjump on Clan Arena (CA), as you start with full ammo and you take no self-damage.

To dodge the Rocket Launcher, first you must stay clear of nearby surfaces (except for the ground, of course). You must then try to stay on higher ground, as your enemy won't be able to make use of splash damage and the ledge will provide you with some great cover. If you can't get to higher ground, stay on your enemy's level and try to get some decent distance, The longer distance you are, the harder time your enemy will have with aiming at the floor around you. Also try to move in a figure-8 pattern, as this will constantly change your position for both the X and Y axes, thus making it harder for the enemy to hit you with splash damage. Keep in mind that you should never jump, because the enemy can easily aim where you're going to land.

Plasmagun (PG)

A rapid fire, high damage per second projectile weapon. It's perfect for spamming into tighter areas like halls and doorways, particularly due to its fast projectile speed, high rate of fire, and large "plasma balls" (yes I said it) making the weapon hard to dodge when your movement is restricted. It is, however, easy to dodge in more open areas, which is due to the fact that the weapon deals little to no splash damage, and also because of its super tiny blast radius. Really, this weapon should not be considered as an "explosive" under any circumstance, as it's explosive properties do not affect combat in the slightest, and only makes it good for trickjumps. It has the same exact firing rate as the MG, but is significantly more powerful, dealing 200 damage a second. There is one last tip for this weapon, and that is to lead your shots.

Plasmaclimbing uses Plasmagun knockback to propel your player upwards along a wall. To plasmaclimb, stand against a wall and look down at where the wall meets the floor. Jump as soon as you start firing the Plasmagun and hold down the forward key. Release the jump key as you take off. This technique requires a ton of practice and patience, even more so than rocketjumping. If you want to plasmaclimb sideways, all you have to do is adjust your aiming angle and continuously hold down the strafe keys, although you may want to learn the normal way first.

Lightning Gun

Also known as the master of mid-range, the Lightning Gun performs well in more open areas (in contrast to the PG) where your enemy would have an easier time dodging other weapons. It fires a continuous hitscan beam of electricity, dealing 6dmg every 50 milliseconds, making for a total of 120dmg per second. It can be perceived as weak, however it has extremely high knockback to compensate, making it perfect for area denial. The beam also has limited reach, so don't attempt to use it at long range.

Always keep in mind that the Lightning Gun has massive beam sway: this means that the beam will bend around when you turn while firing. The best way to compensate for beam sway is to simply aim with your movemeny as much as possible. Mirror your enemy's movements to keep your reticule on target. Now to dodge the Lightning Gun, all you have to do is move opposite to your attacker, so he will constantly turn in attempt to keep his aim on you, thus causing beam sway to kick into effect.

Railgun (RG)

This is the sniper of Quake. It delivers a powerful hitscan bolt of radiation, and has no spread whatsoever. A single shot deals 80dmg, but it comes with the longest reload time of any weapon in the game, amounting to 1.5 seconds. The weapon is also very useful against airborne targets, due to its pinpoint accuracy, hitscan properties, and high damage. It's also quite frequently used as a "hit n' run" weapon, as it's good for dealing quick damage in the middle of a retreat, with the reload time over by the time you pop out of cover again. While it may not be as useful as the other weapons at closer range, it's definitely the number one choice for long range combat, and for good reason.

The best way to dodge the Railgun is to first memorize the weapon's reload time. As soon as you know the weapon's about to fire, quickly jolt to the side to throw off the enemy's aim. While it may be harder to dodge than the Rocket Launcher, it's not impossible.

Quake Live Destroyed

id Software has released a patch for Quake Live not too long ago, essentially destroying the majority of the game. Thankfully Duel, CTF, and CA are mostly unaffected, and Pro subscribers are still able spawn custom servers with classic settings (allowing Quake Live to remain as my number 1 favorite FPS), but still, these changes are severely plaguing the game, and it is my duty as a passionate, competitive gamer and critic to personally let id Software know how bad they fucked up.

Loadouts

Oh yes they did. This is the addition I hate the most. It makes me want to rip out someone's intestines and strangle them with it. You can now choose two starting weapons: a primary and a secondary. Both categories consist of four different weapons. Primaries include the Heavy Machinegun (a new weapon), the Rocket Launcher, the Lightning Gun, and the Railgun, while Secondaries include the Machinegun, the Shotgun, the Plasmagun, and the Grenade Launcher. With this change, you no longer have to search for a good weapon at spawn, because you already start fully armed with your favorite gun.

Part of the skill in Quake is that when you spawn, you have to avoid confrontation, memorize weapon spawn locations, plan your routes, and know when to rush out of cover to get the weapon(s). Now that you spawn with a good weapon, there's really not much of a need to memorize the weapon spawns aside from the BFG on certain maps (which is now the only weapon you can't start with). Another way this ruins the game is that you are no longer penalized much for dying. Whenever you died in classic settings, you lost all of your weapons and you were then stuck with the shitty ass Machinegun, which only functioned well as a long-range finisher weapon and sidearm. This meant whenever you managed to kill someone, you'd also be slowing down your victim, as they would have to gather each of their weapon(s) all over again which takes some time to do. Here, death had more meaning. Now when you kill someone, they can easily jump straight back into combat and score some quick kills without any delay at all. It's stupid and makes Quake more mindless than it's ever been.

Heavy Machinegun (HMG)

This is an all-new weapon they added in this patch. It's essentially just a buffed-up Machinegun that fires every .75 seconds and deals 8 damage per shot, approximately dealing 112 damage per second (give or take 8 damage). It's borderline overpowered despite it's higher spread, and is way too powerful for a hitscan weapon. At least the LG sways when you turn while firing, restricting you to simply aiming with your movement. With the HMG you can just spray and pray without any strategy required. Not to mention it doesn't even have its own unique niche/role. Every role you can think of to give this weapon is already filled by another gun. I wouldn't even want it as an extra weapon for unranked servers, it's not even balanced enough for that. Personally, I'd rather have them just buff the MG to 7 damage per shot, for a total of 70 damage per second, to make it more useful in it's role without overpowering it (just like vanilla Quake 3).

Spawn Timers

Yes, you no longer have to memorize spawn times either. This goes for all "major" items, including yellow armor, red armor, powerups, etc. The game used to take a lot more skill when you had to memorize the spawn time and keep track of the timer in your head during all of the chaotic, fast-paced action. Need I say more? Without emphasis on memorization, you're taking away a huge chunk out of the skill gap.

Auto Bunnyhop

You can now hold space to continuously jump and gradually gain speed over time. The longer you keep jumping forward, the faster you go, with a maximum of 640ups (twice the standard running speed). This I don't really have much of a problem with, because it takes quite a while to gain any speed using this method. You'll always rather be strafejumping like the pros instead of auto-bunnyhopping like the noobs. The only situation where you'll want to auto-bunnyhop is when you don't know how to properly strafejump, which is why it isn't really a big deal for me.

Unified Ammo

Weapon-specific ammo boxes are now replaced with unified ammo boxes, which give you ammo for all of your weapons rather than just one. I have a couple problems with this. Firstly you no longer need to memorize ALL of the ammo spawns, rather all you need to do is keep coming back to the same one over and over again, seeing as it refills all of your weapons' ammo. There is no more need to move between different ammo spawns, rather you can just keep sitting at the same exact spot until your entire arsenal is completely refilled. There's way less incentive to move around, once you've collected all the weapons on the map. My second problem is that there are too many. If these items are going to supply so much ammo, there should be less of them around and the respawn time should be made longer. Overall it's not as big as a problem as the first three, but it's still a problem nonetheless.

Conclusion

These changes were made to make the game more accessible to newcomers, as id Software feared that beginners would get their asses kicked and leave the game. This is undeniably horrible. You see, I don't mind them making the game more accessible, but I don't want that getting in the way of competitive depth. A shooter without competitive depth is only a mere toy rather than a professional eSport, and the former isn't something that Quake should turn into. I personally hope they revert the update.

It's not like they HAVE to reduce the skill gap, rather there are simply better ways to go about making your gaming more accessible. Include CPMA bots, which had a wider set of difficulties compared to Vanilla Quake 3's (CPMA has 99 difficulties, VQ3/QL only has 5 and they're all completely dumbass to the point where a 6-year-old could actually put up a fight against the hardest one). I never grew up with Quake but when I started practicing against CPMA bots, I began doing halfway decent in standard matches. They should also improve the skill-matching so newbies aren't pitted against high-level players (lol problem easily solved). Last but not least, include some "newbie" servers for lower-ranking players, which would have a good portion of the lobby filled by bots, so there'd be easier kills for those who aren't yet skilled enough to kill average players. All of this would make the game more accessible without screwing over the core gameplay.

Later on, I'll also be starting competitive servers every Saturday/Sunday using the Turbo ruleset, with a 7dmg MG and no HMG to be found. Gametypes will usually consist of FFA, CTF, CA, and Duel, and will be named "CPM [gametype]". I'll post an announcement the first week these servers begin.

Guys, thank you for reading my blog. Please follow/subscribe and leave a comment to tell me what you think, all of this stuff really helps me out a lot. 

Regenerating Health, Good or Bad?

Despite a good amount of competitive games believing the oldschool medkit system is superior to regenerating health, I personally believe both ways have their own pros and cons, and that it ultimately depends on the pacing of the game as to whether or not regen health truly belongs. The following two paragraphs will further explain my reasoning.

Regenerating Health

In a slower-paced arena FPS such as Classic Halo or Unreal Tournament 2004, I feel that regenerating health would benefit these games more, as the slower movement speed would make the hunt for medkits extremely long, drawn out, and just plain aggravating, the former two being horrible traits for competitive play. Wouldn't it suck to have survived an enemy confrontation, and then having to slowly jog your way a couple miles to get to the nearest medkit? It'd be stupid and annoying. This is the main reason why I feel that regenerating health (or shields, whatever you want to call it) fits best with Halo's overall pace. This is also why I feel that Unreal 2K4 should've adopted regenerating health in a similar manner to Halo. As much as I liked Unreal Tournament 2004, I personally felt that the conventional medkit system really only served as a major pacebreaker. 

Some people say that regenerating health encourages camping, but this isn't always the case. Camping also has to do with poor map design. Look at Halo 2 compared to Reach, it was definitely harder to camp in the former, simply because the maps were better designed against it. With this system you also have to know the map well. You need to learn which areas have the best cover, and you also need to memorize all of the sight lines, while constantly keeping track of the enemy's positioning.

Non-Regen Health w/ Medkits

A speedy game like Quake or Classic Doom, on the other hand, seems to benefit more from the conventional medkit system. In these games, you move ridiculously fast, so the hunt to regain health doesn't take an eternity to finish. The way you have to rush for these medkits really seems to complement the insanely fast movement speed, and makes it so players are almost always moving. Not only that, but it also adds a great tactical element in that you have to know when to rush, and which route you're going to use. Mindlessly charging out into your enemy's line of sight will cause you to die when you're low on health, no doubt about that, rather you are encouraged to use patience, planning, timing, and map knowledge to your advantage. You must also memorize where the health spawns, and in Quake's case, you have to be pretty skilled at trick jumping in order to outrun your pursuer.