Breaking my MP Cherry

posted by papi blez

Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 03:08:09 PM EST

I've been so obsessed with finishing Gears 2 single player and playing Horde that I'd honestly hardly touched any MP.  That all changed on Friday night.  I got on around 8:15 and folks were already playing Horde so I killed time until folks switched over.  We played some Execution and the MP of Gears 2 feels like an entirely new game.  It really doesn't feel like Gears 1 at all outside of the cover element.  

And you know what, I'm not 100 percent sure that I like all of the changes.  There are things I love about it.  For example, I was able to kill someone from the grave with a planted grenade.  That's pretty freaking cool.  Oddly enough one of my bigger complaints with Gears 2 is the overpowered nature of the nades.  I HATED nade spam in COD4 and it was one of the reasons why I think that I gave up on that game.  I was tired of the folks with the three nade perk who would just spam an entire area.

  • ::

Well, first of all the smoke grenades have a ridiculously large blast radius.  I thought I was in the clear multiple times and the smoke nade would still knock me down which almost always means certain death with the new power of the Lancer and Hammerburst.  I remember on several maps just seeing nades raining everywhere.  I'm also not crazy with how the poison grenade works either.  For a game that preaches about the importance of cover, a well-placed poison nade basically can render one whole area unusable in terms of cover.

But my biggest issue is definitely how powerful the smoke grenade is.  It can completely change the dynamic of a one on one situation.  I might come to love it later on once I get used to it.  But right now, it's obnoxious.

The other thing I noticed is that essentially the grenades blow up as soon as they land on the ground whereas in Gears 1 there was a delay.  I remember one time Blank threw a nade that appear to blow up on impact.  I saw it coming and figured I'd just move once it landed but it blew up like it had been cooked or something.  Weird.

So still for now, I think I love Horde more than anything else about Gears 2.  I'll need more practice at MP for sure.  I remember when I first started playing Gears 1 that it took me a while to really figure out the maps and strategies, etc.  And I know a lot of you have been playing a hell of a lot of MP since the game was released and I'll be curious to see how you guys feel about the nades.  

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this up, but I've been out and about almost all weekend.  We're putting up the old Christmas lights on the house today.


Tags: friday night fragfest recap, gears of war 2, grenade spamming, smoke OUT (all tags)

Comments Disabled | 74 comments

  •  Many of us that hosted rooms during this... (none / 0)

    week's FFF switched back to turning friendly-fire on.  That significantly reduced the smoke grenade spamming.  As I posted in the "Degrees Diary," there was a moment when Really Doe commented that he was surprised that he still had a smoke grenade left during his 'Sudden Death' stand-off.  When you are now responsible for your teammates' demise, people tend not to reach for their grenades first.  I agree that the blast radius needs to be dialed back a bit.  However, another frustrating thing is that people that dive roll while roadie running are moving faster than ones that just roadie running needs to be addressed by Epic.  It's ridiculous that even running isn't at the same level for everyone.  When they reach a position or power weapon eons before you do, the balance is gimped.  

    On Saturday, I grabbed a couple of Public games with Really Doe, aamato, Degrees, and GearsChrisB and it was some of the crappiest experiences that I've had with Gears 2.  The amount of cheating that goes on in there is ridiculous. The shield glitch, no stopping power, weapon-sliding, crab-walking, etc. were all on prominent display.  We beat most of them fair and square, but the lack on conscience of Public Match players is disheartening.  Everybody thinks that they have to cheat because everyone else is doing it.  Well, I can definitely say that Gearheads beats people through skill, not by glitching.  That makes the victory even sweeter.  We must have filed over eight to ten complaints over three Public matches because the cheating was that ridiculous.  

    Friends don't let friends two-piece.

    by Blankman on Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 04:26:00 PM EST

    •  Man (none / 0)

      if anyone wonders why I never go into public matches, well, there's your answer.  LOL

      I completely forgot about the roll issue which led to aamato getting to the power weapon every, single freaking time on Gridlock.  I mean folks like aamato and infidel are good enough without having an advantage on getting to the best weapons first.

      One thing I will say is that I was surprised that aiming and shooting with the shotgun seemed to work really well whereas it was better to not aim in Gears 1.

      by papi blez on Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 04:39:21 PM EST

      [ Parent ]

      •  if you do not aim (none / 0)

        a majority of your bullets will end up hitting your toes. Now I understand that the shotgun is slightly pointed down, but a trajectory of a bullet launched at a high velocity just does not follow that path. I loved the blind fire in gears 1, and I don't really like how shotgun battles have become an aim-fest where basically the first person to fire will end up winning.

        Also, with the reduction of the spread of the bullets on the shotgun, two piecing has become a national phenom.

        I have no problem with poison nades because they do not really do much for me, but the almost spontaneous explosion of the grenades has caused me at times to just stop playing. I think that nades on walls should at least have a slightly longer timer.

        by Noobpancake on Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 05:59:48 PM EST

        [ Parent ]

    •  Yes, the rolling (none / 0)

      needs to be slowed or shortened or both, so that you are at a disadvantage if you roll or use cover to get to the target.  Otherwise, it is more ridiculous than everyone one jumping around like bunnies in other games, to bring Cliff's quote home to him. It is an exploit, and it needs to be fixed.

      All that is gold does not glitter.

      by 3Suns on Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 08:53:17 PM EST

      [ Parent ]

      •  honestly (none / 0)

        Rolling should be faster than running, if two people run for something and one of them dives for it, that one gets it. Rolling doesn't give certain people an advantage, everyone can do it, it is no special move. That's like saying you should remove the snipe since not everyone is an accurate shot with it. Now there is strategy to how you move as well. Almost every addition to Gears 2 has added an extra demension of strategy or depth. Grenades now have strategic uses, shotguns must be used with skill instead of blind fire luck... most of the changes simply mean you have to put more effort into using them correctly. You now have more ways to grow your skills and they take practice. The only thing I think is broken honestly is the chainsaw, since the loading screen still says getting shot should lower it. Well maybe that, and the fact that after using the mortar up, I end up with no weapons in my hands half the time :)

        BluePhaze

        by BluePhaze on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 10:56:50 PM EST

        [ Parent ]

        •  I would like to race you (none / 0)

          Ill run you run and dive and lets see who wins.

          Oct 21/08 Nov 7/08

          by carr on Tue Dec 02, 2008 at 01:34:16 AM EST

          [ Parent ]

          •  Blue, I understand where you (none / 0)

            are coming from.  I really enjoy watching players like Gacky, Zoso, and rED move, because they do it so well, it looks like a ballet (but what a manly ballet would look like if it had saws and blood).  So, I understand the idea of a timely slide into cover here, and slip over to the side there, and even the occasional roll.  However, rolling here and there as as a form of locomotion to a different location is ridiculous both in appearance and in analogy.

            I am glad to hear that you have found a way past the grenade spam. You must just sit back and let everyone shoot their wad.  And then get them when they think you are like them, without grenades and breathless.  LOL

            All that is gold does not glitter.

            by 3Suns on Tue Dec 02, 2008 at 04:07:14 AM EST

            [ Parent ]

  •  Sorry i couldn't make it (none / 0)

    Steph played Fable for a bit because i got really sick! :(

    I agree with you about the smoke grenades. Bad design choice.

    Not all who wander are lost

    by Zoso Fan on Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 04:36:44 PM EST

  •  One thing I've found is (none / 0)

    the blast radius on the Mortor is crazy as well. I got hit under roofs by something landing 10ft away more than once. Maybe it's just me but I found that annoying as well. One thing I'm liking more is the shotty. I've gotten use to using it from the hip and played a public Horde match the other day and took down 5 locust in a row when I was the only one left and they rushed me. I didn't have time to aim but I found it pretty accurate once I use it enough.

    by Windowlicker77 on Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 05:23:43 PM EST

  •  I'm (none / 0)

    honestly going to return the game if they dont fix all the broken shit in this game. The MP imo, is NO fun at all. I'll have no problem going back to the first game if I have to. If they dont fix the blast radius for grenades, and tweak the stopping power a little bit, I wont hesitate one bit to return this game. I've had more fun in the 1st one compared to this one so far.

    IMG tags STILL arent allowed..

    by RoBBins0096 on Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 05:50:39 PM EST

  •  it's gears 2 (none / 0)

    get used to it.

    PSN GamerTag : Gaming_Colt

    by GamingColt on Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 05:57:30 PM EST

  •  the gernades were (none / 0)

    a terrible choice to put in the game. If they had to include them at least make it so you have to pick then up not start off with them. Also the meleeing is ridiculous you can dominate matches by just two piecing. The shotgun is broken they need to fix the blindiring it shouldn't shoot right to the ground. You can tell its a glitch because when you are host you can blindfire and be successful.  The netcoding is still broken in gears they did not do enough to fix the lag. There is still a very noticeable host advantage in the game. The game is still fun, but EPIC has a lot to fix in the upcoming patches. I really hope they concentrate on balancing the game rather then making new maps.

    by amato18 on Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 05:58:52 PM EST

  •  the shield glitch is (none / 0)

    way out of control, and the speed glitch for lack of a better description(acts like flash on meth).

    ive never filed complaint til yesterday, it truly enrages me.

    gameplay is great within our tribe, but out there in the public domain, bunch of savages i tell you

    ...and then it came to pass and rock and roll was born

    by DEGREES OF FREEDOM on Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 06:56:24 PM EST

  •  My thoughts. (none / 0)

    I have played only about a match an a half of public, so I cannot comment on that situation.  Here are my thoughts on the gameplay, weapon interactions, and movement in Gears 2 in private rooms.

    Smoke grenades in Gears 1 are available to be used as a tactical weapon to get out of a tight spot, or to sneak up on someone.  In Gears 2, because the stun is so effective, people use the smoke grenades for their stun, and not for the subterfuge that they could provide. Stun grenades and proximity mines are both excellent additions to the arsenal in a game like Gears, but how they were implemented is unfortunate. At the very least, perhaps smokes should only have the stun effect when planted as a proximity mine.  

    FF ON takes care of a big part of the problem of spamming.  It also just generally slows gameplay down and removes some of the chaos, so that the gameplay feels more like what we liked about Gears 1.

    The blast radius is too large on all grenades, though I don't want Epic to nerf them.  Just tweak it a teeny, tiny bit. It is a grenade and it should both be devastating and people should be able to take cover (and they can). I love it when a smoke or frag blows up right on the other side of my cover and I am completely unaffected.  That is how it should be.  The cover works beautifully. Also, I like the addition of the poison grenade.  I like that it can be used to force people out of cover, or render an area temporarily impassible.

    The shotgun.  I like that you have to aim it, and that it actually has effect on enemies more than 3 virtual feet away.  It is much more like a real shotgun now. You HAVE to get into cover quick when someone is shooting at you with that thing, even from far away.  I am not very good at wielding it yet, but I look forward to when I can. Also, I like the fact that if you try to shoot while running, it shoots down.

    The melee is too powerful.  Having played Gears 1 for over a year now without melee, I don't want to go back in any form.  Melee should be toggle-able: on or off, that is all.  The developers can make it as strong or weak as they like.  Give me the option to just turn the dang thing off.  End of story.

    The saw is also much improved as regards the hoover effect and the angle at which you can suck people in.  Now, you almost have to be directly facing the enemy before the saw will engage.  Countless times I have had my "aim" off just a little, and whereas in Gears 1, I would have had a saw suck, in Gears 2, the dood ran right by me and then turned and sawed me instead.  This is a complete fix of what was broken for Gears 1, in my opinion. What is still broken, however, is the fact that a point blank shot with the shotgun does NOT bring the saw down 9 times out of 10.  (papi, I believe what you are saying.  I just think that 1. either you happened to get a couple of unusual instances where the shotgun actually did bring your saw down, or 2. most likely, you (like I) are not yet used to the narrow zone in which you can pull off the saw kill.  Please see my illustration below of the change in Hoover Effect.

     Here is the link for the full image.

    The Mortar is awesome, probably the best new weapon in any game ever.  Haven't played with it enough to notice wacky splash damage, but I love the fact that it takes so long before the shell comes down.  With FF On, you really need to communicate and use it wisely.  Tremendously fun!

    The Boomshot is much improved.  Whereas before, it was an advantage to be holding a loaded Boom, now it is almost a guarantee of at least one kill.  There are bugs, however.  I had 2 rounds in my Boom and it simply wouldn't fire them.  I Pulled the trigger on several occasions for some great potential kills and nothing happened.  The gun wouldn't fire.  In the meantime, I got killed.  It is a bug.

    The sensitivity settings are screwed.  In Gears 1, Medium was perfect.  In Gears 2, I need something between Medium and High.  rant: It really pisses me off when developers DON'T give us more options.  Sensitivity settings should be analog on sliders.  They treat us like idiots who don't know what we want.  /rant

    The more I play Gears 2 MP, the more I like it. Until the spamming issue is taken care of, however, FF must be switched ON.  

    All that is gold does not glitter.

    by 3Suns on Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 07:43:29 PM EST

    •  Excellent thoughts, Suns (none / 0)

      You should put it in a diary.

      by papi blez on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 12:48:01 AM EST

      [ Parent ]

    •  another bug I've noticed (none / 0)

      well maybe two, is where you'll start without a gun in your hands and be unable to roadie run/dive, but if you switch into a gun and then melee it usually clears itself up.

      The other is the one where it looks like you're just running really fast and your character is kind of stuttering, but on everyone elses screen you're crab walking and when you shoot no bullets come out.

      Both of these I've only encountered at the beginning of the round, and only the 2nd one is really game breaking

      and i don't mind the blast radius size of the ink grenade, because right now, it does its job, temporarily blocks off an area, and the damage it does is equivalent to that of the gas area of Garden in gears 1.

      The smoke grenade radius should be toned down but, I think the actual down time / stun capacity should be limited to how close you are to the grenade rewarding people like Grymm who can toss grenades like nobody's business. So if the grenade is right between your legs it should down you like it does now, but the further you get away from it, maybe your character flinches or covers his face (while still moving mind you, just not able to shoot).

      The same principle should be added to the frag grenade, reduce the damage the further you get away from it, and give it the possibility to down you instead of insta-gibbing you.

      phew, thats a lot of text for me haha.

      by BoxinLeprechaun on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 12:59:34 AM EST

      [ Parent ]

  •  Y i hate gears 2 mp (none / 0)

    Wingman- Very awesome idea poorly excuted. First there should be no power weapons on maps when playing wingman. Half the maps people start on bow or boom and win everytime including myself but it is still just ridiculous.

    Gernades- Smoke gernades ruined the game totally i get beat by some loser who camps in a room with smoke gernades around him ready to chainsaw. The blast radius is the most inconsistant thing ive ever seen. One time i wont get knocked down being 5 ft away other times ill be 20 ft away around a wall and get thrown to the ground. Also when you get knocked down the time you are knocked down is so inconsitant also. Poison gernades whats the point...
    O and to fix the campers with frag gernades how about just spawning them once per round not every 30 secs.

    As for the chainsaw ill deal with it but im goin to abuse the crap out of it until it is fixed i have 500 chainsaw kills in 20 hours of mp and i had about 200 in a year of playing gears1 what does that tell u?

    Lag central- jesus at least when i got to pick who i wanted to play with in gears 1 i could pick someone who didnt lag alot. Every game i lag so much its not even fun. Cliff host advantage is supposed to be gone? yea right who the hell do u play with that is so bad.

    Ok and one last thing. Whoever made the ranking system must be retarded. Cause it doesnt work i dont care what anyone says. I am a 3 star if it even matters. and my friend who gets 1 kill in 5 rounds has a .2 win/loss ratio ranked up to me in about 5 games of losing everyone. and only have 5 ranks is the stupidest thing i ever heard. u really thinkg millions of people wont just fall into the middle category anyways y not have 20 ranks so you can actually play with people who r your skill not my stupid friend who is garbage but ranked as good as me.

    Those are my thoughts after raising my blood pressure through the roof playing 30 mp hours of gears 2.

    by aftermath666 on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 01:26:35 AM EST

    •  if you're new (none / 0)

      maybe introducing yourself might work....

      by BoxinLeprechaun on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 01:47:16 AM EST

      [ Parent ]

      •  and i hate to be a typo/grammar nazi (none / 0)

        but I don't know about everyone else, but short form l337 5p34k is annoying as shit.

        Everyone else here types relatively correctly (nobody is perfect) and Im not saying YOU HAVE TO, but you'll be taken more seriously if you do.

        by BoxinLeprechaun on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 01:49:25 AM EST

        [ Parent ]

    •  666, eh? Where's my Crucifix?! (none / 0)

      And, YIPPEE!!! I get to nitpick your lil' whine-athon you have here! And I'm in a pretty good mood here so I'll throw in some humor as well. Ok, and heeeeeeeeeere we gooooooo!!!!

      1. Apparently you're new, or if you're not, I've never seen you, and who in the bloody hell complains this much on their first post on a Gears of War FANsite? Really, you must be a fraction of Imbecile to come here and try to run our show (courtesy to Boxin for introducing that phrase to me. I've used it SOOO many times man!)???
      1. HOLY BA-JEEBUS EXCALIBUR!!! Man your grammar and spelling in this is horrendous. If it was a law I'd have you filed on about 35 counts of First-Degree Wordslaughter of the English language. SHEESH!
      1. So you got campers? And they piss you off, eh? Then why don't you camp and just make it a Stalemate, huh? If losing really means that much to you then, man... I don't even know what to tell ya'.
      1. Why bitch about the Ranks? This isn't god damned Haylow 3 for crying out loud. My God.... They only threw in the Ranks basically as a visual representation of what your TrueSkill currently is at. And that's JUST ABOUT IT! If you need to have some hoopy-dazzaa next to your name to make you feel good about yourself in a video game, then I'd say it's more your personal issues than the games. And really? You HAVE to use the word "retarded?" I'd think that word is more suited for you after reading your little fancy-dancy rant you got yourself here. Boo-freakin'-hoo. You don't have a golden, or silver, or whatever the hell color it is, star next to your name to show off to other little boys on Xbox LIVE.
      1. About the Wingyman... Hmph... Well, here's an idea... If it pisses you off so damn much why play it?! There's at least, what, 5 other playlists you can play? And what? 10 other gametypes? I'd say that's more than enough to change up the pace.

      Now, I can't really think of any more to call you out on. Thanks man, I haven't nit-picked in ages! And if this gets deleted, I don't mind one bit. I'm just gonna go ahead and save this Essay though because this did take me quite a bit to think up / type.

      Thanks for your time & attention,
      Thread-Watcher (thanks Suns ;) )

      Gearheads Rule #1: Don't fuck with the Gearheads.

      by Grymm on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 04:29:45 AM EST

      [ Parent ]

      •  By the way, (none / 0)

        my re-cap is killing 3 of my team members on Pavillion with the Mortar in one shot - and no enemies. That's whatcha get when you don't communicate!

        Gearheads Rule #1: Don't fuck with the Gearheads.

        by Grymm on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 04:34:38 AM EST

        [ Parent ]

        •  FF kills with the Mortar on Pavillion ....FTW! (none / 0)

          See, that is what I am talking about!  Did anyone NOT laugh?  You could play a whole week of (name any other video game*) and you wouldn't find yourself laughing.

          Video games have no emotion!  Humbug!  Gears has the capacity to make you scream, cry, and laugh... all within the first 60 seconds of play.

          *Well, almost any other.  L4D looks to provide some laughs when played on the higher difficulties.  Played through the first three movies with Blankman.  11/10.    In a recent diary, tyrus made the comment that by playing in public rooms, you get a pretty good glimpse at what people probably would be like if they were really faced with that situation. I think he is right on.  It was really interesting because I found the need to consciously tell myself to stay calm and cool and think about what I needed to do next.  It was AWESOME!  I suspect that more than any other game to date, L4D reveals who people really are under pressure.  My only complaints are  that there was SERIOUS lag. (I have gotten spoiled by Blankman's great connection.  So, consider me no longer a proponent of "dedicated servers".  Bollocks, I say.  Give me client-side serving any day, if that is what we are going to have to put up with.) Second, I felt like one of those Boomers by the time we were done.  burp...gurgle, gurgle...I'm gonna hurl!  But that is no surprise, the only Valve game that hasn't seriously affected me that way is TF2.  They got vertigo down to a science.

          All that is gold does not glitter.

          by 3Suns on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 07:26:40 AM EST

          [ Parent ]

  •  Sorry I missed all the excitement! (none / 0)

    I was away for thanksgiving and didn't have access to Live (But got to finally play Fallout 3!!!)

    Should be there next week!

    by SweetTea023 on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 08:36:06 AM EST

  •  Hello to all (none / 0)

    Ok well first thing is first. I am not necessarily new to the site I have been viewing it since gears 1 came out because I do realize this is FAN site and I love to read what others think about the game. Yes my gamer tag has 666 in it I am not a devil worshiper my gamer tag actually has a 9 at the end but it was already taken on this site. I have had it since Diablo 1 days and I wanted to keep it. As for me ranting on my first post yes I did rant, but I should have labeled the title of the post what needs to be addressed in gears 2. I love gears and gears 2 that’s why I am on this fan site. Also I do take stalemates instead of going after campers but it still slows down the pace of the game and I would enjoy it more if there wasn’t so much camping like gears 1. Yes there are other game types to be played, and yes I do play them more. I love the idea of 5 teams of 2 it just needs to be looked at a little more. Also I realize my grammar isn’t perfect I am not a English major, I didn’t think it would be that big of an issue. If I offended anyone using the word "retarded" I apologize, I was frustrated with the game as I’m sure many of you have been. Rankings really don’t mean much to me I would just like teams to be more balanced to make the matches more interesting, I would however rather them address the matchmaking searching times because it is broken. But no matter how much I hate some parts of the game the game, as a whole is awesome and delivered for me what I was expecting. I just hope patches are released addressing some issues that others and I have discussed.

    by aftermath666 on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 11:23:27 AM EST

  •  MP in GOW2 is fun (none / 0)

    The problem is people exploiting and over using aspects of the game in public matches, Obviously there are a good amount of things that need to be fixed, but  honestly the issues and shenanigans are definitely an improvement from the first. Because the meat and potatoes of GOW2 are perfect, the little design choices and small bugs should be able to be changed or improved.

    Not all who wander are lost

    by Zoso Fan on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 12:41:19 PM EST

  •  Grenades are your friend (none / 0)

    I happen to love the new dynamic that grenades have brought. But I may be a bit biased since I have spent a good deal of time working with them since GoW 2 came out. I can now pretty  much place a grenade anywhere I want without having to touch the left trigger!

    The grenades bring a whole new side to the team tactics. While spamming smoke seems to be the "in" thing right now. I think it will lessen since most people are finding that you really want to save them for particular tasks. Like getting power weapons or stopping someone else "Who rolled or ran faster" to get to them. Toss a smoke over on that boomshot and see if they rush in. This gives you team time to react and catch up.

    The hardest part of grenades for most people now is just the fact that they have to actually learn to avoid them or look for them. It goes further to the point of not rushing in. Planted grenades does just as much to stop the run and gun mentality as stopping power does.

    For more help on getting used to the ins and outs on Grenades, I will be posting an updated version of my grenade guide on here soon. It is my own bible... It has served me well since I always end up on a crap team and being the last one alive against multiple attackers is a great scenario to have some grenades handy.

    A couple things I have gripes about in MP:

    Chainsaw! I know I can stop someone from chainsawing me with a well time Melee, but the fact that they can walk through a stream of lancer or hammerburst fire and still cahinsaw me is disgusting. Stopping power slows them down but they can still chainsaw through it????

    Melee, the double melee is back and needs to be fixed like it was in gears 1. If you melee twice in a row, it should miss on the second one. The hit zone of a melee is too wide to allow it since you don't actually have to aim.

    Things I think work great:

    Shotgun! I think that the need to aim when using the shotty is great. I hate being killed by random idiot who hit the trigger in panic than actually using skill. I do not think that luck should play a part in deciding who wins.

    Grenades! Since there is a big focus on cover, it stands to reason that you need to have a way of getting people out of cover to avoid constant stalemates.

    Anyway, just my thoughts...

    BluePhaze

    by BluePhaze on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 02:18:25 PM EST

    •  hmm i disagree (none / 0)

      with the melee. IMO its not the double melee thats the problem, its the "two piece" (for people who dont know its meleeing with the shotty then gibbing the guy with a shot right after)

      I honestly think that they should make the melee slower or reduce the stun further, either way, and make the attacking character stand still while doing it. (exception being the chainsaw, cause it makes sense the way it is now, except dropping it, that doesnt lol) So that its NEVER the opening attack on someone, and they better be damn sure they can hit you with it, cause if they miss they're standing still and open for a counterattack, or people like Robbins who can pop their noggin off the instant they stand still.

      by BoxinLeprechaun on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 02:42:38 PM EST

      [ Parent ]

      •  Actually, the stun has been reduced a great deal. (none / 0)

        The stun is actually about a half second.  I've thrown and connected with the melee, and my opponent still had enough time to gib me with the shottie.  However, I do agree that the two-piecing is plain cheap.  I accidentally did it once on the first Gears 2 FFF and I apologized profusely.  I would propose that we may want to look into setting a rule for banning the two-piece, but still allow the melee. Epic has fixed aspects of the melee so it can be used as a tactic in Gears 2.    

        Friends don't let friends two-piece.

        by Blankman on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 02:49:29 PM EST

        [ Parent ]

        •  What's wrong with the 2-piece? (none / 0)

          And kick a person out of the party because of it?

          It's probably the most skillful maneuver in the entire game. If a player is capable of pulling it off in front of you, especially in Gears 2, all the power to them. That's probably the only adrenaline inducing player-made move in the entire game.

          Cheap is:

          • Tossing smoke nades at someone's cover, stunning them (god forbids if they are ragdolling on stairs, it's nap time for them), and then just black hole them into your chainsaw or pop them with the shotgun in the torso point blank. That's the cheapest thing ever. There's ZERO skill involved.
          • Tagging frags in spawn points. That's beyond cheap. I actually blame the game for this.

          by Maximus Decimus on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 03:13:26 PM EST

          [ Parent ]

          •  Buddy, are you serious? (none / 0)

            If you want skill you should actually watch us play.

            Gearheads Rule #1: Don't fuck with the Gearheads.

            by Grymm on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 03:36:11 PM EST

            [ Parent ]

          •  It's obvious that you've never grabbed... (none / 0)

            any games with us at all.  Who said ANYTHING about kicking a person out?  We don't run this community like that, son.  Before you start assuming, please get your facts straight first.

            I'm sorry to say, but there is NO display of skill on two-piecing.  Melee and shoot.  Are you serious?  That is the definition of cheap when it comes to the Gears-style gameplay.  

            Friends don't let friends two-piece.

            by Blankman on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 03:45:05 PM EST

            [ Parent ]

            •  ... (none / 0)

              Blankman,

              You can think whatever you want about 2-piece. It is dangerously skillful. However, you disagree with it and that's where it ends. But it doesn't mean your opinion or mine are more correct or valuable than the other.

              Also, I have been playing with folks in the community here already several times. I just never came across you, except once. That said, I am definitely not as passionately involved as you are in here when I visit from time to time, but from this quote of yours: "I would propose that we may want to look into setting a rule for banning the two-piece", I can only assume you won't accept players who pull it off, hence avoiding them. That's dealing with absolute.

              Let's just ban hip-shots, pistol whipping and anything that's annoying to some. Just because you profusely apologized for accidentally pulling off a legitimate 2-piece with a shotty, it doesn't mean everyone should conform with it.

              In fact, I wouldn't ever say anything about players who pull off tricks that I consider disgustingly cheap. So long as people don't exploit glitches and cheats, it's all go.

              Don't worry, son, I'm not going to join parties that restrict players into a specific game style. That's utterly selfish.

              by Maximus Decimus on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 04:19:45 PM EST

              [ Parent ]

              •  Get your ass out of this community. (none / 0)

                Holy balls, man.... How many people do we have to deal with that say they've been around for a long time, yet they know NOTHING about the community? It's like I'm watching Lemmings of Trolls just flood into Gearheads, and I'm sick and freaking tired of it. 2-Piecing takes skill??? I know for a FACT it doesn't. What? Hit B, move to the side a little, aim, and shoot? That's not skill at all. Approaching a situation of 3 enemies and coming out on top without throwing a melee, THAT's skill. Get the hell outta here, kid.

                Blank, I agree with the "No 2-Piece." Hell, I'd prefer just to go back to NO MELEES. I'll stay to my words saying Melee'ing is for people who can't get a kill otherwise.

                Gearheads Rule #1: Don't fuck with the Gearheads.

                by Grymm on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 04:58:14 PM EST

                [ Parent ]

              •  You haven't gamed with us while we... (none / 0)

                played Gears 1. Otherwise, you'd have known that we made a rule against the melee as well as the Longshot AR-down. Hence, the Gearheads were very instrumental in convincing Epic to modify obvious weaknesses to the MP gameplay. My proposing that we look into setting a ban on the two-piece was directed toward the community as a whole. We have made gameplay rules in the past because there were elements that were just too glaring in Gears 1 to ignore.  

                As in terms of my apology for my accidental two-piece, the Gearheads that have routinely participated in the past and present FFFs know that two-piecing is cheap. Judging from your posts, you must use that specific tactic to your advantage and frequently. As far as the two-piece rule in Gearheads' hosted rooms go, it does not exist thus far. However, if there is a community consensus to forbid it, that's what we abide by.

                I'm not dealing with absolutes, son. You haven't even gotten the chance to know us, and you're basing a lot of your argument on assumptions. My opinions are my own just as your opinions are your own. You're definitely entitled to believe whatever you want. Hey, it's a free country. I know that I was one of many that welcomed you when you first started posting. And frankly, I can't remember ever grabbing a game with you. I do remember that you sent an XBL friend request, but rescinded it. Hey, if this community doesn't suit you- simply leave.

                Friends don't let friends two-piece.

                by Blankman on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 05:05:39 PM EST

                [ Parent ]

                •  Blank (none / 0)

                  there is no need for you to defend yourself to this dude.  All the GHs know that the 2piece is just another exploit.  The second he said that it is a skill to 2piece I knew that he gamed GoW alot only cuz thats what everyone does.  Roadie run hit B and gib.  Its not skill at all.  Using cover which is what the game is suppose to be all about is where the skill should be used. Im all for the addition of no 2piece and hell throw in the melee as well(obviously if you have a torque sniper or any power weapon and are out of ammo we accept the melee and run for life tactic). Anyways Im getting off point, Blank you really dont need to explain yourself to people if they have been around here for awhile we all know Blank and know that you're the most honest of gamers out there.  So to all the haters FUCK OFF and go post on the official forums where they accept glitches and cheap tactics.  Here we play for the love of the game and the way it should be played.

                  Oct 21/08 Nov 7/08

                  by carr on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 05:13:53 PM EST

                  [ Parent ]

                •  Blankman, (none / 0)

                  I guess in the games I played with the folks here, I pulled off 2-pieces when I could with zero complaints about it. Including those couple of matches I was on your team.

                  Also, you're in my friend's list, still, and never ever deleted you, and I don't intend to. I accepted your friend's request on the spot, and it stayed intact since.

                  I actually think now that you say that because I did change my gamertag recently and you may not be on the loop.

                  by Maximus Decimus on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 06:24:21 PM EST

                  [ Parent ]

              •  It's okay dude (none / 0)

                Just like active reload one shot snipes were very skillful in gears 1! ::sarcasm::

                Here at gearheads, we are more about headshots.

                And the "two-piece" is only exploiting aspects of the game that kill the entire reasoning behind the core gameplay.

                So if you don't like to play in a way which you can't just run around doing your ever so skillful "two-piece" then you can respectfully gtfo.

                Not all who wander are lost

                by Zoso Fan on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 06:10:15 PM EST

                [ Parent ]

  •  I've been playing this game since day-1 (none / 0)

    I got two copies (one LE that I pre-ordered and one regular from 7-11). Yes, I'm turning into the silver-surfer of geeks. I've also nerded out all the figurines (Marcus 12" is shipping as we speak), which is the first time I ever "collect" action figures and swag of a product, especially in my age. But I guess seeing the like of Star Wars fans, nothing is really out of bounds.

    Basically, I've been playing Gears 1's MP almost every night (my wife would strongly disagree with the "almost"). However, I really think the MP on Gears 2 has way too many issues before even going into some of the controversial changes. And that's a lot to say. I've already played the game extensively; I have 910G on Gears 2, and IMO the MP is way too polarizing to keep me steadily come back and forth into the game.

    When I have to force myself to keep coming back to a game to believe I can ignore the excessive amount of problems, it's really an indication of a fray up.

    That said, I'm confident Epic will eventually fix / tweak most of the problems and certain changes in the game (e.g. players want to choose a game type to play like in Gears 1, not vote on it and never play it in public - pretty much like Horde and Wingman are their own specific playlists).

    My 2 cents.

    by Maximus Decimus on Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 02:58:35 PM EST

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