Friday Night FragFest: April 25, 2008 - The Last One Before GTA IV Releases Edition

posted by papi blez

Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 02:45:44 PM EST

I do plan on playing some GTA IV with Gearheads next week for FFF, but this week I think we'll do some Gears of War. I think I've found that Call of Duty 4 is fun but you can't really take a break from it.  There are so many people playing and they're playing so often that if your skills erode at all from inactivity, the game isn't nearly as fun.  I think we all learned that last week when we quickly turned  back to Gears.  Don't get me wrong, I still looooove COD4, but it's really frustrating that people are playing it as though it's a second occupation.

Regardless, we should be what Gearheads should be and that's, well, Gearheads and play some Gears.  I've played a couple of nights this week and had some fun, although I'm not a huge fan of JohnE's weapon swap choices.  Then again, it's just because my weapon of choice isn't readily available and is often stuck right in between a crapload of other power weapons on a lot of maps.  

Regardless, I can honestly say that I would probably be happy with Gears of War 2 if they didn't make any improvements but to improve lag when you aren't host and increase the consistency of the shottie.  I'd also would love to be able to take on other teams over XBL as a team in matchmaking.  I would imagine Gearheads would do pretty well in that instance.  

Sign up for FFF below and also vote on what would be the most important improvement in Gears 2.  Most of you would probably say that I would say the Boom consistency, but I honestly think that gets resolved if they fix the host issues.  I'll probably be on starting at 8:45 p.m. PST and I'll host a room (I don't think I've ever heard anyone complain about host advantage in my room, but maybe that's because I naturally suck with the shottie).

  • ::

Comments Disabled | 52 comments

  •  I (none / 0)

    will try to get on. For me its probably just a better story. I thought the first one was pretty weak.

    "Look, when I was a kid, I inhaled frequently. That was the point." Barack Obama

    by Wangler1316 on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 02:50:18 PM EST

  •  i should be there (none / 0)

    depends on if im getting together w/ friends tho.  But im going to try and make it.  I played gears a few nights ago with some gearheads and it was a blast.  really want to play again.  hope to see you guys there.

    Im "Geared Up" are you?

    by Scotty247 on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 02:56:55 PM EST

  •  I'm in. (none / 0)

    Hit me up.

    I'm a Gears Fluffer!!! Wooohhh!!!

    by Blankman on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 03:04:12 PM EST

  •  Might play, might not... (none / 0)

    Having some family issues, so I dont know if I'll make it or not.

    by RoBBins0096 on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 03:05:59 PM EST

  •  In (none / 0)

    See in the Eastern TZ.

    "I do not tell lies, but I am a savage".

    by Kenai 91 on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 03:19:09 PM EST

  •  I'm in.... (none / 0)

    I will be on.  Fun time last night guys.

    Grymm did you get your sleep????

    Poland...

    You will meet your maker, the "chainsaw" and POLANDSTYLE

    by Polandstyle on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 03:30:26 PM EST

  •  LETS GEARS (none / 0)

    Anyone up for tonight as well? Like 5:30 or 6pm pst?

    Not all who wander are lost

    by Zoso Fan on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 03:48:50 PM EST

  •  SIGN ME UP (none / 0)

    LIKE ALWAYS

    Sorry, blankman I only have a digital watch!!!!!

    by ObiJuan on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 03:56:00 PM EST

  •  im up east coast gears (none / 0)

    action

    the greatest enemy will hide in the last place you will ever look

    by DEGREES OF FREEDOM on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 03:57:23 PM EST

  •  I'm in (none / 0)

    hopefully will get in a "Full" room =0) haha just kidding I've been having a good time the last few weeks no matter how many of us are playing.

    by Windowlicker77 on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 04:24:37 PM EST

    •  A legitimate point (none / 0)

      I for one, will be accepting the first invite I receive and will stay in that room until my room has so few people, it can be combined with the other room or, everyone decides to mix up the rooms.  I will be sticking to this, even if it means I have to play with a bunch of lancer hos and Blankman isn't in my room.  

      ha ha ha ha

      "AAAAAAAHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" (Lieutenant Kim wielding the saw)

      by 3Suns on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 05:26:20 PM EST

      [ Parent ]

  •  im in! (none / 0)

    send me a invite.

    You'll do anything for a klondike. But I'll do anything for a blonde dyke! Or two!

    by TexasTrap7 on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 05:07:21 PM EST

  •  I'm game (none / 0)

    And about GTA IV, some kid today told me today that "The game doesn't look good at all", where I then proceeded to almost, I dare say almost, karate chop my desk in half.

    Playoffs?!? Playoffs?!? You talking about... playoffs?!

    by ajABE on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 05:12:54 PM EST

  •  I'm in! (none / 0)

    It has been another week of 12 hour days, so I am gonna be laughing and shouting loudly.  (RoBBins, I hope you can make it, and more importantly, that everything is ok with the fam.)

    As for improvements? More optimized, more balanced, more options - all at once.  This is my favorite game of all time.  Whatever efforts Epic puts into Gears2, as long as they don't destroy the pacing, opportunities for communication, the valley of death, and the core gameplay mechanic - I will be happy.  I'd buy a 12 map mappack for $60. ha ha ha

    By the way, I played both Saturday and Sunday last weekend and I don't think I threw a single melee (I am too old to understand, and more importantly decide-on-the-fly, when it is ok and when it isn't, so I just never pressed B).  I loved it!  You guys TOTALLY sold me on cutting that option out of arsenal.  It really does mean that you get to pull the trigger more, and thus, that each kill is more satisfying.  (I was thinking during the week, it would be cool if Cliffy allowed us to toggle switch the melees, on or off)

    Finally, I don't know what weapon swapping JohnE was using but by FAR my favorite swap is Boom for the Hammer of Dawn. That is all.  I don't like it when Boom is swapped out for Hammerbursts or other weapons because it means there are Booms flying everywhere - like Rockets in Halo.  It is like stirring up your pie up and ice cream - what was once a beautiful symphony of unique flavors and textures, is all just one gooey blend of sweet.  

    10+ second bleedout.
    Friendly Fire On.
    Priceless.

    "AAAAAAAHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" (Lieutenant Kim wielding the saw)

    by 3Suns on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 05:20:19 PM EST

    •  when I host (none / 0)

      (I hate doing it, I can't play as well as host) I leave the 5 second bleed out if I swap weapons, but I put it to 10 if i dont, that way its all the more tactical in grabbing weapons and such and it gives an opportunity to the people who downed the other to team grab them.

      PS. I'll be at like 12-1ish est, I'm going out that night so I gotta game when I get back!

      by BoxinLeprechaun on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 05:36:21 PM EST

      [ Parent ]

    •  Thanks, Suns! (none / 0)

      I'm going to try my best to make it. I never want to pass up Gears with the Gearheads, especially on FFF!

      And as much as everyone likes and/or loves the Hammerburst swapped for Boom, I am with you Suns, and I dislike it A LOT. I feel if any power weapon is put in place of the Hammerburst, everything just goes to hell. I think it would work out with 'nades put there, or maybe the Longshot. Now, I know you're probably thinking I said I like the Longshot there because thats my main gun, and well, you're sort of right :P But it also forces everyone to use cover more often and take things more cautiously.

      I dont want to say some people 'suck' with the sniper, but for the people who arent that used to it, it also gives them a shot (no pun intended) to practice with it. But thats my opinion. I say we either just deal with the Boom being there (I know papi wont mind ;D ) or put some 'nades in place of it.

      /mini rant

      by RoBBins0096 on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 05:44:20 PM EST

      [ Parent ]

    •  Boom for Hammer of Dawn is fine (none / 0)

      But he has Torque Bow swapped out with hammerburst which drives me crazy, especially on a map like Gridlock because it makes it next to impossible to get the boom in the middle and Gridlock is one of my favorite maps.

      The reason I don't think swapping out Boom for hammerburst is a big deal is because there are only two rockets in the gun unlike the TB, which has a bunch and can last a lot longer.  I think most Gearheads like the weapon swaps I do, which is actually boom for hammerburst and Torque for hammer of dawn.

      by papi blez on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 05:47:30 PM EST

      [ Parent ]

      •  For me, (none / 0)

        I see most of the power weapons as requiring more skill than the shotty. Due to the inconsistencies of of it, it really ends up turning into luck most of the time. I do agree with Robbins, that there are too many booms though. I would recommend swapping it for the boltok or not changing it at all. If it were swapped for grenades, it seems like it would turn into chaos.

        by MacheteMan7 on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 07:06:23 PM EST

        [ Parent ]

        •  I (none / 0)

          just can't agree with you about the shotty.  The shotty is definitely not "mostly luck."  I played against a guy who was something like 50th in the world for Warzone, and in something like 15 rounds, I never killed him with shotty, but he always killed me.  That wasn't "luck" on his part, he just knows how to use it much better than I (and a lot of other people) know how.

          If the shotty was mostly luck, there wouldn't be people that can consistently decimate entire teams with it.

          I'm feeling California and looking Minnesota.

          by heeyoh2 on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 07:12:37 PM EST

          [ Parent ]

          •  It is (none / 0)

            luck to a certain extent. It just isn't consistent enough for me to call it a completely skill weapon. I definitely agree that there is some skill involved, but a considerable portion of it is due to your connection and luck.

            by MacheteMan7 on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 07:34:48 PM EST

            [ Parent ]

          •  its not inconsistant if you know how to exploit (none / 0)

            the games design fail online.

            It doesn't work as designed. And if you use it as designed, its in consistent. lol

            Not all who wander are lost

            by Zoso Fan on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 07:36:54 PM EST

            [ Parent ]

          •  I agree, Gacky. (none / 0)

            I am not sure exactly what Zoso is referring to, but I do know that there are players here and elsewhere that get pretty darned consistent results from the shottie, without exploiting any glitches or anything.

            I am not in their league, but because the lancer basically shoots spitballs from my connection (at least a clip and a half is required to do anything at all), I have come to depend on my shottie, and I get acceptable results.  I never aim, and I never get headshots, I just know that if I have a chance to line the guy up to my right at a certain angle (not directly in front of me), I can get wonderful gibby results consistently.  The other thing I discovered last weekend, is that while I am trying to line the guy up, he is missing me all the time because I am moving around so much and the lag doesn't give him an accurate picture of where I am.  I LOVE my shottie! (I just mourn its limited range).

            Zos, feel free to elaborate what you are talking about.  (Though know this, I will NOT let go of my gun. LOL )

            "AAAAAAAHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" (Lieutenant Kim wielding the saw)

            by 3Suns on Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 03:51:57 AM EST

            [ Parent ]

            •  Look at Really Doe (none / 0)

              Like he says "It's all in the footwork". He looks far left, and far right, and far left, and scoops his shots. What this does is take advantage of the lag online and when you fire at him, he is already to the left/right of where you shot by the time the bullets register.

              You can learn how to be good with that strategy and be pretty darn consistant.

              Also, GIBBING makes the game a lot more inconsistant, only because there is a visual result from close range shotty. In other games, there is no way you can tell if someone is getting an advantage on you.

              Then there is just basic weapon inconsistancies in weapons like the boomshot that are not lag related (though it can be! lol).

              Even on a LAN setting the Boom will not kill someone a lot of the time.

              So they should fix lag and TEST the games balancing.

              Not all who wander are lost

              by Zoso Fan on Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 10:39:16 AM EST

              [ Parent ]

              •  Yeah (none / 0)

                I don't know exactly what Really Doe does but I'm assuming that it has to do with lag.  Often times, I'm pouring clip after clip of shotgun shells into him and I'm aiming straight at him.  He appears to be to the left or right of me and doesn't even look like he's aiming at me on my screen and I'll explode into 100 little pieces.  I've had the same experiences with gacky.  It's only certain players that seem to have that ability though.  Seriously Doe also has that tendency.  I've always thought it was just them knowing how to use the lag to their advantage.

                by papi blez on Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 12:15:10 PM EST

                [ Parent ]

            •  agreed (none / 0)

              the shottie keeps me in games,and every couple of matches ill get hot with it and do damage(love that splatter effect)

               i lack the skill of other players with the specialty weapons, i have tried to develop skill and have failed to get consistent results
              i admire players like robbins,johne who can be at times dominate with their power weapon of choice but ill stick with the shottie and nades.

              i view it as a challenge to get close enough to do damage on good players

              map awareness and good stick control will always net kills

              the greatest enemy will hide in the last place you will ever look

              by DEGREES OF FREEDOM on Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 01:01:38 PM EST

              [ Parent ]

  •  Can't make it... (none / 0)

    I'll be walking the streets of Liberty City...

    by X David Ellis X on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 06:10:50 PM EST

  •  Don't know if I'll be on (none / 0)

    if I will I'll be sure to send out some messages early on

    Second GT: extrateresticle

    by captain crunk27 on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 06:42:54 PM EST

  •  I'm (none / 0)

     hoping to be able to make it, we will see :)

    by GearsChrisB on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 07:17:12 PM EST

  •  Should be in next week....! (none / 0)

    As for Gears 2 there are many improvements I think need to be made, but as for multiplayer:

    Matchmaking...Bungie has perfected this system and every game should copy it.

    Consistency: Weapons, Host etc. IMO Gears multiplayer was broken in many way. The fact that this game was actually fun broken saved it.

    Which leads me to a question...Could the fact that even 'pro' players still get screwed online with Gears actually make the game better? For example because Gears is inconsistent does this level the playing field so to speak?

    Community Manager
    DEMAND JUSTICE!

    by SweetTea023 on Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 12:19:44 AM EST

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