Today, it just got a lot easier.

Before I get into why I think the PC is the obvious winner in this arena, let me make a few things clear. When I talk about First Person Shooters, I’m not talking about the singleplayer experience. This isn’t my forte; I’ll leave that debate to someone else. What I’m talking about is competitive, multiplayer gaming on a high-end gaming PC, that is, not your Grandmother’s old Gateway or that bargain eMachine you picked up for $299. I’d also like to state that I think for the casual gamer (or casual just in this genre), a console system would be fine, if not preferable. Consoles, such as the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, have a ton of pros and very few cons. That being said, I think one of the limitations of the console is its inability to reach that next level of intensity and precision that one is so familiar with while playing this specific class of game on a PC. In other words, to experience the full potential of this competitive genre, one needs to play First Person Shooters as they were originally intended, on a PC.

From time to time, however, I will encounter that one rebellious console gamer that disagrees with this sentiment and defends the console’s supremacy over the feeble PC in every genre, including the aforementioned First Person Shooter. Though there are some compelling arguments which can be made for this stance, the one I hear most often goes something like this:

Have you ever played Halo? Or GoldenEye? or Halo 2? or Halo 3? Or Halo? Wait, did I say Halo already? Did you know that Halo is the number #1 selling game in the multiverse? And also halo…Halo…..HALO!

I’m not paraphrasing, I’m pretty sure that’s an actual quote. Here’s the thing, I’m not disputing the fact that Halo is a great game, and God knows I’ve logged an obscene amount of hours into GoldenEye back in the day, but these are just two games — now compare that with the hundreds of award winning PC shooters that exist on the market today.

Let’s look at the “Halo 3 is the #1 selling game ever” defense. That statement alone is debatable, but for the sake of argument, let’s assume that it’s true. Since when does the #1 selling anything translate into quality of experience? Does that mean that a Corolla offers a better driving experience than a Ferrari? Or that the Big Mac is the greatest cheeseburger of all time just because it outsells all of the others? What people tend to forget is that in the gaming industry, PC games consist of just a very tiny slice of the whole gaming pie. There is no arguing that console systems have a much higher saturation level in homes than high-end [gaming] PCs. That fact alone means that video game sales for consoles should be much greater than that of the PC, which they are. Now throw in a title like Halo which, realistically, has no other competition on its platform, and you have a recipe for success. Halo on the PC, however, fades into mediocrity when thrown into the mix with mammoth franchises such as Half-Life, Battlefield, Unreal Tournament, Quake, Crysis, Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, etc… And let’s not forget the modding community’s ground breaking contributions to competitive gaming with creations like Counter-Strike, Team Fortress, Day of Defeat, Red Orchestra, etc… I could go on and on forever. The point I’m trying to make is this; competition for First Person Shooter dominance on the PC is fierce. A mediocre game just wouldn’t cut it on this platform. Calling Halo a mediocre game may be a bit harsh, but ask yourself this; what does Halo have to offer that the above mentioned PC franchises do not have to offer? Saturation and virtual exclusivity. That’s really it.

Visual Appeal
As it is now, consoles can never look as good [graphically speaking] as a high-end gaming PC. It’s just not possible. A console’s hardware, for all intents and purposes, is static. You buy the console system, it goes through its 3 to 5 year cycle, and then you replace it. Unfortunately, for the console, technology evolves at a blistering rate. There can be, and usually are, significant advancements in technology in a 3 to 5 year span. A PC’s hardware, on the other hand, is dynamic; always taking full advantage of these technological breakthroughs. PCs are constantly being replaced, upgraded, tweaked, modded, optimized, overclocked, water-cooled, etc… Just one of my graphics cards alone cost more than an entire XBox 360.

Let’s talk resolution. Even the best hi-def T.V.s get outperformed by today’s modern LCD monitors with resolutions reaching 2560 x 1600. “What about size,” they ask. “My 52″ TV is better than your 24″ monitor,” they say. In this case, size doesn’t really matter — because it’s all relative to the location of the observer. When gaming on a PC, your face is about 2 feet away from the monitor. Try putting your face 2 feet away from a 52″ television; it’s not that fun. Now move to the couch 10 feet away and you’ve just narrowed your viewing angle to match that of a PC gamer. It’s the same concept as to why people are able to watch movies on their iPods without being bothered by the small size of the screen.

Pricey vs Practical
Price and practicality are two major advantages that consoles have in the gaming market, hence their greater saturation level. It’s very appealing to be able to buy something which is relatively inexpensive, works right out of the box, and requires almost no maintenance or technological know-how. Now try to convince that same person to buy something that is well over 10 times more expensive, needs constant monitoring and maintenance, and requires a black belt in Geek Fu just to get it to work. So why, then, do people still dish out thousands of dollars for Alienware machines, or Falcon Northwest machines, or Dell’s XPS line of gaming machines? It’s the same reason why there are people out there that still buy Ferraris: They thrive on speed, control, and precision… They’re longing for the ultimate experience.

Mouse & Keyboard vs the Analog Controller
And now we reach the crux of the argument. This, my friends, is really the heart of the the debate. The PC’s mouse & keyboard vs the console’s analog controller. The console camp’s argument goes something like this: “Anyone can point and click” or “it takes more skill to use a controller than it does a mouse“. Anything that is unintuitive or uncomfortable is going to require some extra skill to compensate, but it’s the wrong kind of skill. Like when trying to button your shirt while wearing socks on your hands. Simply put, a mouse is faster and far more precise than an analog thumbstick, which in turn makes the gaming experience faster, more intense, and far more challenging. I recently had someone tell me that using a mouse & keyboard was akin to cheating, claiming that it’s too easy to put your cursor (crosshair) onto another player. What this person fails to realize is that it’s just as easy for your opponents to do the same to you. You’ve just added a whole new level of intensity, urgency, and anxiety to the game. You better not miss your target because you can be damn sure they will not miss you. This is where the phrase twitch gaming comes from. It’s all about reaction time.

Now let’s talk precision. The movement of the mouse correlates precisely with the movement of the cursor on the screen. For example, if you move the mouse to the left, the cursor moves to the left. When you stop moving the mouse, the cursor stops. An analog controller, however, always has to return to center to stop (or switch directions). If you press the analog thumbstick to the left, the cursor goes left, but in order to stop the cursor from moving left, or to move it in another direction, you must bring the thumbstick back to center. It’s not much, but these are the subtle differences that make playing a First Person Shooter on a PC a more exhilarating experience than on a console.

Let’s not forget one of the most important facts, First Person Shooters were designed around the keyboard & the mouse and had to be modified to work with an analog controller. When things are modified to work with something they weren’t designed for, problems tend to arise. Take button placement for example. Most console gamers use the right analog thumbstick to control the movement of the cursor. This is fine until they have to take their thumb off that stick to press one of the four buttons on right side of the controller. This means there is a split second when they have to relinquish control over their movement. A competitive PC gamer wouldn’t dream of taking their hand off the mouse. That split second could mean the difference between victory and defeat. But again, as mentioned above, speed, precision, and reaction time are the name of the game while playing on a PC. In language, sometimes things can get lost in translation. In technology, they can get lost in conversion.

John Carmack of id Software is the creator of some of the most critically acclaimed games ever created. He is considered in most circles to be the father of the First Person Shooter. His games have been developed for the PC as well as all the major console systems. Back in November of 2008, Carmack was interviewed by PC Gamer and this is what he had to say:

“The keyboard/mouse interface is definitely still the superior interface for a competitive first-person shooter experience, much better than an analog joypad,”

Old School vs New Kids on the Block
When you think about it, this isn’t just a question of console vs PC, but a full blown discussion of the state of gaming and gaming culture in general. It’s old school vs new kids on the block. First Person Shooters are relatively new to console gamers, whereas most hardcore fans of the genre have been playing on their PCs for years, decades even. In fact, First Person Shooters were considered more of a niche than a mainstream attraction, reserved solely for the geekiest of geeks. But what typically happens when something unknown to the masses suddenly bursts onto the scene head first into popularity (not unlike the geek culture itself)? Its reality gets twisted to conform to the will of the public. All of a sudden, everyone and their mothers are experts. This is especially prevalent in technology. I used to have this exact same argument regarding web design eons ago, except back then it was Frontpage vs Dreamweaver. Now Frontpage is gone, because it sucked, and all those people moved over to Dreamweaver — and us Dreamweaver users have moved on to other things. Try this, ask any computer programmer what the term “hacker” means and they’ll surely give you a more positive definition than that of the mainstream media. And yet every script kiddie with a computer and malicious intent declares themselves a hacker. Meanwhile, the real experts, the veterans, all of whom know the actual truth, are sitting back silently grinning to themselves. When it comes to First Person Shooters, the console vs PC argument is another such example.

I know this is going to make a lot of console gamers upset, but I assure you that this is not my intent. Competitive as it may be, fun is still the overall goal of gaming. All that really matters is the amount of enjoyment you get from playing. If you get the most enjoyment while playing on a console, then by all means, play on a console. But don’t let emotions and preference blur reality.

The last thing I’ll say is this. The purpose of my writing this little exposition is not to disparage console systems, on the contrary, I thoroughly enjoy them. It’s not even to persuade you to go out and drop $3500 on a new gaming rig. In fact, the difference of experience between the two platforms being argued here are so subtle that most people won’t even notice — very similar to how most people wouldn’t notice the tiny nuances that distinguish the Canon XSi from the Canon 50D. The layperson may even prefer the XSi over its superior counterpart, and that’s fine. My point in writing this piece is simply to squash the console elitists false assumptions that consoles, like the XBox 360 and the PlayStation 3, offer a more challenging, engaging, or overall superior gaming experience than that of a gaming PC in this particular genre. That’s just not the case. So I’ll say it agin, — and read this carefully — to experience the full potential of this competitive genre, one needs to play First Person Shooters as they were originally intended, on a PC.

• Server name – [DDB] & [RIOT] Hardcore Mixed GT
• Server I.P. – 208.167.234.131
• 20 slot server – may increase
• Hardcore mode – cuz that’s the way we roll
• Mixed game types – Headquarters, Domination, and Sabotage
• Ranked server

For more information, or to leave feedback, head over to zengeeks.com.

OK, I’ve played for 8.2 hours so far according to my steam page and I’m having a freaking blast. At first I was a little worried that the game was too simplified, but my fears were quickly squashed as I started to learn all the nuances of the game. Tactics, strategy, diversity, and team work are key to fun and victory in TF2. A team of just soldiers, or just HW Guys would get their collective asses handed to them. You really need to utilize every class to win this game.

If you’re not already familiar with Team Fortress Classic, you may be better off waiting for an official review. These are just my personal observations and thoughts. Another thing to remember is that this game, as of right now, is still technically in beta. Things are liable to change when it is officially released.

Big Changes:

No grenades: This sucks, but it’s sort of understandable. TFC was infamous for grenade spam. (I’m going to miss the EMP grenade though )

Graphics: Obviously. After 7+ years one would expect it to have slightly better graphics, and it does. But the player models are what really separate this game from all others. They look absolutely fantastic.

Every class kicks ass equally: This is a pretty big deal. I’ll get into each class in detail below.

Subtle Changes:

No more capture points: Instead they use control points similar to Battlefield. The more teammates attacking a point, the quicker your team controls that point.

No flag in CTF: Instead it is a briefcase (CTB?). The briefcase will stay where ever the enemy drops it for two minutes. Defending team members are not able to simply touch the flag anymore to reset it. If the attacking team touches the briefcase again, moves only three feet, and drops the case, the timer is reset to two minutes again. This minor change adds a whole new element to the game.

Secondary weapons actually matter: A shotgun, in this game, is a shotgun. They will take down any class fast. A pistol, in this game, is a pistol. Not just a thing to hold when you’re sick of holding you primary weapon. They hurt.

Classes:

Pyro – Flamethrower, shotgun, axe. He is devastating up close, but very vulnerable when out in the open. When up close, the Pyro can light enemies on fire. They remain on fire, and continue to lose health over time until they jump into water, get healed, enough time lapses, or they die. A lot of Pyros seem use a fire / shotgun combo and it seems to be quite effective. Pyros are great for uncloaking spies too. (yes, uncloaking. I’ll get to that)

Scout – Scattergun, pistol, club. This guy used to be practically useless. Now, not only is he fun to play, but he is an asset to any team . First of all, he’s extremely fast. He also has the ability to double jump and change directions mid jump (if one so chooses). His scattergun is deadly at close range and can even take down a Heavy (assuming you can get close enough) Another very important roll of the Scout is capturing control points. A Scout captures control points faster that any other class. (1 Scout = 2 of any other class)

Soldier – Rocket launcher, shotgun, shovel. Not much has changed here, but nothing really needed to.

Heavy – Gatling gun, shotgun, fists. Again, no major changes, but one subtle one. When the Heavy wants to shoot his gatling gun, there is a slight delay while the barrel starts to spin. His special ability is to spin the barrel with out actually shooting, thus saving ammo. The downside is he walks brutally slooooow when he does this.

Engineer – Shotgun, wrench, toolbox, detonator (to detonate structures you have already built). The Engy is still as much fun to play now as he was in the original TFC. He can build upgradable turrets, teleports, and dispensers. The dispensers have been greatly improved. They offer infinite health and ammo to you and your teammates, and it regenerates metal over time for you and your fellow Engineers. (metal = material used for building)

Medic – Healing gun, syringe gun, bonesaw. The medic can heal players up to 150% of their base health and can fire the healing gun continuously. While healing, the Medic’s ubercharge is constantly charging up. When fully charged, he can make any player and himself invincible for ten seconds. (usually a Medic / Heavy combo), He is far more valuble a class than he was in the previous TFC. His syringe gun is a blast to use too.

Sniper – Sniper rifle, sub-machine gun, machete. Same old sniper with a few tweaks. When you first zoom in, your gun starts to charge. The more of a charge you have, the more powerful the shot. I believe it takes three seconds for a full charge. The sniper rifle still sports the same colored dot that warns your enemies that you are there. The machine, though not too powerful, is good enough to fend off the close combat intruders.

Demo – Grenade launcher, sticky bomb gun, a bottle of whiskey. This is my new favorite class. His grenade launcher acts a lot like the grenade launcher in the quake series, whereas you can bounce grenades around corners, but if you hit someone directly, the grenade will explode on impact. Delicious! The sticky bomb gun is extremely useful for defense too. You can lay up to 8 sticky bombs (on virtually any surface) and detonate them at a later time. The best thing is you can detonate them regardless of what weapon you currently have out.

Spy – Pistol, butterfly knife, cigarette case (where he keeps his disguises), elctro-sappers. So the role of the spy stays the same. He can disguise himself as any enemy class, and he can do it on the fly. No more standing still and waiting. He can also cloak himself for a short period of time. While cloaked, he cannot attack. He also has a new tool called the elctro-sapper (or something like that) that he puts on structures, i.e. turrets, teleports, and dispensers,… to sabotage them. And of course, the Spy still has the trademark one-shot-back-stab kill that we love so much.

Thoughts:

So far this game is a blast. Sometimes I even forget that it’s actually still in beta. My only real concern is that the game will burn out quickly. If TF2 were realeased as / is, I don’t think the game would have very long legs. Hopefully I’m wrong. And hopefully there will be a lot of support and new additions to keep people coming back for more.

The maps that we’re playing now are great too, but I won’t get into too much detail because hopefully there will be a ton of new maps at the final release.

Gameplay is very fast pace and almost feels Quake-ish at times. What doesn’t feel Quake-ish, however, is the need for strategy and tactics. You can’t rely on twitch alone in this game.

Valve has added stats tracking, as well as a variety of achievement goals that you can shoot for. It’s very similar to the way Battlefield 2 implemented the awards feature. You can keep track of your performance on your very own Steam Community page. Here’s mine. And here are my TF2 stats. Yes, I know, pathetic… But be warned! I’m finally starting to get the hang of it.

Frag you later.

Discuss it here…

On a side note, there is a mod worth mentioning for all you TFC fans. It’s called Fortress Forever and it is a beautiful re-skin of the original game using the source engine. Check it out.

Just when I was about to abandon all hope, two amazing mods grabbed my attention and they are both worth checking out.

Dystopia – This is a Half Life 2 mod that takes place in a cyberpunk environment. One thing is apparent, the developers put a whole lot of time and thought into this mod. You can choose from various weapons, armor types, and implants — each combination with it’s own strengths and weaknesses. What’s really cool is that it takes place in two separate worlds, cyberspace and meatspace. Meatspace is where the real action is, but if you equip yourself with certain types of implants, you can jack into cyberspace and help your team out from within. There is a pretty good preview of Dystopia over at Planet Half-Life explaining the game in more detail. Check it out if you get a chance.

Project Reality – This is a Battlefield 2 mod that focuses more on realistic gameplay and less on traditional run and gun tactics. I’m not usually a fan of this type of game because they tend tooo drrraaaaaag, but Project Reality really broke the mold. There are no cross hairs, no health meters, no little messages that tell you who you killed. In fact, the first hour I played I didn’t see a soul, but the bullets were flying by my head nonetheless. Sounds play an important role in this mod. You can easily tell the difference of an M16 and an AK-47 rattling of rounds in the distance. The developers of Project Reality are really trying to promote teamwork and caution. I spent more time in the prone position than actually walking. Squad members can be rewarded with specialized kits too, such as pilot kits, crewman kits, or sniper kits. Because of this, there are far less lone wolves roaming about. IGN wrote a very flattering write-up for Project Reality called “Why all BF2 players should download this mod“. Another good read if you have the time.

There you have it. I was going to post some screenshots of my fragging adventures, but I didn’t think you guys would want to see pictures of my corpse over and over and over again. Maybe I’ll post some when I can manage to stay alive for more than 30 seconds. Until then, hope to see you on a server.

I remember the good ol’ days in Team Fortress Classic playing my Engy; setting up sentry guns, chucking EMP grenades and wiping out an entire team, falling back in Dustbowl to protect the,.. umm,.. whatever that thing is we had to protect. There really wasn’t a game quite like it.

This was back in the days of the dungeon (my basement), when me and a bunch of my friends would set up a LAN and game all night long. We’d drink beers, smoke butts, talk smack, and kick ass. As time went on, the dungeon was used less and less in favor of gaming in the comfort of our own homes (VoIP was starting to become a little more mainstream). Team Fortress Classic was eventually replaced by games like Counter-Strike and Unreal Tournament. I quit smoking.

We all still game and we all still have a blast, but there’s just something about the older games that you miss from time to time. I’ll say this though, if Team Fortress 2 is even half as good as Team Fortress Classic, I will be one happy camper. We may even have to reopen the dungeon.

To give you an idea of how long Valve has been developing this game, check out the original TF2 trailer that came out in 1999. A little bit of a difference, huh? It was originally developed on the Half-Life Gold engine until they scrapped it and went back to the drawing board. Now seven years later…