“ You must UN-LEARN what you have learned… ” – Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back
If there’s any truth to that well known saying “old habits die hard,” then it goes double for me. Like many of you, after 20+ years of gaming, I’m a bit set in my ways. Especially when it comes to first person shooters. Personally, I like to traverse the road less travelled. For instance, I’ve been known to race backwards into oncoming traffic in racers, as well as pull out a pistol in “knife-only” private matches of Call of Duty . I wouldn’t call myself a troll, just a free spirit.
However, when I do put my game face on and start taking things seriously, it’s usually during an FPS. Over the years, games like Halo , Battlefield and Call of Duty have conditioned me into a certain play style. There are certain ways I approach things, based on what’s fun for me. While this doesn’t always equal a win, at least I know I’m going to have a good time. However, Microsoft’s upcoming Titanfall may change all that. The creators of the latest sci-fi shooter recently released a list of several “old habits” that gamers will need to break in order to be victorious. Upon reading the list, I realized I do EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. Man, I’m screwed.
So let’s take a peek at some of their tips and tricks, in hopes that you can tweak your strategies to assure certain victory (where I’ll likely just be hitting the respawn button).
#1 – Get Up. – “Running around on the ground [will get you killed] – get up in the air.” – Vince Zampella: CEO, Respawn Entertainment
Right from the start, I’m a fish out of water here. I’m usually the last one to get into a vehicle (because I can never freakin’ find one) and the first to die via canon fire. Think of a blown up Wile E. Coyote and you’ll get the picture.
#2 – Stairs? You’ve got a jetpack! – “Someone’s going to come up behind you…Avoid stairways.” – Mathew Everett: EA Community Manager, , Titanfall
Damn it! If there is one thing I do when I see a set of stairs, its sprint up them! I figure the high ground is a safe bet, but here it seems I’ll likely be running into a death trap.
#3 – Don’t bring a gun to a really-big-gunfight. – “… if you try and use an infantry weapon against a Titan…that’s the end of you. ”- Dominic McCarthy: Associate Producer, Respawn Entertainment
I have to admit, I’ve attempted to face off against a tank or an apache helicopter all by my lonesome in the past, just hoping for the best. It always ends badly. Hopefully I can grab some heavy artillery that’ll even the score a tad before the Titan steps on me.
#4 – Don’t be a human turret. – “…don’t fire more than 3 times from the same spot. Always change your positions, always shift your fire.” – Joel Emslie: Lead Artist, Titanfall
Man I love me some mounted turret action. In fact, if it wasn’t for Halo allowing you to dismount them and walk around, the body count (mine not my opponents) would pile up in the same spot. This will be a hard one to break, as I always feel like Jesse Ventura from Predator when I’m mowing people down.
#5 – No camping. – “Standing still, skulking around in corners, anything generally immobile is a really bad idea” – Stephen Barton: Composer, Titanfall
Camping is something I do without even realizing it. Although, there is nothing better than finding that perfect hiding spot to pick people off from. Problem is that these days, the run and gun style gameplay results in me only getting about 20 seconds worth of time in my favorite locale’ before I take a knife to the back anyway.
#6 – Don’t be a one-man wolfpack. – “…charging in wildly…probably will get you killed. You’re going to have to work as a team…What’s your exit strategy? Are you thinking about that?” – Steve Fukuda: Game Director, Titanfall
Am I thinking about that? I’m going to go with no. For me, if I’m going to die anyway, I figure I might as well go out in a blaze of glory. On more than one occasion I’ve just said “f*ck it,” charging in with guns blazing screamin’ “… THIS IS SPARTA !” Granted, I get nowhere near the opposing team, but at least it was dramatic.
Admittedly I might kind of suck at shooters (and have a Kill/Death ratio that’s a negative number), but I have fun, damn it! So when Titanfall comes out next month (if you want to win), I’d say Microsoft has given you some pretty helpful hints. However, if you find yourself in a particularly strong Y.O.L.O. mood, give my methods a try.
I do it for the lulz, ’cause hey, girls just wanna’ have fun!