'The Campaign' in MP Games

[Ganrich]

I am fine with Titanfall's lack of a single player campaign. There are fps games I buy for MP only (Battlefield), and then there are some I buy for both MP and SP (Halo, and a few others). SP only shooters are few and far between, but Id is the only company that I would buy a SP only shooter from anymore and that is Doom.

 

However, I understand people's want of a SP campaign to become somewhat acclimated to the game. I use the Campaign for that reason in a new shooter a lot of the time. However, TitanFall is very CoD in its gunplay so all I needed to understand was the titans and the parkour. The training simulator gave me the run down. I came into my first game doing pretty well. I went 9/8 KDR which isn't bad for my first game. While I racked up around 15-20 minion kills and 2-3 titan kills.

 

I really like titan fall, and am glad to have something else new to play other than BF4 which infuriates me with its one shot kills and the benefits to players with 100+ ping vs someone playing on a local server.

[Monte Carlo]

^ Yes, I suppose the game is fine for FPS veterans.

 

But it's kinda flipped the finger at noobs.

[Elerond]

^ Yes, I suppose the game is fine for FPS veterans.

 

But it's kinda flipped the finger at noobs.

 

Many reviews claim that it is very noob friendly as there is many roles that they can do even if they can't kill other players, but it seems that they have exaggerated things.

[Monte Carlo]

^ It depends on the mode. On strongpoint capture you can try to camp / defend the points which is a bit easier. I'm just finding the learning curve very steep and it's unfair on the poor bastards on my team. Just, literally, a random AI map I could practice skills on would help.

 

I'm also using an old X-box controller (am obviously playing on PC) which might not be optimal, but I think this game would be impossible to play with keyboard and mouse.

[Nepenthe]

I buy games (almost) exclusively for sp, so a good campaign is a prerequisite for me. Otoh, I am easily entertained and quite ok with a sub 10h campaign, if I have fun for those hours ( cod black ops1-2 come to mind).

[Ganrich]

The shotgun and Smart Pistol are very noob friendly weapons when used with the Camo ability and while flanking. The Chain gun that the Titans use is very much a lazer beam and easy to use. I also find the titans 40mm cannon to be pretty easy if the player can lead the target well. The Smart Pistol requires enough coordination to keep a reticule half the size of you screen on the target for 2 or so secs to get an insta-kill. It can also kill 4 minions in one shot. It seems to track around corners pretty well too. You just have to fire before they break LoS. The shotgun, as in most games, is a one shot kill at the appropriate range.

 

I am not saying a SP campaign wouldn't help, but I don't think the game is noob-unfriendly for a lack of the option. You just can't stand in the middle of a street and expect to survive. Keep to the buildings, both inside and on top, and pay attention to your radar. Watch for enemy players to blip nearby and flank them as best you can.

 

You also can try to avoid enemy players and rack up minion kills. They are basically fish in a barrel.

 

I definitely think that bots would have gone a long way to help new players as well. At least allow players to get use to the guns, parkour, and titans in a "I am not beneficial to my team but it doesn't matter" environment.

 

@Monte - I find the KB/Mouse setup pretty solid, and I recommend it. Hardpoint game type, shotgun, Camo, defend your node of choice is a good easy thing to start with IMHO. Take that for what it is worth. If you go Smart Pistol you can wall hang out of sight and wait for the markers to light up and drop them. < cheap but effective. Sabotage Charges make node guarding easier as well seeing that you can lay them around the node and wait for the enemy team to start capping and boom!

Edited March 15, 2014 by Ganrich

[Bartimaeus]

I'm also using an old X-box controller (am obviously playing on PC) which might not be optimal, but I think this game would be impossible to play with keyboard and mouse.

 

Do you believe this in general for first person shooters, or specifically Titanfall? If the latter, I'm genuinely curious as to why.

 

If the former...

[Humanoid]

Proper mech sims use a HOTAS setup!

[Gizmo]

The classic campaign game already has lightweight story elements, in that the losing team is pushed back and has to evacuate the battleground.  In terms of experience rewards, the losing players are awarded just as many points for a win if they are able to evacuate.

Wow; that ~technically~ makes it a roleplaying game... Where the assigned role it that of the routed mechanized infantry in retreat; and the players get experience [awards] for playing in character and achieving the character's goals.

[AGX-17]

The game I've played most in my life (according to Steam,) is Team Fortress 2 (four digits.) There's utterly, absolutely, positively no need for a "campaign" or single-player mode there. If a game was designed to be competitive multiplayer, let it be what it was meant to be. Don't bother trying to project your ideal preference onto every big title; you're just going to be disappointed.

 

Alternately, if you don't like FPS (FPSs? FPSes?) don't play them. Problem solved. World peace achieved. Go to bed now.

Edited March 18, 2014 by AGX-17

[Chaz]

I'm a big fan of games that have a good campaign and also good multiplayer, Sadly that's almost non existant in RPGs, I really like how Neverwinter Nights had a good campaign (several actually) and also offered a really deep multiplayer experience with the Toolset and the NWServer.

At that point it looked like RPGs were evolving, but it seems they have taken steps backwards since, maybe they got more lazy, but most modern RPGs I've played either lack modding tools or multiplayer, or both. I have backed PE and WL2 (also plan to back Torment) but it looks like Obsidian is trying to relive the glory of the of Infinity Engine days, I hope that at some point they want to move forward to something like the Aurora Engine days, and beyond.

[Tale]

I think focused efforts on MP or SP can only be a good thing. I used to hate the idea of MP only games, feeling that there's enough SP games out there with good tacked on MP and then mods on top of that where I'd never need to buy a dedicated MP game.

 

But as I've grown up, I became more discerning. Half-Life 2 DM, the two Transformers games, Space Marine, they all were fun in their MP modes. But they still never lived up to Team Fortress 2 or Battlefield 2142. And Call of Duty's single player campaign will never live up to Half-Life, Singularity, or Bioshock.

 

The competition for good MP and SP games is fierce. The market has so much overwhelming choice. These little half-baked modes tacked onto the game they put their actual efforts into just seem like a waste of time for me to play when I could play something more serious. But if someone's on a budget and gets bored of the last game they played, maybe it's a good idea.

[ShadySands]

I'm just really awfully bitter

 

I want to get my mech on but all the new games are MP only