Despite the many improvements to its predecessor's multiplayer mode, Bungie's Halo 3 is still not friendly to the newcomers. Wired's Clive Thompson is one of those players who don't have enough time or willpower to end up anywhere but last place in online matches. He's found a way to cope, however: suicide bombing.
Specifically, Thompson (in-game) runs straight at his assailant so that with his last breath he can lob a sticky grenade with deadly precision, so that his opponent dies with him. This leads to an interesting, however shallow (a point Thompson himself makes), observation on the psychology behind playing a game with the intent of throwing yourself into suicidal positions.
"The best players have dozens of free hours a week to hone their talents, and I don't have that luxury," he said. "This changes the relative meaning of death for the two of us. For me, dying will not penalize me in the way it penalizes them, because I have almost no chance of improving my state. I might as well take people down with me."
Those at Joystiq who can't own at Halo 3 have found a very different approach to feeling better about our gaming skills: we play as the medic in Team Fortress 2 and let everyone else rack up the kills while we rack up the assist points.
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Reader Comments (62)
Posted: Nov 5th 2007 11:24PM ramifications said
Yea. I used to do this when I was a wee noob as well...then i learned i could lob a sticky from far away and still get a kill while not dying! It's much more fun now!
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 5:18PM (Unverified) said
I don't think the post is only about being a noob.
Basically Thompson becomes a suicide bomber because he has no chance to succeed while the author of the post has found a way to contribute in a different game - and so has no need to go suicidal.
It's funny how game theory (in this case, literally) can describe and predict the world around you.
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Basically Thompson becomes a suicide bomber because he has no chance to succeed while the author of the post has found a way to contribute in a different game - and so has no need to go suicidal.
It's funny how game theory (in this case, literally) can describe and predict the world around you.
Posted: Nov 5th 2007 11:30PM (Unverified) said
Honestly... I have a good collection of games, and every week it gets a little bigger, but I have to stay almost all day working in my computer (this is why I can be in Joystiq almost all day).
As much as I love games, I have a lot, and I mean a lot, like %75 of my games unfinished, and several games that I only have played like 30 min.
I have my job, my wife... I don't have a lot of free time to play videogames, but when I really want to play a game, I give to me a little of free time dedicated to a game (Mario Galaxy will be next).
My DS is getting a lot of attention... I finished Phantom Hourglass last week, and its a luxury that I give to me...
As much as I love games, I have a lot, and I mean a lot, like %75 of my games unfinished, and several games that I only have played like 30 min.
I have my job, my wife... I don't have a lot of free time to play videogames, but when I really want to play a game, I give to me a little of free time dedicated to a game (Mario Galaxy will be next).
My DS is getting a lot of attention... I finished Phantom Hourglass last week, and its a luxury that I give to me...
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 3:06AM squeevi said
I feel ya man. I'm the same way, really lucky to finish most games. But I am proud to say that I Made time to finish Halo 3 campaign, and achieve officer ranking in multi player :-D (I know, probably not a big deal to most, but really something for me!)
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Posted: Nov 6th 2007 8:44AM (Unverified) said
You've turned casual. It happens to the best of us. I use to be a huge RPG buff but now I can't even manage to sit through 30 minutes.
Though, they just don't make games like they use to.
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Though, they just don't make games like they use to.
Posted: Nov 5th 2007 11:35PM BananaBoat said
He's got a point. No matter how good you are by your instincts alone, there is no way you are going to get to the level of a pro-gamer that does nothing but practice ALL DAY LONG so that he can pwn noobs like you.
The same can be said for annoying 12 year old homeschooled kids.
The same can be said for annoying 12 year old homeschooled kids.
Posted: Nov 5th 2007 11:43PM ummhello said
hrmmm....maybe he should try playing the Campaign Mode for practice so he gets used to the controls before dipping into multiplayer. There's also a good number of threads on bungie's website for gamertags to play custom games...and if he played the social games BigTeamBattle, at least there'd be 7 other teammates to pick up his slack.
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 3:04AM PoisonedAl said
Just, but sadly to make up the numbers and becuase the game isn't ranked, big team is made of the insanely good, hooting dick-holes and you. So when you're not being picked off from the other side of the map by some git with the sniper rifle, some cock on your own team kills you for the missile pod.
FUN!
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FUN!
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 1:36PM Dr Stabbingworth said
You have a rank for unranked games, but it's hidden. I'm not entirely sure, but I think this rank does match you with better players. The more I won at big team, the better competition I faced.
Either way, you can use unranked games to build skills. I'm at 32 (and still more to go, based on the competition) but I'm awful at sniping. So I use big team as a way to work on that. There are enough noobs in big team that after a few games you can have worked on something to get better.
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Either way, you can use unranked games to build skills. I'm at 32 (and still more to go, based on the competition) but I'm awful at sniping. So I use big team as a way to work on that. There are enough noobs in big team that after a few games you can have worked on something to get better.
Posted: Nov 5th 2007 11:53PM melloncollie128 said
I absolutely hate people like him. They make the experience far less fun than it should be. I understand that he does not have the time to play the game as some of us, but why ruin the experience for us? He had even admitted that he knew he would not get penalized, but we would. That's entirely rude on his part. He's no worse than the people who feel the need to continuously tea-bag you (even though they might be losing).
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 12:03AM melloncollie128 said
Yes, because making general assumptions surely does make you sound smart and witty.
I do not get angry when I die, I was stating my dislike for the people who intentionally do this. It doesn't take much to stick someone when you're rushing them and end up a foot from them. It's no skill at all (and like I've stated earlier, he knows that he won't get penalized but we would). It's not fun when I run across players who don't know their ass from their elbows, but if I see that they're genuinely trying to play better and get better, than I've got no problem with them. This though, it's just annoying.
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I do not get angry when I die, I was stating my dislike for the people who intentionally do this. It doesn't take much to stick someone when you're rushing them and end up a foot from them. It's no skill at all (and like I've stated earlier, he knows that he won't get penalized but we would). It's not fun when I run across players who don't know their ass from their elbows, but if I see that they're genuinely trying to play better and get better, than I've got no problem with them. This though, it's just annoying.
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 12:13AM The Last Metroid said
Why do you hate people that are playing a game how it's supposed to be. I mean, he's killing players, and that's the whole point of Slayer, right?
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Posted: Nov 6th 2007 12:16AM Geist said
People who think they're better because they think they play the only 'right' way are annoying too. So he stickies and kamikazees. Find a way to beat him so he doesn't do it. If he keeps killing you, so be it. Are you saying that people who play to have fun and not get better should not be playing at all?
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Posted: Nov 6th 2007 12:24AM melloncollie128 said
Because he does this knowing the he can do no better. You should, at least, be trying to get slightly better, but it seems apparent that everyone here thinks it's wrong to think that playing with a little strategy is a far more enjoyable way to play; sorry for suggesting otherwise.
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Posted: Nov 6th 2007 3:01AM ThornedVenom said
"Because he does this knowing the he can do no better. You should, at least, be trying to get slightly better, but it seems apparent that everyone here thinks it's wrong to think that playing with a little strategy is a far more enjoyable way to play; sorry for suggesting otherwise."
You should try upgrading your own strategy to effectively wipe out guys like him: sure it's "cheap" and menacing, but they're easy to push aside once you've developed a counter-measure.
After all, you know that you can do better than your previous style of gaming, right? ;)
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You should try upgrading your own strategy to effectively wipe out guys like him: sure it's "cheap" and menacing, but they're easy to push aside once you've developed a counter-measure.
After all, you know that you can do better than your previous style of gaming, right? ;)
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 3:11AM hotpuck6 said
i could see where this technique would bother some people, but unless they are intentionally following you, and you suck, they aren't going to manage to get you more than 2 or 3 times and they will wind up dead more than playing.
If someone finds that to be great fun, it's not going to effect anyone who's good, or the overall ranking of the game, so why the hell diminish someone else's fun?
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If someone finds that to be great fun, it's not going to effect anyone who's good, or the overall ranking of the game, so why the hell diminish someone else's fun?
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 11:17AM DWells55 said
The problem is this guy is making no effort whatsoever to get better at this game. Halo does not require constant practice or tons of experiences to be good at it. All it would take is for him to play some MLG customs or similar gameplay with some decent people and you'll get much better very quickly. Instead of actually trying to learn how to play the game, he'd rather just keep sucking.
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Posted: Nov 5th 2007 11:51PM The Last Metroid said
I love stickies. I have a similar approach..kind of. On swords matches, I get someone to follow me, then I throw a sticky at them. Works most of the time.
Posted: Nov 5th 2007 11:54PM vidguy said
I actually use this as strategy pretty often. Except when I go kamikazee, I run a Warthog into the opponents base, throw stickies on it and any other grenades anywhere I can. I usually kill off the defenders and my teammates capture the flag while they are respawning.
Posted: Nov 5th 2007 11:57PM F1 Basu Gasu Bakuhatsu said
Its like how you deal with the flood on the library on co-op legendary. One waits, the other goes kamakazi
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 1:42PM Dr Stabbingworth said
The Library isn't that hard on legendary. You get almost unlimited shotgun and pistol ammo and grenades. You could use your strategy for any level, essentially.
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Posted: Nov 5th 2007 11:59PM (Unverified) said
I don't see how this is any more unfriendly to newcomers than any other game. The level system makes it much better. Oh yeah and I love the snide little teenager remark. Is that how you feel better about yourself now? Insulting the players who are better than you? This guy seems to be at the level where tons of players who only play a few hours a week can cream him.
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 12:01AM Lemmiwinks said
Heheh... My little brother used to do that with bob-ombs in SB Melee.
"Down and A, you fly away."
"Down and A, you fly away."
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 12:04AM (Unverified) said
Isn't this what the skill levels are for? When you first hop into matchmaking, you're not going to be set against level 30+ players. You are playing with other noobs, until you do get good enough that the system allows you to progress.
Not to sound like I know everything there is to know about Halo multiplayer, but if he were playing with even relatively experienced players, this tactic would hardly work.
Not to sound like I know everything there is to know about Halo multiplayer, but if he were playing with even relatively experienced players, this tactic would hardly work.
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 12:14AM Magetto1 said
I use it as a tactic if someone catches me off guard, and I know I'm going to die, or if someone is rushing me and I know I'm going to die. Might as well take them down with me. However I tend to try and run away from the person when I throw the grenade, there's always that chance that it will kill them before they kill me.
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 12:46AM Vegeta has a ps3 said
Same here. I only use Kamikaze tactics when I know for sure I'm going to die. Might as well take other players with me.
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Posted: Nov 6th 2007 3:30AM PoisonedAl said
Yes, when I know I'm f**ked, I throw a grenade as my feet. %99 of the time, the person who killed me walks over me and BOOM!
Also a trick I've done a few times is when there's 2 or 3 vs just me, I lure them over to a fusion reactor and empty a clip into it when they get near. Got a triple kill from beyond the grave doing that.
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Also a trick I've done a few times is when there's 2 or 3 vs just me, I lure them over to a fusion reactor and empty a clip into it when they get near. Got a triple kill from beyond the grave doing that.
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 1:20AM (Unverified) said
Words cannot express how stupid this man is. He has no concept of what a real suicide bomber is. His article is pathetic and insulting to everyone. It is an embarrassment.
All he has said is basically, "I'm inbred retard incapable of learning or even comprehending basic sensory input." The funny part is that he doesn't even seem to understand the ramifications of this fact.
All he has said is basically, "I'm inbred retard incapable of learning or even comprehending basic sensory input." The funny part is that he doesn't even seem to understand the ramifications of this fact.
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 8:32AM (Unverified) said
I don't know what article you read but from what I read it seemed to make a lot of sense in certain aspects which were quite clear to me. The article was well written and simply provided insight from a different perspective. Oh and just to clearify, I do have a masters degree, so therefore I am not an idiot.
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Posted: Nov 6th 2007 1:34PM (Unverified) said
rdj75 am not even certain if you will receive any notification about this reply, and if you do not then I imagine you will never read this.
I did not want to go into a huge lengthy exposition paralleling the many differences between Halo 3 suicide bombing and suicide bombing in real life. I still don't, and I imagine that if you are as smart* as you wish me to believe, you should be able to come up with a pretty good list yourself. There is one key difference. Real suicide bombers are not motivated by desperation, they are motivated by an insane desire to enter into eternal bliss, a feat which they believe they can achieve by sacrificing themselves for the will of their lord Allah**. What makes this even more disturbing is that many suicide bombers are not uneducated, underclass citizens. A good number are educated and well-off. Meaning that the choice to be a suicide bomber is not -mostly- about religious belief and partly out of desperation, it is -solely- motivated by religious beliefs. The sad desperation that Clive Thompson feels such that he sees no other option but to perform kamikazee tactics is completely different from the feelings and motivations of a real suicide bomber.
And my calling him an "inbred retard incapable of learning or even understanding basic sensory input" is a shot at his ridiculously poor Halo skills. I find it hard to believe he is actually that bad. The matchmaking system is actually quite good. There are two possibilities. One is that he is playing social matches where rank has no affect on who he plays against, meaning he has completely misunderstood the system. That mistake is forgivable but still not very smart. The other possibility is far worse however, and it is what I have assumed to be true. This other possibility is that he has been playing ranked matches, meaning he is getting paired up against the worst players the game has to offer. And yet he still refers to these players as "pros" and takes cheap shots at their age and intellect. You don't have to have good Halo skills or even knowledge of the game to beat those players. If you are still failing at that level you have shown an inability to learn from experience or comprehend the meaning of what is occurring on screen. I for one see that as a clear case of being a total dipshit and not a case of being bad at a video game.
* Having a Master's Degree might get you employment but as far as I am concerned such a fact offers no insight into whether or not you are an idiot. I have had plenty of professors in college of similar academic ability and plenty of them were clueless and incompetent outside the limited realm of their profession.
**You may note this is a generalization, but the list of suicide bombers who are not Islamic is a very small one in comparison to those who are.
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I did not want to go into a huge lengthy exposition paralleling the many differences between Halo 3 suicide bombing and suicide bombing in real life. I still don't, and I imagine that if you are as smart* as you wish me to believe, you should be able to come up with a pretty good list yourself. There is one key difference. Real suicide bombers are not motivated by desperation, they are motivated by an insane desire to enter into eternal bliss, a feat which they believe they can achieve by sacrificing themselves for the will of their lord Allah**. What makes this even more disturbing is that many suicide bombers are not uneducated, underclass citizens. A good number are educated and well-off. Meaning that the choice to be a suicide bomber is not -mostly- about religious belief and partly out of desperation, it is -solely- motivated by religious beliefs. The sad desperation that Clive Thompson feels such that he sees no other option but to perform kamikazee tactics is completely different from the feelings and motivations of a real suicide bomber.
And my calling him an "inbred retard incapable of learning or even understanding basic sensory input" is a shot at his ridiculously poor Halo skills. I find it hard to believe he is actually that bad. The matchmaking system is actually quite good. There are two possibilities. One is that he is playing social matches where rank has no affect on who he plays against, meaning he has completely misunderstood the system. That mistake is forgivable but still not very smart. The other possibility is far worse however, and it is what I have assumed to be true. This other possibility is that he has been playing ranked matches, meaning he is getting paired up against the worst players the game has to offer. And yet he still refers to these players as "pros" and takes cheap shots at their age and intellect. You don't have to have good Halo skills or even knowledge of the game to beat those players. If you are still failing at that level you have shown an inability to learn from experience or comprehend the meaning of what is occurring on screen. I for one see that as a clear case of being a total dipshit and not a case of being bad at a video game.
* Having a Master's Degree might get you employment but as far as I am concerned such a fact offers no insight into whether or not you are an idiot. I have had plenty of professors in college of similar academic ability and plenty of them were clueless and incompetent outside the limited realm of their profession.
**You may note this is a generalization, but the list of suicide bombers who are not Islamic is a very small one in comparison to those who are.
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 1:28AM gescamil said
what's this? A post for people ranked in the teens? yeah, most likely not possible to pull this off once you start playing people in the 20's or above
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 3:05AM ThornedVenom said
Kamikaze was something I tried doing all the time on Unreal Tournament (although it's more significant in Halo with shield armour and plasma grenades).
It's from that point on that you can start learning to stray away from that low-level of satisfaction by starting to kill from a bit further, until you eventually manage to frag long-range.
After all, the only thing that really differentiates pros and noobs is your killing distance.
It's from that point on that you can start learning to stray away from that low-level of satisfaction by starting to kill from a bit further, until you eventually manage to frag long-range.
After all, the only thing that really differentiates pros and noobs is your killing distance.
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 3:29AM PoisonedAl said
Oh I don't know. I know some guys that have mastered beating you around the head. Personally I like to beat these guys by shooting them in the face. Even the basic rifle will put you down if you just run at someone and they aim for your head, (I love noobs with swords who somehow think bringing a knife to a gun fight will somehow make them invincible). The trick is to jump to the side so they can't get a good fix on you, and WHACK!
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Posted: Nov 6th 2007 3:45AM ThornedVenom said
I was referring to FPS in general, but it's true that melee weapons do give an extra interesting feature of gameplay. =)
Whatever the case, a real pro can swipe any "cheap" noobs on the side as if he were nothing by exploiting their obvious noob flaws. ;) Unless those noobs have become pro themselves at what they do. xD
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Whatever the case, a real pro can swipe any "cheap" noobs on the side as if he were nothing by exploiting their obvious noob flaws. ;) Unless those noobs have become pro themselves at what they do. xD
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 3:08AM (Unverified) said
i used to suicide bomb in bf2 all the time. I loved using the shitty mec and chinese choppers that nobody else ever wanted, I'd throw 5 c4 packs on the nose and dive straight into an enemy tank or car or just a ground soldier. it was so funny :)
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 3:53AM (Unverified) said
I have another good tactic, Any level that has a ghost i ride around and use the turbo boost to kill people. Instant kills and as you practice more you can get 7 or 8 kills before getting killed (or blown up or hijacked).
You dont even need to use the lasers on the ghost to get your kills.
You dont even need to use the lasers on the ghost to get your kills.
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 11:45AM (Unverified) said
I'm definitely the biggest ghost whore in the world. I like to think I'm pretty good with it. Splattering unsuspecting (and suspecting) opponents is fun and hilarious.
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Posted: Nov 6th 2007 4:15AM (Unverified) said
Being a medic requires a lot of skill. Remember, you have to NOT get killed. I usually stick to a soldier and go from there, but then again, it has to be a good soldier, and you both have to keep in good contact to be able to do anything. It's a lot more work than most realize.
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 11:40AM teamsammalone said
I'm a fan of the medic as well. I haven't played as much as I'd like to. It seems like the class to play if your not the best FPS player is the engineer. I have my most time with that class (four and a half hours of it :/ ) and love pushing the fight forward.
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Posted: Nov 6th 2007 4:36PM (Unverified) said
Agreed.
I mean, if you play medic, the medic has a gun you really do have to use when the person you're healing dies. On the other hand, and engineer has a gun too, but it's pretty crappy since the whole point of an engineer is not to be shooting, but to be building up a defense system whether it be in the enemy base or next to the capture point.
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I mean, if you play medic, the medic has a gun you really do have to use when the person you're healing dies. On the other hand, and engineer has a gun too, but it's pretty crappy since the whole point of an engineer is not to be shooting, but to be building up a defense system whether it be in the enemy base or next to the capture point.
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 4:25AM Fox City said
I'm generally a little-above-average player at Halo, but sometimes, man, you go up against the greats and you're just dying, dying, dying. So I either grab grenades and start lobbing them recklessly or pick up the needler and just start shooting, knowing that the spikes'll kill the person even after I'm dead. What satisfaction! And man is it great when you do this and keep ending someone's killing spree!
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 5:55AM (Unverified) said
It's a f-ckin game, for pete's sake!
And...on that note, so what. You make do with what you can. If you can't play a game and enjoy it, go do something else.
And...on that note, so what. You make do with what you can. If you can't play a game and enjoy it, go do something else.
Posted: Nov 6th 2007 9:10AM (Unverified) said
I do this all of the time in counter-strike (especially gun game) but in a different way. I just rush unexpectedly into a group of enemies and get a kill or two (hopefully) before being blasted. With this strategy you can keep a decent kill/death ratio even when out matched.
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