Far Cry... How'd you play through it?

[Jagndeke]

Well, I've really enjoyed this game for it's beautiful graphics, it's much more than adequate AI and the openness of gameplay (read as non-linear) that the game brings to the table.

While playing through it occurred to me that there are essentially 3 ways to play it. 1) Run 'n gun; 2) Stealth; or 3) a good mix of the 2 styles.

I ended up playing the majority of the game in stealth mode. It helped me stay on top of the AI (always fast on its feet much to my delight) and allowed me to really emerse myself in the game environment and atmosphere. It gave me a chance to really "soak up" everything the game offered.

But I was wondering how other people played through and what their impressions were.

[Ojnod]

I did a mix. Outside I was stealthy, inside I was rambo. But I didnt finish the game yet. I am not very far into it. I am at the part where you first encounter those alienish thingys in the level that reminded me of "Tree Top Town" in Donkey kong or maybe an ewok village from starwars. I haven't played for 2 weeks though.

[Fzoulcmbyl]

I did it exactly like you are Jag. I like to soak-up the scenery, and get the jump on the bad guys....( sniper...sniper..sniper...)


:D:


Fzoul

[OldsterHolster]

One of the delightful qualities of this game is that I don't think you can use either stealth or run 'n gun tactics through the whole game. I tend to barge right in with guns blazing as my first choice, but I learned in a hurry that, in some levels, this was just certain suicide. Heh, heh. I think most people will find they have to use a mix of tactics to beat the game.

I did find places where a little stealth could spare you a whole lotta grief and shorten the path to the objective, but; unfortunately, I'm one of those people who have to kill all the baddies to be happy, so I usually just wade through 'em all, anyway.

Another sign that this is truly a great game, is that you learn as you play; and, by the time I finished it just a few days, ago, I knew the enemy, strategies, my limitations, the weapons, and some of the tricks; so I can hardly wait to replay it as a "veteran." The bad guys are pretty smart in this one, but if you can seamlessly go from running, full tilt and with guns a blazing, to diving behind a bush, prone, and whipping out your binoculars or thermo-detector thingy, and then take care of business in whatever way you see fit; you can really have a good time with it. Pure stealth just wasted a lot of my time, at first. Heh, heh. The damned enemy seemed to have super hearing and sight, but I now realize they were just using the same gadgets I had at my disposal, also. I just didn't use them, properly, in the beginning of the game.

The game made me laugh at myself, too. I'm going to start a post about what people do to deal with the intense frustration of the moment while playing these silly, damned, things; but I usually limit myself to a little fist-pound on the table beside the keyboard, and a few, loud, expletives. (I live alone, so I can curse with vigor and not bother anyone.) Anyway, somewhere in the game I was just getting owned, over and over, again; no matter what I seemed to try. I reloaded the checkpoint for the umpteenth time and started plowing through Mercs, Trigens, mutants, etc., until I reached a point where I just got plain scared. I knew I was gonna die! I turned around and ran like hell! Heh, heh, heh. Well, hell, this turned out to be the hot ticket. Using an offensive retreat almost turned the seemingly impossible into a turkey shoot. Anyway, after I was successful I had to chuckle at myself for the emotions and other brain circuits the game had aroused. Its why I play them.

Have fun, and post neat little things you might discover in the game. I suspect there are a lot of them. After killing all the bad guys on the Japanese aircraft carrier, I discovered the gattling gun on the bow would shoot down sea birds flying way off in the distance. No flak, please; I'm a bird lover in the real world, but I thought it was neat that somebody wrote it into the code, you know?

Oh, and one more endearing quality was that the helicopters were'nt too difficult to shoot down. I think my gaming personna's gut fear of helicopters goes back to the week I spent stuck in a level of Half-Life, or one of the expansions, trying to survive a damned Apache. Heh, heh. Fun game! Enjoy yourselves. Edward.

[SupaTroopa]

Well when my system isn't rebooting during the game....

I'm well into it, just past the "Steam" level I believe. I don't use the binoculars much (they don't track anything you can't already see but you can hear conversations from across an island which is neat)

Playing on Medium difficulty is perfect - and using the console quick save command is a life saver...literally.

Finally had a good scare - not since Undying did something make me jump like that - when one of those weird looking monster things jumped out of a roof vent on top of me out of nowhere (even though they are all scripted events) luckily I killed it before it got to me....

A lot of crouching, aiming, and plodding in this game - which is fun - and waiting for the baddies to come out and look for you of course...still can't get over how neat the graphics are either....just an amazing experience if you got the PC to run it at medium-to-high detail levels.

[Mr. Natural]

Still haven't finished it, but in the outdoor areas I prefer the sneak approach and when I have enough ammo there's nothing like sniping from a distance. There are some areas however where I found "running/driving like hell" to be the most prudent measure. I hate running through a level because I like to explore, but in some areas of this game it was the only way I could see getting through the area. There just wasn't enough ammo for me to face some of the tough guys.

[Fzoulcmbyl]

I don't use the binoculars much (they don't track anything you can't already see


Uh...SKT?.... The binoculars highlight every bad guy in the area with a "bracket" that forms around them,...and then, they are "marked" on your compass, usually with little green markers, because they haven't seen you yet......BUT the great thing about those markers, is the fact that they change color as they bad guys become aware of you,....and the markers also move, as the bad guys get closer to you....

So, I almost always use the Binoc's...they provide a ton of info, and they also can "zoom" the most, more than any of the gun scopes can.


:thumbup:



Fzoul

[DejaFu]

need to buy it hehe

[OldsterHolster]

I used the binocs mainly for spotting the bad guys, and I thought the sniper rifle scope was excellent. Don't forget the "t" key, also, to spot the bad guys. In some surroundings, it was a lifesaver. Even the rocket launcher had an excellent scope. Edward.

[Poots]

A friend of mine sat down with me and we took turns playing it. It's really an amazing game, however, after the monkeys appeared it really just lost respect with me. Doom 3 is coming in a few short monthes, so why must I play through half of it with Far Cry (and it's damned killer monkeys of death!!!!)? But yeah, we kind've got hardcore stuck at a late level (I believe it's either the 3rd or 4th last level of the game) and just stopped caring. Bring island paradise back! Play Far Cry!

[SupaTroopa]

I just don't find the bino's overly useful, and I understand how they work completely, a neat toy, but I can see where another person who plays differently than I would make use of them. I'm almost through the game and haven't even used them more than once or twice, and haven't had much of a problem without them honestly. I don't find the radar blips once they're tracked overly useful either except for maybe the early part of the game on the island camps.

If I can see someone from that distance and have the sniper ammo, I just take 'em out right then and there. :)

[Mr. Natural]

Poots has a good point. I played more last night, I finished "the boat" level last night and it was a nice episode not having to deal with "the monkeys and monsters". This game could have been great without the monsters. Perhaps I've become more a fan of mititary type shooters though after playing a lot of games such as BF1942 and Call of Duty.

[Cronus]

It has monsters in it?! Might not buy it now. I hate games like that, just makes me so claustophobic.

[Ravanor]

It has monsters in it?! Might not buy it now. I hate games like that, just makes me so claustophobic.
don't worry they are happy mutants, they just want to play. :scared:

[Jagndeke]

This game could have been great without the monsters.

I agree. Overall FC is a great game but the monsters took something away from it for sure. Eventually I'll play through it again but I suspect I'll only make it halfway through up until the monsters become the prevalent enemy. After that, I'll wait for Doom 3 or something else along those lines to hit the market. :wink:

[OldsterHolster]

All right, troops, what's going on here? I'm definitely detecting "monster shyness," and I want to know why. Heh, heh, heh. Sure, they're big, ugly, strong, and scare the beJesus out of us when they pounce; but we're brave, right? And, all worthy mad-scientists need to have something going for them, don't they?

Are aliens OK, and are alien monsters worse than mad-scientist ones? How about dragons? Surely, you have a soft spot in your heart for them.

I, like many others, got hooked on these games with Doom II; and it had all monsters. I like 'em, myself. They represent somebody's best efforts to create something scary and dangerous from their imagination, and they all do have "personality." Hell, some of them are even cute, or funny; and even the nasty ones are usually pretty stupid, so lighten up, soldiers. Remember your basic training on non-discriminatory wasting of all bad guys. If this behavior persists, it will almost certainly lead to the monsters organizing a union; and then we will have to deal with token monsters in all games. Wait until one moves in next door to you in your favorite Sims neighborhood. Heh, heh. Remember, monsters are people, too. Edward.

[Jagndeke]

Hehe... some good comments there OH! :lol:

Personally I have nothing against monsters at all. Never let it be said that old Jag ever turned his back or refused to dismember even the scariest pixelated beast in gameland. :wink:

I think what turned me off the monsters in FC was the fact that the first few levels were so well done, so realistic and so intense taking on the mercs that I found when the monsters finally took over in later levels I missed having the mercs around to kick and blast away at my leisure. Instead of improving my gaming experience by adding monsters in later levels, I think it actually detracted from it somewhat. The transition from fighting mercs to monsters was okay, but it didn't make this a "better" game by doing so. Having said that though, FC is still by far an outstanding FPS that I would recommend to anyone who is inclined toward this gaming genre.

[OldsterHolster]

[QUOTE= I think what turned me off the monsters in FC was the fact that the first few levels were so well done, so realistic and so intense taking on the mercs that I found when the monsters finally took over in later levels I missed having the mercs around to kick and blast away at my leisure. /QUOTE]


I'll have to admit that I felt exactly the same way. I was just getting comfortable with wasting the mercs, and; all of a sudden, here were those pink, pouncing, mutant, bastards putting the fear of God right back into my soul. Pisses me off to get scared like that! Heh, heh, heh.

From a game developer's point of view, the timing was perfect. If a player gets too comfortable, "boredom" is waiting in the wings; and none of us like to be bored with a game. In retrospect, although I was grumbling under my breath about the monsters for a few levels; by the end of the game I was back to enjoying it, immensely, and I still say its one of the best games I've played in a long time. If you're a shooter, don't let a few monsters scare you away from this game. Its good! Edward.

[OldsterHolster]

Well, my dumbness is showing, again. How do I quote just a part of someone's reply? I tried highlighting the part I wanted, but I still get the whole message; and when I try to delete the part I don't want to quote, I get the above results. What am I doing wrong?

[Fzoulcmbyl]

I usually do this...

1. Highlight the part I want, and hit "Ctrl-C" to copy it.

2. Hit the "Quote" button up at the top of this little reply box.

3. Then do "Ctrl-V" to paste that part into the Quote box.


As far as the mosters go, the reason I don't like them, is the fact that they take so much ammo to kill, and that they kill you in 1-2 hits. There is just no challenge in that, and you feel defeated before you even start the fight.

I don't mind running from a fight once or twice, but when you have entire levels, where you have to do that, it kind of pisses me off.

Still....FC is the best game I have played in years.


Fzoul

[Fzoulcmbyl]

Just finished the game this morning.....man, thats the first game that made my hands twitch. I usually don't get the "nervous twitch" in games at all, but it sure gets the blood pumpin, when you know you're gonna die, and your going to have to replay the entire section over again.

:mad2:

I had to use a "bug" to my advantage in the last level, and I don't know if some people would condsider it a bug, or just taking advantage of your surroundings, whether the developers intended you to or not.

Either way, I don't feel like I cheated, it still scared the hell out of me, and I still had to battle it out with every bad guy there. Awesome game, but I don't know if I have the energy to play it again...

:lol:



Fzoul

[OldsterHolster]

First of all, thanks for the tips on doing the quote thing, Fzoul. Secondly, what "bug" are you talking about. I know it would be a "spoiler," but I'm interested to know how you fought the last boss battle; because I, too, discovered an easier way than what I read in a walkthrough.

I usually try to avoid walkthroughs or cheats the first time through a game unless I get hopelessly stuck for a couple or more days, but when I reached the later level where I was kicked out of the helicopter with only five rounds of ammunition, I found a walkthrough and glossed over the rest of the game. Turns out, I was doing what I needed to do in that level; and I found a much easier way to fight the big-boss battle than what I had read.

Like most of us, I don't particularly like the boss battles; but I'll have to say that this one was not bad. Hard enough to make you work a little, but not repetitive to the point of frustration and boredom.

I will differ with you on one point. I am looking forward to replaying this game in the near future. There's just a ton of stuff to do and see in the game, and; now that I'm a veteran and not afraid of the monsters, anymore, I might just find a little time to lie on the beach and work on my tan. Heh, heh. I especially want to play with the boats and the hang gliders some more, too.

Anyway, this game has a lot of potential for idle, replay, fun; so tell me about your "bug" so I can check it out. Edward.