CoD:Warzone... WTF?!

[Koldov]

I haven't really 'gamed' for many years and recently after a half-decent PC was gifted to me, decided I would try out a few from my Steam list that have never seen the light of day (plus a few free ones I added)...

 

I was a massive Counter-Strike player back in the day and was reasonably good, although I never clanned or played in any leagues. Whilst I had a brief period messing about with configs, skins and other modifications I generally always played with everything on default.

 

Anyway, although I do like the CS2 with upgraded graphics (I mean not really stunning by todays standards it's still a big jump from the CS 1.4/5/6 era, which is the last time I played it) I decided to try the free Warzone 'mod' from CoD.

 

Now, I'm used to having 3 or 4 buttons to deal with (apart from WASD), small maps with strategic planning of the 2 or 3 routes, sneaking around and defending/camping if necessary, single shots or 2 or 3 bullet bursts of gunfire to control recoil, 2 main types of grenade (there are others now but only Flash and HE being really worth it), also only 4 or 5 guns being really worthwhile etc.

 

Well, I picked the wrong game (and format I guess) to try and transition into!!!

 

After I managed to actually work out (mostly) how to land the skydive without either floating around too long and getting shot out of the sky or plummeting to the ground and certain death... I started to slowly work my way around the huge maps, sneaking from cover to cover, building to building so I didn't get snipered from a distant rooftop :peek: picking up so many items that I don't know how to use or even if they're worth using... not knowing how to change anything or which buttons control what was also getting pretty frustrating... so I was hiding in a house, in a dark corner behind some boxes and a plant...

 

However, that lasted about a minute or two when literally out of nowhere another player appeared, dressed in some weird space type glowing skin, with coloured guns and doing some strange kind of slide/run manoeuvre...

 

I went to aim at them and by the time I'd brought my crosshairs up and tried to move to evade them, they'd killed me within a split-second and disappeared just as quickly... this was basically the theme for the next couple of hours... I watched whoever killed me in spectate for a while skidding, jumping, wildly pointing the crosshairs at random places and killing other players with a fully automatic hail of bullets (even from a fair distance), swapping guns and equipment in what appeared to be micro seconds, having two 'machine guns' instead of one and a side arm (and what powerful guns even early on in rounds), then I'd have to choose 'play again', leave the match and go through the whole joining another game process, watching the ridiculous intro video (which I have turned off in the settings)...

 

I briefly had the image in my mind of a hundred 12 year-old boys on their X-Boxes in front of massive TVs, just being very rude and childish as most 12 year-old gamers are well known to be (well, that and from the brief snippets I heard as I hadn't found the mute setting in the beginning).

 

What a baptism of fire and not very enjoyable (as I spent most of the time waiting or joining a match)! There doesn't appear to be any way to play with bots or any 'training mode' for Warzone (which is understandable and not surprising), or any server browser to look for n00b matches but at least it was Solo/Battle Royale where nobody knows you (or cares) and nobody relies on you to be a valuable member of a team.

 

I'm not after sympathy or help (or even 'don't hate the player' or 'get good'), I just thought it was funny how old it made me feel (or basically just to remind me that I am). Also, I wonder if playing CS so much 'spoilt' other First Person Shooters for me... Not because it's better, but just because I am so used to how it 'feels' that playing any other game is always disappointing (I've tried other HL mods, Doom, Unreal, Battlefield, Far Cry, CoD:MW, Rainbow Six) because it takes so long to build a new set of muscle memories, learn new keys, new guns, new items etc. Also I don't really like the 'story/campaign' modes on a lot of them where you are forced to go a certain way and kill certain enemies at predetermined points....

 

Of course it could just be me... and that I only have an attention span of 3 minutes...

Edited January 9, 2024 by Koldov

[Disease]

I have played FPS games and MMO's online since 1996 and today's gaming is very different if you haven't played for a while. It's far quicker and will take you a while to get used to the pace. Being in my 50's now I still hold my own against the youngsters with a positive KDR, although have played continuously all through the years.

 

I would suggest playing MW3 multiplayer instead as it's more traditional than warzone.

[ITGuyNW]

I've literally just got back into Medal of Honor Allied Assault. £1.99 on GOG and it has loads of people playing online too! Be sure to get the community launcher for it as it sorts out the resolution etc

[3s-gtech]

Cheating. You’ll remember the hacks from CS 1.6 - the absolute flaming that people got, the frustration of playing on a good server when a hacker joins.

 

Many modern games are like that, but worse, because instead of being 12 that hacker is 10, squealing and screaming, still spoiling any fun.

 

Best advice: avoid, unless you want to sink hundreds of hours into an ultimately frustrating and non-fun gaming experience.

[midweek]

I feel your pain. I'm still an avid fps gamer after cutting my teeth on Day of Defeat years ago, but I just can't be doing with these high-intensity twitch shooters (Warzone was horrible!).

My go to these days is PUBG (which is also free) as I can dictate the pace a bit more and have a couple of like minded friends I can group up with.

[Koldov]

Cheating. You’ll remember the hacks from CS 1.6 - the absolute flaming that people got, the frustration of playing on a good server when a hacker joins..

 

I do! I even set up a separate non-networked PC (and was so paranoid I even bought a new copy Half Life/Counter-Strike) at one point and downloaded some of them to test... never having been a cheater it was shocking to say the least, a real eye opener.

 

I used to play on the [sHITE] clan servers, a really friendly bunch, it had a good atmosphere and it was a lot of fun.

 

Cheaters lasted 1 round at most!

[jthompson]

I don't like playing anything online against strangers. Too stressful and the best way to ruin any prospect of fun. In all the hours I put into Elite: Dangerous, I never once played it on anything other than solo.

 

I grew up with multiplayer being a nice addition to a game where you could play it with your actual friends. Even then it's about enjoying one anothers' company more than winning at a game.

[PotNoodleTech]

Paying games like COD is just plain stressful. The constant push to get faster and faster simply favors youngsters over middle aged gamers. I mean even the streamers who stream it seem to hate playing it.

 

Not for me. I game to relax.

[TwistedHelixis]

I way prefer Battlefield to COD and the new CS version. BF is actually my 'wind down' game, as I don't have to think to play it, plus most rounds only last 20 minutes, so it suits my 'I have kids' lifestyle.

[Oaktech]

As I keep telling my 8yo...

 

Games are supposed to be fun. If they aren't fun, shrug and leave it.

[NegativeKillDeath]

For a slower pace of game you could try Hunt:Showdown. 1890s America looter extraction shooter. As its mostly single action guns the pace is slower. There is still a learning curve but recent changes to the game have made it new player friendly. The tutorial tells you all you really need to know.

[Patrick]

I Used to play CS and CSS, I play Hell Let Loose now, which is more tactical but very difficult. I die. ALOT.

[Garacesh]

Congratulations, you've successfully experienced modern Battle Royale games. They're pretty much all hacker-infested now.

 

If you want to continue with the game type, but play something where they actually care about getting rid of cheaters, I'm hearing good things about The Finals banning folk, and I don't see the Apex Legends crowd complaining much.

[Chuckster]

Modern day FPS are a pain. I'm old and I can't keep up with it, so I casually play Unreal Tournament 2004 or anything earlier, which allows me to play against the computer.

 

COD is too fast paced and my time doesn't allow me to improve my skillset. That, and it's just frustrating to play at times.

[Dos_Box]

This is quite a good thread, especially as this is the very thing Ive been giving thought to recently.

As a Gamer V1.0 I have found that (apart from the recycling of old gaming themes) online play is just too annoying. I'm in my 50's and compared to teen reactions, mine just have whatever avatar I have in game with a huge 'shoot me first' glowing sign above my head. And they do.

I'm wondering if there are any gaming studios out there that pay attention to playability and not needing to have every key on the keyboard in use for an in-game function, or the reflexes of and F1 driver.

In particular for people like many of us (Gamer v1.0's), I don't want to spend the best part of a month leaning just to control a playable character\vehicle\ship. There has to be a market for that!

[jthompson]

I remember getting a Voodoo 3 card back in the day, which had a copy on Unreal bundled with it. The main part of game was fine but the thing that I really got hooked on was the deathmatch mode as you could just play it locally against bots, which was quite unusual back then for a deathmatch mode. That then gave rise to Unreal Tournament, which I absolutely loved. Never played it online, just locally against the bots. It felt like a better, more controlled challenge. That's my ideal FPS experience!

Years later I got Star Wars Battlefront (because it's Star Wars) and really just wanting to be playing offline rounds against bots rather than having to be online against random gamers.

 

Buy once to own for unlimited offline play clearly doesn't provide the same returns for games publishers.

[timbo343]

COD and ACC / AMS2 / wreckfest are a stress reliever for me but totally get where the OP and others are coming from in terms of hackers / cheats etc.

 

It is fast pace and even with a 144hz monitor my eyes cannot keep up.

 

It's not just COD or FPSs though, ACC/AMS2 have players who ruin it for for everyone. A simple mistake / racing incident results in someone really throwing their teddy out and ruining the game - look at Max Vestappen when he was involved in the esports crash the other month.

[Disease]

Maybe I just don't suffer as much as the other oldies because I have kept playing regularly (min 3 x 4 hour sessions per week) all my life which is why I don't find the fast pace a problem.

[Koldov]

As I keep telling my 8yo...

 

Games are supposed to be fun. If they aren't fun, shrug and leave it.

 

Not just for gaming... some sage life advice right there! You could (and probably should) apply that (or a slight variation of) to a lot of life situations...

 

This is quite a good thread, especially as this is the very thing Ive been giving thought to recently.

As a Gamer V1.0 I have found that (apart from the recycling of old gaming themes) online play is just too annoying. I'm in my 50's and compared to teen reactions, mine just have whatever avatar I have in game with a huge 'shoot me first' glowing sign above my head. And they do.

I'm wondering if there are any gaming studios out there that pay attention to playability and not needing to have every key on the keyboard in use for an in-game function, or the reflexes of and F1 driver.

In particular for people like many of us (Gamer v1.0's), I don't want to spend the best part of a month leaning just to control a playable character\vehicle\ship. There has to be a market for that!

 

Thing is we all know you can't 'please all of the people all of the time' and a lot of developers (especially ones who want to make good profits and are big enough to actually put out a decent game) are looking for market share. Gamer v1.0's aren't going to give that versus the amount of 10 year-olds with an X-Box. There are markets where an older generation with money to burn and plenty of free time are worth targeting, but I think in the grand scheme of things older gamers aren't worth developing new games for unfortunately.

 

I like the graphics in CoD:Warzone, I like the gameplay of CS2, I also like the option of playing with bots... I'd also like the maps size to be somewhere in between the two... When there's only two ways to a bomb site CS can get a bit tired and some maps are very one sided (I understand given the type of game too many options would make it impossible), but the CoD and Battlefield maps are just huge (and have to be obviously) so having a CS style game in there could go on for hours and hours (maybe days). I do of course understand they are very different games, different style of gameplay etc. CS2 is more single mission based, small SAS style squad operation and Warzone's all about the fast shoot everything that moves style of play, so I'm not making comparisons in that (or any other) respect.

 

Weapons and other equipment... somewhere in the middle. CS2 has the right amount of choices initially I think for realism, but could certainly do with some extras. Also the speed of movement (I know some balance had to be struck and a penalty for choosing heavier, more powerful weapons) as running slower with a gun drawn doesn't make sense if you put it away and run with a knife, you're still carrying it! I'm happy with the pick up weapons from dead enemies style, but the respawning loot chests full of endless weapon/equipment options just makes it a bit too bonkers for me personally. As @Dos_Box says having to learn so many commands and key maps for a game is just too much for my old brain and so many different weapon/equipment choices make it really inaccessible for those who can't spend hours every evening glued in front of an X-Box and 60 inch TV... In something like a free for all FPS game though of course the opposite is also true, nobody really wants something so simple any n00b can pick it up and own you on the first game, there has to be some sort of learning curve and 'reward' for controlling things like the recoil pattern of a gun, being able to aim precisely (for a headshot) and less reward for just charging around shooting full auto/spray 'n' pray etc.

 

I like the freedom of playing something like CS2 against bots, it's computer controlled obviously and has its flaws (watching a bot try to make an impossible jump, or even get through a doorway for 2 minutes when they're the only one left alive is annoying) but I prefer that to the linear 'you must go down this path and defeat these enemies at this point' type.

 

There will always be things somebody hates/loves about any game because we're all different and there's too much to be said about any particular game. I've installed, played and uninstalled all of those in my previous post and always come back to CS, I just wish it was slightly.... more?

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Maybe I just don't suffer as much as the other oldies because I have kept playing regularly (min 3 x 4 hour sessions per week) all my life which is why I don't find the fast pace a problem.

 

True of a lot of things.... if you don't use it, you lose it!

[Garacesh]

As a Gamer V1.0 I have found that (apart from the recycling of old gaming themes) online play is just too annoying. I'm in my 50's and compared to teen reactions, mine just have whatever avatar I have in game with a huge 'shoot me first' glowing sign above my head. And they do.

I'm wondering if there are any gaming studios out there that pay attention to playability and not needing to have every key on the keyboard in use for an in-game function, or the reflexes of and F1 driver.

 

There's been a surprising amount of games coming out in the past few years with a lot of accessibility options, but they're all single-player experiences because otherwise, it's just an unfair advantage in online play.

[Koldov]

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!1

 

I don't think @Dos_Box was referring to himself as being so old he needed 'accessibility options'!

 

[Garacesh]

Lol my point was more 'some major studios are starting to differ from the norm and thinking about a more varied demographic' than 'old fart needs help'.

 

... Could've definitely made that clearer, in hindsight.

[thimon]

Battlefield 1 still has a huge player base, looks gorgeous and is easy to play. Have at it [emoji846]

[Gusto_r53]

I've been a competitive FPS enjoyer for as long as i've been a gamer, im only in my late 20's, but i've been through all the counter strikes, including still diping into CS2 even today, COD, DoD, Battlefield, Valorant and all in between. I tend to rank above average in most but the one thing that has just got me moving further and further away from these games and their competitive playlists is the cheaters.

 

I can deal being outgunned by someone who outskills me but getting killed by cheater in almost every competitive shooter now is just demoralising and I even started to just play a bunch of single player games or group games with friends. Even racing games which are my second love are affected by this with speed hackers and all sorts. Its nuts!

 

Although, i've recently falled down the Escape From Tarkov rabbit whole with some friends and its been enjoyable but boy are there a lot of cheaters there too!

Battlefield was probably the most enjoyable casual shooter experience for me, 2042 now appears to be in a better place that at release and its very playable and easy to enjoy.

 

Cod got super stale quickly being its basically the same recycled game with a cash shop and all the crazy ass movement tricks was just too annoying to keep up with, Warzone was a great deal of fun at the start but it started to go downhill real fast into its lifetime.

 

Start playing Throne and Liberty as a wind down MMO between other games!

[TwistedHelixis]

FYI - Battlefield have just released their own anti cheat system. Its just been added to Battlefield 1 and others will be added soon.

 

EA has taken a significant step in the ongoing battle against cheating in online games by developing its own kernel-mode anti-cheat system. This move comes in response to the increasing sophistication of cheats, especially on PC platforms.

https://www.vpesports.com/battlefield-1-to-receive-major-update-on-october-22