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So I'm a FPS noob. Where should I start?

D

DryEyeRelief

Member
My experience just amounts to playing casual L4D where I wasn't very good.

If possible, I don't want this to be a list thread (I know we already have enough of those), so much as a suggestion thread of best way to approach the games. Should I play on PC or console? Should I play an older game, or just jump into a current one like MW2?

I wouldn't mind hearing other people's first experiences with shooters too. Thanks for the input.
 
Just jump into a current one, or any really. The more you play, the better you get. Obviously some games are going to have a steeper learning curve than others, but something like MW2 is very easy to get into.

Console or PC is just preference, although I'm sure someone will say otherwise.
 
If you can get decent at CS (not Source) then you'll be at least decent at every other FPS. It's not an easy task though.
 
The Orange Box on PC would be your best bet as every game in it is fantastic and you can try both single and multiplayer. You could also try the Metroid games on the Wii if you aren't keen on using a mouse and keyboard.
 
Portal is the title I currently use to introduce people to the shooter genre. Lacking enemies of the traditional variety, with most sections devoid of any urgency or pressing danger, it serves as a great training tool for learning keyboard+mouse or, heaven save you if you bought the 360 Orange Box, dual analogue. Once they complete that, I move them onto the Half-Life 2 trilogy for more traditional (and super high-watermark) shooting.

Halo: Combat Evolved was my training wheels for dual analogue. Had to set the game to easy, as after coming from a PC background I struggled with the analogue sticks for first person movement, but the smart pacing of the game, intelligent AI and generous recharging shield mechanic created the perfect environment for learning console FPS. Music kicked major ass, too.

My first FPS title was actually Doom II, but seeing as that was entirely keyboard controlled, I had to relearn everything over again once true 3D shooters emerged.
 
Coming from a PC purist background, I have tried playing on consoles since the 360/ps3 got out and I can happily report that it broadened my horizon. Both PC and console has it's advantages when it comes to these games. The PC platform is the way the FPS games were supposed to be played from the beginning, and the style is way faster. The console versions are much slower, for the most part. This has it's advantqages when it comes to some games, however. The advantages for Bad company 2 on the consoles, for example, is that the game becomes somewhat more tactical when played in a slower manner.

I strongly suggest that you start out with Quake on the PC. Yes, the original Quake. Play it for a while, and then download Quakeworld. Then get online to get yourself a sense of how far you have to go. After that, try some game on the consoles. Something like Halo if you are into that, but I'd advice you to try Rainbox Six to get a sense of the advantages these kinds of games can earn from being played on a console.

Everything said, FPS games are awesome any way you choose to play them. Some are best played on the PC, and others are better off on the consoles. You will have to find your own way through the jungle, little grasshoppah.
 
For an introduction to modern FPS's that you can get your hands on/actually play on a current gen system, Halo 1 and 2 are probably your best bet, then Halo 3. Controls are pretty simple/standard and the game is very forgiving at lower difficulty settings. I can't agree with anyone recommending Counter-Strike, what with the level of competition and the fairly unique bullet-spread (I know it's the wrong term, but I can't think of what to call it) on all the guns. In CS, it isn't just point and pull the trigger, it takes a lot of work to understand all the guns. In Halo, on the other hand, just put the crosshair over an alien and pull the trigger. I wouldn't suggest playing online until you're comfortable though, seeing as how the competition there can be pretty brutal as well.

If you can't tolerate playing a last gen game, the single player campaigns of Halo 3 or the Modern Warfare games at low difficulty settings are a pretty good place to start, seeing as how most other games emulate their mechanics and control styles. MW might be a better choice because they're a little more linear.
 
What's a good pc FPS to ease a girl gamer into? She's even unfamiliar with the WASD mouse setup. Also, multiplayer isn't an option.
 
spindoc said:
What's a good pc FPS to ease a girl gamer into? She's even unfamiliar with the WASD mouse setup. Also, multiplayer isn't an option.
Click to expand...

Perhaps the original Half-Life or even Half-Life 2? Or Portal? They're simple and not "twitchy" at all.
 
I know several people who aren't really gamers, but they play Modern Warfare. It's pretty easy to get into, and even if you suck you can still kill people. I would think the first Modern Warfare would be a lot easier to get into than part 2, though.
 
If you're talking about console fps's, then I'd start with the original Halo. For me, that set the standard for console first person shooters. The controls just felt right.
 
corkscrewblow said:
If you can get decent at CS (not Source) then you'll be at least decent at every other FPS. It's not an easy task though.
Click to expand...

CS 1.6 couldn't be a worse place to start really. The only people who still play are 10 year veterans who are on 24/7.
 
Lasthope106 said:
Team Fortress 2 on PC.

Get the Orange Box. Best $30 you'll ever spend. Start with the medic class.
Click to expand...

A competitive online FPS with a strong, dedicated following is easily the worst possible suggestion.

Orange Box isn't such a bad suggestion, though, since it has Portal and Half-Life 2.
 
Suairyu said:
Portal is the title I currently use to introduce people to the shooter genre. Lacking enemies of the traditional variety, with most sections devoid of any urgency or pressing danger, it serves as a great training tool for learning keyboard+mouse or, heaven save you if you bought the 360 Orange Box, dual analogue. Once they complete that, I move them onto the Half-Life 2 trilogy for more traditional (and super high-watermark) shooting.

Halo: Combat Evolved was my training wheels for dual analogue. Had to set the game to easy, as after coming from a PC background I struggled with the analogue sticks for first person movement, but the smart pacing of the game, intelligent AI and generous recharging shield mechanic created the perfect environment for learning console FPS. Music kicked major ass, too.

My first FPS title was actually Doom II, but seeing as that was entirely keyboard controlled, I had to relearn everything over again once true 3D shooters emerged.
Click to expand...

Good list but Doom was keyboard and mouse.

The above was a good suggestion and I had a different perspective that is no more right than his.

Start with Doom XBLA on 360 for consoles and Doom for PC. Play on easy first and then up the difficulty as you get better.

Upgrade to Halo: Combat Evolved on 360 for consoles and QUAKE for PC. Play both on easy first and up the difficulty when you get better. Halo has a good amount of aim assists so new players get into it easier than most modern FPS games.

Newer FPS games start out hard and complex for lots of people. TF2 is great but has secondary fire and roles to be played it can be intimidating to newbs. Doom doesn't have vertical aim so it's easy. No secondary fire and no jumping. Quake will introduce vertical aim and jumping. TF2 then introduces secondary fire and rocket jumping.

I got lots of my non-gamer friends having fun playing splitscreen Doom and Halo 2 and 3 on 360. Talking about girls who've never played anything beyond Bejeweled on PC.

It helps not being frustrated so keep the difficulty low and if playing with other newbs make sure no skilled player gets in the mix because it ruins it for everyone. Unless the skilled guy in nice and not a prick and can show the new people stuff.
 
Start from the bottom and work your way up: Battlezone and Hovertank 3D. Then you can graduate to Wolfenstein 3D and Blake Stone, then Doom and Dark Forces...and so on.
 
Maybe F.E.A.R could be a good start because it's not in a high pace like other shooting games, though with horrors :D.

Some of my friends told that they got dizzy when playing games made by HL2 engine, but I'm totally OK with that. The Orange Box is definite above the money's worth.
 
I started with Goldeneye on the N64, then couldn't really use the standard PC setup until around 2002 where I was suggested the alternate method that I still use so I can play on a PC, where I then played Counter-Strike (1.5) for about a year.

Didn't really play any fps until 2008 when I got into the zombie infection mod for 1.6, then went through Half-Life, then got into Left 4 Dead 1 and 2. I've played through Portal and Half-Life 2 now, but never gave TF2 a try since I'd just noob it up on a random server.

A good place to start would likely be what most folks have suggested, getting the Orange Box on PC. It comes with a variety of FPS that will keep you busy and familiarize you with the controls and have a good amount of fun, too.

If you were asking for where to start on consoles instead, I can't really help since Goldeneye is pretty much it for those that I've really played (a couple minutes playing Halo 1 and 2 don't really count).
 
20080622103059!Half-Life_Cover_Art.jpg


Ground zero. This will put everything else in perspective.
 
Orange Box on PC

You've got the best FPS saga ever that's friendly towards new players.
You've got first person original puzzle solving.
And you've got a fantastic FPS multiplayer that offers a variety of roles for a variety of skill levels.

Any other answer is wrong.
 
As mentioned, pick up The Orange Box. Start with Portal and get used to controls in a low-enemy situation. Then move onto Half-Life 2 which will give you the feel for a real single player fps. Then take it online with Team Fortress 2. Start off as a Medic or something in TF2 to get a feel for the game and then expand your horizons to find your niche.
 
Overall choice on PC: Orange Box

Overall choice on console: Halo 3

Overall choice for straight deathmatch: Unreal Tournament III

-

My personal suggestion: Orange Box.
 
In my opinion FPSs are meant to be played with mouse + keyboard. Sure that statement is from the 90's, but it still holds. Get The Orange Box, it's the best way to start.
 
EatChildren said:
Orange Box on PC

You've got the best FPS saga ever that's friendly towards new players.
You've got first person original puzzle solving.
And you've got a fantastic FPS multiplayer that offers a variety of roles for a variety of skill levels.

Any other answer is wrong.
Click to expand...

Heartily recommend Orange Box but to say that is the definitive answer is wrong.

Just imagine trying to get your mom into FPS games. Would you really start with OB?

Doom is a hundred times easier to aim. Plus you can move around with your mouse in Doom along with WASD so it makes it easier to move too.
 
Iknos said:
Just imagine trying to get your mom into FPS games. Would you really start with OB?
Click to expand...

Yes.

WASD + Mouse aiming is extremely easy to pick up and play in the right environment. Half-Life 2 does a fantastic job of having a lengthy opening segment where there are no hostiles, forcing the player to learn the mechanics of movement, aiming, picking up objects and throwing them, as well as interacting with switches and devices. All before a shot is fired.

And if they're really having a hard time getting used to WASD + Mouse aiming then Portal is the cure. No hostility until much later in the game while focusing almost exclusively on player movement and precise aiming, never demanding too much of the player and presenting a smooth difficulty curve.

Doom is good, but as a whole package I think the Orange Box is second to none in terms of providing entertainment, challange, learning, accessability, and variety.
 
I like the doom recommendations. I would suggest playing episode 1 knee deep in dead(can get the shareware), or the first few levels of doom 2 if you get that instead however you are comfortable. After you have the controls down though you may notice that levels have a par time on the completion screen and that it seems very fast. To meet(or shatter!) those times you will likely have to change how you play the game.

Of course new games are not made in that style so the only help this will be is getting good at fast hand/eye/control in a single player game.
 
DryEyeRelief said:
If possible, I don't want this to be a list thread (I know we already have enough of those), so much as a suggestion thread of best way to approach the games. Should I play on PC or console? Should I play an older game, or just jump into a current one like MW2?
Click to expand...

There are pros and cons to PCs and consoles. I go with a console because I don't have to worry about systems specs and keeping my graphics card and other components up-to-date. However, by doing so, I sometimes miss out on some great games and multiplayer since I'm stuck with a console port. What would you rather play with? A mouse and keys, or a controller? It really depends on what you have and what you're comfortable with using. As for games, it wouldn't hurt to play some of the older ones as there are many gems out there. I would recommend Half-Life 2 (and the Orange Box). I'm not a FPS fan, but I really enjoyed this game, and the episodes plus Portal were great as well. However, since I got the PS3 version, I missed out on a decent version of Team Fortress 2.
 
EatChildren said:
Doom is good, but as a whole package I think the Orange Box is second to none in terms of providing entertainment, challange, learning, accessability, and variety.
Click to expand...

Agreed and that is why I can't say that you are wrong...but to say that you have only the right answer is what I'm contesting.

What we should do is get our mothers to be trained via the paths we've recommended and then have them square off in CounterStrike in a week's time.

Only then will we know the best path towards FPS competency.
 
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