Alhazred
06-30-2010, 04:29 AM
I got sick of reviews by people who don't know how to play RPGs saying how the guns suck, and how the SMGs and Shotguns don't do enough damage to be useful, and how the Pistol is only good for Chain Shot, etc. So, I made a video of the first post-prologue mission (I picked the airfield) to prove the Shotgun and SMGs are perfectly fine.
Linky Linky. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5gLzJWRKPQ)
This was done on Normal difficulty. I haven't tried to run and gun on Hard yet, but I think it might be easier than sneaking is on Hard.
My character sheet has three dots in Shotguns and SMGs. This playthrough had Mike as a Veteran, so I started with those, but you can reach level two during the prologue and gain a few extra AP from perks, so it's possible to spec out near to this before your first mission. It should be entirely possible to match it on a non-Veteran depending on what background you take. This is the very first mission played after leaving the prologue, and I gained a level after it, so I could've added even more to my SMG and Shotgun stats even this early in the game.
I'm making a big deal about my character sheet because it's the key to running and gunning. You can't spec out for stealth just to see how the sneaking mechanics work and then expect your guns to be effective. This isn't Gears of War, it's an RPG. Your stats matter, and if you want your guns to be useful, you need to raise those skills. If you want to run and gun but you don't have Veteran unlocked, you must sacrifice other skills for your guns, just as you sacrifice your guns for stealth if you want to be sneaky.
(I never raised my Toughness stat beyond the three dots given by being a Veteran, so if you're not a Veteran, you don't need to invest too much into Toughness, and not in the beginning.)
I hadn't planned to make this video when I was originally playing this run, which is why I've got Stealth up far enough for Evasion to pop at the start: I spent all my actual AP earned in the prologue to reach Master Awareness. I tried to ignore my stealth skills as I played, which is why I opened fire before Evasion even wore off.
My gameplay here is extremely sloppy, as you'll be able to tell. I had to be fast because I have very little free hard-drive space, and my framerate dropped to around twenty while vid-capping; as a result of these factors, my already terrible skill took a nosedive. This is why I do silly things like blow Bullet Storm on nothing and waste that grenade early on, and why I skip nearly all the items. This is why I run low on ammo near the end; if you play without feeling like you're on a time limit and pick everything up, you shouldn't have that problem.
Incidentally, the video ends at the point where FRAPS cut out because I'd run out of hard-drive space, so if I'd explored more and picked up more stuff, I wouldn't have been able to reach the end.
Shotgun/SMG Advice:
-The SMGs aren't meant for accuracy, they're meant for dealing with multiple enemies in enclosed spaces. Against enemies a medium distance away, fire in short bursts to stay relatively accurate. Your damage multiplier won't reset unless you stop aiming.
-Abuse abuse abuse the activated abilities. Don't be afraid to pop Bullet Storm if there's only one guy, or Room Sweep if there's only one guy but he's elite.
-With the shotgun, if you know there are more enemies nearby but don't yet have line of sight, keep it aimed so you'll get the knockdown shot as soon as the next enemy rounds the corner. This is great against medium and long-range enemies, because you can knock them down and then run up for a stomp. Like Bullet Storm, don't be afraid to pop Room Sweep if there's only one guy but he's an elite; you can fire once to knock him down and then stomp him to death.
-Abuse your special ammo, don't save it for later unless you're almost to a boss fight. Hollow points do damage over time after they hit, and high-velocity rounds do more damage at the expense of accuracy. If you're firing in bursts, accuracy shouldn't matter much. Phosphorous rounds make enemies stop shooting at you; if you've already popped Room Sweep and its still cooling down, load phosphorous and take single shots at all the enemies who can see you. You can even run up and punch them out while they're burning.
-Enemies sometimes run through SMG fire (shotguns will keep them back more frequently, but it happens with them sometimes, too.) Keep an eye out for it and start hitting the melee button when they reach you. Also, if you have to reload but your target isn't far away, consider sprinting at them and knocking them out with melee instead of waiting for the reload.
-Don't neglect your gadgets, even if you don't level up Sabotage. You're going to be taking a lot of fire, so wear the combat armor and bring first-aid kits. Bring grenades to flush out guys who have good hiding spots. Flashbangs are good for the parts of boss fights where several mooks run in to help the boss.
Linky Linky. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5gLzJWRKPQ)
This was done on Normal difficulty. I haven't tried to run and gun on Hard yet, but I think it might be easier than sneaking is on Hard.
My character sheet has three dots in Shotguns and SMGs. This playthrough had Mike as a Veteran, so I started with those, but you can reach level two during the prologue and gain a few extra AP from perks, so it's possible to spec out near to this before your first mission. It should be entirely possible to match it on a non-Veteran depending on what background you take. This is the very first mission played after leaving the prologue, and I gained a level after it, so I could've added even more to my SMG and Shotgun stats even this early in the game.
I'm making a big deal about my character sheet because it's the key to running and gunning. You can't spec out for stealth just to see how the sneaking mechanics work and then expect your guns to be effective. This isn't Gears of War, it's an RPG. Your stats matter, and if you want your guns to be useful, you need to raise those skills. If you want to run and gun but you don't have Veteran unlocked, you must sacrifice other skills for your guns, just as you sacrifice your guns for stealth if you want to be sneaky.
(I never raised my Toughness stat beyond the three dots given by being a Veteran, so if you're not a Veteran, you don't need to invest too much into Toughness, and not in the beginning.)
I hadn't planned to make this video when I was originally playing this run, which is why I've got Stealth up far enough for Evasion to pop at the start: I spent all my actual AP earned in the prologue to reach Master Awareness. I tried to ignore my stealth skills as I played, which is why I opened fire before Evasion even wore off.
My gameplay here is extremely sloppy, as you'll be able to tell. I had to be fast because I have very little free hard-drive space, and my framerate dropped to around twenty while vid-capping; as a result of these factors, my already terrible skill took a nosedive. This is why I do silly things like blow Bullet Storm on nothing and waste that grenade early on, and why I skip nearly all the items. This is why I run low on ammo near the end; if you play without feeling like you're on a time limit and pick everything up, you shouldn't have that problem.
Incidentally, the video ends at the point where FRAPS cut out because I'd run out of hard-drive space, so if I'd explored more and picked up more stuff, I wouldn't have been able to reach the end.
Shotgun/SMG Advice:
-The SMGs aren't meant for accuracy, they're meant for dealing with multiple enemies in enclosed spaces. Against enemies a medium distance away, fire in short bursts to stay relatively accurate. Your damage multiplier won't reset unless you stop aiming.
-Abuse abuse abuse the activated abilities. Don't be afraid to pop Bullet Storm if there's only one guy, or Room Sweep if there's only one guy but he's elite.
-With the shotgun, if you know there are more enemies nearby but don't yet have line of sight, keep it aimed so you'll get the knockdown shot as soon as the next enemy rounds the corner. This is great against medium and long-range enemies, because you can knock them down and then run up for a stomp. Like Bullet Storm, don't be afraid to pop Room Sweep if there's only one guy but he's an elite; you can fire once to knock him down and then stomp him to death.
-Abuse your special ammo, don't save it for later unless you're almost to a boss fight. Hollow points do damage over time after they hit, and high-velocity rounds do more damage at the expense of accuracy. If you're firing in bursts, accuracy shouldn't matter much. Phosphorous rounds make enemies stop shooting at you; if you've already popped Room Sweep and its still cooling down, load phosphorous and take single shots at all the enemies who can see you. You can even run up and punch them out while they're burning.
-Enemies sometimes run through SMG fire (shotguns will keep them back more frequently, but it happens with them sometimes, too.) Keep an eye out for it and start hitting the melee button when they reach you. Also, if you have to reload but your target isn't far away, consider sprinting at them and knocking them out with melee instead of waiting for the reload.
-Don't neglect your gadgets, even if you don't level up Sabotage. You're going to be taking a lot of fire, so wear the combat armor and bring first-aid kits. Bring grenades to flush out guys who have good hiding spots. Flashbangs are good for the parts of boss fights where several mooks run in to help the boss.