Do Shooters really have strategy?

[Mr.Switchblade]

As a big fan of shooters, I play them often, as I assume most gamers do. Based on personal experience, and I'm sure many would agree, often superior aim and reaction time hard counters any sort of coherent battle strategy. However, I am not a "pro-gamer", and perhaps up in those hallowed echelons some sort of legitimate strategy actually exists. What do you think?

 

[Ago Iterum]

Of course. I mean, if you just ran around flailing your gun and holding fire, you'll die. Ducking, covering, finding strategic locations, they all help.

 

[Chickenlittle]

Well, it really depends. In Campaign? Duck, cover, grenade spam, and snipe are usually the best ways to get ahead.

It multiplayer though, that's another story. You really do need strategy for that.

 

[Cliff_m85]

Use your buddy as a shield, and run away when enemies start firing at you.

Blame your friend for being a 'newb' and you're set.

 

[Avatar Roku]

If you mean a strategy like "You two, go over there, I'll flank them" then yeah, those tend to fail. But tactics that come naturally to us (duck, aim, controlled firing, etc) are among the biggest parts. By the way, the biggest thing in my post was the difference between tactics and strategy, there's a difference.

 

[sheic99]

Why do you thing progamers are pros? They aim, have great reaction times plus strategy. In a 64man game, strategy counts for nothing, in a 1v1 or 4v4 strategy is a must.

 

[Zallest]

In a FPS it helps a lot if you work with your team, in counterstrike if you go away from the team and try to play the lone hero you'll most likely end up dieing unless you get really lucky.

 

[the_tramp]

Strategy? In some cases.
Replaying the same section and learning all of the spawn points in order to throw grenades? Yes.
Memory? Normally yes, as stated above.

 

[BigTex]

not really, i mean, in a way Shooters have some strategy. like gears of war, ducking and covering are key elements for strateging ( however you spell it) but then you got halo, where you run and shoot or spray and pray and if your hurt just rest behind a rock while your internal organs heal up.

 

[DrummerM]

Running around and firing from the hip works to some extent. Strategy isn't always necessary in shooters, but it helps a lot (Especially in multiplayer).

 

[Lt. Dragunov]

The one and ONLY strategy you will ever need in shooters is to aim for the head and if your a crap shooter run around with a shoot gun.

 

[kdragon1010]

Someone in a descent location with a good field of fire with a heavy machine gun can hold the attention of players fairly well (I mostly play COD4) while your teammates flank around.

 

[Graham]

If you mean a strategy like "You two, go over there, I'll flank them" then yeah, those tend to fail. But tactics that come naturally to us (duck, aim, controlled firing, etc) are among the biggest parts. By the way, the biggest thing in my post was the difference between tactics and strategy, there's a difference.

Second.

Also, I think it makes a large difference depending on game type. Your standard deathmatches usually don't have much strategy other than 'stay together' or 'spread out' which, I suppose would qualify as tactics.

Objective based games, however, usually require players to operate as a team and committing to a specific strategy often means the difference between a force to be reckoned with and a bunch of players wearing the same color running around a map and getting owned.

 

[GreenDevilJF]

Maybe in a difficult campaign but even then. Not really anything in multi however.

 

[JRCB]

Some. Mine is let everyone else run out and get killed, while I pick off the survivors.

 

[Good morning blues]

Depends on the game. In Red Orchestra, you're going to die if you don't stick to cover, and covering fire and flanking are therefore extremely useful. In unreal tournament, if you're taking cover, all it means is that you're moving slower and therefore easier to hit.

 

[WolfLordAndy]

Yes, some do, shooters do have stratagy if they are objective based. To attack a defended positon, simply being good will still have you shot by the other half of the enemy team that you didn't kill with your god-like prowess.

While an amaising player can fuck up a good solid stratagy, much like a retard can cause it to fail. Its harder for them to stop it, if you blindside them, in most shooting games, they're dead. I'm mostly a TF2 man, so tactics beat player ability most of the time, unless they get lucky. A multiple ubercharge with a spy sapping at the same time = Dead defenders. Unless the defenders have tactically aware pyros to push back the ubers, and a heavy or someone to take out the spys while the engis fix everythign to mow down the non-ubered people.

But on the other hand, you have halo 3 online.