Gaming in the "Zone"

[Tomo Stryker]

We all play some FPS Multiplayer game (maybe not all of you) and I think its safe to assume that you are good at them. So at what point during the warm up do you get in that "Zone" were you reach the peak of your ability. Does it take a certain type of music or complete and utter silence? Do you need your friends to get into the "Zone" or are you better solo?

Simple question, personally after the first two matches and silence I do good, but decent teammates are always appreciated.

 

[khaimera]

I get into the zone randomly. Music helps me have more fun but makes it hard to hear what's going on. Like people sneaking up behind me or gunshots off in the distance.

I do better solo since I have performance anxiety

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

Well...fighting games are what I play in a competitive way...and in those getting in the zone is a mix of perfect reaction times, combo memorization and execution and a very good guessing/foe-reading head on your shoulders.


FPSs have practically no execution barrier so I'd imagine being in the zone would just be killing a lot of people or something...not being fractions of a second faster at inputting stuff than your opponent and mastering multiple button input sequences that demand over 30 button presses in precise order and timing.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

My FPS game (meaning Halo and CoD) is just random. There is no zone for me when I play. There's a base-line, and it jumps around from there.

Fighting games just depend on the day and a couple warm up matches. Hopefully no one is distracting me too badly (damned phone calls). If I constantly rematch people who beat me, I'll eventually beat them on the 6th try or something provided that the skill gap isn't insanely huge. Or they run away and shoot at you for the ENTIRE MATCH. This would be a notably frustrating Trish/Morrigan/Akuma user I met yesterday. High jump, ground trap (Trish), ground trap, shoot, land, rinse and repeat. Dash to the other side of the map if you get poked.

Oh, and I should dearly hope that I don't screw up my inputs. So many matches were lost by a hair because I messed up the a special input or missed a super.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

My FPS game (meaning Halo and CoD) is just random. There is no zone for me when I play. There's a base-line, and it jumps around from there.

Fighting games just depend on the day and a couple warm up matches. Hopefully no one is distracting me too badly (damned phone calls). If I constantly rematch people who beat me, I'll eventually beat them on the 6th try or something provided that the skill gap isn't insanely huge. Or they run away and shoot at you for the ENTIRE MATCH. This would be a notably frustrating Trish/Morrigan/Akuma user I met yesterday. High jump, ground trap (Trish), ground trap, shoot, land, rinse and repeat. Dash to the other side of the map if you get poked.

Oh, and I should dearly hope that I don't screw up my inputs. So many matches were lost by a hair because I messed up the a special input or missed a super.

Trish is a zoner, that's how you're supposed to use her. To defeat her you just need to block everything till she messes up...oh and yeah, if you drop your inputs that can definitely cost you a match.

 

[HapexIndustries]

Personally, I just take a couple rounds to warm up. The zone is then found and maintained until it goes away again, usually upon entering a map I'm unfamiliar with (as I don't really play MP shooters very seriously).

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Not into FPSes, but I get into the zone while gaming when the temp is right, I have the right hat on, and something invigorating like good music or amazing food has just been received by their respective parts of my body, and suddenly my senses align, and I'm pulling off combos, perfect jumps, speed runs, and complex maneuvers with absolute precision and ease. In open world games, I take more time to notice my surroundings, become aware of how many guards I have to deal with, and even know my exact safe route, hiding spots, and vantages. Even in the older music games, like Guitar Hero 2/3, before they went to junk, once you hit the zone you were a freaking plastic rock star. FPSes aren't the only genre where you hit your peak, man.

 

[Radeonx]

In terms of FPS's, it is sort of random.
I can put up a consistent 1.5-2 K/D (I play mostly TDM) with at least 15 kills every match, so my random spurts of crushing everyone just comes and goes during my sessions.

 

[timeadept]

It happens completely spontaneously for me, but when it does, i'm unstoppable. All of a sudden everything I've learned about the game clicks into place and for maybe half an hour i am an unkillable murder machine. My mind goes completely blank, and i simply know what to do. I'm surprised though because i was able to have a coherent conversation about it with my friends last time it happened. Normally i'm very careful not to do anything to disturb my concentration.

Oh yeah, sometimes it's just a good day. Other times i start at my best and it all goes down hill from there. I never really warm up, in fact, when i start cold i am usually at my best. I don't think I've ever gotten better the longer I've played, assuming that we're only talking over the course of a day and i already know most of the tricks in the game.

 

[Telumektar]

My zone in the FPS genre happens after some minutes playing or after getting used to the game mechanics. Currently I'm playing Crysis 2 and this happens fairly fast. I went for the stealth build though so it's more about sniping from an afar hiding spot than gunning and running.
Best games for this zone effect are TF2, CS-1.6 & CS-Source and HL2 (chopping those zombies with a saw never gets old)
For me the Zone manifests more persistently in the racing genre, after getting the feel of the physics I start to get really good at driving in any kind of racing category... if the game's good enough, still, I should get a wheel+pedals set.

 

[teh_gunslinger]

Aww. This was not a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. thread. I just got my hopes up.

As for the actual question: I have no zone to speak of. Sometimes I do better than others and once in a blue moon I absolutely dominate everything. Can't really predict it though. And sometimes I'm drunk off my ass and will make an utter fool of myself in L4D. Apologies all around to my friends are usually in order.

 

[The Cheezy One]

I have a couple songs that induce the Zone, but I use them sparingly. Club Foot by Kasabian is a sure fire Zoner. Respect the Zone. Best Zones come unheeded, when you need them most.

Aww. This was not a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. thread. I just got my hopes up.

In both ways, you need to respect the Zone. Try to control it, and it will destroy you. I love STALKER

 

[Lawnmooer]

I usually get into my "zone" randomly...

I can usually keep a 3-1 or higher K-D ratio on most FPS's I play but then when I get in the zone I tend to be unstoppable usually getting 15-1+ K-D ratio's with my record being 255-1 (People really don't get why to not run in a straight line towards a sniper)

But of course this also is balanced by me being in my "Anti-zone" as often, which randomly makes my bullets do no damage, increases damage I recieve and puts a huge sign over my head showing the entire enemy team where I am (Or so it seems at the time) during my anti-zone I get no kills and generally just get murderised by everyone.

Also as much as I like listening to music I cannot do it in FPS's due to needing to hear footsteps and gunshots (Specific guns especially, to know what to expect coming around the corner)

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

My FPS game (meaning Halo and CoD) is just random. There is no zone for me when I play. There's a base-line, and it jumps around from there.

Fighting games just depend on the day and a couple warm up matches. Hopefully no one is distracting me too badly (damned phone calls). If I constantly rematch people who beat me, I'll eventually beat them on the 6th try or something provided that the skill gap isn't insanely huge. Or they run away and shoot at you for the ENTIRE MATCH. This would be a notably frustrating Trish/Morrigan/Akuma user I met yesterday. High jump, ground trap (Trish), ground trap, shoot, land, rinse and repeat. Dash to the other side of the map if you get poked.

Oh, and I should dearly hope that I don't screw up my inputs. So many matches were lost by a hair because I messed up the a special input or missed a super.

Trish is a zoner, that's how you're supposed to use her. To defeat her you just need to block everything till she messes up...oh and yeah, if you drop your inputs that can definitely cost you a match.

I understand the zoning thing. I don't understand jumping in a corner laying traps. If you jump and shoot, she blocks it. There aren't enough characters who can shoot up at 80 degree angles and there isn't enough hyper meter to waste on someone you'll catch once only to have them switch out and heal 60% of it anyway. I fully understand and endorse this if you play for money. It's boring as hell and no fun to watch for rounds on end, but you're playing for money would be the key point. If you do it online, there's a line where I think you're just being a jerk.

 

[StormShaun]

When im in the zone...it feels like your really powerful and god like, just saying to all of those that havent Gone In The Zone Yet", I was playing Quake Live and I was killing people everywhere since it was a small vertical map with ALOT of portals and I was killing people left and right, and playing with your best mate makes everything better...

 

[J-Do]

My FPS game (meaning Halo and CoD) is just random. There is no zone for me when I play. There's a base-line, and it jumps around from there.

Fighting games just depend on the day and a couple warm up matches. Hopefully no one is distracting me too badly (damned phone calls). If I constantly rematch people who beat me, I'll eventually beat them on the 6th try or something provided that the skill gap isn't insanely huge. Or they run away and shoot at you for the ENTIRE MATCH. This would be a notably frustrating Trish/Morrigan/Akuma user I met yesterday. High jump, ground trap (Trish), ground trap, shoot, land, rinse and repeat. Dash to the other side of the map if you get poked.

Oh, and I should dearly hope that I don't screw up my inputs. So many matches were lost by a hair because I messed up the a special input or missed a super.

Trish is a zoner, that's how you're supposed to use her. To defeat her you just need to block everything till she messes up...oh and yeah, if you drop your inputs that can definitely cost you a match.

I understand the zoning thing. I don't understand jumping in a corner laying traps. If you jump and shoot, she blocks it. There aren't enough characters who can shoot up at 80 degree angles and there isn't enough hyper meter to waste on someone you'll catch once only to have them switch out and heal 60% of it anyway. I fully understand and endorse this if you play for money. It's boring as hell and no fun to watch for rounds on end, but you're playing for money would be the key point. If you do it online, there's a line where I think you're just being a jerk.

Man you speak the truth... I'm sick of all these "Play to win" arguments... As you said, fair enough when money's involved, but when you're just trying to have a good time online it's a fucking nightmare. Not enjoyable at all.

OT: For fighting games, I usually get good after I've had my ass handed to me by an insanely good player, I tend to try and learn from what he/she does.

 

[StormShaun]

When im in the zone...it feels like your really powerful and god like, just saying to all of those that havent Gone In The Zone Yet", I was playing Quake Live and I was killing people everywhere since it was a small vertical map with ALOT of portals and I was killing people left and right, and playing with your best mate makes everything better...

 

[StormShaun]

When im in the zone...it feels like your really powerful and god like, just saying to all of those that havent Gone In The Zone Yet", I was playing Quake Live and I was killing people everywhere since it was a small vertical map with ALOT of portals and I was killing people left and right, and playing with your best mate makes everything better...