Tactical shooters like Operation Flashpoint and SWAT 4 are very challenging. To be good at either requires the mastery of a far wider variety of skills than most first person shooters require.
In Operation Flashpoint's case:
* Most combat takes place at very long ranges, so accuracy is more important than reaction time.
* The world is wide open and huge, so being able to navigate with a map and compass is important.
* Knowing how to communicate with your squad to respond to orders and call for help is important.
* Knowing how to drive cars, trucks, boats and tanks is important.
* Knowing how to fly helos and fixed wing aircraft is important.
* Finally, and this is probably the biggest one of all, you need to know how to command your AI squad. That encompasses a whole bunch of things, including learning what the various orders mean, mastering the controls so you can issue orders quickly, and simply having the tactical know-how to have some clue what you're doing. Doing battle is pretty simple, but organizing ambushes and other coordinated attacks requires quite a bit of strategy and multitasking.
And of course, this is a game in which you're just as fragile as everyone else. A game in which being shot once can kill you instantly, mess up your ability to aim straight or reduce you to crawling around (depending on where it hits you). So yeah, I'd say it takes a lot of skill to play well.
In Operation Flashpoint's case:
* Most combat takes place at very long ranges, so accuracy is more important than reaction time.
* The world is wide open and huge, so being able to navigate with a map and compass is important.
* Knowing how to communicate with your squad to respond to orders and call for help is important.
* Knowing how to drive cars, trucks, boats and tanks is important.
* Knowing how to fly helos and fixed wing aircraft is important.
* Finally, and this is probably the biggest one of all, you need to know how to command your AI squad. That encompasses a whole bunch of things, including learning what the various orders mean, mastering the controls so you can issue orders quickly, and simply having the tactical know-how to have some clue what you're doing. Doing battle is pretty simple, but organizing ambushes and other coordinated attacks requires quite a bit of strategy and multitasking.
And of course, this is a game in which you're just as fragile as everyone else. A game in which being shot once can kill you instantly, mess up your ability to aim straight or reduce you to crawling around (depending on where it hits you). So yeah, I'd say it takes a lot of skill to play well.
