fix-the-spade said:
Wargamer said:
Player Level 1 has a choice of weapons between the shittiest pistol in the game, the shittiest rifle in the game, or the shittiest SMG in the game.
Player level 84 has access to an insta-gib Rapid-Firing Sniper Rifle that can punch through walls.
Explain where 'fair' comes into this.
Games that do not, from the off, put all players on a level playing field are not fair.
Player level 84 has put in his time and
earned the instagibbing death prod.
He worked for it, he deserves it, it's fair.
Wrong! The correct answer was either
a) "No, this is not fair."
or
b) "Yes, this is fair, but only if said weapon can only be used against other Level 84s, and not lower-levels."
I'm afraid you have failed your Basic Fairness Awareness course.
Allow me to describe a 'fair' super-gun. In Resistance 2, you have "Berserks". These are special powers that grant a variety of abilities. Two of these, obtained around level 16-17, are insta-gib weapons; the LAARK (rocket launcher) and "Snake Eyes" (which gives a Pulse Cannon).
When activated, the LAARK gives you two shots; one standard rocket, and one "swarm" rocket. The Pulse Cannon likewise gives two shots; a focussed beam, and a short-ranged, but wide-area shockwave attack.
Both these weapons can insta-gib, and most people would say they are far more powerful than any other Berserk. However, people often do not consider the full potential of other Berserks.
Take just two examples; Ironheart and Ring of Life. Ironheart means you take half damage whilst in Berserk Mode. Ring of Life creates an area that rapid-heals all allies (including yourself) until you die or the Berserk runs out.
Both of these make you very hard to kill. Ring of Life especially is great for team play. Also, unlike the "super gun" Berserks, activating them doesn't drain your Berserk Meter instantly. So, if you die two seconds after activating Ring of Life, when you respawn your Berserk Meter is still 99% full, making it very easy to get it back. If you die before you can fire your LAARK, you lose the weapon and all your Berserk.
This is what balances these weapons. Yes, they are very powerful, but considering that their rival abilities can a) be recharged faster and b) can help several players on the same team, their status as 'over powered' is not as deserved as an inexperienced gamer may initially assume. Even a high-level player can benefit from the "newbie" Berserks of Advanced Radar or Chimeran Rage.