Battlethumbs: Idle Company

[Brannigan]

Well, you probably shouldn't since all Thumbs are playing it on a PC. Otherwise the games are pretty similar on the consoles and PC, except on PC you're playing with and against people with $300 Razer mice and 2000xsomething resolution screens all sniping at you from across the map with ecstacy fueled precision.

I play all the time and I mostly run into snipers that apparently use 3 dollar touchpads to snipe because most snipers are terrible.

[Lu]

Yea. Only rarely do I come across an aggravatingly good Recon player and often they're only dominating because you can't tell where that person is because the server has the kill cam disabled. Or something.

All the hatred I feel towards snipers in the game is usually somewhat lessened by the lone sniper who doesn't see me coming as I plant a knife in the back of his neck. *SNIKT* Aaaaaah. That knife sound is the sound of rage leaving my body.

[Brannigan]

Yea. Only rarely do I come across an aggravatingly good Recon player and often they're only dominating because you can't tell where that person is because the server has the kill cam disabled. Or something.

All the hatred I feel towards snipers in the game is usually somewhat lessened by the lone sniper who doesn't see me coming as I plant a knife in the back of his neck. *SNIKT* Aaaaaah. That knife sound is the sound of rage leaving my body.

What's even better is when there IS a kill cam and you see him die just after he shoots you. Best one I've had was when the recon got it in the junk with nade launcher at close range, so it didn't explode, he just kind of folded in half and flew back.

[brkl]

This was a bad purchase.

[Tibz]

This was a bad purchase.

not having a time? I'v played this game way to much. Mostly fun with a few rage inducing teeth grinding 1/9 kd ratio rounds.

[Brannigan]

Oh yea I forgot, Smoke launcher + sniper nest = hilarity.

[brkl]

Not really. I uninstalled it yesterday and then reinstalled it immediately.

Part of it is that I hate the system where you have to spend a long while as cannon fodder for people who pushed their life aside to play this game. I always get shot and killed very very quickly by people with some weird sci-fi sounding rifle with a very long name and some special scope, while my pea shooter does fuck all unless I hit someone with it. What's a smoke launcher? I don't think I have that. What's the point of a medic who doesn't know how to apply bandage and an engineer who doesn't know how to work a spanner?

I'm sure I'll love it after I've sunk 30 hours into it

Sorry for being such a grumpy old man / angsty teen.

[Brannigan]

Not really. I uninstalled it yesterday and then reinstalled it immediately.

Part of it is that I hate the system where you have to spend a long while as cannon fodder for people who pushed their life aside to play this game. I always get shot and killed very very quickly by people with some weird sci-fi sounding rifle with a very long name and some special scope, while my pea shooter does fuck all unless I hit someone with it. What's a smoke launcher? I don't think I have that. What's the point of a medic who doesn't know how to apply bandage and an engineer who doesn't know how to work a spanner?

I'm sure I'll love it after I've sunk 30 hours into it

Sorry for being such a grumpy old man / angsty teen.

You get the first unlocks relatively quickly. Actually the class specific unlocks for the most part don't take terribly long. The smoke launcher replaces the grenade launcher for Assault, probably one of the later unlocks. Anyway, it shoots a smoke grenade that covers a pretty decent area with smoke so people can't see. Mostly just for laughs, but there's been times where i'll cover an objective in smoke so people don't see me waiting to kill anyone trying to disarm the objective.

I'd say most of the early weapons can be useful even against the later stuff. Except for maybe the engineer's guns, which feel weak even later on. The game is much more fun with friends though, so I'd hook up with people and play. As cool is it is to be able to kill dudes like every second, teamwork wins the day. Well, as long as you're playing Rush anyway, which is a mode I vastly prefer to conquest.

[brkl]

So, I'm brkl, and you should give me a friend request. What names do you guys use in this? I promise not to bitch too much...

Yeah, I'm actually mostly playing engineer. Thing is, I'm pretty sure I was way more lethal with those guns back in the PS3 beta. Now I'm pondering using the sidearm rather than the actual gun.

[Scratch]

I am skratche and most of us just use our steam names to make things easier. I seem to have lost all of friend's list again and sending out invites hasn't worked so far.

[monkeyarmada]

Well, you probably shouldn't since all Thumbs are playing it on a PC. Otherwise the games are pretty similar on the consoles and PC, except on PC you're playing with and against people with $300 Razer mice and 2000xsomething resolution screens all sniping at you from across the map with ecstacy fueled precision.

Don't forget that map hack that Punkbuster seems unable to deal with on most occasions. So many people are using it, it isn't funny.

As has been suggested before, smoking out any snipers you see is a great laugh, or C4ing whatever structure they choose to hide in, your own side included. I don't mind recon players doing what they do (after all, that class is all about the sneaking and shooting), it's when you get both sides sitting at opposite ends of the map taking pot shots at each other the game goes stale.

I prefer to run around as recon with my automatic shotty, getting up close and personal. When I get my airstrike perk I'm gonna be a real pain in the ass.

[Forbin]

The first few hours are the worst, the guns are fine, but they really screwed up the class unlocks. The beta gave you more of a head start so I was shocked when I originally loaded up and found that the Medic didn't have a kit or defib, the Assault didn't have supplies and the engineer didn't have a repair gun.

It didn't take long to get over that hump, but that was too much in my opinion and will probably make a bad first impression for a lot of players. Seems like it's a bit of a fallacy to keep people grinding out the weapons as their first taste of unlocks are much more advantageous than anything late in the game.

Though certain things unlock late in the game that can drastically change the way you play. Most people think of the Recon class as a sniper (a stereotype that's aided by the rediculous gilly suits), but later on the unlocking of the red-dot sight turns it into one of the most dynamic classes in the game. Equip a non-bolt action rifle with the red dot and you've got a rifle similar to a garand that allows you to get up and personal without having to use your pistol or some crappy shotgun. It quickly becomes apparent that the Motion Mine is just as important as the medical or supply kits.

There's little price you can put on boosting your teams situational awareness. It's instrumental in attacking and defending MCOM stations, and breaking through chokepoints.

[Armchair General]

Hey Brkl, what's your steam id? Patters, Monkey and I were in steam chat during today's game but we couldn't add you If you have Skype, you can join in the fun that way too but we need your details natch. Good games anyway, they were a good team.

[brkl]

Yeah, until we started getting our arses kicked It was fun though. I got the game through Direct2Drive so I don't know if I can run it with Steam. I'll try it. My Skype is prog_hume, though I don't think I have a mike currently. My Steam is prog_hume too.

[Armchair General]

Yeah, until we started getting our arses kicked It was fun though. I got the game through Direct2Drive so I don't know if I can run it with Steam. I'll try it. My Skype is prog_hume, though I don't think I have a mike currently. My Steam is prog_hume too.

Done and done. You playing tonight? It's Battlethumbs turn this week. Even if you don't have a mic, you can listen in to the chat which I still find fun when I can't talk for whatever reason.

[brkl]

Sure thing

[brkl]

Cheers, EA, you ruined our evening!

It was funny hearing you guys being confused by both my internet nickname and actual name was funny though. Shame I don't have TF2 or Left 4 Dead 2.

Edited March 21, 2010 by brkl

[Armchair General]

Yeah, lame night. Brikkle? Burkle? BERKELY?

I did get to play BF2 in the end with a few thumbs so it wasn't totally goofed.

[Scratch]

So things didn't go well last night I presume. I had to finish up assignments for class next morning, so I couldn't make it. Looks like I didn't miss much.

[Wokkels]

i get that u really want to play with the dutch elite force. But its really anoying to be called on skype several times while playing a different game. Just ask on steam or w/e instead of calling right away :\

[Armchair General]

Sorry that was annoying for you Wokkels. From now on, I won't call you, I will leave it to you to ask at a time that's suitable for you. Although it's annoying when you have to minimise the game to add folk to Skype only to find that the game is borked when you try to get back in. I appreciate this probably isn't as annoying as hearing the Skype ringtone for 30 seconds before ignoring it .

[brkl]

Either the Steam overlay or Skype really cuts into my FPS, so might be next time I'll just play with you but won't be in Skype. I played a weird game really late last night. Only three or four guys on the server with the dark snowy map, and I was alone. I played Recon for a change, running about and trying to get at least one of them before dying. I actually got two stations before I stopped playing. It was surprisingly fun

[brkl]

Dudes, RPS has their own server now. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/03/24/the-rps-bfbc2-server/

A potential server for Thumby goodness as well.

[Moelman]

Any dudes interested in going in on the 4 pack for this? Same as usual Steam 4 packs, $150 for 4 copies. Dunno if I'm interested enough in the game at full price (partly because my system isn't great and partly because I have a million things to play) but I'd pick it up if others were interested.

[James]

Dudes, RPS has their own server now. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/03/24/the-rps-bfbc2-server/

A potential server for Thumby goodness as well.

I played a few rounds on there last night. I did terribly, but it seemed good. It was quite busy, though, so we might have difficulty getting many Thumbs on there.