72 réponses à ce sujet

[jamesp81]

I dispute the idea that a shield power is objectively inferior. There's no real way to prove that.

I do find that barrier or GSB is invaluable for certain situations, such as the one I detailed upthread with the Krogan.

[JaegerBane]

jamesp81 wrote...

I dispute the idea that a shield power is objectively inferior. There's no real way to prove that.\\

Dispute it all you like, james - it's self evident that it's objectively inferior because it stops you from using AR the longest of all powers, and AR is the single most powerful ability in the game. Even hyper-effective powers like Reave and Stasis have trouble competing with AR, and they're significantly more effective than GSB or Barrier. The fact it only raises your shields again - something that automatically happens if you make it to cover, or something that requires you to use medi-gel which is strewn all over levels - just adds to the point.

I do find that barrier or GSB is invaluable for certain situations, such as the one I detailed upthread with the Krogan.

*sigh*

I'm not disputing that, james. The point you're not getting is that the simple virtue of finding it useful under certain situations doesn't somehow elevate above everything else. Even rubbish like Shredder Ammo is useful 'for certain situations'. No power in the game is never useful under certain situations.

Modifié par JaegerBane, 18 mai 2011 - 06:33 .

[jamesp81]

JaegerBane wrote...

jamesp81 wrote...

I dispute the idea that a shield power is objectively inferior. There's no real way to prove that.

it's self evident that it's objectively inferior

No, it's not.  Thanks for playing.

I'm not disputing that, james. The point you're not getting is that the
simple virtue of finding it useful under certain situations doesn't
somehow elevate above everything else.

That 'certain situation' and situations like it seem to occur quite a bit.  Enough to warrant taking a bonus power just for it.  When the amount I died dropped to almost nothing after taking said power, it kind of confirmed my own analysis of what I needed to do.  That same analysis doesn't apply to everyone, because everyone doesn't play exactly the same way or use exactly the same tactics.

Modifié par jamesp81, 18 mai 2011 - 06:37 .

[JaegerBane]

jamesp81 wrote...

JaegerBane wrote...

jamesp81 wrote...

I dispute the idea that a shield power is objectively inferior. There's no real way to prove that.

it's self evident that it's objectively inferior

No, it's not.  Thanks for playing.

I like how you've snipped out the part where I pointed out *why* it's objective. I mean, do you disagree with the impact it has on your cooldown? Do you disagree with the performance of AR in relation to the rest of the powers in the game? Exactly where are you disagreeing here? We're not talking about what we 'like' here, we're talking about hard numbers. You can't simply say 'NO U' and expect to be taken seriously.

That 'certain situation' and situations like it seem to occur quite a bit.  Enough to warrant taking a bonus power just for it.  When the amount I died dropped to almost nothing after taking said power, it kind of confirmed my own analysis of what I needed to do.  That same analysis doesn't apply to everyone, because everyone doesn't play exactly the same way or use exactly the same tactics.

Well, the delay to using the rest of your powers doesnt vary by people or tactics. The issue is that you seem to have decided that you absolutely must have your shield regen'd and have assumed you won't have medi-gel, which just isn't that common a situation for a soldier being played properly. It does happen, sure, but you've gotta to be doing something pretty nuts for it to happen all the time - if it's honestly happening that often, there are other powers that could have helped just as well without the effect on the cooldown. Check some of AverageGatsby's videos on youtube, he's got some cracking guides on how to effectively use AR in various ways, and he doesn't burn his whole stock of medi-gel in seconds.

I mean, take that Krogan situation you mention above. Exactly why would GSB be a better option there than, say, Stasis? That would have stopped the krogan in it's tracks no matter his defences, and would have given you the chance to let your shields regen, kept you out of harm's way, inflicted half the time out of action on your powers... and given a collapsing, hyper-fragile Krogan target to boot when Stasis wore off.

Ultimately, you don't seem like you're willing to consider any other options here. But it's your choice, in the end.

Modifié par JaegerBane, 18 mai 2011 - 08:27 .

[Locutus_of_BORG]

JaegerBane wrote...
I mean, take that Krogan situation you mention above. Exactly why would GSB be a better option there than, say, Stasis? That would have stopped the krogan in it's tracks no matter his defences, and would have given you the chance to let your shields regen, kept you out of harm's way, inflicted half the time out of action on your powers... and given a collapsing, hyper-fragile Krogan target to boot when Stasis wore off. 

Said Stasis would also help keep at least a chunk of said Vorcha from attacking, by putting up a big, fat Krogan sized screen between them and you. Also, the short cooldown buys time for a Medi-gel or ARush that would give you the added toughness to attack, escape or move on... Not to mention the big, fat Krogan-on-a-platter you'll be served when Stasis wears off.

[termokanden]

JaegerBane wrote...

Dispute it all you like, james - it's self evident that it's objectively inferior because it stops you from using AR the longest of all powers, and AR is the single most powerful ability in the game. Even hyper-effective powers like Reave and Stasis have trouble competing with AR, and they're significantly more effective than GSB or Barrier. The fact it only raises your shields again - something that automatically happens if you make it to cover, or something that requires you to use medi-gel which is strewn all over levels - just adds to the point.

I'll agree with the objectively inferior part when I'm convinced there is no situation in the entire game where a defensive power would be better than ARush. I'm thinking right now that Barrier (not GSB) is better if you are caught off-guard by a pyro.

You yourself argue that the other bonus powers cannot compete with ARush either, which also goes for the powers that are "better" than Barrier. So I think if a shield power would at least save you once in a while where nothing else could, it's better than having a bonus damage power that's inferior to ARush and can't save you.

Modifié par termokanden, 18 mai 2011 - 09:40 .

[IMNWME]

I agree with termo. To say there is no in-game situation where a defensive boost is better than a direct damage power is untrue. And on Insanity, especially NG+, it happens pretty often. Adrenaline Rush is great, but it is not overpowered. Simply spamming it will not always save you, unlike Tech Armor, which truly is the best class talent in the game, bar none.

Stasis may be the better option b/c of this, but I will say a shield power (Barrier) is def. more forgiving.

[JaegerBane]

termokanden wrote...
I'll agree with the objectively inferior part when I'm convinced there is no situation in the entire game where a defensive power would be better than ARush. I'm thinking right now that Barrier (not GSB) is better if you are caught off-guard by a pyro.

That's true with Barrier, yep. The question I'm arguing is whether that situation happens often enough to warrant the effect triggering it has on your cooldown. As I said in the post above, there's definitely situations where it's useful, but I'm not sure realistically how often they come up when you have access to AR. the above example, for instance, only favours Barrier purely because it is animationless and triggers no matter what - but for a class that can basically activate god mode every 3 seconds, there's a question as to how often that situation actually happens without the player intentionally allowing it. It's not like Pyros are particularly tough or fast.

You yourself argue that the other bonus powers cannot compete with ARush either, which also goes for the powers that are "better" than Barrier. So I think if a shield power would at least save you once in a while where nothing else could, it's better than having a bonus damage power that's inferior to ARush and can't save you.

That's blatantly not what I argued. What I actually said was that AR is so effective that even powerful abilities like Stasis and Reave have a hard time competing with it despite having half the cooldown as the shield powers. Not that AR is always better no matter what. And as I pointed out in the example above, the number of situations where Barrier would 'save you once in a while where nothing else could' is extremly limited, as Stasis, at least, helps in many of the same situations but with half the cooldown.

That's what I'm referncing here when I mention 'objective'. The shield powers hit your cooldown harder than any other power, yet only offer something that is truely effective in niche situations, where you're under constant attack, out of medi-gel, and nowhere near cover. Realistically, the number of times this happens for a competent player just isn;t going to be that often. Compare that to Stasis, which CCs no matter what over any range and takes your AR offline for half the time.

[termokanden]

First of all, I'm arguing about Barrier because I think it's the best of the shield powers.

But even if you think other powers are also sometimes better than AR, I still don't see how it's self-evident that a shield power would be objectively inferior. Doesn't that depend on what kind of situations you'd like to be able to cover? If someone sneaks up on you, Barrier is a good way out. Maybe it doesn't happen a lot, but I think this ability is good to have, at least unless you play absolutely perfectly all the time.

You argument states that it's a niche power with a long cooldown. I will agree that this makes it a somewhat unimportant power, but "objectively inferior?". That only makes sense if we agree on how we measure powers.

Modifié par termokanden, 19 mai 2011 - 08:25 .

[JaegerBane]

termokanden wrote...

First of all, I'm arguing about Barrier because I think it's the best of the shield powers.

No argument necessary there, you're preaching to the converted on that one.

But even if you think other powers are also sometimes better than AR, I still don't see how it's self-evident that a shield power would be objectively inferior. Doesn't that depend on what kind of situations you'd like to be able to cover? If someone sneaks up on you, Barrier is a good way out. Maybe it doesn't happen a lot, but I think this ability is good to have, at least unless you play absolutely perfectly all the time.

You argument states that it's a niche power with a long cooldown. I will agree that this makes it a somewhat unimportant power, but "objectively inferior?". That only makes sense if we agree on how we measure powers.

Well, the objective part depends mainly on the concept that the less time your powers spend unavailable, the better. Perhaps I made an assumption that being able to access a power would be universally considered better than not being able to access it, as, you know, powers on cooldown don't do anything

In all seriousness though, I guess my point is that the abstract ability of a panic button - to get yourself out of danger quickly - is not necessarily only possible via boosting your shield. The reason I bring up Stasis as an alternative is that it largely accomplishes the same thing, but using half the cooldown. Add to the fact that the ability to refresh your shield is also provided by Unity with far less cooldown, just with the caveat that it's not instant and uses a charge, and you end with a situation where you're taking twice the hit to cooldown purely for the convenience of not relying on medi-gel. The only situation where Barrier would have been a better choice than Stasis is if you're surrounded by enemies and you're nowhere near cover, and given the level design in this game, you'd have to be doing something pretty silly to get into that constantly. That's not to say powers with long cooldowns are automatically worse, but their effect has to be enough to make up for it - and since the effect isn't that different, I can't see how you can claim it's worth twice the cooldown.

Obviously if you find that you've allowed a pyro to sneak up on you, Barrier will be a better option - but the question is whether the odd time where a pyro somehow managed to get up close and personal, and the heavy hit to your cooldown, is a better choice than being able to cut down the same fire, using the half the cooldown, with the caveat that you hit him before he hits you (which can be done from any targetable range). On a character that slows down time, I don't think you can realistically argue that is going to happen more than a few times.

Modifié par JaegerBane, 19 mai 2011 - 03:59 .

[Locutus_of_BORG]

Speaking of Pyros, squadmate powers can also be use to disrupt their attacks.

[jamesp81]

JaegerBane wrote...

jamesp81 wrote...

JaegerBane wrote...

jamesp81 wrote...

I dispute the idea that a shield power is objectively inferior. There's no real way to prove that.

it's self evident that it's objectively inferior

No, it's not.  Thanks for playing.

I like how you've snipped out the part where I pointed out *why* it's objective. I mean, do you disagree with the impact it has on your cooldown? Do you disagree with the performance of AR in relation to the rest of the powers in the game? Exactly where are you disagreeing here? We're not talking about what we 'like' here, we're talking about hard numbers. You can't simply say 'NO U' and expect to be taken seriously.

That 'certain situation' and situations like it seem to occur quite a bit.  Enough to warrant taking a bonus power just for it.  When the amount I died dropped to almost nothing after taking said power, it kind of confirmed my own analysis of what I needed to do.  That same analysis doesn't apply to everyone, because everyone doesn't play exactly the same way or use exactly the same tactics.

Well, the delay to using the rest of your powers doesnt vary by people or tactics. The issue is that you seem to have decided that you absolutely must have your shield regen'd and have assumed you won't have medi-gel, which just isn't that common a situation for a soldier being played properly. It does happen, sure, but you've gotta to be doing something pretty nuts for it to happen all the time - if it's honestly happening that often, there are other powers that could have helped just as well without the effect on the cooldown. Check some of AverageGatsby's videos on youtube, he's got some cracking guides on how to effectively use AR in various ways, and he doesn't burn his whole stock of medi-gel in seconds.

I mean, take that Krogan situation you mention above. Exactly why would GSB be a better option there than, say, Stasis? That would have stopped the krogan in it's tracks no matter his defences, and would have given you the chance to let your shields regen, kept you out of harm's way, inflicted half the time out of action on your powers... and given a collapsing, hyper-fragile Krogan target to boot when Stasis wore off.

Ultimately, you don't seem like you're willing to consider any other options here. But it's your choice, in the end.

Because leaning out of cover to cast Stasis might not be very pro-survival if there are about 6 vorcha providing suppressive fire for him.

[jamesp81]

IMNWME wrote...

I agree with termo. To say there is no in-game situation where a defensive boost is better than a direct damage power is untrue. And on Insanity, especially NG+, it happens pretty often. Adrenaline Rush is great, but it is not overpowered. Simply spamming it will not always save you, unlike Tech Armor, which truly is the best class talent in the game, bar none.

Stasis may be the better option b/c of this, but I will say a shield power (Barrier) is def. more forgiving.

Barrier also applies universally.  In other words, stasis only holds off one badguy temporarily.  A shield provides protection against all of them for a much shorter period.

And agree on Tech Armor.  Tech Armor is a powerhouse ability.  Assault Rifle Sentinel with Assault Armor is a very strong class for almost any situation.  I like to take Reave as a bonus power in that case foregoing Throw and Warp, then getting Assault Armor, Area Overload, Full Cryo Blast (this is a somewhat underappreciated power), Guardian spec.

[Cloaking_Thane]

I quit my soldier insanity playthough after horizon because it was boringly easy......you dont need any bonus power at all, let alone one that marginally increases survivability and has the longest cool down to AR....

If you are getting into sticky situations with an excess of enemies around you as a soldier you're doing it wrong im afraid.

If youre going to go that route at least get the geth shield boost for some extra power at well

[jamesp81]

Locutus_of_BORG wrote...

Speaking of Pyros, squadmate powers can also be use to disrupt their attacks.

Overload on a Pyro with his armor removed is one of the most satisfying things in all of gaming.

[JaegerBane]

jamesp81 wrote...
Because leaning out of cover to cast Stasis might not be very pro-survival if there are about 6 vorcha providing suppressive fire for him.

So stasis him before slamming into cover, then. Come on james, the more contrived caveats you add to this situation of yours, the less the situation sounds like a real scenario, rather one you've cooked up for the sake of debate.

Realistically, how many times are you going to find yourself in a situation where you have 6 Vorcha shooting at you, a krogan a stone's throw away, and no medi-gel? What on earth are you doing to put yourself in the firing line of six vorcha and a krogan at once with no cover? What benefit do you think you're going to get refreshing a shield while under this kind of fire?

Modifié par JaegerBane, 19 mai 2011 - 07:50 .

[JaegerBane]

IMNWME wrote...

I agree with termo. To say there is no in-game situation where a defensive boost is better than a direct damage power is untrue.

And who is saying that, exactly? I'm certainly not.

And on Insanity, especially NG+, it happens pretty often. Adrenaline Rush is great, but it is not overpowered. Simply spamming it will not always save you, unlike Tech Armor, which truly is the best class talent in the game, bar none.

Tech Armour is a good power, but the best class talent in the game, bar none? I'm not sure about that. AR has a quarter of the cooldown, is equally versatile, extremely powerful, and, unlike Tech Armour, does not interfere with the class's main focus (guns) at all. If you can show me another power in the game that manages to be as powerful, versatile and spammable as AR, then you'll have a point. Frankly I'd rate Tactical Cloak over Tech Armour any day.

Stasis may be the better option b/c of this, but I will say a shield power (Barrier) is def. more forgiving.

Barrier definitely has reliability in it's favour - no ifs, no buts, just a full shield refresh come hell or high water. On a class that lacks panic buttons, I wholeheartedly agree. On a class that already has a panic button, never mind one as spammable as AR and it's ability to shift the game into retard-mode, that reliability isn't really enough to justify losing access to your class power for ~10 secs. Not when the ability to refresh shields is already there.

[jamesp81]

JaegerBane wrote...

jamesp81 wrote...
Because leaning out of cover to cast Stasis might not be very pro-survival if there are about 6 vorcha providing suppressive fire for him.

So stasis him before slamming into cover, then. Come on james, the more contrived caveats you add to this situation of yours, the less the situation sounds like a real scenario, rather one you've cooked up for the sake of debate.

Realistically, how many times are you going to find yourself in a situation where you have 6 Vorcha shooting at you, a krogan a stone's throw away, and no medi-gel? What on earth are you doing to put yourself in the firing line of six vorcha and a krogan at once with no cover? What benefit do you think you're going to get refreshing a shield while under this kind of fire?

You aren't listening.

This happened a couple of nights ago.  In cover, Krogan coming, several vorcha providing suppressive fire.  It's the first big firefight with blood pack on Mordin's recruitment mission.  Went something like this:

1. Lean out to shoot the Krogan a bit.  Lost shields, health still intact.
2. Early game, so I don't have trauma module, meaning medi gel doesn't restore the shield anyway.
3. Badly need to get the Krogan's armor removed before he gets too close so I can have Jacob use Pull to disable him.  Lean out to shoot some more.  Health down to 25% or so, Krogan still has a sliver of armor left.  Had just used Miranda's Overload power to explode a pyro, so her Warp wasn't available.  In this case, that would've been the best choice (warp then pull) for the disable.  However, some times things don't shake out where that will work.  This was one of those cases.

4. Rather than fire up AR and die in stylish slow-mo getting my ass shot off by the Krogan's buddies, I fire up Barrier or GSB instead.  Lean out to quickly strip the last of his armor, take a few shield hits (and don't die) then have jacob pull him.  Krogan is disabled, I can then concentrate on the damned Vorcha.

This is not contrived, contrary to what you may think.  If you persist in calling me a liar, then this conversation will come to a quick end.

Modifié par jamesp81, 19 mai 2011 - 08:02 .

[JaegerBane]

jamesp81 wrote...
You aren't listening.

This happened a couple of nights ago.  In cover, Krogan coming, several vorcha providing suppressive fire.  It's the first big firefight with blood pack on Mordin's recruitment mission.  Went something like this:

1. Lean out to shoot the Krogan a bit.  Lost shields, health still intact.

2. Early game, so I don't have trauma module, meaning medi gel doesn't restore the shield anyway.

3. Badly need to get the Krogan's armor removed before he gets too close so I can have Jacob use Pull to disable him.  Lean out to shoot some more.  Health down to 25% or so, Krogan still has a sliver of armor left.  Had just used Miranda's Overload power to explode a pyro, so her Warp wasn't available.  In this case, that would've been the best choice (warp then pull) for the disable.  However, some times things don't shake out where that will work.  This was one of those cases.

4. Rather than fire up AR and die in stylish slow-mo getting my ass shot off by the Krogan's buddies, I fire up Barrier or GSB instead.  Lean out to quickly strip the last of his armor, take a few shield hits (and don't die) then have jacob pull him.  Krogan is disabled, I can then concentrate on the damned Vorcha.

This is not contrived, contrary to what you may think.  If you persist in calling me a liar, then this conversation will come to a quick end.

Well, for one thing, 'early game' has suddenly become an important part of the argument. While you've got a point regarding Barrier in this specific case, this ceases to be an issue in the very next mission. So, what is your point here? That shield powers are a good choice up until you've done your first mission? You were making a point before about having 'successfully completed an insanity playthrough' before.

Another point above is that you sound like you've pushed too far ahead. Obviously if you're going to make poorly thought-out charges then you'll see a greater need for shield boosting, particularly in your very first mission, but realistically this isn't anything to do with certain powers being better. This is about not playing the class well. If you look at termo's point, he was advocating it on the basis of being surprised by lethal close range enemies, not using at as a result of making bad decisions.

Thirdly... that particularly area has cover that stretches the entire length of the room and has, among other things, an overhanging snipers nest and an entire side area with central cover. In other words, getting yourself into a situation where you're both too close to the first krogan and in full view of six vorcha, to the extent where you wouldn't have been able to stasis the krogan, you've made a pretty disasterous move. This is not really a objective way of testing whether one power is useful over the other.

As I said james, this kind of scenario just isn't going to happen often unless you specifically make it happen. Hence my point about contrived situations.

And spare me the threats, james. This is only a debate about the pros and cons of different powers, nothing more.

Modifié par JaegerBane, 19 mai 2011 - 08:24 .

[Locutus_of_BORG]

jamesp81 wrote...

Locutus_of_BORG wrote...

Speaking of Pyros, squadmate powers can also be use to disrupt their attacks.

Overload on a Pyro with his armor removed is one of the most satisfying things in all of gaming.

Sure, but I'm talking about the odd time when you screw up and are getting flamed. Any stagger effect will make the stop long enough for Shep to escape.

[termokanden]

JaegerBane wrote...

Well, the objective part depends mainly on the concept that the less time your powers spend unavailable, the better. Perhaps I made an assumption that being able to access a power would be universally considered better than not being able to access it, as, you know, powers on cooldown don't do anything

In all seriousness though, I guess my point is that the abstract ability of a panic button - to get yourself out of danger quickly - is not necessarily only possible via boosting your shield. The reason I bring up Stasis as an alternative is that it largely accomplishes the same thing, but using half the cooldown. Add to the fact that the ability to refresh your shield is also provided by Unity with far less cooldown, just with the caveat that it's not instant and uses a charge, and you end with a situation where you're taking twice the hit to cooldown purely for the convenience of not relying on medi-gel. The only situation where Barrier would have been a better choice than Stasis is if you're surrounded by enemies and you're nowhere near cover, and given the level design in this game, you'd have to be doing something pretty silly to get into that constantly. That's not to say powers with long cooldowns are automatically worse, but their effect has to be enough to make up for it - and since the effect isn't that different, I can't see how you can claim it's worth twice the cooldown.

Obviously if you find that you've allowed a pyro to sneak up on you, Barrier will be a better option - but the question is whether the odd time where a pyro somehow managed to get up close and personal, and the heavy hit to your cooldown, is a better choice than being able to cut down the same fire, using the half the cooldown, with the caveat that you hit him before he hits you (which can be done from any targetable range). On a character that slows down time, I don't think you can realistically argue that is going to happen more than a few times.

Well I guess we reached some sort of agreement then. I think I wrote earlier in this thread that I'd rather have Stasis myself.

I just didn't agree it was "objectively inferior" . How much you're going to need the emergency cooldown depends on your playstyle. I won't be the judge of that. I have had pyros sneak up on me myself. Doesn't happen much, but I get why someone would want a panic button to help out there.

[IMNWME]

JaegerBane wrote...

And who is saying that, exactly? I'm certainly not.

By the time you need a "panic button," you're generally down to health and in a bad spot (flanking Shotgun wielders, unseen Varren, ninja pyros).  Most of the time, "panicking" occurs when your shields are broken, you take cover, and then some unseen enemy materializes on top of you.  AR may not always save you in this case, but having a shield refresh that lasts long enough for you to disarm his protections and set up a squadmate disable, can.  I think this is the point james is trying to make.

Tech Armour is a good power, but the best class talent in the game, bar none? I'm not sure about that. AR has a quarter of the cooldown, is equally versatile, extremely powerful, and, unlike Tech Armour, does not interfere with the class's main focus (guns) at all. If you can show me another power in the game that manages to be as powerful, versatile and spammable as AR, then you'll have a point. Frankly I'd rate Tactical Cloak over Tech Armour any day.

No way.  AR is a great at taking down enemies quickly, but Assault Armor saves your life.  This is important, because Shep's death is always Critical Mission Failure, whereas failing to kill an enemy before he gets to cover just means you lost 3 seconds on your speedrun.

And Tactical Cloak better than Assault Armor?  No.  Tactical Cloak may be more fun from a tactical and roleplaying perspective, but Assault Armor is pretty much the best class power there is.  The only power it doesn't clearly trump is Charge, and even then, that's more about killing speed than survivability.  Vanguards can still get wasted by pyros.

My gut instinct tells me you haven't played the Sentinel a lot.  It's more of a brute force class than the Soldier by far.

EDIT: Oh yeah, I also forgot to mention: TECH ARMOR RESETS SQUADMATE COOL-DOWNS.  If the Sentinel had access to Pull, he'd be a better biotic than an Adept!

Barrier definitely has reliability in it's favour - no ifs, no buts, just a full shield refresh come hell or high water. On a class that lacks panic buttons, I wholeheartedly agree. On a class that already has a panic button, never mind one as spammable as AR and it's ability to shift the game into retard-mode, that reliability isn't really enough to justify losing access to your class power for ~10 secs. Not when the ability to refresh shields is already there.

I have the feeling james plays extremely aggressively, which is not necessarily a bad thing, considering how the game rewards aggressive gameplay, especially on Insanity.  In that case, AR is not always a reliable "panic button," especially if you're caught in "no man's land" under a hail of crossfire.

Modifié par IMNWME, 19 mai 2011 - 11:08 .

[Locutus_of_BORG]

IMNWME wrote...

No way.  AR is a great at taking down enemies quickly, but Assault Armor saves your life.  This is important, because Shep's death is always Critical Mission Failure, whereas failing to kill an enemy before he gets to cover just means you lost 3 seconds on your speedrun.

I'd be on the fence comparing ARush and AA.

ARush is great for taking down enemies quickly, thereby saving your life;

AA is great at taking down enemies slowly, via making you invulnerable.

I have the feeling james plays extremely aggressively, which is not necessarily a bad thing, considering how the game rewards aggressive gameplay, especially on Insanity.  In that case, AR is not always a reliable "panic button," especially if you're caught in "no man's land" under a hail of crossfire.

Honestly, it's no doubt james plays aggressively, but there's little reason to think he's playing very well. As far as strategy goes, the aggressive style popular with us, championed by the likes of Kronner et. al. is based on the old addage that "the best defence is a good offence"... We play the way we do to avoid being bogged down and overwhelmed. We also play the way we do to reach positions of advantage, and really, safety. Basically everything outlined in thisisme8's guide... When we play properly, sure, we might take a panic button once in a while, but we wouldn't be doing things like, constantly running ourselves into indefensible positions, constantly running out of medi-gel, not using ARush, using lvl1 shield powers to fuel a no-cover strategy, etc. - all of which may or may not be in response to extremely specific circumstances in the early, middle or late game. By his own admission, james apparently just barely claws his way through Insanity - which isn't anything wrong on it's own. However, his seemingly staunch refusal to accept good advice is just confusing.
 
Before you nitpick Jaegerbane to death, just re-read this whole thread and take note of how this discussion has unfolded from OP to now. Besides this little argument you guys have been having between yourselves, this whole thread has largely revolved entirely around defending inefficient ideas with one unrealistic caveat after another.

Modifié par Locutus_of_BORG, 20 mai 2011 - 01:24 .