Hey guys, new here. Was reading this thread and thinking to myself that id like to become a bit more active and comment. Ive been waiting to play online till i could convince a friend or someone who has a similar interest in the tactics and strategy of what PR has to offer to join me. Havnt had much success with that so far though.
Been waiting partly because its much easier (and more fun) to get into a game when you either have someone to learn with, or someone who can help support you through the learning curve. Also partly because when you have someone whom you have a connection to and can communicate with, often it encourages other players to work together too and join in on the plan. Sometimes pick-up groups can be hard to get started.
I can relate in some ways to Jagobah. The initial experience, and the learning curve is very sharp, and very frustrating. Playing with the bots is just pretty much unfair to a new player since they can see through vegetation and dont appear to be affected by suppression fire. I spent about 15 hours playing with the bots, maybe 25 before i started to grasp how to play PR or for that matter how to even remotely accurately shoot anything. I knew i would love the game from all the videos i had seen, but there were many turnoffs, such as the poor performance, sometimes ugly graphics, and the fact that no one i know will play. I can offer some advice from my experience though.
Take everything you know from every other FPS out there, and then throw it out the window when you begin playing PR. You are going to be as green as a lime, and probably just as sour for awhile as you get endlessly raped from every direction, often never having a clue what got you. Technically thats just part of the learning experience. Long boring walks are long and boring though, that leads to the real meat of the story:
It took me a long time to really grasp that the main objective in PR isnt to shoot things, its to stay alive. Of course shooting things can help you stay alive, but only if you have your team for support, or have placed a very careful ambush and know exactly what the enemy forces are. That takes a lot of careful observation, and in general some experience with the game. You will not instantly jump into the game and do well, theres a LOT to PR to learn.
PR, (for me) is all about the meta game. There are so many things to be done whether its transporting, commanding, leading a squad and marking targets, building bases, spotting for a sniper, defending a position, supporting a squad with an asset, being part of an anti-armor team, or just being a grunt on the ground.. And thats the short list. All have very different gameplay aspects to them. Someone who does them well understands their role, squad leaders for example should do more planning and communicating with command and marking targets for their team than shooting.
Early on (on a live server) its best to pick a minor support role kit and then do your best to fill that role if you truly understand it, or simply just rifleman as recommended in the manual often because theres no limit on it, and it has ammo to resupply the medics or anti tank kits. It also does not block your team from getting a useful kit while you learn the basics. Speaking of the basics, sticking with your squad is very important when you are new. Shadow them, watch, listen, and learn. Let them be the first people to draw enemy fire so you can shoot back with less worry. You will probably be killed at some point, but if theres a medic in your squad, even if he is down, someone can take his kit and revive everyone if even one member stays alive and has the cover to do so.
Knowing whats happening on the battlefield is important. Look at the map constantly, see where your friendly troops are, know where your free-fire zones are so that you dont have to do a double take when you see someone pop out from behind a tree. Let the more experienced players take the first shots, or give the order to fire. Take cover if you are getting suppressed, hell stay in cover all the time, and avoid excess movement that might give you away. Dont be in too big of a hurry to fire off a bunch of rounds, if the enemy dosnt know you are there, take your time and make your first shot connect.. its harder to shoot back when you are wounded.
I used to get annoyed in standard BF2 when the enemy brought their rape-tank to the battle. It would kill me every time. Then i started to pay more attention to where the tank was, and if i wasnt equipped to deal with it, i learned to avoid it and keep my head down. Same thing goes with PR. You cant defeat every asset alone, but you can inform your team where that asset is or what its doing, and someone is bound to deal with it if they can or if its important enough. Takes time though.
PR is an amazing compilation of different gameplay aspects, and its too easy to get over eager to experience them. Rushing into a battle is a sure fire way to get killed every time. Sure you want to see the enemy and get your chance to shoot them, but if you cant do it safely then dont do it at all because you will just suffer another long, boring, and potentially lonely walk. It might be 'fun' to shoot your gun, but i think the real fun of PR comes from its teamwork and executing a proper ambush, or performing your class role well. Whether thats building a firebase, taking out a tank, or simply just driving soldiers from place to place so that they can fight the battle.
Shooting is fun, dying usually not so much. Theres always that tension that you could be taken out at any moment, if one plays long enough eventually you learn to avoid being stupid and getting killed. You may still get unlucky at times. If you play the game right, you should be enjoying something in it. Alternatively if none of it sounds appealing, then perhaps its not the right game after all, but i do agree it can be hard to make it all come together to have a good game sometimes.
(Massive post is massive.. sorry.. >_< Hopefully its not a threadkiller.
