Playing FarCry today got me thinking about something I've had floating around the back of my mind since Perfect Dark on the N64.

Which is the better enemy in FPS games? Humans or monsters? I don't mean which would kill the other in a fight, I'm talking about which opponent gives you the best experience while shooting.

To be honest, I don't dislike eithers inclusion into a game, however I do prefer squaring off against human enemies. As atmospheric and scary as having trigens leaping towards your face can be, I still find it more satisfying to see off mercenaries. Maybe it's because people are something I can relate to better (what with humans existing outside of the game), whereas trigens (who don't) need more imagination to get to the same level of depth. Also, humans are far more gratifying to headshot with a sniper rifle from a mile away

Or maybe it's just because mercenaries drop ammunition.

Anyway, what's your opinion?

------------------
"This hole is octogo. Ogiganeel. It's Octa.. It's got eight sides."
"Sam and Max Hit the Road-sign. The one saying 'Stop'."

I'd have to say humans, just because i'm into realistic military games like *cough*Rainbow Six*cough*, and such, aliens bore me.

------------------
Uruk Hai 1: *sniffs*
Uruk Hai 2: What do you smell!?
Uruk Hai 1: MANFLESH!
**
Proud Member of the Minnessassian Council

Mercenaries.

[edit] and Civilians. espcially when they have their hands up first or they try to surrender.
------------------

~~Because Eric does Rock Your World~~

[This message has been edited by Eric2Wonderful (edited September 01, 2004).]

i think aliens/mutants/whatever else give a better experiance, mostly because they don't act human and can be unpredictable

------------------
*landfish 'splodes*
7 of 14

Demons

*cough*Doom 3*cough*

------------------
ZGPC

Humans

------------------
Yub nub, eee chop yub nub,
toe meet toe pee chee keene, g'noop dock fling oh ah.
Yah wah, eee chop yah wah,
toe meet toe pee chee keene, g'noop dock fling oh ah


http://www.triggur.org/ewok/

Hybrids!

cough*systemshock2*cough

Best of both worlds!!

(God, there's a real disease sweeping through these parts! )

------------------
If at first you don't succeed, lower your standards.

I say aliens/monsters/robots..

Humans are too preditable, even if they have differnt guns they all will attack in the same way..

Monsters, simply for their natural attacks.

------------------
<ubuu> does hitler have a last name?
<jipe> .. yes, Ubuu, we're racist commy nazi jews, and we hate male pattern baldness
<Professor`K> Sorry, but half-way through your logic, my head exploded

Depends on the game and the general feel it's trying to achieve.

Monsters can be more versatile ennemies. You can make them fly, shoot thingies, creep in airducks, and you never know what they'll throw at you. However, humans are so much more satisfying to blow up.

------------------
WAITER: Here’s your green salad, sir.
ANAKIN: What? You fool, I told you NO CROUTONS! Aaaaaaargh!

anything thats stupid enough to get in my way of finishing the game. Although if it happens to be a good looking high-poly female I might activate god mode and oodle for a couple of hours.

Nazis, Stormtroopers, and Zombies are the best enemies ever.

------------------
Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side

As long is it's about half the zie of a normal human, I have no problems with it. It's the little enemies that piss me off. Think Headcrabs from Half-Life. I find those things annoying times 10.

------------------
Put me in the hospital for nerves and then they had to commit me,
You told them all I was crazy,
They cut off my legs now I'm an amputee, God damn you.
============
Frogblast the Vent-Core!

headcrabs are nothing, Lost Souls are much worse

------------------
*landfish 'splodes*
7 of 14

Nazis.

------------------
The Massassi-Map
There is no spoon.

Honestly, I'd rather kill people.

------------------
"Why aren't I'm using at these pictures?" - Cloud, 4/14/02

Kittens, and some puppies.

High Preist Nazi Undead Soul Reavers

Humans. I hate fighting critters. Even the little tiny creatures that don't do any damage.

Also, I find it a bit od fighting against savage beasts. With humans, you get the feeling that it is intelligent and aware, but with monsters and such you're just shooting at a crazed, stupid beast, which doesn't quite seem fair.

------------------
Empty.

Humans, most probably. With humans there's some sense of achievement. However, with all kinds of monster you really can't measure what you have achieved, if anything at all. And best humans are of course those few more important humans with names.

------------------
Frozen by ICARUS

Humans, yes.

------------------
<landfish> FastGamerr > Satan

Choking the life out of unsuspecting civilians in Hitman Contracts is the most enjoyable experience I've ever had in a computer game. The whole scrolling-around-weapon-selection was a bit annoing.
Manhunt could have been something similar, if it wasn't so...console.

It depends on the environment. It's always fun to have a pitched gun battle with humans, and will probaby be truly emphasized in games with supreme AI, such as Half-Life 2. Monsters are better for tension and fear due to the unpredictability of monsters such as in Doom 3. Is it going to jump at you or scratch you? Will it tackle or bite? What's the best way to take them on? There's more of a learning curve with monsters than with humans.

And yes, I did manage to talk about Doom 3 and Half-Life 2 without going OMG <gam> SI SUPR33M!!111one

------------------
You'll see it's all a show, keep 'em laughing as you go. Just remember that the last laugh is on you.

For me, shooting Humans, especially Nazis, is the most exciting for me in an FPS. Did anyone else think that the creatures in Far Cry were not scary, just ridiculous-looking?

My favorite Monster\Alien FPS is undoubtedly Alien vs. Predator 2. Now, playing that on multiplayer in survival mode is pure adrenaline. It feels like you are in the movie "Aliens" trying to hold off tons of Aliens with your team from getting into your enclosure. I think I'm going to play it now...

As other people have stated, it all depends on how much effort the crew have put into it.

Outcast, for instance, has great AI (especially for 1999). The enemy squads send a skirmishing screen against you while heavier armed officers hang back and bombard you with heavy weapons and order reserves to attempt to flank you. They obey Line of Sight rules, and investigate your last spotted location. Should you surprise a patrol and open fire enfilading fire from a hidden location someone will exclaim "ZORT!" (manual's language glossary defines it as "excrement" ) and panic, pulling back and reorganizing (poorly if you pick off their officer) in order to encounter the threat you pose. At another stage in the game, you come upon a primitive cro-magnon like race, predecessors to the aliens that inhabit other realms. At first they aren't hostile at all, they stalk you from a distance, running away if you look at them for too long or approach, generally just warily observing your passage through their territory. All of this is very dynamic when you compare it to scripted linear shooters.

Of course it's also fun to fight human combatants, because you often get a sense of being on equal terms of some sort. If the AI doesn't cheat obviously, and they still manage to individually pose a fair threat, there is still a fun feeling of being evenly matched and having to resort to tactically outwitting and momentarily overwhelming your enemies. Like in combat flight-sims where enemy pilots pose a tangible threat and you can feel as if you've accomplished something if you manage to drop them with a technically inferior machine.

This works really well in the splendid Operation Flashpoint, which has pretty good AI, and where even the lowliest opposing trooper with an assault rifle can drop you if you give them the chance to do so. Add in friendly squad AI and vehicles and you're in for some thrilling and tense warfare.

------------------
Worth a million in prizes, baby.

Humans,

As many have said it can really depend on the AI and monsters are usually so much easier to program then humans.

I mean lets face it, if you see a monster run into a laser trap and blow up, you think "Stupid monster, now you can see who is the superior race". However, if a human Ai does it then its, "Well hes not programmed very well".

I perfer actuall human players as my opponent.


But as far as AI goes?
Aliens. From Aliens vs predator 2. Those things are so freakin' cool because they climb all over and come at you in hordes.

But as far as human-controlled enemies?
Predator, probably. Again from AvP2.
Though it might change when I can face some player controlled aliens. Predators are really awesome when you're a human.

(I only have the AvP2 demo right now.)

------------------
<]-[ellequin[]Off> Everytime I think I've hit the bottom, and can't get any lower, someone tosses me a shovel


[Edited for format.]

[This message has been edited by Oberfeldwebell (edited September 02, 2004).]

Yup.

But I never found shooting enemies from the Vietcong, Japanese soldiers, terrorists and so on have the same feel. Maybe Nazis have more of the "imperialistic" quality and stand for a more "evil" regime.

------------------
Snail racing: (500 posts per line)

---------@%

The Massassi JO/JA Single Player contest info (I don't know why I have this still in my sig)