Far Cry 3

I kinda look at this game like it's a standard FPS (the story) wrapped in an open world. If you just took out the story bit and sold it as a regular FPS with just enough open-worldy-ness to allow for what happens, it would probably do fine on its own. As it is though, I kinda see the story stuff as a bonus to the amazing open-world stuff. It just pales in comparison to the rest of the game when viewed as a whole.

I dunno where I'm going with that. It sounded like a better point in my head

Omaha wrote:

If you just took out the story bit and sold it as a regular FPS with just enough open-worldy-ness to allow for what happens, it would probably do fine on its own. As it is though, I kinda see the story stuff as an annoyance that gets in the way of the amazing open-world stuff.

FTFM

Woo! New patch. Can't wait to turn off the mission reminder!

Sigh... looks like I'll finish the game before the patch will roll out for consoles.

Let me introduce you the AMR, which is my latest signature weapon. It is a sniper rifle that can shoot THROUGH people (2 soldiers - one bullet) and also blow up cars (4 at once!)! It will also take out heavy soldiers in one shot. It is a beast.

I approached a camp, with my trusty AMR, and noticed that the camp contained a heavy, but also a tiger. My plan: release the tiger, snipe the heavy (so he doesn't kill the tiger) and stand back, hoping for an undetected takeover. The plan was going well, until I got detected by another sniper. I briefly considered dying so I could restart, but I have generally played through missions and dealt with the consequences. Reinforcements are called, which includes a heavy and two more dogs. No problem. However, more reinforcements start arriving, and I realize a helicopter is coming. A helicopter! That had not happened before. I race into the base and take cover. The helicopter finally hovers over the base, and again I pull out my AMR. I shoot at the helicopter - no result. I zoom in and take aim at the pilot - a hit! He falls out, and the cutscene begins where my flag is hoisted at the base. As the scene plays, the helicopter crashes into the middle of the base and explodes.

Dude, it was awesome!

Yeah the AMR is pretty great. At first I was dubious about it because it is not suppressed, but you can take out a whole outpost from far enough away that you never get spotted. You often just need a sightline on one guy and you'll be able to spot others as they come out and notice the dead body.

Yeah I use that one too. So the default version, can you put a suppressor on it? I can't customize mine but I think it's because I don't own it maybe?

Signature weapons can't be customized.

My goal for the Holiday break is to get the Tanto.

BlackSabre wrote:

Yeah I use that one too. So the default version, can you put a suppressor on it? I can't customize mine but I think it's because I don't own it maybe?

Reaper is correct Signature and certain weapons (usually the first of a type) can't be customized.

Reaper81 wrote:

Signature weapons can't be customized.

My goal for the Holiday break is to get the Tanto.

I have the Tanto. It's great. 1 hit kills almost everything!

BlackSabre wrote:

Yeah I use that one too. So the default version, can you put a suppressor on it? I can't customize mine but I think it's because I don't own it maybe?

Yeah the non-signature sniper rifles can have a suppressor added to them. But with enough distance, it doesn't really matter. AMR is better IMO.

Where can I find boars? I need a couple of skins to increase the number of bullets I can carry, but all I end up with are pig skins.

I really like the emergent play that happens when a plan falls apart. Last night I got spotted while sniping an outpost and ended up running out of ammunition thanks to all the reinforcements that kept coming. It became a run and gun exercise, where I ran over enemy bodies for their ammo while being chased (and set alight) by chargers.

I also like how you can shoot the bottle from a charger and it sets them alight. My new stealth sniper move...

Moggy wrote:

Where can I find boars? I need a couple of skins to increase the number of bullets I can carry, but all I end up with are pig skins.

I really like the emergent play that happens when a plan falls apart. Last night I got spotted while sniping an outpost and ended up running out of ammunition thanks to all the reinforcements that kept coming. It became a run and gun exercise, where I ran over enemy bodies for their ammo while being chased (and set alight) by chargers.

I also like how you can shoot the bottle from a charger and it sets them alight. My new stealth sniper move...

Heh! Boars. Yeah, I spent ages looking for them. They're south from your very first starting villiage. A good ways south. Just keep heading south and you'll find them. You'll also find the dingos you need. Trust me, you'll need them.

No no, not the signature AMR, the normal Z-93... can that be customised? I know the other 3 sniper rifles can be customised, but I don't know about the non signature version of the AMR (which is the z-93).

EDIT: Never mind, I just confirmed that you can indeed customise the Z-93. I just loaded it up with a Silencer, extended Mag and Extended Sight. So it's now equivalent to the AMR, but with silencer!

Oh boy!

I can't figure out how to look around when driving in a vehicle (with mouse and keyboard.) With the controller attached, I can use the right thumbstick, but moving the mouse does nothing... what am I missing?

Really? I just use the mouse. Works fine. I've got a controller attached too but I don't use it.

I know everyone else is sick of this, but I stumbled on one last critique of the story last night, and I think it was good enough to link again.

http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysid...

And a follow up in the comments after Yohalem started making the PR rounds:

I think I’ve addressed it as best I can with what the game’s given me to work with. If there’s some secret hard-to-get-to “answer” that justifies the rest of the game I’d be willing to look into it, but I haven’t seen anything like that.

Part of the problem of addressing all of the themes Yohalem brings up is that there are so many – he claims the game intentionally lampoons the Noble Savage trope, he states that the game is about ‘feedback loops’ that make the player feel good, there are intonations that the game meditates on the nature of your actions (aka videogame violence), he’s pretty open about the game condemning escapism, he’s stated it’s got influences that range from A History of Violence to Alice in Wonderland to Deer Hunter to Apocalypse Now…

In short, the author believes the game is supposed to be about all of these things and I think the result is a game that just mentions them. I can point to one or two scenes that describe just about every subject he’s brought up in his interviews, but again I have to ask: What does the game do with the idea once it’s introduced? What does the game do with the Apocalypse Now helicopter scene, and how is it contextualized to either make use of that reference or subvert it? When the game paints Jason as the white savior of the native Rakyat tribe, how is the concept being subverted to point out the absurdity of Avatar? I’ve yet to hear a satisfactory answer to that question – just variations on “game journalists don’t get the game / it’s a puzzle to solve and no one’s got it yet / it really is an artsy game, though.”

I guess I find this fascinating because it's the first time I've seen a video game try to create this artistic intention and fall so completely flat on its face. And yet, succeeds wildly as a video game. It's failure is almost more meaningful as a work of art than the actual thing it was trying to make in the first place.

kazooka wrote:

I guess I find this fascinating because it's the first time I've seen a video game try to create this artistic intention and fall so completely flat on its face. And yet, succeeds wildly as a video game. It's failure is almost more meaningful as a work of art than the actual thing it was trying to make in the first place.

And even more incredible given that FC2 succeeded critically but in almost the exact same way - by sneaking a digital Heart of Darkness into everyone's gorgeous graphical FPS o' the year. I'm getting strong El Quijote Part 1 vs. Part 2 vibes, even.

The screenshot below displays the aftermath caused by a single bullet. After seeing a pirate vehicle take this route a couple times, I parked my vehicle and took cover behind it, then waited for the pirates to come back. As they approached, with no idea that I was there, I put one sniper bullet into the driver. Five seconds later, I walked out of cover to see two dead pirates in the middle of the road and their vehicle upside down, with the motor still running. I believe my reaction, spoken aloud after I stopped laughing, was "f*cking awesome."

And as you can see, more pirates were approaching from the same direction as I took the screenshot. Because I was already out of cover, I switched to my assault rifle and eliminated them in a much less interesting way that their fallen comrades.

IMAGE(http://s11.postimage.org/jg7q3bxw3/image.jpg)

Now that I've played enough of Far Cry 3 to have an opinion, I'd have to say that I think this is probably a better game than Far Cry 2, but I think 2 was a better, more personal experience, and ultimately I will remember that game more than this one a few years on. Still having a lot of fun with this game, but FC2 was something really special that will probably never be duplicated.

AcidCat wrote:

Now that I've played enough of Far Cry 3 to have an opinion, I'd have to say that I think this is probably a better game than Far Cry 2, but I think 2 was a better, more personal experience, and ultimately I will remember that game more than this one a few years on. Still having a lot of fun with this game, but FC2 was something really special that will probably never be duplicated.

I think I agree with you. I'm more interested in finding all the stuff and getting my trophies, as opposed to experiencing the game. They are both great, but in different ways.

I'm currently working on flaming 50 enemies, which is a lot, but I found something on the second island is helping a lot.

Spoiler:

Once you finish your first main mission on the second island (and as a reward for gong through a f-n stealth mission) you get the privateer disguise, which allows you to walk up to enemies. I've been driving around unlocking towers, and when I come up to a random group, I saunter up, inject myself with the fireproof syringe, equip my flamethrower, and proceed to light guys on fire. I love to think of the terrified rumors I'm creating back at headquarters. "You heard about Hans?" "No. Did he forget to use a condom?" "No. He was burned alive in the middle of the jungle!" "Hmm. Spontaneous combustion. I thought it only happened to drummers." "No man, there a flamer out there, and he looks like us!"

Aristophan wrote:
Spoiler:

Once you finish your first main mission on the second island (and as a reward for gong through a f-n stealth mission) you get the privateer disguise, which allows you to walk up to enemies. I've been driving around unlocking towers, and when I come up to a random group, I saunter up, inject myself with the fireproof syringe, equip my flamethrower, and proceed to light guys on fire. I love to think of the terrified rumors I'm creating back at headquarters. "You heard about Hans?" "No. Did he forget to use a condom?" "No. He was burned alive in the middle of the jungle!" "Hmm. Spontaneous combustion. I thought it only happened to drummers." "No man, there a flamer out there, and he looks like us!"

Good thing he used a rubber. Otherwise it would have burnt like a mother when he peed. Or so I've been told.

Just checked and they are delivering post on Christmas Eve. I may be playing FC3 on Christmas Day. Whoo!

I've been plowing through campaign missions, I'm impressed with their variety. I made it to the second island and...

Spoiler:

more games need wingsuits! Every downward slope is a fun flying adventure now.

It's got me thinking I should give Just Cause 2 another shot.

Also, the stats say I've only logged 18 hours, but it feels like 30. Does this game seem longer than it is to anyone else?

Also, question for those saying FC2 was a much more personal experience: why? I liked FC2, finished the game, remember it fondly, but don't remember much about the relationships in the game, how I felt about the villain, etc. I won't be forgetting Vaas anytime soon, and the upgrade/exploration systems in this game makes my character feel a lot more like a product of my work and time than the guy in FC2.

I can't help but wonder if the "gamey" stuff added to FC3 makes people think it's less of an experience. I think it's nearly the same experience, but with formal gameplay systems presented as such rather than existing as random elements in an impermanent sandbox. The narrative is nothing to write home about, though I really like the presentation, but FC2's narrative was pretty bare-bones too IIRC.

Apologies if this has been addressed, I've been absent from the thread for about 200 posts. I went to start reading some but they got a bit more spoilerish than I'm comfortable reading at this point.

There's not really that much to spoil on this one, Blind_Evil, most of us were Not Impressed with the main storyline. The missions were pretty good, but the storyline... not so much.

Despite the lousy story, I finished this game, where FC2 pissed me off and drove me away fairly quickly with the laser-eyed, respawning guards. So, as far as I'm concerned, FC3 was much better, because I actually played it.

Blind_Evil wrote:

I can't help but wonder if the "gamey" stuff added to FC3 makes people think it's less of an experience. I think it's nearly the same experience, but with formal gameplay systems presented as such rather than existing as random elements in an impermanent sandbox.

I hear where you're coming from, but I disagree. Far Cry 3 obviously shares some mechanics with Far Cry 2, and as games they are certainly similar, but as experiences they are vastly different. For one thing, FC2 dropped you into a unique sandbox and then went to great lengths to immerse you in it, sometimes to a fault. Everything except the load and save menus were contextualized in the game world--the in-game map, the crusty old computers at the arms dealers, bus stops for fast travel and so on--and while every attempt was not fully successful, the various systems are held together by a strong internal logic and consistent vision. The game was about violence, and its impact on the world and its people, and the player is an instrument of that violence. There is a real purity of intent. You were sent to kill, and that is what you do. There are no levels, XP, skill trees, or craftable accessories. It's just you, your weapons, and a world that wants to kill you.

Far Cry 3, on the other hand, continually takes you out of the game, forcing you to navigate menu after obtuse menu. You are bombarded with extraneous systems, constantly reminded about a ridiculous variety of side missions and objectives--climbing towers! liberating outposts! hunting! racing! murder time trials!--and the UI shoves this all into your face as frequently and obnoxiously as possible. Every village and outpost contains a magical vending machine that sells guns, and the crafting and commerce systems are governed by rules that can only be described as nonsensical. FC2's unique, desolate and unforgiving African landscape is replaced with a beautiful but generic tropical island that practically hurls entertainment at you. Every peak has a hang glider, every shack has multiple lootable crates, every square mile of map is crawling with animals that need to be killed in order to fashion your various bags and holsters.

This is not to say that I'm not enjoying FC3. I'm enjoying it a lot. But I fired up FC2 a few days ago, and was a little shocked to be reminded how different the experience was with all the layers of extraneous, intrusive bullsh*t stripped away.

Thanks for elaborating Podunk. I've actually got a very strange and apt comparison to make, though I kind of doubt anyone else here has played the fourth game involved. I'll get into it in the morning.

MeatMan wrote:
Omaha wrote:

If you just took out the story bit and sold it as a regular FPS with just enough open-worldy-ness to allow for what happens, it would probably do fine on its own. As it is though, I kinda see the story stuff as an annoyance that gets in the way of the amazing open-world that has very repetative things to do that aren't that interesting.

FTFM

still needs some fixing

This game has so much potential. It is like they stopped after creating the tutorial content and just repeated it over and over again.

kazar wrote:
MeatMan wrote:
Omaha wrote:

If you just took out the story bit and sold it as a regular FPS with just enough open-WORLDLINESS to allow for what happens, it would probably do fine on its own. As it is though, I kinda see the story stuff as an annoyance that gets in the way of the amazing open-world that has very REPETITIVE things to do that aren't that interesting.

FTFM

still needs some fixing

This game has so much potential. It is like they stopped after creating the tutorial content and just repeated it over and over again.

Still more (OCD, sorry)

I've just got past the first hunting mission, and I can see where it's going. It seems like a trope for Ubisoft now, with very similar things in the AC series. It's really hard to see crafting/unlocking as anything but dragging out the game needlessly. Sure, have it as an option, but why not also have an option to slimline the process and just award you upgrades as you progress from doing normal stuff.

Blind_Evil wrote:

Thanks for elaborating Podunk. I've actually got a very strange and apt comparison to make, though I kind of doubt anyone else here has played the fourth game involved. I'll get into it in the morning.

So, reading Podunk's analysis brought to mind a game that I've seen Far Cry 3 compared to - Skyrim. Expansive, pretty, brimming with well explained systems, unexplained fast travel.

And the part about FC2 reminds me a lot of another, less friendly open world RPG - Dragon's Dogma. The quest markers are very vague, the world is terrifying and unfriendly, it features very limited fast travel that's explained in the fiction (I should note that I don't personally think in-fiction explanations for things like this are more or less immersive). Dark Souls is actually probably the better comparison here but Skyrim and Dragon's Dogma is more apples-to-apples.

Skyrim was #2 on my GOTY list last year. Dragon's Dogma was my #2 this year.

With that in mind, I don't really see why I shouldn't appreciate FC2 and FC3 in separate but equal (hmm) ways.