Jump Sniping: Thinking one's self is cool while actually not

I hate that.

I don't know why, maybe because like 'girl power', it is a means of achieving coolness and so called glory through methods that are somewhat misguided in my point of view.

Gamers all around should have at least the notion of what Jump Sniping is. Players of the (in)famous Counter Strike obviously have heard of this (and try getting a new game, peeps), and while I'm not sure it it has been remedied and fixed, from my understanding Jump Sniping has something to do about the fact that your accuracy of sort with the sniper rifle gets better (or the very least, is unaffected) by jumping, which serves doubly as an evasion manoeuver.

If it does make one shoot better while jumping and sniping, then it is obviously a bug.

I hate it because this whole Jump Sniping makes sniping like some sort of cool sport or activity like skateboarding. Yeah, why not like get a pair of cool shades and trendy sneakers, expensive clothings and all the 'bling blings' along with your sniper rifle. Sniping becomes something like rapping or breakdancing; the fact that you execute cool dodging jumps and blows your enemy's heads off seems to bring that effect. In turn, one will brag about how cool and skilled he is because of that.

True enough sniping is a deadly form of killing and in games snipers should be given their due, but they are not the kings of the battlefield, nor should they be raking up most of the kills. Realistically that is wrong, because sniping is something that must honed to perfection, patience is required and above all slow and steady precision. Your defense as a sniper is not to do John Woo style side stepping jumps but rather through intricate covers and stealth. Snipers do not go running arounf hopping about like Neo from the Matrix.

The flaw is of course the game's flaw, and being some sort of a realist and also having read history and conduct of real military, I find the military institution somewhat insulted by the conception of 'jump sniping'.

It is not in FPS only that there are these misconceptions that have literally been taken instead as a sign of coolness. In RPGs, most especially MMOs, the natural progression of things is that players spend UNGODLY amount of hours just to level up their characters in preparation to have fun. That usually means pointlessly killing minor creeps and villains a zillion times over so that you'll eventually get the necessary XP to become stronger. And that's what the whole process is about, getting stronger and as such that is the way things are mostly. See that Godlike character which can kill so nicely? It's not that he is skilled. He just waste a lot of time building that image up. Something even kindergarten kids can do.

The same also goes for RTS games. Some guy can win consecutively not because of his sharpness of mind, but the quickness of his fingers in clicking the mouse. He considers himself a great general not for emulating tactics that great generals like Napolean or Rommel would approve but rather because he can build a zillion tanks in munutes. There is no finnese to his conduct; he just overwhelms the enemy in a huge tide steel. In the first place, nobody in this day and age can actually get that many tanks in such quick time, and secondly there's nothing great about it, any fool can defeat a foe much inferior to his force. What makes a great general is that he can win victories in spite of the lackings of his own force.

In conclusion, games emulate certain reality but not in exact details so as to preserve a fun factor. Games after all are meant to be enjoyable. But then just because it is available in the scope of the game, by design or by flaws, exploiting it doesn't really make you that great. you are only great if logistically and realistically related, it is possible and you executed with perfection.

This Week...

A reflection of the week is best given today, 17th March 2006, as it has been a turbulent week and it has its glory moments as well as its moments of downfalls. Admittedly the week begins not in Fridays or Saturdays but the fact of the matter is for this week, a whole new list of events begins at the dan of the weekend.

Let me start off by saying the recent weekend itself was a turbulence of up and downs in my life. On one hand I have one of the friends I have cheerished for some years finally getting married in a glorious event, and in the other I learnt how vile certain people can be or perhaps how they can be specifically inco.siderate; though I am uncertain whether it is as a whole just something that they do, or if it was specifically towards me.

Nevertheless the result of that was that I am sworn not to leave myself vulnerable to such types anymore.

But the consolation was that I did what I set out to do, I achieved it despite these type of folks making the odds for me even tougher and not only that, I feel that at last I can lay one matter in life finally to rest. Truly, I am finally at peace with this.

Not that such bliss stopped me from getting sick, cause' for the most part of this week my health isn't exactly examplary with this flu.

A wedding marks the beginning of this thing, an interview draws the end.

True, Codemasters won't hire me. I thought of even writing 'probably' until I realized just how obvious it is that there is no probability. Fact of the matter is they have a project in hand already and I am not what they need at the moment. That is not to say in the long run I am not of use. Because fact is, I am. As a new branch they need conceptualists eventually, and thats where the silver lining is, and what a bright lining it seems to me. I knew the guy at least, one of them and we could get along talking. He seemed at least impressed with my art, and in turn impressed me by knowing my sources of inspiration. Almost too precisely, though I wonder, since the guy was from where Mew Mew is working, if my best pal there has spilled some beans on me to the folks over there. But I doubt it. No wait, she did, but I don't think this one is her doing, because I don't do much Warhammer talking to her.

Anywhow, the point is this. I realized that being let down, or being told No, and such, isn't a proof of one's inferiority. In regards to my friend Mew Mew, I always have felt inferior to her, and have wondered many a times if I am even worthy of her company, but the Interview with Codemasters showed me one thing; I am not all that worthless and it's not that everything I do is bad, it just haven't found a place of its proper application yet. No, I'm not going to turn into super confident as of now, and in fact I will still feel inferior in some respects but the good thing, I am willing to make up for that and improve.

Lastly, once a student always a student. Why? Because the moment I stepped back in class back in MMU, I felt that I belonged somehow.... Thus Ms. Belinda, my former tutor, without so much as a 'Nice to see you again' instead told me.... "Please arrange the chairs..."