Levelling Up: Penguins, Baal and the Never-ending Hunt for Pirates

How many people have heard of Final Fantasy? Millions? Hundreds of millions? Would it be true to say that majority of those folks are aware of the actual games that sport the moniker? Probably. Well, how many of you are familiar with the world of prinnies, Overlords and the Cave of Ordeals? Simple answer: not enough.

Most folk have heard of Japanese RPG’s like Final Fantasy, they know what to expect as they have been coming out of Japan steadily for almost two decades. As usual, the bigger developers and publishers are names most gamers would be aware of, from Square-Enix to Namco. The big publishers have exposed millions of players to the staple Japanese RPG and gamers themselves have trusted these companies branching out the RPG genre with tactical RPG’s, real-time RPG’s and more. Square-Enix’s Final Fantasy Tactics was for many gamers, their first experience of a Tactical RPG. That was then however, these days there are more out there, many series have tactical spin-offs hoping to emulate Square-Enix’s success with its Final Fantasy heavy-weight.

Ever hear of Nippon-Ichi Software? Its name means “Japan One” or “Number One in Japan”, however the reality if far from that. They are just a small time developer, only recently have they started to attract any attention in the West, and it took them some time to gather gamer familiarity in Japan. Today however they are number one. In Japan and outside of Japan. Why? N1 are simply the best tactical-RPG developers in the world. That’s a fact dood.

Coming Up Next : Welcome to the Netherworld

Driving the Pig

For some reason, I decided that it would be a good idea to learn to drive the Warthog during online games with a friend of mine, Sphiralis. Maybe it was how successful some other people have been driving around online have been, maybe it was due to the fact I was getting bored just shooting people, but whatever the reason, I decided I was going sharpen my driving skills and thunder across the online terrain in Halo 3.

Now, there is one thing to bear in mind when considering to an online driver in Halo 3. Unless your vehicle of choice requires only one occupant, you will need a gunner. A good gunner. Luckily for me I had a gunner, a friend of mine. Sphiralis has gunned before, most Halo players have - but not at length, so this was going to be a learning experience for him as much as it was for me.

Right, so I have my gunner. One problem, even the best driver will be stumped unless they play on the right map. Halo 3 has a good few maps but not all are suitable for vehicles. Additionally, not all Halo 3 playlists are supportive of 'hog driving. After extensive playing, I have found that Sandtrap, Rat's Nest and Standoff are best with Valhalla and Last Resort being the worst. (This does not take into consideration maps that do not support vehicles, such as Guardian =P).

Finding out which maps is best for driving is better done by going online and driving and seeing what is best for yourself.

Some things to take into consideration;

Communication

This, I have found, is the most important aspect of driving. You will be blown up, lasered, stuck or flipped unless you communicate carefully with your gunner. When driving around, it is a good idea to have good two communications with the gunner, it comes in handy when trying to avoid problems and for tracking down other players for the gunner to kill. One thing, and I have found that this is really beneficial for people starting out, is going through the maps and becoming familiar with landmarks. In the heat of battle, it is very easy to get confused about the location of incoming enemies or where your gunner might want to suddenly go to chase someone. I played the maps offline with Sphiralis to build up a good playing knowledge of call out locations on a few of the maps.

Map Control

This is something that you have to work with the rest of your team (everyone on your team that isn't you or your gunner). A hog can dominate the map, but unless your team is backing you up, you will probably be destroyed very quickly, so it's a good idea that you communicate your intentions and progress with the rest of your team.

Splazer

Avoid it. (No shit! =P) Seriously though, make sure that someone on your team controls the laser and rocket launchers. These weapons will take you down very quickly.

Nades

A fresh hog can take a battering. It can take a direct hit from a grenade. However, when it comes to explosions, chances are that the driver (me!) will die and it will be up the gunner to get down, get in the driving seat and go someplace safe. The amount of times this has happened to me are uncountable, for some reason the gunner is more likely to survive. Thankfully I don't care for my kill death ratio.

Spawns

Learn where the enemy spawns are on the map and haunt them. Especially if you kill a lot of enemies at once, they will usually spawn together (making it easier to kill a lot of enemies at once, repeat).

Velocity

As any passenger in a hog will tell you, it's a bumpy ride. As you drive around you find yourself being flipped, turned, blown, shunted and airborne. But, I have noticed that you can control your velocity a little a bit when the unexpected happens. You cannot control the hog in an emergency 100% of the time, but with a little practice, you can, more often than not, drive safely away.


I have learned a lot as a Warthog driver. I have a lovely collection of Wheelman medals that I intend to add to, but there is plenty of room for improvement for me.

Communication

"Behind me" - as I turn the hog one hundred and eighty degrees
"Top, front, right, right, ahead" - Where?
"Over there! There!" Could be anywhere! =P

Third Wheel

A driver and gunner. Perfect? No, the Warthog can have three people, and a good third passenger should be able to help the gunner clean up. Right now we are missing a good passenger, and I cannot wait to see the difference it makes.

Welcome

This is the first post here on Mediocre Gamer and so I think it is right to explain the purpose of this blog and who I am.

I am gamer. I have played games all my life, beaten many, unfinished loads more. Just like millions of other gamers across the world I suppose.

The thing is, I want to make it clear that I am mediocre (as if you couldn't guess from the blog title). Many people use the term "mediocre" in a negative way and I can't blame them. When it comes to many thing you usually don't want mediocre. You wouldn't accept a mediocre book, film or game, and it's not an adjective you want usually from the lips of people being critical of yourself or your work. Well, I think in terms of being a gamer, it accurately sums up my abilities. In some games I am very good, in others I'm abit clueless, but overall mediocre is good description. Sure I can pull off a no-scope headshot whilst playing Halo 3 online, but it's a one in a million chance, accident or not.

In the game non-existant line graph of player abilities or skill in games, I tend to fall in the middle.

One thing I wish to point out that despite my inability to stack up countless headshot kills or have a flawless online scorecard, I still have fun. Yes, you can have fun whilst not being number one. You can have fun whatever rank you are because, really, that is what games are about, fun. Sure, ranks are cool, and I do take pride in my little accomplishments, but they aren't the be all and end all of games. I have shared in the fraustrations that all gamers endure "damm, I almost beat that boss", "Crap! I went down a rank", etc - but in the end, I am still playing games despite not reaching the top of leaderboards.

This blog will include thoughts and analysis of my experiances and encounters and whatever else I think is cool. What it won't include are whiny posts every time someone t-bags me online (if only I had a penny...) or blurts out smack talk.

Well, hope you enjoy yourself.

-Dani