How do you play stealth games?

[Hidden Orange]

This isn't really a discussion about play-style, but you can talk about that here.

 

My question is on controls. Do you use mouse & keyboard or do you switch to a gamepad?

 

In most games, the speed of your character's movement doesn't matter much. So games like Borderlands, inFAMOUS, Tetris, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Street Fighter, etc. In some games, there's some importance on speed; Mario games, Assassin's Creed, Dark Souls, etc. Now, ignoring racing games, stealth games put a huge emphasis on movement speed. Going at full speed will cause you to be easily detected. Taking a notch down will make it harder, but still somewhat easy for enemies to detect you and so on and so forth. 

 

In most games, when using the M&K, there's usually a "Walk/Run" command. That works for many games, but not some stealth games. Metal Gear games have at least four noticeable speeds: sneak, walk, jog, and run. In MGS3, MGS4, and MGSV, there are five speeds: MGS3 had an addition of a stalk speed that used the D-pad, MGS4 had a "cautious-worm" speed for crawling, and MGSV has a sprint button. With a controller, you would move the analog sticks with different pressure to change speed. That's natural since it leaves the movement keys all in one spot. In Splinter Cell - not sure about the recent ones - the games used the mouse wheel to determine Sam's speed. I'm new to PC gaming and using a left-handed configuration to lessen the strain on my right wrist, but this works out well too, though it just seems "out of sync" or something so that might change when I get a proper desk and switch back to my right hand. I just don't know if other games do this as well.

 

It's not a huge issue since I could just buy an Xbox 360 controller which is now dirt cheap and just add stealth games as "one of those games" like hack n' slash games, platformers, old-school/arcade games, and Assassin's Creed. Still, with MGSV looking much more fast-paced compared to previous MGS and other stealth games considering the open-world will make it more annoying than in level-based, traditional stealth games, the added accuracy with a mouse would be appreciated. That's if MGSV ever comes to PC and it seems somewhat probable that it may.

[Tea1337]

Loud and stupid. I suck at any kind of stealth game.

[Clarkey]

FOr all the games ive played on PC ive used Mouse and keyboard but For MGS i'd probs use a controller. Thats what is been designed around for decades if it does come to PC im better the port is gonna be shoddy when it comes to M&K control

[Hidden Orange]

Mouse and keyboard.

Elaborate.

 

 

Loud and stupid. I suck at any kind of stealth game.

Stealth games are like puzzle games. Generally, you just need to remember the guard's patterns and act when it seems right. While Hideo Kojima did say that with an open-world, guards will be much more different in MGSV, it's best to take that with a grain of salt and still remember that guards will patrol in some sort of pattern.

 

The other thing is to save before doing anything; so, trial and error. Or you could just murder everyone. i mean, who's going to detect you now? 

[Tea1337]

 

 

Stealth games are like puzzle games. Generally, you just need to remember the guard's patterns and act when it seems right. While Hideo Kojima did say that with an open-world, guards will be much more different in MGSV, it's best to take that with a grain of salt and still remember that guards will patrol in some sort of pattern.

 

The other thing is to save before doing anything; so, trial and error. Or you could just murder everyone. i mean, who's going to detect you now? 

Well, I have never really liked stealth games, unless there is a really good one I could get into

[TheNinjaNextDor]

Like a ninja.

[Hidden Orange]

FOr all the games ive played on PC ive used Mouse and keyboard but For MGS i'd probs use a controller. Thats what is been designed around for decades if it does come to PC im better the port is gonna be shoddy when it comes to M&K control

Well, from what I looked up on Spinter Cell: Blacklist, the M&K layout wasn't as good as past games - I don't know about Conviction though. Apparently, there are shared button commands and speed is regulated by a "Walk/Run" system on M&K. Yeah, let's forget about past SC games using the mouse wheel. As for MGSV, it could just use the mouse wheel and the layout from what I have seen is essentially a typical shooter layout, but with a dodge button and radio button. It's really simple and would translate easily with enough effort. Past MGS games would have been okay too since the gear selection is just a hold down button and scroll to select.

 

Maybe it's just a third-person games are more natural on gamepads and first-person games are more natural or efficient on M&K.

[Hidden Orange]

Like a ninja.

The irony is that there are only a handful of ninja games where you are being a stealthy ninja and not massacring everyone like in Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, and more. I can only name two stealth, ninja games: Tenchu and Mark of the Ninja. Well, maybe Red Ninja. Maybe.

 

 

Well, I have never really liked stealth games, unless there is a really good one I could get into

 

I never really got into bird's eye view games like the 2D Zelda games and I never really liked racing games, MUDs, text-adventures/visual novels, or rhythm games like Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution. Also, horror games are a complete no since I'm a wuss.

 

With stealth games, I'd recommend Dishonored since it's not strictly stealth like in Splinter Cell, Metal Gear, Mark of the Ninja, Thief, Hitman, Deus Ex, or Tenchu. If you get into a fight in Dishonored, chances are, you'll win. In the other games, you'll probably die or fail the mission since some of them have "no-alert" missions.

[Applepienation]

Maximum difficulty. I want even the slightest mistake on my end to be punished with instant death. I adore being a sneaky shit, coming up behind someone and eviscerating them. Sometimes, if it's too easy I'll intentionally handicap myself to make it more difficult.

 

Like in Far Cry 3; Maximum difficulty, Bow and Arrow/Takedowns/Throw Rocks only.

 

Dishonored was amazing for stuff like this too. Actually, Dishonored was amazing in general.

[MajorChipHazard]

This is a bit off topic, but it reminds me of how my friend is having trouble with emulators...

 

He is trying to (understandably) run an N64 emulator of Banjo Kazooie on his computer, and finds certain parts of the story completely impossible, due to the fact that the PC controls are not analog, they are digital.

Meaning, that unlike on the N64 controller, when the pad had the stick that would make the character move relative to how far the stick is in a certain direction (analog), the PC controls of keyboard and mouse, as well as modern gamepad that is compatible with the PC, are digital.

Digital signals have one of two options as far as I know (correct me if I am wrong) On, and off. (or 1 and 0 )

 

This means in critical parts of the game hes playing where the developers intended for the character to only move at half speed, you cannot do, because once you push w, your character is going to run forward, full tilt.  You can't half - actuate the key and have the character go half speed.

 

 

Anyway, pointless rant over.  Its an interesting topic however.  I recently beat splinter cell blacklist and I never realized how weird it was to be playing a stealth game with only one movement speed.  However, I suppose game devs solve this issue by assigning certain movement values to certain posture positions. (standing = fast, crouch slow, prone slowest, etc.)

It would certainly be interesting to see a game come out that somehow brought back those old elements of gameplay.

[DeViLzzz]

I play stealth games very quietly OP.

[Almercenary]

Mouse and keyboard. And now stealth games aren't actually stealth, I restart the mission once I get discovered.  I still play the shit out of the old thief(s), still the best stealth games imo (haven't played dishounoured)

[ManOfDisguise]

do something stupid, get noticed, try to kill every1 in a big fight

[Jack.EXE]

haven't played many stealth games, a little bit of Splintercell, but a good bit of ghost recon, if that counts.

 

in the games I play, different keys run the different speeds

 

Shift is sprint, CTRL is croutch/sneak, and alt is uber stealth mode crawl. and then W with no modifiers is walk.

 

 

Ghost recon is a bit of an easy stealth game, seeing as you can turn invisible, and you have 3 other squad mates to back you up if you get in a fight, but there's this one mission where you're breaking the russian president out of a prison, and it's just you. get noticed? SOUND THE ALARM! it's brutal.

 

Thankfully the game gives you plenty of options for the mission, like stealth shots, where using a silenced weapon from behind would be an instant kill, but it triggers this whole animation, which you could be caught in if there's someone else around.

[FloRolf]

I start really stealthy, then i get detected and just shoot everyone down.

Like in Sniper Elite V2 (actually a very good game), you only have time till the first shot, then everybody knows that you are there and exactly where you are.