Counter-Strike

There's a simple way to defeat cheaters. Just use Punkbuster and only play on Punkbuster-required servers.

And learning maps is no big deal. When you finally memorize a map (and it's easy, just keep playing a few times, explore a little, and you'll get it - they're not that big), it's like an epiphany. It's a magical moment, when you can say, I get this map. And from that point on, you'll play the map like a pro.

It's definitely worth the little bit of effort you put into it. I find it most fun playing on maps I've memorized. And if you haven't memorized de_dust, de_dust2, de_train, de_aztec, de_inferno, de_prodigy, cs_assault, cs_backalley, cs_italy, cs_747, cs_office, cs_estate, cs_militia, cs_siege, as_oilrig, etc. (at least 2-3 of them), just what exactly have you been playing (most of the time, the most popular maps just get cycled over and over again on most servers)?

Probably the main thing that makes Counterstrike so popular is the "realistic" damage model, though I think it's not realistic enough - they still have hitpoints, and it takes a bit too many bullets to kill someone, still. But you get all your equipment at the start, so there are no stupid powerups, weapons, or ammo lying all around that you have to hunt for. Real-world weapons are used. Players don't move too quickly, or jump too high, so the game doesn't degenerate into a series of Quake-style standoffs. Quake, UT, and games like them are just plain silly (to a lesser extend, TFC). Everyone's like an armored tank or superhero, they run & jump like crazy, powerups imbalance everything, everyone takes a billion hits to kill, and the weapons are all funky and weird.

For an even better game, try Day of Defeat (another Half-Life mod). Same advantages as Counterstrike (except there's respawn), but there's no Kevlar, so damage is much more realistic, there's no money or buying to trouble yourself with, you can lie prone, and there's a stamina system to prevent too much unrealistic jumping around.

 

Yeah. Even longer than me. :wink: