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Hello fellow posters and a happy new years to you all!
I want some tips on my first console since I basically can't play computer games anymore. I will also put the background story into writing to do my mind some good. Now before you read this please note that any criticism to my English is welcomed so don't feel bad advising me regarding that.
Anyways the story starts around one year ago. Then I was a man with a plan regarding how to make the most out of my love for sc2. I was finishing up school (bachelor in informatics) and I was getting plenty of playtime in while doing so. Then as now I loved playing and watching the game. The "plan" I had had started to take form in oct-nov 2010 and came from me wanting to get more out of the game. A big stopper for me was my ladder fear. For me personally the root to that is probably my lack of a competitive nature. See, what drives me to put work in to be a better player is not the competition, it's rather the feeling of getting that improvement in skill, getting results and to be "good" or "great" in the eyes of others. Sharing experiences, teaching/coaching and such things also appeals to me a lot. I also often play games only to have fun and to pass time.
But playing 1vs1 ladder for me was pretty brutal I could only play a few games before feeling exhausted. So to fix this I decided to be a team player indefinitely. 2vs2 play was actually helpful for my 1vs1 as well because the elements that stressed me the most in the game was the rush situations and those occur even more in 2vs2. Part of that is me having a playstyle heavily influenced by NTT. I really like to play long and economic centered games and the longer the game gets the more comfortable I get. So the extra early game practice in 2vs2 would do me good I felt like.
Around here you are probably wondering how good I was and my answer would be that I was not terrible for being a random amateur. Once they launched masters I instantly got into it with about 100 ladder games played and following that I did well there while almost only getting ranked up against players with really good ranks in masters. This is nothing special at all but I wasn't a total scrub.
Just when I was really getting into 2vs2, the game was still fresh and since my friends grew up with brood war like me it was great playing with them and I liked it a lot, and 2vs2 gave me zero ladder fear. Sadly friends dropped of to wow expansion and minecraft so I started doing 2vs2 random. Mid November I decided that I was good enough in 2vs2 to start a blog series about it here at teamliquid. I still enjoyed laddering the 2vs2. But I never dropped 1vs1 completely.
Around this time of my 2vs2 focus I also took part in in the [url=http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=170066Adopt A Noob Program[/url.]I got plenty of requests for coaching had my own little channel with low ranked players that I matched against each other and trained. One of my best friends in sc2 was my first student, a bronze/silver player who turned into plat after a weeks coaching. I loved coaching (still do) and I gave my students a lot of time and played with them a ton. I even coached a protoss player in "how to play" while avoiding the deeper Protoss aspects. As a veteran from sc:bw (played that game since it came basically) I had some game knowledge to give out and Day[9] was a great resource. I really worked with some of his ideas and suggestions on how to better. I only typed with my students but I felt like it worked out well even so. I gamed a lot with random allies at this time to so to communicate good with typing only was a must for that as well.
Now it's time to get back to the plan. As i mentioned earlier school was finishing up and I knew that I wanted to start of being a Java EE developer and here is were it was all coming together. I wanted a development project to learn more about writing web pages with java related technology. I decided that I was going to write my own little website featuring free coaching in 2vs2 and some private coaching for money. My blog here about 2vs2 would be my main offering besides coaching in the free model.The actual coaching would be me observing games sprouted from my channel and give advice after, talk about strategies in groups etc, live coaching and more. But to actually play with me in 2vs2 or to get private lessons or coaching in1vs1 would cost. I was planning to stream the open stuff as well.
Why do all this? Well for fun of course. Why not offer coaching totally free anymore? Well making a little money of your hobby is not wrong and since I planned on getting at least some success figured I would never be able to give free private coaching to everyone anyways and the charge would restrain the interest for it a little. Worst case scenario I had some fun and learned more about web development.
Now to actually be able to coach well in 1vs1 I was going to switch back into being mostly a 1vs1 player. but how to approach that more seriously? After some thinking I came to conclusion that I wanted to develop my way of playing into a consistent well thought out style. But by now I had gotten a taste for the early battles from my 2vs2 play and I really felt that games that had an unusual flow at first and then turned into a macro game was my favorite kind of game. Rushes, Base trades, trading blows to economy, doing weird strategies - all with the aim to make the game a little confused while I sneaked the game into macro mode and my true comfort zone felt like the way to go. Also I wanted strategies that could kill early, would deny scouting well and could transition into late game.
Before talking about this further I should mention that I am a mech player much like Goody but I feel my inspiration is NTT but I ofc did take a few notes on his builds. I have also always been really fascinated by the mindset of [url=http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/V-Gundam]V-Gundam[/url] and the bamboo rush and it always came to mind for me (and still do) when seeing all the strong one base plays utilized a lot by koreans in GSL. So for TvP I decided that I was going to utilize a strategy as potent and flexible as the bamboo rush: the oh so hated 1-1-1 rush and use it with the one size fits all philosophy. To really learn the odds and ends of that and also how to transition out of it into a macro game was something I was really excited about doing. I would try to sneak in a CC before going and bring no more then a few scvs in most cases. When doing my initial practice I had really great results most of the time. I also experimented with ways to fake it and to use "pins" etc to keep my opponent in his base while I expanded. One example of that was a reaper opening (to get some map control) into hidden expansion and then try to make it look like a normal 1-1-1. For TvZ two rax was still really good and I liked to open with that to deny some map presence and do some damage while expanding and going into mech. Having enough marines to stop scouting ols while doing the transition makes sense as well. For TvT I never really got time to play around deciding what would be my thing.
Because in the midst of this sc2 prime time for me it all took a pretty swift ending. I only ever made a single blog post about 2vs2 and I never really came around to any of this and my plan crashed and burned. So what happened? Simply put I got [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repetitive_strain_injury]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repetitive_strain_injury[/url].
Over one year later it's slightly worse (all though I have decent periods) but I basically cant play much at all. I actually cant use the mouse very well. Luckily for me I wrote this guide a while back [url=http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=114116][find it here][/url] on how to use keyboard only and that's what I mostly do. I have to use the mouse with my right hand for a few things, hell I even play sc2 if I have a good day but overall I just avoid it due do my arm being so messed up. At work I use this ![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31TvMkmzKHL._SL500_AA300_.jpg) with my left hand.
So yeah... That's how I stopped playing I guess. I have seen three doctors and a physical therapist. They basically all agree on it being a muscle thing and that it pressures a nerve. I got some exercises I need to do etc but so far they are far from curing me. So i'm thinking about stopping with the computer completely while home and only use it at work. (there I have great desk, chair, mouse etc so not as bad)
Now being a gamer in heart I have played a lot of pc games for single player fun through the years and to not have at the computer I know I need a substitute. I have gotten a Kindle since the accident and I read some but I want to play games. As I mentioned earlier i'm not all that eager to compete with others, being able to play with my girlfriend will suffice. I'm not really looking for a console that has games similar to sc2. I'm rather looking for single player time sinks, games I can beat a time or two and then play something else... Also note that I never really played a console game. Might be a shock for some but that's the truth. I mean I tried a few times at friends and I played a little super mario as a child and turtles in time but overall no real clue about this.
PC games I did like that comes to mind that might even work better on console are Skyrim, mass effect, halo, hit man and similar games. I'm unsure if I will like games like super mario but I want to try them.
Im not sure if Wii offers much besides the gimmick of the hand controls? You guys will understand what I need in terms of depth. Then again my girlfriend who is super hostile against pc games would probably play Wii with me... Any advice here?
What's your favorite console and what's a console for a newbie like me?
Thanks for reading. Felt nice putting this to print i'm a little sad this still but it felt great just putting it out there. Cheers!
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Buy a Xbox360 or PS3 and play Street Fighter if you want a challenging game ^^ I myself had an Xbox360 and had good times playing shooters with my friends, but these games get boring after a while unless you really enjoy the teamwork aspect, because they are just too easy.
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Sorry but have to go with tl;dr for the Starcraft part, just read the stuff in the end..
Personally I have sworn on Playstation ever since the first console.
If you want to play online a lot or play shooters a lot go with Xbox. But you said this isn't the case so I would actually put Xbox on bottom of the list personally, you have probably experienced most it has to offer on PC anyway.
If you like Japanese games or single player games and are planning to buy a decent amount of games go with PS3. There's no way I personally would buy a other console over a Playstation.
However what Wii has going for it is that your girlfriend might like playing it, if you're planning to play a lot I'd imagine that Wii gets old a lot quicker than PS3 due to having less games and the gimmicky controllers but it still has couple epic games like Zelda, and I think you can buy classic game controllers for Wii as well. As a fairly hardcore and old school gamer when I tried the Wii sport games at a friends place I was bored within 15 minutes.
So depending of how much time you're planning to put into it I'd say it's a fight between PS3 and Wii imo.
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Kaka I love you.
I don't know much about consoles games but I have a Wii and I recognize there is a "fun" aspect in it but beside that it is a style that gets boring pretty fast. So I wouldnt recommend that for more than just fun sessions of playing sometimes. So I think you should definitly focus your choice between the Xbox and the PS3.
Hope to see you soon!
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If you want to play with your gf then maybe wii but otherwise for just yourself don't even consider it.....
360 vs PS3 is mostly just a personal choice PS3 is a more powerful system but that is more or less actually irrelevant. What matters is which games are for which system. Also if you want to play Blu-Ray you have to get PS3. But if you have a dedicated Blu-Ray player then that is also irrelevant.
I personally have stuck with a X-Box solely 100% for the reason that I love the Halo Franchise. I haven't even played online multiplayer since the original Halo but I've been playing that story for over a decade. I say this only because imo that is the only real deciding factor. If there is some game/franchise that you must have thats only available on one system.
Kinect might possibly be a plus for x-box. I don't even have it, but I've played games on it at parties. Its kind of like wii in the good for playing stupid games with your gf kind of thing. But really really don't buy a wii. I mean if you are serious enough to ever have played SC2 let alone at a decent level you are 10 times too serious of a gamer for a wii. lol. (Don't misunderstand me, I have a wii they have their place but its like not really for me and I never ever play it by myself.)
But other than that, my only tips are:
Have a nice tv! Have a nice surround sound system! Have a nice chair/couch/whatever!  Those things are the beauty of console gaming to me. I also spend 4 months a year without internet (gasp!) and that is when I console game so yeah....
Good luck! It is my personal opinion that for various reasons (see nice tv etc.) and less distractions story based games and rpgs (ie singleplayer games) are much more immersive and enjoyable on consoles anyways. So you can def play those ones you listed on console. I allways do.
P.S. If its just the mouse thing than you can play most all those singleplayer games on your PC using a controller if you prefer. Its ez to hook up an xbox controller for a game such as Skyrim for example.
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I have the Wii solely for Super smash bros and the Wii virtual console. I recently bought Zelda Ocarina of time and Super mario 64. These are THE BEST GAMES I've ever played (starcraft is there but this is my childhood). I don't use the wii motion stuff but just plug in gamecube and play old classics.
Xbox/ps3 are just a personal choice but your games are selective. If you have a good computer, buy and xbox controller for windows and Most PC games that are on consoles also have xbox controller setup, so its like your playing from the console.
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On January 02 2012 02:45 CakeOrI)eath wrote:
starcraft 64
/end thread
Agreed. This is on the classic Nintendo 64. Not sure where you can get your hands on on the N64 but if you find a way get one. There is also StarFox64 (Epic single player game) and the ORIGINAL Super Smash Brothers. Games are relatively cheap and there are still some stores that sell N64 games.
rant ahead: I used to have one in my neighborhood but a certain GameStop bought the place >.> Now it lost half the good stuff and gained..... absolutely nothing except for a stranger that doesn't know me at all working at the desk and who isn't nearly as friendly or out-going as the previous owner.
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Go for xbox or ps3, wii can get boring easily. If you're really hardcore, though, get all 3 so you can enjoy the best of all three worlds. I hear Demon's Souls is a good game for ps3, I've been itching to try it.
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I got the same thing for playing guitar. It sucks.  I play relaxing games on PC though, like SWTOR, because then I can sit in a way that doesn't hurt my neck. But as soon as I load up SC2 and BW it hurts
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The wii sucks so bad. I had one and within 6 months sold it because I played it like twice in that time. Honestly you should just go with the xbox. With kinect its like a wii without remotes and more people seem to have a 360 then a ps3 (at least at my school). The ps3 is a better system overall, but for some reason xbox has more people playing it - and halo.
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On January 02 2012 03:32 FoeHamr wrote:
The wii sucks so bad.
Why? It's so many good games on it!
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On January 02 2012 03:42 Arnstein wrote:Why? It's so many good games on it!
It fills a completely different niche. For me, the wii is either for social gaming. Or for super super casual/nostalgia gaming. I mean most of those oldgames people talk about for wii could be run on a portable or your iphone if they port them. (I have a bunch of the old FF on my iPhone lol) Pretty clearly the OP does not have that nostalgia thing where he wants to be able to play all the old console games from when he was a kid. He is looking for something to do instead of playing SC....
I have one (wii) but it is 100% a party console for when I have people over and late at night the stragglers\good friends we will play stupid wii games for hours and then be like "wtf we just spend 5 hours playing epic grudge matches of wii tennis and its 6am".
Not saying its bad. But I don't really consider it really gaming.
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Get a PS3. Best RPGs, PS1 catalogue with games like Final Fantasy 5-9, awesome PSN games like Fat Princess which you can play with your girlfriend, Flower and some other nice and crazy ones.
As for the games, you cannot go wrong with Demon's/Dark Souls and Valkryia Chronicles. Folklore is a bit old now but you and your girlfriend might enjoy playing it, it's nice, colourful and easy to get in to.
Although I think this generation of console games have been mainly shit, the above stated are the best.
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Continue playing PC games, only do it with a console controller. There are multiple games released each year where the game was ported badly or even made for a gamepad.
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On January 02 2012 03:50 Atreides wrote:Show nested quote +On January 02 2012 03:42 Arnstein wrote:On January 02 2012 03:32 FoeHamr wrote:
The wii sucks so bad. Why? It's so many good games on it! It fills a completely different niche. For me, the wii is either for social gaming. Or for super super casual/nostalgia gaming. I mean most of those oldgames people talk about for wii could be run on a portable or your iphone if they port them. (I have a bunch of the old FF on my iPhone lol) Pretty clearly the OP does not have that nostalgia thing where he wants to be able to play all the old console games from when he was a kid. He is looking for something to do instead of playing SC.... I have one (wii) but it is 100% a party console for when I have people over and late at night the stragglers\good friends we will play stupid wii games for hours and then be like "wtf we just spend 5 hours playing epic grudge matches of wii tennis and its 6am". Not saying its bad. But I don't really consider it really gaming.
He said he would like to try single player games which I think the Nintendo does very well. Also said that he hasn't played much console so hes not playing games he played as a kid, just playing old school games. Games such as Zelda, Mario and metroid prime are great and challenging games. Try play super mario 64 and complete that game, a very hard game with high skill cap for its time.
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FYI: You can use a USB controller (XBOX 360 wired controllers are USB) and emulate using Dolphin/Project64 and play all sorts of games without investing in the consoles and games themselves. Modern console games are mostly mass produced crap and not very innovative and lack depth. There are exceptions, but not enough to warrant the hundreds of dollars it costs to get up and running and buy all the games.
Also, play Super Meat Boy and other computer games that use controllers and not keyboard/mouse. You'll thank me later.
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You can buy a nintendo 64 and play starcraft on it! ^^
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I would go for an X-Box 360. I like the controller/interface/game library/online features. Personally I cannot stand Wii/Kinect. Like someone mentioned it is a whole different type of gaming that I just don't find appealing. Depending on how long you have been gaming, I would even suggest looking for some Genesis/Super Nintendo games (totally legally of course...) and giving those some time. Those would all be single player though.
As for your injury have you asked your Physical Therapist about yoga? I'm not a hippie/alternative medicine type person but that sounds like the kind of thing that could be helped by a yoga regimen. Take advice from a professional though : )
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I think your best option for right now is to pick up a wii (or 360 if you can find one for cheap enough) and wait till next year to drop some serious dough on a console. They have already announced they are making a new xbox, so I would hate to see you drop $400 or so dollars to get a good set up, just to have the next best thing come out and you have to either do it again, or stay on your outdated thing. GL!
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On January 02 2012 06:49 Bigtony wrote:
As for your injury have you asked your Physical Therapist about yoga? I'm not a hippie/alternative medicine type person but that sounds like the kind of thing that could be helped by a yoga regimen. Take advice from a professional though : )
Didn't work for me. Yoga is amazing in other ways though, but it doesn't seem to heal this kind of thing. (at least not for me)
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the big wii titles tend to be great. new super mario bros kept me and a mate playing for weeks, ssb brawl speaks for itself, loz skyward sword I've only heard good things about etc.
short of that, xbox 360, because of halo and the ability to use the controller with the pc natively.
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EPT
