Multiplayer gaming and visual settings debate

[digibucc]

Optimal play for some(including me) is removing useless junk you don't need to play a game, even if my rig can handle it, 60 fps just inst enough for me. I believe I am on topic here and stand by my statement. Its not like im dropping a live grenade every time I die.

as subjective as it is, the problem lies in your intentions (not necessarily yours, but intentions)

if you are doing it to make the game run better, faster, smoother - the no of course you are doing nothing wrong.

but if you found that putting certain settings on low removes cover, or makes textures different so that people stand out more from the background, or turning off effects affects smoke bombs, etc - and you do that not to make the game run faster, but to give yourself an edge over everyone else playing legitimately , it's wrong.

yes, lowering settings to make the game run faster/smoother can give you an edge, but afaik that's not what we were talking about. sorry if my statements were too general.

I am talking specifically about those that change settings to purposefully make it easier to spot other players/danger/etc. and it's a slippery slope i know. gamma can make it easier, is there something wrong with turning up gamma? idk.. .i don't think so. but when we are talking about human morality it's not exactly black and white. there's a lot of gray.

 

[Chryonn]

i've not read every single tpost in this thread, so bear with me if it's been repeated, but i remember in the days of Quake III tourneys the pro competitors would lower everything down to literally coloured blocks, only the players would be visible. obviously there had to have been guidelines on whether this was acceptable and it was since everyone could do it. personally i think it might give an edge but up until now i hadn't thought about it (maybe that's why i get my ass handed to me by some unseen sniper in BF2: Strike at Karkand). i like to crank up everything that my rig can handle, and while i am competitive, i'd rather see everything in crystal clarity than suddenly fading props (L4D2 i'm looking at you)

 

[TRIPTEX_CAN]

Mad Clown- you said "it's just a game" but you still lower your settings to "get an edge".

I think lowering your settings to get an edge means you take the game just as serious (or even more so) than the player who complains about others lowering their settings.

 

[TIGR]

Turning down visual settings is so easy that you don't really have to be too competitive or serious about gaming to do it. One might do it just because hey, it might be an easier way to improve one's kill to death ratio than playing for hours on end to get practice.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Do you feel that it's "ok" to lower your visual settings to give yourself an extra "edge," even if your rig can handle heavier settings?

If the sole reason for changing the settings is to get an "edge," it is as good as a cheat in my book. If the main reason for changing settings is because of low frame rate, I have no problem with it.

I agree with your conclusions.

 

[InnocentCriminal]

We're specifically talking about FPS games here. I mean, would you turn down all the graphical options to get the edge in an RTS?

It's fuckin' ePeen! You want to prove yourself as the better player to those on the server, which, if it makes you happy then fair enough. Not that I honestly care if you do or not, if I think it's morally wrong or not probably doesn't effect you but the real result is, if you do that on a machine that is more than capable of having the game run comfortably at respectable settings then you're a dick. Try playing on a level playing field where everyone has the same settings and the servers have guidelines, be interesting to see if you're really as l33t as you think you are with a level playing field.

Truly good players are ones that want to play on a level playing field, don't use exploits and want everyone to enjoy the game as much as they do. This equilibrium can exist, my gaming community does it on a daily basis. Even without equally spec'd rigs, we play as a team and do what we can to make each other enjoy the game we play.

 

[imperialreign]

I'm glad to see there's such a concensus of opinion here . . . I half expected there to be more differing views.

 

[Tatty_Two]

At the end of the day it's all about choices, some choose to lower their settings to get an "edge" some don't, it's difficult for one who lowers their settings to genuinly get better frames to argue their case because sadly few will beleive that they are doing it for the right reasons (if they are aware they play on low)..... sadly for me it's about integrity, I would rather take 6 weeks to get to Commander in MW2 and feel satisfied with myself at my acheivement than try to get there in 3 weeks with ANY edge, whether that be lowering the res, using a hack or even going on a fast XP server in MW1 etc, but thats personal choice, for me it's easy to criticise haxors and fast xp server hosts, it's not quite so easy for me to criticise those that lower the res as to me thats a little more "clouded".

 

[Polarman]

Lower resolution = never
Lower details = Depends on game

2 Exemples in my case:

World in conflict: Lowering some visual quality can improve framerates making it smoother.
Sacred 2: Lowering some some visual quality helps my video card temperature.

 

[MadClown]

Mad Clown- you said "it's just a game" but you still lower your settings to "get an edge".

I think lowering your settings to get an edge means you take the game just as serious (or even more so) than the player who complains about others lowering their settings.

Can't even get my user name correct, you statement is now invalid.

I lower the settings so I can concentrate on the "game" and have "fun", not stand around like a dumbass and stare at the detail of the dirt. When playing online, you are against other players in a challenge to win, in order to win you need to worry about the game, and it performing at a very high and stable framerate to ensure that there is nothing on your end limiting your ability to play, or to distract you for that matter. If the console commands are allowed to manipulated in a certain server, then its all good if you ask me.

It's not getting an edge, it's reaching my potential. Take it or leave it.

A game can still look good without useless junk laying around. In the end, its not about the graphics, its about the game play.

 

[Mussels]

It's not getting an edge, it's reaching my potential. Take it or leave it.

so using aimhacks isnt cheating or getting an edge, its reaching your potential?

Its unfair, because its giving you an advantage that the other players do not have. If you need an advantage to win... well, i pity you for stooping that low to achieve victory.

 

[eidairaman1]

those who use cheats to get an edge on anyone are the ones who truly suck at gaming.

 

[Tatty_Two]

those who use cheats to get an edge on anyone are the ones who truly suck at gaming.

Sad thing is, some of them would probably be very good, they are just either too impatient or don't understand the theory of personal acheivement through endevour!

 

[TheMailMan78]

Sad thing is, some of them would probably be very good, they are just either too impatient or don't understand the theory of personal acheivement through endevour!

Tittie_One I need to see the nice Tattys in your avatar.

 

[Tatty_Two]

Tittie_One I need to see the nice Tattys in your avatar.

I thought the current one was "nice"

 

[LaidLawJones]

Turning shadows on or off is a double edged sword. I have used shadows to see where people are hiding in BF2. If the game uses lighting effects properly, then max eye candy can be a huge advantage.

Doesn't this topic have many variables?

1 The game. As was posted, turning shadows off in one game allowed you to see people hiding in the now non existent shadow. In BF2, turning on shadows allows me to see people that are hidden, up against a rock or wall for example.

2 The cpu. If you have max eye candy on, then the cpu must calculate more. What if you have a cpu that won't notice the difference, an overclocked Intel comes to mind.

3 what is the game being played on? Is it a local computer or are you renting a server? Both cases depend on the power of the computer doing the hosting. I have played in games with a very low ping and few players and had lag. Other players in game have commented on it so it wasn't just me. I have also played 64 players on very high ping and had no lag.

Turning down settings for an edge seems counter productive. I play mostly for the fun of it and want to be immersed in as real a world as possible.

If you are seriously competitive or addicted, then you will use whatever advantage you can. I always check the kill/death ratio before I join a game. If somebody has a ridiculous ratio say 40+/3, I don't even consider joining that server. The person is too good/cheating and I have better things to do with my time than be a stat for that person.

 

[BarbaricSoul]

All I can say is I have too much money wrapped up in my computer to turn down the details

 

[TRIPTEX_CAN]

Tittie_One I need to see the nice Tattys in your avatar.

this

All I can say is I have too much money wrapped up in my computer to turn down the details

and this

 

[ZenZimZaliben]

People play for different reasons. Some play to see all the pretty graphics and complain that others do not play the game the exact way they do. Are cheating and immoral...Lol, yeah its a serious crime to do this...wtf. So it's either play the way I do or your wrong. Well what ever. I play to compete and ultimately to win. I find that fun. I find stats fun. I find ladder rankings fun.

If I want all the pretty graphics I play single player or lan where there is no lag, no stuttering, and no loss of aim. If I am playing multi I want the game to run as smooth as possible. IF that means turning off everything I do it. What ever the case I play to win with what ever means the developers have provided within the games settings. If those setting make it so I can see you laying in the middle of field, well that is not my fault, that is the games fault for allowing me to do this.

 

[TIGR]

That's true; multiplayer is by nature more focused on competitiveness than on eye candy. The whole point of multiplayer is to play with real people, and the value of real people vs AI is the more diverse array of experiences and skills they offer, and if you don't want to deal with the challenges this presents (such as people who tweak visual settings), then you should stick to single player, where AI, by nature, must consistently and predictably follow strict rules.

If you can't handle people tweaking visual settings, you're better off just playing single player, or sticking to things like strict LAN parties where uniform system settings can ensure a level playing field. That does not change the fact that it is unethical to tweak settings to give a visual advantage (as opposed to tweaking for system performance). But I can handle the fact that people do it, and anyone who can't handle it, as I said earlier, should stfu and gtfo of the offending game/server and switch to single player or a different game entirely. Life isn't fair.

 

[digibucc]

@zIM

No.

First, the next person that says "if you can't handle it, play single player - or don't play", this is not day care and you need to grow up.

If you can't handle people thinking you're a piece of shit for taking unfair advantages, then don't play!

see how that works? neither of us have the right or reason to tell the other not to play. They're games (I assume) we all purchased, and we all have the right to play them if we want.

you act as though there is only one final answer, and that's to let you play however you want and everyone else is SoL. well, aside from arrogant that is quite ignorant as well. you do not automatically become the say so for all multiplayer video games.

the entire point of this thread was to find out what people THINK about this type of stuff. not to do anything about it. nothing can be done. I won't stop playing and you won't stop trying to get any advantage ethical or not so it's moot.

but at least now I know there aren't as many scumbags as I thought - and you know that what you do is considered shady by the majority of people. for what it's worth.

as I've already said before - there is no way to know what anyone's settings (other than your own) are while playing a game, so this is an academic discussion, theoretical, totally moot. and for you to think the solution is for us to just stop playing, just goes to show how insanely arrogant you are, how little empathy you have, and your undeserved sense of entitlement.

like others have said, if you really think you are good - try playing on a level field with everyone else, and see what it gets you.


AND- the argument that you play to win while others play for graphics ? SCREW YOU!

everyone wants to win! it's human nature to want to feel accomplishment and feel better than somebody at something. you really don't understand that? do you think there are people who like losing? lucky them they get to play with cheaters like you!

the difference is, you are willing to gain an unfair advantage and screw others over to do it - most people aren't. it's just a shame people like you tend to get the most control/power.... but that's also because you'll screw anyone over to get it.

 

[InnocentCriminal]

I don't know who you're quoting there digi.

 

[ZenZimZaliben]

That does not change the fact that it is unethical to tweak settings to give a visual advantage (as opposed to tweaking for system performance). But I can handle the fact that people do it, and anyone who can't handle it, as I said earlier, should stfu and gtfo of the offending game/server and switch to single player or a different game entirely. Life isn't fair.

To say something is ethical or moral would mean we both have the same view point on how the game is played and why we play it. Since we do not, having a conversation on ethics is hard. What you see as unethical, I see as an advantage.

I do agree with you that people that are so upset with this should just quit playing that style of game, or play on a console, or send a email to the game devs asking to level the playing field.

 

[TIGR]

To say something is ethical or moral would mean we both have the same view point on how the game is played and why we play it. Since we do not, having a conversation on ethics is hard. What you see as unethical, I see as an advantage.

I do agree with you that people that are so upset with this should just quit playing that style of game, or play on a console, or send a email to the game devs asking to level the playing field.

With respect:

I share your [inferred] adherence to a philosophy of moral skepticism. When I call tweaking visual settings to gain an advantage "unethical," I refer not to normative and universal morality, but to the descriptive morality that classifies what behavior is acceptable and unacceptable within a specific system (in this case, multiplayer gaming). Common sense, and the essence and nature of FPS gaming as a competitive activity with human skill being the variable that defines the competition, dictate unmistakeably that altering one's perspective of the playing field to increase the ease with which one can identify targets over the ease with which others can do the same thing, is to knowingly and deliberately put one's self in an unfairly advantageous position.

Does that mean I'd whine about it or that I can't handle it? No. Does it mean that it's morally wrong? In a morally descriptive sense (which by the nature of community is what matters for anyone trying to be a part of that community), yes.

 

[Deleted member 3]

I won't stop playing and you won't stop being a douchebag so it's moot.

There are some guidelines on these forums, some include calling eachother douchebags and the likes. Please try to follow the guidelines (including any I make up as I go).