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hardcore_gamer

Is the BFG overrated?

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The BFG 9000 has earned itself a reputation as being the ultimate video game gun, being nicknamed "the big fucking gun". But is the BFG deserving of the reputation it has? Because frankly I don't even find the BFG to be that useful 90% of the time. For starters, the bfg isn't even as powerful as popular culture makes it out to be. It's a powerful gun to be sure, but it's not even remotely able to just clear out an entire room full of powerful monster. In fact, once you have fired 2-3 bfg balls into a room to kill everything there you could easily make the case that the damage to ammo ratio is garbage compared to the plasma gun. In addition, the fact that the bfg has to charge before it can fire means that it's also not that useful as a panic gun because the monsters will either kill you or seriously injure you before the weapon has fired. Again, the plasma rifle is better than the bfg in these situations since it can both fire instantly and is also a better suppression weapon than the bfg since it can keep on firing as long as there is ammo for it.

 

With the exception of bosses I don't use the bfg that much, and even for bosses it's overrated because of the charge up time which makes you vulnerable. Do you agree the bfg is overrated?

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7 minutes ago, hardcore_gamer said:

The BFG 9000 has earned itself a reputation as being the ultimate video game gun, being nicknamed "the big fucking gun". But is the BFG deserving of the reputation it has? Because frankly I don't even find the BFG to be that useful 90% of the time. For starters, the bfg isn't even as powerful as popular culture makes it out to be. It's a powerful gun to be sure, but it's not even remotely able to just clear out an entire room full of powerful monster. In fact, once you have fired 2-3 bfg balls into a room to kill everything there you could easily make the case that the damage to ammo ratio is garbage compared to the plasma gun. In addition, the fact that the bfg has to charge before it can fire means that it's also not that useful as a panic gun because the monsters will either kill you or seriously injure you before the weapon has fired. Again, the plasma rifle is better than the bfg in these situations since it can both fire instantly and is also a better suppression weapon than the bfg since it can keep on firing as long as there is ammo for it.

 

With the exception of bosses I don't use the bfg that much, and even for bosses it's overrated because of the charge up time which makes you vulnerable. Do you agree the bfg is overrated?

Get good with the BFG then. 

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Besides, there are proper BFG techniques to put in good use. This is a clear example of someone who can't use the BFG in a correct way....nuff said.

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Well, I'd say that the BFG 9000 is certainly close to be useless without doing some investigation before using it (it even has a FAQ!).

 

If there's criticism to be done, it's the unnecessary complexity it has (even though that's very subjective).

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The BFG is more useful than the Plasma Rifle in terms of power. One BFG ball can take out several monsters or severely damage them for you to finish them off. The Plasma Rifle however, needs to be aimed at individual targets, and fired upon targets several time until they're dead. Time consuming.

The charging sequence is a minor thing here. Move around to avoid the attacks until the BFG unleashes it.

But the usage of the BFG mostly depends on the map. If you find youself in a room with a lot of Mancubi, it would be a sensible choice to fire the BFG first. But if the map is in a gradual progression, fighting few monsters from time to time, the BFG may or may not be useful.

In short, get gud.

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Oh hey guys, do you think this portable nuke is over rated? Ya the weapon that can kill close to anything in the game in 2 shots, or nuke rooms of monsters. I see it like this, the plasma gun is a very very strong weapon, the BFG completely invalidates that when you get it, so what does that make the BFG?

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I remember somebody breaking down the BFG vs PG against AVs and stating that against single AVs, even if the PG saved a few cells, the speed and guarantee of the BFG killing the AV still make losing a small few extra cells more worth it than going with the PG to "conserve."

 

Play Brexec, that'll get you some good BFG practice ;D

 

About charging/cool down times, the BFG's charging time can be done in anticipation, or from cover, negating its vulnerability. The PG also has a short time span which prevents attack... Coincidentally when you use the 'plasma saver gun' and try to save the plasma, you wind up losing a good portion of potential damage you can cause by firing the PG in short bursts.

 

Something I've noticed as well from many players: popping out from behind a corner, shooting immediately, and running around waiting for the cool down to finish is far more common than firing as they duck into cover. A weapon who's delay is after firing, such as an SSG, leaves players very open much more often than that BFG, despite the BFG not being able to attack instantly. Compensate with better observation skills and knowledge of "good places to BFG," and the BFG's vulnerability merely becomes a part of its strategy.

Edited by Fonze

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I think BFG is very boring in FFA, at least the amateur kind that I play. It looks so dumb when everyone is rushing to the same spot, dying and yet trying again and again, while some campers are taking advantage of the situation. But then someone finally gets lucky, picks it up and easily does some 10 frags in a few seconds by just spamming it at the horde of players. The gameplay becomes extremely ridiculous and repetitive. To make the game more fun for me I usually choose to avoid the BFG or allow myself to take it just one time or something. Using it feels almost unfair because it's so powerful in FFA.

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And in single player I also use the BFG rather rarely because I always feel like I have to save it for later when I might run into serious trouble, but then it never happens and so I exit with 400+ cells.

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^ when I see somebody with a BFG I'll pull out either the RL or the SSG; both have the Insta-kill firepower to shut down a player with the BFG.

 

That said, (well made) DM maps which are balanced for BFG play I find just as fun as any other (well made) DM map. You can't fault a properly balanced map just because it doesn't use your favorite weapon.

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Just now, Phade102 said:

Considering the OP hasn't responded to any of the comments, i'm gonna say hes a troll.

Probably got BFG'd by someone here.....who knows

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WHHAAAATTT?????!?! how could you even ask that, of COURSE is useful. It is absolutely needed in uv speedruns.

 

For example, in MAP19 of DOOM2 it's needed if you want to kill those spectres, at least somewhat quick.

 

you must be at the wrong forum, here's the Quake forum:

http://quakeone.com/forums/

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Wholly apart from any and all considerations of how effective/efficient the BFG 9000 is from a purely practical standpoint, I reckon it's still one of the most wonderful weapons in all the vast pantheon of wonderful video game weapons simply because its actual mechanics are so delightfully arcane/idiosyncratic that wielding it effectively requires movement/timing/positioning techniques that are quite unlike so many other uber-weapons in so many other games (or FPS games, at very least), save for those rare few which are actively emulating/homaging the BFG 9000 itself.

 

Its very uniqueness is what makes it legendary. That it's also objectively really, really fucking effective as a weapon (when used properly, anyway) is just the icing on the cake, really. 

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2 minutes ago, Demon of the Well said:

Its very uniqueness is what makes it legendary.

Eh, I dunno. Most people who hail it as some kind of a gaming icon probably have no idea how it actually works. I think it's more the fact that it's from Doom, it's really powerful, and it has "fucking" in the name.

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11 minutes ago, Memfis said:

Eh, I dunno. Most people who hail it as some kind of a gaming icon probably have no idea how it actually works. I think it's more the fact that it's from Doom, it's really powerful, and it has "fucking" in the name.

Whenever you get a bunch of posts that basically end the argument presented in a thread with various points, Memfis comes to the rescue with his contrarian view just for the hell of it. Thanks for keeping these threads alive.

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3 minutes ago, Da Werecat said:

Is he wrong though?

Ayup. I don't think there is an equivalent capable of similar mass destruction in any fps up to date. Even if used by a moron (well, except handicapped_gamer, apparently), the combination of massive hordes presented by doom and a weapon that is capable of instantly eradicating them makes it very memorable.

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Next topic, maybe: Is the SSG overrated?

 

Well, cowards like me likes to use Plasma Rifle against Cyberdemon(s) when the terrain is not good (eg, stairs).

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Nah, I reckon he (Memfis) is probably right that a lot of people who recognize the weapon as one of the greats may not actually understand all of the inner workings of its mechanics (there are still people here among us who openly profess not to fully understand it, after all), but anecdotally speaking I reckon it's pretty widely understood that the weapon has some uncanny functionality that goes beyond simply launching a single massive-damage projectile--I've seen many threads and discussions from folks outside of the Doom-bubble wondering how it actually works over the years, and I think this mysteriousness it holds (alongside the fact that it's obviously incredibly effective, however it works) is indeed part of why it remains so storied, even among gamers outside of the Doom community.

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5 minutes ago, leodoom85 said:

Question: Is the fist overrated?

Yes, but the shotgun isn't. 

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