Jump to content
Search In
  • More options...
Find results that contain...
Find results in...
yellowmadness54

How often do you use the BFG?

Recommended Posts

Cyberdemons and spider masterminds, and when the situation is totally out of my control and everything has to die right away.

Share this post


Link to post

When I meet cybies, archies, spiders, large hordes of monsters and when I have ammo for it, or not enough for the other arms.

Share this post


Link to post
Mithran Denizen said:

I admit that it doesn't have the same sort of immediate 'visceral' feel as the shotgun or the chaingun, though.

-------------------------

The beta BFG's basic weapon role of "projectile spam" is already fulfilled by the plasma gun, so giving the final game's super weapon the same gimmick would've been lame in my eyes.

The lack of the immediate visceral feel is exactly why I prefer the beta version.

-------------------------

I disagree, the plasma gun's purpose is moreso to have a stream of projectiles, it really can't be considered spam seeing how narrow it's stream is, and the fact that it's rate of fire isn't extremely fast like the beta BFG's was. The beta BFG was definitely projectile spam, though, seeing as it has a wide range, and fired ridiculously fast. Plasma rifle's pretty much a projectile version of the chaingun, and you wouldn't consider the chaingun bullet spam, would you?

Share this post


Link to post
Sodaholic said:

Plasma rifle's pretty much a projectile version of the chaingun, and you wouldn't consider the chaingun bullet spam, would you?

Why, yes, I would. Perhaps I have a more liberal interpretation of the word "spam". In my view, the game certainly doesn't particularly need a second chaingun that just shoots bullets faster but with less control, just like it doesn't need a second plasma rifle with those attributes.

Not that I'm trying to dissuade your preference of the beta BFG. I guess I can see the appeal.

Share this post


Link to post
40oz said:

I very rarely play wads that have situations in which using a BFG would be more likely to save my life than a plasma gun would.

You're missing out on a lot of fun wads. There's a huge difference between plasma gun power and bfg power.

Sigvatr said:

Yeah, wading through tides of monsters while blasting out 600 cells of BFG is cool, like, the first time you play Doom. After that there is nothing novel about it. And it's pretty unfortunate that people continue to make wads that are ENTIRELY BASED AROUND THIS GAMEPLAY MECHANIC.

To some people it's fun. How is it not fun? Why is it worse than fighting a few enemies with the ssg (which is also fun)?

Share this post


Link to post

I often use it when I'm fed up with the fact that a mapper has put too many meat shields in their map. Although, providing the BFG is a great way to avoid letting things get tedious. But I've had experiences where I was bored enough to BFG a single baron.

Share this post


Link to post

Rarely in most cases. I like to conserve my ammo most of the times. The only time I'm always using the BFG under any circumstances is when I'm encountering either Cybers or Masterminds. Rushing towards them with the BFG is just as extremely useful as it is fun.

Slaughtermaps, too, but I rarely play those kinds of maps anyway.

Share this post


Link to post
Sodaholic said:

Plasma rifle's pretty much a projectile version of the chaingun, and you wouldn't consider the chaingun bullet spam, would you?

I have never, ever made a chaingun/plasma rifle comparison before. Now that thinking about it, my brain is about to explode.

Share this post


Link to post

The old Aliens Doom episode I have has a great room for the BFG. Basically it's a small octagonal room that's filled with Zombiemen. If you know it's there, you pop round with the BFG ready to fire, get the modified "Eat this! *blast*" firing sound and gib the majority of them, with one or two lucky ones merely dying. Great way to kill the 8-10 enemies there, even if a rocket or two would be just as good.

Share this post


Link to post

Not very often, usually for boss monsters and clusters of stronger non-bosses like barons, knights, revenants or to clear an area of a ton of annoying weaker enemies like sergeants, imps or chaingunners.

Share this post


Link to post
Wagi said:

I use the BFG whenever I want to get rid of an Archvile before it has a chance to revive anything.


That's about as useful as it gets for me. I've had a long-standing habit of using it on the first Arch-Vile you ever encounter in Doom II (MAP11 - Circle of Death) and the Arch-Vile chilling right outside the start building of MAP16 - Suburbs.

Share this post


Link to post

BFG-ish maps add some challenge to doom. It requires different approach than casual maps and relies on reflexes rather than precision of each shot. You'd get what I mean once you play through hr/hr2/late scythe2 maps on UV without iddqd and with as little saving as possible (or none at all). ;)

Share this post


Link to post

Only if the BFG is available. I play levels by the -warp command. Wads play a lot different when played that way and its more of a challenge (or possibly less depending on the situation).

Most of the time I know (or think I know) when it is appropriate to use the BFG and that is against large critters (Cyberbooty, Baron of Pink, and Mastermind of ugliness), or when there are hordes of critters. I sometimes waste a BFG ball on blissful pistol men because its just funny to me.

It really all depends on the situations and where enemies are placed.

Share this post


Link to post
yellowmadness54 said:

The over all look of it

I thought the BFG looked dumb as hell until I found out I was visualizing it wrong

I have to agree with Sodaholic, though. My main problem with the BFG is that I can't see most of the stuff (tracers) that's doing the damaging (yes I know hitscans but at least they make puff marks). I like the beta BFG better than the one they kept. It's my favorite thing about Eternity. I understand it would be slow, but it looked too much like Christmas? I understand it's gotta be dark and grungy and whatever but this reasoning always seemed really dumb to me.

As for actually using it, I play on ITYTD, so whenever I fill up on plasma I pull out the BFG and have some fun with it.

Share this post


Link to post

Heh, the BFG is a really interesting case because it's the only ultimate weapon I can think of that actually conserves ammo. Think about how much damage you can do with a single BFG blast compared to 40 plasma bolts. Often times when I have the BFG, I find it a waste of ammo to switch back to the plasma. :P

Share this post


Link to post

Yeah but given that the smallest cell item gives you 20 cell and the largest gives you 100, conserving plasma doesn't happen very often. I'm usually trying to get rid of it. Sometimes I'll use a regular shotgun for the same reason.

Share this post


Link to post

I use the BFG only in E3M8. But in Doom 2, the weapon is much more used, due to the large amounts of sudden monster spamming.

Share this post


Link to post

Mostly for archviles in places without cover or pain elementals. The sooner an archivile is dead, the less it can hurt. Less lost souls is always good. A massive hoard and no place to run or safely take them out is another situation.
With a decently open area cybers are easy to take out with any weapon, no need to waste cells. Same with a spider mastermind with a little cover.

Share this post


Link to post

One of my favourite weapons, the BFG makes me stop using the plasma rifle unless I'm shooting a very distant cyberdemon. Also the reason I don't use plasma too much on a map that *might* contain it.
I use it in a lot of situations:
-huge packs of anything except zombiemen;
-4+ cacodemons/2+ pain elementals
-3+ hellknights
-2+ barons
-3+arachs/mancubi
-archviles (not always), cyberdemons (I especially love 2 shotting them) and masterminds.
-the only things I don't like using BFG on are revenants, on which I prefer the rocket launcher.

I also like to use it on DM or duels as much as I possibly can, to the annoyance of most people that play with me. The BFG has a special feel no other weapon holds for me. The facts that I can use it to save ammo,have fun,and propel cyberdemons 20 meters away are really, really satisfying. So yes, I LOVE the BFG! Does this make me a bad person?

Share this post


Link to post

I try to reserve both energy weapons for the most dangerous fights or hardest opponents. So they often get neglected and never used on a single large PWAD unless the situation calls for them.

Share this post


Link to post
skib said:

The BFG is half as efficient as the plasma gun!


Only if you want to deal small, directed, controlled amounts of damage to a target, and spend maybe 2-3 cells on each. But that's not quite what the BFG is about.

A plasma gun shot can do any amount of damage from 5-40 HP, therefore shooting 40 cells will do any amount between 200 and 1600 HP, with both extremes being highly improbable. Consider 20 HP per shot to be just about average, so 800 HP. Efficiency: ~20 HP/cell

A BFG blast, using 40 cells a pop, does a minimum of 100 HP up to 800 HP for the big green blast alone (again, consider 400-450 for a down-to-ground average). But then there are 30 tracers, and each can do 49-87 HP of damage. Assuming all 40 of them connect, you can deal an average of 3100 HP of damage. Efficiency: ~75 HP/cell.

To make a long story short, check out the wiki. Assuming your aiming doesn't suck, it's easy to do consistently more than 800 HP of damage with the BFG (as much as you'd deal on average with the PL with 40 cells), but it may be harder to deal it to one single target unless you're at point blank.

Share this post


Link to post

I use the bfg as much as I can especially when there are groups of monsters, it's a very satisfying weapon. I never conserve ammo because otherwise I end up with 600 plasma cells at Map30.

Phobus said:

It's not. Try killing a Spider Mastermind in 20 plasma bolts. Or 40, whilst we're at it.

Only in Zdoom can you reliably kill a Spider Mastermind in one bfg shot.

edit: oops looks I've already posted here. :P

Share this post


Link to post
DuckReconMajor said:

I think you mean 40 and 80.

No,he doesn't. The other guy's post clearly stated "the BFG is half as efficient as the plasma gun". This, in other words, means that the bfg is half weaker than the plasma gun. So Maes is correct.

Share this post


Link to post

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×