Why You Should Be Playing Fallen Earth: First person combat
by Seraphina Brennan 
Nov 30th 2009 at 9:00PM
Filed under: Fallen Earth, Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, MMOFPS, Why You Should Be Playing
"Why you should be playing ..." is a freeform column from Massively.com intended to inform you about our favorite parts of our favorite games. We want you to know why we're playing them, so you can know what to play.
Fallen Earth is a staff favorite around the Massively.com offices, yet it's very rare that we really get into why we love it so much. So today I set out to end that little problem and tell you why I love Fallen Earth so much -- the first person combat.
Sure, it's not the first time that an FPS system has been used in an MMO. PlanetSide is an FPSMMO, Tabula Rasa ended up incorporating an (awesome) FPS view shortly before it kicked the bucket, and Neocron is built on FPS concepts, but that doesn't mean that an FPS perspective isn't a huge amount of fun in an MMO or any less original.
Detachment be damned!
One of my biggest problems with MMO combat is how absolutely detached it can be. Clicking your target, hitting your auto-attack button, and then splashing a few skills into the mix makes for interesting tactical decisions, but sometimes it doesn't feel like you're there. It feels like you're watching your character have an adventure, not like you're having the adventure.
The first person perspective very quickly eliminates that barrier between the on-screen character and behind-the-keyboard player. No longer are you detached and floating from behind, but you're right in the character's head, seeing things the way they see them. Now you're the one moving around, avoiding the monsters, and setting yourself up for the right attack at the right time. You're the one hefting the axe and bringing it down on some unsuspecting guy's back, not watching as your character on screen screws up the sneak attack against enemies who know your every move.
Touch someone from afar: Use your sights
When you add the first person perspective to gunplay, you almost always have the option of looking down the scope of your gun. While not everyone loves being a sniper, sometimes you just want to get some magnification on your next shot, so you can be sure it doesn't miss.
Fallen Earth utilizes these awesome modes as well, giving you the edge in being able to select your targets from a distance. Why jump into combat and get up close and personal when you can remove someone's head from the window of a run down building? Very few games let you have these gun-and-run options, where you can take out a few enemies and get away before they even knew what happened.
It's action-oriented
As I said above, FPS combat makes combat exciting. It's no longer a point-click-and-wait exercise of patience. Now it's a game of movement, aiming, and positioning as you use your skills (the ability to aim and move) along with your skills (the buttons on the hot bar) to keep yourself alive.
Above all, the combat fits with the theme of the apocalypse. Sitting and waiting for your character to beat the crap out of a rabid mutant just doesn't work when you compare it to pulling out a pistol and aiming at someone's leg. It's a setting that craves action, and the developers at Fallen Earth knew that all too well.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Osmosis said on 9:22PM 11-30-2009
You forgot to mention Darkfall, which is very much a First Person MMO.
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Kdolo said on 12:30AM 12-01-2009
AoC is a better, more complete example than Darkfall. Plus it didn't receive a 2/10 from Eurogamer. I do agree with you, though. There are other MMOFPS.
DylanGrissom said on 9:25PM 11-30-2009
I would love to try this but I don't want to cough up that much money for something I may not like. where are all the free trials?!
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Sting said on 9:31PM 11-30-2009
It's 24.99 at Gamestop.com (in the cart) today only! I feel the same as you--I'm willing to risk 24.99.
GryphonStalker said on 9:56PM 11-30-2009
They just announced today a free trial key give away on "The Escapist". Keys are limited so hop to it. (This is by the way their 3rd or 4th trial key giveaway ;p).
http://www.fallenearth.com/node/297
Russell Clarke said on 9:59PM 11-30-2009
Here's where the free trials are...
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/contests/register/fallenearthtrialkey
Russell Clarke said on 9:43PM 11-30-2009
Honestly, FE is a great game - buy it, you'll love it!
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Oxlar said on 9:46PM 11-30-2009
Huh, thats exactly why I DON'T play.
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Sting said on 9:48PM 11-30-2009
As stated above, I don't have the game yet. However, I do know that you can play 3rd person if that's your thing.
Lagwolf said on 9:55PM 11-30-2009
But the combat in FE is bloody dire. I mean its great they use FPS style gun-play, but not when its so terrible. I admire anyone sticking with that game... but to say its for the FPS gun-play is hilarious.
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primetime said on 10:51PM 11-30-2009
I found this to be true when I bought the game too. I play a lot of Team Fortress 2, and was a huge fan of Unreal Tournament 2003 / Unreal Tournament. I was very disappointed to see the accuracy of guns in this game to be bad, and the shakiness of the models when they are running makes it super hard to snipe.
Want a FPS experience? Play a FPS. FE is not a FPS, but tries really hard to be.
Alz said on 5:02AM 12-01-2009
Agreed. We've had FPS/TPS controls down for nearly 2 decades now. I couldn't stand the sloppiness involved with aiming, particularly at twitching, braindead AI.
Also, I'd never play that game out of third-person anyways unless the camera essentially forced me to in small indoor areas.
highplains.drifter said on 9:59PM 11-30-2009
Free Fallen Earth Trial Here..
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/contests/register/fallenearthtrialkey
Enjoy..
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Weez said on 10:30PM 11-30-2009
Rad, I finally got a dang FE Key. Thanks so much :)
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Hoyt said on 11:53PM 11-30-2009
I tossed a friend a key, so he will try it out. I bought the game at the Steam sale and am enjoying it so far.
I play fps and mmos the most. usually juggleing call of duty (non MW2), left 4 dead, Team Fortress 2 and an mmo (wow, runes of magic). I didn't take up this game to replace my fps, but to replace my mmo. I love it for that. It will not suffice for an fps, but it is a nice option to have in an mmo as opposed to the wow style of playing.I like the ability to play with or without the fps view. And the crafting system tops it off for me.
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Jeromai said on 3:44AM 12-01-2009
It's an interesting novel mechanic, to be sure. FPS-style combat in an MMO has been tried only by a few products so far, mostly niche ones.
Kudos to Fallen Earth for allowing relatively smooth switches between direct first-person view and third person. I also liked that the first-person mouselook could swivel about as fast as an FPS, and that turning in third-person didn't animate one's avatar as weirdly as Tabula Rasa did.
Unfortunately, either my latency or their animation or AI issues produce problems with the mob targets' reactions. Sniping a stationary mob in Fallen Earth is quite satisfactory fun. The moment they start moving, it's a crapshoot, pun intended.
Tabula Rasa, to give credit where it's due, were quite all right with Bane reactions and AI, as long as you forgive the infamous shooting through walls problem it had for some time in beta.
Haven't tried the other MMOs with FPS-style combat yet, so can't comment on them. Still a big arena of possibility for it to be done well so far.
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Venekor said on 4:05AM 12-01-2009
It never felt like a First Person Shooter and thats why I didn't like it because the combat felt like a sub par version of both systems meshed together... even owrse than Fallout 3.
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derella said on 5:45AM 12-01-2009
I wasn't super into TR, but I kinda miss it now.
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The Claw said on 5:49AM 12-01-2009
There are plenty of reasons why Fallen Earth is well worth checking out, but the combat is definitely not one of them. It's bad, simple as that. Luckily there's more to the game than combat.
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nt said on 6:09AM 12-01-2009
Whatever the fanbois try to tell you, I can tell you from first hand experience, that this game is just not good. If you have ever seriously had some fun with a real FPS forget about FE, it isn't anything you might expect.
And the crafting... oh the crafting is "oh so complex". OMG so much shit. I could rant on forever, but well... just look for yourself.
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