So, like many of you, I have been playing CoD for a long time now.
Every game I have grown and changed as a player, to the point now where I feel like I can fairly call myself a good player (Have always called myself average). But my consistency over the past few titles has let me be a little less hard on myself, though I still say that I am only as good as my last game.
But one thing I discover every game is that there are things I find myself becoming dependent upon, that in the big picture are actually hurting my game. For the sake of this conversation, I'll refer to them as "crutches".
There are a few things in this game that I found were becoming crutches, and have discovered that letting them go has been beneficial to my enjoyment of the game and my skill as a player.
1)Optics- For the first several CoD games, I was a Red Dot kind of guy. I felt like I had no chance without it, and was reliant on that red dot showing me where my bullets should land. I felt like I couldn't hit shots at distance without it, or the ACOG. I used I think Black Ops 2's weapons challenges, however, really opened my eyes to how unnecessary Optics are. On Ghosts, I have pretty much abandoned Optics altogether, the exception being for Marksman/Sniper rifles. The Iron Sights are amazing in this game, and I feel like my accuracy is better as a result. If you see the enemy in the iron sights, you are going to hit the enemy, whereas the Optics can give you a false sense of accuracy,
2) Ghillie Suit- Don't get me wrong, I worked hard to unlock the Ghillies and enjoyed the ride, and still use them on some classes. On my current soldier, however, I decided to use a different camo for no other reason other than I liked how it looked. I noticed immediately that, after two soldiers using the full Ghillie, I was having to be more aware of my surroundings. As a result, I am having much better games. I think that while the Ghillie Suit offers a level of camouflage... it also gives the user a false sense of security. I think there are times you feel like you are invisible, so you let your guard down. Perhaps having less camouflage can be a good thing overall, as it makes you more aware of your surroundings.
3)Thermals/Tracker Sights- I know I mentioned Optics, but these are in a completely different level in my mind. Started for me on MW3. I got hooked on the Marksman Perk, telling myself it helped me as my eyesight isn't outstanding. But after a while, I discovered that I was becoming dependent on the bright orange name popping up rather than on relying on my vision to pick up enemy threats. I was overlooking obvious targets in favor of a name tag. The same thing happens on this game when I use the Thermals or Tracker sight. I forget my instincts and count on that glow. Leaving these on the shelf has forced me to use my own instincts and eyesight, as well as to really think rather than let the sight do the work for me.
So my question for you all is.. have you had similar experiences?
Are there Crutches that you have let go of that ultimately helped your game?
Are there crutches you use right now that you feel like you'd like to get rid of, but don't know how?
Are there crutches you use that you know you are dependent on, but are proud to use and have no plans to stop using?
Please Note, not asking you what you consider crutches in the game but that you have never used, or to call out others for using. Asking for a little self-reflection and positive conversation here. Perhaps we can help those stuck with a crutch or crutches lose them for the betterment of their game.
Looking forward to a good conversation, and as always... Happy Gaming.