Bioshock...am I doing something wrong?

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computerpro3

LightningRod
Joined
Mar 29, 2003
Messages
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For whatever reason I never got around to playing bioshock. I finally picked up a copy of it off of steam and sat down to play it. Well, from what I've seen so far, I'm massively let down.

I agree that the game has a good art direction (and fantastic sound), but to me what absolutely kills it is the combat system. It just feels like crap. I can't put my finger on it, but there is just no tactile response from any of the weapons whatsoever. The plasmids are well done, but the actual guns are horrible. Not to mention that the weapons are so horribly ineffective that you need 3 head shots to bring the most basic of enemies down with the pistol, and 9999999 melees with the wrench. The machine gun is all but useless with it's recoil and innacuracy, even using short bursts, and the shotgun is equally useless.

So far I'm on Neptune's Bounty...should I even bother continuing and giving it a chance? I am really having to force myself to play this right now...

It seems like it could be really cool as I love the backstory and the whole commentary/diary system. It really helps the immersion and gives the game a great atmosphere. I just can't seem to get past the weapons though...give me bioshock with CS:S weapon feel and I'd be set.

Opinions?
 
There is upgrade for all the weapons, as you play the game you get options to upgrade your weapons and therefor make them more accurate and powerful.

Its a great game, i suggest you to play it through.
 
If you get the right combination of tonics, the wrench is probably the most powerful weapon in the game. Takes down everything in one hit except Big Daddies :D.

Anyway, yah, upgrade the weapons.
 
I had the same problem... even with the weapon upgrades.

The interface is clunky. The guns do improve, but that same disconnect between user input and character output exists. It feels like a console game.

I agree that CS:S does not suffer from this same issue, however the entire game is centered around that solid, competitive combat system. Bioshock is not a competitive game - and perhaps you were looking for some sort of interactivity / challenge.
 
Archmage said:
The interface is clunky. The guns do improve, but that same disconnect between user input and character output exists. It feels like a console game.
Click to expand...

That is exactly the problem I'm having, and I really think I won't be able to continue because of it. It just feels off.
 
Archmage said:
I had the same problem... even with the weapon upgrades.

The interface is clunky. The guns do improve, but that same disconnect between user input and character output exists. It feels like a console game.

I agree that CS:S does not suffer from this same issue, however the entire game is centered around that solid, competitive combat system. Bioshock is not a competitive game - and perhaps you were looking for some sort of interactivity / challenge.
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This is what I felt sort in a way. I can't exaclty put my finger on what I felt was wrong but that made a bit of sense. There's just something wrong with the game.
 
You are feeling this way because it's a shitty console game ported in the right way, unless you want to see some stupid plot twists and the game getting even worse, stop playing it now and play hl2/painkiller/crysis again or something, ><
 
For me Bioshock was a very mediocre game which was only playable because of the novel setting and deep (pardon the pun) atmosphere. I was turned off by how difficult it was to kill basic enemies as well.

One thing that helps is using the right ammo. Using antipersonnel rounds on fleshy enemies and armour piercing on the Big Daddies seems obvious but it took me a while to get in the practice.

You can also get creative with the combat and jerry-rig a number of interesting, high-damage weapons, to the point you hardly need an SMGZ. I think that is actually one of the better overlooked nuances of the game.

My biggest pet peeve about the game was how the enemies never shut up. Almost everyone you fight spends the entire encounter yelling and screaming gibberish, even when they're on fire... I'd like it better if at least they stopped whatever they were saying when you shot them in the face or lit them on fire. That annoyed the shit out of me.
 
I couldn't bring myself to finish it either. I got sick of searching for X of this and Y of that, not to mention fighting the same enemies over and over again. They could have thrown a few more types of enemies into the game and made the guns worth a shit. I think they spent so much time on the art they forgot about the actual gameplay.
 
I've said this before, but Bioshock is like cotton candy. It is all sugar and no substance. It has visual pop (although it does not meet my standards because of the horrible lack of anti-aliasing support in DX10) but the actual gameplay is lacking. It is like trying to feel your way with gloves on or something--when you go to line that pistol up, your movements and intentions do not translate onto the screen the way they do in other AAA shooters. I feel EXACTLY the same way about Farcry 2. I had to tweak that game to death too.

Now, if I had never played, say, Call of Duty 4 I might not say that. But you are right there is something about the game play, particularly, the gun play that is just not tight. It doesn't feel good compared to CoD or any Source engine game. I attribute this to 1) consoleized field of view issues and 2) mouse lag issues.

Bioshock is a game that needs tweaking. Personally I recommend running in DX9 mode and forcing anti-aliasing, forcing the field of view, and tweaking the mouse lag issue before you go any further.
Read this
http://www.tweakguides.com/Bioshock_6.html

I was actually quite impressed with the game after tweaking it a bit, but it misses my greatest shooters list by a comfortable margin.

After Bioshock I simply will not play or purchase games on PC unless I know they properly support anti-aliasing and field of view.

Mirrors Edge turned out to be a better port than Bioshock.
 
I was also really disappointed with this title.

At first, I thought it was really good - the atmosphere, the graphics and the storyline. I played about half way through. Then, I got COD4 (which became my obsession) and it ruined BS (BS.... hehe) for me.... I went back to Biosock and the inaccuracy of the guns was just killing me (even with the upgrades). The controls are just plain wonky and my mouse doesn't respond the way I want it too.

One thing that really bugs me is that you can either have a weapon or a plasmid at the ready.... why not make the left-click your weapon and right-click your plasmid? I thought the control scheme was really iffy.... maybe what I am asking isn't do-able....

I'd really like to see how the game ends, but I don't think I have the patients.... gotta agree with the OP who said it is style over substance.
 
The problem with Bioshock is that great atmosphere of danger, secrets, and having to preserve every bullet lasts for about 2 hours after which it changes into "zombie" hunting fps where you happily travel with full ammo loads, more cash than you will ever need for healing/mana etc.
 
Play it like an adventure/rpg game, not an fps, that will help immensely.
 
Mr. K6 said:
If you get the right combination of tonics, the wrench is probably the most powerful weapon in the game. Takes down everything in one hit except Big Daddies :D.

Anyway, yah, upgrade the weapons.
Click to expand...
I can't remember if it was two hits or three but the wrench was awesome during the last quarter of the game. That bee attack was hilarious and amazing that it worked against Big Daddies.

I enjoyed the game, and loved the variety of ways I could kill things. I went for the good ending. I only harvested one little girl at the beginning and that was by accident.
 
computerpro3 said:
For whatever reason I never got around to playing bioshock. I finally picked up a copy of it off of steam and sat down to play it. Well, from what I've seen so far, I'm massively let down.

I agree that the game has a good art direction (and fantastic sound), but to me what absolutely kills it is the combat system. It just feels like crap. I can't put my finger on it, but there is just no tactile response from any of the weapons whatsoever. The plasmids are well done, but the actual guns are horrible. Not to mention that the weapons are so horribly ineffective that you need 3 head shots to bring the most basic of enemies down with the pistol, and 9999999 melees with the wrench. The machine gun is all but useless with it's recoil and innacuracy, even using short bursts, and the shotgun is equally useless.

So far I'm on Neptune's Bounty...should I even bother continuing and giving it a chance? I am really having to force myself to play this right now...

It seems like it could be really cool as I love the backstory and the whole commentary/diary system. It really helps the immersion and gives the game a great atmosphere. I just can't seem to get past the weapons though...give me bioshock with CS:S weapon feel and I'd be set.

Opinions?
Click to expand...

Actually, the wrench ends up being the best weapon in the game except for Big daddies and the end boss. Most of the guns are useless when you get the upgrades to the wrench. The game is incredibly easy to just run around and smash people once and they die. Big daddies all you need is the grenade launcher and the end boss, well, anything you've got.

really, all you need to do once you get the camera, decoy plasmid, and wrench/melee upgrades is take pictures of EVERYTHING, throw a decoy and bash away.


The game has a really simple formula that you can easily follow to get through the whole game. I also found the gameplay to be disappointing but the locale and the back story are good.

It's too bad the game ended up being fairly linear. On another note, the first levels or so are rather boring and tedious.


Someone said play it as an RPG, how can this be done? the game is 100% an FPS and has really zero RGP elements. The only choices you have are what you want to spend adam on. There is no character growth involved at all.

It's too bad they called this the spiritual successor to System Shock 2 because it's not even in the same ball park. (on that note, we need a new game like SS2 and Dues Ex that DOESNT SUCK)
 
yes you're doing something wrong :rolleyes:

I don't understand these questions. I freaking hated Oblivion. I wasn't doing anything wrong. You just don't like the game.

You don't like Bioshock. I thought it was outstanding and look forward to the sequal. I had no problem with the weapons. And freaking HATE Counterstrike.
 
I loved it as well. The weapons were a bit sloppy upon release, but something they did in the update seemed to clear that up for me. They're snappy for me, and pixel accurate. Never had a problem again. As someone else mentioned, using the right type of ammo for each enemy is key (to not using up a full magazine on one enemy.) As another mentioned, setting up creative traps and strategies is also key, and quite fun. Also, take some tips from in the game, zap anyone standing in water, and then shoot or wrench them if they still aren't dead afterward. (most of the time they will be) There's no need to just use your guns. Combine them with plasmids. You have to think a bit more in this game.

I'm not sure why yours would be laggy since it came from Steam (which means it's updated.) Try tweaking it a bit. It's also UE-based, so hop in the folder and play with the config files a bit. Try switching VSync to the opposite setting you have it on now, etc. as well. I have no lag, so I'm pretty sure you can get it that way too.

While not quite System Shock/System Shock 2 level, this is a great game. I'd put in a little more effort to get it running the way you like it. Things have gotten easier over the years on the PC, but we're still PC gamers if I may be so bold. Dig in there and tweak it a bit. Classically speaking, PC games were never handed to anyone on a fully-working, fully-tweaked platter. (they're getting more like that, but we still have to work a bit harder) If you still don't like it, it's down to taste I suppose.

I play all kinds of shooters from tactical to run/gun Quake-style, and Bioshock is right up there with the better half of them all. They all have their own feel. Dead Space took a little getting used to too. I'd say anyone not willing to bend a bit is missing out with games like these.

Also, for those not into the balance the way it is, there is psikoticsilver's rebalancing mod. Get it here: http://www.strangebedfellows.de/index.php?topic=1128.0
 
Not sure where you guys are going wrong but most enemies a first a tough but once you upgrade your defensive and offensive plasmids along with upgrading your weapons, its absolutely cake. If anything the only real challenge was the first Big Daddy since you don't have many upgrades. Eventually I would seek any and all Big Daddy's before moving on to the next level. Forgive me but if you have a hard time killing anything in this game you must just honestly suck at FPS games.

The story was excellent but I have to admit the ending was somewhat anti-climatic.
 
fdiaz78 said:
Not sure where you guys are going wrong but most enemies a first a tough but once you upgrade your defensive and offensive plasmids along with upgrading your weapons, its absolutely cake. If anything the only real challenge was the first Big Daddy since you don't have many upgrades. Eventually I would seek any and all Big Daddy's before moving on to the next level. Forgive me but if you have a hard time killing anything in this game you must just honestly suck at FPS games.

The story was excellent but I have to admit the ending was somewhat anti-climatic.
Click to expand...

It's not that it's hard, it's just that the combat system feels off. There's no tactile feedback, it's like a console game. I was in CAL M with {STFU} and we were gamma division champions several years back, so I doubt I'm that bad at FPS.
 
bioshock really isn't a fps. its a first person adventure game that has guns. if you want tactile, load up the wrench, the melee upgrades and some of the elemental effects. i loved running around the game hammering enemies with the wrench bound with the electricity ability. every time you hit them you'd stun them so you can hit them again. the deliciously sounding thud with the wrench followed by the splat of blood still puts a smile on my face. you could even bind the wrench with the freeze ability, though freezing enemies and shattering their bodies is much less satisfying.
 
Don't get me wrong, I thought Bioshock was pretty cool, and played through the whole thing. I never harvested a little sister so I got the good ending.

The combat does change as you move through the game and get more plasmids and upgrades. I forgot about combining plasmids with weapons. In this game you should NEVER just shoot someone. You should try to hit them with a plasmid and then finish them off with a weapon. I loved to freeze guys solid and then smash them with the wrench. Later on you get plasmids that let you create vortices, shoot colonies of bees from your fingertips(!), some cool stuff in Bioshock.
 
the enjoyment of this game is also partially contingent upon someone's creativity when using plasmids and weapons. I actually know people who beat the entire game and never once had two Big Daddies fight each other. (i.e. make one follow you like a little sister, then find another one and piss that one off), or do fun things like set a swarm of bees on someone, then lead to a catapult trap, which then catapults them into a sticky bomb you've left for them.

Also, some people don't realize that you can combine the same tonics for greater effect. If you combine a couple wrench luckers with I think that instant freeze hit, the wrench ends up being much better than most ammunition driven weapons.

Although I've played quite a few games which I've enjoyed a lot since then, I still think Bioshock is probably the best game I've played in the last couple years. Just my opinion however. Everyone is entitled to theirs.

Also, try playing this game at 2560X1600 with AA forced from your control panel. The game is truly beautiful.
 
computerpro3 said:
For whatever reason I never got around to playing bioshock. I finally picked up a copy of it off of steam and sat down to play it. Well, from what I've seen so far, I'm massively let down.

I agree that the game has a good art direction (and fantastic sound), but to me what absolutely kills it is the combat system. It just feels like crap. I can't put my finger on it, but there is just no tactile response from any of the weapons whatsoever. The plasmids are well done, but the actual guns are horrible. Not to mention that the weapons are so horribly ineffective that you need 3 head shots to bring the most basic of enemies down with the pistol, and 9999999 melees with the wrench. The machine gun is all but useless with it's recoil and innacuracy, even using short bursts, and the shotgun is equally useless.

So far I'm on Neptune's Bounty...should I even bother continuing and giving it a chance? I am really having to force myself to play this right now...

It seems like it could be really cool as I love the backstory and the whole commentary/diary system. It really helps the immersion and gives the game a great atmosphere. I just can't seem to get past the weapons though...give me bioshock with CS:S weapon feel and I'd be set.

Opinions?
Click to expand...

overrated game, cool atmosphere
 
It's because of the way the game handles the mouse input. I mean, this is all based on my own experience and I don't know the exact implementation of the mouse input, but based on my own hack and slash experimentation job, I've come to conclude that the game is doing some sort of terrible mouse to analog stick conversion to handle the mouse.

The reason why I believe this is the case is because if I slowly move my mouse across my mouse pad, I can see on the screen that I am turning, but I am turning so that my reticule moves in a completely straight line. The same can be said for going up and down. What I'm getting at is, that even though I'm not moving my mouse perfectly straight across my mouse pad (for example, to the right and a little bit down), the translation on the screen is far from correct and registers this mouse movement as going straight across.

Another result that I THINK I saw (I don't remember, this was a long time ago) was I'd move my mouse in a clearly diagonal direction, but I'd move it slowly. When I watched the movement on the screen, it was a clear staircase pattern.

Maybe it was just my mouse settings, but I use a Logitech MX518 at 800 DPI and I had to set the mouse sensitivity in the game down pretty much to the lowest to get anywhere near a manageable speed.
 
I love Bioshock, I've played it through many times and am currently playing through again.


However...


I will be the first to say the weapon handling is very poor. The guns just don't feel like they're being held adequately and are completely unsatisfying to use (bar a good pistol headshot with Anti-Personel Ammo :cool: )

I'd say to the OP, Stick with it. And remember what Atlas has told you right at the start; The two hit combo - Zap 'em, then Wack 'em. ;)

The game does rely, especially at the early stages of the game, on the player continually using a combination of plasmids and weapons.
 
Its pretty known that this game has mouse aiming issues.

But I think another problem is you're expecting and trying to play this game like CS.
Bioshock is a pretty easy game, especiall in the later levels you simply cannot die due to buffed plasmids and weapon upgrades.
Gameplaywise. yea theres the mouse problem but I still enjoyed it due to its single player-storydrivin-cool atmosphere environment.
 
Monkey God said:
So many haters. I loved it.
Click to expand...

They're just the ones that are quick to jump in a thread like this. :) When the rest of us stop playing for a minute, we notice it, and then toss in 2.5 cents. ;)
 
Johnny78 said:
the enjoyment of this game is also partially contingent upon someone's creativity when using plasmids and weapons. I actually know people who beat the entire game and never once had two Big Daddies fight each other. (i.e. make one follow you like a little sister, then find another one and piss that one off), or do fun things like set a swarm of bees on someone, then lead to a catapult trap, which then catapults them into a sticky bomb you've left for them.

Also, some people don't realize that you can combine the same tonics for greater effect. If you combine a couple wrench luckers with I think that instant freeze hit, the wrench ends up being much better than most ammunition driven weapons.

Although I've played quite a few games which I've enjoyed a lot since then, I still think Bioshock is probably the best game I've played in the last couple years. Just my opinion however. Everyone is entitled to theirs.

Also, try playing this game at 2560X1600 with AA forced from your control panel. The game is truly beautiful.
Click to expand...

Oregon Trail would be beautiful at 2560 x1600 with AA!
 
ballpoint said:
My biggest pet peeve about the game was how the enemies never shut up. Almost everyone you fight spends the entire encounter yelling and screaming gibberish, even when they're on fire... I'd like it better if at least they stopped whatever they were saying when you shot them in the face or lit them on fire. That annoyed the shit out of me.
Click to expand...

Heh, same here. The amount of seemingly endless drivel the Splicers come out with is impossibly tedious. An atmosphere ruiner and repetitive in the extreme
 
It's all just part of the story and the environment. The weapons are supposed to be kinda crappy. I wouldn't have enjoyed the game at all if they'd thrown in action-FPS level weapons. Sure, a BFG10K would have made the game easier, but so do cheat codes.
 
Spewn said:
It's all just part of the story and the environment. The weapons are supposed to be kinda crappy. I wouldn't have enjoyed the game at all if they'd thrown in action-FPS level weapons. Sure, a BFG10K would have made the game easier, but so do cheat codes.
Click to expand...

Well, the game is not purely an FPS, it is a hybrid of sorts. However, on a basic level (as the creator of the game said in one interview), it is a shooter.

It is an ambitious game with many innovative ideas, but for the the play mechanics were lacking, which really took away from the game play. Sorry, but I don't agree with the OP who said the weapons are supposed to be crappy...... why? Trying to make the game more authenic? Give me a break.... it is about genetically mutated freaks living under the sea in a (supposedly) Ayn Rand inspired "utopia"....

Sorry for the rant! Anyway, the game definitely has it's virtues.... if the gameplay were better, it would more deserve the glowing reviews it got.
 
Im about halfway through Bioshock, got it for 5 bucks off steam and I have to say the game is amazing. Playing it on hard, saving the sisters, and exploring every nook and cranny. The graphics are beautiful and there nothing better than listening to a big daddy die and the wrench crushing a skull.
 
I popped it on again last night just to verify that none of the control issues that people are talking about here really exist. I experienced no strange mouse acceleration, no lag, no stair-stepping with diagonals, and no jitter whatsoever. As I mentioned before, pixel accurate movement. I do remember it being sloppy upon release, but it's definitely just fine now. This is the Steam version, so it's updated, running at 1920x1200, DX10, system in signature, though it works just as well on my living-room PC, and my kids' PCs. (Living room 720P, son's PC 1600x1200, daughter's 1680x1050.) This is with an MS Sidewinder mouse on my system, Logitech G-7, Cheapy-Logitech wireless, and a cheap logitech wired mouse. (all laser except the cheap wireless one) Works fine on all DPI settings on my Sidewinder.

If you're having mouse issues, I'd suggest a bit of troubleshooting.
 
I recommend STALKER if you haven't played that, another FPS-RPG with a much better feel, and just as hard :)
 
Do you have the camera? The more pictures you take of enemies, the stronger your attacks are against them. Keep taking pictures of them attacking you until the game tells you that you can't get any stronger.
That doesn't change the gameplay, but if you're having trouble with it, that should help a lot.
 
Archmage said:
I had the same problem... even with the weapon upgrades.

The interface is clunky. The guns do improve, but that same disconnect between user input and character output exists. It feels like a console game.

I agree that CS:S does not suffer from this same issue, however the entire game is centered around that solid, competitive combat system. Bioshock is not a competitive game - and perhaps you were looking for some sort of interactivity / challenge.
Click to expand...

Same here. My fiancee is more a console gamer than PC gamer, and she loved Bioshock. I'm more a PC gamer, and I just couldn't get into it.
 
When I first started playing Bioshock I had the same feeling, the combat was just different. I think it has to do with the control sensitity and the weapons. Just the way its designed, it's different.

You WILL get used to it after you play it for a few days but it won't be the reason you quit playing it (which you will before you beat it).
 
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