I have a problem. When playing games involving firearms I must constantly have a full clip. The only time it is acceptable to not have a full clip is if I plan to squeeze off a few rounds in the next two seconds. Regardless of the clip size, after every engagement (and multiple times within each engagement) I will reload my firearm. I can have a 100 round clip on my LMG with 99 rounds left in it and I will reload. I have been killed so many times reloading in MP that I just accept it now. The thought of running around in CoD with a half full AK47 or Thompson makes my skin crawl.
Some recent games where my reloading issues have had an impact on how I play:
F.E.A.R. 2 - I will reload every time I come out of slow-mo. I might run half the meter down and be sitting on half a clip with no more targets around, I will first hit X to reload and then Y to cancel slow-mo. I imagine this implies that reloading is more important than conserving a portion of my slow-mo time. I'll run out of slow-mo and and be surrounded by goons, and the moment I snap back to real time I will reload as I frantically try to take cover behind a desk.
Call of Duty 4 & World at War - Constant online reloads. It actually doesn't affect the game all that much because I tend to use most, if not all of a clip to kill a target anyway. I do reload under fire more than I would like and I will often reload immediately after killing someone, even if I am run n gunning around a corner.
Left 4 Dead - I use the shotgun / auto shotgun only. I love this weapon because of the fact that I can reload constantly. I try to stagger my shots and reload in between so I can keep my ammo count up. I rarely use the M16 or the Uzi, but I will say that being able to defend myself with melee when reloading means if I do choose to use the M16 or Uzi I will reload anytime I feel I can go half a second without an infected getting to me.
You get the idea. This only applies to ammo in guns, I can run down on mana or EVE or what have you and not refill that until it is needed, likely because refilling those requires the consumption of a scarce resource, but that's another story for another time. I've just come to accept this constant need to reload as a part of my gaming. It goes beyond my gaming though, if I am watching someone play FPS and they aren't rocking a full clip I will insist they reload. It just bothers me if they don't.
It's definitely something that I need to experience visually in order to have a reaction. It's not as if I need constant reassurance from my online teammates that their clips are full, if I can't see their ammo counts I don't care. I don't know how I would handle a game that shows my teammate's ammo counts, I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Use your keyboard!
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