Some players call it the Zone. I've heard it called it the eye of the storm, entering the matrix, and perfect clarity. You're playing an FPS for so long (let's take Halo as the easiest example) and doing really well, when you enter this strange state of awareness. You're almost not even paying attention to the game anymore, but your hands, your reflexes, and your intuition seem to develop their own awareness, and begin performing on a level of accuracy and speed that's almost supernatural.
As near as I can tell most FPS players have experienced this phenomenon at least once, and it seems to be different for every player. Some people have only a sort of vague memory of what they did in that zone, some remember it clearly. Some players will get there and stay there for hours, and for others it's just a short lived advantage that even a spontaneous itch can knock them out of.
I've heard of some players being able to "enter the zone" with HUGE amounts of caffiene, (think shotgunning 2 Doubleshots back to back, followed by a healthy bottle of Jolt) or other methods, but for most it's something that just happens with no forewarning.
My most recent experience was playing Half-Life 2: Episode One on hard. I had just entered the hospital (where you basically get ambushed by Combine) at about 30 health, and had resigned myself to death, then figured "Eh, I'll see what I can do."
It was about the time I was pinned down by the gunship that it happened. I literally wasn't even paying attention to the screen anymore, but turning on every combine that was stupid enough to put his head out and blowing it off with the Pulse Rifle. I was bouncing grenades off walls with perfect accuracy to get behind their cover, or timing them just right to be under those trip mines when the Combine were near.
I don't remember a whole lot because I suppose I really wasn't paying attention, but the next thing I do recall was finishing off the last of the Combine in the bathroom at the end with the Crossbow, then getting the energy core for the Pulse Rifle, and wiping out the Toxic Zombie and all of his friends with it the moment they broke open those doors. I looked around me then now that the gunshots and the zombie moaning had stopped, and realized I had just left a TRAIL of corpses behind me, and was currently sitting on a nice, bright red 16 health.
Seldom have I felt more like an FPS player.
So, what experiences have you had with this strange gamer phenomenon?
As near as I can tell most FPS players have experienced this phenomenon at least once, and it seems to be different for every player. Some people have only a sort of vague memory of what they did in that zone, some remember it clearly. Some players will get there and stay there for hours, and for others it's just a short lived advantage that even a spontaneous itch can knock them out of.
I've heard of some players being able to "enter the zone" with HUGE amounts of caffiene, (think shotgunning 2 Doubleshots back to back, followed by a healthy bottle of Jolt) or other methods, but for most it's something that just happens with no forewarning.
My most recent experience was playing Half-Life 2: Episode One on hard. I had just entered the hospital (where you basically get ambushed by Combine) at about 30 health, and had resigned myself to death, then figured "Eh, I'll see what I can do."
It was about the time I was pinned down by the gunship that it happened. I literally wasn't even paying attention to the screen anymore, but turning on every combine that was stupid enough to put his head out and blowing it off with the Pulse Rifle. I was bouncing grenades off walls with perfect accuracy to get behind their cover, or timing them just right to be under those trip mines when the Combine were near.
I don't remember a whole lot because I suppose I really wasn't paying attention, but the next thing I do recall was finishing off the last of the Combine in the bathroom at the end with the Crossbow, then getting the energy core for the Pulse Rifle, and wiping out the Toxic Zombie and all of his friends with it the moment they broke open those doors. I looked around me then now that the gunshots and the zombie moaning had stopped, and realized I had just left a TRAIL of corpses behind me, and was currently sitting on a nice, bright red 16 health.
Seldom have I felt more like an FPS player.
So, what experiences have you had with this strange gamer phenomenon?
)