Poll: do headshots in FPSs matter?

DugMachine

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PrimitiveJudge said:
It depends, Headshot shall always be instant kill. However if body shot was made then it would have to be a heart shot. That guy who sniped you lied to you, he head shotted you, their is not heart shots in TF2.
"heart shots"...? You mean instant kill body shots? Cause they do exist in TF2. Scouts and Medics should die if you body shot with a fully charged sniper. That's my main thing to do as a matter of fact, I rarely go for headshots on scouts or medics (and spys if I see them)

A Smooth Criminal said:
Pretty sure even fully charged body shots don't even instant kill in TF2, correct me if i'm wrong.
Yes they do. See above. Doesn't always happen if they have the extra health from medics but more often than not they will die on a full charge.
 

MrFalconfly

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Kill is a kill.

Although I usually play Battlefield and overall team score is more important to me than personal kill tally(so I'm perfectly fine with assists and non-kill bodyshots since those will help my team-mates too).
 

flaming_squirrel

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Playing BF3 with a bolt action, headshots become pretty darn important.

Using an AR/LMG though I tend to aim for the body, especially at range you're more likely to score hits.

In terms of the prestige though, a kill is a kill, better to be successful with an easier shot then miss a harder one.
 

MrFalconfly

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gnihton said:
MrFalconfly said:
Well I did say that I was very pragmatic when it comes to "offing" the opponents.
It's not all that pragmatic if you can do better.
It's always better to actually land shots than miss an attempted headshot.

See? Pragmatism.
 

Drummie666

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I'm normally a sniper in TF2 and I always aim for headshots. I'm somewhat competitive, so I'm a bit disappointed if I get a bodyshot, but hey, if they're dead, they're dead and I'm happy.

I also aim for headshots because I'm a pretty good sniper and can get headshots with occasionally frightening frequency and the things I'm pointing at die faster as apposed to just getting body shots.
 

el_kabong

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Mar 18, 2010
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In the OP example, while I don't really care as long as I get the kill, head shots are much more satisfying. There's a definite feeling of accomplishment in downing someone with a well-placed headshot.

For most games (that count headshots with increased damage or insta-kills), it directly reinforces the veteran player. The more time you put into something, the better you expect to get. Going from a pray and spray noob to an elite headshot specialist is part of the FPS journey. Sometimes, this is reinforced by additional XP, special achievements, or just cool graphic/sound associated with it to increase the satisfaction. Either way, I hate FPS's without them.
 

AnotherAvatar

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It matters in that you'll often get more points, it's satisfying, and it's a show of skill.

Were I to get into a real gun fight: Fuck no I wouldn't care about head shots, I'd be happy and lucky if I managed to hit body shots and survive. However when I'm playing battlefield or any other game where it properly maps that shit I'll always aim for the head, as it's a much quicker way to take things down.

Also, if you were to ask this question to say a board of Red Dead Redemption players, they would all find it absurd.

Now does this mean people who go for body shots should feel bad? God no. That's just stupid.
 

gnihton

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MrFalconfly said:
gnihton said:
MrFalconfly said:
Well I did say that I was very pragmatic when it comes to "offing" the opponents.
It's not all that pragmatic if you can do better.
It's always better to actually land shots than miss an attempted headshot.

See? Pragmatism.
It's also better to instantly pick off targets, rather than waiting several seconds or shooting several times (which would allow them to escape).

Also, you're assuming nobody can hit headshots consistently. I take it that's from personal experience.
 

MrFalconfly

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gnihton said:
MrFalconfly said:
gnihton said:
MrFalconfly said:
Well I did say that I was very pragmatic when it comes to "offing" the opponents.
It's not all that pragmatic if you can do better.
It's always better to actually land shots than miss an attempted headshot.

See? Pragmatism.
It's also better to instantly pick off targets, rather than waiting several seconds or shooting several times (which would allow them to escape).

Also, you're assuming nobody can hit headshots consistently. I take it that's from personal experience.
I didn't say anything about anyone.

I just said that I didn't give a shit about headshots (unless I'm sure I can land one in which case I will).
 

Altorin

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Evil Smurf said:
I was playing TF2 this Afternoon and I was killed by the sniper, the kid who killed me in one shot then apologised; I asked why he apologised and he said he bodyshoted me. Pursuing this further I said it was a legitimate tactic because it killed me. He said he wanted a headshot.

After the match had finished I remembered some Valve forum threads, and remembered that some people think that headshots are the only way to snipe. My personal opinion is that as long as you kill the guy, who cares.

What do you think Escapists, are headshots better then bodyshots?

while I think it's silly to apologize or such a thing, headshots are better in the sense that they do more damage. In TF2 and other major games, you get an indicator when you pull off a headshot, and when points are awarded, they're usually awarded bonuses for headshots.

Mechanically, headshots offer a higher risk/reward situation. Heads are harder to hit, hence if you manage to hit them, you get rewarded, either with an easier kill, or points, or whatever. Other then that, i don't know what to say. In real life, headshots are certainly not a priority, barring something like body armor or zombie apocalypse, and police train to aim or center of mass, to ensure a hit, rather then aiming for the head, for the glory of headshot greatness. Plus after you shoot someone in real life you have to bury them, and corpses are more presentable if their brain hasn't been extracted through a tiny hole in the side of their skull at the speed of sound.
 

AnotherAvatar

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MrFalconfly said:
gnihton said:
MrFalconfly said:
gnihton said:
MrFalconfly said:
Well I did say that I was very pragmatic when it comes to "offing" the opponents.
It's not all that pragmatic if you can do better.
It's always better to actually land shots than miss an attempted headshot.

See? Pragmatism.
It's also better to instantly pick off targets, rather than waiting several seconds or shooting several times (which would allow them to escape).

Also, you're assuming nobody can hit headshots consistently. I take it that's from personal experience.
I didn't say anything about anyone.

I just said that I didn't give a shit about headshots (unless I'm sure I can land one in which case I will).
Another worthy note about the multiple body hits it takes to take down someone, and this is mostly key for snipers: It gives away your location, where as one carefully aimed headshot gives away only the fact that you are a BAMF.
 

Zipa

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Dec 19, 2010
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As long as they die I don't care though it always amuses me in games like bf3 where people spam shoot you with a semi automatic sniper rifle all the time because apparently using a bolt action and a single shot is too much effort.
 

hoboman29

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I went with as long as they're dead who cares because in an fps that really is the main goal. About sniping on TF2 I have to say headshots are a sign of skill more than anything else because most classes die to a bodyshot in 1 shot or are nearly dead after it. Funny story I've been called a bodyshot noob for using the sydney sleeper a gun that can't headshot totally off topic but funny if you ask me.
 

Xanadu84

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Depends entirely on the game. Some games, headshots are a major aspect of play, and the mechanics reflect that. TF2, Borderlands...Head Shots are extremely important. In other games, particularly more realistic games (Please lets not get sidetracked on the word realistic...), headshots are not as relevant, and the mechanics reflect that. Any strategy is legitimate, since the nature of play is trying to find the best, most winning strategy. If it works, it works. Sometimes, a game's mechanics are broken, and a headshot is either too powerful, or not powerful enough. That can lead to frusteration, like many would argue in regards to Counterstrikes AWP. But I would say that in TF2 especially, the snipers headshotting ability is taken into consideration within the game. If he wins with a body shot, thats still a kill. The game encourages headshot with bonus damage, but because TF2 is so well balanced, there's no reason to feel bad about a body shot. Your punishment is not shame, your punishment is greatly reduced damage to reflect you less skillful shot. Because when he hit you, his lack of skill was reflected as less of a chance of killing you. And he got a little lucky, which is an integral part of the game. If he killed you with a body shot after knowing that a body shot would be enough, then he made a rational decision to not spend more time trying to get a headshot, and was rewarded accordingly.
 

gnihton

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hoboman29 said:
I went with as long as they're dead who cares because in an fps that really is the main goal. About sniping on TF2 I have to say headshots are a sign of skill more than anything else because most classes die to a bodyshot in 1 shot or are nearly dead after it. Funny story I've been called a bodyshot noob for using the sydney sleeper a gun that can't headshot totally off topic but funny if you ask me.
The general consensus on TF2 is if you use the Sydney Sleeper, it's because you can't headshot, and I'm inclined to agree.
 

Calibanbutcher

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Nov 29, 2009
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gnihton said:
hoboman29 said:
I went with as long as they're dead who cares because in an fps that really is the main goal. About sniping on TF2 I have to say headshots are a sign of skill more than anything else because most classes die to a bodyshot in 1 shot or are nearly dead after it. Funny story I've been called a bodyshot noob for using the sydney sleeper a gun that can't headshot totally off topic but funny if you ask me.
The general consensus on TF2 is if you use the Sydney Sleeper, it's because you can't headshot, and I'm inclined to agree.
It appears to me that the Sydney Sleeper is a support gun, which afflicts the target with a jarate effect, which can be very useful for your teammates and make you a great pillar of support to your team.