Poll: Kill Counts in FPS's

[Jfswift]

Do we really need kill count systems in team objective based fps's such as CoD: Modern Warfare, Battlefield or TF2? I personally don't care for them because I feel they encourage bad gameplay habits such as players focusing more on K/D ratios than winning the round. (I have a similar argument to objectives / achievements but that's a discussion for another day).

 

[I Stomp on Kittens]

I always like to know how many things I kill, it's a serial killer thing.

 

[Confidingtripod]

hate the mechanic, no point to it, but I dislike any kind of personal scoring in a team based game, if your working as a team you all should be scored as it, maybe at the end state how usefull each person was but not give individual points

 

[CannibalCorpses]

Yes we need them, gives us something to aim for whilst camping a flag or defusing a bomb. I have seen plenty of people forget about team objectives in games and it just makes me look better when the final scores come in. It's probably why i get clans pestering me on the odd occasion when i bother to play online games.

 

[Evil Smurf]

I think they make some people happy, but can take away from the fun you have or completing the objective.

 

[Dead Seerius]

Definitely not an easy answer. There are pros and cons.

With the cons, like you said, are obnoxious game habits like camping/boosting/only using cheap tactics, etc.

On the other hand, knowing your personal best gives you motivation to beat your past records. Plus, it can be a fun personal challenge to try to break positive during a match. Unfortunately this mentality can also lead to the douchebag tactics listed above for some people.
Such a shame.

 

[TheRussian]

Yes, since it lets you keep track. Easy enough. In my opinion a points system is better: in the way TF2 does it, with points being more important than kills, allowing a decent player that destroys buildings or assists capturing objectives and focus on helping.

 

[Jfswift]

Definitely not an easy answer. There are pros and cons.

With the cons, like you said, are obnoxious game habits like camping/boosting/only using cheap tactics, etc.

On the other hand, knowing your personal best gives you motivation to beat your past records. Plus, it can be a fun personal challenge to try to break positive during a match. Unfortunately this mentality can also lead to the douchebag tactics listed above for some people.
Such a shame.

Hmm, I was thinking maybe just list the scores after a match. That way stats are still shown but they're no longer a distraction. That might work?

 

[Azeal]

Points yes, kills no. Unless it's a game like Killing floor, which is all cooperative. And if it's just a tdm........ then sure? But ctf, any other mode, no.

 

[Joccaren]

It depends on the game mode.

If the game mode focuses on kills, or is limited by kills - I.E: Deathmatch, or Conquest in Battlefield where you lose tickets for dying - then yes.

For Capture the Flag games where kills and deaths mean shit all compared to grabbing that flag and getting back to base, they're not necessary at all.

 

[this account is gay]

I usually like it.

Pros:
It shows when a player is the weakest link in the team.
I like the ego stroking

Cons: It leads to boosting, and other similar tactics.

In TF2, I use it as a gauge to see how I'm doing compared to my past, but when I'm playing with one of my friends, I like knowing that we are the best pair of people on just about any server. It also tells me if a new tactic or weapon I'm using is being useful, or not. (Example of not: Solder using the Rocket Jumper to get around, with a shotgun as main weapon)

 

[Smooth Operator]

It's not a problem of the game or statistic, it's a problem of the community.

I used to play Jedi Outcast(standard FPS/TPS with added lightsabers) and in a free for all match of that lasted and hour I would get 2-5 kills total, because the community played that game for the skill of combat and facing your opponent dead on with a subset of rules we would make up on the fly, kills were meaningless.
Obviously there were those who would just run and gun it but the game had a skill ceiling so high lucky kills were almost an impossibility, which gave time to teach people proper etiquette.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

Given that the key thing in most FPS games is the murder of your fellow players, a count can be useful. And while there is an argument to be made that in objective games focusing on simply killing other players has little impact on the overall outcome of the game, there are two points. First, said murder if done proficiently will allow other more team spirited members of your side an easier time of completing said objective and second partaking in such murder increases an integer often tracked and pointed to for internet-respect or somesuch.

So, it has both use withing the confines of even the most fast paced competitive game and in the larger metagame itself. Combine that with the fact that players get significant reward from kills and the very notion that the value is irrelevant is deemed absurd. This is true of most modern games along with several ancient ones. Counterstrike was one of the early games that rewarded killing the opposing team directly as wiping a team can lead to victory as well as indirectly as kills earn cash which can be used to buy weapons and equipment. Modern Warfare, Battlefield and others have kept this mechanic and continue to link options for character customization to murder.

 

[Dead Seerius]

Definitely not an easy answer. There are pros and cons.

With the cons, like you said, are obnoxious game habits like camping/boosting/only using cheap tactics, etc.

On the other hand, knowing your personal best gives you motivation to beat your past records. Plus, it can be a fun personal challenge to try to break positive during a match. Unfortunately this mentality can also lead to the douchebag tactics listed above for some people.
Such a shame.

Hmm, I was thinking maybe just list the scores after a match. That way stats are still shown but they're no longer a distraction. That might work?

Not a bad idea. I for one would prefer something like that. Outta sight, outta mind I suppose.