Why can't I play Bioshock?

[imported_4Eyes]

I've been playing FPS games for a loooong time. Prob started with Doom, played 'em all and many many add-on maps. Ditto for Quake 2 (possibly my fav) with all add-ons and sooo many user-made maps it's not funny. HL and HL 2 of course. Anyway, you get my drift. I'm not a great player, bu tI really enjoy them. So, why do I have so much blasted trouble with Bioshock?

It's not that my system isn't up to scratch. It handled Crysis reasonably well. I suppose at lower settings than some here would tolerate but I didn't mind. So it's not the graphics or slow response etc that's the problem. The damn game freaks me out. It seems that I just have a LOT of trouble taking down a baddie. Nearly any baddies. There's section where you encounter the first big daddy near some stairs or a stage or platform or something... sorry a little vague I know. Try as I might I can't take down the BD, but even before that there's a section with a number of enemies that I just can't take out. I either avoid section a to get to section b or vicki verca.

I REALLY want to like this game (especially as it was a prezzy from Mrs 4Eyes) but ... (shaking head) I just don't understand why it gives me such a hard time.

Any suggestions?

 

[nakedfrog]

Cheat/lower difficulty level?

 

[Thraxen]

Not sure what to say... does it just freak you out to the point where you shoot wildly or something? I didn't think BioShock was really very difficult. Especially since there is essentially no penalty for dying. You go back to the last vitachamber you passed, but any damage you did to the enemies will remain. The first BD can be difficult, but you'll get better at it and have better weapons/tonics to work with later in the game, so it gets easier. Also, keep in mind that Big Daddies will not attack you unless you attack them. So take a few minutes to scope out his path and plan where you want to attack. If you have any, you can even lay out a few mines in his path as an ambush.

 

[gorcorps]

FWIW the big daddies get a lot easier to take care of later on when you have better upgraded weapons and more powerful plasmids.

 

[imported_4Eyes]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Firstly, off hand I can't remember if there are cheats for Bioshock. I'll cheat in games if I have to but prefer to get thru it myself. As for lower difficulty I don't particularly want to have to redo what I've already done. Very few games allow changing difficulty level mid-game.

Thraxen... um, I have found myself shooting wildly more than once. If I could find some decent weapons and lotsa ammo that would help too. I'm always behind the 8 ball. Not had much luck with the plasmids etc upgrades. It's been a while but as I recall, I've got the fire thingamy and the telekineses or whatever thingy. I seem to recall having some major problem with one type of the upgrade machine or other. Sorry to be vague... um... I think it was something to do with loosing one ability to get another. Nah... can't remember. Grrr.

I'll have another look and maybe update here a little later.

 

[jonks]

For non big daddies, shock, wrench, repeat. Use plasmids to boost your wrench swing and speed. Use the environment. There's oil slicks and puddles everywhere, use em. If you get killed in one part, look around the area you fought and formulate a gameplan. I remember having some small adjustment issues to switching between guns or plasmids and it took quite a while before I was really comfortable with it. There's a ton of offensive options, but this is def not a run n gun fps.

 

[zagood]

Good advice from sirjonk.

Check this out too...fixed my control problems when I first started playing it.

http://www.truecarnage.com/quake-4-news-217.php

-z

 

[Starbuck1975]

There is a fairly straightforward approach for taking on BioShock at the highest difficulty level without cheats:

1. Take pictures of everything once you have the camera...research bonuses pay big dividends in the later levels.

2. The wrench and shock plasmid are your best friends, introduced by Atlas in the beginning of the game as the ole 1...2. The levels are so claustrophobic, and enemies move so quickly, that the other weapons do not prove very useful against splicers. One on one, the best tactic is to shock a splicer and then beat him/her to death with your wrench. For multiple enemies, I love the enrage plasmid that causes them to turn on one another...also as sirjonk said, use the environment...use the flame plasmid to set a splicer on fire, and the splicer will inevitably stumble onto an oil slick puddle or hit a gas canister...I cannot stress this enough, but hack every turret and camera you encounter...they will cover your flanks, and take out any splicers that respawn after you clear an area.

3. Big Daddies...once you get the chemical thrower, all you need is some electric gel in a constant stream to take out a Big Daddy...fairly simple...however, BEFORE you get the chemical thrower, another story altogether. What I did initially was this...watch the path of the Big Daddy...if splicers are in the area, set them to enrage, and have them do some of the dirty work for you...if not, wait for the Big Daddy to pause or stop walking, and set a few proximity mines between where he is standing and where you are standing...once the proximity mines are in place, hit him with some electric shell from your shotgun...then, depending on what ammo and weapons you have, unload with armor piercing bullets from the pistol or machine gun, or hit him with heat seeking RPGs or grenades from the grenade launcher...if he isn't dead after this initial barrage of ordinance, keep stunning him with electric shell from the shotgun, quickly switch to another weapon, unload, rinse, wash repeat...it helps also if you identify a safe location to go for reloading or replenishing your health...I would typically go hide under a staircase or other inaccessible area for recovering before going on the offensive again.

I remember having some small adjustment issues to switching between guns or plasmids and it took quite a while before I was really comfortable with it.

I had issues with my scroll mouse wheel for switching on the fly, but was able to map my mouse buttons to cover easy plasmid/weapon switches.

 

[TheVrolok]

Great advice above ^^. You really need to use your enviroment - use shock when the enemies are in water - use fire on oil spills - use telekinesis to pick up explosive/large objects and hurl then at baddies - etc. The shock (which stuns) and wrench enemy strategy is pretty good as the other weapons are kinda weak (without Anti-P ammo). The big daddy strats above pretty much cover it. My favorite way, though, is just to get the befriend big daddy plasmid and use it to "charm" a big daddy; then I just have the big daddies fight one another and if they are at full health one will die with the other barely hanging out - then I just finish the second with a shotgun blast - bam, 2x dead big daddy.

Oh, as far as weapon/plasmid switching. I pretty much kept q and e bound to plasmids that I used often, I think I had q bound to shock and then e changed around from fire/ice so that I could easily get to a plasmid that I wanted and then switch back.

 

[kaioshade]

Once you get the hang of it, Bioshock is an immensely fun game, for the sole fact that there are so many ways to do things. Once you get them, the trap bolts are an AMAZING weapon for taking out big daddies. If you can get one running at you in a straight line up a flight of stairs, only a few electric trap bolts can take one out in seconds. If you can tag them in the back, a flame round to the back will cause their little rear chamber to explode, also going a ton of damage and will set them on fire for a while, making this a great opening move. Electric Rounds also do a good bit of damage to them, but will not stun quite as long as the plasmid, so it is difficult to wrench them after hitting them with a shell.

As others have said, hack EVERYTHING. Turrets can and will provide valuable cover fire and damage (as long as youre not in front of them) to a big daddy and also cause small but building damage to them. I actually stood back and watched as a swarm of turret robots took out a big daddy. It took a while but it was fun to watch about 15 "flies" peg one to death. I also usually like to have a big daddy charmed and following me around, especially the Rosie. Its like having a powerful as hell sniper for free for your rear ranks. Great for those splicers that like to sneak up on you from behind, although this doesnt happen often as splicers LOVE to announce their presence from across the building.

 

[The Bakery]

Absolutely tweak your controls and get used to fast ammo and weapon/plasmid switching.

User corners - restrict the big daddies movement. Tons of excellent strategy in above posts.

 

[imported_4Eyes]

zagood, I think you may have hit my problem on the head. Thraxen's suggestion of wild shooting seemed the answer but I think it's simply poor mouse handling by the game. I just can't hit anything... well, have a deal of trouble.

Appreciate all the replies. Thanx guys.

 

[TheKub]

Early in the game I usually just carried 2-3 gas cylinders near where the BD was then tossed them at him with telekinesis. If I missed or didnt have enough AP ammo was usually enough to finish them off.

 

[tigersty1e]

Big Daddies won't fire on you until you fire on them. Don't attack them unless there's a little girl with them otherwise it's a waste of time/ammo/resources.


When you see one with a little girl, plan out your attack. Equip the armor piercing rounds for the pistol and machine gun and any other guns which would be useful. Plant booby traps and lure them into that area.


BTW, they respawn....but not with little girls. Once you kill a big daddy that has a girl, the big daddy that respawns will be worthless. Don't attack him. Even a stray will provoke him.

 

[Cabages]

Use enrage wisely. One of the best plasmids, it gets the job done and is conservative on eve.

 

[PhatoseAlpha]

Also, remember the other 1-2 punch when around water. Use ignite on a splicer. Switch to shock. When they run into the water to put themselves out, shoot the water.

But you know, you're basically immortal, so I'm not sure what the problem could be.