Another cause for delay for realism based shooters is the fact that in the actual world of military operations (be they CT or just plain special operations), no job is done by one man alone. Special operations rely on a team of highly trained and motivated men with specialized skills, unlike the Hollywood stereotype of the one-man ‘Rambo’ scenarios we’ve grown accustomed to seeing and believing. Up until now almost all shooters were based on one character (the gamers character) going up against an unbelievable number of foes.

While this made for great gameplay it was not in the least bit realistic, as no one could survive fighting that many enemies. For that reason the genre has become so used to 100 point health packs and 200 point armor suits and other such ‘power ups’ lying everywhere in situations that were up until then never encountered by man.

As a result, this is one of the obstacles games like Rainbow Six has had to overcome, especially in the multiplayer arena where gamers are used to non-stop gibbing, constant respawns and mega frag counts. If a game doesn’t have good multiplayer capabilities today it’s just gonna gather dust on the shelf.

And now with a new style of realism based shooter comes a change in multiplay tactics. In the new shooters you are no longer given a ‘freebie’, if you get hosed you’re out of that game. It’s not just a twitch match anymore: you’ve gotta use your noggin’ along with teamwork in multiplayer, and your ‘life’ does really depend on your buddy and vice-versa. Doing a real world shooter effectively meant no second chances.

Coming in at the right time for these styles of shooters we have Shadow Factor (http://www.shadowfactor.com) and their excellent vox utility Battlefield Communicator. I urge you to go and download this now if you haven’t already: it will change the way you play games.

In a reality based shooter team comms are vital to everyones survival and ultimately your teams' success; no longer do you have to ‘die while typing’. In its beta stages now, it only supports peer to peer comms, but the full versions and server version are due shortly and I think they’re going to explode on the scene with a flurry. Given the bandwidth hogging voxware support in Rainbow Six, BC is a welcome alternative and one that should be on every multiplayer fans hard drive. Click to continue . . .

Earlier I mentioned Novalogics soon to be released shooter Delta Force. After having played around with the demo I’m eagerly awaiting the final, this one looks to have some great gameplay as well. There’s a post in the strategy game forum about playing DF with a headset, and I must stress that this is true. Without a headset you’re missing out on all the directional sound effects that are abundant in this game and are essential to survival. They suck you right into the game.

I've found myself in deep kimchi a couple of times, utterly surrounded by bad guys and drooling  from the awesome directional sounds in this game. It reminded me of the D-Day scenes in "Saving Private Ryan," how you just feel like you’re right in the thick of the action with the bullets zinging over your head. Nothing gets you motivated to move more than hearing and seeing rounds splashing in the dirt around you, not to mention the heart pumping adrenaline surge you get as you lowcrawl your way through it all to safety.

The only drawback I’ve found so far is the very slow frame rate and absence of 3D accelerator support due to the use of the Voxel Space engine. I’ve never been a big fan of Voxel Space and this game might surely suffer due to it. I’ve heard the code’s been reworked to enhance frame rates and gameplay but we’ll just have to wait and see on that, I’d hate to see this game suffer due to unplayable frame rates. It reminds me so much of my old fave Seal Team, and with the engrossing sound immersion I’ve gotten from playing multiplayer I’d love to see the graphics department keep the pace as well.

Whether you agree or disagree with the AI routines in Rainbow Six, or with those in the upcoming Delta Force, you must agree that finally shooters are anchored firmly in reality. Now we shooter fans can play a "sim" instead of just a "game:" strategy is replacing twitchy fingers and in multiplayer you’ll find a quick thinking mind as well as well rehearsed teamwork can be your best weapon.

Mind you, I still love a quick game of Quake just like anyone else, but when I play it I come away with a feeling similar to having had a snack when I wanted a meal. Now I don't have to do this .. Heh.. gotta run, it’s time for dinner. I'll start with a nice Spec Ops appetizer followed by a Rainbow Six entrée and top it all off with a nice helping of Delta Force for dessert!