F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault & Recon)
Combat FAQ (Weapons, Enemies, Killing)
by Lubomir Mario Slavchev, Copyright, 2006
Date started:03/02/2006/Fri (dd/mm/yyyy/Day)
Date finished:06/02/2006/Mon (dd/mm/yyyy/Day)
Contents
1.Author's minds (About the author)
1.1.Previous projects
1.2.A couple of words about the game
1.2.1.System requirements
1.2.2.Personal opinion
1.2.3.Artificial Intellect
1.3.Current status and my terminologia
2.Firepower section
2.1.Firepower In The Game
2.2.The Firepower You Need
4.Enemies
5.Combat tips&tricks/tactics
6.Some notes, misc
7.Credits
1.Author's minds
Hello again to anyone out there, playing F.E.A.R.!!! (To skip pumping the damn
period, let's just call it FEAR). Again writing a FAQ, but this time not a
walkthrough. My last work was a really big file, but not quite good (according
to my personal opinion it was helpful, but not much creative), but I'm still on
the job, composing FAQ-style documents.
1.1.Previous projects
To anyone who isn't familiar with my previous works- I've written a couple of
FAQs/walkthrus. I started back in 2000 with the "Redident Evil 2PC-The real
walkthrough!!!" (yeah, the typo in the headline is STILL not corrected, the file
is posted with it!) then the "Global Operations Hints&Tips&More" and the last
one- "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield Walkthrough", which took me a lot
of time. Fact is, "Raven Shield 3" and "Athena Sword" are still on my PC! Here's
the right place to send my regardz to everyone, who isn't new to my FAQs, I mean
to everyone, to whom my name is familiar with my old works, since people playing
RE2, GO, RS3 maybe will play FEAR, too, and might have stumbled over my projects
in the Net's FAQ sites. My works are legally posted on 2 major sites- the
DLH.NET and www.gamefaqs.com. If you see them posted elsewhere this is without
my permission. I don't include legal stuff in my FAQs, I think it's a waste of
time. But keep in mind- I post only on DLH.NET and www.gamefaqs.com, they're the
best FAQ sites on the Net, so use only them! If you're searching and you can't
find something there, there're almost no chances finding it elsewhere.
1.2.A couple of words about the game
OK, what is FEAR? Just a modern 3D FPS? Hell no! It is the game, which restored
my beliefs that someone out there is STILL caring about the hardcore gamers and
STILL trying to achieve not only mind-blowing GFX, but design a real gaming
experience! FEAR is the game, which gave me a reason to upgrade my darn PC and
spend my university vacation at home, instead of having fun outside. Reminded me
of days, forgotten long ago- days when I preferred to play a really nice game
home alone in the darkness of my room instead of go out and hang around- the
usual thing. So that's why I think FEAR is special and deserves to be played.
Also, it incorporates ideas, which I've seen in many of my favourite games, but
not all of them all at once integrated in one game. What I like (in games) is
suspense, violence, brutal action, powerful weaponry, gross bad guys and nice
story. I think you can find all this in FEAR.
1.2.1.System requirements
Well, I said it gave me a reason to upgrade the PC. Playing FEAR is costly- it
surely needs a nice machine. To run it with MINIMUM details you will need a PC
with at least 1.6 GHz CPU Pentium 4 and not Celeron, of course (or an XP1600+
AMD), 256 MB DDR333/PC2700 RAM, 4.59 GB to install the game, some 30 MB for
savegame-files and (NOT KIDDING) more than 400-500 MB of HDD space for the swap
file to load the level. Plus a minimum of a GeForce4Ti4200/128 MB videocard. For
the pure gaming experience I recommend a 2.5 GHz P4 machine (or XP2400+ AMD)
with at least 512 MB DDR400/PC3200 RAM, 10 GB free HDD space and a 256 MB
GeForce 6600 or 256 MB Radeon X700Pro videocard. At first I was with 256 MB RAM
and 400 MB free HDD space, I tried the game in 640x480, all settings on Medium-
it didn't even load! Then I got another 256 MB board and it ran really nice. So
what FEAR really needs is RAM!
1.2.2.Personal opinion
FEAR surely is a great game for today's standarts. But not that hell of a much,
really. Why? Because we've already seen most of its bright sides in other games.
Personally to me, it resembles Deus Ex a lot, plus there are small resemblances
to Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and maybe even Quake. Immediately pointing out
why- the urban level design is a lot like the NY city streets and hotel district
in Deus Ex, also the enemies are a lot like MJ12 troops (anyone reading this
played DX before? Try it- a *GREAT* game!), the Icarus software mainly (Icarus
AI in DX), the semi-transparent ninjas remind of Splinter Cell with their camo
and goggles and the Particle weapon is nothing more than a Quake-style railgun
with a scope. The goddamn bots also remind of Deus Ex (System Shock 2 fans don't
try to tell me that they resemble SS2 bots- in SS2 the secbots were quite easier
to destroy, unlike DX). So what I'm trying to tell you is that actually FEAR is
not that revolutionary, it just brings out all the old extra-good ideas and
polishes them with its unique effects (SlowMo in Max Payne and BulletTimeMod for
UT, anyone? ;-))))), adding blood&gore and a really nice storyline. And all this
surely kicks ass! I admit it, FEAR is a really good game, although it has not
much new ideas. It is just perfectly done. What I didn't like is its length- I
got thru it in no time- 3 evenings in "Moderate" difficulty. That's why I'm
writing a CombatFAQ and not a walkthru- it's not that challenging for the
average player. Another thing I miss in FEAR is a nice character. I even don't
remember the name of the guy you play with, plus I don't remember him speaking.
The nightmare-vision effects are really nice, but they also are nothing new. I
think I saw almost the same thing in another game... Clive Barker's UNDYING,
remember the Patrick Galloway's ability to re-see surpassed violent happenings
in certain areas? So there's nothing new, but everything is so well-done and the
GFX are really nice that I'm ready to forgive the lack of innovative thinking
and agree that FEAR is one of the greatest games ever made.
1.2.3.Artificial Intellect
OK, the AI in FEAR is pretty good. Enemies attack, take cover, coordinate their
actions and try to fuck up your entire life with tossing those awful grenades at
you. They communicate and curse, just like real bad-ass motherfucking navy
seals. And scream when they get gibbed by your trusty SPAS-12. Just an advice-
never underestimate your enemies in FEAR. And remember that getting out of cover
and blasting away will get your own self blasted away. The key is either
snipe'em out, or dismember them in SlowMo. More on this later. Just to add that
the AI sometimes gets freaky- if you don't do something to trigger them, they
will just stand there and wait. And maybe patrol a little. But they won't try to
find you themselves.
1.3.Current status and my terminologia
I've just beaten the game in moderate difficulty and started the FAQ. I think I
won't try to beat it in Hard, although it looks quite challenging, plus it'll be
fun, but I have to play Lineage 2 over the Net with my friends. So if you find
something useful to add, I mean something that is very different in another
skill level, don't wait to tell me. Here's the right moment to mention that you
should mind my language. I'll use strong words and expressions, but, since
you're playing an ass-blasting and a real gibfest/crazyfuck offensive game like
FEAR, this should be no prob to you.
2.Firepower section
OK, let's start with the weapons section. Before going out to hunt the bastards
down, you'll have to know which is the best way to do it. First, I'll give you a
list of the weapons in the game. Note that some of them are real-life clones
with changed names, while others (the futuristic ones) are not existing.
AT-14 Pistol
RPL SubMachine Gun
VK-12 Combat Shotgun
G2A2 Automatic Rifle
10 mm HV Penetrator
MP-50 Repeating Cannon
Type7 Particle Weapon
MOD-3 Multi-Rocket Launcher
Plus the explosives, I'll describe them separately.
AT-14 Pistol (an akimbo-mode once you get a second one)
One of my favourites in FEAR. Never swapped one for another weapon. Pretty
accurate and with moderate damage characteristics. You can take out even strong
enemies with the akimbo mode without reloading. With SlowMo it reminds me of Max
Payne A LOT! It is actually a 9x19 mm Glock. And although I hate Glocks, those
in FEAR become quite sticky once you get a good hold of them. Headshots inflict
mortal damage to weaker enemies and reloading is quick. Once again, learn to use
them wisely and you'll like them- accuracy is they key. Each one holds 18
rounds.
RPL SMG
I used this shit only on early stages of the game. It's a Heckler&Koch MP5 clone
and too tacky for my taste. Firing 3-round 9x19 mm auto bursts, holding 50 in a
clip (just like the 50-round MP5 in the first Half-Life... ;-) OK, stopping with
the other game-references!). Accuracy is OK, but it's fuckin weak! Better use
the Glocks.
VK-12 Shotgun
Ohhhh, yeah, baby! This one is my no.1! A real SPAS-12 combat shotgun with
folding buttstock, firing hot 12-gauge buckshot. NEVER dropped the first one I
picked up and almost gone crazy when on the final level all good weapons
disappeared from my inventory (this was a spoiler, sorry). This one is not the
best weapon in the game, but surely the most brutal one, since you can dismember
the badass motherfuckers really niiiice. Cut them in half, vaporize them, blow
their fuckin heads/limbs off and watch the bastards scream in pain. And all this
in the SlowMo motion blur. Really nice, isn't it? Useful for close range (a real
helper in office buildings) and sucks in accuracy, but who cares? Personally I
don't mind crouching, zooming and emptying the whole magazine in the bitch
ahead. Even if he drops me 10 health down, I'll drop him dead. Also, repeating,
SlowMo+SPAS12 gibbing is pure fun! 12 shots until you have to reload.
G2A2 Rifle
Shit, it looks like the H&K Sl8-2 sniper rifle in Athena Sword! But it's not
that much accurate- it fires short two-round bursts. It's poweful, but it also
slows you down. Accurate when zooming, it'll help you out in a couple of times.
But to me it looks not too cool and the recoil is terrible. The clip size is
somewhat decent- 45 rounds. General tactic with this one for me is to give the
first shot and drop one of the enemies dead with it unexpectedly. Then switch to
the SPAS12+SlowMo.
ASP Rifle
It looks like the Valmet M82 AR in Rainbow Six 3, or, more like the IMI Tavor
TAR-21. Scoped. 30 rounds in a clip, 3-round auto bursts. Useful, but not cool
outlook. It is accurate, though, but slows you a little. Pity it can't fire
single shots, because sniping with this is a little tricky, but not too
difficult. I mean that you'l need some practice with the scope travelling
upwards due to the recoil from the bursts. Penetration is good, it drops people
dead quickly. Just try to fire without getting hit- accuracy in these bursts
while zooming makes a headshot almost a fuckin lottary!
10mm HV Penetrator
This one reminds me of Quake I's nailgun. It fires something like steel nails at
very high speed to give you an excellent armor-piercing factor. But its rate of
fire is way too slow, although it is being compensated by the good accuracy. I
don't know, I didn't like this weapon much. When I got the first one, my though
was "Man, a real badass gun!". But after that I found out I was better with the
SPAS... Ooops, I mean the VK. The Penetrator holds 25 rounds in its fatass clip,
also it can fire single shots. It's somewhat nice for sniping with this
accuracy, but while in the possession of such weapon, you won't be fighting in
open areas (or there will be better weapons for such a job lying around). So use
it like the G2A2 AR- for the first kill, then switch to another weapon.
MP-50 Repeating Cannon
This one is crazy shit, man. It sure kicks asses and looks way too cool.
Especially in SlowMo the vision of blasting/gibbing/vaporizing hostiles with it
is hard to explain. The only downside is the slow rate of fire plus the fact
that it occupies too much space of the screen. But who the fuck cares?! It has
good damage-dealing capabilities. The clip size is 25 rounds. You have to see it
to fall in love with it.
Type-7 Particle Weapon
The true sniping weapon in FEAR. The damage it deals is fuckin HIGH! It shoots,
sounds and looks like a Quake-style railgun. Only difference is the scope. The
clip holds 10 shots, but, believe me, you'll have to reload in a fight only if
you're aiming too terribly. You can even use it at CQB range (Close-Quarters
Battle, for dummies who don't know) quite successfully, since it is a real
damager.
MOD-3 Multi-Rocket Launcher
This one is also cool, the only problem is it SLOWS YOU DOWN! Snail-speed
movement with this, I'm disappointed. It holds 15 rockets in a clip and fires 3
with one trigger pull. Useful for taking out large and slow (and lonely)
targets. Or, you can try it on unaware crowds, but better lob a grenade in this
case. Be careful not to suicide with this one- the blast radius is strong enough
for this to happen.
2.2.The Firepower You Need
Unlike other 3D FPS games, in FEAR you can't carry all the described weapons at
once. You can have only 3 of them with you. This means you'll have to choose
wisely. Of course, you can always swap something you're carrying with something
from the guy you just splattered around, but a better idea is to rely only on
the current inventory.
The best combination depends on the way you're playing and on the type of
player's personality. I mean that some people prefer sniping to CQB and others
just love explosives. So I'll tell you my personal choice of weaponry and then
try to give some advice on choosing your own gear, depending on what you want to
do.
OK, what did I use? Not mentioning the first levels, which have the function of
a tutorial and lack some nice weapons, 90% of the time I found myself walking
around gibbing baddies with my 2 Glocks, the Type-7 and the almighty VK-12.
That's because I love CQB a lot and I love akimbo-style kills. And when I have
to snipe or take out a massive enemy, I trust my Type-7's damage-dealing
characteristics. So I advise you to do the same. But maybe you're tired of this
somewhat conventional style of combat (conventional, but resultative!). So
here's my advice to different playing-styles.
Snipers/aimers- Drop the Glocks whenever you get a G2A2 (or a Penetrator). Then
get an ASP. Then a Type-7. You can either swap the G2A2 (or the Penetrator) for
a MOD-3 RL or MP-50 (because you'll need one of them for taking out strong
enemies), or keep it and hope that explosives will do the job. I know you might
like the Glocks and in many cases they're better than the G2A2, but finding ammo
for them later in the game might be a problem.
CQB-lovers- Get that darn SPAS-12 and never let it go. Add an MP-50. And a Type-
7 just in case, or a Penetrator.
Demomen- I think the wise choice for such players is a combination of MP-50,
MOD-3 RL and Type-7. Penetrator is also a good idea.
Now some info on the explosives. They come in really handy almost all the time.
They're 3 types.
N6A3 Fragmentation grenade
Think standard frag-grenades. Useful for taking out one or two badguys for less
than a second, or softening big baddies to spice'em up at CQB with the SPAS
later (hehehe). Just be sure to lob it fast and just where it needs to be- they
won't wait to take cover.
AT-S Proximity mine
This one explodes when the target runs over it or gets too close. The damage it
inflicts is quite good. You have to place it- it's heavy and throwing it will
result in its dropping max 9 ft in front of you. You can't take it back once you
place it, that means you have to place it well and know that the target will get
to it. Otherwise it's useless.
M77 Remote grenade
A standard frag-grenade, but with the ability to detonate it from a distance
with an RC. It also can be ignited by nearby placed mines or lobbing N6A3s over
it. Extra useful for setting up traps for slow and heavy enemies. Place one of
these, add a proxmine, ready your weapon of choice and watch the show.
There are special melee attacks in FEAR, which can still be considered as
weapons. Performing them is easy. Also, forgot to mention- you can holster any
weapon and then your weapon will be your fists. Cool, just like in SiN you can
drop bad guys dead with punches. Another interesting feature- while holding a
weapon, you can hit with it or with its buttstock- useful in CQB- drops people
dead very quickly. The special melee attacks are 2- slide kick and bicycle kick.
The slide kick is performed by holding forward movement key, pressing weapon
melee attack and then crouch key. The bicycle kick is again forward movement,
weapon melee attack, but jump instead of crouch. Although pretty cool, special
moves are not that effective. I'll tell you a couple of words about then later
on.
4.Enemies
Surprising to me, but FEAR doesn't offer many different enemies. There are 3-4
basic types with slight differences in classification. This can be easily
forgiven, because the AI seems to be good and even low-life muthafuckaz can give
you a headache, if you're not too careful and aware of what you're doing. OK,
let's start. In this section I'll give you a description for each enemy and
which is the best way to take him the fuck out. Note that awareness is a key
event in FEAR, it reminds of good old Thief:Dark Projects days. Just like in
Thief, if the enemy is totally unaware of your presence, it is possible to drop
him with one single headshot. Use this to your advantage- try to sneak as close
to them as possible, then blast away with the big guns!
Commandos- this is the basic enemy-type. You'll get tired of wiping more and
more of them out. They come in different classes, though. First, they are some
punkass low-armored enthusiasts with RPLs (MP-5-like SMGs) and G2A2s. They try
to get close to you and shoot you. Then they will get more armored and will be
able to coordinate attacks, take cover and throw grenades at you. Their weakest
spot is talking- they always yell what they are about to do (hide in cover, lob
grenades, request backup, die with painful screams) and if you listen carefully,
you should be able to predict their behaviour and even know where they are. They
always exclaim when they spot you, so you'll know when the battle begins. They
tend to strafe a lot. Sometimes they kill their own stupid selves with grenades,
if they don't throw them well. Also, if you get too close, they will melee-
attack you, affecting terribly your accuracy. The nasty ones are usually in
possession of an ASP, or a VK-12. More pessimistic version is one with an MP-50.
The best weapon against commandos is VK-12 in CQB and grenades. Also, I like to
use the Glocks. Don't waste your Type-7 on them. I mean at close range. When
there are snipers, the Type-7 is very helpful. But better spare its ammo for
later on if you have an ASP. Commandos usually don't spot you immediately when
you enter the area they're in. When you pop up, you have 1-3 seconds (depending
on skill level) to throw the first shot (and, luckily, the first kill with it).
Unaware commandos can die from a single Glock shot to the head, so use this to
your advantage. On normal skill levels SlowMo shouldn't be your way to kill
them, although blasting them in this mode is pure fun! I think that's why Lith
put in so many commandos (which are actually the low-skilled cattle of FEAR)- to
get you hooked to the game with blasting them up in SlowMo. Also- single
buttstock/weapon melee attacks will deal great damage to commandos, but it's not
that cool to finish them off this way. Note that when I say commandos and
describe them, I have in mind all human enemies- basic troops, ATC personnel and
so on. That's because they're all the same actually- only the outlook and the
speech is different so you don't get bored. Frankly speaking, I'm quite
disappointed with the enemy variety in FEAR- Lith surely could do better in that
part!
Heavy guys
Well, these tough bastards are quite a challenge- they sure need a serious load
of lead to flip over! And they look almost exactly like the MJ12 Commandos in
Deus Ex, don't you think? They are big, heavy, slow and deal a lot
of damage. One good think- they don't own grenades (at least in moderate
difficulty they don't, if I'm wrong, mail me). They are in possession of 10mm
Penetrators and never come alone- they are the insurance for groups of
commandos. And they are very entertaining to beat, because they engage your wits
and rage. Battling them is real fun, trust me. Personally I like to finish off
all commando cattle, then switch to SlowMo and fight the heavy guys. A good idea
is to stun them with normal grenades- they will deal some damage to them and
desorientate them at the same time- this will help you get closer (but not too
close, because then they will melee-attack you and kill you quickly) and pump'em
up with your VK-12. They are very well-armored and Penetrator is good, but may
be slow at times. MOD-3 is a nice idea and MP-50 too. Summarizing- don't
hesitate to use the big guns on these and if you ain't got none- switch to
SlowMo and let the VK-blasting begin! Also- don't melee-attack them! They are
too seriously armored.
Ninjas/Splinter-Cell-style combatants
Hey, these are quite fun to kill! They look like some kind of modernized ninja-
fighters to me, and their Predator-style camouflage reminds me of Tom Clancy's
Splinter Cell series. My favourite is to slide-kick them in SlowMo- try it, it's
just wonderful. Especially when you first meet them- there are windows nearby
and shattering glass by slide-kicking their coarpses thru them in SlowMo is
spectacular. Or you deal with them the good old-fashioned way- fist fighting
(fairplay, since they're unarmed)- again in SlowMo. If you don't feel like
melee-attacking them, you can VK-12 them to death in SlowMo, or gun them down
with the Glocks. They don't deserve wasting serious powerful on them, because
they don't have high health points. If you still haven't figured out- the SlowMo
is the key to killing them no-prob. Just to add, Ninjas will give off
electrostatic noise/light when hit and their camo will be disturbed. There
aren't much ninja-encounters in FEAR.
Big Fuckin Bots
Goddamn, I hate them! Again, they remind me of the big secbots in Deus Ex. There
are 2 types of bots in FEAR- they differ only in weapons they use to blast you.
The weaker ones are armed with lasers, the more-annoying version launches
rockets at you. They are very well-armored and sure need the big guns against
them. Or, a better idea is to throw grenades at them to soften them up, then
SlowMo and open their cans with the SPAS. But the MOD-3 seems to be the better
weapon. Type-7, at close range, also works- they need 8-12 shots to blow-up. MP-
50 also a wise idea. The bad thing is that all those badass weapons (Type-7,
MOD-3 RL, MP-50) slow you too much when fighting bots and what you mustn't let a
bot do is get close to you. Like Ninkas, bots will emit static noise/light when
near breaking point. Note that you won't encounter more than 7-8 bots in the
whole FEAR game.
Floaters
Another enemy in FEAR I can't stand. These look like 3-rayed starfish. They
shoot lasers at you and are fuckin annoying, because they move quickly and shoot
quickly. Just before they appear, a not very loud electro crack can be heard. My
way to send them to bot-hell is the Type-7 in SlowMo (when there's good cover
for me). Another idea is a weapon of choice in SlowMo (when they're close to
you). You won't have to deal with more than 10-12 of these thru the whole FEAR
and note that they normally come in groups of 2 or 3.
Turrets
Let's face it, they're boring! Standart automatic sentry guns. Again 2 types-
the first one sprays bullets, the other one is laser-firing. They resemble every
other standart FPS' sentry guns. Remind me of Deus Ex (again) and System Shock 2
and maybe SS2 more, because you can shoot them into an exploding electric cloud
just like there. In FEAR, they're not too frightful- the areas they're mounted
almost always offer some kind of cover. Also, there aren't other enemies nearby,
so you can concentrate on the turrets. One nice feature is that, like in DX, it
is possible to use them against your enemies. But you have to find the control
panel first. A weapon of choice against turrets is the Penetrator, or the VK-12
in close range with SlowMo. G2A2 also useful. Don't waste better ammo on them,
they shouldn't be such a trouble for the ordinary player. Plus you won't meet
more than 6-7 turrets thru the whole game.
Nightmare Ghosts
They look creepy and drain health a lot. Movement is very fast. The first time I
encountered one of them I thought that while in a nightmare you can't die and
didn't shoot it. I was wrong. Ghosts appear in packs towards the end of the
game. They come out of bloody clouds and attack you. For ordinary players they
might look scary, but 3D action experienced fans will tell you they've seen just
the same thing in Heavy Metal FAKK2, for example. In fact, Ghosts in FEAR are
nothing to worry about, because they die with a single Glock shot. The only
problem is they're damn fast! My advice is to use SlowMo. RPL SMG is a better
idea than the Glock, if you have one.
5.Combat tips&tricks/tactics
In this part I'll give you some general advice what to do and what not to do
while advancing in FEAR. The game is 90% based on how well you kill your
enemies, so take this in mind. You have to minimize the damage you take and
later on avoid taking any damage (especially if playing high skills) in order to
get forward.
If you're a reloader-player (a player, who keeps reloading saved games before
proceeding in efforts to come out of a fight as healthy as possible), then
you'll be able to know the key events (appearance of crowds, or a big enemy) and
on the reload of a save game file place a trap using AT-S prox mines and/or M77
remote charges. Also, the game is pretty easy for experienced players, I think.
Especially the checkpoint saving makes it that easy. The typical example is
"Urban decay"- if you have a save right before the bot drops down the roof, you
can reload and place some prox mines and a remote charge, then ready your weapon
of choice and send the fucker to hell in no time. Another example (earlier than
"Urban decay") is the elevator attack, I mean when commandos and 1-2 heavy guys
assault you from several elevators- you can drop a prox in front of some
elevators, if not all.
So the conclusion is that if you get stuck, reload the latest checkpoint and set
a trap, or approach/engage the enemies a different way. It is possible to come
out of a fierce gunfight without getting hit even on high skill levels if you
take cover well and use SlowMo wise- just for aiming and reverting back to
normal after the kill to save SlowMo time.
Melee attacks (slidekick, bicycle kick and so on) are fun, but useful only on
human enemies. Never perform them on commandos and other cattle different from
humans.
Sniping. Once you get the Type-7 it shouldn't be a problem. Just remember always
to aim for the head, or, at least, the torso. The Type-7 should kill ordinary
troops with one shot, I don't hesitate to use it on bots. There's one tough part
in the game, when you pass about 75% of the entire game, you'll be fighting a
rocket-launching bot in an open area- if you have the Type-7 then it should be
no prob to take him out w/o getting any damage. Just be sure to get as far as
possible.
Speaking about sniping, here's the moment to mention that peeking in FEAR saves
ass. Your enemies will peek around cover, so don't wait to do the same thing- it
gives you big advantages- you become a smaller target, plus, if doing it right,
you can concentrate on one target at a time. Sometimes iron boxes and other
obstacles are placed a way that peeking becomes a very good idea- you can peek
to shoot the closest enemy, while others are still moving between scattered
boxes/obstacles to get to you. In "Urban decay" and later on peeking will save
your ass from the snipers- peeking around ventshafts and other obstacles and
taking a clear shot (practice makes perfect) will help you a lot. Plus, when
entering new rooms, peeking will give you info on where and how the baddies are
placed and let you throw the first kill. You can even peek, kill, and hide back
so they don't spot you. To summarize, peeking is the best idea to take out far
positioned baddies with minimum damage taking. Peeking combined with Type-7 will
make you almost unstoppable. You can add SlowMo in sniping, if you get stuck.
SlowMo-on, peek, aim, shoot, hide back, SlowMo-off, peek to check. This is the
scheme.
Melee attacks. They seem quite cool to me when used in SlowMo against humans.
But I won't bet on them for getting forward in the game. Better replay saved
games to whoop the baddies in SlowMo with fists and kicks. It sure is fun!
A good ways to take out turrets is to save often and when encountering a new
one, reload and switch to SlowMo while it is still comind down from the ceiling-
this will give you the advantage of timed attack and let you plunk rounds in the
turret before it opens fire. Or, take cover and peek every time it is turned
away from you to shoot it. But this tactic takes time and is boring.
After you meet Paxton Fettel personally at last and settle
things straight, don't take any slow-firing weapons (MP-50, VK-12, etc), because
the only enemies you will encounter from there until the games ends, will be
ghosts and you need a fast firing weapon against them. Grab an RPL (for the high
rate of fire and nice clip size) as soon as possible.
Hand grenades. Use them wisely. I mean always know where you're throwing and
don't do stupid things like pop outta good cover to lob a gren in a box ahead
and rebounce it in your punk face! Better use SlowMo to aim the grenade well and
assure that it hits hard. The blast is not that good, so aim well! And- it's not
a good idea to try to lob grens while peeking- shit can happen.
Avoiding grenades isn't much of a problem if you listen carefully to what jerky
commandos are shouting. Once you hear "Grenade out!" or "Flush'im out!" get to
serious cover or get away from the corner you're hiding behind- corner grenades
are the worst thing you see before dying, because while hiding there, you can't
see when the exploding ball is being thrown. So while corner-hiding to reload
weapons, try not to get grenade-killed. Another tactic to deal with enemy
grenades is to switch to SlowMo once they throw it and just walk around the
grenade and blast the fucka while he is still with his arm raised from the
throw-move and not aiming at you.
Just to repeat, don't get too close to enemies- they'll melee-attack you and
affect your accuracy a lot! It's damn hard to shoot at them while they're
kicking you even at point blank range- if this happens, better melee attack them
yourself!
Once you encounter a Ninja, get him burried A-fuckin-SAP! Otherwise he'll run
away and come back from behind after a while to kick your hairy sorry ass for
the stupidity- not shooting him. A favourite of mine is to switch to
SlowMo+SPAS12 once I see a Ninja. Another cool thing is to fist him to death in
SlowMo. To repeat it again- SlowMo is a must for Ninja-killing plus it's cool to
aim at almost invisible blurred enemies and gib them.
Don't hesitate to use SlowMo+MP50 or Type-7 on the Floaters, they do deserve it,
since they can drain your health quickly. A better idea is to peek and take them
out with the Type-7 without getting spotted. Peek so that you can see very
little from their bodies and shoot them. Don't let them see you! If they see you
while peeking, next time you can try to aim for the spot where the ray comes out
from the body- peek slowly so you see this spot and aim for it. 3 Type-7 shots
should do the trick.
6.Some notes, misc
Notes regard that tactics in this file are not everything possible, there may be
other better ways, but I think what I've written will be quite useful for
unexperienced players and newbies to FEAR and FPS games at all. Because this FAQ
is made especially for newbies, I don't find FEAR too hard for the experienced
3D action player. I loved the game, of course and here's my *PERSONAL* rating
for it, being a long-year PC gamer and having played a lot of artful games, I
rate it this way:
GFX:10/10 (Don't you agree?)
SFX:8/10 ("Kill them all"-Alma/"They all deserved to die"-Fettel)
Gameplay: 9/10 (Another game where you can break a window with a slowmo-
slidekicked ninja while his blood is blurry-slowmo-spilling around?)
Charm: 9/10 (The art and idea of nightmares is good)
Personality: 7/10 (Ever heard Jankowski say something interesting? Heard him
talk at all? Damn, I even didn't get his name from the start!)
Innovation: 5/10 (I've seen everything this before in other great games)
Multiplayer(default maps): 3/10 (Goddamn, default MP maps SUCK DICK)
Storyline: 8/10
Length: 6/10 (FEAR took me 3 evenings)
Overall 8,5+/10
Repeating, this is personal opinion, so don't mail me, telling me it's not that
way. For me it is. Although I have a lot to say about stealing ideas, I still
consider FEAR a great game.
Also note that in MultiPlayer weapon characteristics differ from Single Player.
For example, in MP the ASP holds 12 rounds in a clip, not 30. Keep that in mind
before yelling at me on my e-mail about not being precise with weapon
descriptions. Another thing- I'm playing FEAR v1.0-Retail.
Just like in all my previous works, here are some of the games I adore and which
will forever remain in my heart, soul and mind as etalon/art model for game-
makers:
Resident Evil 2 and the others, too, Half-Life, Mortal Kombat series, Legacy Of
Kain series, System Shock 2, Deus Ex, Heavy Metal FAKK2, Kingpin: Life Of Crime,
Clive Barker's UNDYING, Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield+Athena Sword, GTA series
(GTA2 and Vice City- my favourite!), and so on and so on.
The system I played FEAR on:
Gigabyte GA-7VAX, 174 MHz FSB, 512 MB DDR Kingston @348DDR (2.0-2-2-6), 256 MB
ASUS GeForce6600 (non-GT model) AGP8x, overclocked XP1700+@1914 MHz (PR 2300+).
I played FEAR in 1024x768, everything to Medium and with no FSAA, 8x Anisotropic
and it was more than playable. OS was MS Windows XP SP2.
Well, looks like that's all for now. Just to add, info&strategies in the FAQ
maybe aren't the best and out there may be better ways to handle situations in
FEAR, but what I've written is tested and working. At least it works for me.
7.Credits
There is no good work without contributors/helpers and I always give credit to
people, who have the minor contribution to my works. "Credits" is the most
important part of the FAQ, so please don't skip it. I'm talking not only about
my FAQ- read other FAQ's credits, too, people deserve it. OK, this time big wet
ones go to:
My extremely close friend Stefan Kachaunov (MinD|_eSs), who gave me F.E.A.R. to
try it. And for discussing shit about the game. And for the friendship. Thanks,
man! (Coded message for him: "6teImEbaMaikataNa6tatskiteTupiIgra4i!")
The crew of one of the gamers' magazines here in Bulgaria- "Gamers' Workshop"
and especially to Dian Dimitrov (Freeman) from their editors' crew- for
reviewing F.E.A.R. in the magazine and thus giving me the idea to try it out.
My mother, for keeping herself calm while I refused to go to university and
elsewhere before I beat F.E.A.R. and for supporting me by buying me food and
fizzy drinks so I don't have to leave the computer-seat... Just kidding for the
last one!
My friends, who still remained such, even after me rejecting or ignoring their
phone calls while playing F.E.A.R.
The companies, whose hardware products I use: AMD, Kingston (special thanks for
creating low-latency RAM modules!), Gigabyte, TITAN, Quantum (way back before
being buyed by Maxtor, me&Stefan still use Quantum HDDs- mine is 20GB and we use
one 5GB for data-swapping instead of CDs/DVDs), LogiTech, Fujitsu/Siemens,
Genius, Samsung, ASUS/nVidia, RealTek and so on.
The guys&gals in the PC-hardware resellers, who were kind to me when upgrading
in order to play F.E.A.R.- the PC-component resell companies "Kuntorov" and "JAR
Computers".
Monolith for creating F.E.A.R., of course.
Other software companies/developers for compiling programs I used to extend the
F.E.A.R. experience- Irfan Skiljan, Fookes Software (NoteTab Light Text Editor),
MicroSoft, EnTech Taiwan (PowerStrip), ASUS (ASUS SmartDoctor), J. Pajula
(RAMBooster), RAD Game Tools (we all love Bink and Smacker!) and maybe some
others, too, don't remember right now.
You people out there, playing F.E.A.R. and other games and being the reason for
this industry to produce better games. Don't accept/buy shitty products, keep
your quality demands high!
Anyone, who has read stuff from me, regarding other games.
www.dlh.net (Bernd Wolfgramm) and www.gamefaqs.com for being the best game-FAQ
places on the Net and for hooking me on composing FAQs and posting them and for
making my works available for people who need them.
Well, that's all about FEAR from me for now. Thanks again to everybody, I LOVE
YOU ALL!!!
If you want to contact me:
l.slavchev@gmail.com
lubo.s@mbox.bol.bg
CONRATULATIONS!!! YOU'VE CHOSEN THE BEST FAQ!!!
BYE!!!
THE END
