“Hardcore” vs “Realism”

These are two terms that get thrown around a lot in the discussion of Escape from Tarkov

Its even in the description:

"a hardcore and realistic online first-person action RPG/Simulator with MMO features and a story-driven walkthrough."

But, the term "hardcore" is rarely defined specifically

What does that mean?

"Realism" is of course, a spectrum

You can have ABSOLUTE MAX/TOTAL realism where when you die the game uninstalls, and you can have the opposite being something like, idk, Candy Crush, or something with no basis in reality

Most games fall within as having SOME sense of reality within a game helps players connect to the world

Even if its totally made up and aritifical, having recognizable elements from the real world helps players connect to the game

Having gravity, in a game, for example. GTA would be totally different if there was zero gravity

Saying something is "realistic" means that its closer to the side of total-realism than it is to the side of "candy crush", but even within that, there is a lot of play room

I interpret "hardcore" in a game to mean that you must LEARN things to be able to play effectively

This can mean many things 

In a hardcore air simulator like DCS for example,  players ACTUALLY have to LEARN the controls of the cockpit, and simply wont be able to play effectively until they do 

Hardcore means it requires DEDICATION to be effective at it 

Realism doesn't DIRECTLY mean hardcore, BUT, if a game is ACTUALLY realistic, it typically means that players will have to learn to SOME degree the aspects of the subject of the game, as you would IRL 

What I take all that to mean in Tarkov, is I think that players SHOULD have to learn infantry tactics to survive 

- How to clear a room 

- How to challenge/hold angles in CQC 

- How to move across spaces in the most effective/safe manner (tactical movement) 

etc 

The opposite of "Hardcore" is "Casual"

Casual I take to mean that anybody can pick up and play, and be DECENT at the game

We like to use COD because the simple fact is, anyone with any lick of FPS experience can simply pick up the game, and do okay at it. You run around, and shoot people. That's the core of the game, and basically anyone CAN do that

They can play, have fun, and utilize all aspects of the game very quickly

When saying that the game feels very "casual" right now is because of situations like the following(Before 12.4, but with the nerfs to weight, if he didn't have any loot, this could easily be repeated still): 

Ambushed a squad on Interchange (I had lvl 4 armor, M4 m865a1) 

Kill their point man, others back off as they are not quite sure where I am 

Im holding the angle thinking: 

"Okay, are they gonna try and "flash and clear" to get me out?" 

"Are they gonna use a Frag grenade?" 

Because these are all things I would be thinking, because these ARE the tactics used to remove an "entrenched" position

What ended up happening, is one of them just SPRINTED around the corner like a total dumbass, stopped on a dime, and gunned me down before I could even get more than 5 shots out 

Essentially, tactics, in a realistic sense, hold LITTLE value right now 

IRL, that would not have worked, AT ALL 

Like, not even close 

I want my gunfights to be won/loss based on application of tactics 

Every death I should be able to say "my tactical error was X" within a realistic context 

Or, my opponent applied Y very well to flush me out 

In my above situation, realistically, I did everything right tactically, and my opponent everything wrong.... but he won 

So, what am I supposed to learn from here? 

Im not interested in some gamey artifical meta, there are PLENTY of games out there for that

I don't want to learn "flicks" (like Rainbow Six Siege)  or other "game" tactics

I want to be able to apply my infantry skills, and be like "I did this good or bad and that's what won/loss me that fight"

Gamer

View Comments

  • Well your first mistake was using a tracer round on a group and engaging solo lol. They almost certainly new where you shot from because tracers work both ways, they should only be used in groups so when you engage your teammates can see where your firing at. You engage outnumbered at close range with a tracer... thats all bad tactics. You got rushed because they had the numbers and you didnt relocate after giving away your position, they most likely identified the caliber by the sound and a tracer from an m4 is not gonna have great penetration... they probably had decent armor and a better weapon and just called it... really accurate enemies dont tend to hold corners because they dont need the angel to get headshots. They called your bluff... your weapon and your skill and pushed the subject most likely. repositioning is sometimes all that saves in tarkov.. if the enemy pushes and is looking in the wrong direction hes gonna take some hits.. depending on your accuracy that could be game over.

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