Know Thy Bosses

The Guardian Gamesblog has a piece on knowing your enemy to better pwn him. Specifically, they go through some tried and true rules about surviving boss battles. From the article: "If the boss stops, panic. Bosses usually move about - when they stop it means they're about to unleash their signature move, the aforementioned fist or laser blast. Try to avoid being parallel to them when they stop. Unless, of course, it's the sort of boss who blasts the whole screen apart from the thin corridor directly in front of them. In this case stay where you are."

Comments

Real bosses

[LunchTableGoat]

I think these strategies can be applied to real bosses or PHBs. For example:

-Keep moving.
If you aren't where they expect you to be, they can't ask you to come into work on Saturday.

-If the boss stops, panic.
S/he is likely to give you a mundane task that is below your abilities or ask you a stupid question.

-Scan for weak spots.
If you know their weak spot, you can always bring it up in a time of dire need.

-The quarter rule.
At the end of a quarter expect your assigned tasks to multiply, there are deadlines to be met.

-Take a break.
The water cooler is an excellent place to share boss strategies with your comrades.

Hide?

[owlman17]

In Doom 2, I remember turning off clipping, then I found John Romero's head behind the boss, and chainsawed away. In Hexen, I just stayed behind a pillar and fired at the boss between shots, like a wild west movie. Wasn't really fun but I nailed him in the end. Very n00b I know, but I got the job done. Killing bosses in 80s RPGs like Ultima or Bard's Tale wasn't just fun, but it always felt glorious afterwards.

Re:"Stay where you are?"

[Anonymous Coward]

Whoooosh!

Interesting, but...

[SilentOneNCW]

If you'd like to comment on any aspect of Technology Guardian, send your emails to tech@guardian.co.uk

Somehow, I'm thinking that this address will be getting a lot of mail. "Take a break. If you feel yourself becoming enraged beyond the realms of human endurance, give up and do something less stressful for a few minutes - like filling in a tax return." I can't wait for the first person to try this strategy, and suffer a stroke or heart attack brought on by the high blood pressure.

Basically, if you're having so much trouble beating a boss that you are actually getting angry -- stop playing. Not just for a little while, wait until you have either talked to a friend about the game (getting a fresh perspective often helps), slept a full night's sleep (if you are fully rested, you are much more likely to be alert. Plus, gamers seem to do better in natural light.) and learn that one ultimate lesson: It is only a game! So calm down! Breathe deep, try again later.

Re:Interesting, but...

[Moraelin]

Relax. The "do something less stressful [...] - like filling in a tax return" was supposed to be a joke. (Though he does have a point that some games do get to a point where a tax form is more fun.) You're not actually supposed to raise your blood pressure some more in between blood rounds.

Castlevania, Prince of Persia

[Spy der Mann]

This is so true. I've managed to avoid Trevor Belmont's attacks (Castlevania: Curse of Darkness) just by reading his movements. When he unleashes the whip attack, I dodge, wait 1/10 of a second, then dodge again until he stops (don't do the double-dodge, there is an awful delay when you do the second dodge, and he'll get you there).

In most fighting games (if not all), the boss usually makes some move indicating what he's going to do. A good example is the final boss in Prince of Persia. When the boss moves his wings to grab a pillar and throw it at you, you should roll in the opposite direction.

So it's all about dodging... this is why defeating Julius (in Aria of Sorrow) was so difficult, he wasn't moving like a boss, but like a player. And even then you could decipher some of his moves , just by watching the color of the glow before he throws a subweapon at you.

Re:confusion...

[Anonymous Coward]

haha! That's a good one! Original, too!

I mean, do you even read the other comments to make sure you joke hasn't already been posted in triplicate? Oh wait... I forgot this was slashdot!

Re:Boss Fights? Feh

[Omestes]

Oh lord... Don't remind me... Thats one reason I quit playing "the most addictive game ever". At 60, its just tedium.

I remember my 60 druid, pre-druid patch. "Heal heal, heal, RAISE!, envigorate!, wash rinse repeat." And remember never go feral to save your hide.

Meh to that game. Suffers the same problems as Diablo II multi. Do the same formula to collect better items, to compete with wankers with WAY too much time on their hands.