Introduction
For as long as we know it the shooting game scene has been around, and has played a very big role in the evolution of gaming as a whole. We’ve seen the likes of Socom make their way into the spotlight, paving the way for more tactical operative style games or Call of Duty, the one franchise that became the fastest selling FPS in gaming history. We have a lot to thank to the shooting game genre because it’s now ubiquitous with the game world and we see it being implemented into various games we’d never expect to see that style in. PlayerUnknown’s Battleground is the latest title that has made headlines just about everywhere in the world due to its very tactical style approach to survival, while implementing both a first person and third person perspective to its gameplay for players to immerse themselves in. So just which perspective is better overall in PUBG? This is a question often brought up by the community and so we thought it would be best to shed some light on the matter.
TPP - Third Person Perspective
As we stated in the opening paragraph, the third person perspective has played a major role in a large number of titles ranging from the likes of Assassin’s Creed, Tales of Berseria and Socom as previously mentioned. The list goes on and on but what’s important to understand is the concept behind third person and just why it’s part of the PUBG platform, so let’s dive in. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is a battle royale style game where you and 99 other players ar thrown onto an island, and you need every ounce of tactical prowess in order to make it to top 10 or even top 5. Playing in third person in PUBG has its pros but we’ll also cover the cons as well. One major benefit why Socom was so popular for its time was because players were able to create strategic setups where they could flank their opponent, simply because they were able to see over obstacles that you typically couldn’t see if you were in first person.
The same can be said about playing in PUBG where, having the tactical advantage over your enemy can spell victory for you in many ways. In TPP the camera sits behind your character giving you a wide view of what’s in front of you, with no blind spots to deter you from engaging targets. This allows you to develop a strong sense of spacial awareness and to create a situation that favors you, while putting the enemy under constant pressure. For example, hiding behind a tree for cover while still being able to see the enemy movements is pivotal in knowing just when to evade or when to play the aggressor and catch them off guard. Simply put, TPP gives you a visual advantage since you’re able to see opponents well before they see you, allowing you to devise a plan of action that can lead to a kill and avoid any unwanted detection.
However, while all of that may prove to be worthwhile there’s still the unfortunate side of playing in TPP in that, being able to see where your opponent’s are in advance sort of takes away that immersion of what makes playing a battle royale so satisfying. The element of surprise isn’t really there since much of your vision is expanded and so in the long run, competitively speaking, it really makes spectating somewhat lacking.
FPP - First Person Perspective
The first person perspective view has been an extremely popular one for decades now, even going as far back as Day of Defeat, Medal of Honor and just about every other prominent shooter that has come out in recent memory. Take the likes of Valve’s ever-so-popular Counterstrike franchise, which has seen enormous success in the tactical shooter realm and still continues to rake in large numbers for global events. So why is first person so lucrative in this market? For one, as stated earlier, immersion is what truly makes playing in first person so rewarding and provides that adrenaline rush that makes every kill so rewarding. Unlike in TPP where it’s easier to spot enemies from every direction, FPP prevents that by putting the camera directly inside the character meaning you see what the character sees. This is the more exciting aspect about playing in FPP because you now have to be on the edge every step of the way, your tactical thinking increases exponentially because now determining where gunshots are coming from is much harder, while you now have to rely a lot more on audio cues as to where the enemy is approaching from.
Visual cues also play a big role in FPP since you’ll need to come up with clever ways to position yourself to avoid being spotted, as careless maneuvering can result in you being a sniping target for an enemy waiting inside a house. That’s another major perk about playing in FPP is that, on a competitive level for PUBG, this makes spotting targets much harder which in a spectating sense makes the action seem more heart pumping and nail biting. The element of surprise is always there and making those clutch plays come late game just feel more satisfying, case in point watching CS:GO in the final moments before a team claims victory. While many still consider TPP to be the way to go for PUBG, we feel that over the long term FPP will shine in many regards as we’ve seen with other titles. While your vision is definitely limited and camping may be encouraged the overall feel of playing in first person with a battle royale game just seems more fitting.
Honey's Final Verdict:
This topic will surely have its naysayers and we totally understand since for the most part, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds sort of grew from the TPP infrastructure and only just recently was FPP implemented. However now with the competitive scene slowly growing for PUBG we can only imagine that most tournament organizers will opt for the more immersive feel of FPP, but we definitely will still see TPP based tournaments so that both parties can still enjoy the game in their respective manner. What do you think about FPP vs TPP? Which one do you use more? Let us know in the comments section below!
