it DOES matter. It matters ALOT
There are many times in PS where the first person that shoots win. Because so many people can aim and shoot a gun in that game, it comes down to quick turns, draw and fire. Also, the engine is alot more locked down and standardized than mod-able FPS like Q2 or BF, so it really gives everyone a level platform to compete on.
And this is ESPECIALLY true in the vehicles. Infantry can easily take down a vehicle, 3-5 guys if they have the right amount of diversity. Its a major fuck up to be caught out in an open space w/o any armor support tho. I mean you don't want to get into a situation where you are foot powering it from one location to another. I'd say 90% of the people in this game need to have a vehicle and need to stick together not only when they are at the location but also en-route. Attacking supply lines/reinforcement routes is a viable tactic and there are enough people playing that harassment role that they'll take advantage of you when you are weakest.
So, as far as comparability to other FPS it is alot more like a Rainbow 6 game in that in addition to having Armor and Health you also have a 'stamina' bar that in addition to effecting your movement WHEN DEPLETED, it also powers your cyber-implants (Super hearing, super sprint, et all). Also, that it provides the players with the flexibility to counter tactics with a variety of weapon combinations and load outs. Pside has 3 times the amount of weapons in it than Q2/Q3 had and not to mention land & air vehicles and differing armor types.
Probably my favourite thing in the game is the router pad. When you are facing off against a very tough opponent that is dug in to a base or tower, you can setup your mobile spawn point (AMS) and then a router next to it. You take a 'router pad' (teleport destination) and you set it up closer, say on top of a tower or at the entrance to a base, and people will spawn in, grab their gear, and then use your router to teleport to the top of the tower/base allowing you to pinch the enemy out from the top and bottom. This alleviates some of the frustration of a 3 hour battle for 1 base on a continent.
Now, if you've read this far, thanks, and when I say its more like a rainbow 6 game, thats just to prepare you for the feel of some of the game. Its a Cone of Fire FPS, so keep that in mind, and armor battles are fast and intense, the air-to-air combat is alot of fun, alot of people are REALLY good with the air vehicles and before I left some were utilizing a dual-core cheat where you can speed up the velocity of your vehicle by 'switching' the dual core on and off, using a macro of some kind.
I've only seen this used by people twice so it must be difficult to setup, but its pretty ass. if I suspect its becoming more widespread (have not heard any reports) then I'll be sure to post that shit up here, because its some HORRIBLY cheap shit.
