That said, I can think of another “sport” (if you consider FPS’n a “sport”) where the best practice is playing the game in game-situations: ice hockey. And it’s true: the best players are the ones who play the most. Practice is nice, but it doesn’t grant nearly as much improvement with the game like other sports.

And FPS/gaming is very much like that, where the more you play a game, the better you get at it. But I can see a value to having a training program to improve aspects of one’s tactics.

For some people who genuinely want to get better, I think a well-made practice mod / map may work well, but you really have to commit to the practice as in my experience this sort of practice gaming is just boring.

Naturally, with all that in the mix there are a *lot* of skills to learn, and while the game’s campaign teaches you the basics of gameplay as you go along, it leaves a lot of information out. Anyone who plays the campaign through gets competent at the basic skills of navigation, moving around on foot and shooting, but that doesn’t even touch on the other skill sets you need to learn to be a real all-rounder. To be a decent squad leader you need to learn how to use the command system to tell the AI under your command where to go and what to do. And besides all of the straightforward infantry weapons (like assault rifles, sniper rifles, and so on), there are things like guided rocket launchers, laser designators, satchel charges (with remote radio detonation or timed detonation), anti-tank mines, grenade launchers…

And then there’s the vehicles. Road based vehicles are straightforward enough, with the possible exception of tanks (which require a coordinated 3-man crew to work effectively), but the aircraft can be tricky indeed. Pretty much anyone can keep a helicopter in the air and land without crashing, but it takes quite a bit of skill to fly one low and fast like you have to in combat. And fixed-wing aircraft are different again, with taking off, landing, staying in the air and using the weapons systems all things that need to be considered.

Okay, well, you get the idea. Anyway, I always thought that the game could do with test scenarios teaching players how to do all of this, one thing at at time, and then grading their progress, perhaps even rewarding a token or trophy of some sort once the player scores well on a test, to be displayed on their multiplayer profile if they wish. This would serve the dual purpose of improving player’s skills and allowing other players to, at a glance, see who is certifiably skilled at what. Like achievements, but quite a bit more practical; It sure would make it easier to decide who should fly the helicopter the rest of the team will have to ride in.

With all those mods released, all with their different gameplay ideas (some at least), I think it serves the same purpose over time. Although you don’t work on a specific skill, you do learn to use a lot of different skills at once, and in a lot of different situations. So playing real mods will, in my opinion, give just as much skill. But I would skill be interested in how such a mod would function, and if it would work as planned.

I don’t know if I would play such a mod, unless it was great fun and made by guys who know what they are doing. So I voted Maybe (Please Comment).