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Permission to roam freely

The ingame interface seamlessly integrates a zoomable overhead map with selectable waypoints that make it easy to orient yourself. It's amazing what a difference this makes after playing multiplayer games where you spend your first ten matches getting beat up as you try to figure out the level. In Black Hawk Down, just pull up a full screen map, take a quick look, then use your inset minimap to find your way around.

Keep you hands inside the vehicle

Did you hear a loud bang?

Underground base

Whereas there are all sorts of restrictions on where you can go in single player missions, there are no such limitations in multiplayer games, which are essentially giant playgrounds out in the desert. Many missions have indestructible Humvees and Black Hawks that run pre-set patterns. In most games, these are basically mobile gun platforms. But in some of the more clever maps, the Black Hawks serve as transportation between different areas of the map. It's a real thrill to be on a helicopter with a bunch of your team members as it comes roaring in low and fast below the level of the rooftops in the middle of an enemy base. Finally helicopter insertions done right.

Project green light

Put your hands in the air

No playing on the C-130

Since there are no accuracy penalties for firing while moving, Black Hawk Down encourages running and gunning over careful tactics. There are only a handful of weapons available, most of which don't seem to differ substantially. However, different classes are limited to different loadouts. One of the classes is a medic who can revive teammates sooner than they can respawn. Some classes can take advantage of an M203 40mm grenade launcher slung under the barrel of an M16 or CAR-15 carbine; you don't want to leave home without one of these. Among the secondary weapons are an effective flashbang and some really insidious claymores. The night vision looks great, but it's almost entirely useless in multiplayer games.

After each round, players are rated based on an experience point system that rewards achievements like headshots and reviving injured teammates. There's no gameplay built around these experience points, but they make for much more interesting stat tracking than something like Battlefield 1942, where players are only rated for kills and most newbies just want to fly around in a plane regardless of whether it helps the team. Black Hawk Down, on the other hand, at least ranks the team members at the end of a round from most helpful to least helpful. Novalogic has been doing multiplayer gaming for a long time, and their experience clearly shows here.