There are counters for just about everything you mention.

-Trip a Bot attack? Shock them then hack them...or find a bot turn off post.
-See a Security camera? Shock it and Hack it.
-Use a "One Two" of Shocking enemies, then shooting them in the head as they twitch with electricity.
-Use items that give you more Health and Eve when you do things.

What difficulty setting are you playing on? It was frustrating at times but didn't seem very difficult. I played it on Normal.

It gets easier once you start getting more powers and upgrading.

thanks. i have been doing the shock and kill thing, but really depletes the EVE. you only get like 2-3 shots before gone and almost every enemy needs a shot or two to do some good.

normal mode, which i guess is most games medium?

As you upgrade your EVE and get stronger versions of the plasmids, you'll do more damage. There are also some tonics you can buy which will make plasmids use less EVE. Also, you should come across some upgrade stations for your weapons, where you can make them more powerful and hold more ammo.

I also liked to use the plasmid that lets you control Big Daddys and hacked security bots to do my fighting whenever I could.

Even when using "Shock 1" that's more than enough to stun the average enemy. Shock then fire on them. Don't wait. Hint: Shock water when they're standing in it. That will shock multiple enemies. Also use Bots, Security Cams, and even Big Daddys to fight for you.....

As Ghym said, there are upgrades that reduce Eve usage and others that make ammo more powerful. "Power To the People" stations allow a one time per station upgrade of weapons.

Yep. There are dozens of ways to obliterate the enemy and have fun doing it. If you are sticking to one method you are really limiting your experience. Experiment with everything.

I wish I would have use the trip wires earlier in the game. Those were badass.

Not really, though it depends on the difficulty setting. Bioshock's a survival horror at its core, so the anticipation in hunting down ammunition, meds, and such adds to the tension. Just make sure to search ash trays, chest of drawers, and any other inconspicuous place that might hold something. And, like others have said, use a bit of inventiveness with your strategies, such as lighting a splicer on fire when he's near water so they'll run to douse the flames -- then electrocute. Being surgical with the tactics you use will limit the amount of supplies, both health and ammo, that you use up.

Shock-'n-headshot.

Also, along with the bots and cams, don't be afraid to hack turrets. The hacking schematic can be frustrating (2K greatly improves on that with Bioshock 2), but gaining control of one of those and luring a Big Daddy in front of it will be very effective.

Yes I left out Turrets! Get them on your side and you can let them mop the room.

Also scott1598, while you're fighting a mad battle you may not notice it but Enemies run to Healing Stations and heal up just like how they run into water to put out flames. However if you hack them, they'll get a shock instead of healing.

So hack everything you can.

Just finished this game yesterday. I loved it, but hacking did start to become repetitive. I have since put an hour or 2 into bioshock 2

I finished Bioshock 2 last night and I really liked it. Both games are great in their own way.

i am trying to hack away, but some are like 3 tiles and can't get in time. is there a knack or secret to hacking, especially the safes?

You forgot to look here first, didn't you?
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/Hacking

I just bought Bioshock 2 during Steam's today-only sale for it, but I don't have the first one yet. I'm holding out in the hopes that Steam will do something similar for the original game. Would you guys recommend playing the original game first? I'm okay with waiting.

There are items that make Hacking easier along with getting better as you go along.


Side note: I can't remember if we had this discussion, but they released a bunch of free items for download on the LIVE Marketplace. They may not help with Hacking, but I remember them being great usable free items.

i did download this for free "Ryan Industries Plasmids and Gene Tonics" where description says: "Stuck in a rut in Rapture? Has a Big Daddy been beating you down? Need a little more zing to your arsenal? Download these Gene Tonics and Plasmids and get your step back. Splice with Sonic Boom, EVE Saver, Vending Expert, and Machine buster today!"
but don't know where they are or how to access them as the page for downloaded content is empty.

You have to go "buy" them from a Gatherer's Garden. They're free though, so it's only a matter of locating a GG to get them.

so early on...what is an effective way to kill a Big Daddy (Rosie) if you don't have any electric buck shots?

it takes me like 5-6 tries to kill the things and that is without splicers all around me. none of the plasmids seem effective on it. i've tried electric & sonic boom. i thought the hypnotize plasmid would work when he is my friend and thought i could just shoot him, but no.

If you've got the Vita Chambers turned on, just keep pounding away with whatever weapons you want. You'll take it down eventually because you heal and it doesn't. With respect to hypnotize, use it to have the splicers work on the Big Daddy for you.

If you're not using Vita Chambers, leave the Big Daddies alone until you have some of the more heavy-duty weapons. Then double-back and take out the ones you skipped. I typically wait until I get to Arcadia before I feel like I'm ready to take on a Big Daddy without getting killed; since you're a relative newbie, you might want to wait a level or two beyond that. The downside of that, of course, is that you don't get Adam until you take on the Big Daddies.

^ thanks. i am kinda going for broke on first playthrough and wants me some ADAM and figured there was a full proff way to take them down. game is kinda hard for me.

Just stick with it. Like others have said, it gets a little easier once you level up your weapons, health and eve. With the chambers and save anywhere option, this is probably one of the best trial and error games you can mess around with. And always look around for things to use in the environment to your advantage.

Definitely play the original first. I also think it's the better game, but not by much. Steam has had it on sale for as little as $5 during the Holiday Sale so they may bring it back for the summer.

You can find other things to distract it while you pound at it. For example, you can lure it next to your hacked turrets or cameras.

You don't have to hold out anymore. Steam put BioShock on sale for $4.99 today(July 1st). It's one of the daily deals.

Still too much for me. I'll hold out for a better price.

At this point I'm waiting for the "GOTY " edition with all the DLC included.