Breaking the FPS game stereotype, can we make peoples love us again?
by Kyrah Abattoir · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 05/11/2010 (1:47 am) · 6 replies
There is a trend from peoples who used to be fervent FPS gamers to simply ... look for better pastures, those days FPS games carry the following stigma:
- FPS games are played by younger players and/or "whiney kids".
- FPS games are games of reflexes, with simple mechanics leaving little room for a higher level of play.
- FPS games are all about shooting other peoples in the face (immature concept?)
What i'm asking in this "yet another brainstorming topic from Kyrah" is what are your ideas to make the FPS game world "evolve" toward a more generalistic game style.
Of course we can't really ignore the twitch combat origins of the genre, but is there some way to pull it out of the gutter it is currently in?
-Maybe we need a different aproach at the play interface and stop simply sticking a gun in the middle, implying that the game is mostly about mindless carnage?
-There are many other "key compodents" that got incorporated in FPS games, level systems, buy/sell systems, hell... even base management (who could forget battlezone?)
To me the FPS controls are all about immersion, it feels really good in a game when I can suspend my disbelief and feel like i'm actually seeing through my character's eyes.
"Portal" showed a good example of a non violent aproach to FPS game design, but i have to say it's only skirting around the problem, because you are still using a gun after all and it's still glued to your viewpoint.
"Jurassic Park: Trespasser" Is quite the alien in the world of FPS games, it was largely in advance with it's time when it came out but was riddled with bugs.
It used this rather strange "arm" based interface (you could move your hand in 3 dimentions, grab objects and manipulate them in freeform, being rocks, pushing crates, pulling doors open, or whielding a weapon), it's the only FPS game to my knowledge to offer a sort of generic object handling that consider every object in the game world "equal" .
it's really difficult to explain, here is a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiYSmiJQnOg
"Call of cthulhu: Dark corners of the earth" Was an fps mostly about exploration and managing your character's sanity, you where encouraged to avoid confrontations mostly, your character being a bad shot, most weapons he would get wouldn't be that effective to solve most situations. So lots of sneaking, and lots of fleeing, while trying not to look at traumatising things so you wouldn't become mad.
I would have cited "Cryostasis" because the game is all about orienting yourself in a frozen ice breaker (i haven't seen a game displaying frozen environement better than this one) stuck in antartical and managing your body warmth, unfortunately it's still very much a classic fps game in that it is ponctuated almost regularly by fight sequences that leave you without breath (enemies are scary, really noisy, surprising you and you usually try to club them to death with a piece of rusty pipe, not really apropriate for someone who doesn't like high blood pressure games)
Those are a few of the FPS that push the envelope that come to my mind, but the FPS niche is still widely dominated by counter strike clones and games like "modern warfare 2"
- FPS games are played by younger players and/or "whiney kids".
- FPS games are games of reflexes, with simple mechanics leaving little room for a higher level of play.
- FPS games are all about shooting other peoples in the face (immature concept?)
What i'm asking in this "yet another brainstorming topic from Kyrah" is what are your ideas to make the FPS game world "evolve" toward a more generalistic game style.
Of course we can't really ignore the twitch combat origins of the genre, but is there some way to pull it out of the gutter it is currently in?
-Maybe we need a different aproach at the play interface and stop simply sticking a gun in the middle, implying that the game is mostly about mindless carnage?
-There are many other "key compodents" that got incorporated in FPS games, level systems, buy/sell systems, hell... even base management (who could forget battlezone?)
To me the FPS controls are all about immersion, it feels really good in a game when I can suspend my disbelief and feel like i'm actually seeing through my character's eyes.
"Portal" showed a good example of a non violent aproach to FPS game design, but i have to say it's only skirting around the problem, because you are still using a gun after all and it's still glued to your viewpoint.
"Jurassic Park: Trespasser" Is quite the alien in the world of FPS games, it was largely in advance with it's time when it came out but was riddled with bugs.
It used this rather strange "arm" based interface (you could move your hand in 3 dimentions, grab objects and manipulate them in freeform, being rocks, pushing crates, pulling doors open, or whielding a weapon), it's the only FPS game to my knowledge to offer a sort of generic object handling that consider every object in the game world "equal" .
it's really difficult to explain, here is a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiYSmiJQnOg
"Call of cthulhu: Dark corners of the earth" Was an fps mostly about exploration and managing your character's sanity, you where encouraged to avoid confrontations mostly, your character being a bad shot, most weapons he would get wouldn't be that effective to solve most situations. So lots of sneaking, and lots of fleeing, while trying not to look at traumatising things so you wouldn't become mad.
I would have cited "Cryostasis" because the game is all about orienting yourself in a frozen ice breaker (i haven't seen a game displaying frozen environement better than this one) stuck in antartical and managing your body warmth, unfortunately it's still very much a classic fps game in that it is ponctuated almost regularly by fight sequences that leave you without breath (enemies are scary, really noisy, surprising you and you usually try to club them to death with a piece of rusty pipe, not really apropriate for someone who doesn't like high blood pressure games)
Those are a few of the FPS that push the envelope that come to my mind, but the FPS niche is still widely dominated by counter strike clones and games like "modern warfare 2"
About the author
3D artist, programmer, game designer, jack of all trades, master of none.
#2
1. Imitate STALKER as much as possible.
But seriously.
To elaborate on what I said above, here's my personal list of why STALKER is the best shooter I've ever played:
1. It's open, but not in your standard open-world-game way.
2. It doesn't shy away from kicking your arse if you're stupid, and it doesn't hold your hand.
3. The setting is treated with respect, and
3.a. The level design is fantastic - atmosphere by the bucketload!
4. The gameplay's realistic, but not to ridiculous levels.
5. It's got soul.
6. Emergent interactions always beat scripted ones. (I know that's highly subjective, but hey... a scripted interaction will always be the same)
That doesn't sound as coherent as I'd like it to, but it's late (early) :P.
05/11/2010 (7:27 am)
I literally just started replaying STALKER this afternoon, so here's my piece of advice for the industry:1. Imitate STALKER as much as possible.
But seriously.
Quote:it's the only FPS game to my knowledge to offer a sort of generic object handling that consider every object in the game world "equal" .Have a look at Penumbra, which has pretty good object handling which sounds similar. Also a not-really-standard FPS game, closer to the horror sort of experience of Cthulhu.
Quote:Those are a few of the FPS that push the envelope that come to my mind, but the FPS niche is still widely dominated by counter strike clones and games like "modern warfare 2"It's the same reason cinemas are dominated by Transformers and Iron Man. Whether we like it or not, people tend to like those sorts of things. It's like comparing Michael Bay to Andrei Tarkovsky.
To elaborate on what I said above, here's my personal list of why STALKER is the best shooter I've ever played:
1. It's open, but not in your standard open-world-game way.
2. It doesn't shy away from kicking your arse if you're stupid, and it doesn't hold your hand.
3. The setting is treated with respect, and
3.a. The level design is fantastic - atmosphere by the bucketload!
4. The gameplay's realistic, but not to ridiculous levels.
5. It's got soul.
6. Emergent interactions always beat scripted ones. (I know that's highly subjective, but hey... a scripted interaction will always be the same)
That doesn't sound as coherent as I'd like it to, but it's late (early) :P.
#3
Play "Mature Rated" FPS Online
->insert penguin meme here<-
Spend 2 Hours Having 12 Year Olds Mistake You For Being Black And Homosexual
:P
To be honest that kinda depends on what sort of FPS your playing (run-n-gun or something more cerebral/tactical/simulation-based) and on what server it is.
You can generally tell whether a game is designed for AHDH kids if it has autohealth recharge and a sniper rifle with a range of 100 metres ...
My reactions weren't much cop when I was a kid, and they ain't improved now I'm closer to 40 than I am 30.
Health is a resource - to be managed like ammunition, you don't get max ammo by hiding behind a wall for 3 seconds ... you have to search for it.
Combat simulations on the other hand tend to have baffling control systems to remember and be much slower (obviously).
@Daniel
Tarkovsky FTW!
05/11/2010 (8:27 am)
Quote:
FPS games are played by younger players and/or "whiney kids"
Play "Mature Rated" FPS Online
->insert penguin meme here<-
Spend 2 Hours Having 12 Year Olds Mistake You For Being Black And Homosexual
:P
To be honest that kinda depends on what sort of FPS your playing (run-n-gun or something more cerebral/tactical/simulation-based) and on what server it is.
You can generally tell whether a game is designed for AHDH kids if it has autohealth recharge and a sniper rifle with a range of 100 metres ...
My reactions weren't much cop when I was a kid, and they ain't improved now I'm closer to 40 than I am 30.
Health is a resource - to be managed like ammunition, you don't get max ammo by hiding behind a wall for 3 seconds ... you have to search for it.
Combat simulations on the other hand tend to have baffling control systems to remember and be much slower (obviously).
@Daniel
Tarkovsky FTW!
#4
Yep i also played penumbra which has an interesting mouse based interface with the game world, that was different, i forgot about this one. Still it is clearly not your "all public" fps game,even if you're not putting bullets in baddies all the time it's a frightening game.
05/11/2010 (9:53 am)
Oh yeah stalker is quite nice but i didn't cite it because even if it's poking here and there it's still a very classic "murder simulator" (i do like it and it seems the game mechanics get better every new sequel), the A life reaction to the emissions in the zone is quite amazing :)Yep i also played penumbra which has an interesting mouse based interface with the game world, that was different, i forgot about this one. Still it is clearly not your "all public" fps game,even if you're not putting bullets in baddies all the time it's a frightening game.
#5
Each FPS assumes you know how to operate wasd+mouse or 2 analog sticks. They also assume you can not only move around seamlessly, but also that you can aim and shoot at the same time.
Mario wants you to move left/right and jump... that's it. You won't complete the first level without moving and jumping. But in Halo, you can go hours and hours into the game before being confronted by a monster tough enough to kill you before you can Rambo straight at him and kill him.
Now, I'm very confident with FPS controls, but not everyone is. It's an ancient problem, and few FPSs address it whatsoever. Lots of gameplay elements get grandfathered in -
Reloading
ammo
jump physics
Run physics (takes .68 seconds to get up to speed, then I can dead sprint for 16 miles)
strafing (walking sideways is advantageous.. always)
zero-trajectory bullets
high HP enemies (guns don't... kill people with a few bullets?)
locational damage (you know, a person can die almost instantly if you shatter their femur)
Perfect cover (this wooden box stops bullets, right?)
Patrols and people "waiting to get killed"
Picking up weapons/ammo from people you killed
Laundry list of guns you no longer use
invisible walls/fences you can't climb
Seriously, any given FPS that comes out uses 3/4 of the list up there simply because it's FPS canon.
05/11/2010 (12:12 pm)
Well, FPSs borrow too heavily from each other, while still keeping the same barriers for entry.Each FPS assumes you know how to operate wasd+mouse or 2 analog sticks. They also assume you can not only move around seamlessly, but also that you can aim and shoot at the same time.
Mario wants you to move left/right and jump... that's it. You won't complete the first level without moving and jumping. But in Halo, you can go hours and hours into the game before being confronted by a monster tough enough to kill you before you can Rambo straight at him and kill him.
Now, I'm very confident with FPS controls, but not everyone is. It's an ancient problem, and few FPSs address it whatsoever. Lots of gameplay elements get grandfathered in -
Reloading
ammo
jump physics
Run physics (takes .68 seconds to get up to speed, then I can dead sprint for 16 miles)
strafing (walking sideways is advantageous.. always)
zero-trajectory bullets
high HP enemies (guns don't... kill people with a few bullets?)
locational damage (you know, a person can die almost instantly if you shatter their femur)
Perfect cover (this wooden box stops bullets, right?)
Patrols and people "waiting to get killed"
Picking up weapons/ammo from people you killed
Laundry list of guns you no longer use
invisible walls/fences you can't climb
Seriously, any given FPS that comes out uses 3/4 of the list up there simply because it's FPS canon.
#6
I should amend my original statement:
1. Imitate STALKER or Deus Ex as much as possible.
Didn't Cliffy say that the future of shooters was in RPGs? I can't agree more. Story and characters need to take a bigger role than action and spectacle, IMO - but that's just it, that's my opinion. I'm sure a lot of people out there don't care about characters if they get explosions. Who's to say I'm any more right than them?
Heh heh...
05/12/2010 (6:19 am)
Quote:Seriously, any given FPS that comes out uses 3/4 of the list up there simply because it's FPS canon.But equally, some of them just make sense, like the first 3 you list (except maybe jump physics - depends on what specific implementation you mean).
Quote:i didn't cite it because even if it's poking here and there it's still a very classic "murder simulator"Oh yes, but I think that comes with the territory. We're talking about FP*S* games, after all ;P. And the game gives you a great deal more freedom to not just go out and murder people for no reason. Also, people don't just stand around in the level waiting for you to kill them (well... until the endgame :P).
I should amend my original statement:
1. Imitate STALKER or Deus Ex as much as possible.
Didn't Cliffy say that the future of shooters was in RPGs? I can't agree more. Story and characters need to take a bigger role than action and spectacle, IMO - but that's just it, that's my opinion. I'm sure a lot of people out there don't care about characters if they get explosions. Who's to say I'm any more right than them?
Quote:You can generally tell whether a game is designed for AHDH kids if it has autohealth recharge and a sniper rifle with a range of 100 metres ...Or it's released on a console...
Heh heh...
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